Saiprojects

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

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.

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.

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.





"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

Its that time of the year again when we get tossing, cause its Shroveeeeeeeeee Tuesday :-)

I so much love Pancake day especially since been a mum; my daughter absolutely loves pancakes and I have so much fun making them with her.

Here are 3 different ways you can enjoy your pancakes today :-)

Watch the video tutorial here:-)


Pancake 1- Strawberry Pancakes

Ingredients:-

-A handful of Strawberries cut into small chunks
-2 cups of Pancake mix
-1 and half cups of water
-Spray of oil

Method:-
Add the Pancake mix and water, mix well and lightly grease a frying pan with some spray oil. Now gently pour mixture into the pan,

Now add some of the strawberries and toss over and leave to fry until desired. 

Repeat the process for each Pancake & enjoy with some Bananas and syrup




Pancake 2- Red Velvet Pancakes

Ingredients for Pancake:-
-2 cups of Red Velvet Cake Mix
-Half of Cup of Flour
-1 and half cups of Whole Fresh Milk
-1 egg

Ingredients for the Cream Cheese topping
- 6 oz of Mascarpone Cheese
-half of cup of icing sugar
-quarter cup of Whole fresh milk
-1 tsp of vanilla extract


Method for the Pancakes:-
Add all the above ingredients together, mix well until batter is thick and smooth, fry until nicely done.


Method for the topping:-
Mix all ingredients well together  until smooth and top it up on the Pancakes. Enjoy with some blueberries.

Pancake 3- Chocolate Stuffed Pancakes

Ingredients:-

-Pancake Batter
-Chocolate Sauce

Method:- Add batter into a frying pan, add the chocolate sauce and top up with batter. Fry until done. Enjoy with some raspberries and chocolate sauce.


Enjoy :-)

Good Morning and a big Happy Valentines Day to all my readers from different parts of the world. Here's wishing you all a great day ahead to spend with your loved ones :-)

Hi guys,

As Valentine's day is upon us, I have decided to make a Dinner for 2 for those of us that do not want to face the hustle & bustle of packed restaurants on Valentine's day.

Here is my Italian inspired 2 course Valentine Dinner for 2.


Watch the video tutorial here:-

So for starter I have gone for the Tomato & Basil Bruschetta.
Ingredients:-

1 fresh tomato (diced)
1 clove of diced garlic
1 clove of garlic for glazing
some chopped basil
2 teaspoons of Balsamic Vinegar
Ciabatta bread cut into slices.
2 tablespoons of Olive oil

Method:-

Cut the bread into slices of your choice and glaze with some Olive oil




Bake for 6 minutes.




Whilst baking, prepare the sauce by adding the diced tomato, diced garlic and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Mix well and once the bread has finished baking, rub the whole garlic on each side of the bread and then now add the tomato basil on to your bread as desired.





For the main you'll need:-

Ingredients:-
Cooked Tagliatelle Pasta- only cook for 1 minute
Raw King Prawns or replace with Chicken or beef if preferred.
Diced Bacon
1 onion
Salt
Pepper
Stock cube (optional)
1 cup of Double cream
1 Fresh Tomato (Diced)
5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
1 clove of diced garlic
Parsley

Method:-

In a non stock pan, fry the bacon pieces without adding any oil; remember the bacon is full of oil so you don't need to add any extras. Now add the prawns after frying to your satisfaction. Add some salt & pepper to taste including the stock cube which is optional.

Once fried, take them out of the pan and place aside. Now using the same pan (without washing), fry the onion, tomato & garlic. Add the cream and let it simmer for 3 ,minutes under low heat.


Now add the pasta, mix well and add your bacon & prawn. Add the Parmesan cheese & finally add the parsley. Now leave to simmer for few minutes on low heat and all done.



Set the table and Enjoy your dinner. Have a lovely Valentines day everyone.

National Pizza Day is dedicated to appreciating pizza, a baked flatbread that is topped with tomato sauce and cheese. Many toppings and sauces can be added to pizzas, including vegetables, meats and seafood. Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy around the 10th century, and has since grown to become one of the most popular foods in America.



In 1905, America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened in New York. Since then, pizza consumption in America has increased greatly and many pizza chains, such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s have emerged. The origin of National Pizza Day is not well understood although accounts of National Pizza Day began to emerge around the 2000s. It is celebrated annually on February 9th. source-wincalendar.com

Morning Foodies,

Happy National Potato Lovers Day; here are five food facts about Potatoes :-)

• The word potato is derived from a Native American word “Batata”
• The first cultivated potatoes date back to 500o BC in Peru. Originally, they were purple and when cooked they turn a deep blue color.
• Most of the nutrients found in potatoes are in its skin.
• The average American eats 140 pounds of potatoes per year.
• The word spud actually means “to dig a small hole in the ground, similar to spade, a tool to dig small holes.- source Foodimentary.com