Lifestyle & Travel

There is no worse feeling than waking up feeling groggy and lethargic. To make your morning less cumbersome, follow these simple steps, and you’ll wake up feeling productive, invigorated, and refreshed!

Sleep

Before we get into steps to take in the morning, one of the main contributing factors to feeling great the next day is your quality of sleep. First of all, making sure that you are comfortable in your bed is a huge priority. An uncomfortable bed will cause a bad night’s sleep. It is worth looking into a really good hybrid mattress. They combine different attributes from mattresses as a whole, to make one perfect mattress.

Fresh Air

One of the most important steps to feeling great in the morning is to let your lungs breathe in crisp, fresh morning air. Your body has been breathing in old, dirty, circulated air for so many hours whilst you’ve been asleep, so open your windows or sit in the garden to fill your lungs with stimulating, brisk morning air.

Leave the phone alone!

Let’s face it, most people check their phones in the first few minutes of waking up, but this can cause so much stress and completely reduce your morning calmness. Leaving your phone alone for the morning is such a freeing feeling. You can have some time just to organize yourself and your own thoughts, rather than immediately being immersed in emails, messages, and texts.

Skincare

One step in the morning routine that some people don’t pay enough attention to is skincare. To feel energized in the morning, it is a good idea to find an invigorating face wash, cleansers, and moisturizers. Every skin type is different, so experiment and find out what works best for you. Having a fresh face will contribute to the feeling of being refreshed for the rest of the day.

Breakfast

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! To help your body out, treat it to a nutritious, healthy breakfast to replenish your body after not eating for hours whilst being asleep. If you’re one of those people who for some reason just isn’t hungry in the early morning, ease yourself into it by perhaps making a fruit smoothie. This way, your body is still getting a lot the nutrients it needs without you having to eat a whole meal.

Exercise

Exercise in the morning is such a wonderful way to fully wake yourself up and set yourself up for the day ahead. It will also help with having a good night’s sleep that night because you will be burning off any excess energy that may be keeping you up at night. If you don’t want to do any really strenuous exercise, then yoga is a great option for a morning workout. It will allow your body to loosen up and your mind to clear and rejuvenate for the day ahead.

Lists

If you start to feel overwhelmed by your day, make a to-do list! It may sound silly to include simple things like eating lunch, brushing your teeth or going for a walk, but it will help organize, not just your day but your mind too. It helps to put realistic timings for everything on the list so that you can worry less about rushing around and stressing yourself out. Once you’ve written the list, all of that information that was clouding your head is released.

Following these steps is sure to set you up to go into the day feeling refreshed and motivated. Look after your body and mind in the morning; you’ll thank yourself for it!

If you like to cook, chances are you have run into a recipe calling for shredded chicken. If you have ever wondered about the best way to go about shredding chicken, you have come to the right place. 

Luckily, it’s pretty easy, and not too time consuming as well. Shredding chicken can make white meat, or chicken breasts, a lovely addition to soups or stir fries, or even curries such as Indian or Thai. 

A plus is that shredded chicken usually means white meat, which is leaner and more healthful, as well as fewer calories and fat than dark meat. 

Since shredded chicken is usually poached before shredding, it is a cooking method that adds not extra oils and calories. This is the most low calorie way to prepare chicken. 

So it’s a tasty way to adding filling chicken protein to your meals. Did you know that chicken breasts are actually a zero point food on the new weight watchers diet plan? 

That means that it is a food that is allowed in unlimited quantities on their diet. So add as much shredded chicken to your favorite recipes, and eat as much as you like, without worrying about weight gain. 

Before we break down shredding chicken for you, here is a quick and easy hack. If you are looking to save time, just buy a rotisserie chicken from your local market. 

Read Related Reading: How To Make Quinoa

You can easily use your fingers to shred the breasts, which will be extra juicy from the roasting process, which retains moisture as well as absorbing the fats from the skin and the fat-rich dark meat. 

This is a delicious way of getting shredded chicken with a minimum of effort, if you will be in the store anyway, and are short on time. 

Adding shredded chicken to a pot of consummen with a handful of noodles is more or less instant meal. But, if you want a leaner, low fat meat, here is how to make that happen:

1. Poach the chicken

The best way to prepare chicken for shredding is poaching. It’s fast and it will keep your chicken moist so that it’s tender and easy to shred. 

To poach, just place boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a large pot with water and bring to a boil. The general rule with poaching is less water, more moisture.  

The flavor will remain in the chicken instead of leaching out into the water. So just enough water that will keep the chicken below the water level so that it doesn’t dry out. And keep it covered! 

Covering the pot will keep in the moisture and flavors as well. This is the difference between boiled chicken (not tasty), and poached chicken. 

Boil for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from pot and let cool for a few minutes.

Yet another option is to bake your chicken. If you are not on a strict diet, you can rub your chicken breasts with a little oil, and bake in the oven. If you place them in a covered baking dish, the result will be even juicier and more delicious than poaching. 

Or, roast a whole chicken, and remove the white meat for shredding. This is the most delicious way of preparing chicken for shredding. 

Feel free to bake with garlic and other spices, depending on what you plan to do with the shredded chicken.

2. Shred Your Chicken

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle easily, use two forks to pull breasts apart. To achieve smaller pieces of shredded chicken, you can use your hands to shred the larger chunks. 

It’s best to do this while the chicken is still warm, as it will be more flexible and easier to shred than if it is cold and overly firm

Another option is to use a stand mixer to shred your chicken. Just put the cooked chicken into the bowl of your stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until shredded.

You can also shred chicken in a food processor, which literally takes seconds. Use a low setting, and pulse the mixer. 

Stay with the process the whole time or you run the risk of blending the chicken to a paste; an unappetizing outcome that you want to avoid. 

Pulse carefully until you reach the desired consistency, then remove from the mixer. This should not take more than about 45 seconds. Avoid grinding. 

Grinding meat can be good for baby food, but it will lose its texture and all distinction from other ingredients when ground.

When shredded chicken is called for in a recipe, it usually refers to white meat. However, it is possible to use a combination of white and dark meat in shredding to achieve a richer and more delicious result. 

Cooking with Shredded Chicken

Add shredded chicken to your favorite stews and curries. The richness of the sauces in these foods will soak into the shredded chicken and make it more delicious. 

For example, a Thai green coconut curry made with curry paste and coconut milk is a rich and delicious treat. With the addition of shredded chicken, the dish gains delicious texture and protein without becoming overly oily, keeping calories to a minimum. 

Another use for shredded chicken is coating it in corn flour and frying. This makes an absolutely delicious, crunchy treat to add to stir fries, or as a last minute addition to an otherwise simple soup, like a hot and sour, or miso based soup. 

Other uses for shredded chicken is as a stuffing for chicken pot pie (drool), or any kind of fried or steamed dumpling. 

So now you have all the information you need to conquer the world of shredded chicken. Good luck!

Read Other Related Article:

• How To Freeze Broccoli
• How To Make Quinoa

Do you find a great deal on fresh broccoli in season at the farmers market and you can’t resist buying a whole lot? Or maybe you are a gardening enthusiast and broccoli is your current crop. 

In any case, if you find yourself with large quantities of fresh broccoli on hand and don’t want it to go to waste, you can always freeze it. Broccoli is one of those durable vegetables that can last up to 2 weeks fresh in your refrigerator, or even longer if you freeze it. 

But it must be done right, in order to maintain its vibrant green color and wonderful nutritive properties. A cup of cooked broccoli has as much vitamin C as an orange, as well as being a source of beta carotene. 

It contains vitamins  B1, B2, B3, B6, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc and fiber. It is both high in protein and low in calories. It is truly a wonder vegetable.

Freezing vegetables is a time honored tradition. Those who endeavor to eat locally raised produce will need to lean on frozen fresh produce for the lean winter months. And since broccoli does not can well (too mushy and pale), freezing is the healthiest option. 

It will give you the many benefits of fresh broccoli during the winter months when that good nutrition is crucial for your health and well being.

First, broccoli must be blanched. Do not try to freeze it raw, or you will end up with a withered mess. To keep the bright green color and full flavor of broccoli, blanch it in boiling water for three minutes. 

Read Related Article: How to Shred Chicken

Blanching is easy. It basically means parboil, or “part” boiling. Immerse the broccoli in boiling water for just a few minutes. By blanching, you preserve the color and vitamins perfectly, while transforming the broccoli to a freezable state. 

Another option for freeze prep is steaming. You can steam broccoli for five minutes, drain the water, and it will freeze beautifully as well. 

Just follow these instructions, and you will have an easy, healthy component to a weekday meal waiting for you to harvest it; from the freezer. 

Blanching has several advantages. It is basically a quick cooking process that is stopped at just the moment when broccoli is at its peak vibrant color. Blanching brings out the green even brighter than when broccoli is raw. 

It will taste fresher, and look better when you are ready to use it, and the short blanching process preserves vitamins and minerals to a maximum extent. 

Prepare the broccoli by cutting off the tough stalks, with their hard outer layer. If you wish to save the stems, either peel this layer off, or cut it away with a paring knife. 

Make sure to cut away the bottoms as well. Broccoli should also be cleaned. Its intricate, tree-like structures are hiding places for bug infestation. Soak your broccoli in salt water which will draw the bugs out of their hiding places and cause them to float to the top of the water. 

Drain off the water before removing the broccoli, or you might be using the broccoli to inadvertently pick up the bugs that may be floating on the water’s surface. It’s worthwhile to peek in between the florets, as sometimes a fat green worm might be clinging within them. 

Rinse the soaked broccoli in cold water, and cut into even-sized pieces so they cook uniformly. If you can fill a large container with ice water, you can place the florets in the water after blanching to speed the cooling process. 

As we mentioned above, you can use one of two methods for flash cooking your broccoli: blanching or steaming.

Blanching

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Boiling the florets one pound at a time for 3 minutes. Time from the moment the water is boiling. 

The water may cool down for a moment when your first add the florets to the pot. So time your 3 minutes from when the water returns to a boil. 

Steaming

For steaming you will need both a pot, and a basket, as the broccoli florets (and stems) will cook by steam, yet not be actually immersed in water. 

Again, steam a pound at a time, adding your broccoli to a wire basket or steaming insert that fits your pan. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. 

Once you have either blanched or steamed the broccoli, immerse it in an ice bath to cool it down. Remove it and drain away all the water. 

Now you can pack and freeze the florets. You can either use plastic freezer safe boxes, leaving a little room at the top or just throw into zip lock bags. Tip: Don’t overstuff, as the shape of the broccoli will suffer. 

The very best way to freeze broccoli is to spread it out on a single layer on a tray, freeze, and then transfer to another container. This keeps the florets separate, so that you can use just what you need for cooking each time, instead of being stuck with a gigantic ice block of broccoli. 

Cooking

When you retrieve your broccoli from the freezer to cook it, it couldn’t be easier. Blanching has already partially cooked it, so it can be boiled briefly, sauteed in a little oil, or add to a stir fry. 

Overcooking really damages broccoli. The color, taste and texture will all suffer. Cook until just tender, and no more. 

There is no need to defrost the broccoli before cooking. Date your containers of frozen broccoli to ensure freshness. But rest assured, properly frozen broccoli will stay good to go for up to a year.

A Word About Stems

Some would argue that the stems of broccoli, when properly frozen and prepared, are the most delicious part of the vegetable. Just peel off the heavy outer layer, and chop into ½ inch pieces.

Read Other Related Article:

• How To Make Quinoa
• How to Shred Chicken

There is nothing like freshening up your wardrobe to make yourself feel a little perkier. Not all of us can afford to throw out our old clothes and splash out on a new look at the mall, so we need to resort to other methods. 

Putting a new print on a dull and uninspiring t-shirt that you have had for a couple of years can transform it from lifeless to fabulous. The only problem is, sending the t-shirt off to the printers can cost as much as purchasing a new one and that just defeats the purpose does it not?

What if you could print cool designs at home? Well actually, that is not as difficult as it sounds. These days you don’t need to send your t-shirt to a costly t-shirt printing company, there are ways of doing it yourself from the comfort of your own home. Here is our step by step guide to at-home t-shirt printing;

1.Purchase T-Shirt Transfer Paper

Make sure you buy a light transfer paper for light t-shirts and dark paper for dark t-shirts. 

2. Select an Image Or Text 

Upload your chosen image onto the computer. If you are printing something you drew onto the t-shirt, scan it onto the computer first and print it onto the transfer paper. 

3. Reverse the Image For Light Transfer Paper

Light transfer paper requires you to reverse the image before printing the design. This is because light transfer paper will transfer the mirror image onto the t-shirt. 

4. Print the Image 

Make sure the image is the right size for the t-shirt before proceeding to print it off. 

5. Cut it to Size

Cut the paper neatly before pressing the image onto the t-shirt. This is so that the image stays clear and neat.  

6. Prepare the Area

It is almost time to print onto your t-shirt, so set up your printing station. If you are printing on multiple t-shirts, make sure all the t-shirts and images are ready and available and that the heat press is hot enough for printing. 

7. Heat Press

Using a heat press, press the image onto the t-shirt for several seconds in order for the image to completely transfer. Remember, not pressing the design for long enough will result in it not fully transferring onto the t-shirt. Spend a couple of extra bucks on transfer paper that is heat sensitive so that it changes color when the transfer is complete. 

Top Tip: using a heat press allows you to print on the t-shirts faster than if you were to use an iron. This Is great for anyone that is bulk printing, check out this review on the 15 best heat presses on the market. 

8. Leave to Cool Down

Let the t-shirt cool down completely before peeling off the transfer paper. Peeling off the paper when the t-shirt is still hot may cause flakiness.

Have you ever been at a friend’s house or in a fancy office and found yourself enthralled by the activity in a beautifully lit fish tank? Before you know it, you’ve been there for ten minutes in a world of your own and are smiling!

Welcome then to the wonderful world of fish. We know they are good to eat but no we also know that they are good to watch. According to recent research at a British University, watching fish can lead to lower blood pressure and subsequently lower stress levels. This, in turn, has a very positive effect on your mental health and will make you feel happier.

Now, this may come as some surprise to you but the research is conclusive. So much so that there is now a turn for watching fish and it’s called Aquarium Therapy. 

So why are fish so intriguing to us? Could it be because it is once thought that we too came from the oceans so they spark a latent familiarity and peace? Well, we don’t know for sure but what we do know is these things:

1. Fish have different personalities and feature so once you have a fish tank and start to watch your fish on a regular basis, you will notice their little habits. My fish Big Ears (he doesn’t have any at all. Yeah, corny I know, but the name just stuck) has a habit of hiding behind a rock until his nemesis Noddy swims by. He then pops out of hiding and chases the poor little guy off in a fright. You will soon notice your own fishes little quirks.
2. The colors of the fish are mesmerizing. They come in every shade you can imagine and some can be incredibly beautiful in their luminosity. Just seeing them swim around makes us feel we are snorkeling in the Red Sea even if it is actually the middle of winter.
3. Caring for fish is also part of wellbeing. Even though they aren’t communicating with us in the way a cat or dog might, you will see their excitement at feeding time or their pleasure swimming around in a clean tank. This, in turn, gives us purpose and, let’s face it, they are much easier to care for than our furry friends!
4. Watching the plants in an aquarium also makes us feel good. They add to the beauty of the tank but their motion is also hypnotic helping us forget our troubles and bring back our smiles of contentment.

So, if those reasons aren’t enough to make you run to your nearest pet shop instead of the pharmacy for a tonic, I don’t know what are. This is the 2020 must-have therapy to practice. It’s much cheaper than a shrink and healthier for you than a beer.

Creating your own underground world is also a lot of fun. Tanks come in all sorts of shapes and sizes so decide what size suits your home and go for it! For a look at a range of amazing 40-gallon breeder tanks and how you can stock them, visit https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/best-40-gallon-breeder-tanks/ 

Say hello to a new de-stressed you!