National Hot Chicken Day- March 30th 2017

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Morning Foodies, today March 30th is National Hot Chicken Day. 

Interesting facts about Hot Chicken-

• Hot Chicken is a hot and spicy Fried Chicken that is a local specialty of Nashville, Tennessee also known as Nashville Hot Chicken.
• The originator of hot chicken is the family of Andre Prince Jeffries, owner of Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack
• Created  by a scorned woman, Thornton Prince’s girlfriend cooked him a supper spicy fried chicken breakfast after he was out all night with another girl. Turns out helped the chicken so much he soon opens a chicken shack in the 1930’s.
• Hot chicken is going National and even global! Even KFC offers Hot Chicken

Today is a day to enjoy some hot chicken with a glass of cold juice today without counting calories :-)

World Autism Awareness Week 27th March-2nd April 2017

From 27 March to 2 April, there are loads of ways to get involved in 2017's World Autism Awareness Week at School, supported by Axcis. Teach your students about autism, fundraise for autistic people and spread the word with free resources like lesson plans, activities and idea packs!

The ninth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2017. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events

International Whiskey Day- March 27th 2017

International Whisk(e)y Day was first announced in 2008 and falls on 27 March each year.  The name is used with the parenthesis to indicate support of Scottish, Canadian, and Japanese whiskies (no e) as well as Irish and American whiskeys (full of e). The day publicly supports Parkinson's Disease research in addition to enjoying Whiskey^{- wikipedia.com}

^{International Whiskey Day was launched in 2009 at the Whiskey Day Festival in the northern Netherlands in the presence of several whiskey writers. The event was created in honor of British writer Michael Jackson and is celebrated on Jackson's birthday.}

Participants are encouraged to raise one up on the day and drink whiskey for the love of the drink as well as to celebrate Michael's life. Others participate via social media using the #whiskyday2015 hashtag. Various bars may have specials on 27 March to celebrate the day.


Taken from the International Whisk(e)y day's website, "International Whisk(e)y Day is a non-profit celebration of whiskey which receives no funding and is run entirely by the passion of whiskey fans from around the world. So if you love whisk(e)y and want to help spread the word, then go ahead and tell someone about it.wikipedia.com

Happy Mother's Day 2017

Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's day to all mums all over the world. Even though Americans celebrate Mother's day on a different day to the UK; we should all celebrate Mother's day everyday.

Being a mum is the best feeling in the world and is also the most tiring and difficult full time job there is.

If you are a mum and you're reading this, I hope you get treated to the best breakfast in bed and showered with lots of love on this glorious day :-)

Have a fantastic day as I will be :-) :-) :-)

Here are some fantastic Mother's Day quotes I found online :-)

Happy Red Nose Day- March 24th 2017

Happy Friday and Happy Red Nose Day 2017, see how you can get involved to have fun, change lives & also have a bit of a laugh here- rednoseday.com

World Water Day- March 22nd 2017

World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about taking action to tackle the water crisis. Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water. This year's theme: Why waste water? in support of SDG 6.3 on improving water quality and reducing, treating and reusing wastewater.

Globally, the vast majority of all the wastewater from our homes, cities, industry and agriculture flows back to nature without being treated or reused – polluting drinking and bathing and irrigation and losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials.

Reducing and safely treating and reusing wastewater, for example in agriculture and aquaculture, protects worker, farmers and consumers promotes food security, health and wellbeing.- source-http://www.who.int/

National Fragrance Day- March 21st 2017

Spring is now in the air, and so is National Fragrance Day.  This day is observed each year on March 21st.  

Now if you know me very well, you'll know I'm a lover of all things fragrance, especially perfumes. My perfume collection is constantly growing on a monthly basis and I can only get really excited if today is National fragrance day; which mean I can spray as much perfume as I like without a care in the world lol...

Have you ever been transported back in time simply by catching the scent of loved one’s perfume? Or perhaps it was the smell of baby powder on a newborn that sent you reeling back to the days when your child was an infant.  Maybe it was a combination of ginger and molasses, and suddenly you were in your grandmother’s kitchen.

 

Whatever the fragrance, scents and memory are powerfully linked.  We associate summer with the smell of freshly cut grass, thunderstorms with the smell of the damp air and the acrid scent of sulfur when lightning has struck.  We often connect memories of winter holidays with warm spiced pies and cookies.

 

The brain is an amazing thing, and science finds out more about it every day.  Simply put, the olfactory bulb which is responsible for processing all those smells we take in is next to the hippocampus deep inside the brain.  Neuroscientists have discovered that one of the responsibilities of the hippocampus is creating new memories.  With the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus immediately adjacent,  research suggests smell and memory are nearly related.

 

Our memories are most closely linked to those we have loved.  Your first love may have worn a unique botanical fragrance, or perhaps the uncle who taught you to tie intricate knots smelled of cedar as he told war stories.  While we may often take a trip down memory lane by looking at a scrapbook, perhaps this time remembering our favorite fragrances will stir up memories that were long forgotten or maybe we will make some new ones.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Find some new ways to enjoy your sense of smell. Use #NationalFragranceDay to post on social media.-source-nationaldaycalendar.com

What are you top 3 perfumes??? Mine are below:-

In no particular order :-)

Chloe Original
Marc Jacobs- Decadence
Thierry Mugler- Alien
Jimmy Choo- Illicit

Tips on how to reduce Salt Intake

We're all aware that too much salt in our diet is bad for our health, but the hidden salt in food is what we really need to be careful of.

World Salt Awareness Week 2017 is from March 20th -26th and aims to raise awareness of salt in the diet, with this year’s theme called ‘Salt: The Forgotten Killer'. read my blog post on that here-http://saiprojectscooking.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/national-salt-awareness-week-march-20th.html

Here are a list of 5 food items that are surprisingly high in salt:-

• Cereal- Probably the one you think is high in sugar is incredibly higher in salt than it is in sugar.
• Bread- A slice of bread contains the same amount of salt as a packet of crisps which is shocking
• Cheddar  Cheese- Cheeses already contain a high level of fats and proteins, however it is found that a serving contains more salt per serving than a packet of crisp.
• Stock Cubes- Probably a culprit with this as I use stock cubes with mostly all my traditional cooking :-( You'd think its a flavour enhancer and should not contain salt; well they do contain as much as 50% salt.
• Tinned Soup-  Supposed to be a very healthy lunch option, however a can of soup contains as much salt as a slice of pizza or even more.

Now here are tips on how to reduce the intake of salt or the above foods generally:-

• Be sparing with sauces, especially soy sauce, as they are usually very high in salt
• Cut down on salty snacks such as crisps – go for low-salt snacks such as dried fruit, sticks of vegetables and unsalted nuts
• Try to eat less bacon, cheese, pickles, smoked fish and ready-made meals, as these contain high sodium levels
• Add less salt when cooking – use herbs and spices to add flavour when cooking
• Make your own stock, or opt for lower salt stock cubes
• Get out of the habit of adding extra salt at the table – remember to taste your food first as often you’ll find it doesn’t need more.

The amount of salt you should take in on a daily basis varies depending on your age. Below are the recommended guidelines from the NHS:

• Adults (and children 11 years and over) should consume no more than 6g of salt a day. This equates to approximately one teaspoon and contains roughly 2.4g of sodium
• Children aged seven to 10 years should eat no more than 5g or less salt a day
• Children aged four to six should consume 3g or less salt a day
• Those aged one to three should consume 2g or less salt a day
• Babies less than one year old should have less than 1g of salt a day. Babies that are breastfed will get the correct amounts required, and formula milk contains similar levels.-source-belfastlive.co.uk

National Salt Awareness Week- March 20th-26th 2017

WASH runs World Salt Awareness Week every year which receives widespread support from many countries around the world. This important week serves to highlight the importance of reducing salt intake in all populations throughout the world, and all countries are invited to participate; be it holding an event, creating media interest or generating awareness within local communities.

Each year WSAW focuses on a particular topic.

This year for World Salt Awareness Week we will be focussing on Hidden Salt- source-worldactiononsalt.com

National Ravioli Day- March 20th 2017

Today March 20th marks National Ravioli day; it is a day to eat as much Ravioli pasta as possible without counting calories.

National Ravioli Day is observed each year on March 20th.  As one of the food holidays, it is very popular with pasta lovers.

Ravioli are a traditional type of Italian filled pasta, made up of a filling sealed between two layers of thin egg pasta dough. The ravioli are usually served in either a broth or with a pasta sauce.  A variety of filling recipes are available from cheesy to meaty.

Served often as the main course, ravioli can also be a side dish or even an appetizer. Many popular recipes bake or deep fry the ravioli. With chocolate added to the pasta or cream cheese stuffing and a caramel sauce, the dish quickly becomes a dessert!

Ravioli can be homemade or may be purchased fresh or frozen in grocery stores.  In the United States, Chef Boyardee popularized the canned ravioli.  This ravioli is filled with either beef or processed cheese and served in a tomato, tomato-meat or tomato-cheese sauce.  St. Louis, Missouri is where the toasted ravioli got its start.- sourcenationaldaycalendar.com

International Day of Happiness- March 20th 2017

Yayyyyy today is International Day of Happiness which means we need to spread positivity today and just be happy regardless of your situation and circumstances.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS...!!!!!

Millions of people would love to be in your shoes right now, so no matter what you're going through; spread the love and smile more :-)

What is the International Day of Happiness? It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. In 2015 the UN launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet – three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

First Day of Spring- March 20th 2017

Good Morning all,

Hope you all had a good weekend and looking forward to a great week ahead?

Today 20th March is officially the first day of Spring 2017 when the sun will be directly over the equator, marking the spring (aka vernal) equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere.

The word equinox is derived from two Latin words: aequus (equal) and nox (night), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It's one of two days out of the year — the other being the autumnal equinox in September — when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness almost everywhere on Earth.

Happy St Patricks Day Day 2017

Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick(c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, cèilidhs, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.Christians also attend church services and historically the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Modern celebrations have been greatly influenced by those of the Irish diaspora, particularly those that developed in North America. In recent years, there has been criticism of Saint Patrick's Day celebrations for having become too commercialised and for fostering negative stereotypes of the Irish.- wikipedia.com

7 Surprising Ways to Lose Belly Fat

Happy Friyayyyyyyyyy Foodies, hope you've al had a good week so far? Phew it's the weekend, so let us all take a moment to relax, chill & enjoy it.

OK so lets get into today's blog post. This post is on the back on yesterday's blog post which I basically spoke about the "Most dangerous parts of the body to carry excess fats". check here if you missed it-http://saiprojectscooking.blogspot.com/2017/03/most-dangerous-areas-of-body-to-carry.htmlhttp://saiprojectscooking.blogspot.com/2017/03/most-dangerous-areas-of-body-to-carry.html

Ok I know it can be very depressing to carry excess fats in the belly area and especially as women, we tend to focus more if what we wear accentuates the belly area.

Well you will be surprised to see the below foods to aid in losing the belly fat.

• Eat Fat- When I mean eat fats, I don't mean take a trip to Mcdonalds everyday and stuff your face with a Big mac burger lol; this won't do your waistline any favours. Eating the right type of fats can make a surprising difference to your mid section. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats (think nuts, avocados and olive oils) helped people to lose belly fat without reducing their calorie consumption.

• Power walk everyday- One of the best ways to lose belly fat is by exercising such as power walks, sit ups, swimming etc. According to a research study, adults who walked or jogged just 12 miles per week gained no visceral fat, while their sedentary counterparts gained 9% fat in six months. Doesn't have to be vigorous exercises, but minimal can do a lot.

• Get some Sunshine (Vitamin D)- This might sound crazy, but not getting enough sunlight can make it prove difficult from losing that spare tyre. When you are low in Vitamin D your levels of the hormone calcitrol rise, and high levels of this substance cause the body to hoard fat. Vitamin D is also believed to work with calcium to help reduce the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes the body to store belly fat. So get some sunshine when you can.

• Get enough Sleep- Could lack of shut-eye be causing your middle-age spread? According to researchers, men and women who slept for five hours or less each night saw an average 32% gain in visceral fat over five years, while those who averaged six or seven hours per night gained only 13%. Scientists believe that lack of sleep alters appetite-regulating hormones, causing you to overeat.

• Don't Eliminate Cheese from your Diet- As fattening as Cheese sounds, people often skip cheese from their diet in an effort to lose weight but there’s good reason to snack on cheese. A Clinical Nutrition research found that cutting back on dairy can trigger the body to boost production of fat cells thanks to higher levels of our old friend calcitrol. Eat some low-fat dairy and the calcium will suppress the calcitrol, allowing your body to break down fat better and make fat cells leaner.

• Eat Orange Veggies- Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for you - it's no secret. But if belly fat is your particular problem, it could pay to fill your plate with orange and yellow varieties.     Betacarotene and lycopene, both of which give colour to veggies such as carrots, sweet potatoes,  tomatoes and apricots, are known to have an effect on your waistline. A 2009 study in of Nutrition concluded that those who ate high amounts of yellow and orange vegetables had less body fat in general, but also smaller waists.

• Don't Stress- Stressing less can really help to lose the belly fat; when you're stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which stimulates appetite and induces cravings for sugary, fatty foods. Unfortunately, it also gives your body a clear signal that fat needs to be stored for emergency fuel. So, if the work day is getting away from you and you're already considering that sugary snack, take five and breathe deeply instead.

Most Dangerous Areas of the Body to carry Fat

As women, most of us have an area of our body where we wish excess fat can actually distribute; such as our boobs or buttocks. But sadly, it never seems to be those wonderful parts of our bodies.

Research recently looked into which areas of the body are the most concerning and the most dangerous to carry fat, and they found that the stomach area is the most problematic :-(

This is an area most women including myself struggle with to lose the fat. I have been trying to eat well and exercise few times a week but I still feel like losing my belly fat is a big struggle.

Studies reveal that excess weight around the midsection of your body is usually what is called visceral fat, which gathers around the body's organs. This differs to subcutaneous fat - the less worrying kind - which lies just under the skin.

The fact that fat on the belly tends to be visceral, means it can "increase inflammation in the body, leading to Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol."

Note-Not all fat around the abdomen is visceral, however you can work out whether it's visceral or subcutaneous quite easily, simply by lying down. 

"If you lie on your back, and your fat doesn't stick up, it's probably just under the skin," "If it sort of sticks up and looks like you're pregnant, then it's likely visceral."

Not all bad news lol, studies have also revealed that the stuff located around the thighs and bum is much less worrying. Infact, it can be a good thing If you carry more fat in your bum and thigh area that is actually associated with better health, lower risk of cardiac disease or diabetes, so a lot of Women should be happy about fat or excess fat on their thighs, it keeps us really healthy so makes me feel alot better lol :-)

Happy International Women's Day 2017

Today March 8th marks International Women's Day; today is a day  to celebrate all women across the globe.



International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

International Women's Day (IWD) has been observed since in the early 1900's - a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. International Women's Day is a collective day of global celebration and a call for gender parity. No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women's network or media hub is solely responsible for International Women's Day. Many organizations declare an annual IWD theme that supports their specific agenda or cause, and some of these are adopted more widely with relevance than others.

"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights," says world-renowned feminist, journalist and social and political activist Gloria Steinem. Thus International Women's Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action - whatever that looks like globally at a local level. But one thing is for sure, International Women's Day has been occurring for well over a century - and continue's to grow from strength to strength. source-internationalwomensday.com