Transforming 2020 Into A Year For Growth & Self Love

August 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

With 2020 heading down a path that no one could ever have envisioned, personal growth and the achievement of goals has been put on hold – new careers, home moves and travel plans have gone out of the window. Such a stunt is likely to have an impact on your ability to be optimistic, as well as your motivation levels too. Luckily, it’s still more than possible to transform 2020 into a year of growth and self love, despite the risks and restrictions that are ever present in society. So, if you would like to find out more about some of the best top tips and tricks that you can implement to expand your horizons whilst becoming your own main priority, then read on!

Image Source – Pexels 

 

Eating A Nutritious Diet 

 

One of the most beneficial changes that you can make to your daily life involves the food that you eat, as opting for a nutritious diet that’s rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein and complex carbohydrates will provide your mind and body with fuel required to perform at optimum capability. A healthy diet should consist of 3 meals and 2 snacks per day, along with at least 8 glasses of water to ensure you can stay sufficiently hydrated. Keeping sugar to a minimum can also be of real benefit, as sugar provides no health benefits or nutritional value whatsoever and causes mood swings and potentially even diabetes. There are many healthy recipes online that detail exactly how you can start to revamp your diet for the better, so don’t be afraid to get in the kitchen and start experimenting with fresh produce. Aim to consume at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day, as this should provide you with a good boost of vitamins and minerals! 

 

Make Your Voice Heard

 

It can be extremely detrimental for your mental health to keep your thoughts and worries to yourself, as it’s so important that you can make your voice heard. Make those around you aware if you are feeling uncomfortable, and remove yourself from a situation if you no longer feel as though it’s working for you. You must become your own main focus, and achieving a healthy mental state is a huge contributing factor. A great way to uncover productive communication methods and coping mechanisms is to attend counselling therapy, as an experienced, qualified professional can support you through the whole process. Growing and evolving mentally to reach more sustainable levels of calm and positive can change your life completely, but it might take a little hard work and a lot of self reflection to meet your goals. 

 

Transforming 2020 into a year for growth and self love has never been so simple when you are able to utilise the ideas and concepts that have been detailed above. It’s never too late to make a change for the better, so take these tips and tricks on board to make sure this year is one to remember for all of the right reasons.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fun Desserts To Make For Your Family This Weekend

June 3, 2020 Leave a Comment

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What better way to make life more exciting in lock down than create some great recipes? 

 

We all love a good sweet treat now and again, and even when you are trying to be healthy, all things come in moderation and a treat now and again is worth the effort. 

 

Today we want to share some amazing sweet treat recipes with you that will have to begging for more this weekend. Whether you are seeing family for the first time in months or still holding out a while longer, these recipes will be a showstopper for the table!  

 

Profiterole tower (croquembouche) 

 

Croquembouche is a classic french recipe and it is one that is always a hit with everyone. It is more commonly known as a tower of profiteroles and is easier than you think to create. 

 

These are baked and then covered with a sugar caramel, but you can also use isomalt. Take a look at how isomalt is used in cake decorating. 

 

Ingredients:

 

75g strong white bread flour 

50g butter 

2tbsp sugar 

2 eggs

300ml double cream 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

150g Melted dark chocolate 

150g caramel or isomalt 

 

  1. To create the choux pastry for this dish you will first need to heat up the butter in a pan until it melts. Add the flour and allow it to cook out to create a roux. 
  2. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Add beaten eggs and sugar and beat into a smooth pastry. Add to a piping bag. 
  3. Grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 190C. 
  4. Pipe small circles of pastry onto the baking sheet; using a damp finger to press down the peak on top. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and risen. Allow to cool. 
  5. Whip your double cream and add vanilla to sweeten. Using a thin nozzle piping bag, pipe into the profiteroles. Drizzle on some chocolate and Chill. 
  6. To create your tower, dip each profiterole in caramel or isomalt and tower on top of each other. You can finish the dish with a drizzle of caramel around the tower. 

White chocolate and raspberry cupcakes 

 

Cupcakes are a simple dish but always a pleasure for everyone in the family. 

 

Ingredients: 

 

175 g butter 

175 g self-raising flour

175 g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 large eggs 

Dash of milk 

100g white chocolate chips 

50g fresh raspberries 

3 tbsp raspberry jam 

280g icing sugar 

140g butter (additional) 

White chocolate shavings 

 

  1. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until it is light and creamy. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. 
  2. Add flour and baking powder and fold gently. Add milk chocolate chips and 1 tbsp raspberry jam. 
  3. Preheat an oven to 190C and scoop mixture into cupcake tins. Bake for 15 minutes. 
  4. Mix together your icing sugar and butter until smooth and light. Add the remaining raspberry jam and mix lightly to create a marble effect. 
  5. Add to a piping bag with a nozzle and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Top with a fresh raspberry and a shaving of white chocolate. 
Filed Under: Cooking Tagged With: , , , , ,

4 Kitchen Hacks To Bring More Flavor To Your Cooking

February 13, 2020 Leave a Comment

Photo Credit – CC0 License

 

It’s always good to find new ways of adding flavor to your cooking. You don’t have to be a chef to figure out how to add little bits of flavor here and there. In fact, it can be much easier than you think. Below, I’ve listed some of my favorite hacks to upgrade all of your dishes. Whether you’re cooking in the kitchen or putting on a BBQ for guests, these tips will help everything taste that little bit nicer!

 

Season sauces with table salt

Initially, this sounds like an obvious thing! However, there are two types of salt; table salt and rock salt. The rock salt is less finely ground and usually comes in one of those twisty salt shakers. When you add this to sauces or stews, it basically does nothing. You won’t add any extra flavor, so it’s a waste. By contrast, table salt is perfect for seasoning. It’s absorbed into the food, bringing out all the little flavors. Save the rock salt for seasoning salads or things that aren’t being cooked! 

 

Switch to meat on the bone

Most people prefer to cook meat off the bone. This means you’re cooking chicken breast all the time, mainly because you don’t want to deal with the bone. However, when meat is on the bone, it has more flavor. It gets this from the bone itself, and it also tends to hold onto more juices. Next time you cook some chicken, think about trying oven baked chicken thighs instead of pan-fried chicken breasts. You’ll be amazed at the difference in flavors! You’re essentially cooking the same thing, but the different methods and cut of chicken will transform it into a flavor party. 

Photo Link – CC0 License

 

Use vegetables that are in season

An effortless tip that will make your meals tastier and add some extra diversity to your cooking. Pick whatever vegetables are in season, and you will instantly have more flavor in your food. When something is out of season, it never tastes as nice. They’re not as fresh, the flavors aren’t as powerful as they can be, and it’s a bit of a letdown. By contrast, the in-season veg is so fresh, so flavorsome, and so colorful. My advice is to pick the in-season veg, then make a meal around it!

 

Don’t rush it

We’re all guilty of wanting super quick meals that take a few minutes to make. However, when you rush through the cooking process, things don’t taste anywhere near as good as they could. Instead, take it easy – allow more time for flavors to develop. A good example of this is when you’re cooking a curry, and you add the spices. Let them cook off for at least five minutes to release all their flavors before adding in the liquid ingredients. Use this principle with all types of dishes – turn the heat down slightly to cook for a bit longer. The meal can still be cooked within 30 minutes, but you get way more flavor than if you rushed it in 15. 

 

See, these hacks are so simple and require almost no culinary skills at all! Make a few little alterations to your cooking style, and you’ll create far more flavorsome foods.

Filed Under: Cooking Tagged With: , , , , ,

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party

August 28, 2017 Leave a Comment

“This post was sponsored by Fresh Avocados – Love  One Today® as part of an In-Home Party Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.”

Growing up, my mom served avocado with just about every meal we had.  She loves them more than anyone I’ve met before, except maybe me.  I don’t know if it was due to her influence of serving avocados so much or if it’s because I have the same cravings as she does, but like her, my kids were raised on avocados.   From tacos to salads to my 7 layer dip recipe, I serve avocado’s just about daily.  I even use them in my smoothies.  As much as I love avocados, I equally love to host parties. Of course, I show off my favorite avocado recipes during all of my events.  Some I’ve created myself and some I talked my mom out of.  I’ve tried just about every avocado recipe online that I could find as well.

Wholesome fresh Avocado 7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

 

There are several reasons why it’s easy to get the kids to eat avocados. In fact, they were my kids first fruit. They are smooth and have a creamy consistency along with a mild taste. I would mash them up and feed them from a spoon until they were old enough to have slices of them. Like my own kids, even before I knew about the nutritional value of fresh avocados, I loved them. After learning that Avocados contribute nearly 20 nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytonutrients, that are important to infant/toddler nutrition, I started giving them to the kids even more often than I already was. My mom probably knew all of this when she served us avocados, but being a child, all I knew was that I loved the taste. She was counting on that when she served us meals with avocado in them. I’m sure she also knew that wholesome, fresh foods are less likely to contain added sugars, salt, and other processed ingredients.

Today I’d like to share my favorite 7 layer dip recipe with you so you can encourage your own kids to enjoy avocados. It’s sure to be a party favorite so go ahead and bookmark my post to save my recipe.

Wholesome fresh Avocado 7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

Ingredients:

5 Ripe Avocados. Use 4 in recipe and dice 1 for the top.
1 can of refried beans.
16 ounces of sour cream.
1 pack of dry taco seasoning mix.
1 to 2 lemons (need 2 teaspoons) or lemon juice.
Garlic cloves (grind 3 cloves).
Green onion (chop 3 to 4 stalks)
2- 8-ounce blocks of cheese, grated (I use mild).  If you’re in a hurry, pre-grated cheese works well.
1 small can of sliced black olives.
1 medium-sized tomato diced, chunky sizes.

Instructions:

In a glass bowl spread the can of refried beans evenly along the bottom.
Combine the sour cream and the dry taco seasoning, then spread on top of the beans.
Mix the avocados with the lemon juice and garlic. Sometimes I mash them, sometimes I cube them. Add on top of the sour cream mixture.
Add the cheese, green onions, black olives and tomatoes to top it off.

Serve with Tortillas.

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

To learn more about Fresh Avocados – Love One Today®  visit their website.

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What’s your favorite way to eat a Hass Avocado?

 

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

 

7 Layer Dip, Recipe + Love One Today® Avocado Party #AvoKids #IC #ad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Cooking, Food, Healthy, Kids, Party Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Microwave Pecan Brittle Recipe – Quick & Easy #Pecan #recipes

May 22, 2017 1 Comment

Growing up in Georgia, fresh sweet pecans were always readily available. Now that I am an adult and live in Texas, I crave those yummy pecans all the time. Fortunately, my sister owns a pecan orchid so I still get those yummy pecans fresh each year.

I am going to share my favorite pecan brittle recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Spray baking sheet to prevent sticking!
  2. Combine pecans, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a glass 4-cup measuring cup.
  3. Heat in microwave for 3 1/2 minutes; stir and heat for 3 1/2 more minutes. Stir butter into pecan mixture and heat in microwave for 2 more minutes.
  4. Stir baking soda and vanilla extract into pecan mixture until foamy; pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow cooling completely before breaking brittle into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
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May is National Strawberry Month! Rigoni di Asiago Recipe Frozen Yogurt with Berries #RigonidiAsiago

May 18, 2017 1 Comment

I love strawberries!!Which is why I love the Rigoni di Asiago strawberry spread, because it is made with real strawberries!!

The taste is to die for and everything is organically made! It is amazing on toast or crackers. I love how easy it is to spread and even tried one of their amazing recipes, the frozen yogurt with berries. No matter what you use it for you can be assured it is all natural and from a company you can trust!

Strawberry Spread

Their products are dairy free and they have a variety of jams and spreads to choose from.  My grandson loves peanut butter and jelly, he will always say Mimi use the good stuff, referring to the Rigoni di Asiago.

“Rigoni di Asiago is a family-owned business based in the Altopiano di Asiago, a mountain plateau in Northern Italy. Committed to sourcing the finest ingredients, their certified organic products include Fiordifrutta fruit spread (the leading brand in Italy), Nocciolata and Nocciolata Dairy Free hazelnut and chocolate spreads, Dolcedì natural sweetener and Mielbio, honey from the best production areas of Italy. The company was one of the first in Europe to turn to organic farming in the early 1990s and merit the Certified Organic label”.

  Frozen Yogurt with Berries

Frozen Yogurt with Berries

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 4.5 hours

Ingredients

  • 5 tbsp of strawberry
  • 4 tbsp of raspberries
  • 1 tbsp of Dolcedì
  • 1.5 cups of yogurt
  • 3 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Cut the fruit into large pieces and put it in a saucepan with 1 tbsp of Dolcedì.
  2. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. The fruit will melt and begin to thicken.
  3. Pass the sauce through a sieve so as to remove all fruit seeds.
  4. Add to the mix the yogurt, a little Dolcedì, the vanilla extract and mix well.
  5. Leave to set in the freezer at least 4 hours (or overnight).
  6. Enjoy!

They have a ton more recipes you can choose from all of it looks so good!!

Check them out here: http://rigonidiasiago-usa.com/recipes/

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