Colourful ways to brighten your days

One easy and effective way to change your moody outlook is to brighten up your life with colour. Research has proven how colour therapy, or chromo therapy, is a natural way to lift your spirits. We researched on this topic on ChicagoHealers.com practitioner articles by Karen Erickson about how we can inject more colour into our life. Here's what the natural health expert had to say.

Wear colourful attire

Think about it: Don't you feel more cheery when you wear that yellow sweater than when you put on that gray sweatshirt? According to Erickson, clothing that's bright will instantly put you in a cheerful mood and even make others around you feel merry as they visually absorb your brightness. That means you help cheer up others, too. "During the winter, people tend to wear darker clothing, but the duller the colours you wear, the duller your mood is," says Erickson. "Wear richer, more vibrant colours because wearing lots of black and gray can cause depression."

Paint your home or office

Give your home or workplace an inspiring, lively ambiance with a new coat of bright paint. Vibrant colours such as yellows or oranges will fill a room with excitement and warmth, while dark colours like greys or browns create a boring, monotonous feeling. "People suffering the winter blues or SAD [seasonal affective disorder] can surround themselves with brighter colours to feel happy," Erickson adds. "Yellows and oranges promote joy and laughter and also aid in improving focus. The more surrounded you are with rich colours, the happier you are!" Pastel colours, such as lavender and pinks, can help you manage stress because these soft, soothing colours foster calm feelings.

Be colourful with your food

Eating a rainbow of colours isn't just good for your health; it's good for your mood, too! Erickson recommends eating and smelling foods, oils and spices that are yellow, orange, green and red because of their rewarding health benefits as well as their ability to give you feelings of joy, tranquillity and passion. She points out, "During these winter months, we often resort to comfort foods, such as mashed potatoes, heavy soups and pastas, which are brown and tan-coloured, and not as uplifting as the colourful, fresh foods we eat in the summer months." Stick with the rich-coloured foods in the winter so you feel more joyful and fill your plate with more nutrient-dense foods.

Wear colour therapy glasses

Are you known as the person who wears the tinted-coloured glasses? Literally speaking, it can actually be good for your mood. Lenses with coloured tints allow for light entering your body to be concentrated in one spectrum. Therefore, your mood will enhance according to the colour of your lenses. "Yellow and orange are the best colours for colour therapy glasses, especially for those with SAD," explains Erickson. "The great thing about yellow-tinted glasses is that you can drive with them and still see the red and green signs! Also, yellow is very effective in helping improve focus and learning abilities."

Visualize colours

Even if you can't drastically transform your plain walls into bright displays of colour and you have to wear the same less-than-cheery clothing every day, you can visualize yourself surrounded by a specific colour that will help instil the mood associated with that colour. Erickson strongly suggests that you simply imagine you're lying on a beach on a gorgeous, sunny day with bright trees and colourful plants around you. "The longer you practice this meditation, the more peaceful and cheerful you'll feel!" she adds.

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#HEALTHANDWELNESS
#MICHELLEBORBOA

Have a smashing week!

Color is key!

Good morning and good week my people!
Though this winter has had record high temperatures, you may still be experiencing the winter blues, especially if your weather has included gray skies and soggy days. AfroVibes #Health looks at how colors can help brighten your mood and set you through a more colourful and happier day!

Chicken noodle soup

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 litres (8 cups) salt-reduced chicken stock
300g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
185g rice vermicelli
1 bunch baby pak choy (baby bok choy), shredded coarsely
2 medium (240g) carrots, cut into matchsticks
115g punnet baby corn, sliced diagonally
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
6 green onions (green shallots),
finely sliced diagonally

 

 

 

METHOD

Combine oil, garlic, ginger and chilli in a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until aromatic.

Add the stock and chicken breast fillets to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer gently until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken from saucepan.

Bring soup back to the boil; add the noodles and cook until almost tender. Add pak choy, carrots and corn, and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until the pak choy leaves are bright green.

Meanwhile, shred the chicken.

Remove the saucepan from the heat; stir in the chicken and coriander. Serve soup topped with the green onions.

 

#fresco.ent #msn9

Manhattan clam chowder

INGREDIENTS

1kg vongole (clams), or pipis
½ cup (125ml) white wine
40g butter
1 medium (150g) brown onion,
chopped finely
2 rashers bacon, chopped finely
2 trimmed (150g) celery sticks,
chopped finely
¼ cup (35g) plain flour
2 small chicken stock cubes
1.25L (5 cups) water
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
3 large (900g) potatoes, peeled,
cut into 2cm cubes
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley

garlic bread
1 small French stick
75g butter, softened
1 large clove garlic, crushed

METHOD

Rinse the vongole thoroughly under cold running water to remove any grit and sand. Add vongole and wine to a large heated saucepan. Cook, covered, over high heat, for about 4 minutes or until vongole open. Remove pan from heat and strain vongole over large bowl. Measure 300ml of the cooking liquid and reserve.

Meanwhile, melt butter in the same large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bacon and celery, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until browned lightly. Add flour, cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Gradually stir in reserved cooking liquid, crumbled stock cubes, water, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves and potatoes.

Bring to the boil; cook, covered, for about 20 minutes or until the potato is tender.

Garlic bread
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Cut French stick into thick slices, leaving base intact. Spread slices on both sides with combined butter and garlic. Wrap the bread stick in foil, leaving top slightly open. Bake for about 15 minutes or until butter has melted.

Just before serving, stir vongole and parsley through chowder. Serve with Garlic Bread.
#fresco.ent #msn9 #women'sweekly

Chunky beef and vegetable soup

Try this delicious chunky beef and vegetable soup recipe, perfect for cold winter nights.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
600g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
1 medium brown onion (150g), chopped coarsely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1.5 litres (6 cups) water
1 cup (250ml) beef stock
400g can diced tomatoes
2 trimmed celery stalks (200g), cut into 1cm pieces
1 medium carrot (120g), cut into 1cm pieces
2 small potatoes (240g), cut into 1cm pieces
310g can corn kernels, rinsed, drained
½ cup (60g) frozen peas

                                       

METHOD

Heat half of the oil in large saucepan; cook beef, in batches, until browned.

Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Return beef to pan with the water, stock and undrained tomatoes; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1½ hours.

Add celery, carrot and potato to soup; simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add corn and peas to soup; stir over heat until peas are tender.

#fresco #ninemsn #women'sweekly

4 Warm Winter Soup Recipes

From chicken noodle to chowder, here are 4 easy soup recipes your family will slurp up!

 

Italian Meatball Soup

This savory soup offers long-simmered flavor in a fraction of the time. A few simple shortcuts deliver a perfect, flavor-packed meal that even your Italian grandmother would love -- and in only half an hour.

Sometimes I fantasize about having a pot of soup simmering away on the stove all day. But in my hectic life, that's not usually the reality. But you can have slow-simmered flavor in a fraction of the time with a few simple tricks. Quality chicken broths in boxes are a time saver when you don't have any homemade on hand, and Italian sausages squeezed from their casing make terrifically flavored meatballs. In less than 30 minutes you can have authentic tasting Italian meatball soup even your Nonna would approve of.

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 32 ounce box free-range chicken broth
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 large handfuls baby spinach
• 1 10 ounce package small tortellini, fresh
• large handful parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Squish the sausage out of the casing to make rustic meatballs and drop in the oil. You should get about 4 balls per link. Brown meatballs on all sides and remove from the pan.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and add onions and a pinch of salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft. Add garlic and stir for one minute more.
3. Raise heat and pour in chicken stock, diced tomatoes and their juice, and herbs. Bring to a simmer. Add spinach and meatballs, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Raise heat to medium high, add fresh tortellini and simmer for 5 minutes more or until pasta is cooked through. Stir in Parmesan cheese , reserving some for sprinkling over at the table

#ALISONNEEDHAM   #DISNEYFAMILY.COM   #Fresco.Ent

HAPPY SUNDAY

AFRO VIBES HEALTH PRESENTS
Five ways to heat up your love life

1

Be spontaneous

If you’ve been together for a long time it can feel like excitement or surprise is lacking in the relationship. This is a time to get out of that predictability and create some spontaneous exhilaration together. Don’t let the early darkness and cold nights stop you from surprising your partner with a spontaneous date such as dance lessons or an afternoon picnic in the winter sun. Steal a bit of time together when and where you can, to show your partner how much of a priority they are to you, no matter how unwelcoming the weather is.

2

Be affectionate

Instead of covering yourself up all winter long, peel back the layers and touch each other – a lot. Get between the sheets, take a massage course, entwine in a hot tub or heated pool, just get naked together at home and share some sensual skin-on-skin time. Touching releases Oxycontin which gives us that lovely bonded feeling. Enjoy more of that this winter and you’ll feel warm from the inside out.

3

Start smooching

Make this the season you kiss every day. In long-term relationships kissing, especially passionate kissing, can all but disappear. Don’t allow your passionate relationship to be reduced to just a quick peck and re-introduce the regular pash. Take care of your lips in winter, not just with balm, but with love. You’ll feel more connected to your partner if you just kiss more. Did you know that your lips are the most sensitive body part you have? Give them some loving attention and feel the pleasure from your luscious lovely lips to your … everywhere.

4

Plan a holiday

Maybe winter is when you get away, or maybe it’s when you hibernate. But this is a great time to take a quick romantic trip or start planning your next destination together. You’ll avoid the winter blues by dreaming and planning your next fun adventure. Whether it’s somewhere warm or a cosy weekend away this is a chance to keep your relationship moving forward by making a project of picking your place and sharing your ideas.

5

Do something together

This is a great time to try something out of your comfort zone so you need to rely on one another as a team. For the less adventurous, you don’t have to be physical to try something new, although keeping fit during the winter has benefits for your health as well as your libido. You can take a cooking class or start a new hobby such as art class, writing, bridge, dancing, skiing or yoga. Even if it’s not something organized, choose a book to read together and discuss. Or you can even make a game of choosing a new activity to share. Collaborate as a team to brainstorm ideas and make a wish list. Whatever you do, if you do it together, you’ll see each other through new eyes and that will excite and warm any heart.


#BEAUTY+SOUL #FRESCO.ENT

Double Dark-Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti

Pack two of these sweet treats with your lunch and the vending machine won't seem so tempting. Makes 30 cookies (84 calories each).

The sweet spiciness of the crystallized ginger in these cookies complements the richness of the dark chocolate. Cooking tip: Avoid getting water in the chocolate mixture while it's melting, or the chocolate will seize up and become granular and clumpy, ultimately making it difficult to work with.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions

1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.        In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined; set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg, egg yolk, and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the vanilla and oil until well combined.

3.        With the mixer on low, beat in dry ingredients until combined. Fold in walnuts, chocolate, and ginger with a rubber spatula (dough will be stiff).

4.        With moistened hands shape the dough into 2 logs, each about 9 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Bake until set on top, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

5.        Transfer logs to a cutting board and, with a serrated knife, cut each log on the diagonal into 16 slices, each 1/2 inch thick. Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes, turning the biscotti over midway through. Cool 5 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

#Wholeliving.com #fresco.ent

Chocolate-Apricot Nut Bars

Making your own bars is surprisingly easy; this version requires less than 10 minutes of prep. Experiment with your favorite dried fruits and nuts. For snacking on the run, wrap bars individually in parchment.

 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried apricots
• 1/2 cup raw almonds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 ounce dark chocolate, melted

Directions

1.         Pulse apricots, almonds, 1 tablespoon coconut, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until finely ground.

2.        Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving an inch overhang on all sides. Transfer mixture to pan and press firmly to form a rectangle.

3.        Use parchment overhang to remove from pan. Drizzle mixture with chocolate and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

4.        Transfer to refrigerator and leave until firm, about 15 minutes. Slice into six bars.

Cook's Note

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.


#wholeliving.com    #fresco.ent

The Best Snacks to Take to Work

Gotta run? Take these healthy snacks with you. These make-ahead and no-cook recipes travel well and are perfect for the office fridge or your desk drawer.

A nice break from nuts, edamame give this unconventional trail mix a satisfying crunch. For a shortcut, substitute 3/4 cup store-bought roasted edamame for the homemade.

Dry-Roasted Edamame with Cranberries

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1.         Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange edamame on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Season with salt. Roast, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool. Toss with cranberries.

Cook's Note

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Goooooood morning good people!

Today we are going to be looking at great food for the office. A great selection of snacks that are fool proof and great to have at arms reach in your office to keep you and your brain going!
#Fresco

10 Healthy Ways to Help a Hangover

While it's not something I'm proud of, I've got plenty of hangovers under my belt. See, despite all of my healthy practices—yoga, deep breathing, clean cosmetics, brown rice and kale eating—I'm just not that great at saying no to that third or fourth drink once I get going. Bless those of you who are—and damn those of you who are immune to hangovers altogether! Apparently you exist, and you are lucky. But while I am working on my to-don't list (new rule: don't drink before dinner), I've also concluded that the only thing worse than a hangover is the guilt and self-loathing that can come with it.

And where does that take most of us? Why, straight to the couch with a big bag of chips, or some other crap we're craving that can leave us feeling worse than before—as we try desperately to fill that hangover hole in our hearts. This got us thinking: Short of avoiding hangovers altogether (genius!), there has to be a more holistic approach to dealing with them when they happen. So, since we know there are no silver bullets for too much booze anyways, Siobhan and I culled our top ten healthy tips for healing after a night of hard partying.

Got any to add?

Have some miso soup with your eggs. This is totally a thing in Japan. Miso soup replaces a lot of things our bodies need to feel better: water, sodium, and other nutrients depleted by the diuretic effects of the alcohol. Because it's a fermented food that contains healthy bacteria, miso can also aid with digestion. Too much alcohol is known to disrupt the stomach's lining and can often result in unpleasant digestive side effects—let's leave it at that. Oh and the cysteine in eggs breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde, so they really are a good breakfast choice post-boozing (and don't skip the yellows).

Take a handful of omega 3s—and then repeat. There's not muchomegas aren't good for. Take them when you get home; take them when you wake up; take them take them take them. Alcohol causes inflammation (which is at the root of most health problems), and omegas are proven to fight that inflammation a serious way. They will also help combat some of the unpleasant side effects of alcohol on your face, like dry, aggro, blotchy skin. Just trust us on this one.

Drink kombucha tea. Yeah, the weird stuff with the floaties at the bottom that actually can contain a bit of alcohol itself. Maybe it's a hair-of-the-dog thing, but kombucha absolutely makes us feel better when we have a hangover. Again, it's fermented, which means it's really good for your sad little tummy. And if you don't believe us just ask more seasoned hangover experts like Lindsey Lohan and the ladies at Jezebel.

Have sex or just a good cuddle. We've said it lots of times: Physical contact releases oxytocin and other happy-making hormones. And feeling cuddly and warm about the world beats out feeling glum and self-punishing. The trick is you have to do it with someone you like because, most of the time time, sex with someone you don't like is probably not going to help anything—and definitely not your hangover.

Get some body work. If there's no one to curl up with at the moment, try a professional. Actually, try a professional anyways. I always forget this one, but a good massage makes a planet of difference. Maybe that's because massage also releases happy hormones, or that one massage is proven to seriously boost your immune system with more white blood cells.

Try some hydrotherapy. One of my favorite activities—hungover or not—is hitting up a Korean spa here in Los Angeles. While these spas offer great massages and scrubs, I usually just pay the minimum to enjoy their hot and cold tubs, steam rooms, and saunas. The act of going from hot water to cold water, and back again, is so rejuvenating. It increases circulation and toxin elimination—some even believe that immersion in cold water gives a kick to the old immune system, which has some scientific support in human and animal studies (though it definitely needs more research). If you have a bath and a shower at home, you can duplicate the spa experience. A few drops of eucalyptus oil into the cold bath is a nice touch—or make the bath hot and the shower cold. Very important: Because this process will also make you sweat, you must hydrate. Make a little lemon or cucumber water to feel extra spa-y and kind to yourself.

Do some exercise—but just a little bit! The camps are divided on this, but here's our take: If exercise makes you feel better then you should do it. Again though, hydration is key here, and it is important that you not overdo it. Exercise increases circulation, helps elimination, and releases a cocktail of mood-boosting hormones. The few times I've forced myself to do it with a hangover, it's totally helped. From a psychological point of view, if you're a bit of a type A, it will also let you feel more OK about taking the rest of the day to chill (which we encourage).

Have a banana/blueberry/kale/lemon smoothie. Antioxidants. Potassium. Natural sugars. Vitamins. Digestive enzymes. These are things that actually really help heal a hangover. Get thee to a green smoothie. It has to be made fresh though, not one of those plastic bottles of green stuff next to juice in the grocery store.

Drink coconut water from a coconut. We all know by now that coconut water is nature's Gatorade—just way better. According to thisTIME piece, it has the same five electrolytes found in human blood; that sports drink we just mentioned only has two. Pshaw. Also, it's been used in medical emergencies. I don't know about you, but I've had hangovers that could almost qualify. We advocate getting a real green coconut if you can—many healthfood stores offer them with a straw—because whole foods are always better, right Mr. Pollan?

Enjoy your hangover. Come again? That's right, you heard me. There are some great reasons to have a hangover: You needed a break anyways. You haven't taken a sick day in months. You can't remember the last time you watched daytime television. There's nothing you have to do that can't wait until tomorrow. You still haven't watched Country Strong. Sundays are for rest anyways. Nothing important ever happens on a Tuesday. In other words: Let yourself off the hook. Besides, the only person mad at your hangover is you.

#GOODLIFESTYLE #FRESCO.ENT