Mulled wine

Christmas is at the door which means it’s high time for buying presents, cleaning the house and baking. All of these things demand a lot of our everyday energy and cause stress. Large amounts of stress can harm our nervous system that’s why I decided to suggest a warm drink that will erase all your worries and problems at least for a short-term.

Magical drink is known as mulled wine which believe me or not has a beneficial influence on one’s health. For example mulled wine contains a great deal of natural polyphenols or antioxidants which help our cells fight against free radical damage and also increase our levels of ‘good’ cholesterol.

So don’t feel guilty while enjoying the drink and be careful with the dose.

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine

1 cinnamon stick

2 oranges (1 for garnish)

5 whole cloves

2, 5 oz. of sugar

Preparation:

1.    Pour the wine in the saucepan with the orange zest and juice, cinnamon stick, cloves and sugar.

2.    Simmer the wine on low heat for 15 minutes.

3.    Serve with the orange slices and cheers!

Hot Chocolate

In these cold winter nights the best thing to do is watch a Christmas movie with a cup of hot chocolate by your side. It’s not harm to treat yourself from time to time and for this occasion I’ve chosen a hot chocolate. I hope you’ll enjoy my recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk

3, 5 oz. (100g) dark chocolate

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of sugar

Preparation:

1.      Bring milk to a low simmer.

2.      Add to milk vanilla extract, sugar and chopped chocolate.

3.      Stir it on a low heat for a minute.

4.      Serve it with the whipped cream.

Holiday weight

Holiday season has arrived which means a lot of celebrations and gatherings.  Then you think of all the food you'll eat, all that delicious food. No wonder that gyms are full after the holidays. It’s much easier to gain weight than to get rid of it.

Here are some tips that can help you to stay on your current weight!

1.     Include fruits and vegetables

Try eating as much fruits and vegetables as possible. They will make you       feel fuller so you won’t have to reach for another piece of meat. Another advantage is that you’ll get more of essential nutrients and less calories.

2.     Drink water

You should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day in which you can add some flavor by squeezing fresh lemon or just add mint leaves. Another solution would be drinking unsweetened tea. Because of importance of hydration try to avoid as much as possible fuzzy drinks. They contain a lot of sugar and they can cause you a bloating problems. If you will consume alcohol, the rule is: one glass of alcohol beverage followed with one glass of water. Alcohol can cause body dehydration what’s the reason why you have hangover morning after consuming it. Try not to overdose on alcohol because alcohol beverages contain a lot of calories.

3.     Buffets

They are the worst enemy, with all that yummy food, you want to taste everything and you can’t make up your mind so you end up trying all of it. A little bit of that, a little bit of this and before you know you’re weighing 10 pounds more than before.

The solution for that is to take smaller plate and not to pile up your plate. Try to pick up healthier version of meals. And you have to remember that repeat button in this game does not exist.

4.     Do not starve yourself

Going on a party usually has a whole day starvation consequences so people could eat more on the party or get drunk easier. Everybody does that, I do that. Trust me, it is the worst you can do. Eat normally every meal and you won’t stuff yourself at the party.

5.     Keep moving

A few hours after eating your meal you should go in a walk with your family, throw a dance party, everything you can do to burn calories. Force yourself to work out every morning, at least for half an hour, let that be Christmas present to yourself.

I hope you’ll find some of these tips helpful.

 Until the next time!