#but i simply cannot get banana bread to come out right

[strangerstilinski]

alright i am going to once again attempt to bake my arch nemesis today (banana bread) everyone send out all of the good vibes for me please i wholeheartedly mean it when i say banana bread is my enemy

[leftonraed]

The Night We Met - Episode 6

pairing : Taehyung x OC   genre : bodyguard!au, singleparent!au, idol!au   word count : 4.1k summary — It doesn’t look good for Taehyung and his niece when his brother’s in-laws come visit them. Prologue | ep.1 | ep.2 | ep.3 | ep.4 | ep.5 | ep.6 | ep.7 

“I told you you didn’t have to stay home today,” you hear Taehyung tell you when he comes out of the bathroom. “I don’t want to ruin your week when I don’t have to go anywhere.”

He pauses in the entrance corridor where you’re standing almost at attention. You look up at him and can feel some uneasiness on his behalf when you don’t move an inch.

You speak calmly. “You’re not ruining anything.”

He frowns,powerless and opens his mouth without really knowing what to say back. He slowly walks away in the kitchen.

“Want me to make you something?”

You shake your head. Seeing him confused and trying to find some meaning behind your attitude is somewhat amusing.  

He pauses again.

“Come sit with me… I’m barely awake but you’re stressing me out.” You indulge him. He frowns to himself, “don’t make me order you.”

You sit at the end of the couch. “Thought you’d like it...”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

You both hear Hina toddling out of her room. Her usual toothy grin is absent this morning and it immediately thought-provokes you both.

She doesn’t look up at you but stops a short moment to hug your knees as a compensation. You watch her shuffle her way between Taehyung’s legs with a pouty face.

“Morning sweetheart. You okay?” He cranes his neck down to get a look at her face pulled back downward. “What’s wrong? Feeling sick?”

Your eyes show little worry.

“You tummy hurt?” He asks again when she rubs her stomach. She nods a little, turns around and lifts her arms to have him hug her. He traps his slice of bread in his mouth, rubs his hand and picks her up on his lap. “Want this banana? It’ll make you feel better.”

She accepts to be fed with little zeal but eats anyway.

******

Taehyung has noticed your unusual quiet behavior which has now endured the whole past week but he doesn’t comment on it. He senses you alert but isn’t sure about the reason behind it. His attention is fully directed to his niece, taking special care of her as she thankfully seems to get better quickly.

You’ve been left alone in the living-room for a while. You look at the door when the doorbell rings and stride towards it confidently.

You swing the door open with too much force, taking by surprise Hwiin who’s standing on the other side. You frown a little at her when she smiles at you eerily. You shift to let her in.

You walk past her and sit down again while she remains standing, looking around to localize anyone else.

Luckily, you both don’t have to keep up with an awkward silence when Taehyung shows himself a couple of minutes later. You don’t pay attention to them as they start conversing about whatever brought her here.

You find yourself looking at her two or three times before you eventually decide to walk away and check on Hina.

“This seems like a lot, to be honest,” Taehyung admits looking at the screen right in front of him. “I’m barely keeping up with Hina and her school schedule.”

Hwiin’s smile doesn’t falter. She leans in and gently puts her hand on his arm. “Trust me, those interviews and shows overseas are much needed after your successful comeback.”

“I thought they’d be enough, you know, given my previous absence.”

He meets her fairly subtle gaze, sensing its pleading. It used to work much more easily before. He runs his finger in his hair, breaking touch with her but gets her all the more captivated with his casual demeanor and bare face.  

“You cannot just rely on local activities, it’s an opportunity not to miss. And I’m sure your foreign fans will be so grateful. It’s been so long.”

He leans back in the chair, grazing his bottom lip with his teeth. He can’t say he doesn’t miss them just as much.

“We’ll take care of…” She looks down, frowning as she looks for her words, “adjustments later. Please give your green light.” They lock eyes. She grins an innocent smile, “trust me.”

The dilemma is very clear but his hesitation also emphasizes his excitement about touring abroad again.

He lets out a deep sigh, covering his face with both hands, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… okay. I’m down.”

He hears the excited squeal that escapes her.

“You won’t regret it.” She says delighted as she nimbly taps an answer to an email on her tablet computer and puts some order in the several open documents. “Okay,” she brings the device back in front of him and quickly resumes as her way not to lose momentum. “I also needed you to take a look at the new merchandise…”

Sitting with your back against the wall with Hina’s head on your lap, you’re gently combing your fingers through her silky dark hair. You’re starting the reading of the second book when the bell rings again.

Taehyung frowns at the door.

“Are you expecting someone?” His manager inquires as he carefully stands up.

“No…” He trails unsure. She watches him take a look at the intercom to identify the visitors. His frowning deepens. “Yes?”

“Hello, mister Kim?” A female voice says.

“Yes?”

“I am Seohyung Choi from the Seoul Council.” She continues, “our agency received a call from someone concerned about- I believe if I understood correctly your niece, Kim Hina. I would like to discuss it with you.”

Hwiin doesn’t say anything and can feel alarm overwhelming Taehyung.

“Uhm-...” His pulse picks up in speed and his mouth feels dry. “I don’t understand, I-”

“There is nothing to be worried about,” Seohyung reassures him. “I simply would like to ask you a couple of questions about you and your niece, if that is possible.”

“But I- we don’t have any issue here. I me-”

“Let her in.”

Taehyung looks over his shoulder when he suddenly hears your voice.

“I’m not-” He stutters, wondering if you knew about this. “I don’t know-”

He’s panicked and your heart squeezes at the sight but you don’t dither.

“Let her in. Go change quickly. Don’t worry.”

He takes a deep breath and looks back at the intercom. “Uh.. Come in.”

“Thank you.”

He dashes to his bedroom and starts looking for clean clothes with shaking hands. He barely gives himself the time to look at his reflection to ruffle his hair. He thinks of checking on Hina who’s quietly looking at the pictures in the book you were about to read and decides not to bother her.

You watch Taehyung giving quick looks around the penthouse to make sure it is not too messy before he joins you back in the corridor leading to the entrance.  

“It’s going to be okay,” you say softly only for him to hear.

His eyes are glued to the door. “I don’t know why… I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know. You’ll just be answering some questions. Don’t worry.”

He doesn't know how you’re doing it but the calmness in your voice manages to sooth his nerves a little and he remembers to breathe somewhat normally.

“Should I come later?” Hwiin interjects standing up, making you and him turn your heads in her direction.

“Y-you can stay. It’s fine.” Taehyung trails while staring back again at the door. He mutters to himself, “everything’s fine.”

You step back behind and wait.

He pauses right before opening the door. A woman around her mid-thirties walks in with a warm smile and you let out a relieved sigh at her seemingly likeable air, thinking it’ll help him feel less stressed.

She takes off her shoes, smiling at you and Hwiin when she sees you two.

“Please, come in. This is ______, our bodyguard and here, Hwiin my manager.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she grins and you both return the gesture. “You’re home is so lovely inside.”

“Ha, thank you.” He smiles shyly. “Uhm- w-would you like something to drink?”

“Oh don’t bother yourself. I’m good, thank you.”

A very brief instant passes by with everyone being quiet. You look at Taehyung.

“Maybe we should sit down.” Seohyung suggests, smiling to herself while Taehyung leads the way to the dining table with an embarrassed look, shaking his head as a way to get a grip.

“Is Hina here?”

“She’s playing in her room. Should I bring her?”

“Oh don’t. It’s good this way since I’d like to discuss with you first.”

You let him on his own not to cause any kind of extra stress and decide to keep Hina company. Taehyung notices and feels relieved you’re taking a weight off his mind. Hwiin has moved her belongings to the couch where she feigns focusing on her work.

********

“Where are you going?” you ask Hina.

“With daddy…” She pouts at you because of your sudden serious tone.

You stand up from her bed to peek outside her bedroom. Taehyung and Seohyung have left their seats and he is now showing her around.

“Okay, you can go.”

Hina walks away on her tippy toes. You see her hesitating on her tracks at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She freezes when Seohyung crosses her path.

“Hello, you.” She crouches at her height, slightly shaking her hands. “Your name Hina’s right? Can you show me room?” She lets out a chuckle when the little girl forces her way between Taehyung’s legs to hide herself behind.

“It’s down the corridor.” He informs her when she stands up.

You walk out to let her in and lock eyes with him. He seems a lot more comfortable but gives you an interrogative look. You settle for a small supportive smile and leave them alone.

Hwiin naturally looks up at you when she feels your presence. Her mood seems to have changed.

Seohyung smiles your way when they come back. She and Taehyung sit down with Hina perched on his lap. She finishes writing down notes on her report.

“Alright, I didn’t see anything worth being raised about your household. Beside that one outlet and the window in the bathroom like I pointed it out earlier.”

Hina whines when she drops her soft toy, signaling Taehyung to get it back.

“Otherwise, it seems very secure for little Hina.” She smiles at her while Hina baby talks to her plushy. Taehyung keeps all his attention on the woman. “I’ll send you an email with all the documents needed so I can complete your dossier.”

“Alright.”

“Do you have any specific questions? Something I can shed light on?”

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Very good. Here, my contact information if something comes back to you.”

“Thank you.”

She bids her goodbye to everyone before Taehyung shows her out. You take one last glance at Hwiin whose face has turned expressionless.

*******************

You’re waiting outside the dressing room with Hina half-asleep in your arms.

Taehyung just finished performing for a show and is now discussing alone with Hwiin as she’s requested. The chair you’re sitting on has been positioned not too far from the door so you can hear it immediately when their conversation becomes heated although you can’t decipher their exact words.

The door opens a short while later. When you look up, Taehyung seems to try his best to keep himself calm. You don’t see Hwiin follow closely.

“Give her to me,” he says quietly with his arms stretched towards you. You stand up and let him hold Hina. He’s wearing the clothes he first came with so you grasp he’s ready to leave the building.

The ride back home is quiet.

He puts Hina to bed and goes shower after telling you to order dinner from his phone. You take it where he left it on the counter on his way in, unlocking it without difficulty since he didn’t set a password.

When Taehyung walks out, dressed in a simple black shirt and grey sweatpants, freshly cleaned but visibly exhausted, you are unpacking the few last dishes.

You start eating, letting the TV fill in the silence between you. You don’t mind being quiet, it just feels off when Taehyung seems elsewhere and it indirectly has you looking for ways to bring him back.

“Hey, you’re not eating that?”

He blinks and automatically hands the chicken wings left in his box.

“I’m not eating if you want it,” you smile faintly.

“I’m full you can have it.” He trails with a small pout and you take his box.

“Don’t look so dejected or I’ll lose my appetite too.”

He lifts his chin to look pensively at the small frown on your face as you bite on the food. “Sorry.”

“You want to talk about it?” You cock your head towards him, attacking a second wing.

He remains quiet a moment and you think you should’ve as well when you see his face gets darker.

“I feel abandoned.” He begins quietly. “It’s like everyone wants me to give up on the idea I could be good for Hina and it’s putting me off.”

Your lips part but you’re not sure if you mean to talk. You wipe the grease off your hands with one of the wipes given by the restaurant.

“I keep asking myself why no one’s seeing the efforts I’m making for this to work. It’s not fair... Just because I’m not practising the kind of job they think is more suited for a family life? It’s not fair...”

It really isn’t, you think. You never thought you out of all the people in his life would be among the few supporting him. You wish you had a say but you’re only left with encouraging words to repeat yet again.

You naturally reach for his knee, squeezing it a little. “I think they know you’re doing a great job. For some reason, they refuse to accept it.”

“They think Hina’s maternal grandparents would provide a more stable environment. I don’t want her to be taken away, ______.” He groans with a weak voice.

You feel a pang of sorrow when he blinks his teary eyes at you. You detest when you can’t find anything to do that could help. You reach for the second wipe, tear it open and unfold it.

“Even if they do,” you inch yourself closer to clean the stains of the dipping sauce off his mouth and explain with a soft voice. “You won’t give up on her. Because you know, it’s the right thing to do. And if you don’t, you’d prove them right.”

Taehyung quietly fixes his gaze on you with tired eyes, replaying your words in his mind. You remain silent as well, squeezing the dirty wipe in your fist, and find yourself glancing down at his lips irregularly.

Before you can feel drawn to each other even closer, you back up until reaching an appropriate distance from him and begin cleaning the table, looking away. “You should go to sleep.”

************************

Taehyung tried his best not to look too dispirited the following weeks until the day he received a mail stipulating Hina’s maternal grandparents showing themselves as the better option for her at this moment in the eyes of the court.

You couldn’t help but think it had to do with the sudden change in social workers.

You close your hands around the cup of hot tea you just made herself, eyes riveted on the grey winter sky.

You get snapped out of your reverie when you hear one of the stools being dragged as Hina tries to climb on it. Your eyes soften at her when she gives you a victorious smile and settles on her seat to eat her snack prepared by you. It’s almost dinner time but Taehyung doesn’t care.

He dressed her in a beautiful dress, you wouldn’t dare to guess the price of it.  

Taehyung joins a little after with a matching hair band in his hand. You don’t look at each other. He carefully combs her hair and places the accessory. He sits down between you and watches her eat in silence.

He props his hand on the table to rest his head on. You don’t mind him hiding from you.

“We going to the zoo again? Let’s go to the zoo.” She blinks her big eyes at him.

He combs her bangs away from her eyes and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. “Wanna go see the animals?”

She hums positively and nods at the same time bringing her eyes back on her brownie. “They don’t bite, daddy. They nice.”

Hina stretches her tiny hand to feed him some of her snacks and lingers her gaze on him for a second, thoughtful.

“We going with ______ too.”

You look away from her and lower your head.

He cleans her mouth with his thumb and jumps a little when the doorbell rings.

“I going! I going,” she chirps, jumping down from her seat with his help.

A shaky sigh that escapes him. You gently grab his forearm, addressing him with a supportive look before you both walk towards the door.

You stay behind. Hina’s now able to graze the doorknob when she stretches on her tiptoes. You wonder if this is how she looked right before you first saw her. Your face darkens.

When he opens the door, you recognize the new social worker joined by her grandparents. Everyone’s eyes on the little girl who seeks comfort behind Taehyung as she peeks up curiously.

“Hina,” calls softly her grandmother with her open arms. “Come say hi.”

She doesn’t move, tightening her grip on his pants. He pats her head while her grandmother keeps beckoning her.

“Go say hi to grandma.”

After a couple of seconds, Hina walks slowly towards the elderly couple to let them kiss her as they exchange a couple of words. Taehyung walks away to get a bag with all of Hina’s belongings.

You don’t know where to look. You try not to stare as he crouches down at the doorstep. Her grandmother tries not to look too affected when Hina hops back in his arms.

“Hina you’ll go to grandma and grandpa’s house, today.” He trails softly while putting her coat and small beanie on for her. “You’ll go with them for some time and then I’ll come see you, all right. Here, don’t forget your gloves… It’s snowing outside.”

“You coming with Hina?” She asks after fetching his black knit cap from the sideboard for him.

He takes it from her, ignoring the tightness in his chest. “No, baby. You go with them. I will come after.”

Her frown deepens as she shakes her head unsatisfied. “No, no. I stay with daddy…”

“Hina,” her grandpa’s voice earns their attention. “There are a lot of toys back home. Don’t you want to go play with them? There’s a big princess castle built an-”

She turns away to hug Taehyung’s neck, shaking her head again.

“Hina, we should go now. Come.”

He can’t help but tense at the authoritative tone the old woman uses. She goes to grab one of Hina’s arm and forces her back up on her feet.

She starts whimpering and her eyes get teary.

“Let’s try not to linger.” The social worker interjects suddenly, backing away to prompt their quick departure and get settled with it rapidly.

You look their way. Hina brings a clothed hand to her face and rubs it when a tear slides down, naturally recalling what Taehyung always told her when she’d fuss. He stands up with his head hanging and she cranes up hers to pout at him and her grandmother, baring her grief.

“Let’s go,” her grandfather prompts after taking the bag from Taehyung.

Hina drags her feet, looking back as she’s taken further and further away from him. You join Taehyung rooted in the corridor. He sniffles at the gut-wrenching sight.

“Don’t break down in front of her.” You say quietly, seeing her one last time before they turn around the corner.

He looks down at the black beanie and closes his hand tightly around it. Her crying is weaker now and Taehyung can't hold it back anymore.

You walk him back in and barely have the time to close the door before he slowly grabs onto your body, hugging you to him, seeking comfort.

You freeze in surprise a quick second and slowly lower your hands on his back, listening to him sobbing in your neck.

“Please, hold me.”

You squeeze him hard, clenching away the tears blurring your vision.

***********************

You indulge him when he asks you to spend the night in his bed, allowing him to curl in your embrace as he cries himself to sleep.

The following day, he hopes to see you still by his side but finds the other side of the bed, cold and empty.

He didn’t rest that night and the note you left on his bedside table had only awakened a headache he would’ve done without. What he reads doesn’t surprise him, Hina had been taken away from him and so did your professional duties with you.

Hwiin cannot hold back the delight of having him to herself again, steering him towards whatever she thought advantageous for him and mostly for her.

She didn’t take in account the other side of the coin. As pliable as she got him to be, his demeanor was left out of her reach.

Taehyung does the bare minimum expected from him on tv shows and interviews, he still gives his all during performances but they’re lacking and soon, Hwiin is brought to deal with unhappy and worried fans who do their utmost to discover the reason behind his dull self.

Taehyung becomes withdrawn not only around strangers but also when he’s with his parents, friends and even when he’s left alone with her  and she doesn’t stand it. She hates to witness him become the ghost of himself and this would only lead them to their downfall. Her feelings for him make it all uncomfortable.

****************

As for Hina, she isn’t doing any better.

Her grandparents have a hard time getting along with her. She’s not lacking anything but they fail filling in his absence. She struggles to get familiar with her new surroundings and their strictness does nothing but nurture her fear of them.

Her change of mood doesn’t go unnoticed by her school teacher but even her doesn’t manage to make her talk.

“This can’t go on,” her grandfather grunts sitting down on their bed, facing the window. His wife remains quiet on her side. “This isn’t benefiting any of us.”

“If she goes back with him, we’ll never be part of her life.” She places the comb back on the bedside table. “She’s everything we’ve got left of our precious Yuri.”

“Let’s not put a wall between us and him.” He reaches back when he feels her slipping beneath the sheets. “We’ve got to admit he did a good job raising her all this time despite his lack of experience… We’re not this patient anymore... It pains me to see Hina like this. We should think about it.”

She doesn’t answer and he turns back to look up at the night sky.

I hope you forgive us, Yuri.

***********************

It takes a month to Hwiin before she decides to visit mr and mrs Hiroshi. The wind is harsh on her skin as she climbs up the slope leading to their house. She tries to block the cold as much as possible, tilting her head down in the collar of her coat and ends up bumping into someone coming in the opposite direction.

“Sorry,” she apologizes instantly but the person doesn’t acknowledge her, hidden under a large hood. She stops a second wondering if they come from their house since the path doesn’t lead anywhere else but hurriedly picks up her walk again.

She pushes the intercom button but notices from afar mister Hiroshi outside sweeping the pathway from the outside door to their house.

“Hwiin, isn’t that right?” He recalls after walking up to her and greeting her. “What brings you here in this awful weather? You’re going to catch a cold.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she trails embarrassingly as she tries to think of ways to formulate her next words. “I’m sorry to bother you but I’ve come to talk to you because of Taehyung a-”

“You here to convince my wife to have Hina go back to him, aren’t you?”

“Uhm- y-yes, yes.” She blinks a little taken aback. “I- I”

“Well, you’re running a little bit late.”

She stares back, confused.

“A young woman around your age- very charming and polite by the way- just came by with the same motive. You probably saw her, she left a couple of minutes ago.”

Hwiin looks behind her, pensive. “Did she?”  

/////////////////!\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Feedback is much appreciated Reblog if you wish to read more

[bbg100]

okay this is a post purely for me but here’s my hottake on how the game design of spyro the dragon made spyro a vastly different character than the following spyro games, and why spyro the dragon spyro is the best

read more link is for the protection of nerds who don’t want to scroll past spyro hottakes, god rest their souls

ANYWAY look at that beast.  His dopey, big eyes, his soft colors, his little bit of fang.  Absolutely ridiculous creature.  I’m not going to pull every detail of the game play, simply because I cannot pull gifs, but spyro 1 is about spyro being the only dragon too short and small to be hit by these rays from gnasty gnorc (g-nasty gn-orc), aka this guy 

who occasionally hits his chest and talks trash before his boss battle at the end of the game where he (spoilers) runs around like a hyperactive toddler in the biggest na-nana-boo-boo of the game.  But at every moment UP to that it’s more or less just spyro, saving dragons that have been turned to crystal, headbutting bad guys and trying his best to glide to high places.   

And I want to be clear.  This game makes spyro seem like a total goober.  His voice lines are said in this utterly confident eight year old voice, when he runs into walls he compresses into an orb and makes an OOF sound, and because a lot of the game has collectables in hard to reach places, this kid falls off the map a LOT.  I know that’s playstyle, but come on, the leaps and charges it takes to reach some areas necessitate a few falls.  There’s even a mechanic where he gets kissed on the forehead by a fairy, which makes him so flustered his flames get a power boost.

He’s a dork!  He’s a kid!  He’s running around, basically stumbling into heroism, through raw determination and the inability to stop trying these super hard jumps.  Dude cannot even fly in regular gameplay!

And then you have...every other spyro lol

WHO THE HELL IS THIS COOL DUDE? LOL

part of the appeal of spyro the dragon is that he’s out here, naruto BELIEVE IT’ing through everything.  And in every following game, which i’m not gonna pretend to be a spyro expert, he’s actually capable, and he’s fighting actual battles against things that are actually scary.  Part of spyro 1 is that there’s a little blue guy who runs around and makes fun of you as you chase it.  

THIS IS THE BANE OF SPYRO THE DRAGON.  THIS IS THE BEAST WITH MANY HEADS.  THIS ASSHOLE, WIGGLING.

The fantasy aspect of spyro going from ‘oh my god everyone is bullying this middle schooler dragon’ to ‘this highschooler dragon is stressed about his escaped slave girlfriend’ was WACK.  it was A BAD CALL.  If you put the plots of the late game spyro games against spyro the dragon, blacked out the names and places, and asked people if they were in the same franchise, PEOPLE WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT.

how did we go from THIS

banana bread looking fucker, to THIS

I know the basic argument is ‘graphics quality went up’ but surely you can see that the different designs FEEL different.  The banana bread ass spyro the dragon beast is very ‘this is scary because it’s big’, which frankly is just what being a kid is like, while the follow up is ‘this is scary because its going to eat me’, which is a COMPETELY different thing.  Also i just don’t like that spyro looks cool in that one.  I’ve seen him run into walls enough to qualify for reimbursement.  I simply do not want him to look cool.

later games LOVE making him look cool.  He does so many cool moves!  He jump over lava!  He dodge and brag and is LEGIT right to be bragging!  ew!

The switch of mechanics from having to go back and find all the collectables to being able to single run them with cool tricks has a solid difference in how spyro as a character feels.  Spyro one wants him to be cool, but the mechanics lead to him banging his head into boxes to get jewels out and chasing after thieves for ten minutes while a dragon stuck in crystal watches.  He’s not cool!  The game so wants us to believe he’s cool, but he doesn’t act cool outside of cutscenes, making it seem like he’s just a kid with misplaced confidence, and THAT WAS BETTER.

anyway i know this is just me rambling but i’ve had this hottake on lock for years and if i don’t start blasting it now i’m going to start *shudders* learning about game design

[smartabhi]

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What is the Keto Diet in English

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Keto diet macro

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Problems caused by keto diet

Taking less carbohydrates in the keto diet causes some problems in your body. like :

Closing the hole grain will significantly reduce the fiber in your body. This can cause problems in your bolove movement (Flash Out). For this, you need to add so much fiber in your diet, that you reach 20–25 grams of fiber.

Now you must be thinking how to add fiber because fiber is not found in meat, chicken, eggs, oil etc. So I would like to tell that for this, you should add green vegetables in your diet, which is very high in fiber. Such as spinach, fenugreek, lettuce, cucumber, gourd, mint etc.

If you do not get many minerals and vitamins in your body by closing the grains, then your body will be all lacking. Therefore, it will be necessary to add multivitamin tablets to your diet.

The third thing that will be lacking is water. When the amount of carb in your body is less, then your body will not hold water, because you will know that one gram of carbohydrate holds 3 grams of water and when there is no carb in the body, then there will also be a shortage of water. So keep in mind that in such a situation, drink at least 10 glasses of water throughout the day.

After starting the Keto Diet, when your metabolism changes, you will also have some temporary healthy problems, which will only last 5–7 days. Due to which you will feel very hungry, laziness, fatigue etc. For this, you have to be ready mentally, then it will work quite well.

Follow this diet for 1–3 months only, then come back to your normal diet and then after some time you can repeat this diet according to your goals.

What to eat in keto diet

In Keto Diet Plan, you have to take care of eating the most, because if you eat something wrong in between, then you can come out of ketosis. In this diet, you have to eat those things which are high fat and low carb and medium protein. For example, nuts, seeds, olive oil, chicken, mutton, green vegetables, almonds, cashews, peanuts, cheese, cream, butter, walnuts, coconut oil can be consumed.

What not to eat in keto diet

The list of non-food items is longer than what is eaten in the keto diet. You cannot eat fruits (apple, banana, pineapple, orange, mosquito, grapes, etc.), potatoes, bread, lentils, gram, wheat, sugar, yogurt, milk, etc. Because they contain a lot of carbohydrates.

Benefits of Keto Diet in English

‌Cholesterol: Keto diet improves triglyceride levels and can also improve cholesterol levels.

‌ Lose weight: Your body burns body fat, which reduces your fat cells and reduces your weight.

‌ Blood sugar: This diet can eliminate diseases such as LDL cholesterol deficiency and type-2 diabetes over time.

‌ Energy: This diet gives you better energy. During this time you do more energetic feel and you will know that fat particles give the most energy in the form of energy.

‌ Loss of appetite: Shortly after a keto diet, a person starts feeling less hungry.

‌ Acne: If you do a keto diet for 12 weeks, then your pimples and skin will not get swollen

Varun Dhawan, Arshad Warsi, Alia Bhatt, Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, etc. used the Keto Diet to lose weight.

So friend, you must have now understood how important this diet is to lose weight. Just keep in mind that before following it, take the advice of your fitness trainer or nutritionist.

THIS ARTICLE CONTENTS AFFILIATE LINKS (As marked affiliate links) AND IF YOU CLICK ON ANY AFFILIATE LINK AND PROCEED PURCHASE ANY PRODUCTS I MAY RECIVE A COMPETITION FOR THAT OFFER

[violetsystems]

#personal

The holidays are quiet if not a little more restful than usual.  I facetime’d my dad and his wife and talked to my mom on the phone.  Since I left my job way back in July I haven’t had much video contact with anybody.  Everybody is too busy baking banana bread on YouTube I guess to check in.  The final days of my employment had devolved into a virtual SCRUM twice a day led by myself on camera.  It was exhausting at times to lead but kept people focused.  That is when they bothered to show up.  One of my employees was off making music with my boss half the time I was trying to lead those discussions.  I’m beginning to sense a theme.  People saying they are there but not really.  Maybe the mic is muted.  Maybe you can’t see behind the screen.  All I know is the follow through lately with people is missing entirely.  I spent a good hour the last two days trying to decouple a credit card from my old job’s contact info.  I’m locked out of both the phone number and the email attached to the account.  I got the run around trying to provide a US passport to confirm my identity.  It was good enough to enter China alone.  The first call that ID was sufficient.  They had said they sent an email to follow through with the process to two different emails I provided.  The email never came most likely because neither had been tied to the account previously.  I called back on Christmas eve and suddenly the passport wasn’t good enough.  Neither was an expired driver’s license.  The woman actually asked me why I hadn’t renewed my driver’s license.  I told the truth.  My ex girlfriend stole my car.  That didn’t really help the situation.  I sent a passport photo to unlock my facebook but they never followed through.   I had an easier time unlocking my Fortnite account with it although that took a full week.  I ended having to call the police on Christmas eve to explore filing a report for fraud and identity theft.  The police officer on the phone pretty much gaslighted me at the end of the questioning.  “Nothing criminal.” he stated plainly.  I didn’t get mad.  I didn’t even complain.  I simply said Happy Holidays and hung up.  Much like I’ve hung up on the last twenty years of my life at this point.  Nobody seems to want to answer the video call.  The opening introduction if they did would be something like “What exactly have you done with my life?”  Maybe they’re afraid to confront the truth.  The media, the government, and even the police seem to not want to believe evidence that contradicts their narrative.  I guess you could throw up your hands and revolt.  But the holidays have been peaceful and quiet enough to simply roll my eyes and move on.  I’ve had years of failures to connect.  COVID has taught me a lot of things.  I heard the mantra in all the mandatory corporate webinars.  This pandemic has brought to light structural problems we were never aware of before.  Sexual harassment in the workplace.  Check.  Organizational corruption.  Check.  The fact everybody is full of bullshit and will just mute the mic and pretend it never happened.  Check.  People feel invincible behind a screen and think they know it all.  Check.  Now that we’re aware.  What do we do?  How do we move on with our life now that we have all this space?  How do I even care about participating in a broken process when I have no debt and fiscal maturity?  How can I go back to being the old me when I’ve been completely erased and conveniently forgot about?  Why would I even bother?  

Mostly I take the time with this process to make sure my identity is completely secure.  Which is why it’s not really fun to be locked out of twenty years of your own information in the form of an email account and forgotten about for six months.  But this is just the structural reality come to light.  Much like the rest of America is waking up to the reality of what greed really does to people.  That was my Christmas present this year aside from the coffee that never came and that Cyberpunk game that I don’t really have the time or the subpar computer setup to criticize.  I’m guilty of tricking myself into thinking people care about me.  I have statistical data from the last six months that proves otherwise.  I also have financial data that points to whatever hustle I have been hustling during that time has paid off and will continue to.  But I don’t really have an answer to anything.  I’m in the worst kind of limbo.  I don’t get the sense these days that I should even remotely worry until July.  Which is kind of like saying fuck you to the world for the next six months.  I spent the last six waking up from a nightmare.  The only times I look back is to clean up the mess.  And a Christmas Eve call to the police is kind of messy.  But the result is more of the same for me.  An extravagant “I told you so.”  I’ve been telling myself for awhile now a lot of things.  Some of them were kind of unbelievable.  Now those very dreams are all I really take comfort in.  The limbo I’m in is more pointed to the light at the end of the tunnel than the void.  But I can’t say the same for everybody else.  I work for myself for the time being.  It looks really nice on paper.  I can even pay myself if it fits into my organization’s financial outlook.  But none of this matters when you or your struggles don’t even exist to people other than to mock or judge it.  All the work we do to survive.  All the work we do to create art and to be beautiful in the face of chaos.  All of that is negated by a loud mouthed jerk who can bark you back into submission.  A mob of dumb ass fraudsters that talk over and mute any opposition without any warrant or merit.  The press follows this mentality pretty clearly.  Everybody has a hot take and a theory.   But nobody wants to sit down and listen to the culmination of lies spread about people and situations.  Everyone is too emotionally interested in sharing their recipe for banana bread to an invisible audience.  I guess I could be guilty of that too.  Except that I share actual human emotion and care with a community of people who pay attention week to week.  For a person like myself who has no real need to worry about money for the foreseeable future what’s the value of care and attention?  A lot.  I don’t feed myself with vapor or fake sentiments.  I take it all at base level as real as it gets.  You can’t build a future on speculation.  You can technically if you are in the stock market.  But risk is risk.  And money is money.  No one can be me at the end of the day.  Sometimes I can’t even prove I’m myself.  My mom reminded me I had to provide ten pieces of documentation to renew my passport ten years ago.  The reasoning was simple.  The government did not believe I existed.  No bullshit.  A decade later nothing really has changed.  I’ve been to Shanghai by myself and eaten McDonald’s.  I read all these Republicans talk about how you put your identity at risk just setting foot in that country.  

And yet when does the rhetoric and brainwashing fall flat on it’s face?  When you can’t pass economic stimulus to not only save your own people but the fragile stock market all this bullshit is built upon.  I could keep telling you I told you so.  Or I could save my own ass.  And largely I did without really owing much to this country whatsoever except taxes in Q1.  Taxes billionaires don’t have to pay because they offer us so much relevant employment and benefits that fit on their bottom line.  The real truth is that America would rather not face the truth.  It hasn’t for years.  It’s built on this kind of thing.  It always has been.  And the world gets bigger and the excuses get worse.  And so what does anyone expect a person like me to do after you openly admit that there’s nothing criminal going on here.  How does that sound when you’ve been treated openly like a criminal in so many unsettling ways that you just don’t want to participate in society anymore?  Not that anyone really asks me to participate.  They’re too busy signaling or whispering secret messages.  Is it suggestion or valid communication?  I’m the one that has to shift through it all and detangle the mess from what is real and what is some sort of mass hallucination.  An alternate reality hunger game that the rich have been playing for years without any punishment or oversight.  When you get caught up in the crossfire they expect you to know the drill.  Keep your mouth shut if you know what’s good for you.  None of this is good for me.  You could argue it made me the beast that I am.  But I am the one who had to actively make that choice to adapt and survive.  But I’m not like any normal person these days.  I refuse to admit it anymore.  They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.  I have a problem.  One that it seems I cannot fix.  And if you isolate and quarantine yourself from an entire twenty years of nostalgia what is left?  Where are the texts of merry xmas from yesteryear.  Probably pinging my old work number.  I can’t access my facebook.  Maybe that’s for the best.  I can’t shut down lines of credit until I renew my state ID.  I could jump on a plane and visit Shanghai Disney quicker than I could prove I’m alive to the US government.  And when does the constant gaslighting break down?  When do we realize that people gaslight to cover up an elaborate lie that has gotten out of control.  That we are not all in this together.  Not by a longshot.  That the problem of connectedness is right there in front of our faces.  We’re exhausted propping up entire infrastructures that keep a bloated empire alive.  Family fortunes built on opioids and war strewn out across the landscape in trusts and elaborate tax schemes.  Oligarchs that have generational wealth that buy our politicians and scam people into debt and forced labor.  This is America.  This is the systemic problem the pandemic brought to light.  This shit was built this way.  And like any fort constructed with shaky foundations, good luck hiding from the storm in that shit.  At least I can still access my Epic account.  What am I going to do for the next six months?  Complain about something I can’t fix because everybody wants to consider me part of the problem?  I don’t know what to do anymore except move forward and lead by example.  There’s enough quality people who follow to keep me warm with those thoughts through the holidays alone.  I won’t be drunk on a zoom call.  I’ll be in bed watching Wonder Woman or something.  When everyone you worshipped comes out of this looking fake, tired and exhausted you’ll know where to find me.  Unlocking more accounts tied to an identity that doesn’t exist anymore.  Nothing criminal.  Hopefully people will stop treating me like one eventually.  <3 Tim

[crying-gay-tears]

Brighter Than the Sun Ch. 5

A night of silly fun before the end of the semester!

Full work

As a treat, here’s a playlist of all the songs they sang at karaoke!

It was a late autumn afternoon, a chilly wind sent leaves skipping across the pavement and shook the almost bare branches of the trees dotting the campus grounds. Another long day of classes had Gon walking home at the end of the day with tense shoulders and a slight headache. He was almost to his building when his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was an email from mail services telling him that a package had arrived and was waiting for him. He checked the time and had about 15 minutes before mail services closed for the day, so he quickly changed direction and headed towards the administration building.

He made it in the nick of time and walked home with the package under his arm and an extra spring in his step, excited to see what goodies awaited him. When he finally made it into his dorm, Killua was sitting on the couch surrounded by open text books and papers. He was holding his phone to his ear with one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. 

“Yes mom, I did that already. Yes. Gotoh emailed me the flight information this morning. No, I haven’t yet. Just get off my back, okay?! I’m in college now, I’m not a little kid. Well I don’t care! Fine, whatever. Yeah, I’ll see you then. Bye.” He sighed and hung up. 

“Jesus, that woman really knows how to get under my skin. I swear it’s like she lives to make my life more annoying.” 

Gon walked over to the couch, gently pushing some papers aside so he could sit.

“Everything okay?”

He cut his eyes to the side. “Yeah. Pretty sure she just wanted to be nosy and annoying, but making sure I had my shit together for winter break was a nice cover.”

Gon chuckled and shifted to get more comfortable, dropping his backpack to the floor and resting the package in his lap.

Killua scooped up some loose papers and closed the books in front of him, then stretched out on the couch. “What’s in the box?” 

Gon smiled, holding it in front of him like a prize. “It’s a care package from Aunt Mito!” He rested the box on the couch between them, peeling at the tape along the edges. 

It opened to reveal layers of tissue paper and an assortment of treats. Gon pulled out a card, tucked it into his backpack to read later, and then started unloading the rest of the box’s contents.  “Let’s see, there’s some fruit snacks, some gummy worms, two mangoes, a pack of pens--thank goddess I really needed those!-- some herbal tea and hot chocolate packets, and oooh! Yes!!!” He cheered, pulling a large foil wrapped rectangle out. “A loaf of her homemade banana bread, it’s my favorite!” He placed it on the coffee table and gave it a reverent pat before pulling the last item from the box. “And here, this is for you!” 

Killua paused, his expression unreadable. “For... me?”

“Of course! She wouldn’t just send me a bunch of stuff and leave you out!” 

“But...why--I-I mean...how...” he trailed off, at a loss for words. 

Gon just laughed cheerily “Of course I told her all about you! You’re my best friend!” 

A blush spread across Killua’s cheeks. Gon smiled and handed him a small metal tin. It was blue--his favorite color--and his name was scrawled across the lid in loopy cursive with a heart next to it.

Curious, Gon watched as he pulled the lid off. Inside was a chocolate robot surrounded by a dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies. Killua blinked, his eyes grew wide.

Gon stared at him, a huge smile plastered on his face. “Those are her famous cookies! They’re the best, and she only makes them for special occasions. You’re very lucky!’ His lips pulled into a sneaky grin. “I’ll trade you some banana bread for a cookie!”

Killua looked up from the tin in his lap. “Not a chance, Gon.”

He pouted. “But Killuaaaa! Please?!” 

“Uh-uh. She made these special and delicious cookies just for me! I simply cannot share them.” He bit into one and groaned happily.

Gon grinned, yep, those were definitely Mito’s famous cookies. He was so happy Killua got to taste them, if a little jealous that Mito didn’t send any extra for him. Before he could argue and beg for even just a bite, his phone went off in his pocket. He fished it out and had a text from Kurapika. Oh! He almost forgot!

“Killua, get dressed, we gotta go!”

He managed a “Huh?” around a mouthful of cookie.

“I’ve got fun plans tonight, and you’re coming!” He started packing things back into the box.

Killua swallowed. “What? Gon, what are you talking about? I’ve got stuff to do-”

Gon stood and held a finger to his lips, shushing him. “The cookies can wait, Killua, there’s fun to be had! Plus, I’ve been wanting to finally introduce you to some of the friends I’ve been telling you about!” 

Killua stuffed another cookie into his mouth and crossed his arms. He locked eyes with Gon and put on his best poker face. Gon stared right back, unwavering. 

Killua sighed. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”

Gon just giggled and skipped towards his room to get ready.

~~~~~~~~

The setting sun silhouetted the skyline of York New City, casting long shadows across the street. Killua shivered and wrapped his jacket tighter around his torso, the chill in the air raising goosebumps on his arms. They were walking down Main street, and though Gon assured him that they were almost to their destination, he still had no idea what that destination was. He opened his mouth to complain just as Gon came to a halt on the sidewalk.

“We’re here!”

Killua glanced up, YNC Karaoke Bar glowed above them in red neon letters.

“Gon, you’re joking, right?”

“Nope! It’s gonna be so much fun!” Gon poked his tongue out, and pulled open the door. 

With a sigh, Killua followed him inside. The bar was not at all what he was expecting. There was no stage anywhere, just a long hallway with lots of doors on either side. The bar itself was pretty small, a few people were in line to order drinks, and some lingered in the space around it. Music thumped through the air, but it was muffled and unintelligible. The walls were lined with old license plates and tall red lamps stood in every corner. 

Gon looked around for a moment and then his face lit up. “Kurapika!” He waved and made a beeline for the bar. Killua followed behind, watching as a man with shoulder length blonde hair waved in their direction. 

Gon skipped up to him and gave him a quick hug. The man, Kurapika, looked a little surprised by the contact, but smiled nonetheless. Gon was beaming. “Kurapika, this is my roommate Killua! Killua, this is my lab partner Kurapika!” He motioned between the two of them as he spoke, and Kurapika offered a hand which Killua shook. 

“Nice to meet you Killua, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Killua felt heat rise in his cheeks, but he managed a smile. “Likewise”

Gon looked around the room again. “Where’s Leorio?”

Kurapika motioned over his shoulder towards the bar. “He went to get some drinks from the b-”

“Oi! Gon!!” A loud voice bellowed from across the room, and a tall man with dark hair and glasses greeted them shortly after. 

“Leorio!” Gon launched forward into a hug, almost spilling the drinks in Leorio’s hands. 

Leorio just chucked. “It’s good to see you too! And who’s this?” He asked, voice still booming despite their proximity. He motioned to Killua. “Is this the one you talk about all the time? Killua, is it? It’s nice to finally meet you!”

Killua awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah, that’s me. Nice to meet you too.” 

Gon was smiling like an idiot. “Killua, this is Leorio, Kurapika’s roommate!”

Kurapika’s side eye was sharp when he said “Yeah, I had a room to myself until someone got kicked out of their own dorm.”

Leorio laughed boisterously, sipping one of the drinks he was holding. “I didn’t get kicked out, I chose to leave for my own sanity, and the safety of my former roommate.”

Killua quirked an eyebrow. 

Kurapika rolled his eyes. “He punched his old roommate in the face, and the dean said he had to find a place off campus because all of the dorm rooms were full. Unfortunately, I had previously made the mistake of mentioning to Leorio that I managed to score a room to myself for the year.”

“It’s not my fault! Tonpa is an asshole, and needed to be put in his place!”

“Yes, and being the divine bringer of justice that you are, you sacrificed your own housing to do so.”

Leorio stuck his chin up, “I regret nothing.”

Kurapika sighed and rolled his eyes, Gon just chuckled. 

“So,” Killua started, shifting from foot to foot, “how do we, uh… what is this place?”

“Ah, yes!” Leorio handed a drink to Kurapika and motioned to the long hallway behind them. “Our room is reserved and our time slot starts in,” he glanced at the watch on his wrist, “shit, right now! Let’s go!”

They headed down the hallway and stopped at a door midway down on the left. It opened to reveal a dimly lit room with an L shaped leather couch against the wall.  Circles of rainbow colored lights shone on the walls and reflected in the disco ball turning slowly overhead. A karaoke machine was set up on a tiny stage in the front of the room, and tv screens hung in both corners over it. When they stepped inside a server showed up and greeted them. She handed them menus and showed them how to operate the karaoke machine. 

She left briefly and returned with sodas for Gon and Killua and some cheese fries for everyone, and then they were left alone to sing their hearts out. Well, Leorio and Gon sang their hearts out. Killua mostly laughed and recorded their performances while Kurapika heckled their dance moves. After a particularly rousing rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, they both flopped onto the couch, exhausted. 

Leorio chugged the rest of his drink. “Kurapika! I’m going to order another vodka cranberry, and then you’re gonna sing with me!” 

“Absolutely not, Leorio. Unlike you, I refuse to make a fool of myself.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll just keep buying you drinks until your ass is drunk enough to sing something.” Leorio teased and then poked his head out of the door to flag down their server. 

Sure enough, a few drinks later and Kurapika was standing up, mic in hand and singing.

“I got guns in my head and they won't go. Spirits in my head and they won't go...”

After a dramatic performance that Kurapika would later deny ever happened, he had a seat and switched to water for the rest of the night. 

Gon was midway through his performance of Wannabe by the Spice Girls, when he locked eyes with Killua who had been quietly singing along from his spot on the couch. Shit.

When the song wrapped, Gon walked up to him and grabbed his hands, trying to pull him up off the couch.

“Come sing with me Killua! I saw you singing along, you know you wanna try it!” 

Gon hadn’t been drinking, but he was still so excited and silly, the energy of the room and the songs clearly had him riled up. 

“Come on Killua!” Leorio urged. “If Kurapika can do it you sure as hell can!” He started chanting.  “Kil-lu-ah! Kil-lu-ah! Kil-lu-ah!” Gon immediately joined in, but it wasn’t until even Kurapika joined the rally that he finally gave in. 

Killua sighed. “Ugh, fine! I’ll sing a damn song with you. But only one, and no recording you bastards!” He looked pointedly at Kurapika who was already aiming his phone at the stage. 

Kurapika chuckled and tucked his phone back into his pocket, meanwhile Gon was already back at the karaoke machine picking the song they would sing. 

“Nothing cheesy Gon, I mean it!”

He laughed. “Just trust me Killua!”

The karaoke machine counted down from 5 and Gon quickly pulled Killua to his feet and up onto the stage. 

An upbeat riff played through the speakers and Gon took the first few lines while gazing directly into Killua’s eyes.

“Oh don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me. I said you’re holding back, she said shut up and dance with me! This woman is my destiny, she said oh oh oh, shut up and dance with me!”  

Killua recognized the song immediately and sang the next few lines, letting the music drown out his nerves. 

“We were victims of the night. The chemical, physical, kryptonite. Helpless to the bass and the fading light, oh we were bound to get together, bound to get together!” 

They continued singing in earnest, jumping around to the beat and dancing together. As weird as it was to admit, Killua was actually having a great time. The room seemed to melt away and Gon kept grabbing his hands and pulling him in closer. The song was obviously a man singing to a woman, but the pronouns didn’t seem to matter to Gon as he serenaded Killua.

When the song came to a close Gon wrapped him in a hug as Leorio and Kurapika stood and cheered. They stepped off the stage and they all took their seats on the couch. 

“That was awesome you two! Hell yeah Killua! I’m glad you joined. Now that I’ve seen what you can do, you’ll never get away without singing! You either Kurapika!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Leorio. I’ve never sung a song at karaoke in my life. Nor will I ever.”

“Bullshit! If you think I’m letting this go you’ve got another thing coming! Gon as my witness!”

“We all saw you Kurapika, I’m pretty sure there’s even photo evidence…” Gon teased.

“What?! Destroy it!”

As their conversation dissolved into silly bickering, Killua just watched with a smile on his face. It was a surreal feeling, being welcomed by them all with open arms, and he was already so comfortable with them. It felt so...natural. Was this what true friendship felt like? 

College was seriously amazing so far. With a little space and freedom he’d found out more about himself, and now he’d found people that he could actually be himself around. It was a whole new world, so different from the one he’d known before. Was it real? Would it last? Could he really make his own way, be his own person and live his own life?  And was this what that life could be like?  Full of people that cared for him and made him feel happy and at peace? First the care package from Mito and now this? Looking around, it was like he was in a perfect bubble. 

And in two weeks, that bubble would burst, and he’d be back home, surrounded by his family. His real family who somehow felt a lot less like a family than the people he currently shared a booth with. 

Leorio raised his glass and called for a toast, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“To good beer, good friends, and a good life!” He declared, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. They all raised their glasses and toasted, Gon was giggling as if he were tipsy from his virgin shirley temple.

Kurapika smiled. “This was a great last hoorah before finals.”

Killua nodded in agreement, “Yeah I definitely needed this to help get me through all the boring reading.” 

“Finals?” Gon chirped, a confused look on his face. 

Killua quirked an eyebrow, “Yeah? They're starting next week?” Had he really forgotten about finals?

“Wait, WHAT?” He gripped the edge of the table. “I thought they were in two weeks!” 

Kurapika sipped his water, “No, two weeks is when Winter break begins. We’ve got finals coming this Monday and then break starts the weekend after next.”

Gon was flabbergasted. “B-but--”

Killua snorted. “Why did you think I’ve been surrounded by piles of books and notes in the common room all week?”

Gon was starting to look pale, his eyes were darting between the three of them like he was desperately looking for something and he couldn’t find it. 

 “I haven’t started studying at all yet! I can’t believe I didn’t realize--wait, what day is today??”

“It’s Friday, Gon.” Killua said, trying to keep his tone neutral so he wouldn’t laugh. Gon was practically vibrating beside him.

“Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh no, I’m totally fucked!” He tugged at his hair, eyes wide. 

Killua had never heard Gon swear so much, even Kurapika was hiding a surprised smile.

Leorio took a large gulp of his drink and puffed his chest out. “It’ll be okay Gon, don’t worry! You have all weekend to prepare, you’re a smart guy, I’m sure you’ll be fine!” 

Gon didn’t respond, he just stared into the middle distance, mouth set in a tight line. Killua could almost see the gears turning in his brain. 

He stood suddenly. “I gotta go.”

Leorio tried to intervene, “Gon, it’s late! You can start in the morning with a fresh mind--”

“I can’t waste anymore time! I’ve gotta go!” His expression was a mix of panic and determination. 

He nudged Killua’s shoulder and he stood to let him out of the booth.

They all watched as he scrambled out the door without another word. 

“Welp,” Killua raised his soda again, “to Gon! Godspeed!”

“To Gon!” their glasses clinked. 

[fiti-vation]

Hello there, I’m not getting enough protein in my meals to even meet my daily nutritional needs. I just want to improve my daily intake however I don’t like flavored protein powder and just want a simple powder to add to my shakes, cereal and oatmeal. Do you have a recommendation on a type powder? Thank you.

Hi there,

I’m glad that you are trying to improve your daily intake of protein and trust me I feel your pain. As a varsity athlete, I too struggle at times, so don’t worry too much. Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is not always the easiest goal to achieve.

Now on to your question I’d definitely need a bit more information to provide you with a complete answer as when it comes to protein, everyone requires a different amount based on factors such as their body weight, sex, muscle mass, physical activity, and age. Furthermore, without knowing your diet choice (e.g., pescatarian, vegan, omnivore, etc.) I can’t really make the best recommendation – if someone is vegan for instance, I would recommend a vegan-friendly type of supplement. Knowing your fitness goals would have also been very helpful; are you trying to lose fat, build muscle or just maintain a healthy lifestyle… Based on your question, I’ll assume that you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That said, I’ll try my best to provide you with a succinct answer.

Do you really need protein powders?

Not necessarily. If you have access to a normal, healthy diet including lean proteins, then this should do the trick.

I don’t think that many people really need to use protein powder unless they are training at an extreme level. If you aren’t looking to improve your body composition and/or athletic performance or aren’t recovering from burns, I would advise you to just add more lean protein to your diet than protein powder. Speaking of your diet, it is the first thing that came to my attention after reading your question. Every time someone asks me for supplement recommendations, I always ask them if they first tried to change their diet. One important thing that I’ve learned over the years is that food supplements do not replace a healthy diet. Seeing a supplement as a solution may contribute to neglecting healthy food choices, and this has bigger consequences for long-term health.

There are too many people who think all protein is created equal and are swapping for shakes. Don’t be one of them.

You may probably be thinking that protein is protein no matter how you get it, right? Well, yes and no. Protein is an essential nutrient that builds and repairs muscle fibers. You can get the protein you need from whole foods, from supplements or from both, but there are a few important distinctions between the sources to consider as you’re planning your diet.

It might be quick to take, but simply adding protein powder to a meal is unlikely to fill you up and won’t give you as many nutrients as a proper meal. Plus, a full course means your body has to work harder to break down the food, so you use up more calories in the digestion process.

Whole foods have a major advantage over protein supplements; they stimulate the metabolism more. This is known as the “thermic effect”. Protein has the highest thermic effect of any food. Including a whole protein food with every meal can speed up your metabolic rate as much as 30% because of the energy necessary to digest, process, and absorb it. This means that out of 100 calories of a protein food such as chicken breast, the net amount of calories left over after processing it is 70. 

Just because people understand the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t mean they always have the time or energy to do it. I understand that real life is busy and adding up some protein powder here and there may save you time. Also, if you are on a budget, it may be tempting to use protein powder as a cheaper alternative to whole food. Just make sure to consider the whole picture by carefully reading nutrition labels and trying not to rely on protein powder as a crutch. Rather than a dietary staple, they’re best as an occasional supplement to a balanced diet that focuses on real food.

Recommendations:

Before thinking about incorporating protein powder into your diet, try to make some dietary changes if you haven’t yet. If your busy work schedule or school life makes it too tempting to trade in a nutritious high protein food for a protein supplement, then

prep your meals the night before

. There are many ways to get protein without turning to a powder. Investing in some foil, Tupperware and a Mexican tuna salad could be a key step to achieving your goal. Focus on getting protein from whole foods: nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese), legumes (beans, lentils), fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meat. They’ve got far more nutrients to keep you full.

Many cereals nowadays come with added protein (e.g., Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey), you can also add nuts to your cereal, oatmeal and yogurt. I personally like to add a good amount of honey roasted peanuts to my bowl of cereals; with milk added you can easily achieve 20g of protein right there. Go for high content protein milk such as cow, goat, hemp or soy milk.

I also like to add a variety of nuts mix to my bowl of yogurt. Every time I go to Walmart, I always purchase lots of seeds and nuts:

Great Value Roasted & Unsalted Sunflower seeds - 8g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Great Value Organic Whole Chia Seeds - 7g of protein per ¼ cup.

Joe’s Tasty Travels Roasted Cashews - 9 g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Joe’s Tasty Travels Unsalted Roasted Almonds - 11g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Joe’s Tasty Travels pumpkin seeds – 14 g of protein per 1/3 cup.

Plnaters Honey Roasted Peanuts - 7g of protein for 1 oz

I also add fruits that have high protein content such as zante currants, raisins, passion fruit, raspberries, peaches, bananas, blackberries.

Greek yogurt has a high amount of protein content. Lately, I have been trying to reduce my dairy consumption for skincare purposes. A great alternative that I found is Daiya Greek yogurt, it’s dairy and soy free and has 8g of protein. 

Aside from Greek yogurt and cereals, many brands of bread and bagels also come with high amount of protein. I always purchase 12 grains by Country Harvest, 1 bagel contains 10g of protein. I make some delicious egg white bagel sandwiches. Here again you can easily achieve 20g of protein – even 30. I always purchase Burnbrae Farms Naturegg Simply Egg Whites from Walmart – it contains 7g of protein per ¼ cup. If I’ve had some intense cardio workout (i.e., stairmaster, Jacobs ladder and versa climber) I tend to throw in some turkey breast. If you are on a budget, I’d recommend purchasing Natural selections oven roasted turkey breast, family size club pack – it is packed with 14 g of protein. Ziggy’s extra lean cooked turkey (thin sliced) is also a good option with 17g of protein. Note that I live in Canada, so I don’t know if these products are sold where you live. But I’m sure you can find similar products. 

These are just a few examples of some high protein meals that I eat regularly. Think about adding some nuts and seeds to your salads as well. Also, I personally don’t eat oatmeal, but I’m pretty sure it’d be delicious if you add some chia seeds, pumpkin seeds or cashews. And instead of making your oatmeal with water try making it with milk.

P.S. nowadays you can also purchase protein pancake baking mix. You can make wonderful waffles ahead of time and put them in the freezer.

Powders:

Now, if you have tried without success to incorporate more protein within your diet, then you sure can turn to protein powders for some extra help, but again here don’t solely rely on them. Note that I am not aware of any other powders other than protein powder that would offer you the benefits of protein powder. I’ve only seen protein come in four forms: whole food, powder, liquid or bars … Is there any reason why you do not like flavoured protein powder? As I have mentioned in one on my previous post protein powder isn’t disgusting – but it’s the way one uses it that makes it disgusting. For example, I hate mixing protein powder with just plain water – it’s just yuck, I don’t know how people can just drink protein powder with water… 

If you do not like flavoured protein powders, I’d recommend looking into unflavoured protein powders.  There are various forms of protein powder out there. 

I’d also recommend that you look into BCAAs. However, other than lemonades, cocktails, popsicles, Jell-O and smoothies – there really isn’t much you can do with BCAAs. You can’t really add BCAAs to your cereals or oatmeal. ALLMAX Nutrition Aminocore Key lime pie flavour and Beyond Yourself AMRAP: Blue freeze and lemon lime flavour are my favourite brands!! I briefly touched on BCAAs in one of my old posts.

Bottom Line

As stated earlier, the biggest advantage protein powder has over whole food is convenience. The truth about protein supplements is that they offer few advantages over protein foods.  It is not necessary to consume any protein supplements to get outstanding results. There is no scientific evidence showing that you cannot meet all of your protein needs through food. However, once again if you are training at a high level, recovering from burns or cancer, or looking to change your body composition (i.e., losing fat, building muscle) – then that’s a completely different story.

Although, I strongly encourage you to first try changing your diet, don’t get me wrong here; there is nothing wrong with throwing a scoop of protein supplement here and there when life becomes too hectic, but do not solely rely on protein supplement to achieve your daily nutritional needs. Mother Nature has blessed us with an abundance of nature’s nutritional powerhouses. Focus on real food and do not believe all the hype you read. Good luck on your training for the New Year.

Cheers,Steph 😊

[peachyteabuck]

loving him was red

summary: you’ve never had sex on your period, but when you find yourself heated during aunt flow’s visit while at an event with steve, the perfect opportunity arises for you to try it out.

pairing: steve rogers x reader

words:  2381

trigger warnings: menstruation mention, some graphic descriptions of blood, smut (oral, fingering, vaginal sex), lots of swearing, the lords name in vain a few times

notes/other: HI PLS READ THIS ESP IF YOU NORMALLY DO NOT i based this p heavily on my own experiences with menstruation + other accounts i’ve heard. it is very important to remember that there is never one singular way to experience a period NOR is there a WRONG way!! all ppl who have periods are individuals with intersecting health/economic/work statuses. this has been ur daily menstrual health psa from lukis peachyteabuck.tumblr.com

ask box / masterlist / faq / ko-fi

Pro: you currently look fine as fuck, and are on a date to some Very Important Thing with Captain freaking America.

Con: He’s horny (because you look so hot) and won’t leave you alone about it.

Pro: He’s horny (because you look so hot), and you’re horny (because he looks so hot).

Con: You’re currently on your period. Not only that, but the heaviest day of it is today, meaning your current tampon is acting as a floodgate to the Red Sea. Aunt Flow. Blood Moon. Red Scare. Hellstorm. Bitch in Red. Crimson Tide. Shark Week.

You get the picture.

When he thinks no one’s looking, Steve slides his hands down to your ass. You tense and squeeze your eyes shut.

“Babe, stop,” you hiss through your teeth, but you don’t sound very convincing. A waiter comes by with glasses of champagne and you grab two. You’re gonna need them to get through the next few hours, both because the...whatever you’re at is boring as hell and because all you want to do is jump your boyfriend’s bones.

“Why?” Steve says lowly into your ear. You take another sip of champagne, trying to quell the desire in your stomach. “You look so hot, your tits and ass look so good. Can’t wait to get home and give you all the bruises you want. Can’t wait to make you cum under me. Just wanna fuck you until you can’t remember you own name, until you’re begging me to stop.”

You grab the table in front of you and moan, other patrons be damned.

“Babe,” you whimper. “Stop, seriously.”

He laughs a little. “What? Can’t take the heat, should’ve expected this. In that dress? You know, I can’t tell what’s hotter, you in or you wi-”

You take a large drink from one of the glasses and turn to face him. You use your babysitting voice, the one you use with Peter when he pulls some dumb shit and no one has the courage to shame him. Damn Tony, doesn’t want to grow a spine and discipline Peter for fear of making him hate the man. “Steven Grant Rogers, I am on my period, and unless you want to beat your meat on the couch tonight, I’d recommend you cut it out.”

He’s stunned, a little. You snapping at him is extremely uncommon, you’re normally a total sweetheart with him (Who wouldn’t be?). Steve’s mouth hangs open a little as you turn back to face the crowd.

You engage with the rest of the Avengers who came - Sam, Tony, Pepper, and a few other people who you’d been wanting to talk to. A designer, some singers, a movie producer. You have lively conversations and Steve’s hand stays safely above your waist the whole time.

This time, it feels awkward. Not...sexual, like usual.

Now it’s just supportive, a way to tell you know he’s there. That’s it.

You feel bad, so bad. He was just telling you how attracted he was to you and you literally snapped at him like he was a petulant child! God, what’s wrong with you? Why were you so angry out of nowhere!

Oh, you’re in your period.

Right.

Once you’re too tired to stand in your heels, Steve moves you into the limo that’ll take you back to Stark tower. He holds your hand the entire way back, even carries your heels for you once you make it through the entrance.

He’s so amazing. And sweet. And kind. You want him to rearrange your guts.

You’ve been together long enough that he knows the minute you get into your shared apartment you want your dress unzipped so you can hunch over a take a deep breath. He guesses (correctly) that you need it undone even more so now that you’re bloated. When comes behind you to grab at it, you sigh.

“I’m so sorry for losing my self control earlier this evening...it’s just…”

You turn around, facing him. He looks so sad and you feel like you’ve kicked a puppy. Or stepped on a flower. Or thrown a fire blanket over the sun. Or slammed a baby’s hand in a car door.

In short, you’re a horrible person and all you want to do right now is cry dramatically surrounded by roses and candles. Or maybe while you stress eat banana bread.

“I’m so fucking horny when I’m on my period, and I’ve always just...I know guys find it so gross and frankly, I guess I unders-”

Steve tilts your chin up with his knuckles. It’s a sweet gesture, grounding. You stop talking, enchanted by his beautiful eyes. “I don’t find it gross at all.”

You gulp, remaining silent as he spoke. What?

“Let me fuck you, please. I find you so beautiful, and a natural and healthy body function isn’t going to change that.” The dress slips down your body and he first kisses down your chest, then your stomach, then lands on his knees right in front of your pussy. The dress, with its deep, wide neckline didn’t allow for a bra, so he skips right down to your panties. Menstruating had made your lips extra sensitive, so you told your stylist specifically to give you a simply black cotton panty.

Steve, someone who has seen you in much fancier, much more expensive, and/or much sexier lingerie, doesn’t seem to mind. He still pulls them down with his teeth, and massages your inner thighs. You want to look away so badly, so worried about what he’ll say when he finds the string of your tampon, or if he sees your more pronounced belly due to bloating.

When the panties hit the floor, you want to scream. Why is he doing this? Why does he find you sexy?

“Okay,” you finally get out. You immediately regret your response. Okay!? What was he asking you, what he was getting for dinner? You could at least say please!

You try to breathe, to calm down. But you can’t. You absolutely cannot calm the fuck down.

“Open your legs a little for me, babe,” he whispers. It’s low, calm. The kind of voice you’d use if you’re trying to pet a stray cat on the street. He’s trying to get your heart to stop racing, for your palms stop sweating.

You follow his orders, opening your knees a little bit, attempting to relax your muscles in the process. He coaxes the tampon string down from where you tucked it in, pulling it out slowly.

When he pulls it away, it’s a deep, ugly brown. Not earthy, or some deep coffee-like brown, or a beautiful oak in a desk at Ikea.

It’s gross. Just plain gross.

You wince a little at the sight, and he tosses it into the trash can under your desk.

“Now that we have that out of the way,” he inches his strong hands back up your legs, digging a little into the sore muscles.

Right before they can ghost your clit, you sigh.

“Wait,” you say. Steve hands stop and you close your eyes.

You can’t look at him, you’re so embarrassed.

But you want to do this, and you want to feel good while it happens. “Lean me against a wall, it feels better on my lower back if I have something to lean against...also I’m really sensitive right now, so going slow would be appreciated.”

Steve nods, standing up and pressing you into the closest wall. “Anything else, darling?”

He’s eye-level with you now, and fuck you love him so much.

You shake your head. “No...just, thank you...for this.”

He descends again and smiles. “Anything for you, my love.”

First he circles a thumb around your clit, inserting some of his middle finger into you. It feels so good, especially since you haven’t gotten off at all this week.

You blame it on being too busy, but you know why.

It’s never something you could understand, why you were always so ashamed of being on your period. Maybe it was societal influence, maybe it was because once a kid pulled a tampon out of your purse in high school and called you a she-demon, maybe it was because once your period started while having sex with your most recent ex-boyfriend and he called you a nasty bitch and then broke up with you...while you were both still naked.

Whatever it was, you knew three things:

One, you have the best boyfriend in the world.

Nope, scratch that, the universe.

Two, your boyfriend cares for you a lot and wants you to be happy.

Three, whatever he’s doing is incredibly erotic and you love it.

It’s absolute ecstasy, the way he pumps his fingers in and out of you in rhythm with circles around your clit. You knead your breasts and moan lewdly, and it only drives Steve to work harder.

When you cum, you cum hard. He fucks you through it with his fingers, smiling at the amount of pleasure coursing through your veins.

“Fuck,” you mumble. “That was so good.”

He chuckles. “Glad I could be of service.”

You laugh a little, running your hands through his hair. It’s thick, golden, warm. He’s like the sun.

You bite your lip, preparing to speak.

But he does so before you can. “Want to go to the bed?”

It’s sounds like such an innocent question, but you know better.

You nod, letting out a deep exhale. “Just be warned, changing my center of gravity is gonna...it’s gonna be weird...”

Steve laughs a little again. “Babe, I know what I’m getting into.”

He then picks you up and carries you to the bed. The second he lays you down, you start to feel that familiar feeling you can only describe as a stomach ache, but if it was also a waterfall.

The second you start to look how you feel, Steve becomes concerned.

“You okay?” he asks, eyeing you up and down to look for injury.

You squeeze your eyes together. “Yeah...just feeling weird.”

Steve laughs a little. His hands were stained with your blood, and since he had picked you up, smudged handprints riddled your body. You thought you might be disgusted, or he might be disgusted.

But it was beautiful, art. A painting made with you, by Steve, on you.

A masterpiece.

Steve seems to have the same thought. “Should draw this and sell it to that damned museum we were just at...hang it up for all the world to see just how beautiful you are…”

You think Steve is about to just fuck you, and you’re totally okay with that.

Not expecting to get fucked and then getting fucked is a wonderful surprise, one you welcome.

But then he kisses down your navel again, and lightly licks and nips at your clit.

The minitrations illicit loud and broken moans out of you. Your fingers fly to the back of his head, pulling him impossibly closer to you. His blood-stained hands hold you hips up, keeping them from bucking. It’s good, it’s so good.

He removes one, and begins to fuck his fingers in and out you. It’s good, your clit in his mouth, his fingers in your cunt.

You cum with a cry. If the first time made you see stars, this time you’re able to identify the Big Dipper. Before the orgasm was surprising, almost juvenile. It reminded you of getting fingered on the bleachers, or in a bathroom.

This one makes you feel like an adult. An actual, real life adult woman with actual, real life adult woman desires.

“Fuck,” is all you can muster.

Steve crawls up to you, resting part of his body on your chest, which is still heaving. He places a hand on your hip, his thumb rubbing supportively.

“Was hoping you’d say that,” he says, smiling. God, you want to hit him.

Not in a sexual way, though. Not right now, at least.

You groan a little at his gloating. He looks like a cheshire cat. “Shut up and fuck me, you insolent bastard.”

“Yes ma’am,” he says before positioning himself at your entrance.

Despite his sarcastic nature, he watches you for any sign of discomfort while he slowly enters you. It’s sweet, and sickeningly slow.

You moan, wrapping your legs around his waist to give him a better angle. This is exactly what you needed to make you feel less shitty, some good ole fuckin’ with your exceptionally attractive boyfriend.

By the end, you two are a moaning mess. You finish again, your hand on your clit and Steve kissing your neck. This time, the crystal clear pleasure is gone, and you feel like a giant fuzzy cloud of “holy fucking Jesus H Christ that was amazing.”

While your pussy pulses around him, Steve cums inside you. When he pulls out and collapses next to you, you’re finally clear-headed enough to take in the scene around you.

It looks like you should section off the bed with caution tape. Steve’s dick, hands, and face are absolutely covered in blood, as is the bed.

That’s when it hits you. White sheets. Deep red and brown clumps of your uterine lining. An absolutely perfect but sometimes forgetful boyfriend.

“Steve, babe?” you question, attempting to pry him away from the edge of sleep.

“Mmmrf,” is all he says, face down, head resting between your breasts.

“Did you forget to pull a towel down before we fucked?”

He lifts his head, smile sated. “Maybe.”

You sigh, and let his head fall back down. Finding a way to non-suspiciously change your blood sheets is a problem for tomorrow-you. Right-now-you just wants to run your fingers through Steve’s hair, his light snores filling your room and giving you something to fall asleep to.

“You know I’m gonna make you do this next time, too, right?” You ask, suddenly just as tired as Steve looks.

He nods a little, then turns his head so you can hear him. He kisses your breast before he speaks. “Of course, baby. Would do anything for you, especially when it comes you makin’ love to ya.”

You smile. “Good. Because after that, there’s no way I’m ever letting you go.”

Steve chuckles. “Ditto, babe.”

[cookiebakingkitonline99]

10 Baking Tips for Perfect Cakes

With every recipe I publish and tip I share, my goal is to help you become a better baker. As a home baker turned cookbook author and recipe publisher, I’ve made thousands of mistakes in the kitchen, especially when it comes to making the perfect cake. Let me share the cake baking tips I’ve learned over the years.

1. Follow the Recipe

This sounds obvious, right? Following the recipe is the most important cake baking tip you’ll ever hear/read. It’s also the most ignored. We often substitute ingredients in recipes based on what we have. Subbing out eggs, reducing sugar, using liquid sweetener instead of dry, all-purpose instead of cake flour, baking soda for powder, egg whites instead of whole eggs, etc. I do not recommend doing this unless the recipe suggests alternatives. Don’t sabotage your time, effort, and money. I’m guilty of this, too! Sometimes I’m in a rush and just not paying attention or I’m making a substitution because I ran out of an ingredient. But ingredients are needed for a reason and, more often than not, a cake fail is because the recipe wasn’t properly followed. I always recommend following a recipe the first time you try it, then making changes as you see fit the next time.

2. Room Temperature

This tip could get a little long so let me direct you to my entire post on the subject. “Room temperature” isn’t listed next to ingredients for fun. There’s science and legitimate reason behind it. If a recipe calls for room temperature ingredients, use room temperature ingredients like eggs, sour cream, butter, and milk.

To paint you a picture, let’s focus on room temperature butter in particular. Most cake recipes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands from the heat and produces a fluffy cake. Not only this, room temperature ingredients bond together easier and quicker since they’re warmer– thus reducing over-mixing. Simply put, cold ingredients do not emulsify together. Period.

3. Measure Properly

This tip also sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s where we most often make mistakes. The difference between a recipe success and a recipe failure could lie within 1 mis-measured tablespoon of sugar. Measuring ingredients properly is imperative.

Flour is the most common mis-measured ingredient. When measuring flour, use the “spoon & level” method. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup. In some cases, scooping the flour could give you 150% of the correct measurement. Disaster ensues. Rather, using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Do not pack the flour down and do not tap the measuring cup– both cause the flour to settle in the cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Now you have spoon & leveled flour.

4. Cake Flour

The more cake baking experience I have, the more often I reach for cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. You see, cake flour is a low protein flour that’s finely milled into a delicate consistency. This soft, tender texture directly translates into your baked cake. However, some recipes simply cannot withstand fine cake flour. Chocolate cake, for example, already has cocoa powder— which is a VERY fine dry ingredient. In my experience, the combination of cake flour and cocoa powder results in a flimsy chocolate cake. Likewise, spice cake, carrot cake, hummingbird cake, and banana cake contain additional wet ingredients (the fruits or veggies), so cake flour usually isn’t ideal.

These days, I stick to cake flour when making vanilla cake, white cake, red velvet cake, and other cakes where a fluffy texture is favorable. I’ve been successful substituting cake flour for all-purpose flour to create softer pineapple upside-down cake and funfetti cake. Make a 1:1 substitution with no other changes to the recipe.

5. Don’t Over-mix, Don’t Under-mix

Whether a recipe calls for mixing batter with an electric mixer or simply using a whisk, make sure you’re mixing the cake batter together *just until* the ingredients are combined. Over-mixing batter, whether that’s for cakes, cupcakes, breads, muffins, etc, lends a tough-textured baked good because you’re deflating all the air and over-developing the gluten.

6. Use Parchment Paper Rounds

First, make sure you have quality cake pans. From one baker to another– I swear by Fat Daddio’s cake pans. Incredible quality for the price. I’m not working with this brand, I’m just a genuine fan.

No matter what size or brand cake pan you use, make sure you prepare it appropriately. These days I ALWAYS use parchment paper rounds. Trace the bottom of the cake pans(s) on a large piece of parchment paper. Cut out the parchment circle(s). Then, very lightly grease the cake pans with butter or nonstick spray. I usually use coconut oil nonstick spray or “baking spray” which has a little flour in it. Place the parchment round inside, then grease the parchment round too. Yes, grease the pan AND the parchment. This promises an ultra non-stick environment for your cake. Never any sticking. I usually keep a stack of parchment rounds on hand just in case I’m in a rush to get a cake in the oven.

When the cake has cooled, run a thin knife around the edge, invert the cake on your hand or work surface, then pull off the cake pan. Peel off the parchment round.

7. Don’t Open the Oven

Don’t open the oven 25 times as the cake bakes. This lets in cool air and the drastic temperature change causes the rising cake to sink. (Temperature change is the same reason cheesecake can develop cracks. See How to Prevent Cracks in Cheesecake.) Rather, follow the baking time in the recipe and check the cake one or two times for doneness. (Next tip.)

It’s also wonderfully helpful to own an oven thermometer. Unless you have a new or regularly calibrated oven, your oven’s temperature is likely inaccurate. When you set your oven to 350°F, it might not be 350°F inside. An inaccurate oven can ruin your baked goods. The inexpensive remedy is an oven thermometer. While cheap, they are totally irreplaceable in a baker’s kitchen. Place it in your oven so you always know the actual temperature.

8. Bounce-Back Test

You can determine if a cake is done by testing with a toothpick. Stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s cooked through. But let me tell you what I do instead. And you don’t need to waste time and fumble around for a toothpick:

Remove the cake from the oven or leave it in, your choice. Gently press down on the cake. If the cake bounces back completely, it’s done. If your finger left a dent in the cake, it needs more time. So easy. I always do this!

This little trick can be used on muffins and cupcakes as well.

9. Allow to Cool Completely in Pan

This sounds like a no-brainer, but we’re often in a rush– myself included. Assembling and/or decorating cakes before they’re completely cool is literally a recipe for disaster. The flavor hasn’t settled and the frosting will melt.

Some bakers may disagree, but I always cool my cakes completely inside the pans. I do the same for cupcakes, quick breads, and more. Place the pan on a wire rack and leave it alone until completely cool. If I’m in a rush, sometimes I’ll place the rack and pan in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.

If I’m in a major rush, I cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes. Then I remove it from the pan and place it on a baking sheet inside the freezer for about 45 more minutes. Depending on the size of the cake, it’s completely cool in a little over 1 hour.

10. Storing & Transporting Cakes

Unless otherwise noted, cakes taste best at room temperature. (Love chocolate mousse cake cold though!) If you prepare cake one day ahead of time, you can bake and cool it, then cover it tightly and keep at room temperature. Fresh frosting tastes best, so assemble and frost the day of serving. If storing a frosted cake, keep it covered in the refrigerator. Set it on the counter before serving so it warms to room temperature. All of my cake recipes include make-ahead instructions.

11. Bonus Baking Tip: Easy Decorating

When it comes to cake decorating, I prefer classic and simple. This is mostly because I’m impatient and need more practice with any intricate decor. But I’m an expert on EASY and BEAUTIFUL cake garnishes. Naked-style cake is probably my favorite and requires zero special skill. Easy buttercream flowers only require 2 piping tips and I have a video tutorial showing you how to replicate this look. Or try two-toned frosting roses! Whipped cream swirls, as shown in my lemon cake, are just as lovely as they are easy.

We have an extensive and fabulous range of baking kits, celebration kits, and party bags that all make amazing gifts but are also perfect for a sweet and entertaining experience as a family.

 If you want to buy best baking kit for kids then please check this link:- https://www.craftandcrumb.com/

[ristocycling]

Is that it?

For the first time, I’m sitting at home in Estonia and writing this blog. I came here to ride Estonian Championships in X-Country Marathon. Before I even came here, I got disturbing news that my cycling licence is registered wrong in the system, that ment no Championships for me. Since I already got the tickets and all was planned, I decided to ride the race anyways. Which also ment that my shoulders drop, nerves were under control and everything looked fine, until the very morning. Cannot really put words on it what happens in my head, but nothing makes sense anymore. I wanna quit. I don’t feel it´s worth it. This tremendous fight in me makes it challenging to continue. So, when a random questions led to changing the category to Estonian Championships 1 hour before the start, it didn’t really affect me at all. The guy I was talking to was the chief referee, apparently. So it was kind of a good thing that the licence posed problems to begin with.

But, maybe the lack of preparedness made it worse this time? I saw couple of videos of the race online and it looked really scary- I´ve always been scared of heights and there are many places on this race when you ride on the edge of a cliff- Estonia is pancake flat, yes, but it has some hI´lls. True story! Also I had no plans of hydration since I counted on neutral zones, while most of the other riders had teams to rely on. Maybe if I had a plan and though a peace of mind, something would have been better, different the very morning? I don’t really know! I’ve always struggled before the races, well almost every time. I’ve had a whole season where the nerves were under control no matter the race! So, I’m aware that it´s all in our heads?! For sure! And I know something can be done to hold the head on the surface. But what can you do about it, really? How to calm down, think straight thoughts, or not think of anything? I guess it has also something to do with expectations. So the real question is: does it really matter in the terms of result, if one has high expectations or simply show up to have fun? -GIVEN that preps are done! Maybe not.. Maybe not. What are expectations? Define that! I’m starting to think that it´s simply some pile of bullSHIT! Expectations=how things should be=pretend to be a prophet=religion of futurism=fantasy=ambitions? While I’m always telling others to let go of prejudices, expectations and go with the flow, but have ambitions and wI´ll to do better… Then I’m doing exact the opposite my self. Maybe I should start being a bad example?! Start living rather than fantasising. Maybe even stop having ambitions and simply be the best version of my self?

Well, maybe the fact that my life´s once again at a cross road makes it a bit more difficult to tackle? Maybe my mental capacity ain´t big enough to overcome all the pressure right now? What are these «other» things? Well, their all personal. But I can say so much- nothing in my future is given right now. Maybe, for my health sake, I should take time off from racing? It´s just as simple as that- the pressure is unbearable and I felt it both before and while racing. I made a mistakes for sure. As I rode two hours without eating anything, just drinking. 29th place was more than ok and I HOPED that it would hold. But then the hammer appeared and hit me hard! And then the bad feelings, thoughts, black hole manifested. I started to think of quitting. Didn´t feel sufficed. So after a while, an hour or so, I realised that I was riding in emergency mode (ref. cars that are having severe problems). Then the very best, Greete S, come from nowhere and parked me. I really tried hard to keep her back a while and when opportunity presented it´self, I wished to contribute. But nothing, she was simply superior at that time. After a while, I stopped for a couple of minutes, cheered on my competition, ate 3 bars and drank a little. After a while, stopped in a feeding zone and eat some bread, Estonian black bread! A sausage. Some bananas. Drank some more fluids. Cheered on the second lady. And then continued the journey. And yes, after a long while, the energy stores were restored and I got the speed up. Catch up some racers and even passed them and made them pay parking tickets. All-in-all, 56th out of 125 racers. 50min lost to 1st place. 12 min behind the very best Estonian WChampion.

Now it has been 2 days since that race. I’ve made some analyses on Strava and I cannot really hide myself behind some data that prove that things would have been better IF and so on. I started really hard, too hard. I was climbing up from 32nd place to 29th and kept it going for a while, until the world famous Hammer! My level ain´t that high on single trails, flat, sandy ground. It might sound like I’m defending myself right now, but that really ain´t the case. It´s simply a explanation of what does not suit me. On contrary, hI´lls and climbs suit me very well, easier ground and some gravel too. So, yes, I’m not a complete biker! Far from it. But until now, I’ve fought a fair fight. In my own head, I believe, in a way, I can be related to a fictional character, Rocky Balboa:

«…it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”

― Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa

So, to sum up. I´m not saying that I´ll quit. I simply say that I´ll choose to meet up to have fun from now on. I’m done with getting so nervous that It squeezes out all the fun and will to ride my bike. That doesn’t mean that my competition should feel neglected- when I do meet up for a race, I´ll do my very best, yes I will! But I´ll act as if it´s only for fun.

If you feel a bit a bit frustrated because some of it, think all of it is bullCrap, shame! It´s my personal blog and its not open for criticising. And yes, all of it is personal and IF you feel like some of it also apply to you, good, maybe I was to help? In the end, I´ll print it out as a «book» and hand to my kids one day. Hopefully it’ll happen one day :D

But. I cannot forget the the most important part of it all. To honour the winners. Petter Pruus, Greete Steinburg and all the others before me, after me. I’ve ridden about 50 different races in my career and this was the most insane single track race ever! About 85km singles is tough call no matter how you look at it! Chapeau! Jõelähtme Rattamaraton is truly a mekka for riders who enjoy themselves on single trails!

Thank you for reading! I´ll now be heading to Dolomites to ride Sellaronda HERO, oh well.. to have fun on Sellaronda HERO. This ride suits me pretty well! So I´ll go for my personal best this year and leave it all on the mountains there. My wish is to cross the finish line, happy, satisfied and proud. But, if it doesn´t work out well, I´ll go for a great tour :D It´s amazing place!

Risto

[lotsofdogs]

PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 32-34

Hello!! As I near the end of my pregnancy (I hit 35 weeks on Monday!), I wanted to switch things up on the blog a bit and dive into a little more detail in my pregnancy recaps because I feel like so much is happening and changing and I don’t want to forget it. Also, I’ve been referencing my weekly pregnancy recaps from my pregnancy with Chase like crazy lately and am beginning to miss sharing so much about this exciting time, especially now that we’re so close to our due date and everything is starting to hit me and feel so real. Our baby is due in just over 30 days and it feels like the clock is really ticking! Rather than the monthly pregnancy recaps I’ve been sharing, I’m planning to share bi-weekly updates up until delivery.

Here are my past updates from this pregnancy if you’re just catching up:

A Miracle On The Way

The First and Second Trimester (So Far)

PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 20-23

PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 24-27

PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 28-31

What I’m Going To Pack In My Hospital Bag

And you may also check out all of my weekly pregnancy updates from my first pregnancy on the Pregnancy page of this blog.

Also, I know I’ve said this time and time again on this blog, but if you are not in a place where reading about pregnancy is good for your heart, I get it and I am sending you so much love. I don’t want to be the source of heartache for any of you and encourage you to please skip the blog posts you need to skip, take a break from this blog if you need a break and take care of yourself.

Baby Updates

  (34 Week Baby Bump)

At 34 weeks, baby is the size of a butternut squash and typically weighs in at around 4 pounds 7 ounces.

At my 32-week prenatal appointment with a maternal and fetal medicine specialist, the doctor estimated our little one is already up to 4 pounds 12 ounces and I’m measuring a bit ahead. I am so curious about the size of our baby right now because my belly growth, belly shape and weight gain all vary quite a bit from my pregnancy with Chase. I’m definitely bigger all around and my belly shape is more of a high basketball as opposed to a long, low belly.  

Weight Gained

Currently hovering around 27-30 pounds which is 5-8 pounds more than I weighed at this point with Chase.   

Workouts

  (33 Week Bump!)

Workouts are a bit all over the place right now as I am just really trying to listen to my body. On days when I feel tired or more nauseated than usual in the mornings, I’ll take a rest day or just go for a walk. This seems to happen three or four days a week right now so I’m making it to the gym or doing a workout at home the other three or four days. You may see what a full week of workouts looked like for me at 33 weeks pregnant in this post: Weekly Workouts: 33 Weeks Pregnant. Favorite workouts continue to include modified Burn Boot Camp workouts (I am skipping most cardio and plyometric days) and circuit-style strength training. I’ve also found a handful of YouTube workout videos that range anywhere from 10-20 minutes that I am loving lately for my random at home workouts! The Tone It Up Bikini Arms Workout is one of my favs for a quick arm burner.

Symptoms

Nausea. Ooph! It’s back with a vengeance right now and I find myself feeling nauseated more often than not in the mornings. Most times I’m able to get ahead of it by eating something immediately upon waking, but 3-4 days a week it will linger through the early afternoon no matter what or how often I eat.

I’ve also noticed that as my belly gets bigger, the shortness of breath I began experiencing a few weeks ago is increasing like crazy! The smallest things will leave me feeling ridiculously winded right now like walking up a very small hill or a flight of stairs… or even simply bending over to pick something up! The belly is a force – I still remember thinking it should be way squishier and more malleable during my first pregnancy – and it definitely fights back when I bend over or squat down these days.

I feel like every day I don’t experience severe sacroiliac or sciatic joint pain, I count my blessings because that was, without a doubt, the most frustrating and painful symptom I experienced in my first pregnancy. I am so grateful it happened before I had a toddler to chase around because I’m not sure what I would do if I couldn’t walk without feeling a stabbing pain in my butt and lower back. I am experiencing minor lower back pain on my right side – more like a quick stab of pain if I stand up after I’ve been sitting or laying down for an extended period of time – but it usually happens at the end of the day and stretching and massaging the spot helps a lot.

I’m also still experiencing occasional calf and foot cramps but introducing Natural Calm into my nightly routine seems to have made a difference and helped decrease their frequency.

Food Aversions

Nothing is really too off-putting to me at the moment, but sometimes when I eat a lot of vegetables or a salad, I’ll feel almost repulsed after the meal is over. I can eat it and it tastes good while I eat, but thinking back about what I ate will occasionally make me feel pukey. So strange! I also tend to be much hungrier in the mornings and afternoons and feel almost indifferent toward food around dinnertime. Smaller evening meals are my friend.

Food Cravings

(34-Week Belly Bump Snack Shelf!)

Fruit, especially watermelon, bananas and citrus, chocolate (<—this often feels like a NEED more than a want) and cereal. I’m also eating a lot of oatmeal, random slices of bread, avocado, yogurt and cottage cheese.

Sleep

Oh sleep, you are a tricky beast. Sleep is on and off and extremely unpredictable around here. I’ve struggled with pregnancy-related insomnia a lot this time around and sometimes it totally kicks my butt (I cannot fall asleep until 3 a.m.) and other nights I’ll fall asleep quickly but wake up for hours and hours in the middle of the night. And then, inevitably, I’ll be blessed with a night or two of decent sleep and it will be AMAZINGGG and I want to wake up high-fiving everyone around me. I also wake up constantly in the night to pee (we’re talking five times at least) but I’ve been that way for months.

I am still 100 percent in love with my Snoogle and don’t know what I’d do without it from a comfort standpoint. I am hugged up on that monstrosity ALL night long!

Any Baby/Pregnancy Related Purchases?

I still haven’t bought much of anything this pregnancy! I am grateful for the sprinkles my aunt and my friends hosted for our little one so I feel pretty good to go on the diaper and wipes front but I need to take some time to stock up on post-delivery self care essentials (Tucks Witch Hazel Pads, Perineal Irrigation Bottle, Dermoplast Pain Relieving Spray, Extra Heavy Pads, etc.).

I’d love to get a jump start on setting up our baby’s nursery but know that our baby will be sleeping in our room with us for months so I’m having a hard time feeling particularly motivated. Ryan moved all of our home gym stuff out of the room that will be our baby’s nursery and into the garage so now that the room is an empty space/diaper staging area, I am feeling the itch to begin decorating but want to know our baby’s sex before going all out!

And these aren’t necessarily brand new purchases, but I’ve been getting a lot of wear out of the following bump-friendly clothing over the course of the past few weeks:

Flounce Sleeve Wrap Dress (I have this in pink and a dusty blue color and wore it to my baby sprinkle and on a date night with Ryan! It’s not maternity but accommodates the bump well. I ordered a size up from my pre-pregnancy size.)

Lululemon Align Pant (I will sing the praises of these pants for eternity! I now have two pairs and wash them immediately after wearing because I don’t want to ever be without a clean pair right now. I have them in my pre-pregnancy size and they are stretchy enough to work well over my belly!)

ASOS Maternity Romper (I wasn’t sure this purchase would be a hit but I love it! Great for dressing up with a funky bralette – you can see it here on a recent date night – or throwing on over a bathing suit for a comfy cover-up.)

Victoria’s Secret V-Neck Tee (A pregnancy fav from my first pregnancy! I have this tee in FIVE colors. I just sized up two sizes from my pre-pregnancy size and it works great with the belly and postpartum for a relaxed fit v-neck tee!)

ASOS Maternity Cold Shoulder Top (Love the feminine look of this top that doesn’t scream “maaaternity!!!”)

Belly Button In or Out?

My  belly button is definitely out right now but not overly noticeable through clothing.

Boy or Girl Thoughts and Name Ideas

We’re all beginning to get hone in on whether we think we’re having a boy or a girl right now and it’s SO much fun! I am seriously loving every second of not knowing and this truly shocks me because I never thought I’d want to be surprised in a million years. Right now, Chase and I are pretty much the only two people who think I’m having a boy. Ryan, the vast majority of our friends and our families are all convinced we’re having a girl. I will just have to laugh if we end up having a girl and Chase and I are the only two people who thought boy. And no, Chase hasn’t wavered on his thoughts on the baby’s sex even one time. He tells everyone I’m having a boy with such certainty and I’m pretty sure that if we end up having a girl we’ll just tell him “the baby is here!” and break the news that it’s a girl slooowly… Haha!

As far as names go, we’re still pretty clueless. Ah! There is one boy name Ryan and I both love and agree on but there are a few things holding us back from committing to it, namely because it makes us think of a certain television show character. (I’ll definitely fill you in on the name later whether we use it or not!) When it comes to a girl name, we have a couple we like but nothing finite just yet. And, truthfully, I could see us veering from our current list of frontrunners completely… Clearly we are ALL over the place with names right now.

Feeling…

I’m beginning to find myself spending more and more time thinking about birth. I was almost always measuring behind with Chase and he was such a little peanut when he was born, so I’m curious what it will be like to birth a bigger baby since my labor with Chase was so fast and relatively easy. I’m hoping the fact that this will be my second delivery will work in my favor and really hope my body remembers what to do because the whole childbirth part of having a baby still admittedly freaks me out a bit! I’m 10,000 times better with needles and medical things than I was before I became pregnant with Chase but I still get queasy relatively easy and feel like a bit of a baby myself about the whole thing. Thankfully there’s no better motivation going into labor than knowing I’ll finally be able to meet the baby I already love so much! I am SO ridiculously excited for that moment!!   

Another thing I’m feeling is a lot of mixed emotions surrounding my final few weeks of one-on-one time with Chase.

I wrote a lot more about these feelings on this Instagram post and it was so, so helpful to hear from so many of you who have been there and experienced the same rollercoaster of emotions before welcoming your second baby into the world. I’m hoping to plan a few special Mom and Chase dates where we do something unique and fun together before our baby arrives and hope to continue to really focus on soaking up every moment of special time with my firstborn before it becomes more challenging to give him undivided attention.  

Also, I cannot help but wonder how my relationship with Ryan will change once a second child enters the picture.

With Chase, it was relatively easy for both of us to hang out with our tiny baby and spend time together when Chase was sleeping on the weekends but I know that won’t be possible when when we have a baby and an energetic toddler in the mix who needs attention and activity. I LOVE our family time and know things will evolve naturally but it’s hard not to picture chaotic bed times and one of us handling one child while the other handles the other child and limited time to really be together in an intentional way. I’d absolutely LOVE to hear thoughts from those of you who have been through this before… How did your relationship change with two kids in the mix? Was there anything you did to make the transition easier? I remember communication becoming even more pivotal after Chase was born and telling Ryan what I need from him rather than just hoping he’ll know or figure it out was crucial.

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/pbf-baby-2-pregnancy-weeks-32-34/

[fantasyfeasts]

Librarian-Poo, from The Truth by Sir Terry Pratchett!

I snortled when I read this bit, because it contains two of the most fearsome creatures in Ankh-Morpork - Vimes himself, and a certain simian slinger of books:

‘Mister Vimes is going to go round the twist,’ said the voice of Deep Bone. 'He’s going to go totally Librarian-poo. He’s going to invent new ways of being angry just so’s he can try them out on you -’

[As always, thank you so much for supporting me and my book!]

Can’t get more evocative than that!

This is a simple recipe for using up a whole bunch of brown bananas. The husband is in the habit of buying a bunch of bananas and eating exactly half of them before declaring the rest “too brown to eat.” I, on the other hand, would eat a banana right up to the point where it starts spawning Zerglings, so I made this recipe for using up every last banana, dammit!

I hate freezing this personally, because I have to layer wax paper between slices and the texture never comes out right after reheating. I just wrap the whole loaf pan in cling film and chuck it in the fridge, slicing whenever I feel like having a nice hearty snack.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, keep a plate in your freezer to test the syrup on. Heat up the syrup over a medium low temperature until it reaches a foamy bubble. At 3 minute intervals, slop some syrup on the plate to see if it sets to a sort of gummy texture. When it does, that means it’ll cling to the top of your loaf rather than oozing straight through it!

You can also skip the peanut syrup topping (simply omit the honey/agave and peanuts) for a simple banana bread recipe, or you can half-ass it by slathering honey straight from the bottle and right onto the loaf. Just make sure the loaf is completely cool before application, because a hot loaf will absorb the sugar syrup too fast and you’ll lose the nice, airy texture!

INGREDIENTS

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

1 lemon

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

Pinch salt

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ginger (POWDER)

1 tsp cardamon

1 ¼ cup honey or agave

1 ¼ cup roasted peanuts

METHOD

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease loaf pan.

Cream butter and sugar together.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs and bananas.

Zest the whole lemon and add to the wet bowl.

Juice ½ the lemon into the wet bowl. Reserve remaining half lemon.

Whisk wet mixture vigorously until well combined.

Stir into creamed butter bowl and mix well.

In yet another bowl, mix flours, salt, baking powder, ginger, and cardamon well.

Fold dry ingredients into wet mix until all flour is JUST moistened. Deposit into loaf pan.

Bake in 325F oven for 50 minutes to an hour, or until knife inserted into loaf comes out clean.

When bread is done, leave it to cool in the loaf pan.

While waiting, combine honey/agave with peanuts and juice of remaining lemon in a saucepan. 

Cook over medium low heat until 240F. Maintain temperature for 10 minutes, then take off heat.

Top fully-cooled bread with WARM peanut syrup. (Syrup cannot be poured when cool!)

Let syrupy loaf set in fridge for at least 1 hour.

To store, wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate.

Warm refrigerated slices in the microwave for 1 minute or until center is warm to the touch. To keep the nuts from falling off, heat and serve upright. This will also ensure an even heat in the microwave!

[topfygad]

Ingesting our way close to Vital West, Florida

A person of my favorite methods to understand a vacation spot is by simply just having the community delicacies. I mean who doesn’t get pleasure from having a gastronomic tour the place you get to stroll, speak, consume and drink your way via an area’s best places to eat, bars and culinary institutions?

Critical West Meals Excursions are one of the best-acknowledged food tour groups in the Florida Keys. They supply three principal food stuff and drink excursions all-around Critical West. But their Southernmost Food items Tour is the greatest excursion you can do if you want to consume like a regional and get a full knowledge of the island’s food stuff lifestyle.

In fifty percent an hour of arriving into Key West, we have been at Siboney Restaurant in which we ended up completely ready to meet our Important West foods tour information, Analise Smith.

Analise has Cuban heritage in her relatives so she was effectively qualified to teach us on the Cuban foodstuff scene in Essential West.

The Southernmost Meals Tour: Feeding on our way close to Critical West, Florida

El Siboney, Key West

El Siboney is a single of the most renowned Cuban dining places right here and has come to be anything of an establishment considering that it opened in 1984. You will discover El Siboney in the Old City and it is an unassuming purple brick developing, nonetheless continuously attracts in the crowds for its authentic Cuban cooking.

So, if you want to take in right here, critically contemplate reserving in advance.

The Southernmost Food Tour lasts three hours, but there is a whole lot of taking in to do. So Analise doesn’t mess about.

When our food stuff was becoming well prepared, she gave us a crash-class in how to drink Cuban espresso and the numerous approaches you can purchase it.

There’s the Cafecito or Café Cubano (served in a thimble-sized cup), a Café con leche (espresso with steamed milk), a Cortadito (served with a very small splash of steamed milk) or the Bucci (a strong shot of espresso that’s served with cane sugar.)

If there is additional than a single of you, you can go with the tradition of purchasing a Colada which is in essence an additional-large cup of the sweet Bucci, which you then share among a number of folks in the thimble-sized cups (see image underneath.)

Yet another Cuban tradition is also to order the ridiculously additional-ish pan Cubano (Cuban bread) and dunk it in your drink. Delish.

Cubans have a very sweet tooth, or as Analise claims, they are ‘sweet freaks’. So introducing sugar to the espresso is a given. If they talk to you whether or not you’d sugar, they’re really asking if you’d like even more sugar than what they instantly set in.

So you could be bouncing off the walls following tasting this. You have been warned!

The foods dish we try at El Siboney is the vintage roast pork, or Cuban Puerco Asadoas it’s recognised. If you read through my overview of Versailles in Miami, you will know that BC tried out a dish like this there. However, I have to say, this a single was tastier. It was served with white rice, fried plantain and a squeeze of contemporary lime, with a incredibly hot sauce on the facet. Delicious.

It was time to go on.

Badboy Burrito

Badboy Burrito, our up coming quit, is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and bar. It’s below you’ll choose up what are arguably, the most effective tacos and ‘build-your-own’ burritos in Critical West. The extended queue claims it all.

It is a no-frills variety of position, so you pull up a chair outdoors, get a chilled consume and prepare to get your fingers messy. The Southernmost Foods Tour very encouraged we tried the fish taco. And for superior explanation. They’re designed utilizing ‘tile fish’, which are a single of the most sustainable fish you can consume in the Florida Keys.

Numerous persons are still unaware of this additional ‘environmentally friendly’ alternative of fish. And when I’d say it’s not bursting with flavour, it was surely livened up by the salsa verde, sour cream and cilantro. The govt chef at Badboy Burrito is really passionate about using the freshest components. So considerably so, they don’t even have freezers. You can warranty on ocean-to-plate top quality and you cannot beat the name both.

A bit of history and lifestyle

In in between all the having, Crucial West Food items Tours will make positive they fill you in on the a lot of cultural and historic spots of fascination you go on the way. On the Southernmost Meals Tour, Analise regaled us with all kinds of tales about Key West’s cigar-building record, the ‘shotgun houses’ in which factory employees lived, as well as the stories at the rear of the quite a few quirky retailers and properties you’ll obtain on the island, these types of as the Tomasita Seafood store.

Many thanks to its proximity to the Caribbean, Vital West was a big player in rum importation, even during America’s prohibition period.

And just after all our strolling, Analise determined it was time for a tipple – which takes us on to one of the island’s most well-known speakeasies, The Rum Bar.

The Rum Bar

I’m a huge admirer of rum, so it was a little disappointing that I was unable to make the most of this little bit, staying six months pregnant! But whether you’re consuming alcohol or not, The Rum Bar is an intriguing place to check out. You are sure to meet up with a quirky character or two.

You’ll find The Rum Bar on Essential West’s famous Duval Road and it was at first owned by a gentleman referred to as Raul Vaquez, who was a cigar selector at the island’s famed Gato cigar manufacturing facility.

They stock an impressive 250+ sorts of rum, which you can of training course sample straight, or in one of their a lot of basic cocktails.

Seemingly Vaquez’s true enthusiasm was functioning as a ‘rum runner’ concerning Important West and the Caribbean. The sector turned so in-need, they established a ‘rum row’ – a three-mile route concerning Crucial West and Bermuda the place ‘rum runners’ travelled back again and forth.

So it only appeared correct that on the Southernmost Meals Tour, the team attempted the synonymous Rum Runner cocktail – a combine of white and dark rum, banana, blackberry, grenadine, OJ, pineapple and sours. Meanwhile, Analise kindly requested me a Rum Runner sans alcohol.

Livened up and all set to go, our next prevent on the Key West Food stuff Tour was the Bahama Village, one of my favourite regions of Key West and where by the majority of Crucial West’s Caribbean community settled.

Analise crammed us in on the background of the colourful clapboard houses and stopped by important points of desire such as the significantly-loved Rick Value mural….

…and the family members property of famous trumpeter Theodore “Fats” Navarro.

But our future halt on the Southernmost Food items Tour was one more Crucial West institution, Blue Heaven.

Blue Heaven

If you are ever in Critical West, this is in all probability the restaurant I’d propose as a great all-rounder. Positioned in just a leafy yard, comprehensive with roaming roosters and a rooster cemetery (they like their roosters below), an out of doors bar and quirky knick-knacks, it is packed with that Bohemian appeal you will come across in several components of Crucial West…

…and they serve a Critical Lime Pie which is to die for.

As you are going to study on this gastronomic journey, Key Lime Pie is a typical Important West dessert and there are all sorts of variants in how it’s served.

In this article at Blue Heaven, we tried using it in miniature form, comprising of a delicious biscuit foundation and a tangy lime filling topped with a pillow-delicate meringue.

They were so tooth-achingly sweet, these cute minimal miniatures ended up far more than plenty of. If you are eager to attempt the many variants of this neighborhood treat, head to the several Vital Lime Pie stores and factories in the Outdated City and sample them all!

We headed again to Blue Heaven for a good brunch a couple of days later and I’d remarkably advocate a visit.

Mangoes

Mangoes is extra of a mainstream bar and cafe you will discover on Duval Road. But its indoor-outdoor really feel and good cocktail bar vibe absolutely make it worthy of viewing. As we discovered on the food tour, it’s also a fantastic place to sample a different culinary staple, conch. 

Conch is the sea snail you will find in abundance in Critical West. It’s also what lots of individuals however nickname them selves below soon after the tongue-in-cheek motion in 1982 which saw Crucial Westers form a micronation dubbed the ‘Conch Republic’.

These squidgy molluscs are usually utilised to make ceviche and chowder but you are going to also find them shallow-fried, or deep fried to make fritters. At Mangoes, they have been served as fritters with a mouth watering aioli created utilizing the community Important Lime.

They’re fantastic as a tasty snack and style even greater when enjoyed in the sunshine, with a refreshing beer.

Aspect note: Component foods child, portion genuine infant escalating in my tummy listed here..

Important West Distilling

Our final stop on the Southernmost Food items Tour was Critical West Distilling, a compact distillery on Southard Avenue that generates craft spirits, rums, vodkas, gin and whiskey.

Yet again, I experienced to scent somewhat than flavor, but Analise provided an attention-grabbing introduction into their exceptional distilling processes, the means they develop the oak flavours and the a variety of substances and spices that are made use of below.

If you’re brave sufficient, you will consider the overproof rum which has a mighty 76.5% alcohol content. Or probably you’ll sample the horseradish vodka?

Either way, it was a fantastic close to a superb tour with Important West Food stuff Tours.

I’m so happy we did the Southernmost Food items Tour as shortly as we arrived into Important West. It presented a wonderful introduction to the island, it taught us a ton about the Florida Keys society and we left with a prolonged checklist of recommendations on places to eat and consume, which is never a bad point.

The Southernmost Foods Tasting & Cultural Strolling Tour charges from $75 for grown ups and $49 for kids aged 12 and under. You can locate out a lot more about Vital West Food items Excursions on Facebook, instagram, twitter and via their web site.

Find out much more about the Florida Keys and Crucial West by using the Florida Keys and Essential West Vacationer Board.

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My ticket for the Southernmost Food Tour was organised by the Florida Keys Vacationer Board

from Cheapr Travels http://cheaprtravels.com/ingesting-our-way-close-to-vital-west-florida/ via IFTTT

[itstwopeasinapodlove-blog]

I have yet to make my yearly trip to the pumpkin patch, but that cannot stop me from making delicious pumpkin filled treats. Around this time of year pumpkins start appearing everywhere. From drinks, to doorsteps and weirdly enough on clothing. So, I thought I’d combine one of my favorite foods and this weird fruit that everyone's suddenly obsessed with. -Pumpkin bread, when made right is moist, perfect balance of spices and sweet and pairs wonderfully with a steaming cup of English breakfast. It’s especially perfect for any chilly or rainy day.

Since this was my first time making this I simply pulled a recipe off the food network and followed the instructions. After a bit of mixing, stirring and pouring it was ready to be baked. After an hour or so in the oven, the sweet smell of cinnamon and cloves wafted through the house, letting me know it was ready to be taken out of the oven. The process was incredibly simple and the result was just as I expected - moist and deliciously savory. The only remark id have to make on this loaf was density of it. I know from the countless times of making banana bread that it’s expected to come out denser than you imagine, but after trying pumpkin bread from a few cafes I believe my water measurements were a bit off. Also, I was a bit antsy to get it out of the oven and if I’d have left there a few more minutes it probably would have helped.

However, despite these minor observations this bread is a brilliant success and perfect snack for autumn.

[itinerantscribe-blog]

Day 12 of 28

Oh my. Oh my. I had to nap, NAP!!, at 11am this morning. I never nap. I can’t as a rule, too hyperactive or some such. Today I had no choice, literally no choice. I had to shut down all systems -electronic I mean, though my body had clearly the same idea- to go to my couch and sleep. I mean, it’’s all so confusing. This is SO not just about deprivation of beer. I am not for one minute suggesting that I don’t drink far too much when I do drink, I’m simply saying that when I think with a cold lucidity about my beer habit, when I consider the intervals in between, the amounts when I am ingesting, when I think about my general diet, when I think about all these things, I am convinced the side effects that emerge following a period of abstinence like this, almost 2 weeks, are not generated entirely by the withdrawal from the hop. I have written a couple of blogs before about these matters, and whilst it has been a while since the previous, I recall coming to a similar conclusion. Sugar. SUGAR. Obviously the beer is implicated because it is the medium -for me- whereby the substance is delivered. This is worthy of further consideration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx14RYPqYvo

My diet is broadly speaking pure. Apart from the obvious white elephant in this affirmation -the presence of beer for those who can’t guess- I rarely eat processed food, I try to eat foods that are one and wholly of themselves. If the item on the shopping list comprises more than one component, then it is processed. For example, an apple is only of itself, that kind of thing. The more ingredients in that one item, the more and more processed it has become. It’s quite straightforward really. And although of course this is not doctrine for me, I am a fairly zealous adherent to my comestible regimen. I would be horrified mind you, to convey the impression, false as it would be, that I decided upon a such a dietary programme out of some love of self and belief in digestive purity for the sake of it. No no, far from it, my conversion to such a culinary menu was constructed as so many elements of my life as another resource in my arsenal of weaponry for the never ending battle against anxiety which I have been waging for so many years. And I have to say, this particular weapon is a fairly useful addition. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmLIJAc5kyg

I concluded yesterday with a suggestion that re-education isn’t the worst avenue to consider in an effort to rid the world of this damn anxiety business. I am convinced that a re-wiring of the brain would work if it were possible to find the right tools for the job. Of course, it is hard, impossible,  to achieve at the conscious level of thought as this re-editing of the mind needs to work on a subconscious level, and that level is deep underground, not so easy to access. That is not the only problem with the subconscious. Bless its cottons, the subconscious is on our side, so it thinks, trying to keep us safe and ensure our ongoing survival, but noble being that it is, it is none too bright. You see, this is where all our instinctive propensity resides, it is there, right there. The subconscious doesn’t sleep, the subconscious is permanently alert, and the subconscious has no understanding of temporal context. For example, an event no matter how trivial in adult eyes that may have taken place years ago will be remembered by the subconscious as ongoing and perennial. Something that might have appeared as a threat to a 6 year old who was using 6 year old interpretation at the time,  can linger forever within the subconscious and if not rationalised close to the occurrence of the event, can become buried beneath the next event and the next and the next etc..until eventually it is so far underground that reaching it is an effort of enormous magnitude fraught with alarming difficulty and so continues to influence and effect he existence of the child now grown up. The event may be something so inconsequential, so nondescript, so totally trivial that of itself it would never cause an issue with anyone at anytime. But a child’s perception is a child’s perception, and this minor, irrelevant event can be magnified to dimensions of universal proportions in a child’s mind. However, if the event itself cannot be identified, if the cause of the phobia be not readily evident or easy to uncover, then circuitous steps can be taken to limit and lessen at least the impact that this concealed event wields.

I have in my own battle, tried many devices and mechanisms to alleviate my own issues of anxiety and agoraphobia, some more effective than others but undeniably, self-evidently, obviously, thus far not finding one that has brought any permanent solution. However, this may also be a consequence of my lack of persistence, lack of belief or lack of (here it is again) genuine desire. Choice. Returning then to the issue of diet, specifically sugar and beer. I have at times considered the apparition of my condition to be a consequence of physical cause, maybe not of the mind. To this end then, I have on occasion removed sugar, obviously always in a period of abstinence given the presence and excitation of sugar concomitant with beer/booze consumption, At the moment I am not sugar free, I find myself eating stuff I simply do not normally eat, biscuits, cake, bread etc... but I forgive myself whilst I am at the initial phase of beer exclusion. This does not however, contradict my belief as outlined above that my tiredness and anxiety level could be the consequence of a dearth of sugar since I am sure that whatever sugary content stuff I am eating now rivals not even minimally the amount of sugar I was chucking down my throat in my most recent hedonistic jamboree comprising me and London Pride.  Hyperglycemia. Alcohol can have a confusing effect on blood sugar levels because it prevents the liver from producing glucose. One consequence of this is that hyperglycemia can occur after a night of drinking, and after a sustained period, even more possible an appearance. However, alcohol is the not the only cause of hyperglycemia, diet in general can also produce the condition. What interests me greatly about this ailment is the similarities that exist twixt its symptoms and the symptoms of panic attacks. Strikingly similar. And equally as curious, is how hyperglycemia is not too distant in symptomatic manifestation from its cousin,  hypoglycemia. This is all most intriguing. I don’t know about fellow anxiety sufferers, but I would prefer to deal with a dietary issue as the cause which can have a tangible remedy than some unknown subconscious monster that refuses to identify itself and lives permanently under my subconscious bed....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHakEH93dDM

Try eating lots of sugar in one go, do it for days on end (yuk! who would want to? oh no wait, it’s ok, is it? to do it day in day out if it’s called beer? oops...), tell me you don’t develop symptoms that rival, emulate, reproduce the identical symptoms of Mr P. Is it not worth exploring diet then? To experiment to see if perhaps, just perhaps, diet is the primary cause of the condition and even if not the only cause, at least to test some dietary re-calibration to see whether that might alleviate the symptoms? Could my problem be as simple as an allergy to sugar? What joy that would bring, what delight...but wait, this would not be good for me, would it? This would be the end to my beer days, forever. Hold on, am I telling myself that a strict observance of a non processed diet for 3 months might cure an affliction that has haunted and plagued me for 35 years and yet, I am hinting, intimating, that I might choose, CHOOSE, not to rid myself of that loathsome friend forever because I refuse to give up coloured, sugary alcoholic liquid? Damn this booze(sugar)/panic correlation again. Damn my freedom of choice. Damn damn damn. So am I really saying I prefer beer (sugar), BEER (SUGAR), to total mental well being??!! So beer (sugar) may not cause the condition, but its removal may, after a sustained but patient period of anticipation, hand in hand with a diet of purity, remove the ailment forever? Should I not at least try  for 3 months? Choice. Choice, Choice. I wonder if you, the reader, would try diet for a 3 month period if for no other reason than to eliminate it as a potential cause of an ailment such as that under consideration? Hm.

Oh my, look at the time! I have barely started on the devices and tricks I have used on occasion to good effect in the face of anxiety and agoraphobia etc... So much for re-education, this has been a lesson dedicated to sugar and/or its lack! Well, school’s out for the weekend, homework? Think diet! Analyse what you eat,  how much of it is processed, how much sugar is consumed. Drinks too, Fructose...don’t get me started on fructose. More school Monday. I’m off, oops, momentarily forgot I’m not beering up. Uhuh, was that my first craving? Next week represents danger I suspect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B1j4Z25i7k

 Ps I forgot to mention my lunch. My banana and egg and peanut and coconut butter and flax seed pancake. Diet’s gone weird, Body making strange demands. Mid morning naps,  Diet and choice. Increasingly recurrent themes. Is this, could this be, progress? I’m not holding my breath....

[coffeebasedrunner-blog]

Edmonton Marathon 2017 Training: Week 9/16 Recap

Just typing out “Week 9” makes me realize that my marathon is in just two months, and that’s an insane thought. It feels like the October day that I registered for the Edmonton Marathon was just last week, yet here we are, running my first really long run of this training program.

I am using the free sub-3:45 training plan provided by RunKeeper, just like last summer, except I’m being a lot more diligent about sticking to my training this time around - so sub-3:45 should be totally doable.

My recap for the week is just below the break!

June 21: Mile Repeats (5x1)

Ugh. Mile repeats. *Shudder*. Not a fan of them at all, but despite the odd stomach ache I had and how weirdly cold it was outside for June in Edmonton, I managed to average around 4:51 min/km for each of the mile repeats. I warmed up with a 2 mile jog and cooled down with a 1 mile… trot, if we’re being honest.

Post-workout breakfast was eggs, whole grain toast with Romanian zacuscă, bacon, kiwi fruit, and a handful of baby carrots and snap peas. Lunch, later in the day, was mushroom and black soybean bowtie pasta salad, grilled chicken breast, and roasted eggplant and zucchini (first image from the right). Finally, dinner was a leftover wrap - whole wheat tortilla filled with a bunch of leftover food I had in the fridge. Classy, I know.

June 22: 6 mi tempo (total 9 mi)

2 mi slow to warm up, 6 mi at a tempo pace averaging around 5:11 min/km, and 1 mi slow to cool down - adding up to 9 mi (14.5 km). Pretty comfortable run, explored deeper into the suburbs of Edmonton and I can confirm that there is in fact no such thing as summer here in Alberta - it is simply construction season.

Post-workout breakfast was oatmeal with peanut butter, plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, vanilla whey protein, and frozen berries - accompanied, of course, by a cup of coffee mixed with some hot chocolate (because I earned it). Lunch was the same as yesterday (s/o to meal prep). For dinner, I decided to go classic: black forest ham and cheddar sandwich on whole grain bread with avocado, spinach, and some mustard. CAN’T GO WRONG.

June 23: Crosstraining (Strength Conditioning)

Just over an hour of weight training, followed by a quick 10 minute interval session on the elliptical. And let me tell you something: I have never before so graciously LOVED foam rolling. I stumbled upon this newfound passion by forgetting to do it. Ah, my poor quads - it was nice knowing you. Always always foam roll people. Holy cow.

I have a pretty specific strength training routine I follow that helps fine-tune my running technique, which I posted recently! It’s a real doozy, let me tell you.

Post-workout breakfast was the same as yesterday, as was lunch. And… so was dinner actually. What can I say, creature of habit. Today was a really bad day for snacking though.

June 24: 6 mi prep run + core training

Basically, this is going to set me up for tomorrow’s scary af 18 mi (28.98 km) run. This run, averaged at a pace of 5:15 min/km, builds up fatigue that will help simulate how I’ll feel during the race for my long run tomorrow. I also followed this up with some core training because posture is usually the first to go once you get into the 20 km zone.

Breakfast was three mini whole wheat crêpes with plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, frozen berries, and peanut butter, as well as my trusty coffee (+ some hot chocolate). Lunch was my pasta/chicken/veggie meal prep combo from the days before. Dinner was - YOU GUESSED IT - the classic ham and cheese. Exciting stuff. Cannot wait to grocery shop friends.

June 25: 18 mi long run

Ah, yes, the long awaited 29 km run. Started my morning with the pre-workout snack pictured below - my classic and go-to half sweet bagel (Silver Hills Rappleberry Bagel has been a recent fave, but you can’t go wrong with cinnamon raisin) with cookie butter and strawberry jam, a banana, and a couple AWAKE dark chocolate bites (last image from the right). I also snacked a bit while preparing my running pack (2 L water, 9 oz electrolyte solution, and a package of strawberry Clif Shot BLOKS).

Not gonna lie, I was nervous going into this run. Part of me didn’t really feel prepared, and I was kinda sore from strength training this week. But as soon as my legs started moving… it just felt so natural. By the time I had hit the 9 km mark, I found a comfortable pace and felt like I could run for ages. It’s been a while since I’ve felt so happy and comfortable running. I finished up my 18 mi in just over 2 and a half hours, with an average pace of 5:19 min/km. Considering that this should be my pace for most of my marathon and the pace of a 3:44:30 marathon, I’m pretty happy! My route was a 10.5 km loop repeated twice, then an 8 km loop to finish.

Post-workout breakfast was 3 mini whole-wheat crêpes with plain skyr, ground chia with probiotics, frozen berries, and peanut butter, as well as a black coffee (#bestway) with a biscotti. Lunch was my classic sandwich (with some bread & butter pickles this time because I am #TeamPickles). Dinner was a time for me to get creative because I’m out of meal prep, so it was a huge plate of random stuff: leftover bacon, shredded mozzarella, a roasted pepper, some edamame, sourdough rye crackers, and one lone Babybel that was chilling in the back of my fridge. Hey, not every meal is gonna be pretty.

Reflection

My toughest training week so far, but I feel like I’m coming out of it a lot stronger and I’m feeling so much more confident for this marathon than I did when I woke up this morning. That being said, I’m beyond excited to take my mileage down a notch next week. My legs are in a world of pain. Until next week!

Question: are you #TeamPickles? If not, what’s one widely-disputed food that you do like. Message me your answer, and let me know what you thought of the recap!