Merry Christmas !

My favourite accompaniment on Christmas Day is baked and mashed root vegetables, which is really tasty and can be prepared well in advance. Cut 500g each of peeled carrots, butternut squash, swede, parsnip and celeriac into cubes. Heat up a pan on a medium heat and add 150g butter.

When melted, add 12g thyme, two bay leaves, six sliced garlic cloves and the vegetables and some salt and pepper. Cook this in a shallow pan and cover with a lid. Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes, then add 500ml chicken stock.
Carry on cooking for a further 10-12 minutes without the lid and add 80g honey and cook until soft and the liquid has reduced. Mash the vegetables to a course puree, then place in a buttered casserole dish, cover in 50g of breadcrumbs and sprinkle over 30g golden syrup. Grate over a little nutmeg, then bake in the oven at 170C/gas mark 3 for 30 minutes.

10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Doing a Detox

They have been a celebrity beauty secret and weight loss trick for years, but now that detoxing and juice cleanses have been introduced to the masses, it is rare to meet someone who hasn't tried one. Nowadays, at-home juicers are as common as toasters and cold-pressed juice shops are on every corner. The benefits from detoxing are truly endless, but there are still some things to be aware of before you start your cleanse.By Molly Carroll >



1. Prepare Accordingly. Consider the days leading up to your cleanse, as your "pre-cleanse" phase. This means binging on your favorite food the night before is not recommended, instead you should cut down on the coffee, meat, sugar and dairy and add more fruit and vegetables to your diet. This will make the transition into the cleanse a lot easier, and the withdrawals less intense.
2. It's not for everyone. If you are under the age of 18, are pregnant or nursing, it is not advised that you try a juice cleanse.
3. You will lose weight, fast. By cutting all fat from your diet and drinking juices that consist of strictly fruits and vegetables, you are bound to shed pounds. The catch is, some people end up gaining the weight back, and then some after the cleanse is over. With that said, the purpose of the cleanse is to adopt a healthier relationship with food and to embrace a healthier lifestyle in general, so if the cleanse works for you on a physical AND mental basis, the weight should stay off.
4. It's expensive. If you are ordering a juice cleanse package, the going rate is about $65 a day. If you'd rather make your juices at home, the cost of a juicer can reach the staggering price of $400, not including the bundles of fruits and vegetables you need to make the juices.
5. The juices aren't exactly filling. It may not come as a surprise, but drinking your meals does not provide the same satisfaction as chewing your food. You are drinking about 5 or 6 juices a day though, so you are receiving an insane amount of nutrients that will get you through the day.
6. The first few days are tough. Because your body is eliminating toxins, you may experience some symptoms of withdrawal like fatigue, nausea and irritability. After those first couple of days though, you will begin to feel energized, clear and ready to take on the world.
7. There are ways to avoid withdrawals. Drink lots of water, rest, and exercise for at least 30 minutes a day before, during and after your cleanse to help lessen or prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring.
8. It's not just about weight loss. Detoxing your body is a way of rebooting your system and cleansing your body of any possible toxins. If you are feeling sluggish, experiencing digestive problems or having trouble sleeping, a detox may be the answer to those problems.
9. The length of the cleanse can vary. There is no magic number of days when it comes to staying on a cleanse. Detoxes can range from 3 days to 60 days, it all depends on what is right for you and your body. That's why consulting your doctor before you start a cleanse to determine what length of time is best for you is recommended.
10. Post cleanse diet is important too. Weaning yourself off of the cleanse is just as important as the cleanse itself. You should end your detox gradually, and slowly incorporate regular foods into your diet in order to prolong the benefits you received during the detox. Basically this means for the first few days after your cleanse, you should stick to eating the mostly raw food that you have been juicing.

Life goes on

Not everyone is meant to stay in your life forever, Sometimes they are only there long enough to teach you the lessons that you needed to learn. Love hurts, friends leave, things go wrong, But just remember that life goes on. >

Home remedies-natural teeth whitening solutions

You can use baking soda which has great power to turn your teeth into crystal white. It is also recommended by dentists so that you can use baking soda without any hesitation. You can use it once or twice a month. You should put baking soda in a cup of water. The toothbrush should be dipped in the solution and you should brush your teeth. You should not swallow after brushing with baking soda. It is important to notice the fact that the procedure should not be abused by doing the same for more than one time. In order to whiten your teeth, you can use lemon juice along with salt solution. If you are suffering with low sodium or low acid issue, you should not try this method and you should not swallow the solution. You should go for this solution if your teeth are very sensitive. > You should also take measures to brush your teeth for many numbers of times. If you brush two to three times per day, you should not worry about this aspect. On the other hand, if you are lazy for the same, you should do brushing for more minutes. You can also use whitening creams that are available in the market. You can chew sugar free gum. This should not be considered as an alternative to your brushing. You should maintain teeth by taking proper care. They should be clean so that there will not be any stain on your teeth.

When Life Has Handed You a Lemon

In everyone’s life, bad times come along with the good times. And even though we wish that we could sidestep a lot of the pain that life can offer, this simply isn’t a realistic way to live. But there are ways that you can turn bad times into productive and educational opportunities in your life. Perhaps instead of looking at things as though they are simply bad, you might want to think about them as turning points in your path toward your success. After all, good and bad seem to balance themselves out. > As you begin to look at the situations you have encountered, you will notice that there are things you can do to begin to see the upward swing in your mood again. It’s when we sit still with our emotions that we don’t get anywhere with the ‘lemons’ in our life.