Raw Vegan Week Challenge: Day 6 {Avocado Veggie Wraps}

So, we made it another day on nearly 100% raw.  It is fabulous and I am feeling fabulous.  The craving for more cooked foods is nearly gone.  I think it is partly due to the fact that at least a part of my food intake is cooked. 

Yesterday, besides our green smoothies and fruit I whipped up a quick Cabbage Salad to go along with an Avocado Veggie wrap. 

Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

• 3/4 cabbage, shredded [I used my Mandolin slicer on .75 mm setting]
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp vean mayo [I used Veganaise]
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups green peas [fresh or frozen] (optional)

Preparation

• After shredding cabbage place it in a bowl , adding salt, massage with your hands until juice starts to come out
• Add mayo and pepper, massaging both into salad
• Add remaining ingredients and mix

 Avocado Veggie Wrap

• Whole wheat tortilla [you can also use gluten free option]
• 1 tbsp vegan sour cream [I use Toffuti brand]
• Sliced onion
• Spinach [or lettuce]
• Green [or any other color] bell pepper
• 1/2 sliced ripe avocado

1. Pre-heat your wrap, adding remaining ingredients afterward.  
2. Salt to taste and enjoy! 

In the evening we were invited to a party, so I made a couple of apple pies-one to take with us and one to spoil my hubby.  He was extremely excited, as you can imagine, and was more than happy to help with peeling apples, while watching one of his shows on TV.

We had a great time reuniting with our friends, whom we have not seen for 6-7 years.  The apple pie was a hit and no one could believe it was totally vegan.  Demetrye even caught someone going for seconds and delightfully called her out on it.  They had a great laugh about it. 

[The recipe for this apple pie can be found in my newly released GUILT-FREE Delicious Vegan Desserts e-book.] 

Today I am making Hummus which will be served instead of sour cream in lettuce veggie wraps [same ideas as in veggie wraps, but instead of using a cooked whole wheat tortilla we use dark leafy greens].

I also indulged in a cup of hot cacao made with raw cacao powder and hazelnut coconut milk creamer.  It was SOOOOOOOOOOO good! 

Have a fantastic weekend, friends! 

Raw Vegan Week Challenge: Day 5 {Pineapple Bok Choy Green Smoothie}

Cheap Dates and Window Shopping

I am a really cheap date... Now, don't gasp or roll your eyes--I did not say anything dirty :) and it is true.  I always told my hubby that it does not take much to make me happy--he is more than enough.  Everything else is extra.  When it comes to dates, as long as I am with him and what he does for me comes from the heart--I am a happy camper.  Don't believe me?  Then I'll tell you about our last night's date.

I was behind my PC for a few hours, then had a great power yoga work out.  When Demetrye got home after his workout I have had enough of sitting down and needed a breather.  Recently one of the local grocery stores opened  a new location, which we planned on checking out last week but completely forgot.  So, I got dressed, went downstairs and told my hubby that he needs to take me out... He was more than happy to oblige.

We went to Kingsdale's Giant Eagle, which was... giant!  The place looked more like a Whole Foods store that we are used to--a restaurant, bakery, thousands of square feet of groceries.  We heard that the store employs about 500-600 people.

Being the memory keeper that I am, there was no time to waste, so I whipped out my point and shoot camera and had fun.  In the beginning I had to twist Demetrye's arm, but as soon as I reminded him of his promise not to shy away from the camera any longer, I had him where I needed--wrapped around my little finger :)  Needless to say we got looks... But they were not the bad kind of looks as in "look at the crazy kids on isle 10", but rather "I wish I could do the same thing and look as happy" looks.

It happened that the first image we took of the two of us was by HOT sauce shelf.  Need I to say anything else?! ;)  Even one of the managers who passed by us noticed it :)  We are SIZZLING HOT, baby! [no, I am NOT self conceited ;)]

I love the image on the left of Demetrye by his "weakness" shelf [he has a thing for potato chips ;)].

I almost missed the most priceless shot of the night, but Demetrye's eagle sight drew my attention to quite a peculiarly named item: 

Trust me, I could not believe it either!  My Dadz Nutz?  Whom comes up with such titles? :)

We grabbed a slice of peanut butter brownie [$2.50] and headed over to Barnes and Noble book store--we are admittedly book warms and books stores are on the list of our favorite "date" spots.  Having browsed the books shelves we stopped by a local library, grabbed a movie and called it a night.

So, our date cost us a whopping $2.50 plus the gas that we used [BTW Demetrye ate most of the brownie, since I am not a sweets person].  That's it!  I told you I am easy to please :)  At the end of the night I was as happy as I could be, and I went home with the man of my dreams :)

Raw Food Intake

As you might have guessed from my previous posts, my hubby got his chocolate wish with the chocolate lover's brownie.  I took only a couple of bites, but then immediately jetted off for something fresh and raw to bring sugar spike in my blood under control.  I am naturally not a sweets person and a little bit of sugar goes a long way with me.  So, I ended up munching on flax crackers and an apple. 

This morning we kicked off with a fabulous Pineapple Bok Choy Green Smoothie 

• 2 cups water [or 1.5 c water + 1/4 c George's aloe vera]
• 1/2 ripe pineapple
• 3 oranges
• 1/2 large bok choy
• raw honey to taste
• 2 tbs maca root powder [optional]

The smoothie was delightful. 

Later on tonight we are attending a party, so most likely we will munch on something that might or might not be raw.  I am responsible for making and bringing my famous vegan apple pie, so I am getting ready to roll up my sleeves and head to the kitchen.

I am also happy to report that as of this morning, by day #5, I have dropped 2.5 lbs.  I am extremely happy about it, since after the move, although I am not sure how or why since I am eating right and working out on a regular basis, I put on 5 lbs.  So, half of it is gone, and I have another 2.5 lbs to go. 

Demetrye is also quite pleased, as it looks like he is leaning out and his 6-pack will soon be more visible to his liking. 

GO RAW!

Raw Vegan Week Challenge: Day 4 {Raw Vegan Corn Bisque (soup)}

The saga continues.  Last night we ended on a high note with a bowl of raw vegan corn bisque each, garnished with corn chips and 1/2 avocado [although I did find that the texture of avocado did not flow with the soup, so it won't be found there next time ;)]. This time around I added a little bit more water than usual, but the bisque came out delicious still. 

This morning we started off with Parsley green smoothie leftover from yesterday, later followed by spinach salad, garnished with Pineapple Salsa [from yesterday ;)], served with raw flax crackers. 

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups flax seeds
• 2.5 cups water
• 1/2 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp Kirkland organic seasoning
• Himalayan salt to taste

Preparation

• Place all ingredients, except for flax seeds into a high speed blender [I use VitaMix 5200]
• Blend, slowly adding flax seeds [you might have to use temper to push seeds down, as the mixture is going to thicken up very quickly]
• Blend until seeds are ground up
• Transfer onto dehydrator non-stick sheets [I ended up with 3 1/2 sheets]
• Dehydrate at 118 F for 4 hours, flip cracker sheet over, off the non-stick sheets, score break lines with a knife, so it will be easier to break crackers into squares when they are done
• Dehydrate until crisp

We also indulged in maqui berry kombucha.

In the afternoon, to get away from my ever present PC I took a break and did Power Yoga [I am feeling great and full of energy (and hungry) after it].

Now I am going to get off line and grab something simple and delicious to eat :)

Have a fantastic, healthful day!

Raw Vegan Week Challenge: Day 3 {Pineapple Salsa}

Before I tell you about my raw food adventures let me tell you this: I am very excited... once again :)  CSN stores contacted me and offered to do another review of their products.  How can I say no to that?  I am always itching to try new gadgets.  I have even been tempted to visit their dining room chairs section.  My dining room set is getting up there in age and I have to either replace it or find a way to freshen it up... Decisions, decisions, decision... Knowing myself, though, I will probably end up getting another kitchen gadget ;).

Now, let's get to business: The raw week challenge continues.  My hubby, who initiated the challenge, had struggled a couple of times with his desire for baked sweets.  I had actually enjoyed watching him being tormented, because he tries to trick me into asking him for sweets, thus creating an excuse for him to have some too.  Thankfully I am not easily tempted by sweets, and I also have an iron will.  

Last night, as we relaxed, we caught a few minutes of the Cake Boss on TV.  Hubby's puppy eyes made their way to my face, locking onto my gaze: "Would you like me to go get you a chocolate cake, dear?" he said.  I tried holding myself from bursting with laughter, but, alas, I simply could not hold it in. "No, thank you!" I said, nearly rolling off the couch.  Poor guy, he seemed crushed... and I loved every second of it ;)

I know that makes me sound cruel, but this is a great opportunity for him to exercise self-control when it comes to sweets, and... I will reward him at the end of the week with my famous vegan apple pie. 

Today we had a Parsley Green Smoothie

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup George's Aloe Vera
• 2 oranges
• 2 bananas
• 2 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 large handful curly parseley
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• 2 tbsp dulse flakes

For lunch I made Pineapple Salsa and served it with organic, baked corn chips*

• 1/2 pineapple, chopped into small cubes
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup dices onions
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped into small cubes
• Himalayan salt to taste
• a dash of your favorite seasoning {I use Kirkland Organic mix}
• 2-3 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp raw honey [only if your pineapple is not sweet enough on its own]

Mix all ingredients and serve with chips

*even though the chips that I served were not raw they were still a good healthful option.

I have not yet made any plans for dinner, except that I am making some incredible flax crackers--they are dehydrating as I am typing this post. 

Good and healthful day to all of my readers!  If you have any simple, yet fantastic raw recipes that I could use during the remainder of this week, please do share with me.

PS: I am preparing my next Newsletter edition, in which I will talk about electrolytes [what they are and what to do with them ;)].  So, if you have not yet signed up for the Newsletter, scoot on over to my blog and sign up to get your copy!  There will be a very special offer in it... I promise!

Raw Vegan Week Challenge: Day 2 {Water Kefir and How to Make It}

If you read yesterday's post you know that my hubby decided to go totally raw {vegan} for this week and asked me join him.  I wholeheartedly agreed, except I did not promise to be 100% raw, but about 90%.  It's not because I am not capable of it, but it was not in my plans.  So, yesterday I did all raw, except for a portion of my dinner, which was whole wheat pasta with beans, served with a great raw salad. 

Water Kefir and Kombucha Tea

Today I started my day off with a glass of maqui berry water kefir mixed with kombucha tea.  I made the drink myself, and it was to live for!  My hubby, who previously would not drink my kombucha, gobbled it up and asked for seconds... and thirds :)

[If you are not familiar with the benefits of fermented drinks and foods, I would suggest that you read a couple of articles I had previously written on the subject: Benefits of Fermented Food, and How to Make Your Own Raw Fermented Food; How to Make Raw Fermented Vegetables at Home and Kombucha Tea.]

It is not a secret that fermented foods/drinks offer a great source of good bacteria, which is much needed in our currently antibiotic driven world.  The media and even your doctors would have you believe that fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and kefir, are the only sources of probiotics [that is if your doctor even knows what probiotics are ;)].  I am not disregarding the fact that there is some beneficial bacteria in those products completely, because there is.  However, dairy is very harmful to your body and in the end the little good that it brings into your body will do more harm. [To find out more about the dangers of animal products, please consider reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell.]  And what is a person who lives a vegan lifestyle to do as a better, healthier alternative to fermented dairy foods?  There are a few options: 1. Ferment your own raw vegan veggies at home--the process only involves shredding veggies, adding specific seasonings, stuffing ingredients into a jar and waiting about 4-6 days; 2. Making (or buying) Kombucha Tea  which will take 14-30 days, depending on the strength you desire your tea to be and 3. Making Water Kefir, which can take as little as 3 days.

All three are wonderful options.  Fermented Veggies can be eaten by themselves or added to salads and drinks can be enjoyed any time of day.  All have their place in a daily/weekly diet, but some take less time to make.  Water Kefir is a sure answer to a person with a busy schedule or with little patience ;).  I prefer to have both kombucha and water kefir available at all times and drink them interchangeably.  I add them to my green smoothies, I drink them plain, I flavor them, or even mix the two together.

What is Water Kefir and How to Make It 

So, what is Water Kefir?  It is a mixture of Water and Simple Sugar fermented by adding Water Kefir Grains to the mix.  The grains are nothing more than simple bacteria that loves sugar and grows on it.  The simplest recipe, once you have your kefir grains, is water and sugar, mixed in a glass container, with the addition of kefir grains.  The container must be covered with a breathable cover [I use paper towel and a rubber band] and placed in a warm place to allow kefir grains feed and grow on sugar.  Within 3-6 days, while bacteria is thriving on sugar, it produces gas, which creates soda-like effect in water [little bubbles and all].

Water kefir can be taken as is, or, if you want to make it fun and attractive to adults and kiddos alike, consider bottling it, adding various flavors, such as maqui berry powder, spirulina, berry juices. etc., and leaving it in a fridge for an additional couple of days.  You will be surprised the taste you get once you open your bottles, and the drinks will be soda-pop like [they will taste as if they were carbonated].  Super good!

You can also make coconut milk kefir with water grains!  Totally fun and amazing food.

I take it a step further with my water kefir.  I mix it with kombucha tea [1:1 ratio], which I make myself with green tea, [once tea has fermented (I like mine on a stronger side)].  I then add different flavors to it: today it was maqui berry powder and blue green algae [separate drinks].  I bottle the drinks and refrigerate them.  Ever since I started making kombucha/kefir this way I haven't been able to keep my hubby away from it!  It's a win/win for me and him.

Where to Buy Water Kefir Grains
All you need is a little starter kit.  Your grains will keep growing every time you feed them sugar [they are like little animals ;)].  The time might come that you might have to give your extra grains away :).

I am sure there are many sources of good quality grains, but I can only speak for the one that I used to get my  grains: meet the Kefir Lady of Real Kefir Grains. I spent only $20 on my starter grains, over 8 months ago, and have been drinking water kefir since.

If you decide to get kefir grains and try your hand at making your own water kefir, plain of flavored, let me know what you think of it and what recipes you come up with that I might want to try.

Raw Vegan Food Intake: Day 2
So, it seems that I digressed a little.  I was telling you what I had for breakfast today, which was maqui berry kefir+kombucha drink.  My hubby had a green smoothie for breakfast.  We snacked on fruit.

For lunch I made a delectable Cilantro & Spinach Salad using my new lovely salad spinner

• 3 large handfuls spinach, chopped
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 cup artichoke hearts [marinated]
• 1 ripe avocado, cubed
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

For dressing mix:

• 1 tbsp Veganaiese
• 1 tbsp Better than Sour Cream
• 2-3 tbsp water
• salt to taste
• favorite seasoning

Pour over salad and enjoy!

Our dinner has not yet been planned, but I am already looking forward to having it :)

Have a fantastically healthful day!

Raw Vegan Week Challenge

My lovely hubby decided to challenge me to a whole week of raw eating this week.  That was not in my plans!  However, I love him too much not to help him--he wants to do it to lean out a little more to show off his six pack.  I told him that I will do my best but did not commit to 100% raw, although I think I will be sticking to at least 90% raw vegan diet this whole week. 

Going raw does not require much preparation, if you have done something like this before.  We went to a couple of stores yesterday and loaded up on tons of fresh produce.  We are READY!

This morning I made Banana Pear Green Smoothie: 

• 3 cups water
• 2 bananas
• 1 pear
• 3 tbs flax seeds
• 3 large handfuls spinach

For lunch I made a cucumber salad, almost all raw:

• 1 English cucumber, sliced on a mandolin slicer, or you can slice by hand
• 1 avocado, cubed
• a handful of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped [optional]
• 2 springs green onion, diced
• 1 tbsp vegan mayo [Veganaise]
• Himalayan salt to taste

In the afternoon I attempted to make raw Squash soup and found out that this is one of those foods that I prefer cooked instead of raw.  I am not a big fan of sweet soups to start with [although I seasoned mine with salt it still was sweet], but blended raw squash simply was not too pleasing to my palate.  So, I abandoned the soup for sliced avocado sprinkled with salt and drizzled with raw honey instead, following up with a crisp apple served in the same manner. 

I am content for now, but have an intense power yoga class coming up tonight so I need to prepare myself for after the work out snack.  [If you live in/around Westerville, OH area, come to join me for a Power Yoga workout at Power Shack, located at 6363 Copper Rd. Westerville, OH at 6:45 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.  You will be glad you did because you will feel fantastic afterward!]

So, any other vegan raw foodies wanna-bes out there?

And since I do not consider a post complete without a picture, here is a recent one of me my hubby snapped:

Have a fantastic day!

Quick Weight Loss Diet

The Dangers of Any Quick Weight Loss Diet and How to avoid them

Many of us are on the search of the long lost curvy waistline. Even more kid themselves thinking that they will change their lifestyle and get healthy eating habits: no more fast food caloric bombs, lots of fruits and vegetables. What a great life that would be.

This is what usually happens: the first time you might use a healthy diet but when the results don’t show up as fast as you wished you start looking for a more quick weight loss diet. Usually in our fast paced modern life we seek the quick fix form the start. Unfortunately quick and easy isn’t always the best way to go. You can do some pretty serious damage if you go from quick weight loss diet to quick weight loss diet. And the really bad news is that you won’t lose weight either.

Starving yourself to lose weight quick is never the right solution. It is true that in 1-2 weeks you might lose lots of pounds. You might even get a curvy figure with killer legs. No one like those love handles, belly fat and fat deposits in the wrong places that make us look not that appetizing. Who wouldn’t like a hot steaming body that bags you to look at it.

What you should understand about your fat deposits is that they are the result of a totally healthy process gone wrong. The purpose of all that fat is to help you go past tough times of famine. Your body is doing you a favor. At least that is what it believes. All that excess fat is the result of hectic eating habits and super drastic weight loss diets.

There is no point to getting stressed by your excess fat. Create a good and healthy weight loss plan and get to work. Start chipping away at the fat and soon you will get the body you desire. I know it takes time but the results are long term. You will enjoy a stunning body for longer.

The desire to lose weight quickly is spurred by 2 major events: either you have to attend a super party or event (a wedding, graduation,…) or you have gained weight fast and you can’t get used to the new look. A person that has been on the forefront of the fight against fat for many years knows not to expect miraculous results form a quick weight loss diet.

Quick isn’t always efficient when it comes to weight loss

You get a really drastic weight loss diet, you immerse yourself in work and drink as much water as you can. If you can squeeze some exercising from time to time you feel even more proud of yourself. You eat almost nothing all day long. A drastic weight loss diet is perceived by your body as famine. You are starving your body, denying it all the nutrients it needs to function properly. It is very hard and grueling but the desire to lose weight is so great that it make the constant hunger bearable.

Usually with any drastic weight loss diet people fall into two situations. Some starve themselves fighting their desire to eat and craving each minute of the day. Pure ambition is what helps them lose weight quickly in a short period of time. Sometimes they lose quite a considerable amount of weight. One month later, after getting off the quick weight loss diet, they are stunned to see their scale pointing towards a new bigger number. They regain all the weight lost and pack some extra pounds as a bonus too. How is this possible?

Your body was deprived of all the essential nutrients it needs to function. The drastic weight loss dieting period was perceived by your body as famine. That is why when you started eating normally your body done all it could to gather as many resources as it could. Fat is its way of getting ready for further long periods of hunger.

Another frequent situation is when people starve themselves and almost don’t eat anything all day long. They have a set goal, a number of pounds they want to lose and are determined to achieve their goal. They even have set a date until when they will achieve their weight loss goal. Usually that date is very near, 1 week at most 2 weeks. When the weeks passes they get on the scale and see no results. They feel frustrated. All that effort and hunger endured was for nothing. What went wrong?

The human body functions after its own rules. Your body needs a certain number of minerals and vitamins daily. Most minerals and vitamins cannot be assimilated if you don’t have a balanced nutrition. Your body needs a certain amount of water and physical exercise. If you don’t set realistic weight loss goals you will always be disappointed. You will fail each and every time to lose weight. You have to allow you all the time your body needs to lose weight naturally in a healthy way.

Moderation is the key to success in any weight loss attempt

If you don’t have the willpower to stop snacking on all kind of junk food full of calories between the meals. If you can’t stop yourself from eating fatty food, especially fast food, don’t despair there is hope. You have to learn to eat smaller portions. You are probably overeating at each meal so you won’t starve your body. This way you will start to lose weight. Don’t expect quick and fabulous weight loss results but you will get results. You will not lose all the weight in 2 week but you will lose it.

If you really want to lose weight and change your appearance you need to arm yourself with lots of willpower and patience. You first have to change your eating habits and lifestyle if you want long term results that maintain themselves. Who wants to lose weight, look stunning for 1 week and them become even fatter? I sure as hell don’t. You have to start living a more healthy life, to lose weight without damaging your health. Changing your lifestyle is the only way to ensure you maintain your brand new hot body.

Start by keeping a healthy balanced diet, low in carbs and fats. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and foods rich in fibers. Start practicing a sport and drink lots of water (at least 8 cups of water per day). Eat smaller portions of food more frequently. In no time you will start reaping results, losing pounds and look much better. But don’t set goals that are too related to a timeframe. Allow yourself enough time to get the results you desire. Be realistic and you won’t get disappointed and frustrated on your weight loss journey. Use weight loss diets that you feel are good for your body and exercise more.

If you succeed to lose weight you are not off the hook yet. You have to increase your willpower and determination because your body will have the tendency to try to regain the pounds lost. That is why after finishing the weight loss diet you cannot go to your old eating habits. The fact that you were able to follow a weight loss diet and get the results you desired is an admirable thing. But you have to continue eating healthy food and avoiding eating fast food or fatty food as much as possible. Use this opportunity to change your lifestyle and become more healthy. You stand only to gain from such a beneficial change.

New eating habits based on moderation, eating smaller servings 5-6 times per day is the clever choice. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, dairies, low fat meat and healthy carbs. Drink at least 8 cups of water per day and exercise frequently (at least 3 times per week).

The power of the forbidden foods

Maybe the most important nugget of wisdom I can share with you from my own weight loss adventures is that you should never have forbidden foods. Forbidden foods hold a fabulous power over us. Anything that is forbidden is much more appealing. When I realized this my dieting became really easy and I can say I enjoyed pretty quick weight loss.

You shouldn’t have forbidden foods. You should have foods you choose not to eat. Not because you can’t but because you just don’t feel like it. To fortify this belief indulge your craving form time to time. You can go and eat half a menu at McDonalds if you feel like it. Remember moderation. If you know you can eat any food if you feel like it you will notice you will have fewer cravings. This little mind trick worked like a charm for me.

Chocolate, ice-cream, cake, cookies are all part of a healthy balanced diet, but they are a really small part. If you learn to find out what nutrients your body needs you will always make the right decision and eat healthy food.

Things to consider before starting a quick weight loss diet:

• A big part of the fatty rolls you can see on your body are actually made out of water. After a quick weight loss diet you can lose them really fat because you dehydrate your body. When you stop dieting your body will retain the water once again and you will be where you started, maybe even more worst off.
• Quick weight loss diets make you feel tired all the time and reduce your energy level. Your enthusiasm level will drop and you will be very irritable.
• By going on a very drastic weight loss diet you deprive your body of all the essential nutrients it needs to function properly. You actually put your health at risk this way. Consider the medical bills which can be huge.
• The level of sodium and potassium form your body will drop making you dizzy. You will also experience much more muscle cramps.
• Drastic weight loss diets can help you achieve a sexy figure but they also can cause the appearance of stretch marks, dried skin and a bad looking skin and hair.

With the fat deposits you will also lose a good part of your muscle mass with the help of the drastic and quick weight loss diet. Muscles are the ones that make you look smoking hot and they also help you stay fit for longer. Muscles burn more calories than fat, much more.

I beg you that before going on any quick weight loss diet that you take into consideration all the above mentioned things. I believe that the best way to lose weight is to do it a little slower but much more healthier. In fact if you use a healthy weight loss diet and you also exercise you will lose weight faster that all the people that are running around for quick fixes. And the best part is that you will keep your sexy looking body for longer. You will enjoy life more I guarantee it from my own experience.

What is your experience with quick weight loss diets? What have you learned from them? I am very interested in your thoughts and opinions. Write them down in the comments below...

Penis Enlargement

Enlarge Your Penis - Natural Penis Enlargment Exercises Are Easy to Do and Cost Absolutely Nothing!

Do you absence to add other inches to your penis easly , near are a figure of liberated exercises to enlarge and progress to your penis better.With liberated stress-free & safe exercises strength of character help you to enlarge your penis 3 inches other indoors very abruptly period with safety please Dont neglect it & track the exercises pro Penis-Enlargement. You strength of character enlarge your penis upto 9 inches with luxury. Enjoy Bigger penis.

The Wake Up Cloth basic excercise pro Penis-Enlargement

To do this warm-up you strength of character need a cloth or else insignificant towel and access to warm water.To begin with get hold of an ample sized stand in front of cloth. Wet it with warm water until it is soaked through and muggy, but still handy. Afterward wrap the cloth around your penis and testicles. This could feel eccentric and faintly dire, but this locks of hair quickly sufficient and is stress-free to obtain used to. Keep the cloth indoors place pro 1 summarize. Whilst 1 summarize is up run the cloth under the muggy tap and reiterate the procedure on one occasion again holding it pro 1-2 minutes. If later the 2-3 minutes. This beyond step other actual indoors Penis-Enlargement.

The prolonged Schlong pro enlarge your penis

Take the cranium of your penis indoors your furnish (if you allow a foreskin afterward wrench this back so it does not obtain indoors the way, remember you are pulling the penis NOT the skin). Afterward stretch it dazed candidly indoors front of you, holding it pro 10-15 seconds. You ought to come about able to feel the stretch by the side of the root of your penis. Reiterate the battle 4 or else 5 time. Later that, relax your penis and massage the cranium to restore regular flow straight away, take your penis steadfastly indoors your furnish and wrench the penis to the upright. Wrench it to the upright until you can feel a pressure on the gone section of your penis. Hold close it pro 10-15 seconds.Reiterate the exercise 4-5 time so obtain Penis-Enlargement consequence.

The Jelq penis excercise - Increase penis size

The jelq ought to come about preceded by an appropriate warmhearted up. Is pitch pro Penis-Enlargement.Apply lubrication (baby lubricate workings well) and start with a somewhat (70-80%) erect penis, afterward grasp your penis relating your finger and thumb using the 'OK' sign (refer to pictures) in consequence trapping all eclectic blood indoors enlarge your penis. Steadfastly move your forefront finger and thumb down the your penis pushing the blood into the cranium of the penis. The broad-spectrum model is: The other blood accumulates the thicker and bigger the cranium becomes and obtain other Penis-Enlargement

Horizontal Movement of your penis.

Indoors order to obtain Penis-Enlargement to begin with, progress to really you allow a semi erect penis. The your penis needs to come about indoors this state so with the aim of it stays flexible and blood can move around straightforwardly. You could need to keep by hand stimulated pro this, partial masturbation and pornography can help with this.Straight away with the aim of you allow reached the semi erect state place your forefinger and thumb indoors the OK grip by the side of the root of enlarge your penis, holding steadfastly. This ought to straight away slow down down the blood course indoors your penis and keep you by the side of a semi erect state. Take the liberated furnish and form a flash OK grip and grasp the cranium. This excecise is very actual pro penis enlarging.

The PC Flex Basic for enalrge your penis

Sit down and achieve an erection by handbook stimulation and sit with your back straight.Tense your PC muscle so your penis jumps up pro 3-5 seconds and afterward consent to it respite again,this would come about called single representative. Whilst basic preliminary inedible with this Penis-Enlargement exercise you could notice with the aim of your erection disappears the same as you execute the workout, this is regular and you ought to just with regard to stimulate whilst you quit underneath 50% erect. Superlative of coincidence if you need other help visit website pro Penis-Enlargement tips.

Appetizer Recipes

Types of Appetizer Recipes

Appetizer recipes are guidelines or formulas that are used in making starter course dishes. These come in a variety, from simple food recipes to elegant hors d'oeuvres. They are an important part of any meal as they help built your appetite while the main course is yet to be served. There are different categories of appetizer recipes. There are cheese recipes such as beer cheese, brie, Gougere and pimento cheese. The cold recipes include antipasto, finger sandwiches, tapas, pinwheels, roll ups and many others. The dip and spread recipes include the Seven Layer Dip, Artichoke Crab dip, Baba Ghanouj and Black Bean Dip. For the non-vegetarian category there are chicken wings, buffalo wings, oriental wings, honey chicken wings and many others.

Pickle and relish category include chow chow, corn relish, freezer pickles, fried pickles and many others. Many kinds of fresh vegetables are used in preparing these starter courses. These vegetables give a spicy taste to the pickles. Bacon, asparagus, artichoke, and meatball appetizers are in the category of the hot appetizer recipes.

For those who love to eat before the meal, there is salsa, seafood, nut and snack appetizer recipes. There are many books, magazines and cookery web sites from which you can obtain these guidelines for cooking starter courses. You are sure to find one that will satisfy your needs. You therefore have all the reasons to have a perfect and appetizing recipe for you and your guests. Any meal planned using these recipes is bound to be a successful one.

Egg A Home Remedy Makes You Look Ten Times Younger In Just 15 Minutes.

Yes..all the beautiful women out there, being a woman I very well know how it feels to look older than your age.  But now you need not worry, in this post I have mentioned a face pack which will make your skin feel 10 times younger, that too, in just 15 minutes. The packs is made from the ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen. All you have to do is, put some effort in preparing it, and applying onto your face. Now let me clear one thing, by saying put some effort I didnt mean that the preparation is very tuff. Its actually very easy.

The most readily available ingredient in our kitchen is egg. All you have to do is take the egg white and you dont have to add anything in it if your skin is oily or normal . But if your skin is dry, then better add few drops of honey in egg white and apply all over you face. Leave it for about 15 mins and then wash it off with tap water. You will find the pores have really minimized in just one time application. You dont have to give extra time to apply this mask. What I do is, I get up in the morning and freshen up, and then I apply this mask and I keep going with my household activities. So you dont need to spare extra time from your busy routine.

And the remaining egg yolk can be used for your hairs. It provides direct protein to your hairs. Keep it for 20 minutes and then you can wash it off. You will find it adds extra shine to your hairs.

Heart Disease

5 Common Types of Heart Disease

There are many types of heart disease, but this article will explore five types of heart disease that are common to happen. Hopefully, this article can add your knowledge concerning this leading cause of death disease.

#1 congenital heart disease

There is a fallacy of thinking that many people do when they believe that all heart disease is brought about by outside factors or that it needs some periods of time for heart disease to build up. This is, of course, not true as one of the most common types of heart disease is congenital heart disease.

The term congenital or hereditary heart disease refers to heart disease which is passed down through the family, and this is considered as being a congenital type of heart disease as it is principally inevitable and unpreventable. If you have an account of early heart disease in your family then you also are at danger for congenital heart disease.

The most first-degree family members that you have who have endured from heart disease, such as your mother, father, brother, sister and so on, in particular those who experienced it at a younger age, the higher your risk of getting it as well.

Although congenital heart disease can be caused by many factors, some of them are actually preventable. For example if heart disease is clustering in your family, then it may just be because of the way that your family lives, including unhealthy practices such as poor diet, little or no exercise, and smoking. All of these aspects can contribute to heart disease and can create the sequence of congenital heart disease.

# 2 congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure is when the heart does not pump adequate blood to the other organs in the body. Congestive heart failure can often result from heart disease and constricted arteries. Congestive heart failure results in a heart which works a lot less efficiently than it should and can make further problems. Symptoms regularly consist of swelling and edema, shortness of breath, and kidney problems which in turn can lead to mysterious weight gain. Even elevated blood pressure and alcohol abuse can lead to congestive heart failure.

A patient may be examined for congestive heart failure if they have suffered from heart disease in the past, are alcoholic, have a family history of heart problems or show one or all of the symptoms that are caused by congestive heart failure. There are choices of examinations that aid a doctor in diagnosing this heart crisis. Treatment should begin without delay, starting with changes to diet and exercise, as patients should abolish salt from the diet altogether and sternly limit their fluid intake. Further treatment should be done by a professional.

#3 coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease is the most frequent type of heart disease of all, and is also the leading reason of heart attacks. Coronary heart disease is a term that refers to damage to the heart that happens because its blood supply is decreased, and what happens here is that fatty deposits build up on the linings of the blood vessels that provide the heart muscles with blood, resulting in them narrowing. This narrowing decreases the blood supply to the heart muscles and causes pain that is identified as angina.

There are a few factors which are considered as being responsible causes of coronary heart disease. One in particular is high cholesterol that can increase fat concentration in your blood and create the building up of fatty deposits. Another one of the major factors of coronary heart disease is cigarette and tobacco smoke, as a smoker's risk of getting heart disease is two times that of a nonsmoker, and studies have actually revealed that after five years of quitting smoking, the risk of developing heart disease is the same as that of someone who had never smoked in their life.

#4 pulmonary heart disease

Pulmonary heart disease is heart disease that comes from a lung, or pulmonary, disorder, or a complication of lung problems where the blood flow into the lungs is slowed or even totally blocked, resulting in increased pressure on the lungs. There are a number of different symptoms that typically come with pulmonary heart disease, such as shortness of breath, syncope, dyspnoea, and chest pain.

It is a state which is often misdiagnosed, and has frequently progressed to late stages by the time that it is actually correctly diagnosed. It has been previously chronic and untreatable with a poor survival rate. However, there are now numerous new treatments which are accessible which have extensively improved the overall prognosis of this disease.

#5 rheumatic heart disease

Rheumatic heart disease frequently derives from strep throat infections. This can be a reason for alarm for many because strep throat, while often preventable, is a quite common condition that affects many people who do not treat a minor sore throat infection in time. However, there is no reason to be because rheumatic heart disease that comes from strep throat is fairly rare. Actually, the sheer volume of cases of rheumatic heart disease has decreased considerably since the 1960's.

If rheumatic fever, which happens due to chronic strep throat, is contracted and leads to rheumatic heart disease, the situation can be treated in a way that is much easier than the common treatments for other types of heart disease. This treatment usually involves taking cortisteroid anti-inflammatory medication to reverse any possible cardiac problems the fever might make. This does not rule out the risk for the requirement for more advanced treatment such as surgery, but it does signify the probability for a simple, yet effective treatment.

Burn Fat Fast

10 Minute Home Workout To Burn Fat Fast

While most people will tell you that you need at least 30 minutes of continuous exercise to burn a decent amount of fat, I’m here to tell you that you can achieve great results even if you have a lot less free time on your hand. In fact, if you can spare just 10 minutes, there is no reason why you can’t do a lot to shed pounds, get lean, tone up, and feel great.

In this short article, I’ll show you how you can do a 10 minute home workout that will help you melt away the fat. You need to do all of these exercises with no rest until the 10 minutes are over. This is crucial for your results. You can either use a clock to see when you need to switch exercises or use an interval timer like the Gymboss to make it easier for you.

Minutes 1 – 2: Jumping jacks – This is done for warm-up mostly. Jumping jacks are a great way to get your entire body warmed up as they employ your body from head to toe in the movement. Do this with enthusiasm, although I admit that jumping jacks can be a bit boring to do. In two minutes time, you’ll be warmed up and ready to commence the real workout.

Minute 3 – 4: Forward Lunges – Train your legs and push your body hard. To do a lunge simply take a step forward and lower your body straight down. Make sure that your bent knee doesn’t pass the tip of your toes and that you don’t bend it lower then 90 degrees. Each leg should get a minute of lunges. If you’re up to it, take a dumbbell in each hand. Hey, I never said this will be easy.

Minute 5: Burpees – This is a great exercise that will get your heart pumping for sure. To do the burpee you need to go to a low squat, place your palms on the ground in front of you, thrust both legs to a push-up position, do a single push-up. Bring both legs back to the low squat position. Rise and jump high into the air. I know that a push-up may be hard for you to do right now but give it a try, even a partial push-up is better than none. To make this exercise harder, try bringing both knees to your chest when you jump.

Minute 6: Sideways squats – Stand with both legs close together. Take a step to the right with your right foot but still face forward. Your step should be to the side. Squat down until your feel the strain in your inner thighs. Rise, take a step back. Take a step to the left with your left foot. Squat down. Rise and take a step back. Do this fast to get the most squats you can into this minute. If you can hold a dumbbell with both hands in front of you as you’re doing it, go ahead. By now, you’ll be able to feel the sweat pouring and the fat burning away with it.

Minute 7: Running in place knee high – Running in place, fast for a minute isn’t easy by itself. I want you to add to that by running with each step bring your knee high until it’s bent at a 90 degree angle. Even a minute of running like this will tax you, be ready for some effort.

Minute 8: Triceps dips – For this you need to find a table or a couch to use. Turn your back to the table and sit down on the floor beside it. Grab The edge of the table with both hands so that your thumb is on the underside of the table and the rest of the fingers are above it. Lift yourself up so that only your heels are touching the floor. Make sure your hands are about shoulder width a part of a bit more. Lower yourself down toward the floor by bending your elbows. Feel the strain in your triceps. Don’t let your butt touch the ground. Raise yourself back and repeat for a minute.

Minute 9: Squat jumps – This exercise is hard but it’s worth it because it will help you to burn more fat. This is a simple exercise just as it sounds: go into a squat and when you rise just jump into the air. If you want to make it harder for yourself, jump with both knees bent toward your chest.

Minute 10: Jumping jacks – This is somewhat of a cool down after you’ve worked so hard but focus on doing these right until you hear your alarm signal that the 10 minutes are up.

There you go, you have an awesome workout to do in ten minutes to get your to burn fat and get fit. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes for this workout and it’s best to do the jumps on a workout mat.

Gain Muscle and Lose Fat

How to Gain Muscle and Lose Fat At The Same TimeTwo of the most coveted fitness goals are to lose body fat and to gain muscle mass. Some people want just one of these goals as it seems to be more urgent for them. If you’re 30 pounds overweight, you care more about losing fat than building big muscles. If you’re the thin and scrawny type, then you may want to get some mass on you.

However, a lot of people, perhaps the majority of them, want to achieve both these goals together. They want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. The question is whether it is possible and if so, how can this be done?

At first glance, these two goals seem to be impossible to achieve together. In fact, if you told me some pill, powder, or potion was being marketed with the claims that it can provide a concurrent muscle gain and fat loss, I’d immediately say that it was a scam.

The reason why it seems impossible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, at the exact same moment, is that these two goals require antagonistic calorie consumption strategies. Fat loss requires a calorie deficit, burning more than you put in. Otherwise, your body will not go to it’s fat stores and use those as its source of energy. Muscle gain requires a calorie surplus, eating more than you burn to give the muscles something to use as building blocks for growth.

You can’t have both a surplus and a deficit at the same time so gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time must be impossible, right?

In one sense, the answer is yes, in another the answer is… maybe.

You may be feeling a bit confused right now and I don’t blame you. But if you bear with me, I’ll explain what I mean. When I first stumbled upon this dilemma, it was while reading a nutrition and fitness program that actually promised to help you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time: The Holy Grail Body Transformation by Tom Venuto.

The only reason why I kept on reading was because it was written by Tom Venuto, someone whose teachings I’ve been following for many years now. I know him as a phenomenal expert in nutrition and fitness and as someone who is honest and doesn’t use shady marketing tactics. I just couldn’t believe that he would claim to be able to deliver results which were impossible.

A different perspective on the “Same Time”

In the Holy Grail Body Transformation, Tom Venuto talks about changing your perspective on what the Same Time is. Since you really can’t get a calorie deficit and a surplus at the same instant in time, why don’t you expand your view to a week or a month at a time. Isn’t it possible to have certain days of the week in which you have a calorie deficit and other days in which you have a calorie surplus?

In fact, you can have different times of the day in which your body is burning more than you’re feeding it, leading to a deficit and other times a day in which you’re eating more than you’re burning. You can have deficit periods and surplus periods. While in each of these periods of time, you’re losing fat OR gaining muscle, by combining them into one, you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, only this time your time frame is a day or a week or a month.

This is something that Venuto calls Nutritional Periodization, meaning that you change your calorie intake and the amount of various nutrients that you eat from one time to another to fit your current goal. In this case, you may create a calorie surplus right after you finish a strength workout to induce a bigger muscle gain, and lower your calorie intake a few hours later to create a deficit for fat loss.

Naturally, this is simplifying the process as there is more to this method that just eating more or eating less. You need to eat the right things as well to achieve optimal results for either of these goals. To gain muscle mass, you need to give the body the nutrients it needs when your muscles crave for them. Otherwise, they will never be able to grow properly. When your body is short on calories, it has to burn what it has stored. What you eat actually triggers various hormones in your body that determine whether your body will go to your fat stores (what you want) or if it will use some other calories.

The point is that you can, through careful nutritional periodization and working out, achieve a concurrent muscle gain and fat loss. This does require effort and a dedicated adherence to the guidelines that Tom Venuto teaches. But if you do it correctly, you can burn the fat and feed the muscle together for the first to melt away and the second to grow.

So, there is no easy way to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. However, as long as you judge your progress by days and weeks instead of seconds and moments, you can achieve both with effort, dedication, and planning.

Morning Ritual For Weight Loss

Today I want to talk with you about the importance of having a morning ritual to start your day with. This is something I’ve been doing for a few months now and I am amazed at the way it has totally transformed my day. My goal, when I first started doing my morning ritual I was to improve my energy and focus throughout the day, to be able to get more things done and to be more productive. This has worked beyond my expectations.

On days in which I do my morning ritual, I find that I have more energy, focus, that I’m less hungry, and I just feel better. It has also helped me to drop some stubborn fat and to tone up nicely.

I truly believe that the way you begin your day affects the rest of your day as well. This is why I highly recommend that you take the time to create your own morning ritual and do it every day you can with as little excuses as possible.

Allow me to share with you my morning ritual. You don’t have to do exactly what I do, just make up your own thing and stick to it.

My Morning Ritual

When I get out of bed, the first thing I do are some stretches. I often find that my body is a bit tight when I wake up and I want to loosen it up a bit. I do a variety of stretches for my whole body, making sure that I really let out all the tightness that has set in during the night after lying in practically the same position for hours. My favorite stretch, which you can see modeled in the picture above, is the lower back stretch.

Stretching after I wake up immediately banishes the drowsy feeling I often wake up with. I’m ready to continue with my morning routine.

The next thing I do is hydrate myself. I drink one or two tall glasses of water. This is critical, my friend. Your body has not had any fluids for the entire night. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, trust me, your body is. Give your body some water as quickly as possible. Don’t settle for a sip. A glass or two is what I recommend.

After I’ve had my water, I do a little exercise. I love to do a short morning workout. I find that it boosts my energy and sets me up nicely for the rest of the day. This is actually a pretty good way to motivate yourself to lose weight as you won’t want to ruin the effect of your morning workout by eating bad stuff later in the day.

Because I live on the 1oth floor at this time, my own workout routine is to climb the ten flights of stairs to my level 2 – 4 times. I take the elevator down to the basement floor and climb up all the way. This is not so easy as climbing stairs challenges your body pretty nicely (especially your thighs), but it doesn’t take long and it doesn’t make you feel exhausted. You can get on with your day.

You can make up your own workout. It’s really up to you and what you like to do. I recommend dedicating at least 10 minutes to your morning workout to make it effective.

Once I finish my workout I have some breakfast. I make sure to include a good dose of protein and fiber in my breakfast as these are both excellent ways to curb your appetite for hours afterwards. Protein also helps you to boost your metabolism a bit (something that I learned from Jon Benson in the Every Other Day Diet and was later confirmed by Josh Bezoni’s 7 Day Belly Blast Diet).

A good breakfast is crucial for weight loss or maintenance and I find that when I eat well in the morning, I don’t crave food as much later on, I eat less calories throughout the day, and it just gets easier to tone up.

Need to Lose Weight

Why You Need to Lose Weight

To be able to see something through there must be a driving force, a compelling reason why you want to do it in the first place. Without such a reason, or a goal in mind, you won’t be able to stick to the process for the long run and be able to overcome whatever difficult or challenging moment that may occur. This is true for trying to lose weight as well. You have to know why you’re doing it.

In this article, I want to convince you why losing weight is something you want, a goal that can help you improve your life in more ways than one, often in unknown ways. It may be difficult to read about such things now, when you still have some weight to lose, but know this: what your life is right now may not be as it will be later on. It is up to you to make the right kind of change in your life, the kind of change that you want to achieve. Use these reasons as the primary force for losing weight and changing your life.

The most important thing: Health

This may be a cliché, but your health is the most important thing you possess. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or how big your house is, if your health is poor, your life is miserable. It’s no secret that your nutrition and your weight have a great effect on your health. Being overweight is a risk factor in many illnesses such as diabetes, strokes, heart conditions, high blood pressure, and so on. The more research I read about the effects of being overweight (not to mention obese) on your long term health, the more afraid I become for the many people I see who are overweight.

You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to take care of yourself as much as possible. You need to take whatever steps you can to have good health. It will help you live longer, feel better, and avoid nasty diseases that can simply make life harder.

One topic which is not often talked about is that of prejudice against fat people. A lot of people have some nasty assumptions when they see a fat person: they think of things such as them being lazy, unhealthy, tired, lacking energy, unable to take care of themselves, etc. The results of such prejudice can have a dramatic effect on your earning potential, your ability to land high paying jobs, your promotion prospects, and so on. People just naturally give more opportunities to thin people. It’s shameful, it’s disgusting, but it does happen.

Losing weight is also a financial decision. Have no doubt, it can help you make more money for many years to come. This is why I believe that investing in a good diet plan is often just as financially sound as putting money into your education.

Relationships

Let me start by saying that there are overweight people who have fantastic relationships that last for decades and they have love and joy and companionship with their partners. There are also thin people who never find their soul-mate and continue living in loneliness. Looking better is no guarantee of happiness. Far from it. However, there is no doubt that if you’re looking for a partner, whether it is for a long term relationship or for something casual, that looks matter. People are shallow, at least in part, so looking as well as you can can help you attract more potential partners. This is not the main reason why you need to lose weight but if it gives you motivation, by all means, make use of it.

A better life

Saying that losing weight can help you have a better life is a generalization and a problematic one at that. However, shedding those excess pounds can make it easier for you to travel, play with your kids, enjoy your favorite sport, dance, and be more active. All those things count for something. It counts as a better quality of life.

In Conclusion

There are many reasons why you may need to lose weight. Choose the one or ones that give you motivation and make you take action as soon as possible. The time to take action is now. There is simply no reason to wait.