Five healthy ways to lose weight and feel great WITHOUT dieting

Oct 5, 2015

We can all be creatures of habit, whether they are positive or negative.

The good news is we can use this particular tendency to our advantage. We can adopt healthier or more positive habits to over ride our negative habits, like the mid-week tendency to order takeaway rather than cook for no other reason except for 'because Wednesday.'

So, to help you ditch the fast food and adopt some healthier habits we found five healthy obsessions you can introduce to your everyday routines to help kick start a healthier lifestyle:

Take a walk:

Walking or running can become an addiction, but a healthy one you can use to your advantage. Whether you choose to rise a bit earlier and take a morning gratitude walk, or opt for a short one on your lunch break, the fresh air does the body and mind good.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic, found exercise, even as simple as a brisk walk, can help you maintain a healthy weight, prevent heart disease, boost your mood and improve coordination.

Have a smoothie:

Smoothies are a sure way to pack in plenty of nutrients without having to spend hours cooking up a storm. You can find smoothie enthusiasts everywhere; especially on social media. And this healthy obsession is for good reason.

Eating a cup of spinach may seem tedious, but blending it with a bit of coconut milk and a slice of pineapple makes for a much more delicious option.

Pick up the phone:

Friendly chats filled with laughter are not just great for bonding, or catching up on any of the gossip you might have missed if your bestie lives far away. They’re good for your health, too!

Oprah magazine even called it the “talking cure.” A bit of banter with friends is said to have great health benefits that can help reduce stress.

Learn something new:

Whether it’s pilates, art or even a language- maybe your cúpla focail are a bit rusty?

Continuing education as we get older can improve the grey matter in ours brains, and help to avoid degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. It's also an opportunity to make new friends if you've moved somewhere new.

Treat yourself:

A self-care routine can include anything from indulging in a bubble bath, eating some dark chocolate, reading a book or whatever leaves you feeling ready to take on the world again. And yes- Netflix marathons of your favourite series definitely count if need be.

Sick of salads? Try these seven delicious healthy snacks instead

Oct 3, 2015

by Amber Saunders

There is nothing worse than working hard in the gym all week and sticking diligently to your healthy eating plan only for it all to go out the window once the weekend arrives.

Avoiding the biscuit tin at the office is hard enough, but when Saturday arrives your willpower can be pushed to the very limit. Nobody wants to be stuck ordering a pretty boring salad at brunch.

So, here's a reminder of all of the delicious options out there that aren't loaded with calories and taste absolutely amazing.

Sweet potato fries:

Courghetti (healthy spaghetti basically):

A healthy chicken burrito:

Homemade Granola:

This recipe is pumpkin spice, because that obsession is not going away it would seem.

Shakshuka is not just for breakfast:

Almond butter protein balls:

Avocado toast:

Four delicious ways to fuel your body after a tough workout

Oct 2, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Getting yourself into the gym, or out for a jog, can be a huge achievement. These activities take time and energy, but it is also important to remember that what you do after your workout is just as important.

What you eat after your workout can have a huge effect on your fitness goals. If you’re not getting the right combination of nutrients then you could find yourself in some trouble.

To avoid this, we put together a list of some of the best options for you to enjoy as a healthy and tasty post-workout snack.

Stuffed avocados

You could bake an egg in your avocado for added protein to go with your healthy fats, or add a scoop of tuna salad. There’s also the option of some salmon, salsa or even hummus.

Apples and nut butter

Peanut butter (the natural kind) or almond butter will provide you with a good balance of macronutrients that your body is going to need after a tough workout. The healthy dose of fat, carbohydrate and protein, along with the fibre-dense fruit will be enough to satisfy your sweet cravings so you’ll be good to go.

Salmon salad with green veggies

The salmon will provide your body with all of the omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids it needs to help repair and rebuild the muscle you’ve broken down in the gym. Perfect for after a weight-lifting session or a high intensity workout.

Greek yoghurt

Full of protein to help your muscles repair and also delicious. Make sure you add some granola or fruit to get in the carbs your body needs after exercising.

Pizza cupcakes are here to take your snacks to delicious new levels

Oct 2, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Not many things can make us happier than hearing that we’re having pizza for dinner.

Whether it’s a planned excursion to your favourite pizza place, or you decide to treat yourself to some delicious homemade pizza goodness, it generally makes us very happy campers.

However, there is one other snack that is likely to get the same positive response as delicious pizza slices: cupcakes.

So you can imagine the delight that travelled around the internet when the food gods at Cosmopolitan decided to combine the glory of pizza with the deliciousness of cupcakes.

Don’t worry, it’s not some strange sweet and savoury hybrid snack, instead this just straightforward tasty pizza delivered in cupcake size.

If you need some foodie inspiration then you can see it all come together in tasty harmony below:

Rollo and his food addiction have cost his owners over €30,000!

Sep 30, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Most dog owners will have experienced at least once the moment when their pet has found their way into somewhere they really shouldn’t have been.

If you thought that you’re canine’s foodie habits were bad, then you need to meet Rollo.

Rollo has taken the term ‘bad dog’ to new heights with his apparently insatiable appetite.

The nine-year old chocolate lab has managed to cost his owners over €30,000 in home renovations. Rollo has taught himself to open cupboards it seems. As a result, he has managed to help himself to anything he can find; including jars of mincemeat and cigarettes.

The Daily Mail spoke with Rollo’s owners, Sue and Stewart Kirk, about the damage Rollo has managed to do to their home.

“His owner Sue Kirk, from Sleaford, Lincolnshire, even found him raiding the dishwasher after cracking how to break in there too.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Sue also explained how Rollo has actually jumped on the trampoline in order to get his paws on some apples. He really loves those apples.

“He loves apples, they're his favourite – he'll do anything for an apple.

We have an apple tree in the garden, but there's never any for us to eat because he stands up on his back legs and shakes the tree until the apples fall down.”

They have even compiled a list of all the weird things that Rollo has eaten, which included a Tupperware lid in order to get at 12 chocolate muffins.

When Rollo started eating glass and rat poison the couple knew they needed to put a stop to his habits. So, they decided to remodel their kitchen in efforts to make it dog-proof.

The Kirks, who also have another dog and two guinea pigs, rescued Rollo six years ago. They said they couldn’t imagine giving up, even if he does cause some trouble:

“He causes absolute mayhem—but we love him to pieces.”

We think Rollo sounds delightful, his dedication to his food is actually kind of inspiring. When was the last time you were willing to trampoline just for some healthy and fresh apples?

The five best tricks that keep your healthy snacks fresh for longer

Sep 29, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We are all for a healthy diet and ditching the sweets and treats for the lighter options. However, when we bring our healthy food haul home and find it rotten two days later, we get frustrated.

It can be hard to stick to a healthy eating regime when we find ourselves spending money on food that won’t last.

So, to try and avoid any unnecessary food frustrations, try these tricks for keeping your healthy food fresher for longer.

Don’t put tomatoes in fridge:

The flavour diminishes and their texture can go a bit off. It is recommended you keep them on the counter in order to allow them to fully ripen.

Lettuce and chill:

You work too hard to come home to limp lettuce with no flavour and zero charm. So, avoid shrinking leaves by separating them and putting them in a sink full of iced water for up to 30 mins. So fresh and so crisp.

Ripen avocados at room temperature:

One of the most temperamental of all the foods; avocados can seem to take forever to be ready to eat and then turn in split second. When you need them to ripen quickly one interesting trick is popping them in a brown paper bag with a banana. Just make sure you keep an eye on them!

Put your bananas together:

If you’re not a fan of peeling blackened bananas, although what lies beyond the skin is far more important, then don’t separate them before storing. Also, refrigerating your ripened bananas will stop them from turning before you eat them.

Line your salad drawers:

Putting a few sheets of kitchen roll in the drawer with your veggies will keep them crisp while they chill. The kitchen roll will keep them fresh also make your cleaning faster, hurrah!

Pizza… on a boat? One couple made their dream business a reality

Sep 29, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Have you ever dreamed about quitting your day job and escaping to a tropical island to live in peace in the sunshine?

It sounds like a pretty good idea when you’re stuck inside while the rain is beating down outside the window.

Well, one couple decided to go ahead and make their dream a reality.

Not only did Tara and Sasha escape their office jobs for paradise, they also included pizza. The two quite their jobs and opened a pizza shop, on a boat, in St. Thomas.

While we thought that food trucks were one of the coolest things to happen to our beloved lunch breaks, we can’t say we ever imagined pizza boats before. 38-year old Sasha was a programmer in New York, but when he left that job to work on a yacht, he met Tara.

They fell in love, and shared a love of pizza and boats.

So the next step was obviously to fit out their boat with a commercial-grade pizza kitchen. West of Puerto Rico and right around St. James Bay, Pizza Pi travel around the end of St. Thomas serving customers on the water.

They do close for hurricane season, their website informs us they will reopen in November 2015.

Pizza Pi is rated one of the top restaurants in the area on TripAdvisor.

If that sounds appealing, then good news: they are hiring.

Sasha and Tara are currently looking for a business manager and a food prep staff member among other positions.

Milkshake aficionado Kelis is now a chef with her very own cookbook

Sep 29, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Singer Kelis might be most famous for that eternal single Milkshake, but did you know that she’s also a trained chef.

Of late she has been promoting her new cookbook My Life on a Plate: Recipes From Around the World. The singer, who already has a six-year old song Knight with rapper Nas is also pregnant with her second child.

Speaking to Jezebel the pop star talked about how her cooking career was inspired by an ad she saw for the Le Cordon Bleu School and her mother. Her mom was a caterer and who Kelis credits with helping her find comfort in food.

She also wanted readers to know that her recipes are for everyone, whether they are beginner chefs or not:

“They are made for home cooks, like me, people who are juggling a career, kids, friends, family, and everything else in life, but who still want to put a delicious meal on the table.”

She also added that most of the pleasures she finds in her day are connected to what she’s eating, or what she’s planning to eat.

Kelis pointed out the main difference in her food and her music being that she makes her music for herself: “I make music for myself. I really don’t care what people think about it. And I don’t mean that in some cool rebel way. It’s not for you.”

Food meanwhile is something completely different: “I cook for people. It’s a love thing.”

One ‘food’ trend she is certainly not in support of however are cleanses:

“I did like a raw cleanse for 31 days. I gained weight, so it is a waste of time,” she explained.

While her cookbook includes some tasty sounding snack ideas, there was no confirmation as to whether that famous man-inviting milkshake makes an appearance.

Yum! These delicious dinners are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes

Sep 27, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Sometimes at the end of a long day we can’t be bothered to go to the effort of cooking an entire meal from scratch.

Or else we get so hungry that by the time our real dinner is cooked we already ate a block of cheese and two packets of ham.

Not exactly the healthiest or most appetising options.

So in an effort to put a stop to this cycle of oh-so sad dinners we put together a list of recipes that take less than 30 minutes to cook… with some of them even quicker than that.

So much food, so little time spent in the kitchen. Hurrah!

1) Nachos. Who doesn’t want nachos for dinner?

2) A healthy chicken parmesan:

Courgette noodles remove the risk of overloading on starchy carbs. If you don’t have a spiraliser use a cheese grater or just make courgette chips, everything is delicious anyway so don’t even worry.

3) The BLT pasta salad. Sandwiches are amazing but this makes it dinner.

4) The kale and quinoa bowl of your dreams.

There are some easy substitutions to made here too, like using olive oil instead of walnut oil, any cheese you want instead of goat cheese and almonds or other nuts instead of pine nuts because sometimes pine nuts can be pricey.

5) Shrimp fried rice.

Faster and less loaded with calories than a takeaway but definitely more delicious. Find the recipe here.

Bounty bar fan? Then you will be VERY pleased with this update

Sep 27, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Sometimes the old reliables like honey and jam, or dare we even say it, peanut butter might not do the trick. You might craving something just a little bit sweeter. Or maybe a lot sweeter.

Well a new spread has arrived to cure your culinary nightmares. Actually, that maybe depends on how much of a coconut fan you are, because the humble bounty bar just got a major makeover.

Mars have made a very exotic announcement that could have dairy-free foodies feeling a little left out. The bar of choice for many a chocolate lover is now a spread. Surely this is going to divide many as the spread does not in fact have any chocolate in it. Just the coconut flakes. In a creamy milk based spread peppered with coconut flakes.

Lots of coconut flakes. Interesting choice, no?

We certainly think so, we might even consider it quite the risky move.A game changer no doubt, and it has definitely left us wondering what it will pair best with.

Are we really ready to sacrifice our Nutella pancakes?

Coconut brownies?

Coconut and Oreo cheesecake?

Waffles with coconut spread?

Rice cakes perhaps?

Or maybe just straight off from the jar?

8 things twentysomething women should know about losing weight

Sep 25, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Possibly the most important thing for any person to keep in mind is that while your weight can change when you adjust your diet and exercise routine there are things you cannot change. Your height and the length of your limbs are things you are pretty much stuck with.

So there are some parts of your body you need to learn to love. If you do decide to go on a weight-loss journey however, here are a few important things to keep in mind.

Sleep is the ultimate lazy girl’s diet swap

Getting at least seven hours of sleep every night helps you manage your appetite. While late nights and extra early mornings can mess with your hunger hormones and lead you towards high-calorie foods.

Losing weight without a healthy diet is very difficult

You can’t out-train a bad diet. No matter how many hours you spend at the gym it won’t work if you consume more calories than you could possibly burn.

You don’t need to join a gym to lose weight

The internet is a wonderful place where you can find plenty of useful workout tips and guides to help you get started. Here’s one you can try today.

Doing the same workout every day is not ideal

Being an expert at the top of the aerobics class might give you a confidence boost, but if you get too comfortable you’re going to stop seeing results, so try and mix it up.

You have more than enough time to work out

Making the time to look after your health now is only going to help you develop better habits your future-self will thank you for. Do you really need to watch the next episode of GBBO or can it wait until tomorrow?

Alcohol will stop your progress

Just because the nutrition labels on wine bottles aren’t as obvious as some other things in the supermarket doesn’t mean the calories don’t exist. They will add up and stop your weight loss progress.

Sometimes eating more food can help you lose weight

Filling up on more nutrient dense foods like leafy greens or other non-starchy vegetables will fill you up without all the calories.

Your bestie’s diet may not work for you

Someone’s low calorie diet might leave you hungry, or another friend’s high-protein diet might be more calories than you need.

The four health benefits of coffee everyone should know about

Sep 25, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Coffee is warm and delicious and even though not everyone loves it, it is something that has been proven to be good for you again and again.

Many researchers have agreed that as long as you can drink it in moderation then coffee is good for you. In case you were wondering ‘moderation’ means three to five 235 ml cups a day.

So the next time someone tells you that your habit it getting out of hand you can point out these health benefits and then walk away. You don’t need those kind of coffee-hating people in your life.

Antioxidants

One study found that coffee delivers more antioxidants that most other foods and beverages in the average diet. Yes, that means even more than green tea.

It can make you happy

Specifically, coffee can make women happy. The Harvard School of Public Health found that women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 20 per cent less likely to be at risk of depression. That doesn’t mean coffee can be used to self-medicate if you are feeling depressed though, make sure you talk to a professional to get the correct care and support.

It can improve your memory

It may not make you more intelligent, but Lifehacker found that when your work is memory based it can make you more productive.

It contains essential nutrients

Coffee is not just black water, many of the nutrients in coffee beans make it to your mug. Such as: Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 11% of the RDA, pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5): 6% of the RDA, manganese and potassium: 3% of the RDA.

Great news, we're just going to take a quick break now…