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food

Posted on November 15, 2016

9 types of people you’ll meet at Starbucks

food/ Lists

starbucks-cover

I have a newfound love for Starbucks. And it is not because I have an uncontrollable urge to sip their overpriced coffee every morning. Nor is it because I derive pleasure from taking advantage of free WiFi in a cozy enviornment – okay, maybe the free WiFi plays a bigger part than I’d like to admit. But even with that aside, there is just something about the homely feeling of Starbucks that makes it a breeding ground for my creativity.

I’ve had some of my most productive days in Starbucks. I carry my laptop over my shoulder. Whip it out  of my bottomless bag. Connect to the WiFi… all while sipping on a Teavana tea and devouring a ‘skinny’ blueberry muffin – yes, I’m one of those knob heads who orders tea at a coffee house, problem? I didn’t think so 🙂

With all the time I’ve spent in Starbucks collectively, I’ve noticed thousands of people rush in and out of the door to get their much needed caffeine fix. My extensive research to date a.k.a my people watching skills and my attention to detail has led me to compile a list of the types of people you’ll likely come across at Starbucks.

Tell me I’m not the only one who is seeing a pattern here?

starbucks-1

1. The foreign exchange crew

They spend hours trying to decipher the menu while holding up the queue behind them. When they finally come to a decision it is usually something as basic as a tall iced cappuccino *eye roll emoji* can we start a petition for picture menus at Starbucks please?

2. The coffee snob

The venti nonfat chai latte with soy milk no foam but an extra shot and cream.This person knows exactly what they want and how to get it. Their complicated order makes you question whether or not you’ve been doing it wrong all this time.

3. The first timer

And then there’s the Starbucks virgin who stares at the menu like it’s in a foreign language. When asked what size preference, the words tall, grande and venti turn him into a deer at headlights. Awh, bless!

starbucks-2

4. The self proclaimed blogger

Attending to the virtual world before the real world is deemed to be more important in the mind of the self proclaimed blogger.This person never lives in the moment. Why? because one does not simply go to Starbucks without documenting it.If you don’t take a picture of your Starbucks, it never happened, period.

5. The getaway hunters

If it’s not their obnoxious kids they need a break from, it’s their overworked husbands. Either way, this group of mothers seem to be under the impression that staying well caffeinated in Starbucks is equal to a weekend away – if it works for you, who am I to judge!

6. The Tinder match

Another awkward first. These two make it blatently obvious that they’re on a first date. Both ordering a basic coffee with no foam to avoid dealing with a milk moustache. Fidgeting and carefully choosing topics of discussion….ugh! Since when did dating  become so hard?

starbucks-3

7. The freeloader

The freelancer who sits with their laptop and work for hours and hours on end. You see them sitting in the same spot, doing the same thing every single time you go in. You start to wonder if they should even start paying rent at this stage.

8. The suited business man

He barely makes eye contact when he makes his order. His inner Kanye leads him to believe that the barista knows exactly what he wants when he says ‘the usual,’ but when asked to be more specific, he huffs and puffs.

9. The college kids

The ones who make you reminisce on the days when a coffee vending machine sufficed for that morning coffee fix. You wonder how they can all afford spending a fiver on coffee nearly everyday. They all have superstars and gazelles on, dead giveaway? Or maybe they live with their parents!

Do you recognise any of these Starbucks stereotypes? If so tweet me @FilomenaKaguako 🙂

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Posted on July 8, 2015

Cajun sweet potato fries

food/ recipes

cajun sweet potato fries

I wouldn’t be the biggest sweet potato fan out there. For a very long time, the thought of sweet potato muffins or sweet potato pancakes made me want to gag. But now that I’ve made a lot of changes to my diet, a lot of sacrifices have been made too.

If I want to have my body sculpted for my trip to Portugal in a few weeks, then I have to make wiser food choices. I need to take a step back from starchy foods and find healthier  alternatives. Enter, sweet potatoes, an excellent substitute to white potatoes minus the added calories.

There are so many different ways to make sweet potatoes: you can grill them, steam them, add them to soups. It’s up to you really. But I find that making crispy fries out of them really makes them more bearable to eat- for me, anyways. When sweet potatoes are flavoured the right way and baked to crispy perfection, I can have them again and again!

So without further ado, here’s how I make my crispy sweet potato fries.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cleaned
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 ½ tsp powdered paprika
  • 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 ½ tspn dried thyme
  • ¼ cajun powder
  • ¼ tspn black pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp powdered garlic
  • ½ tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C

2. After scrubbing and cleaning the two sweet potatoes, cut them up unto thin fries and set aside in a large bowl.

sweet p 1

3. Put the coconut oil in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until completed melted.

sweet p 2

4. Once melted, add all the herbs and spices to the oil and give it a good mix.

sweet p 3

sweet p 4

5. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes, making sure that all the fries are evenly coated. Toss the bowl around or use your hands if you must!

sweet p 5

6. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 35 minutes, while turning regularly. Remove from oven once the edges are dark brown and crisp.

sweet p 6

7. Serve plain, with your favourite dip, or with a tomato instead of tomato sauce! Lol, enjoy 🙂

sweet p 7

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Posted on June 23, 2015

9 foods for a flatter tum

fitness/ food/ Health

lean abs

You can do all the abs in the world, if you wanted to. But, if you don’t pay attention to what goes into your mouth, then all your hard work will most likely go to waste. “Abs are made in the kitchen,” is probably one of the most used lines by fitness fanatics,and I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but it is true – if you want to get rid of ab flab, you need to make wiser food choices.

The good news is, that there are a lot of tasty foods out there that actually encourage weight loss around your midsection, so you don’t have to confine yourself to a life of leaves and tasteless meals.

Here are some foods that can help trim down a few inches on the waist:

Salmon

Salmon, along with other seafoods such as tuna and mackerel, are a great source of omega-3 acids. These fats can help reduce a few inches off your midsection by making your metabolism more efficient. They also contain ab-friendly proteins –hello, six pack!

Eggs

Eggs are loaded with protein and filling properties. Eating a heavy dose of eggs will help keep you full which will make you less likely to overindulge on unhealthy snacks. As for the protein, eggs are highly praised by dietitians for how much protein it has (about 6 grams per egg).

Apple

Foods that have a high water content tend to take up more room in your gut. This means you stay full for much longer and consume less unhealthy foods through out the day. The hunger busting properties in foods like apples and pears can surely help you get the midsection you’ve always wanted.

leafy greens

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli help shrink your waistline because they’re low in calories and high in calcium. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction so the more greens you eat, the quicker you’ll see results.

Beans

Beans are often avoided by people because eating too much can give off gas (just calling a spade a spade here!). But, a lot of people don’t know that they help burn fat and develop muscle. The best part is, they minimise the whole “I just ate a horse” look – so it’s a win-win!

Quinoa

Quinoa has become a recent addition to my diet. This grain looks like a mix between brown rice and couscous, and is very high in dietary fibre and protein. A serving of quinoa can fend of hunger as the day progresses so it’s a good idea to have it early in the day! Oh and it’s pronounced keen-wa, in case you were wondering! 🙂

abs are made in the kitchen

Green Tea

Green tea can help fire off fat by stimulating the body to burn ab fat. Consuming green tea on a regular basis helps cause your metabolism to work at a faster weight. Since fat is stored as fuel for the body, a metabolism which consumes fat at a faster rate helps you drop a few extra pounds – guess it’s time to ditch those diet teas!

Greek yoghurt

Greek yoghurt contains more protein than regular yoghurt. As you probably already know at this stage, protein is essential for building muscle mass and trimming down on a few inches. When choosing greek yoghurt, be sure to go for the unflavoured kind which is full of sugar. Oh and remember, your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does digesting carbs!

Skinned almonds

Not only do almonds contain fibre and protein, they also contain magnesium, a mineral that is needed to produce energy, build muscle tissue and regulate blood sugar. Since having a stable blood sugar level reduces cravings, almonds make for a great healthy snack – just make sure you avoid salted almonds (sodium makes you retain water which puffs up the belly – that’s not exactly the aim here!).

I hope you found this useful, if you’ve started eating any foods to trim down the tum, do let me know! 🙂 xx

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Posted on June 9, 2015

Healthy homemade Nutella

food/ recipes

homemade nutella

Today was a very productive day: I made my very own Nutella.That’s right, I made a thick and gooey hazelnut spread with a touch of cocoa that tastes very much like the much-loved ‘breakfast’ spread, Nutella itself.

Now I know it doesn’t look like the most appetising chocolate spread out there and I’m probably losing a lot of points for presentation here, but it just tastes so damn good!

What I used:

Directions:

1. Arrange the hazelnuts on a lined and rimmed baking tray and then toast for about 20 minutes at 150C. Once the skins begin to crack, remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Remove as much skin from the hazelnuts by rubbing them in a clean kitchen towel – don’t worry if you don’t manage to get it all off!

nutella 1

3. Once you have most of the skins peeled. Put the peeled nuts in a food processor and then process until creamy. You can stop to scrape down the sides if needs be.

nutella 2

nutella 3

nutella 4

4. Once you have a smooth butter (usually takes about 5 – 6 minutes with a decent food processor), add the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, coconut oil and 3 tbsp of water and blend, blend, blend!

nutella 5

5. Keep processing the mixture until it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s too thick, add one tbsp of water at a time. If it isn’t sweet enough (although I think it should be), you can add some honey to it. Store the finished spread in a sealed container in the fridge for no more than a week.

If you decide to try this recipe, let me know how it goes. Remember, it tastes 100 times better than it looks! xx 🙂

homemade nutella

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Posted on April 7, 2015

5 simple no-cook breakfast ideas

fitness/ food/ Nutrition/ recipes

5 simple no cook breakfast idesas

‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ – These are words that have been drilled into us from the very beginning of time. Yet even as adults, we manage to deprive our bodies of the fuel it needs to get us through the day.

If you tend to skip breakfast because you feel you don’t have the time in the mornings, then here are some simple meals you might like to try out:

Yogurt Parfait

yogurt parfait

  1. Put a layer of plain yogurt in a cup or bowl.
  2. Add some sliced fruit and then sprinkle with nuts or granola.
  3. Add another layer of yogurt and then repeat until you have a mountain of deliciousness!

Tip: If you stick to one fruit, it makes your job much easier! 

Oaty Smoothie

oaty smoothie

  1. Chop up two or three fruit and toss them into a blender.
  2. Pour in some water and blend until you have a smooth texture.
  3. Add in some oats and blend again.

Tip: Soak your oatmeal in water overnight. This will give you a better blend! 

Fruit Salad

fruit salad

  1. Cut up your favourite fruit and put it in a bowl.
  2. Add in some nuts and seeds.
  3. Dress it up with some honey and orange juice before mixing together.

Tip: If you use a lot of berries, you don’t have to worry about slicing too many things up!

Homemade beet juice

beet juice

  1. Throw two beets, 1 celery and 2 glasses of water into a blender.
  2. Process until smooth.
  3. Filter the contents into a glass using a sieve.
  4. Put whatever is left in the sieve back into the blender and then add some more water.
  5. Blend and repeat process until you have yourself a nice glass of beet juice.
  6. Add a dash of lemon juice and enjoy.

Tip: The good thing about this is you can prepare it the night before!

Oatcakes

oat cakes

  1. Spread peanut butter over two or three oatcakes.
  2. Slice up a banana and evenly spread the pieces on top of each.
  3. For some added fibre, sprinkle with chia seeds.

Warning: You will probably want more than two or three of these, they are addictive!

Hope you like these easy recipes, let me know if you decide to give any of them a try! 🙂

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Posted on February 11, 2014

Chocolate avocado mousse

food

avocado chocolate mousee

I know I know, at this stage I’m pushing it with my avocado recipes. But, this one is really tasty! It’s almost hard to believe that something like this could even be a healthy dessert! You only need a few ingredients and it doesn’t take more than 5 minutes – perfect for those who want a quick sugar fix.

So what do you need?

avchoc

2 ripe avocados
2 tbs 100% cocoa powder
2 tbs honey
1 tbs almond milk 

Note: Make sure the avocados are ripe. I made the mistake of using a not so ripe avocados and let’s just say my mousse  didn’t turn out quite ‘moussy’.

What to do:

Peel and pit the avocados before you put them into a blender. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend. If you don’t like your mousse too thick you can add some more milk. I like mine thick and creamy so I try not to put too much liquid. After a couple of seconds your chocolate avocado mousse should begin to look something like this:

avvv

Once it has the consistency you’re looking form you can serve it right away!

It’s a great way to get some avocado’s into your diet, especially if you’re not a huge fan. I’m going to calm it down with the avocado recipes now, but do give this one a go, it tastes amazing!

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Posted on February 4, 2014

Why you should eat more avocados

food/ Not so guilty pleasure

avocado-half

I’m a huge fan of avocados. I love how you can have them with something sweet or you could enjoy them with something savory. Something hot or something cold. As a side dip or a main…..they’re just so versatile!

Lately, I’ve been trying to get a lot more of these into my meals. Since the average avocado has over 200 calories as well as healthy fats, it’s the perfect fruit – yes it’s a fruit, to build muscle tissue and gain weight. Not to mention how good it tastes…..
Now you know why I like my avocados, but why should you get more of these into your diet?
Healthy skin
Of course, anything that’s good for your skin doesn’t get past me. Not only do the antioxidants in this fruit help get rid of the toxins that promote early aging and wrinkles but, they’re also high in vitamin E which is well known for protecting the skin- clearly you’re in good hands!
Good fat
Again, healthy fat. The ones your body actually needs. People with a low-fat diet usually find themselves with sugar cravings (that won’t sit well in the belly!)
Filling
Since avocados contain fiber, you will find only one of these will keep you full for a while. You won’t feel hungry again until long after you’ve had a full avocado – sounds like a lot for some, but believe me, after a work out I could eat a horse – no joke!
Healthy oils
This means it can help restore your healthy body weight. So even if you aren’t trying to gain weight, you could still do with a bit of avocados every now and again,
Versatile
Use it to make a salad or a smoothie. It works well as a replacement for butter or to make ice cream  (yeah that’s a new one, but it’s actually nice!)
Hope I’ve convinced you to eat some more avocados, if not,  check out my avocado ice cream recipe below (not the time of year for it I know, but I guess you can say I’m a bit contrary!)

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avic

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