Uncategorized Archives - Page 4 of 7

Category: Uncategorized

15
Jan
2016

Food cravings after the holidays

categories: Food, Recipe, Tips, Uncategorized, Weight loss

The second week of January 2016 already, time flies doesn’t? Did you make any new year’s resolutions or did you already chuck them in the bin? Well if you did, it is never too late to get them out of the bin or later this year when you are ready. It is never too late.

It is never too late to pick up your studies, never too late to call that dear friend, never too late to lose those extra pounds. Speaking about those extra pounds, don’t you have cravings for some extras and we are not talking about carrot and celery sticks here. Well I know I do. I always try to “satisfy” my cravings with healthy options like a fruit salad with a little dot of whipped cream for example, or some yummy walnuts and almonds.

The other day I was craving for something more. What recipes did I have to satisfy my cravings? It had to be a recipe which was a healthy one and quick to make. I decided on making an oatmeal crumble apple pie, a low fat version, but yummy enough to satisfy my cravings only 120 calories per serving (estimated). This recipe is not for people who are on a carb and/or fat free diet….

This recipe is a keeper. It would go well with a dot of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream, if you would like to turn it into a not so healthy version. But hey it is January and I have been sampling quite a lot of yummy stuff during the holidays, I am sticking to this healthy version for now that is. I would only make a few changes to this recipe. I would decrease the amount of sugar with 2 teaspoons. It was a little bit too sweet for me. And I would use more apples, a mix of sweet and tart apples.

Here’s the link for the recipe: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=11935

Happy baking!

01
Dec
2015

It is that time of the year, the holiday season

categories: family, Food, My babbles, Tips, Uncategorized, Weight loss, Working out

Yes, it is that time of the year, December. It is holiday season! Don’t you just love the holiday season or do you think it is overrated?

For me December is watching lots of Christmas movies and picking up my crochet projects from last year, family, baking, cooking and eating. And since four years we also have a Christmas tree. When our little Maharadja turned two he also “wanted” a Christmas tree of his “own”. I don’t mind setting up the Christmas tree but taking down the Christmas decorations and the tree….. But I guess that nobodies favorite part.

I know many people who love the holiday season but dread the extra calories. It’s a fact, during the holiday season we tend to eat more. I know I do (but in moderation). And how can we resist all the yummy things which are presented in front of us? Someone took the time and effort to create the yummy goodies so it is our “obligation” to sample every single item. And the trick is doing this without feeling totally stuffed. You know what I am talking about, don’t you?

Hmmmm……. Is it not a good idea to prepare our body for the holiday season? Before, we indulge ourselves in all the goodies. And by prepare I do not mean to eat something extra each day, so that our tummy can get used to al the extras we are having a week before and after Christmas. Although that would be a great idea wouldn’t it?

Why not prepare our body by eating in moderation and doing some extra work outs two weeks before it “all” starts? (Like going for an extra walk or whatever works for you.) Why not eat some more vegetables and fruits to prepare our body for the” upcoming” goodies we are going to have in a few weeks time.

But on the other hand why we do eat so much during the holiday season? Do we have a green card to go “bananas” during the holiday season? Isn’t our body our temple? Or are we looking forward to eating lots and lots of food which will lead to extra weight and lots of frustration in January, for some of us.

What plans do you have for the holiday season?

25
Nov
2015

My friend the kitchen princess

categories: Uncategorized

Are you a kitchen princess? Or are you in the process becoming one? Some of us love to cook and others just dread the thought of cooking. They just don’t like cooking which shows in whatever they are cooking. But then again we are human and everybody has their own interest. If you don’t like cooking you just don’t like cooking. I bet you have other skills which some kitchen princess’s lack.

(By the way if you’re wondering if I am a kitchen princess. Well I don’t see myself as a kitchen princess. I am still in the process of becoming one. The day I can cook like my mom I will officially declare myself as a kitchen princess.)

I have a friend (and yes she knows I am writing about her). She is not a kitchen princess and admits that she doesn’t want to become one either. She just doesn’t like cooking. When she was in college she survived eating sandwiches and noodles. She once even almost set the kitchen on fire but that was not totally her fault. She was at a friend’s place, and this friend asked her to turn on the oven, which she did. Little did she know that they used the oven as a cupboard, setting whatever was in the oven on fire…But hey I don’t think that was her fault, do you? I did learn a wise lesson. If you’re at someone’s place and they ask you turn on the oven, take a look into the oven before turning on the oven.

But even people who don’t like to cook have the urge to cook or bake something. So my friend was craving for some cake. And she decided to bake a fresh cake for the guests who were in the living room. So she started on mixing the cake, which was from a box, so far so good. (Well not so good, I believe she told me the whole kitchen was a mess, from one cake box). Then she opened a cupboard and saw some a bottle of red coloring and decided let’s make some red velvet cake. Every sane person would add a drop of red food coloring but she dumped the whole bottle into the cake batter. At this stage somebody walked in and asked her what she was doing. Don’t you see I am making red velvet cake. Then this person saw the empty bottle of food coloring and started to laugh. Making the others come in the kitchen and they all had a good laugh. My friend is totally not embarrassed about her kitchen disasters. She laughs about her disasters and shares her disasters with others, which I now share with you.

My friend why don’t you try this foolproof cake recipe the next time? Don’t use a “boxed cake”, know your food. Good luck and please do invite me to taste the cake.

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/12122/basic-plain-sponge-cake.aspx?o_is=Hub_TopRecipe_3

So are you a kitchen princess?

16
Nov
2015

Food wastage

categories: Food, Food Pictures, My babbles, Tips, Uncategorized

Food wastage….. How much food do you waste weekly? How much food do you throw away because….

Food wastage is a big problem especially in the Western countries. We throw away so much food which the poor and hungry could only dream about. But why doesn’t that stop us from throwing food away? Because we just don’t think about it if we throw away those bruised apples. Those bruised apples could be turned into a yummy apple pancake, an apple sponge cake, a smoothie or maybe even apple sauce. If the solutions are that easy why don’t we do it? There are many reasons why we don’t do it. We are tired, we are busy or we are just plain lazy. Or we are …. Just fill in the dots. And did you know that you could make these dishes within 15 minutes. But still many of us choose to throw away those bruised apples which we worked so hard for so we could afford them. May be the next time when we want to throw away food we have to remember that we or our spouse woke up early in the morning to earn money so that those apples could be bought. And we have to realize that those apples did not magically appear in the supermarket or at the farmers market. A lot of effort has been put into growing these apples. Are we taking food for granted?

There are so many things we could do with leftover food. You could make your own fresh homemade croutons, a grilled cheese sandwich, French toast. Leftover meat or poultry could be turned into an easy tomato sauce. Vegetables just lying on the fridge waiting to be thrown away could be turned into a soup. Or add them to your tomato sauce.

Shouldn’t we actually be more aware of all the food that we have in the fridge or in our cupboards? In my opinion one of the solutions to keep food wastage to a minimum is to cook with leftovers once or twice a week. And don’t forget to look into your cupboard because those canned goods you bought when they were on sale will expire eventually.

How are you going to keep food wastage to a minimum?

03
Nov
2015

Weight loss is big business

categories: My babbles, Uncategorized, Weight loss

Have you ever paid to lose weight? Paid for a consultant, coach, a book, special diet food, diet drugs… or any other form?

The weight loss industry is big business; 100 billions of dollars are made in this industry. People who are battling their weight problems for several years’ maybe even decades are easy victims. They hop on and off from one diet to another diet. If you are battling with your weight, claims that you will lose weight in just a few months with a specific diet will sound like music to your ears, right? If you look at diets like these you can file them under category short term solution. You will definitely lose weight but what happens when your past the “expiration date”?

The other day I was talking to a mom about weight loss. She told me that a friend of hers was on a special diet which cost her about EUR 80 per month. She had to follow that special diet for four months. So this diet would cost her EUR 320 for four months. So after the four months you are on your own, I asked. No said the mom, her friend told her that after the four months you could take a subscription for the next few months. So actually to keep the weight off you have to be on a weight loss subscription your entire life which will cost you annually EUR 960. Suppose the lady who sells that specific diet has 3 clients, who are willing to pay that amount. She will have a passive income of EUR 2880, annually. I told you so, weight loss is big business!

People are willing to pay to lose weight. I know many of them and I haven’t seen any of them succeed in keeping the weight off. But all of these diets have burned hole in their pockets.

How many Euros or dollars have you paid in total to lose weight?

29
Oct
2015

Being judgemental, natural human behaviour?

categories: My babbles, Uncategorized

Is being judgemental natural human behaviour? When was the last time you were judgemental?

Last week I stepped into an elevator. I had to go to the second floor. But since I was wearing heels and was a little bit tired I didn’t felt like taking the stairs. A gentleman with kids and a lady stepped into the elevator. The lady stepped out of the elevator on the first floor. When the doors closed the gentleman said, well she could have taken the stairs when she only had to go to the first floor.

Usually comments like these would have triggered my comment button but that day I was feeling too tired to even comment. In my opinion his comments were so judgemental. First of all he doesn’t know the lady at all. Maybe the lady has a medical condition or she is just feeling too tired to even take the stairs to the first floor (like I did). People might seem healthy on the outside but what’s really going on with them we just don’t know. We only see these people for a few seconds of our lives who are we to judge them? But on the other hand is being judgemental not human behaviour? But then again why waste energy into being judgemental?

Everybody has their own agenda for being judgemental. Some are judgemental because they are jealous. Then there are those who are judgemental because they just can’t believe that that specific person can achieve something in life. Specific persons like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Walt Disney and the list goes on.

So actually being judgemental has other emotions linked to it. Emotions we hide we do not show others or ourselves. Emotions like these are actually polluting our brains making it hard for us to think straight.

So next time when we want to be judgemental we just have to take a deep breath. Look at the person we want to be judgemental about and think: we can’t judge a book by its cover.

When was the last time you judged a book by its cover?

14
Oct
2015

What do we need in life?

categories: My babbles, Uncategorized

What do we need in life? Think about it for a few seconds. If you have a family you need to provide for your family. Once these basic needs are taken care off we can start thinking about other things. A washing machine could be a basic need to you. But keep in mind that a lot of people don’t even have one, because they just can’t afford one. Aren’t you grateful that you can afford a washing machine? For me a dryer is a basic need, but I know many people who don’t want a dryer although they can afford one. A dryer is a necessity product to me. I know it’s a luxurious necessity, one I can live without. How I know? Well mine broke down and I had no dryer for a month.

The standard of living in Western countries is quite high. How come that in these countries, people with above average income are looking for something more? It seems like they are missing something. Or are maybe even bored and are chasing for that something they can’t even describe themselves. Let’s be clear here, we are not talking about people who have to live on a budget.

So what are they chasing for? Why is it that many people are into meditation and yoga? People, who don’t practice yoga or meditation because it’s a trend, are they searching for answers? Hoping to free their mind so that they can have a clear view of what is bothering them? People who have everything but are still unhappy….

What do we really need in life then, when we have everything? Do we need to buy more materialistic items to keep us happy for a short period of time? Or should we use our energy to help others to improve their lives. Like doing grocery shopping with your grandmother or helping your niece with her homework? These chores we do for others big or small, is that what we really need in life?

What do you really need in life?

08
Oct
2015

Reality or photoshop

categories: My babbles, Uncategorized

Do you ever read fashion magazines? What do you notice about the cover girl/woman? They look flawless, right? When in real life, most of them are not. Like every other women they too have their bad and good days. They are humans after all.

Many years ago a friend of mine wanted to have the same makeup look like J Lo. She went to the beauty store with the magazine cover and told the makeup artist what she wanted. My friend was so excited about her new soon to be makeup look. Then the makeup artist told her the bad news, we can’t make that look for you. That picture is heavily photoshopped!

We are being fooled all the time and not only by fashion magazines. What about the travel industry posting a picture on the internet with just the most perfect blue sky you could ever imagine. Or the food industry making that cookie or burger look so yummy you just want to buy it. We are being lied to all the times. Is it because, we would not buy that product if it was not photoshopped, would it not look attractive enough?

Then there is this other question. Are all the women who are wearing makeup photoshopping themselves? I don’t see it that way. Most of them are enhancing their beauty. And some of them are, let’s say “over enhancing” their beauty. I believe that there is nothing wrong with enhancing your beauty. Men and women have been using makeup many thousands of years ago.

The other day someone showed me their wedding album. The pictures were beautiful but most of them were photoshopped. So nowadays the photographer skill is not to shoot beautiful pictures. His skill is photoshop? Or is it a combination of the right shoot and photoshop?

30
Sep
2015

The Mobile phone has taken over our lives

categories: family, Kids, My babbles, Uncategorized

The other day when I was dropping of my little Maharadja for school I noticed that a lot of parents were busy with their phones. Are there so many important matters that have to be settled early in the morning? Or is paying attention to their kids not that important when dropping them off for school? So in short our mobiles phones are much more important than our kids…. That is quite harsh isn’t?

It seems that our mobiles have taken our lives. Just take a look around, how many people are busy with their mobile phones? In 20 years our life’s has changed completely. Can you imagine a life without a mobile phone?

On the other hand mobile phones are convenient. We can get in touch when with our kids when they are with their friends. Or we can call someone when our car breaks down or when there is an emergency.

People who can’t afford an computer or any other device can get in touch with the world by using a mobile phone. The mobile phone has made many lives easier.

But at the same time we have to find a balance. Do we have to respond to every message we receive. Do we have to be active on Facebook all the time? Or any other social media. Do we have to check our email every hour?

Last time I was on holidays I switched off my phone and left it in the save. I only checked my messages when I was in my room. Sometimes I didn’t even checked my messages for days. Not having a mobile phone with me felt quite peaceful. But at the same time I realized that I have to check my messages since I got a message from a family friend that their father hadbg passed away.

So mobile phones are an important part of our lives but should not lead our lives. We need to learn to focus on our lives and not to focus on our mobile screens all the time. Instead of sending a message why not call that person?

When was the last time you made a phone call?

27
Aug
2015

What brings you happiness?

categories: family, My babbles, Uncategorized

Just think about it for a little while. What brings you happiness? Your work, your family, your laughing kids, your caring family, that sweet lady who smiles when you pass by, that kid on the swing, that book which gave you a different perspective about your problems, your loving spouse, sun shine, kids playing and laughing in the park, that vacation to your dream destination. These are just little aspects of life which could bring a smile on our face.

Happiness differs per person since each person is unique. And then there is that question what kind of happiness are we looking for? Materialistic or experience happiness? What will bring a smile on our face when we think about it in a few years from now? Is it that pair of jeans you bought or the fond memories of your kids playing in the garden?

Nowadays it seems like people are “weighing” their happiness on all the things they own. They have to have the latest phone because all their friends have it. It is a group thing. The phone is working why do you need a new phone? What better feature does it have then your last phone which you purchased last year? And if there is a new feature, do you really need it? It will only take a couple of weeks or maybe even a few days before the excitement will wear off.

We don’t need much to be happy when the basic needs are taken care of that is. A great example for this is my little Maharadja. Over the couple of years he has build up quite a collection of toys. Most of them were gifts for his birthday and holidays (we have a large family). He plays with them for a while till the excitement wears off. And then he starts playing with his favorite “old toys”.

So, what brings you happiness?