#I had to not only get almond milk instead of cashew milk

[melathinn]

I’m so fucking weird with fear foods bc I literally can’t go the grocery store and buy anything that’s not on my approved list of 5 things, with the exceptions of veggies for a specific meal preps (seasoned veggies) and Special Lil Drinks (usually fermented or coffee). I think that’s been the most frustrating mental illness thing lately is that I am absolutely incapable of doing what I want to do (consume things I find enjoyable) and it’s becoming clear that I am not in control of whatever the fuck is happening, it’s controlling me

[honeymei]

i just made overnight oats for the first time im healthy as shit

[chris-evans-indian-fanfic]

Conversation

One-Shot

Description - Captain America and Batman have a conversation on a bench.

I tried something new with this fic. It is mostly based on conversation without any action scenes. Do give your feedback if you like this new format or if not, then how can I make it better? 

The only reason I am trying this new format is because the writing challenge set by @donutloverxo @captain-a-rogerss and @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho make me push my limits and step outside my comfort zone! This week, the challenge was to write a Marvel x DC crossover fic, something I have never done before. Check out the challenge here and participate now!

Warning - None

A/N - This fic is based on Steve before the first Avengers movie

My Main Masterlist

I don’t consent to have any of my work published or featured on any third party app, website or translated. If you are seeing this fanfiction anywhere but Tumblr and AO3, it has been reposted without my permission. In that case, please do share the link and let me know.

…

Bruce Wayne set aside his newspaper with a huff. After a lifetime of fighting with terrorists, aliens and freaking exploding penguins, he thought he had seen everything, until today.

Headlines such as; "America's Golden Boy Returns" , "Captain America Found Alive Under Ice" , "Brrr! Is that a Popsicle? Frozen Dessert? No! It's Steve Rogers!" graced the newspapers that morning, seemingly destroying whatever little amount of peace Batman had left.

Great, another man with superpowers who might be a potential threat that I have to take care of, Bruce frowned as he pulled up information on Captain America. "Alfred," he called out, "What do you remember about Captain America?"

"Are you asking me to recite today's headlines Master Wayne?" came the prompt reply from the other room. 

Bruce chucked, "Not what I meant."

"I will have you know Master Wayne that I wasn't even born when the Red, White and Blue hero went under the ice. The grey hair on my head may make me look old, but I am not a 100 years old," came the indignant reply.

"You don't say! Here I was thinking you didn't look a day over 120," teased Bruce.

"That's what happens when you worry about a future where you would be living without grandchildren to take care of," Alfred snapped, shutting up Bruce.

Bruce knew Nick Fury would be initiating Steve into S.H.I.E.L.D., his personal crime-fighting-superhero-club. Oh he knew Nick Fury very well. The  man with the eye-patch had proven to harbour more mysteries than the pandora's box, a quality that didn't sit well with Bruce. That's why, when Fury had invited Batman to join the Avengers, he had bluntly refused. Looking at the blue-eyed soldier, Bruce decided to pay him a visit.

Steve Rogers was scared. He didn't recognise this world. Everything was louder. The people, the machines, the cars. Colours were more vibrant and simple things were just too complicated to understand. It was as if everything in this new world was made to attack his senses. 

His Converse squeaked as he walked in the aisles of the departmental store. Converse was one of the few things still around from his time before the ice. One of the few things he still recognised.

He entered the milk aisle. He exhaled loudly as he read the options; Low Fat Milk, Full Fat Milk, Cow's Milk, Buffalo Milk, Camel, Donkey… Wait… People milked camels and donkeys? His face contorted with disgust at the thought. Moving forward, he saw more confusing options- Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Cashew Milk… He looked on with horror. Had modern science found a way to put breasts on nuts now?! Where was normal milk? Did normal milk exist anymore?! 

He clutched the handles of the basket tighter, bending the metal. He needed to get away from here. He didn't belong in this time, this century. Steve slowly took a step back, and bumped into someone.

"Heeeyy watch wherrrre you are gooooing paaal," the large man behind Steve slurred as he dropped his box of cereal and tried to retain his balance. "I am sorry," muttered Steve, even though he could have sworn there hadn't been anyone behind him until a few moments ago.

Steve looked at the man. He was as tall and well-built as Steve, heck maybe even more muscular. His black hair was disheveled, his eyes swollen red and his breath reeked of cheep alcohol and cigar.

"You pussssshed me," the stranger slurred again, "hooow darrrre yooou?" he staggered, raising his fists.

Steve picked up the box of cereal and handed the stranger a new box, "I don't want to fight you sir. Instead, can I buy you this cereal?"

The man tried to punch Steve, which he easily dodged, "Fiighttt meeee," he insisted. Steve could only smile in response, "Believe it or not sir, but I am a senior citizen, and I am not looking to pick any fight. Please, can I buy you this box of cereal?" 

"Coff-feeee," the drunken man said. "Okay I will buy you coffee too," Steve agreed.

The way towards the billing counter was slow as the stranger kept stumbling into shelves and displays. Steve kept a strong grip on him and guided him in his way. 

Steve even helped the stranger as he puked his guts out on the street, helping him clean his mouth with a kerchief. They both sat on the bench outside the cafe.

"Why… you… help me?" the stranger managed to ask between his panted breaths. "Why wouldn't I?" Steve seemed puzzled, "You can’t take care of yourself now, you need help. So I am helping you."

"I don't need help from you punk!" the stranger spat as he shoved Steve forcefully on the bench. It hardly shook Steve. He smiled a small smile, "Everybody needs help at some point or the other, Mr Wayne. How long do you think you can operate as the sole hero?"

Wiping his hand on the back of his mouth, Bruce smiled, "As long as I hold the key to every answer."

"Fury is not that bad," Steve scoffed.

"You don't know what's going on at S.H.I.E.L.D., do you?" challenge Bruce 

Steve retorted, "I don't need to know. I am just a soldier who follows orders."

"Whose orders? And on what authority? We don't need soldiers as we are not at war. But that doesn't stop us from initiating them," Bruce stated matter-of-factly.

"I believe in people Mr Wayne. I have faith in the general good that resides deep within every citizen," remarked Steve.

"Huh," it was Bruce's turn to scoff, "Here I was thinking you are a threat, but you are just a delusional patriot. People have agendas Captain. And agendas change. People are still bad, corrupt and easily influenced. The world hasn't changed Captain. Don't let anyone tell you any different."

Steve considered Bruce's words in silence, "The world has changed Mr Wayne, in more ways than you can possibly imagine. And it's... hard to keep track of things and stay updated. But it's much more easier to follow orders, you know?" 

"People are still the same Captain. And they make up the world. As for keeping track," Bruce leaned back on the bench, "You can keep a list of things you need to learn."

Steve nodded, getting up, "That's a good idea. Let me get you that coffee and maybe you can tell me what can I add to the list?"

Steve turned around and entered the cafe.

"Hi how can I help you?" the barista greeted him cheerfully. "Can I get a coffee?" requested Steve.

"Sure! Which one would you like to have? A cappuccino? Americano? Espresso? Latte? Moch-" 

"Son, please just give me a normal coffee," pleaded Steve.

"Sure sir. Which size do you want? We have Tall, Tumbl-"

"Just. A. Normal. Coffee. Please," Steve gritted his teeth. 

He stepped out with the hot coffee, only to find the bench empty, except for the cereal box. He read the note stuck on the box, "I will keep an eye on you", the note promised.

Bruce settled back in his chair in his underground workshop. He laughed when he noticed the cereal box and the to-go cup of coffee, which was still warm. He laughed as he read the note stuck on the cup, "Tell Alfred I said hi. And please ask him if he will be willing to start a Barbershop Quartet with me?"

Steve returned home sweaty from the workout. He chuckled when he saw the carton of milk in his kitchen, with the words NORMAL MILK written in big, bold letters. He read the note that came with it, "Alfred expresses his apologies as he will be unable to join your Barbershop Quartet. However, he does have a recommendation for your list. He suggests you watch 'I Love Lucy', an American sitcom from the 1950s. It had been quite popular then."

"Sir, do you think Batman will join our forces if need be?" Maria Hill asked Nick Fury as he read Natasha's report on Bruce and Steve.

"I don't know," Fury said, "But it is always beneficial to have friends on the other side, should the situation arise."

__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__--__

Permanent tag: @donutloverxo

Chris/Chris' characters taglist: @onetwo3000

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[chaoticgabby]

My Cheap & Relatively Healthy Grocery List for College Students

Context: I had been used to eating fast food so much because it was cheap that when I went to the doctors' they said I had high glucose content. That wasnt good. So I started eating healthier. Anyway let's skip the BS and get straight into it:

Ramen: the OG cheap food. I personally don't own ramen bc I dont like it that much, but if you want to save money this is the meal, at least add an egg or some veggies to make it healthier.

Frozen Veggies: anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar or two a bag. Can easily be kept in your freezer (if you have one) for months

Mac n' cheese: my all-time favorite. Of course, it might not be healthy for everyone to eat pasta all the time, but I do it anyway. Add some real cheese and spices for taste or chicken and veggies in it / on the side.

Other Pasta boxes (Pasta Roni, Velveeta, Hamburger Helper, etc.): basically as cheap or almost as cheap as Kraft macaroni, but maybe you arent a fan of mac n cheese.

Soup (Soup!!): Cambell's Tomato soup is often $1 a can. I like to eat mine with grilled cheese. Thats a whole ass meal. But of course you can get other soups just as cheap. Basically, any canned foods.

Canned foods & veggies: this one goes without saying. Although, the better options are sometimes $2 to $3 the same can be said for frozen veggies, but just heat these up and cook them in fried rice or just add butter and eat them aside a nice entré

Chunk light tuna: speaking of canned foods, canned tuna is soooo cheap and is a great option (if you even like tuna). Dont actually get the "pack tuna" for $1 a pack unless you want to keep it in your bag bc canned tuna is around 60 cents a can. Mix it with Miracle Whip (or mayo) and spread it over break for a good sammich.

Grilled cheese (or cheese toastie if you arent American I think??): similar to previous options, youre getting your cheese and your butter and your bread. Not as healthy as other options but way better than fast food calories.

Quesadillas: similar to grilled cheese, except spICY. My brother only eats these and he has no meal plan. I do it now too. Honestly, adding up tortillas, cheese dip, shredded cheese, & chicken is kind of costly but worth it. Also cooking chicken is annoying bc I dont have time for that. But. Yknow. A great option.

Pillsbury Crescents: a little costly, about $2+ per tube, but still fookin delicious. Also imma be real: actually havent checked the nutrition label to see if these are actually healthy. But these are sO useful. Make them by themselves for breakfast (with jam, eggs, or alone) or use the dough for other recipes. I use these with Manwich sauce, cheese, and ground beef for snacks :)

Manwiches: manwich sauce cans are $1 and although they have some sugar, its not nearly as bad as fast food. Just cook up some ground beef to go with it & maybe add cheese, sliced bread, or hamburger buns

PB&J: Another OG. I could never get tired of these. You just gotta make sure you have soft bread and the pb&j and youre good to go. Although..like.. some people apparently like theirs toasted or with different jams (I like strawberry).

Eggs!!!! : Just keep these in your fridge. Just do it. You never know when youre going to run out of food. Boiled? Scrambled? Fried? Soft boiled? With ramen? Omelet? In fried rice? Egg sandwich??? Eat them with bread, eat them with toast, eat them as a breakfast sandwich, scramble them with cheese, the list goes on. If you dont eat them often, get a smaller carton, but always have eggs! Also, for baking.

Rice, or fried rice: If you like rice, have been cooking rice for a long time, and can actually make it without burning, make sure you have rice. If you like rice but have never actually made it yourself, it takes trial and error in a pot. Or just invest in a rice cooker. Additionally, fried rice is not that difficult to learn & it fits the bill for healthy bc you can add unlimited veggies and meats. Im not here to educated you but the more ingredients, the better, is how i see it.

Fresh Food:

Fruit: I literally have "an apple a day" for breakfast. It's just good for you. Keep them in your fridge to keep them fresh. Keep one in your bag in case you get hungry. Bananas? Awesome! Use them in smoothies or a milkshake or eat them with your cereal or even with peanut butter. Possibilities are endless with fruit. Just make sure they dont spoil. Apples are OG bc they dont spoil as easily.

Vegetables: Make sure to only periodically get them so that they dont go to waste. Make some broccoli with butter & eat it alongside pasta. Or asparagus. Anything you want. Just make sure to have some with your meals sometimes. Greens are good. Additionally, carrots can get addicting if yoh eat them with ranch. The plus side is they are filling. If you have a tendency to want to munch on something: carrots.

Deli Meat / Sandwich Options: I personally dont make deli sandwiches because ham (as well as roast beef or turkey) can be expensive and then wanting to add lettuce and tomato to a sandwich sounds amazing but I'm scared they will spoil. Dont let me stop you though! Sandwiches are amazing.

Meat: you dont want to be cooking meat all the time bc it can get expensive, but the basics I always get are ground beef and chicken. I prefer "boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets" but you would need to cut off the fat. You could always get rotisserie if you arent feeling to for cooking. Also, if you're feeling expensive one week, salmon is just sooo good. I ate it with asparagus and seasoned with lemon. Delicious.

Snack / Dessert Options:

(I personally don't keep snacks or dessert in my home very often bc you dont want to binge eat. But here is what I have)

Peanut butter: classic, filling, can be potentially bad if you eat a shite ton

Nuts: peanuts, almonds, cashews, and especially pecans

Cookies: make your own, a lot of simple cookie recipes exist and it's a lot easier than you think. Baking essentials like flour, sugar, milk, and eggs are not that expensive to keep around in an apartment kitchen. Difficulties may be vanilla extract (the avg student doesnt have this lying around) a baking sheet, a big bowl, and possible a whisk. Store bought cookie dough isnt too bad either.

Box-cakes / box-brownies: simple and easy. Takes a few eggs sometimes and some oil, milk or water. The same goes for pancake mix. Honestly, I had an out-of-country roommate and he had never heard of boxed cake mix or brownie mix. They always made from scratch where he lived.

Low-calorie ice cream: okay ice cream can be pretty expensive and filled w/ added sugars. I used to eat this strawberry icecream sweetened with stevia and it was SO delicious, but I couldnt find that at my grocery store. Other options are "low-calorie" ice cream or "no added sugars" ice cream. I have one of these and the thing abt it is that its just the right amount of sugar to taste like ice cream and the neat thing is that you dont feel like binging it bc it doesnt have addicting added sugars.

Milkshakes / smoothies: this is a tough one bc me and most other students dont own a blender or juicer. I personally get my smoothies from a local smoothie place that only uses fresh fruit and then I ask not to add the natural sugars bc it is sweet enough with the fruit. Natural smoothies are delicious & I find that you can kind of make then if u freeze your fruits and blend w a fork. "Handmade" milkshakes are actually super easy w this method.

Yogurt: just...mmm.

"Healthy" snack food section, often called the gluten-free aisle: im not too experienced with this and im sure they have added sugars too but what I do know is I tried these gluten free oreos once and they were delicious

Fruits: I mentioned earlier but apples are great snacks

Veggies: also like I said earlier, carrots are great snacks. Not exactly a veggie but possibly potatoes for a meal or snack.

Granola Bars: for when youre too lazy to keep up with fruit and if fruit will spoil, granola bars (they healthy kind, not the chewy sugary kind) are so good to have in your pantry or keep in your backpack for a snack (and to keep you from on campus temptations). Also I used Nature Valley ones instead of cereal. They actually dissolve and are delicious with milk, since some cereals are so sugary.

Since my last college tips post got some notes I figured I'd keep writing these advice posts. For reference, I am hoping to become an RA next year at my college, so I'm not just speaking out of my ass. I generally have experience at college thus far and want to help students.

[healthiefavicon]

Can Food Affect Our Mood? Know How Food Affects Mood

Are you a person who falls among the list of people with depression and anxiety? Then this article is for you. It's not about mentioning the exercises or motivational quotes to deal with depression, but rather focusing on one crucial thing that can make you feel better from depression & anxiety, i.e., FOOD.

It sounds crazy for those who don't know the relation between the Food and Mood. Quiet natural!! Well, there's a lot to do with mood with food!

Once I used to have an unhealthy diet plan and used to feel depressed and exhausted all the time. I could not be as productive as most of my friends, but when I consulted a doctor from the best hospital in Hyderabad; the doctor had suggested some diet changes and explained how food affects our mood. In this article, I'm going to share those words with you.

Yes, food can affect your mood and can also heal your mood. Destroying or healing your mood depends on your food choices. Now, let's cover some scientific reason behind improving mood with healthy food.

How Food Improves Mental Health?

Before we get into this point, let's discuss some important points. Have you ever heard the word "Serotonin"? If yes, you've come halfway through in improving your mood journey. If your answer is NO, let's discuss this in a few words.

Serotonin is a hormone that is responsible for mood changes. The little serotonin in your brain may lead to depression. If you have high serotonin in your brain, it can lead to excessive nerve cell activity.

This mood regulator hormone can help in improving mood, sleeping and digestion. It's necessary to maintain a fair amount of serotonin in your brain to improve your mental health and productivity. Eventually, it removes the barrier that stops you from thinking creatively.

How Unhealthy diet make you feel depressed?

Junk food affects your mental health in different ways. If you are a person who feels depressed all the time, then you must take a moment to have a look at your dietary patterns.

Processed foods are a significant trigger to your depression and mental health issues. Those foods contain high sugar, salt and fats which are not usually recommended for a healthy body and mind. Do you know that a muffin in a coffee shop has three tablespoons of sugar? It’s really a shocking thing, right! We don’t know what goes inside until we do it ourselves.

Instead of going to a coffee shop to have your snacks, get them from home that is made by you.

How Being Depressed can affect your immune system?

Being depressed or having mental illness not only affects the brainpower, but it also affects our immune system. Most people think that depression is being sad and having suicidal thoughts, but it's just a tip of the iceberg. Being in depression and poor mental health can show worse effects on our body's immune system.

We've come to know that the immune system is vital to protect ourselves from dangerous diseases, one such is that COVID-19. In this pandemic situation, everyone must build their immune system to sustain from those harmful infections and diseases. But if you have mental health issues, then it's a matter to consider. Yes, having poor mental health can damage your immune system, and chronic stress can damage some of your organs too. It all happens unknowingly; we must be aware of it and try to prevent it.

One can deal with depression with the increase in the production of serotonin in the brain. It improves the mood and provides enough energy to be productive and be happy. I’ve consulted a doctor from the best multi-specialty hospital in Hyderabad to know the exact cause to produce serotonin naturally. Now, I’m going to share those words spoken by the doctor with you further. Let’s get into this without any ado.

How can you produce serotonin?

Serotonin can’t be produced directly; it’s naturally made within the brain. We can produce serotonin with tryptophan. Tryptophan can be produced by food intake, which is good in amino acids such as cheese, nuts, fish, turkey, and beans. Later, tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Eventually, it leads to improving your mood and mental health.

The process sounds easy, right? Yes, it sounds easy. But it takes some consistent steps in improving serotonin in your brain—those consistent steps to be taken in having a healthy diet.

How to improve mood with diet change?

One can try different methods to improve their mood, but one of the most effective ways is to change the dietary pattern; consuming healthy foods.

Here are some foods that one need to include in their regular diet to improve mood:

Go for Omega-3 Fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are the most essential acids for the human body as it has most benefits apart from improving the mood.

Eat good carbohydrates: One of the best ways to synthesis serotonin is to increase tryptophan amino acids. One can get healthy carbohydrates from the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasta, cheese and more. These are good for improving mood and also supply other essential nutrients to the body to be healthy.

Include RAINBOW: Making fruits and vegetables as part of the diet could show tremendous results in improving mood and body health. As they are rich in nutrients, fibre, carbs, and other vitamins; it’s always a better choice to include them in the diet.

Nuts and seeds: Nuts are never regrettable superfoods. Nuts provide healthy protein, fibre and fat, which are essential for the body and mind. Without any ado, one can shoot to consume nuts like cashews, almonds, walnuts, and even consume flaxseed as they are useful in providing protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Dark Chocolates: Everyone loves chocolates, but are they good enough for our health? Regular chocolates that contain milk, sugar and other fats are not the right choice. But Dark chocolate can be a good choice for your health if you are a chocolate lover. It provides feel-good compounds to our brain and body to improve mood.

Bananas: Bananas contain vitamin B, fibre and potassium, which helps in dealing with fatigue and also helps in synthesize.

Food Changes Can Also Benefit you in different ways..

Yes, you heard it right. Changing food habits not only enables you to be happy and depression-free, but it also helps in building a healthy immune system from the inside. As every doctor recommends to eat healthy to be healthy right; that’s true. Even at this tough COVID-19 time, the whole world had come to know the importance of healthy eating to protect from deadliest viruses and infections.

Apart from preventing COVID-19 effects, healthy eating can improve recovery from chronic diseases too. And it has more benefits too. Healthy food improves your skin health, bones health, mindfulness, immune system, and more.

I’ve visited the dietician from one of the best hospitals in Hyderabad, and she had given me a complete diet plan in which the doctor had said to include enough proteins, fibre, nutrients, calcium and vitamins. As I’ve mentioned above, all those nutrients are essential for the human body to perform productively.

Things to keep in mind:

Don’t miss out breakfast: Missing your breakfast can make your whole day go down. Skipping breakfast can make you feel fatigued and low energy. Serving with good nutrients, fibre, fats, and carbohydrates is known as perfect breakfast.

Never neglect water: Drinking water frequently is essential, and it improves your brain function too. It helps in keeping the brain cells active and helps to regulate stress and anxiety.

Conclusion:

It takes some time to get used to the changes in order to put ourselves in a good mood. Adopting the above-mentioned food changes can show visible results when followed. Being in a good mood is necessary to be productive at both personal and professional life. The methods mentioned earlier will improve the brain’s health and mood, but it can serve essential nutrients to our body.

Final thoughts are; there’s a connection between the food and the mood. Once we get used to healthy eating, our mood and brain’s health is going to improve. Avoid those junk foods, and include healthy foods in your diet. It’s okay to have junk foods once in a month, but making it like your diet should be a choice.

[fiti-vation]

Hello there, I’m not getting enough protein in my meals to even meet my daily nutritional needs. I just want to improve my daily intake however I don’t like flavored protein powder and just want a simple powder to add to my shakes, cereal and oatmeal. Do you have a recommendation on a type powder? Thank you.

Hi there,

I’m glad that you are trying to improve your daily intake of protein and trust me I feel your pain. As a varsity athlete, I too struggle at times, so don’t worry too much. Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is not always the easiest goal to achieve.

Now on to your question I’d definitely need a bit more information to provide you with a complete answer as when it comes to protein, everyone requires a different amount based on factors such as their body weight, sex, muscle mass, physical activity, and age. Furthermore, without knowing your diet choice (e.g., pescatarian, vegan, omnivore, etc.) I can’t really make the best recommendation – if someone is vegan for instance, I would recommend a vegan-friendly type of supplement. Knowing your fitness goals would have also been very helpful; are you trying to lose fat, build muscle or just maintain a healthy lifestyle… Based on your question, I’ll assume that you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That said, I’ll try my best to provide you with a succinct answer.

Do you really need protein powders?

Not necessarily. If you have access to a normal, healthy diet including lean proteins, then this should do the trick.

I don’t think that many people really need to use protein powder unless they are training at an extreme level. If you aren’t looking to improve your body composition and/or athletic performance or aren’t recovering from burns, I would advise you to just add more lean protein to your diet than protein powder. Speaking of your diet, it is the first thing that came to my attention after reading your question. Every time someone asks me for supplement recommendations, I always ask them if they first tried to change their diet. One important thing that I’ve learned over the years is that food supplements do not replace a healthy diet. Seeing a supplement as a solution may contribute to neglecting healthy food choices, and this has bigger consequences for long-term health.

There are too many people who think all protein is created equal and are swapping for shakes. Don’t be one of them.

You may probably be thinking that protein is protein no matter how you get it, right? Well, yes and no. Protein is an essential nutrient that builds and repairs muscle fibers. You can get the protein you need from whole foods, from supplements or from both, but there are a few important distinctions between the sources to consider as you’re planning your diet.

It might be quick to take, but simply adding protein powder to a meal is unlikely to fill you up and won’t give you as many nutrients as a proper meal. Plus, a full course means your body has to work harder to break down the food, so you use up more calories in the digestion process.

Whole foods have a major advantage over protein supplements; they stimulate the metabolism more. This is known as the “thermic effect”. Protein has the highest thermic effect of any food. Including a whole protein food with every meal can speed up your metabolic rate as much as 30% because of the energy necessary to digest, process, and absorb it. This means that out of 100 calories of a protein food such as chicken breast, the net amount of calories left over after processing it is 70. 

Just because people understand the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t mean they always have the time or energy to do it. I understand that real life is busy and adding up some protein powder here and there may save you time. Also, if you are on a budget, it may be tempting to use protein powder as a cheaper alternative to whole food. Just make sure to consider the whole picture by carefully reading nutrition labels and trying not to rely on protein powder as a crutch. Rather than a dietary staple, they’re best as an occasional supplement to a balanced diet that focuses on real food.

Recommendations:

Before thinking about incorporating protein powder into your diet, try to make some dietary changes if you haven’t yet. If your busy work schedule or school life makes it too tempting to trade in a nutritious high protein food for a protein supplement, then

prep your meals the night before

. There are many ways to get protein without turning to a powder. Investing in some foil, Tupperware and a Mexican tuna salad could be a key step to achieving your goal. Focus on getting protein from whole foods: nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese), legumes (beans, lentils), fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat. They’ve got far more nutrients to keep you full.

Many cereals nowadays come with added protein (e.g., Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey), you can also add nuts to your cereal, oatmeal and yogurt. I personally like to add a good amount of honey roasted peanuts to my bowl of cereals; with milk added you can easily achieve 20g of protein right there. Go for high content protein milk such as cow, goat, hemp or soy milk.

I also like to add a variety of nuts mix to my bowl of yogurt. Every time I go to Walmart, I always purchase lots of seeds and nuts:

Great Value Roasted & Unsalted Sunflower seeds - 8g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Great Value Organic Whole Chia Seeds - 7g of protein per ¼ cup.

Joe’s Tasty Travels Roasted Cashews - 9 g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Joe’s Tasty Travels Unsalted Roasted Almonds - 11g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Joe’s Tasty Travels pumpkin seeds – 14 g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Plnaters Honey Roasted Peanuts - 7g of protein for 1 oz

I also add fruits that have high protein content such as zante currants, raisins, passion fruit, raspberries, peaches, bananas, blackberries.

Greek yogurt has a high amount of protein content. Lately, I have been trying to reduce my dairy consumption for skincare purposes. A great alternative that I found is Daiya Greek yogurt, it’s dairy and soy free and has 8g of protein. 

Aside from Greek yogurt and cereals, many brands of bread and bagels also come with high amount of protein. I always purchase 12 grains by Country Harvest, 1 bagel contains 10g of protein. I make some delicious egg white bagel sandwiches. Here again you can easily achieve 20g of protein – even 30. I always purchase Burnbrae Farms Naturegg Simply Egg Whites from Walmart – it contains 7g of protein per ¼ cup. If I’ve had some intense cardio workout (i.e., stairmaster, Jacobs ladder and versa climber) I tend to throw in some turkey breast. If you are on a budget, I’d recommend purchasing Natural selections oven roasted turkey breast, family size club pack – it is packed with 14 g of protein. Ziggy’s extra lean cooked turkey (thin sliced) is also a good option with 17g of protein. Note that I live in Canada, so I don’t know if these products are sold where you live. But I’m sure you can find similar products. 

These are just a few examples of some high protein meals that I eat regularly. Think about adding some nuts and seeds to your salads as well. Also, I personally don’t eat oatmeal, but I’m pretty sure it’d be delicious if you add some chia seeds, pumpkin seeds or cashews. And instead of making your oatmeal with water try making it with milk.

P.S. nowadays you can also purchase protein pancake baking mix. You can make wonderful waffles ahead of time and put them in the freezer.

Powders:

Now, if you have tried without success to incorporate more protein within your diet, then you sure can turn to protein powders for some extra help, but again here don’t solely rely on them. Note that I am not aware of any other powders other than protein powder that would offer you the benefits of protein powder. I’ve only seen protein come in four forms: whole food, powder, liquid or bars … Is there any reason why you do not like flavoured protein powder? As I have mentioned in one on my previous post protein powder isn’t disgusting – but it’s the way one uses it that makes it disgusting. For example, I hate mixing protein powder with just plain water – it’s just yuck, I don’t know how people can just drink protein powder with water… 

If you do not like flavoured protein powders, I’d recommend looking into unflavoured protein powders.  There are various forms of protein powder out there. 

I’d also recommend that you look into BCAAs. However, other than lemonades, cocktails, popsicles, Jell-O and smoothies – there really isn’t much you can do with BCAAs. You can’t really add BCAAs to your cereals or oatmeal. ALLMAX Nutrition Aminocore Key lime pie flavour and Beyond Yourself AMRAP: Blue freeze and lemon lime flavour are my favourite brands!! I briefly touched on BCAAs in one of my old posts.

Bottom Line

As stated earlier, the biggest advantage protein powder has over whole food is convenience. The truth about protein supplements is that they offer few advantages over protein foods.  It is not necessary to consume any protein supplements to get outstanding results. There is no scientific evidence showing that you cannot meet all of your protein needs through food. However, once again if you are training at a high level, recovering from burns or cancer, or looking to change your body composition (i.e., losing fat, building muscle) – then that’s a completely different story.

Although, I strongly encourage you to first try changing your diet, don’t get me wrong here; there is nothing wrong with throwing a scoop of protein supplement here and there when life becomes too hectic, but do not solely rely on protein supplement to achieve your daily nutritional needs. Mother Nature has blessed us with an abundance of nature’s nutritional powerhouses. Focus on real food and do not believe all the hype you read. Good luck on your training for the New Year.

Cheers,Steph 😊

[crankyveggiegirl]

Gaz Oakley’s ‘Vegan Mac & Cheese’ Review

Firstly, I want to start off by saying that Gaz Oakley has been one of the most influential vegan chefs for me in the kitchen. When I saw that he made a video making vegan mac and cheese I was a bit skeptical because many of the recipes from other YouTubers I've tried before in the past. After watching his video and seeing just how great it looked, I figured I had to try it out for myself. That being said, here is my review on his vegan mac and cheese. 

His recipe uses almonds instead of cashews, which I had never heard before when looking for vegan mac and cheese recipes. Most recipes on this call for soaked cashews or potatoes and carrots but this one required neither. It just requires almond slivers, almond milk, mustard, nutritional yeast (of course), coconut milk, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. 

When I made it, I used whole almonds (it was all I had on hand at the time but next time I will being using slivers to make it creamier) which it did take a bit longer in the blender than required just to get it to the right consistency, but it still came out great. I also wound up adding a bit more spices than in the video like garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, more nutritional yeast, and a bit of smoked paprika just to fit my own personal taste buds. 

I tried it 2 ways just to see how it would compare being eaten straight onto noddles versus being baked in the oven casserole-style. Before I baked it, I sautéed some fresh broccoli with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper then mixed it in with the noodles and sauce and topped it with a drizzle of olive oil (just so it wouldn't dry out) and panko breadcrumbs. 

Eaten straight just mixed in with noodles was TO DIE FOR. I have never had a vegan cheese sauce come out as creamy as this one (trust me, I’ve tried them all). The flavors were a bit bland for my personal liking but when used as a base cheese recipe, you really can't go wrong. When baked, I noticed it dried out fairly quickly so in the future I think I will try adding more almond milk and coconut milk before putting it in the oven. It reheats very well too (I’ve been eating it the past week straight and I’m still not tired of it) so it would be great for meal prep or just to store in the fridge for whenever you crave it. 

All in all, I give this recipe a 9/10. Only got a point taken off for the tiny lack of flavor but I am most DEFINITELY making this again. It was creamy, quick, and fairly cheap to make (I walked out of Whole Foods only having spent about $15 on the ingredients). I am going to play around more with the flavors and ingredients of this recipe but it quickly just made its way to the top of my favorites. 

Give this post a like if you want to see more vegan recipe reviews from me. 

[abhiseoblogs-blog]

Laxmi Cold Drinks

Introduction:-

LCD start to create a peaceful and lively space where people could have a wonderful meal, relax and feel rejuvenated, meet over aromatic coffees and fresh beverages accompanied with delicious fast food, exchange ideas over wholesome global cuisine and ‘just be’ in a friendly and aesthetic environment with friends and family enjoying nature’s bounty. It’s a place where you can hang out with your friends or just enjoy your alone time. The place is light spirited and friendly. We can serve you in dining, in packing, home delivery & also we available for outdoor catering.

About Us:-

We are having experience of 50 years in juices and shakes to understand the actual Unique taste of a customer and providing the actual fresh juices and shakes, set up in 1968, positions itself as a fresh and healthy brand at affordable prices. It sees potential in India’s ₹8,000 crore quick-service restaurant market owing to consumers’ inclination towards fruits, juices and the increasing shift to healthy eating options as well as the country’s “attractive demographics, including the increasing middle class demand for affordable ‘treats’ such as premium coffees, smoothies".

SERVICES:-

Shakes:

Cold creamy shakes became popular in 19th century ,This was also used to make ice cream, which made ‘frozen milkshakes’. The rapid growth of the Temperance movement created a demand for non-alcoholic beverages, and places where they could be enjoyed.

On the basis of budget : Whatever your budget, your collection should be focused on pieces that truly speak to you.

They have a nice upscale menu in that they focus on delicious, creative and healthful items plus we have a wide varirty of fast food items,juices & shakes.

As the weather heats up, most of us crave something cold to drink. And can you get much colder than ice cream you suck up through a straw? The culture of shakes now become most common to cool you in hot summer of suncity.And we bring the top loaded ice cream shakes,milk shakes and thick shakes to freeze you down&satisfy your cravings in the summer season of suncity.

Today, fast food restaurants represent the most common place to purchase a classic shake. We found the seven best to satisfy your sweet tooth. Try them all, but especially don’t miss these shakes:

Jamajam Shake : We kind of expected “ to do a pretty solid shake, and Jamajam did not disappoint. Not only does the chain use real, hand-mixed Fruit cream, but Serious Eats also calls it, “absurdly rich. It was the thickest shake I tried; my straw was worthless for the first 15 minutes.”A pure essence of Mixed fruit shake , Fruit Cream with shake will complete your cravings for fruits and having a sweet tooth .

Pineapple Milk Shake: A purity that continues with more than 50 years , Our most selling shake which satisfy more than thousands of customers with pure pineapple taste and adding on the ice cream makes it more rich and soothing.

Choco Chips Shakes:Our thick, rich milkshakes come hand-scooped to order with real milk blended in. They also come in the classic flavors, as well as chocolate chip cookie dough, Nutella, Hazelnut and more. a blend of Choco chip ice cream and rich milk adding whipped cream and choco chips for the topping — really makes you look like a pro. But if you also need a caffeine fix, go for a coffee shake, instead.

Oreo Chocolate Shake:Much evidence suggests that Oreos and ice cream go extremely well together. It’s basically a scientific fact.And that leads us to the best combination of Oreos and any dairy products: Oreo milkshakes, which are absolutely delicious. Rich, creamy, and smooth, these sweet treats can bring you back to the very best parts of childhood.

Royal Dry Fruit Shake:Dry Fruit Milkshake is a unique recipe which makes for a healthy beverage with valuable additions of a variety of dry fruits.As dry fruits are integral to Indian cuisine, this milkshake recipe is a celebration of the goodness of dry fruits in the form of a shake which would delight one and all from kids to adults. This recipe utilizes such common ingredients from an Indian kitchen like almonds, pistachios, anjeer, cashews, milk, and sugar to be blended together into this heavenly beverage. This recipe gives a stiff competition to the smoothies and milkshakes found at your favourite restaurants and cafes.So, do not wait and try out this recipe to enjoy this refreshing beverage with your family and friends.

Juices

Fruit juices here clearly mean fresh juices extracted from whole fruits at home and not the packed ones. What's the best way to relieve hunger pangs, ask an expert and he will tell you to grab a bowlful of fruits or a glass of fruit juice that will not only fill your stomach, but also keep you energised and fulfilled through the day. Fruits are power packed with essential nutrients and minerals we require for the day and so do fruit juices; after all, juices are a byproduct of fruits, right? Juicing fruits has become a convenient alternative to quickly consume important nutrients. While there are benefits to drinking fruit juice, it may not be as good as a whole fruit.

Fruit juice is a good option for people who are picky eaters, so you can combine other fruits to make it tastier and flavourful. Eating whole fruit does not give many options, however, some people like it this way.

Variety of Fruit juice : Mosambi i.e sweet lime juice ,pineapple ,apple,pomegranate,Mix Fruit and many more to finish your thirst & dehydrate your body with a  natural substance and maintaining a healthy life without any preservatives.

3. Snacks : To make your evenings lighter and smarter with Pocket friendly snacks , And to satisfy your hunger for short time period. Having a variety of snacks :

French Fries or Finger Chips are deep fried potatoes hugely popular across the

world.One of the most loved finger food by kids and adults alike! French fries make snacking look good. They are easy to eat,thinly sliced potatoes are deep-fried till they're crisp on all sides and then sprinkled with salt, pepper or really any seasoning of your choice. The best part about french fries is that you can pair them with just anything from burgers, pizzas or enjoy it as is with a side of tomato ketchup. You can have french fries as a side during breakfast, mid-meal or evening snacks with tea.

4. Fastfood-

We serves fast food cuisines like Pizza, Burger,Chinese,Sandwiches and a lot more to satisfy the hunger with being ready your meal in few minutes.

As combination of sandwiches with fresh juices and shakes complete your one time meal and getting ready in no longer time with few bucks $.

Having a wide range of pizzas,burgers,jumbo girlled sandwiches & chinese cuisines will make you crave for your unlimited choices.

One of the best comfort foods for anyone would be a pizza; a perfectly baked pizza base with an assortment of your favourite veggies along with lots of cheese oozing out to make us happier than ever. Undeniably it is one of the best food ever.

offers not just lip-smacking thin and thick crust pizzas, but a range of pastas and wings along with garlic breads, breadsticks, cheesesticks and cold and hot beverages.

Nothing can beat the joy of taking a bite into your favourite sandwich after a long and tiring day. It's easy to prepare and makes for a light and healthy snack.

Not so long ago the concept of burgers had taken the food world by storm.Crisp and crunchy pattie made with potatoes and peas coated with bread crumbs and sliced between burger buns along with mustard and mayonnaise

If you are a Chinese food lover, you'd know how amazing delicacies are; and no we aren't talking about the authentic Chinese food. Here, we are referring to the Indianised version of the Chinese cuisine. The addition of extravagant flavours in schezwan rice, noodles, vegetable and paneer make the Indo-Chinese delicacies special. Interestingly, no Chinese person would be able to identify these dishes as their own, most of which appear to be made from a mix of soya sauce, chili sauce, tomato ketchup and schezwan sauce. These dishes developed right here in our country only to satisfy our palates that love hot and spicy food. Authentic or not, the food has definitely grasped our taste buds and refuses to let go.

Contact Details:- LAXMI COLD DRINKS 3, City Plaza, Opp Medical College Shastri Nagar, Jodhpur,Rajasthan 342003. Email: laxmicolddrink@gmail.com Web:www.laxmicolddrinks.com   Phone: +91-78777 74999

[paleorecipecookbook]

9 Nutrient Deficiencies Making You Crave Junk — What Your Body Really Wants Instead

We seem to always crave food that is high in sugar and fat, yet we never find ourselves craving a huge bowl of broccoli. What gives?

Craving certain foods is a multifaceted experience. There’s a cognitive component and an emotional component – aka “I am having a terrible day so I want to go home and eat my bodyweight in fro-yo.” And there’s even a physiological factor: you literally feel good after you eat certain foods.

It turns out cravings aren’t totally our fault. In fact, research suggests that many cravings are often a cry from our body, letting us know that it is seriously lacking in several key vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. These things help to regulate appetite, mood, hunger levels and cravings.

It’s not that our body desperately needs a piece of chocolate cake, we just misinterpret what our body is crying out for. Cravings, poor mood and stubborn weight issues can indicate psychological roots, specific nutrient needs, and/or vitamin deficiencies.

For every gram of sugar you consume, your body uses between 28-53 molecules of magnesium.

Certain food cravings can be triggered by specific moods. We all crave comfort foods when we are stressed out, lonely or sad. This has been linked to alterations in our gut microbiome, dysregulated cortisol levels and a low level of serotonin. (4) Research even found that highly stressed individuals report having more cravings than non-stressed individuals. (5)

The next time a craving strikes, pay attention to what the actual craving is. Do you notice that every time you have a bad day at work you rush home to eat ice cream? Do you have emotional triggers that cause you to overindulge? This self-reflection will help you control your cravings and make healthier choices on tough days.

Here are nine common nutrient deficiencies that might be at the root of your cravings:

Calcium

The Nutrient: We need calcium for more than strong bones; we need the mineral for nerve impulses, blood clotting, and for our heart to pump blood. Every cell in the body requires calcium and our body has very tight control of how much calcium is in the blood at any time. Our body will actually pull calcium from our bones when our blood levels drop or we experience pH changes in the body.

While many people think milk is a great source of calcium, it’s difficult to absorb calcium from dairy. Up to 75 percent of the population experiences lactose intolerance, meaning they lack the enzyme necessary to digest lactose. Stress, intense exercise, and too much sugar can all deplete your calcium stores.

Signs of a Deficiency: If you find yourself craving sodas, carbonated drinks and even dairy this could be a sign you need more calcium.

What To Eat:

Increase your intake of plant-based calcium sources such as 6):

Dark leafy greens

Turnip greens

Broccoli

Kale,

Celery.

Pumpkin seeds

Brazil nuts

Almonds

Asparagus

Coconut meat.

For non-plant sources, try:

Sardines

Salmon

Tuna

Magnesium

The Nutrient: Known as our relaxation mineral, magnesium contributes to nearly 700 enzyme and biochemical processes in the body. Our body has roughly 3,500 different binding sites for magnesium in our cells.

Up to 80 percent of the population is deficient in magnesium. It’s easily depleted in times of chronic stress, extreme exercise, during menstruation and when we consume sugar. In fact, for every gram of sugar you consume, your body uses between 28-53 molecules of magnesium.

Magnesium acts like a gate keeper for calcium, as it allows calcium to be excreted from our cells in response to various stressors. Calcium acts as an excitatory molecule, while magnesium acts as a calming molecule. Having imbalances in these minerals can lead to issues with our mood.

Signs of a Deficiency: If you find yourself having intense cravings for sugar and feel fatigued and sore, you may need more magnesium. This is true as well if you experience muscle twitches and cramps, depressed mood, and anxiety.

What To Eat (7, 8):

Dark chocolate (be sure it is organic with at least 70% cocoa content and no added sugar)

Avocados

Raw cacao

Cashews

Almonds

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli.

Zinc

The Nutrient: Zinc is a part of at least 3,000 different proteins in your body and is involved in more than 200 different enzymes. In fact, zinc is involved in more enzymatic reactions in your body than any other mineral. Its highest concentrations are in your hippocampus, which deals with memory and mood.

This key mineral is important for our immune system, cellular growth, sleep, skin, insulin regulation, hormone balance and mood support. The body has no special storage capacity for zinc, so it is important to consume zinc-rich foods on a regular basis.

Zinc plays a role in modulating the brain and body’s response to stress and has been linked to depression. Under times of extreme stress, we get rid of zinc at higher rates through our urine, sweat and saliva. (9, 10)

The Signs of a Deficiency: If you suffer from GI distress, experience low moods, have extreme PMS, have high stress or take antacids and OTCs you likely could benefit from more zinc.

What To Eat:

Oysters

Shellfish

Salmon

Grass-fed meat

Pasture-raised chicken

Unsweetened dark chocolate

Pumpkin seeds

Spinach

Almonds

Omega-3

The Nutrient: Omega-3 fatty acids are known as essential fatty acids. Our bodies cannot make them on their own, so they must either be obtained through our diet or through supplements.

Signs of a Deficiency: Cravings for sweet, fatty foods, cheese and carbohydrates can be a sign of omega-3 deficiencies, as well as having poor mood and brain fog. (11)

What To Eat:

Essential fatty acids can be divided into three types: ALA, EPA and DHA, all of which can be found in:

Wild caught fish, such as tuna, salmon, and sardines.

Walnuts

Flax seeds

Hemp seeds

Chia seeds

Some algae such as spirulina.

Vitamin B12

The Nutrient: Roughly one in four Americans are deficient in Vitamin B12, a vitamin associated with memory, mood, energy and red blood cell health. Vitamin B12 is our largest vitamin and requires a good amount of stomach acid and a protein, called intrinsic factor, to break it down and absorb it. This is likely why so many people have suboptimal levels of this key vitamin.

Vitamin B12 can only be obtained from animal sources, as plant sources of B12 are in the analog form, which cannot be absorbed by the body. Methylcobalamin is the active form of B12 that the body can use, which can be found in methyl B-12 supplements or animal sources of B12. (12)

Signs of a Deficiency: If you have low energy, find yourself craving meat, suffer from anemia, or find yourself bruising easily, you likely could benefit from getting more B12 in your diet.

What To Eat:

This is a case where you want to eat what you crave. Increase your intake of:

Organic grass-fed meat

Venison

Veal

Bison

Pasture-raised chicken, turkey and eggs

Folate

The Nutrient: Also known as Vitamin B9, folate is the active form of folic acid that is necessary to support cardiovascular health, cellular health and cognitive health. With up to 40 to 60 percent of the population having the genetic variant for the MTHFR gene, consuming folate-rich foods, as opposed to synthetic folic acid, is necessary for overall health.

Methyl Folate is the biologically active form of Vitamin B9. It is also the form that is transported across membranes into peripheral tissues, particularly across the blood brain barrier. Methyl folate is used in the methylation process, which contributes to DNA health, detoxification pathways, and cell health.

Signs of a Deficiency: Natural dietary folate is found in food, while Folic acid is the synthetic form of B9 required to be added into processed grains. (13) If you crave processed grains, you may need more folate. This is also true if you have a history of cardiovascular disease, miscarriages, or experience fatigue, low energy, loss of appetite, anemia and have changes in mood and irritability.

What To Eat:

Dark leafy greens such as spinach and arugula

Beets

Bell peppers

Cauliflower

Asparagus

Broccoli

Lentils

Avocados

Okra

Brussels sprouts.

Vitamin D

The Nutrient: Also known as the sunshine vitamin, Vitamin D acts as a pro-regulatory hormone in the body, influencing over 2,000 genes. When our skin is exposed to the sun, Vitamin D produces compounds that support healthy moods.

With up to 70 percent of the population being deficient in Vitamin D, it is no surprise that our mood, cravings and even our immune health can be affected by having low levels of this vital vitamin. Scientists found that people with low vitamin D symptoms are 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who had normal levels. (14)

Signs of a Deficiency: If you find yourself getting sick a lot, having poor mood, bone loss, back pain and feel tired and fatigued you likely have low vitamin D levels.

What To Eat:

Fatty fish, such as tuna, mackerel and salmon,

Beef liver

Egg yolks

Note: Getting outside and playing in the sun can be a great way to increase your Vitamin D levels, but be sure to expose roughly 70 percent of your skin as close to solar noon as possible.

Selenium

The Nutrient: Selenium is an antioxidant-rich essential trace mineral that works in conjunction with other enzymes and proteins in the body. Selenoprotein S in particular is involved in the protection against cellular stress and regulating the release of pro-inflammatory cytokine release.

Adequate selenium levels are essential for not only proper immune function, but also for regulating excessive immune response (found at the root cause of several autoimmune diseases), chronic inflammation and protecting cells against free radical damage. (15)

Signs of a Deficiency: A decline in cognitive health, thyroid functioning and immune health, as well as heart disease and infertility may be signs of a selenium deficiency. If you find yourself excessively tired, as well as craving salty foods you could benefit from increasing your selenium intake.

What To Eat:

Brazil nuts

Garlic

Tuna

Nori

Seaweed

Sunflower seeds

Turkey

Lentils

Spinach.

Antioxidants

The Nutrient: Antioxidants are categorized as either fat soluble or water soluble. However, your body needs both to protect your cells from oxidative damage and free radical damage.

Antioxidants help rid the body of dangerous oxidative products by converting them into hydrogen peroxide, then into water. This is done through a multi-step process that requires a variety of trace minerals, such as zinc, copper, manganese, and iron, which are found in foods that are rich in antioxidants.

Signs of a Deficiency: If you have low energy levels, crave sweets, seem irritable and have general low immune function you can benefit from getting more antioxidants into your diet.

What To Eat:

Organic fruits and berries

Chlorophyll-rich vegetables

Lemons and limes

Grapefruits

Tart cherries

Sulfur-rich veggies like onions, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and broccoli sprouts.

CoQ10-rich foods, such as grass-fed beef, liver, sardines and mackerel.

(Read this Next: 9 Leaky Gut Symptoms and How to Start Healing Now)

The post 9 Nutrient Deficiencies Making You Crave Junk — What Your Body Really Wants Instead appeared first on PaleoPlan.

Source: https://ift.tt/10qRbxJ

[nickgerlich]

It Does A Barley Good

When I was growing up, it was an unchallenged artifact of our modern western existence that you drank milk. Lots of it. Milk supposedly caused our bodies to grow healthily, and we were to drink glasses of it at any time of the day, and drown our breakfast cereal in it. So profound is the role of milk in our collective diet that it shows up in many processed foods as a primary ingredient.

But that was then, and today, we are on the continued steep end of a rather significant decline in milk consumption. For the last decade, it has been dropping an average of 2.6% annually. Instead, an increasing number of people are drinking plant-based milks, which range from soy to almond, pea, oat, cashew, coconut.

Oh, and now barley, thanks to the new Golden Wing from Coors, and 2021′s Take Two, which is backed by Budweiser. It’s the story of sustainability and upcycling, because spent grains used in the brewing process are used to make the milk.

Plant-based milks are now a US$18 billion global industry, and growing rapidly. If you have not noticed the increasing selection of milks, creamers, and other items at your grocer, you have had your eyes closed.

And naturally, the dairy industry is more than a little concerned. Critics who defend the industry contend that no product should be allowed to use the word “milk” unless it is from a lactating mammal. It’s just that there has been precedent for years, notably coconut milk in its rawest form. And don’t get me started on peanut butter, which has never had a drop of dairy in it.

So entrenched are milk and all dairy products in our society that few ever take the time to ponder they are consuming a product that is intended for infancy, not to mention the fact that we get it from a different mammal. We are the only species that willingly does it. OK, I know that some of you give a cup of milk to your kittens, or--gasp--even a little ice cream to your dogs, but that would never happen in nature.

Our government is also tied closely with the dairy industry, and now worries that 90% of Americans are not consuming enough dairy to support good health. Of course, it is possible to get those nutrients elsewhere. It’s just that this is a shining example of an entire industry that has won favor at the federal level.

As for Coors and Budweiser, though, this is an excellent idea. There are massive amounts of spent grains at all brewers. I have seen some small craft breweries make doggie treats out of them, but nothing intended for human consumption. My thoughts always were that, if those grains were good enough to make the beer I’m drinking, the leftovers should be just as good for human treats too!

Just so you know that I am not promoting my own agenda, and only providing a little food--or milk--for thought, please know that I do not care what any of my students or other readers and listeners consume. That’s your business, not mine. And for the first 61 years of my life, I consumed plenty of dairy. If it works for you, then have another glass.

I’m just wanting to give these new milks a whirl. I rather like the idea of a smooth, malty finish on my cereal. Or in my glass. I just wonder if I have to say “Prost!” every time I hoist a pint, and offer to buy another round for my friends.

Dr “I Malt Into This“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[dramallamadingdang]

Game-loading time replies!

Even though it’s gonna take me a lot longer to reply to these than it will take my game to load. :)

These are for @nuttydazesublime, @tamtam-go92, @nekosayuri, @dunne-ias, @pensblr, @alicenorthernlights-blog, @taylors-simblr, @eulaliasims, @immerso-sims, @fuzzyspork, @katatty-main, @nyshabrokeit, @mswn, @quill-of-thoth, and @worldstarsimblr   Topics range from maligning AGS to custom unis to asparagus to veganism to pixel volcanoes to age mods to making Sim-life more complicated/difficult to...Well, other stuff. :) 

nuttydazesublime replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

Congratulations! I had the same problem for a long time, but not any more now! Yay! :D

I am very happy. The fact that I could not create an empty neighborhood on my old machine/install was very frustrating! Especially because it worked once, using AGS, but then after building a few lots in that empty neighborhood it suddenly decided to add the AL stealth hood when I loaded it once, and then after that whenever I attempted to make an empty neighborhood, it would “Create Magic.” And if I made a regular new neighborhood, it would “Create Magic” twice. So somehow, somewhere, there was a second AL stealth hood template that got created I-don’t-know-how, but damned if I could find it. My game sure could, though. :\ But, new machine, new install and AGS is never coming within 100 miles of my game ever again. Sorry to folks who might not have all EPs (Mac users, especially), but...nope. Nope nope nope.

dunne-ias replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

we need more custom unis!

tamtam-go92 replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

I agree with ias!

I agree, too...but I’m not sure I should be the one making them, at least not to share. I can’t build anything attractive yet remotely complicated without CC for the life of me, and no-CC is really the way to go for this sort of thing. Also, these are going to be built specifically to play my crazy college scheme, with playable classroom buildings and whatnot, so I’m not sure that they’d be appealing for other playing styles. But if I manage to create anything that wouldn’t be a galaxy-sized pain in the ass to share...I’ll share.

nekosayuri replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

Now I'm curious about the thing you wanted to check out!

Well, it was something that could be considered of a rather “adult” nature, so I didn’t want to link directly or anything. (Not that I think genitalia of either type by themselves without anything sexy happening are necessarily “adult,” but a lot Americans people do, so...yeah.) But basically? Much better-looking pixel penises. As a person who likes anatomical accuracy, I was very excited and wanted to see how they looked in my game, so before I napped, I went off and had my playable dudes in the “downtown thing” neighborhood take a shower so I could adjust ‘em a bit. :) (And yes, they are AMAZING. A huge improvement over Crammyboy’s, even though they have fewer options.)

pensblr replied to your photo “This seems to work, so… OK, so here’s the deal. To sum up a long post...”

Have been happily using Hat's mod for a couple of years now, and tweaked it as well after a few months of it being installed. While I wanted adults to have more time (so that I could sort of create a middle-age span), the elder span was just way too long for my taste. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing all of the life stages, but, yeah... elders were shaved down to a max of 50 days. Overall, I love how Hat's mod can be easily tweaked to suit one's own game.

Yeah, aging mods are just about the easiest thing in the world to make, if you can run SimPE. Heck, they’re easier to make than walls/floors! :) The trick, of course, is modding the ACR controller if you use ACR. Then you have to muck about with its BHAVs to adjust fertility curves to match your new lifespans, and since I don’t understand BHAVs, that intimidates me. But since I realized I didn’t have to alter the ACR controller...Yeah, easy-peasy. :)

tamtam-go92 replied to your post “Lately, me=long text posts. Sorry. :)”

I also saw that mod, and I would really like to have an age mod (this was the one thing I loved about TS3!) But I always saw the transition to elder in their mid 50s. I don't use ACR so the natural occuring infertility of female sims one week (I think) before they age up would be perfect. I would really like an age mod that was that way, but I really have no Idea how to do such things (I can't even make Simpe work for me '-_-)

Hey, if you want a specific age mod, feel free to hit me up! :) I can certainly make one for you, since you don’t use ACR. :) You’ll just have to tell me exactly how long you want each non-elder lifestage to be and about how long you want the elder one to be. (It’s not an exact science, with elders. :) ) Like I said, easiest thing in the world...If you can get SimPE to run.

That being said, most people who have problems with it are running the UC. If that’s you, then a good place to ask for help is MTS’s help forum. Maybe Leefish, too, if you’re a member there. 

alicenorthernlights-blog replied to your photo “lowedeus: MAXIS HOOD DECO CATTAILS Thickets of cattail (Typha,...”

I would like to have some nice realistic looking volcanoes as deco.

Are you aware of these? They’re deco volcanoes converted from Castaway. IMO, the two larger sizes are too large, and all are a little pointier than they should be. (Volcanoes are generally rounder on top, from accumulated lava flows. Heck, mountains in general aren’t that pointy.) But I have used the “dwarf” size (which are still pretty big) to pretty good effect, especially when they’re half-sunken into the terrain.

nekosayuri replied to your post “The college madness continues. :)”

I love everything about this! So thought out and complicated! Feels kinda like my (Sims) life right now with all the stuff I'm trying to do, but one thing I wanna take from this for my game is making more use of Sims' interests and their actual personalities to decide what will happen with them. For born-in-game, this would be even more fun :D...

Yeah, that was actually one of two “I need to do this better” goals with this “downtown” scenario I’ve been dreaming up as I play it. I wanted to incorporate both hobbies (which I’ve never really done a WHOLE lot with) and interests (which I’ve never done ANYTHING with) into my playing somehow. Interests still aren’t very integrated into regular playing yet, but they will definitely be things of consideration for the spawn of the founders of the scenario, who will be the first eligible for uni. The first of those is 4 or 5 days away from childhood, so I’ll start thinking about her “path” then, seeing where her interests/hobbies lie and how that might dictate how I’ll play her. (I don’t really “play” toddlers much. They run pretty much 100% on free will, only interrupted to attend to their motives or for a parent to teach them the skills the toddler wants.)

taylors-simblr replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

Sounds great, I’m always after more pasta sauce recipes :) and asparagus is awesome, we had it for dinner, it was the only thing on the plate that daughter ate, despite there also being pineapple, sweet corn and sugar snap peas to pick from

I’m frankly astonished that your daughter picked asparagus over sweet corn! It has that bit of a bitter taste that I would’ve thought would turn off toddlers, whereas corn and pineapple are just flat-out sugar. (Peas at least have some protein. :) ) So good on her for her good taste! :D

eulaliasims replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

Yum, thanks for the link! Almond milk is what I drink normally, so I'm intrigued to try it in a sauce. :D

It works well! I think the key is to slowly add the flour as it reduces. I kinda dumped most of it in in one go, and the sauce came out a little thicker than I would have liked, but I didn’t want to dilute it. (It was still good, though!) Next time, I’ll add it in smaller increments along with the incremental additions of the milk. I’m also going to try cashew milk instead of almond next time, since it’s thicker/creamier to start with.

immerso-sims replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

I love asparagus, so will try to make this :) I always do a pureed pea & roasted asparagus soup. Yum!

Cream of Roasted Asparagus is my very favorite soup! :D I never thought to add peas, though. It’s an interesting idea. I imagine it’d be a little sweeter than asparagus alone. Also more nutritious which is always a good thing. :)

fuzzyspork replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

I have a mini food processor whose soul purpose is for mincing garlic because I hate doing it by hand! (okay, I also use the mini processor for mincing hot peppers and chopping small amounts of nuts and sometimes emulsifying mayo and... a lot of stuff I guess)

Yeah, but then you gotta wash the food processor. *whine* :) 

I hate washing up. Even with a dishwasher I hate washing up. Especially since we don’t use the dishwasher a lot. Since it’s just the two of us, unless we’re cooking a big, elaborate meal, it takes forever to fill the thing up, and it’s such a waste of water to run it less-than-full, especially since we’re in a state of extreme drought here. :p So, yeah, gimme my tubes of garlic paste! *laugh* I am totally that lazy!

dunne-ias replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

even non-vegans can use plant based milk and nutritional yeast :P #milkisforbabies this sounds delicious though!

#milkisforbabyCOWS, even. :)

But yeah, you’re right. I’ve made vegan stuff -- chili, mostly -- that was loved by people who would run screaming for the hills if they were told it was vegan. :) But when it comes to cooking for themselves, non-vegans are far more likely to have cow milk on hand than non-dairy milk, unless they happen to be lactose intolerant. And even then they’re more likely to have that cow-milk-with-predigested-lactose crap instead. *eye roll* And I’ve yet to meet a non-vegan who’s even heard of nutritional yeast, much less had any on hand. :)

nyshabrokeit replied to your post “So. I now have a list of 18 custom Uni majors that I want to make....”

They're easy peasy! ;)

Yeah, I made one just to test out the process and...Very easy! I haven’t tested it in-game yet, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Thank you for that tute! :D

quill-of-thoth replied to your post “Does anyone out there...”

I don't have it, but I use magazines to adjust interests to see if my sims are a good match, and I'll probably use them to increase interests when sim kids have the appropriate "traits"

Well, I can now confirm that the mod works in an all EP/SPs game, but I’m not sure the magazines are working as they should. :/ But I should probably make a separate post asking others about how they work in their game rather than burying it in this wall o’ text. :)

mswn replied to your photo “iCad Does Brainstorming AKA: Curse you, @dunne-ias!! So, Dunne-ias...”

‘If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.’ :p

OMG I LOVE THAT MOVIE! Even though I think baseball is the third-most-boring-game/sport ever (after cricket and golf), I love that movie. And that -- Not “There’s no crying in baseball!” -- is my favorite line from it because it is so very true.

worldstarsimblr replied to your photo “iCad Does Brainstorming AKA: Curse you, @dunne-ias!! So, Dunne-ias...”

I love it! I would definitely like to implement this into my gameplay! Also about the custom careers, mog has that mod that has all the jobs appear on the job board as well as I think Monique's computer (could be wrong) but yeah I love Mogs job board because you're right, they won't ever find a job with the computer or newspaper

Oh, yeah, I have that job board...although I’m more likely to just assign careers using the Sim Blender, where any custom ones you have will show, too, but one of the rules of this particular scenario is that jobs must be found in the newspaper. Just the newspaper, not even on a computer, where you get five possibilities instead of three, AND they’re not allowed to take any other job than the one they have an LTW for. It’s because the whole point of this scenario is to make things harder and to use money a little more realistically than I usually do. But this is partly why it’s age-modded because, even without eleventy billion custom careers, it sometimes takes a long time for a Sim’s desired career to show in the newspaper. Like, one of the founders of the scenario JUST got hers, in the Artist career...after checking the newspaper every single morning for 5.5 seasons, which is just about the length of the normal adult lifestage. (Yay, maybe now she can stop being homeless! She’s the last of the four who still is. I mean, talk about your “starving artists!” Knowing her luck, though, she’ll get fired on a chance card and have to start all over.  :) )

dunne-ias replied to your photo “iCad Does Brainstorming AKA: Curse you, @dunne-ias!! So, Dunne-ias...”

ooooh this is way more ambitious than what I do, but I LOOOOVE IT and would very much appreciate a peek at the spreadsheet when you're done with it!

I will definitely share it when it’s all done. Some of the “requirements” I’m imposing rely on some mods/modded objects I use (Like Monique’s computer, for its article-writing function), but generally speaking it’ll be pretty applicable to even a “vanilla” game. Very complicated, though. But I like complicated. :)

eulaliasims replied to your photoset “EDIT: Oops, I noticed that the file for the Butterfly machine doesn’t...”

Dude, *every* time I send a sim to the gym, I think about how annoying it is that NPCs hog the treadmills and ignore everything else. Thanks for the fix! It's dearly appreciated.

You’re welcome! And yeah, I thought the very same thing and finally got off my butt and fixed it! :)

Although...in my game, at least, the visitors still seem to avoid the “multipress” machine, and I can’t figure out why. They love the separate bench press/butterfly/leg extension machines, but not the “combo” one. Don’t know if I boo-boo’ed or if there’s other things going on in its programming. Let me know if you experience the same thing.

katatty-main replied to your photoset “EDIT: Oops, I noticed that the file for the Butterfly machine doesn’t...”

thanks for this! i've been filling all my gyms with nothing but tredmills because of this problem, now my sims can finally use the other equipment!

Yeah, I’d do the same thing. And even so my playables hardly ever got to use the treadmills because the non-playables wouldn’t leave them alone! I still don’t understand Maxis’s logic with this at all... But, y’know, screw Maxis. :)

[amatchgirl]

Stovetop Southwest Tuna Mac and Cheese

Raise your hand if you loveeeee mac and cheese.

As a kid, my Dad would always make me mac and cheese made with sharp or white cheddar, LOTS and lots of pepper. If I was lucky, he’d would add peas (because I loved them more than any other veggie in the world.)

Now that I’m into full on #adulting, I LOVE when my mac and cheese is packed with anything just a little bit unique: truffle mac and cheese, vegan mac and cheese, mac and cheese with a Ritz cracker topping, mac and cheese with brussels, zucchini mac and cheese, or even a classic broccoli cheddar mac and cheese. Can mac and cheese be its own food group yet?

I thought I’d bring you another unique twist on mac and cheese that I’m absolutely in love with: SOUTHWEST TUNA MAC AND CHEESE with spicy flavors and unique umami flavor. Trust me, I know that it sounds a little crazy, but I promise you it’s one of the BEST tuna mac and cheese recipes you’ll ever make.

Ingredients in tuna mac and cheese

Not only is this tuna mac and cheese packed with flavor, but it also uses simple ingredients and pantry staples that you might already have on-hand. The extra protein makes this a delicious, healthy tuna mac and cheese dinner!

Elbow noodles: You can use gluten free, whole grain or regular noodles. I really love the chickpea pasta noodles because of the extra fiber but whole grain is wonderful, too.

Sharp cheddar cheese: I like to use a block of cheddar because it melts much easier. I do not recommend using pre-shredded cheddar for this recipe, but rather shred or cube it yourself.

Whole wheat pastry flour: this flour helps to make a perfectly thick cheese sauce for the tuna mac and cheese. You can also use all purpose or gluten free all purpose flour!

Canned yellowfin tuna: I AM IN LOVE with the tuna in this recipe. It adds an interesting savory umami flavor that I can’t get enough of, not to mention tons of protein. You can use yellowfin or albacore tuna in this delicious recipe.

Taco seasoning: I decided to use a packet of organic taco seasoning to season the mac and cheese because that’s what I had in my cupboard, however I have a DIY version of taco seasoning is in the recipe notes for you!

Black beans: These beans are another reason I love this recipe. The fiber and protein in the beans help to keep you full and add a southwest flair to the recipe.

Unsweetened cashew or almond milk (from the carton): Obviously you can use regular milk (although I wouldn’t use skim). I chose to use cashew milk because it’s incredibly creamy and adds amazing flavor to the mac and cheese. Feel free to use unsweetened cashew milk from the carton or homemade cashew milk. You can also use unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk.

How to make tuna mac and cheese on the stovetop

First boil the noodles until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and set aside.

While the noodles are boiling, make a slurry: In a large oven safe skillet or pot add butter and garlic. Once butter is melted, whisk in the flour and onion powder and cook for 30 seconds until a paste forms. Slowly add in cashew milk, whisking away any lumps.

Increase the heat and bring your mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring every so often, until the sauce thickens up similar to a gravy

Next add in 6 ounces of shredded cheese and 1 packet of taco seasoning and stir until completely melted. 

Finally fold in cooked noodles, black beans and drained tuna and mix until well combined. 

Top with 2 ounces of shredded cheddar. Then you can either serve the mac and cheese and just fold in the extra cheddar you just added, or remove it from the heat and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Top with cilantro and hot sauce if desired!

How to make your own taco seasoning

Mix together the following and add to the tuna mac and cheese as instructed:

This combo will give your easy tuna mac and cheese that spicy southwest flavor. YUM.

I know you are going to love this filling comfort food tuna mac and cheese. It’s wonderful on a cozy evening and great for reheating too. I recommend topping it with hot sauce and cilantro!

If you like this recipe, you might also like

One Pan Enchilada Zucchini Turkey Meatballs and Rice

Incredible Caramelized Onion Spinach Chicken Pasta Bake

Healthy Tuna Noodle Casserole

30 minute Healthier Pasta Carbonara

Goat Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast with Caramelized Onions + Mushrooms

If you make this easy tuna mac and cheese recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below letting me know how you like it. You can also upload a photo and tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram! xo.

Stovetop Southwest Tuna Mac and Cheese

A southwest inspired version of tuna mac and cheese with taco seasoning, black beans, yellowfin tuna and plenty of cheese. This creamy, spicy tuna mac and cheese recipe comes together in just 30 minutes and is packed with protein. Perfect for weeknight dinners, game day or anytime you have a comfort food craving!

8 oz elbow noodles (or whatever noodles you’d like)

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or sub regular flour or GF all purpose flour)

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew or almond milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 oz sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese)

1 (1.1 ounce) packet taco seasoning (preferably organic)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (5 ounce) can yellowfin or albacore tuna, drained

2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and reserved for the topping (or about ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese)

To garnish:

Chopped fresh cilantro

Hot sauce, if desired

First boil the noodles until al dente, according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and set aside.

While the noodles are boiling, make a slurry: In a large oven safe skillet or pot add butter and garlic. Once butter is melted, whisk in the flour and onion powder and cook for 30 seconds until a paste forms. Slowly add in cashew milk, whisking away any lumps.

Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring every so often, until the sauce thickens up similar to a gravy

Next add in 6 oz cheese and 1 packet of taco seasoning and stir until completely melted. 

Finally fold in cooked noodles, black beans and drained tuna and mix until well combined. 

Top with 2 ounces of shredded cheddar. At this point you can either serve the mac and cheese and just fold in the extra cheddar you just added, or remove from heat and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Serves 6. Top with cilantro and hot sauce if desired!

To make your own taco seasoning: mix together the following and add the mac and cheese: 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt.

To make dairy free: feel free to use my cashew cheese sauce instead of making the cheese sauce for this recipe.

Nutrition

Servings: 6 servings

Serving size: 1 serving

Calories: 425kcal

Fat: 19g

Saturated fat: 10.6g

Carbohydrates: 40.8g

Fiber: 6.6g

Sugar: 1.6g

Protein: 23.2g

from WordPress http://sweetly.site/stovetop-southwest-tuna-mac-and-cheese/

[goldyknows]

We have a lot of new people signing up on our health and wellness team. It's 20 bucks for the year and you get a whole lot more than just a discount on incredible products. You are surrounded by people who care about their health and overall Wellness, who provide inspiration, and share what's working for them to look and feel amazing. Had several people ask me today what I have for breakfast so here's a picture! LOL The key to this is there is only one egg and four egg whites. Instead of bacon are used #turkeybacon. I then have a half pack of our #mealreplacement shake. There's some of the best-tasting shakes I've ever had in my life. I use half a package and about 10 oz of 30 calorie almond milk or cashew milk. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day it's your fuel. But it doesn't need to be packed with sugar, fat and carbohydrates. #Protein is just as fulfilling for me and there are a couple of carbs in the meal replacement shake to fill in the gaps. www.GoldyCares.com #GoldyLocks #GoldyLocksRocks #GoldyKnows #GoldyCares #GoldyLocksFitness  #Entrepreneurs #Hustler #Hustler #DirectSales #Boss #GoldylockSBand #wealth #worksmarter #HealthyLiving #WomenWhoLift #GymLife #RockStar #Artist #TVPersonality #OnCameraPersonality #TVHost #NashvilleFitness #NashvilleTrainer #NashvilleGym

[vy-hoang]

day 21

September 25, 2019.

Wednesdays mean I have work today after class. I dread these days all week. But I shouldn’t be complaining, because I work only 6 hours a week. Honestly, I just need enough for groceries. I don’t necessarily need this job plus my parents want me to focus on school and not overwork myself. Even though I complain about it from time to time, I’m glad I’m working and doing something different. I really hate using my parent's money for luxury items like clothes, shoes, etc. I’ve come to this point in my life where I want to slowly become more and more independent and take care of myself.

I had two classes before work, the one on West Bank and the other in St. Paul. As the week been progressing, I’m getting more stress about my programming project. It’s due on Friday and I have a good chunk done, but it’s still not printing out as I wanted. So many different elements go into in and if they aren’t arranged properly or spelled correctly, no doubt an error will appear. When I try to fix the problem, another one would be caused by what I just did. Just to admit, I should go into office hours and ask for help. I always tend to try to figure things out myself instead of asking for help. But maybe this time, I will break out of my shell and go into office hours.

After work, I spent about an hour relaxing before I make dinner and finish up on my homework. For dinner, I wasn’t hungry so I just had cashew milk yogurt with almonds. I’m allergic to dairy and so that’s why I had to have an alternative. Plus, cutting down dairy and meat intake can help out the planet. Since climate change has become more and more serious each year, I believe that everyone should do something to help prevent it from getting any worse. Recycling, reusing, a day without meat or dairy, etc. It may seem small and you could think that it won’t make a difference, but it does.

[keto]

Keto Authentic Indian Dishes I had a request over on the main Keto sub to provide some of my authentic Indian dishes that I find fit well into my keto lifestyle. Below are my go to recipes and I've included some tips and alternatives before the recipes as some additional info. If anyone has questions or thoughts please feel free to comment or PM! There are a lot of vegetarian dishes that can be keto friendly as well so if you're interested let me know and I can get those together too!I am going to preface this with the fact that I eat these dishes while fasting 16 hours so really this is my only meal in the day which means I have a little more room to play with in term of carbs. I also split these recipes over 5 days worth of meals which makes is keto friendly for me. I love my Indian food and for me these are incredibly filling and flavorful but not something you can eat as part of a three meals a day keto plan unless you're SUPER careful about your carbs for the rest of the day :-)All of the ingredients listed below can be found in an Indian grocers or online. Patel brothers is a good online grocer that we used to use before making the decision to just drive down to Boston once every 6 weeks or so. If you don't want to purchase ginger garlic paste you can of course make your own by buying ginger and garlic at the supermarket. I tried to call out what ingredients are NOT essential that would need to be purchased at an Indian grocers, such as tamarind paste. It definitely adds to a dish but if you don't want to bother getting it it's not going to be a huge deal. That said kasoori methi is absolutely essential to a good chicken tikka and it's cheap so if you can get to an Indian grocer I suggest you do.I usually have these over cooked cauliflower or cooked broccoli, I am usually too lazy to rice the cauliflower but if you want that rice feeling you can totally do riced cauliflower! I have actually found frozen riced cauli at my local Sams club!Variations on the below dishes;I like to add chopped bell pepper to my chicken tikka every once in a while, adds a little different flavor and bulk esp if I miscalculate how much chicken I've got left in the freezerthe same base recipe can be used to make paneer (vegetarian) versions of both the tikka and the korma. You can find paneer either fresh in blocks that you cut into squares or frozen already cubed in a lot of Indian grocers.Here come the recipes!Goan Pork Vindaloo2 lbs of boneless pork½ cup apple cider vinegar (you can use white if you want either works)2 tbsp ginger garlic paste1 pod brown cardamom (crushed open but left whole)1 tsp cumin seeds1tsp poppy seeds10 whole black peppercorns4 whole cloves1 tsp mustard seeds1 stick of cinnamon, halved1 tbsp tamarind paste (if you don't want to purchase this it's ok to leave out)½ tsp turmeric4 or 5 Thai green chiles (or 2-3 jalepenos)1/3 cup of your oil of choice2 large red onions sliced1 tsp steviaSalt to tasteToast cumin seeds, mustard seeds, poppy seeds, peppercorns and cloves in a dry pan until they start to pop. Toss pork, vinegar, salt, toasted spices and one tbsp. of ginger garlic paste in a glass bowl. Let sit at least an hour, overnight if you can. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat, add chopped garlic, ginger garlic paste, brown cardamom pod and onion, cook until browned lightly – about 5-7 minutes. Stir in pork AND the marinade until the paste starts to brown, about another 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and 1 ¼ cups water (you can use a broth instead if you'd like) Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered, stirring occasionally until pork is cooked through and tender. Depending on the heat of your stove this could be 45min – 1hour. It's next to impossible to overcook this.Chicken Tikka Masala2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh2 -3 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or otherwise doesn't matter, can use white or cider vinegar if you don't have any on hand, you just want the acidity)2 + 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste1 can tomato paste16 oz container of heavy cream2 large red onions diced4 tbsp Tandoori chicken masala1 cup of plan full fat yogurt2 tsp garam masala1 tsp turmeric1 tsp ground cumin1tsp ground coriander3 green Thai chiles (or a couple jalepenos – and to your taste)1 tsp whole mustard seeds1 tsp whole cumin seeds~ ¼ cup of Kasoori methi (can be found in Indian grocers, looks like dried clovers and smells like horse hay but ESSENTIAL to this dish)1/3 cup cooking oil of choiceChop chicken into bite size pieces. Mix yogurt, lemon juice/vinegar, 2tbsp ginger garlic paste and tandoori chicken masala together and add chicken. Marinate at least two hours, preferably overnight. In a skillet heat oil and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop. Add diced onion, chopped chiles, ginger garlic paste and remaining spices (EXCEPT the kasoori methi, save this for last) and cook until onions are browned. Add can of tomato paste and about ¼ cup of water just to thin it out and let things marry properly. Cook for 5-10 minutes on medium low to remove the acidic taste of the tomato. Add chicken with the marinade to the base then enough heavy cream to create a good gravy. It doesn't need to be exact, make to your taste. Cook covered on low for 45 min to 1hr until chicken is cooked through and the gravy is nice and thick.Chicken Korma2 tbsp ginger garlic paste2 tsp garam masala1 tsp turmeric1 tsp coriander powder1 tsp cumin powder1 tsp cumin seeds2-3 Thai green chiles (or jalepenos – to your level of spice)½ cup almonds¼ cup cashews2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs¾ cup plain full fat yogurt2 tbsp tomato paste6 green cardamom pods (crushed open but left whole)¼ your cooking oil of choice4 tbsp butter2 large red onions diced1 can of coconut milk OR equivalent heavy cream with flaked coconutChop chicken into bite size chunks. Grind almonds and cashews until fine. Mix yogurt, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, tomato paste, ground almonds and cashews and cardamom pods in a glass bowl. Add chicken and cover, marinate 2 hours or overnight preferably. Heat oil and butter in a pan, add cumin seeds and cook until they pop. Add 1tbsp ginger garlic paste, onions and green chiles and cook until onions have browned slightly. Add the remaining spices and cook an additional 2-3 min on medium low heat. Add chicken and its marinade to the pan plus can of coconut milk or heavy cream & flaked coconut and cook on low covered until chicken is cooked through.Apologies in advance if there are any typos, I totally wrote these up while sitting on conference calls all day today :-P reach out with questions!EDIT: Formatting & left things out!

[drakefridge44-blog]

Big Batch Golden Milk

So we moved. Across the ocean. It’s been a wild ride so far with plenty of excitement and relief coupled with awkward transitioning, and astronomical culture shock (small town Ontario is preeeeeetty different from Copenhagen). We’re also renovating a very old home by Canadian standards, and the hidden surprises lurking under every lifted floorboard are creating a project slightly larger and lengthier than predicted. But wouldn’t it all be so boring and predictable without those fun discoveries?! Right! Who needs a kitchen anyway? Oh wait.

Amongst the self-inflicted chaotic state of affairs, I’ve actually found some peace in the simple living we’ve got going on. Since we don’t really have any friends in our little village yet, there’s been plenty of time to actually take care of myself and our family. Afternoons are spent building toy train sets, cooking big batch meals, and making snacks for the days ahead. I’ve started taking aerial yoga and NIA, going for nature walks every day, and having candlelit baths on the regular. Funny what removing one’s social life will make room for!

An important part of my self-care routine these past weeks is my simple ritual of making golden milk. Warm, comforting, and satisfying, this drink has everything needed to combat winter blues and mover’s remorse (I kid, I kid). Usually I make golden milk on the fly, one cup at a time, but recently I realized how handy it would be to just make a huge batch and have it ready to spoon into some hot milk when the mood strikes. Genius.

For those of you that aren’t yet familiar with this wonder drink, I’m excited for the vibrant, spicy world that is about to open up to you. Golden milk, or haldi ka doodh, actually dates back thousands of years in Ayurvedic tradition where it has been used to aid digestion and respiration, prevent colds and flu, decongest the liver, ease sprained muscles and joint pain, purify the blood, clear the skin, and aid sleep. The main ingredient in golden milk responsible for all of this awesomeness is the curcumin in turmeric, a compound that is responsible for its vibrant hue. Curcumin has been widely studied for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, but it is also supports detoxification, helps balance blood sugar, and lowers the overall risk of cancer.

How do we get the most out of this powerful phytonutrient? Simply by combining it with black pepper and fat – two important ingredients in golden milk! A compound in black pepper called piperine actually helps the body absorb curcumin, and shows to increase the bioavailability of it by up to 2,000 percent. And the good news is, you only need a very small amount to reap the synergistic benefits. Then melt a little coconut oil in, and the curcumin can be directly absorbed into the bloodstream through the lymphatic system. That’s a cooperative one-two punch of absorption and deliciousness.

Once mixed, your Big Batch Golden Milk spice blend will last for up to six months. Keep it in a cool, dry place out of direct light – a closed cupboard is perfect. Do not store it right next to the stove or on top of the fridge, where the warm environment will speed spoilage. We wanna keep our medicine fresh!

The Big Batch Golden Milk recipe below makes about 120 servings, so there is plenty to divvy out to your most beloved, and even save some for yourself. Make sure to include the directions so that your lucky recipients can make golden milk themselves. I’ve divided them below so that you can print out just the single serving instructions for your friends and family. I’ve also included a recipe if you want to sample just one cup for yourself before committing to an entire jar.

My version of golden milk has a few more spices than some blends that I’ve tried, but this unique combination just tastes that much better. If you’re on a tight budget, or you simply cannot find some of the spices listed, leave them out. The main ingredients you need are the turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper. The others are there for added health benefits and of course flavour, but the recipe will still be delicious without them.

The milk for this recipe is totally flexible. Coconut is classic, but almond, cashew, or hemp are tasty options. You can also do half milk, half water if you like. It will be less creamy, but it’s great if you’re trying to make your milk stretch a little farther!

The most important thing to remember when making golden milk is to not overheat the spices, as they will become bitter-tasting and therefore not all that enjoyable. If you choose to use milk in your recipe, warm it gently on the stove, then remove from heat and gently whisk in the golden milk spice blend. If you’re going with water, do NOT pour boiling water over the spice blend, but instead pour the recently-boiled water into a cup, let it cool for 30 seconds or so, then whisk in the golden milk spice blend. I also advise you not to add the honey or coconut oil until the spices have been stirred into the liquid you’re using, as they’ll incorporate easier if the spices have dissolved.

If you want to use a vegan sweetener, maple syrup is my favourite choice, but brown rice syrup, coconut palm sugar, and stevia are also good options. I also love adding a sprinkling of vanilla powder right at the end for some extra va-va-voom.

I recommend enjoying your golden milk first thing in the morning (right after your lemon water, of course!), or right before bed. If it’s a particularly cold day outside, this intelligent spice combo will warm your cells up from the inside out. Or, if you’re looking for a luxurious way to unwind down after a long day, I find that golden milk is also a very effective sleep tonic. Whatever the time you choose to enjoy this drink, you will absolutely love its warm, and satisfying vibes. Make it a ritual yourself: spoon lovingly, stir consciously and sip gratefully.

One more thing I should mention, is that the Big Batch Golden Milk spice blend is not only delicious as a drink, but that it can also be incorporated into a number of your favourite recipes. Toss a teaspoon into a smoothie, stir some into your morning porridge or pancake batter, fold it into a basic cookie dough or cake batter, and even try it in curries, soups and stews. The flavour is warming and pungent, so use it anywhere you’d like a burst of sunshiny spice that is as good as gold.

    Print recipe    

Big Batch Golden Milk Spice Blend Makes approx. 120 servings

Ingredients: 1 ½ cup / 200g ground turmeric 2/3 cup / 70g ground ginger 1/3 cup / 35g ground cinnamon 2 ½ Tbsp. / 20g ground black pepper 2 Tbsp. / 20g ground cardamom scant 3 Tbsp. / 20g ground cloves 2 ½ Tbsp. / 20g ground nutmeg 3 Tbsp. 20g ground star anise ¼ cup 20g ground coriander

Directions: 1. Combine all spices in a large bowl. Stir well, then transfer to a large jar or several smaller ones, and seal with an airtight lid. Keeps for up to 6 months.

    Print recipe    

Golden Milk Ingredients: ½ Tbsp. golden milk spice blend 1 cup milk of your choice (coconut milk is classic, but I also like cashew milk or hemp milk) ½ – 1 tsp. virgin coconut oil ½ – 1 tsp. sweetener of choice (I like raw honey)

Directions: 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm milk until just before it simmers. Whisk in golden milk spice blend until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in coconut oil and sweetener, if desired. Enjoy!

    Print recipe    

If you want to make just one batch of my golden milk, here’s the single-serve recipe.

Single-serving Golden Milk Ingredients: 1 ½ tsp. turmeric ½ tsp. ginger ¼ tsp. cinnamon pinch black pepper pinch cardamom pinch cloves pinch nutmeg pinch star anise pinch coriander

I wish you all a super sweet holiday with tons of delicious food shared amongst family and friends, and that your 2018 is bursting with health and happiness. Much love to all out there, from my chilly, but cozy, little corner of the world to yours.

xo, Sarah B

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In wrapping up 2017, I cannot help but look on the Wild Heart High Spirit retreats with deep gratitude and pure joy. I had a strong vision for the endeavor from the beginning: gather women in a beautiful and serene space, teach them how to reconnect to their bodies through food and movement. But I never imagined just how deep these lessons would go, how profound the changes would be, and how much fun we would have! After three this year, I can confidently say these experiences are incredibly special, and I feel very lucky to work with such a talented partner to create them. Thank you to all of the women who have traveled from all corners of the earth to join us. We love you!

Here are some highlights from our trips to Bali, Ibiza, and Portugal. Click on the images below to see photos from each of our magical locations.

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We also have some very special community partners who have generously made our experiences even more abundant! Big thanks to: Naturgligolie Coconut Bowls Jukserei Pachamama Raw Bite Four Sigmatic Gourmet Print Shop

We are now weaving plans for future retreats. If you are interested in learning more or joining us one day, please sign up to our mailing list to be kept up to date. We hope to see you one day soon!

Source: https://www.mynewroots.org/site/2017/12/big-batch-golden-milk/