Month: February 2015

Store bought or homemade yummy salad dressing?

Picture this: you just washed some crunchy fresh salad leaves. Added a handful of diced fresh carrots and chucked some garlic olives along with some fresh cherry tomatoes in the bowl.  Now it’s time to choose your protein, grilled chicken, some grilled tofu or some kidney beans maybe?

You walk towards the fridge to get your favorite store bought salad dressing to pour it over your homemade salad. And then you stop and start to think. I made all the effort to make a lovely homemade salad. Why am I going to pour store bought salad dressing over my salad?

Salad dressing is really easy to make. I make this salad dressing  from “Eugenies kitchen”  (see video below) all the time. Eugenie’s recipe is my basic recipe. Sometimes I add some dried herbs to the dressing or some extra garlic. I just make the dressing and keep it in the fridge.

Want a more creamier dressing? Make your own mayonnaise or buy a really good one. Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise in a bowl and add a few drops of water. Whisk it till the mixture is combined. You could add some dried parsley, some finely chopped onions, some garlic maybe (yes I love garlic!).

Lots of us choose the easy way because it is convenient or it didn’t came up to make our own.  It goes without saying that when you make your own food from scratch it is (usually)much more healthier. In this case the salad dressing has no additives, thickening agent or artificial flavors.

By the way salads are really easy to make you can add anything you like. Baby spinach, roman lettuce, onions, cabbage, beans, corn, mushrooms, walnuts, almonds, leftover protein from last night meal (chicken, tofu, beans, fish or any kind of meat), leftover pasta, cheese, some fruits maybe? The options are endless.

Store bought salad dressing or homemade salad dressing?

 

 

How many empty calories did you had?

Did you had any empty calories this week? You might have…..

Empty calories

Empty calories are calories which supply little or no nutritional value.  A few examples of empty calories are candy bars, cookies, a hot steaming caramel macchiato, a blueberry muffin, potato chips, sodas.  All the yummy stuff people crave for (most people) when the days are getting colder, when you are having (or going to have) your period, when you are bored……….

Should we ban foods with empty calories then? The question is, how often and how many empty calories do you consume. If you are having empty calories on a regular base it might be time for some change. By the way empty calories have another side effect most of them are bad for your teeth. Did you know that a Kit Kat of 43 grams contains about 220 calories and a Snickers bar of 57 gram contains about 273 calories. A Grande  Caramel Macchiato contains about 240 calories. And a large blueberry muffin contains approximately 385 calories?

You might be consuming empty calories without even being aware of it.  Why not substitute those empty calories for nutrient-dense foods. (This is the opposite of empty calories.) Here is a list of nutrient dense foods:

  • Dry fruits such as dates, prunes, cranberries, raisins, apples, apricots
  • Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pistachio, cashew (have a handful)
  • Carrot sticks
  • Any Fruit: apple, banana , pineapple, mango, pears, kiwis
  • Rice cakes
  • Instead of soda have some water with lime and mint leaves
  • Instead of a fancy coffee have black coffee or coffee with skimmed milk with sugar (in moderation!) or sweetener
  • Hot steaming tea with fresh mint leaves
  • Homemade salted popcorn with NO butter (read: no microwave popcorn)
  • A small piece of dark chocolate
  • Fresh fruits with a little dot of whipped cream
  • (Vegan) Yoghurt with some muesli and fresh fruits
  • What would you recommend?

How many  “empty calories”  did you had?

 

 

 

 

 

Have empty calories once in a while but remember  in MODERATION is the keyword.

What is in moderation according to you?

Do you have time for personal development?

Name at least  one skill you would like to develop.

We all have skills we would like to develop. Whether is it learning a language,  learning how to bake, how to do presentations  or maybe even an crochet class. These are only a few examples of the many skills we can develop.

Personal development is an important part of our life. Many people think about it and only a few take action. Then there are those who want to but have no time. Everyday life is hectic. Work, mortgages, family, kids, the gym…..

I myself wanted to learn how to crochet. And NO, crochet isn’t  just for old ladies!  Since I did not had time (and I did not feel like leaving the comfort of my own home, to be frank) to join a crochet class I learned to crochet by watching YouTube tutorials. I can now crochet blankets, shawls and am currently working on a clutch.

Time. If we don’t have time to develop ourselves we should do something about it. How busy is our daily schedule really? We need to find out.  The best thing to do is write down what we really do on a daily basis. Don’t forget to write down how much time you spent on work, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, surfing the internet, watching TV, games, folding laundry, doing dishes, cooking, helping the kids with their homework, household chores, commuting  and so on. Once you have written everything down it is time to “sacrifice”. (Hmmm, now you know what your daily schedule really looks like).

Which activity would you “sacrifice” to develop yourself, to learn or improve a new skill? Please note:  you do not have to sacrifice hours of your time. Half an hour or an hour,  3 times a week works.  Let’s say,  your “sacrificing” half an hour,  surfing on the internet time for learning French. How and when are you going to do that? Are you going to follow a course on the internet, are you downloading an App, will you hire a teacher….? Once you have determined the “how and when you are going to do it” it is time to take action! Block your calendar and now it is all comes down to discipline, willpower and how much you really want it.

What skill would you like to develop? Please leave a comment.