lundi 30 juin 2014

Healthy Foods Anyone Can Buy and Cook With.

Healthy Foods Anyone Can Buy and Cook With.

One of the best things you can do for your diet is to make your own food from scratch, but many people find this task a little intimidating and time consuming. But I'm here to tell you that a few exrtra ingredients can help make it a much easier task.

The first thing you have to start with is getting all the right ingredients in your shopping list. They don’t have to be fancy and expansive, they just have to be good. Add these wonderful healthy items to your grocery list and your kitchen will become a kingdom of wellness.
Kale 
 
This is a great source for vitamins A, C, K, calcium, essential fatty acids and iron. It is one of the most celebrated superfoods and it is surprisingly versatile. It makes for a great salad base, soup herb, crispy oven chips and burger topping. You won't necessity find it in every store you visit, but if you do, add it, it's a much have for any healthy kitchen. 
Bananas
 
A natural power snack, bananas are a great source of potassium, B6 and vitamin C. Banans are a great way to quiet your sweet cravings without adding refined sugar, so put some of these guys in your shopping cart to remind yourself not to buy any more snacks. Eat bananas by themselves or add them to oatmeal, pancakes and pudding. If you have a blender you can make yummy smoothies and mixtures for baking banana muffins and other such goodies.
Quinoa
 
This 'super seed' is a delicious complete protein, high in fiber and iron and only takes 15 minutes to make, as simple as making rice. Throw some into your soups or use it to replace rice or pasta as a side dish. Mix in nuts or berries for flavor and it's a great dish by itself.
Nuts

 
If your supermarket is selling raw, unsalted nuts, than it’s a crime not to buy some for your family. Nuts are full of heart and brain-boosting fats and a good source of protein as qwll tons of vitamins and minerals. Avoid kinds that have added, unhealthy, oils and excess sodium.
Much like other foods on this list, nuts can be easily combined with many types of dishes, or just be a simple fun snack by themselves. If you really want to get creative you can add nuts to your spaghetti and meat casseroles or go with the standard approach of salad and cereal topping. Just keep in mind that some nuts are very high on calories so don’t overdo it!
Oats
 
Great for their fiber and important minerals, oats are a sustainable energy source to get you filled up and ready to get through your day. Put some in water or milk on the stove and let it boil while you get ready. When it’s nice and soft add seeds, nuts, fruits, or coconut flakes, whatever your heart fancies. If you don’t mind working a bit harder, oats are also wonderful when it comes to baking, too.
Chickpeas or legumes
 
Canned or dried, these are a great way to eat more protein, fiber, B vitamins and lots of minerals like iron and magnesium. They are very easy to cook with and can be used in veggie dishes and as topping for other foods listed here such as quinoa.
Olive oil
 
Much has been said already about olive oil so I'll keep it short and simple. Look for either organic, extra virgin or cold-pressed brands and anything you will make with it will immediately become a celebration of taste and wellness. Use it as a dressing and for all of your low heat cooking needs.
Hummus
 
This delicious source of protein, fiber and minerals (such as iron and calcium), can now be found in high quality and a variety of flavors. More and more supermarkets offer this tasty and healthy spread. Eat it with veggies, crackers, baked chips, and use it as condiment on sandwiches or even hamburgers and other meat dishes. Make sure it doesn't come with unhealthy oils, as some do.

Lemons: 
 
Like all citrus, lemons are well known for their high amounts of vitamin C and many healthy benefits. Just buying a few extra lemons each time you go to the store can work wonders for you and your family. Use it as a dressing for fish and veggies, add grated lemon rinds to your cooking and baking or just squeeze it into water for a refreshing and detoxifying drink that helps you detox every day.
Apples
 
Known for their fiber and vitamin C, few people dislike apples, but many forget them when it comes to daily grocery shopping.. Keep them in a bowl on the kitchen counter so that anyone will have a healthy snack they can easily eat whenever they want. You can also chop it and mix it with your salad for an extra sweet taste.
Garlics and onions
 
Both of these are great "healing foods", rich in antioxidants and loaded with vitamins (especially vitamin C). You can use garlic and onions as a base for almost everything you cook. From a simple scrambled egg to the most complex culinary creations, when you are eating at home or grilling meat outside. Once you have them around the house you will surely find more and more amazing uses for them, so always pick some up when you are shopping.

Nut milk

 
Almond and coconut milks are well known dairy alternatives full of proteins, healthy fats and lots of essential vitamins and minerals. They are good if you're avoiding dairy products or if you just want to help make your fridge a bit healthier. They can both be used the same way you use normal milk, but the taste will be a bit different.
Seeds

 
Sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, hemp hearts, ground flax, chia and many other seeds like them are tiny powerhouses of nutrition. Including healthy fats, proteins, fiber, calcium, and all sorts of other vitamins and minerals. The uses for seeds are truly endless, so I recommend you just experiment with them and have fun, discover how great and easy it can be to get creative in the kitchen.
Frozen berries
 
Another sweet addition to your diet that’s full of micronutrients and anti-oxidants. You can buy frozen berries, fresh berries or organic berries and no matter what you will enjoy many healthy benefits. Add them to your morning cereals, your smoothies and your yogurt, it's not even cooking and it can do wonders for you!
So there you have it, you can now go shopping and pick up better products for you and your family. You don’t have to buy them all and you don’t have to do so all the time, but when you remember these benefits, take a few and add them to your grocery bag, you won't regret it!

Jim Dingilian's Amazing Bottled Paintings.

Jim Dingilian's Amazing Bottled Paintings.

Art can take many forms. but I have never seen something as unique as this. Using an amazing and delicate technique of painting with smoke, Jim Dingilian creates detailed scenes on the insides of empty glass bottles. The process begins with coating the bottles inner surfaces with smoke and then brushing it away, slowly and selectively.
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Each painting can easily be destroyed by the smallest wrong movement, and each art piece takes many long hours to make. Jim explains his choice for "canvas" and style of drawing by saying that the bottles are "empty artifacts of consumption and delight", thrown along the roads at the edges of the suburbia he paints. 
Bottled Paintings
This unusual method and use of smoke goes hand in hand with what he thinks about his art: "Locations which seem mysterious or even slightly menacing, despite their commonplace nature". No doubt Jim has found a stunning and incredible way to deliver his massage. 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 
Bottled Paintings
 

Record: World's Longest Wood Carving!

Record: World's Longest Wood Carving!

 
It took Chinese artist Zheng Chunhui 4 years to enter the Guinness Book of Records for the world's longest wooden carving. Chunhui is a famous wood carver, and his creation, his magnum opus, is over 40 feet (12 meters) long and made from one single tree trunk. 

In addition to being so long, it also stands at 3 meters tall (10 feet) and is 2.4 meters (8 feet) wide. This amazingly intricate work features three dimensional boats, buildings bridges and 550 individually carved human figures, who are carrying cargo, shopping in markets, talking to each other and going about their daily business. 
 
world's longest wood carving
 
 world's longest wood carving     world's longest wood carving
 
The scene depicted is actually a copy of a very famous Chinese painting 'Along the River During the Quinming Festival', which was painted over 1,000 years ago during the Song Dynasty by artist Zhang Zeduan. Many consider it the 'Chinese Mona Lisa'. This painting is one of the best indications of what ancient Chinese culture was life. 
world's longest wood carving
The work was awarded the world record on Thursday last week as part of Guinness World Records Day. Chunhui's carving was unveiled at the Palace Museum in Beijing, the same location as the scroll on which it is based.  
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving
 
world's longest wood carving

dimanche 29 juin 2014

Surprising Facts About N.Korea

Surprising Facts About N.Korea

N.Korea is without a doubt the more mystreious country in the world, due to its media blackout, the strictness of the rules and that only a handful of people are allowed access to the internet. Few outside visitors are allowed each year, and what they report back to the world is usually both alarming and bewildering, as this little country has many laws, customs and regulations we've never heard of. Here are some of the facts that surprised and shocked me the most about N.Korea. 

North korea facts
North Koreans started their calendar on the date of birth of their legendary leader Kim Il-Sung. 
 
North korea facts
Surprisingly, this otherwise strict country does not consider marijuana as an illegal substance, and it can be purchased there.

North korea facts
They hand out ballots with only one option on them. I think the results are quite predictable. But hey, elections, right?

North korea facts
Police officers control all traffic in the city. Of course, since only military personnel are allowed to own vehicles, it's not that much to deal with.

North korea facts
The Rungnado May Day stadium contains 150,000 seats.

North korea facts
If a person violates a law or is sent to prison camp, the government can punish up to 3 generations from him. That means your grandparents, parents and children can be sent to work alongside with you.

North korea facts
In the 1990s all teachers were required to learn how to play accordions. Today, many citizens continue to specialize in the instrument. 

North korea facts
Kidnapping him and his wife, Kim Jong-il forced the director Shin Sang-ok to make films for him, until the director managed to escape some years later.

North korea facts
Kim Il-sung is the eternal leader of N.Korea, even though his heirs rule in his place.

North korea facts
Apparently he has a taste for brandy...

North korea facts
The N.Korean central news agency reported scientists found a unicorn burial ground.

North korea facts
N.Korea claims their literacy rate is among the higest in the world.

North korea facts
It is preserved in a glass tomb for anyone to visit.

North korea facts
Two of them are only available on the weekend and the third only in the evening. South Korea soap operas are among the most popular things smuggled in.

North korea facts
They claim to operate under an ideology known as 'Juche', or 'man is the master of everything and decides everything."

North korea facts
You read correctly. Students are expected to cover all the costs but the teacher, causing some parents to secretly pull their kids out of school.

North korea facts
Ine of N.Korea's only cities and home to 3 million people,   only the elite, trustworthy, healthy and loyal citizens are allowed to live there.

North korea facts
Due to a lack of resources, N.Korea is forced to use human feces as fertilizer, demanding the product from its citizens.

North korea facts
Working under inhumane conditions in 16 work camps.

North korea facts
You may have already known this, but half of the 24 million N.Koreans don't have access to even basic human needs.