Archive for Food

Health Benefits of Blueberries

January 15, 2011 · Filed under Food · Tagged , , ,

Blueberries are a delicious fruit that is great in deserts and simply to snack on. Not only do they taste great but they are amazing for you body and come with a wide range of health benefits that cannot be beaten by over the counter man-made options.

Here are just a few health benefits of blueberries:

  1. They are low in calories, which is great for those of us who are watching our weight and are looking for a healthy low fat diet. One cup of blueberries for instance, is a mere 81 calories – great huh?
  2. Blueberries are full of antioxidants named anthocyanidins, which neutralize damage to the collagen matrix of tissues and cells which are known to lead to cancer, heart disease, haemorrhoids and cataracts.
  3. Blueberries are also great for the brain, and are known to help reduce the risk of Alzheimers and dementia. They are also well known to help improve motor skills and learning capacity, thus blueberries have many health benefits for children too.

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Top Organic Wine List

January 15, 2011 · Filed under Food · Tagged , , , , ,

We have found a great list of top organic wine that has been carefully decided by Christelle Guibert, who is the tasting director of Decanter Magazine and was featured in the Uk’s top newspaper ‘The Independent’.

So here (in no particular order) are some of the best organic wines available!

 

  • Battle of Bosworth Wines: Shiraz Maclaren Vale, South Australia. Costing only £14.99 a bottle this organic red wine is big yet well balanced with a clean, yet intense flavour of spicy fruit.
  • Bonterra, Chardonnay: Mendocino County. This US white organic wine costs a budget friendly £9.99 and boasts a stone fruit taste, and has a limey zestiness on the nose.
  • Heaven On Earth Organic Sweet Wine, Western Cape. A great option for those seeking a sweet organic wine, great for accompanying deserts. This South African wine is great value at only £8.99 and boasts a great aroma of honeyed jasmine and opulent muscat and has a delicious caramelised mango taste.

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Halo: Organic Dog Food by Our Much Loved Celeb Ellen

January 14, 2011 · Filed under Celebrities, Dog Food, Food, Health, Pets · Tagged , , , , ,

One of my favorite celebs Ellen DeGeneres has launched a new product just for our four legged friends. In 2008 Ellen launched her organic dog food line named Halo, finally allowing us to feed our pets something a lot healthier than what is typically available for them now.

Here is what Ellen had to say about her organic food for dogs, “Ours (range) is all human grade. It’s all natural. And yes, you can eat it.”

“People love their animals so much so that they put little clothes on them and necklaces and booties and things like that. And if you love your animal, then you should feed them something that’s not dangerous for them. There’s a lot of poisonous stuff that they’re putting in a lot of that food, those by-products.”

Has your dog tried Halo? If so let us know what you or well they thought of it!

 

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Home-made Mayonnaise

January 14, 2011 · Filed under Food, Health, In the home · Tagged , ,

Shop bought mayo lasts a long time, but is often full of additives and other nasty stuff we cannot even begin to pronounce! That is why I have started to make my own..yip that is right make my very own mayo!

It is actually very very simple..here is how I did it with just a bowl and a fork!

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks (free-range of course;)
½ cup of oil (not olive oil)
wholegrain mustard
tiny pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions:

Simply beat your egg yolks in a bowl until they are nice and fluffy. Give your partner a shout and ask them to VERY SLOWLY pur a little oil into the egg yolks while you continue to whisk.

*** If your mixture starts to form lumps do not panic, simply stop pouring in the oil and mix until they have gone.

Keep mixing for around 3-5 minutes, if your arm is sore then you are doing it right :)

The mixture will start to thicken, once it is at a nice texture, add 2-3 tablespoons of mustard, a little tiny bit of salt and pepper and mix together..and there you go done!

The shelf life of this is around 2 to 3 days, yes it is shorter than that you buy in the shop but it is much better for you and much tastier.

A great way to use this mayo is to make you own coleslaw, so cut up some cabbage, onion and carrot and add a little of your mayo – lovely!

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The Quest to Grow My Own Vegetables!

January 14, 2011 · Filed under Food, Garden, Health, In the home · Tagged , , ,

First of all Happy New Year to you all!

The last 6 months of 2010 have been …well hectic to say the least. New job, new house and yip I have even started to grow my own vegetables.

Let’s rewind a little…each week I visit the supermarket (as most of us do;) and when the time comes to pay for my goods I always think to myself ‘how on earth is it that much?’. When I get back home, unpack my shopping backs I started to realise that most of this stuff I could indeed grow myself.

So this is where it began, no longer will I be paying for someone else to grow veggies for me and kindly wrap them in not so friendly plastic. Off I went to my local garden centre..and for pennies picked up the following:

- Tomato seeds- Cucumber seeds - Egg Plant seeds
- Morning Glory seeds (local favorite here in Thailand)
- Spring Onion seeds
- …and of course some large pots and soil so I can sit them on my veranda all in all cost me under £10!

Oops and I must admit my girly shopping addiction came out also during my trip leading me to also buy a red and also a yellow rose bush…just to keep things looking pretty ;)

So around a month later, we have ‘some’ signs of life, my tomato, spring onion and morning glory are reaching for the sun yippee…although I may have to wait a little while yet until I can tuck into them…although it is very much worth the wait as I know exactly where my food has come from and the cost will in the long run, be much cheaper than the supermarket charges me.

Also I have a massive addiction for spinach at the moment, so I popped some cuttings/roots into a pot too and they are growing like weeds so maybe in a couple of weeks I can enjoy a lovely salad with my own home-grown spinach.

Why not give it a try? If I can do it (and by the way I am definitely NO Alan Titchmarsh!) then I am sure you can too :)

Check back soon and I will pop some photos up of my progress.

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Being Green Can Be Sexy

June 25, 2010 · Filed under Celebrities, Food, Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

If I am honest before I really understood the whole ‘green’ and environmentally friendly concept I thought it was a bit geeky and only for those uni students who want an ‘experience’. However, the more I learn about the concept, the more I understand and follow it – the more I see it is more a way of life and is a lifestyle that is not what I originally thought.

It seems that more people are clocking on to the fact that caring about our environment by being more energy efficientt and looking after our bodies by taking notice of what is going into our foods and exploring organic products. Celebrities are no exception to this realization, take Natalie Portman for example, the American beauty who has starred in films such as Closer with Jude Law is one of Hollywood’s most eco friendly celeb. Natalie has even dedicated her spare time to launch her vegan friendly shoe collection.

Other celebs include the sexy ex of Jenifer Anniston, John Mayer. John has vowed to reduce his carbon footprint by ensuring coaches used for when he is touring to be fueled with bio-diesel, he is also working towards the presence of an ‘eco-village‘ at venues where he will tour. These villages will be used to educate his fans on being more eco friendly.

Finally there is Britains sweetheart Leona Lewis. Leona is the the perfect example of how cool green can be, the pop starlet is anything but geeky and proves that being green can be sexy! Miss Lewis stated “I am vegetarian so I don’t have clothes, shoes or bags made from leather or suede, or any animal products… I’m on a mission,” Her attitude has impressed not only he fans but also animal rights group PETA. PETA have been so impressed by her dedication that she is now a spokesperson for them and an ideal role model!

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Save Money And Grow Herbs At Home

June 25, 2010 · Filed under Food, Garden, In the home, Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

My weekly food shopping used to cost me a fortune, often costing around £80 to £100, apart from cleaning products I found that the highest costing items on my bill were actually fresh veg and herbs. It got to the point where I considered not buying them, but my friend suggested growing them at home instead.

Now my garden is not exactly big, and I have never really considered myself much of a gardener. In the past the most gardening I have done is quickly mow the lawn so to me this was something new. However I was very suprised at how easy it was to do – so much so I felt silly for not doing it before.

First thing we done was to check out my cuboards for things I could use to plant my herbs in rather than go and buy them. I had an old tin, plastic container from last nights takeaway (bad I know!) and an old small pot. This is a great tip if you too want to grow herbs at home, scout your home for tubs and tins and re-use them – this saves you money and is a great way to recycle, you can use other things such as egg boxes, tins and even cans. If you only have one tub then don’t worry as there is no harm in growing more than one herb in the same container.

Next thing was to get some seeds, I spend £5 in total for basil, coriander, tomato and cress seeds and another £2 on soil. When I got home I simple divided the soil between each container and planted my seeds. As I said before I have not got a huge garden so I have simply popped some plants on my window lege inthe kitchen and some outside under my kitchen window.

All I need to do now is water them and watch them grow. Easy…and it means I am eating fresh organic herbs whilst knocking at least £10 off my weekly food bill!

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Fair Trade Dairy Milk

June 22, 2010 · Filed under Celebrities, Food

Cadburys are working with Glass and a Half Full Records to celebrate Ghanaian culture. Ghana is the heart of Cadbury Dairy Milks Fairtrade Cocoa therefore the record and video reflects its people, singers, dancers, rappers and its beloved cocoa bean.

The song named Zingolo can be purchased on itunes, Cadburys are donating their profits from the track to  the charity CARE International.

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14 Months to 50: One real womans account of her new healthy lifestyle

June 22, 2010 · Filed under Food, Garden, Health, In the home, Uncategorized

Whilst doing some research for Organic and Green Living I came accross a very interesting blog by a lady named Lisa. Lisa is 49 years old and is undergoing a lifestyle change. Her aim is to stick to a healthy lifestyle in a bid to get healthier thus be extra fabulous by her 50th birthday – and by the looks of it she is doing just great!

Lisa is sharing her journey via her very own blog named http://14monthsto50.wordpress.com within readers can follow her lifestyle changes. Some of which include what exercise she is doing and what delicious fresh veg she is growing! I have found this blog very inspiring and I am sure she is doing the same for many more men and women!

One great area of 14 months to 50 is the ‘what’s in my fridge section’ here readers can see what food Lisa has, browsing through her blog you will find loads of fab tasty recipes all of which include some of these organic or fresh ingredients.

I wanted to share the 14 months to 50 blog with my readers as it just goes to show that it is never too late to start a healthy lifestyle and show that real people such as Lisa are making changes for a healthier thus happier life. Be sure to check out her blog or her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/14monthsto50 and maybe you too can pick up some fab tips to try at home.

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