Best Christmas Smoothies

There’s a lot that is great fun about Christmas and a bit of overindulgence is among them.  What with the chocolates, the wine, a few drinks after work, Christmas parties, big meals, party bits, the list just goes on.  Sometimes you end up feeling a bit yuck.  This is when a smoothie can be the perfect solution.  They don’t need to be ultra-healthy but can contain a few secret ingredients that make them both seasonal and helpful to your system.

Spices

Spices may be traditionally associated with Christmas cake or a good Indian meal but there are plenty of ways to include them in a smoothie and lots of benefits from doing so.  Take cinnamon, for example.  It is sweet flavoured and is known for its anti-oxidant benefits – it has the highest strength anti-oxidants of any food.  It also has anti-inflammatory properties to help with that sore knee when you walked into the table after a little too much mulled wine!

Another useful spice is cardamom, which comes in different colours from different parts of the world.  It too has anti-oxidant properties as well as helping the digestive system and the stomach as well as being a good source of minerals such as potassium that helps with body fluids.

The Gingerbread Smoothie is a great way to get these spices and more as well as having that Christmas cake vibe going.  Take one third of a cup of cashew nuts and soak them overnight.  Then pop them into the blender with:

• ½ banana
• ½ cup sweet potato puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• ½ tsp allspice
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 2 cups almond milk

Blend until all the ingredients are mixed and smooth then deposit into that personalise bistro cafélatte glass that the kids bought you for your birthday – it will do you much more good than that latte you normally use the glass for!

Detox

Sometimes, after the excess of Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a great time to start the detox process with a special smoothie for breakfast (or lunch if you were a little late in getting up!).  Spinach is known as a super food and for good reason.  They have very little calories but are packed with important nutrients.  They are good for skin and hair health after all that styling and makeup as well as giving you loads of vitamins and minerals.

To make the Detox Green Smoothie you need:

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cucumber
• ½ avocado
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 lemon
• 1 handful mint leaves
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds

You can also add a scoop of vanilla protein if required and any other greens you have lying around if you want an extra boost.  Add everything to the blender and whizz until smooth, adding a little water if needed.

Conclusion

These are just a couple of ideas about Christmas smoothies but there are plenty of recipes available.  Whatever you do, enjoy Christmas and then have a bit of fun with the blender afterwards!

Why Hampers Make Great Christmas Presents

There are often people on our Christmas lists that we just aren’t sure what to buy for.  They are usually adults who are have very special interests or ones that don’t lead naturally to presents.  They may be older family members or friends who ‘have everything’ when asked what they want.  But one thing that can be a perfect Christmas present for these awkward customers is the hamper.

DIY hampers

Making a hamper is easier than it used to be and this can be a great option if you are dealing with someone who has specific dietary requirements.  They may be diabetic, need gluten free foods or other special diets that mean buying a hamper off the shelf is tricky.  By selecting the items to go into the basket yourself, you can ensure they fit in with their needs and requirements perfectly – after all, there’s nothing more depressing than a present you can’t use through no fault of your own and people with diet issues will often get these.

You can even theme the basket towards something they love – this can be anything from wine to coffee, chocolate to cheese.  Buy a selection of smaller items that fit neatly into the basket and carry a theme for a perfect treat.

Wicker baskets are easy to pick up with garden centres often stocking them as well as plenty of online places.  Some of the big department stores even offer a service to make your own hamper such as John Lewis.  Shredded paper is a good base to lay the items in or even crepe paper from the local art shop while you can let the kids at it with some glitter and sequins to give it a Christmas feel.

Personalised hampers

If you lack the time or the confidence to make up your own hamper then the other option is to buy a ready-made version.  One example is perfect for the coffee fan – the Coffee Mug Personalised Gift Hamper.  This hamper features ground coffee beans from Brazil and from Columbia as well as some chocolate to enjoy with it.  The stand out feature is the personalised mug which you can have up to 14 characters added to.  There are even three different designs to choose from to get the perfect match for the recipient.

Nor do hampers just need to be about food – beauty products, smellies and toiletries are popular choices, particularly for the ladies.  The Luxury Personalised Pamper Hamper is all about the smellies and will call out for a relaxing bath as soon as the recipient opens it.  Among the presents include are five hand cut soaps, a bath bomb, shower gel and hand cream.  The moisturizing bath butter is perfect for after the bath and the scented candle can be used anywhere around the house.  The finishing touch to the present is a bottle of sparkling rose wine with a personalised label on it.  She can lie back, sip her wine and enjoy the bath treats for a totally relaxing time – and will love you for giving the set to her! 

Top Natural Ways to Help Your Body Fight a Cold

While this year so far hasn’t been too cold, there’s little doubt that we are in the cold and flu time of the year.  Older people and those with health problems or vulnerabilities are all getting flu jabs and most of us are making sure there are cough medicines and other over the counter cures in the house, just in case.  But are there other, natural ways to help boost your body to assist in the fight against a cold?

Tasty and helpful

One of the best natural helpers is garlic.  Known for its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, it is ideal for killing off the germs that cause the cold as well as giving the immune system a boost.  How often do you get a cold then straight away get another bug?  This is because your immune system has been hit by the cold and left vulnerable to other bacteria.  Giving it a boost can help combat this.  If you can manage it, mix together a clove of garlic, two teaspoons of lemon juice, one teaspoons of honey and a touch of either cayenne pepper or chili powder.  Take the mixture each day.  Alternatively, boil four or five cloves in water and add a teaspoon of honey.  Just remember, don’t use your favourite mug that the kids got for your birthday – garlic has a habit of making things stay garlic-flavoured!

Mentioned honey leads us to our next helpful ingredient.  Honey is known for its ability to soothe sore throats, which is why it is used in many medicines.  It also has a high number of nutrients and enzymes that are great at bacteria killing.  Add one teaspoon of lemon juice and two of honey in water then drink or even just take a spoonful of raw honey to ease a sore throat.

Spicy relief

Spice tea is an Ayurvedic remedy that is used to get rid of the common cold.  To make your own, take a quarter cup of coriander seeds, half a tablespoon of cumin and fennel seeds and a quarter teaspoon of fenugreek seeds then dry roast them as you would coffee.  Boil a cup of water and add one and a half table spoons of the mixture as well as half a teaspoon of rock candy.  Leave it for three of four minutes then add two tablespoons of milk.  Boil then strain it and sip while hot.

Ginger is another spice that has benefits when suffering with a cold.  It has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties.  Ginger tea is a great option so get your teapot out.  Add a little lemon juice and honey to it for taste and extra benefits. 

Traditional ideas

Then there is good old chicken soup, still a great helper when you are feeling bad.  The reason the soup is so helpful is that it has lots of nutrients and vitamins that help fight the bacteria causing the cold as well as anti-oxidants to fight the symptoms.  So if all else fails, get yourself a bowl of this each day to help your body fight off that nasty bug.

What is Thanksgiving and Should We Celebrate it?

There are many traditions that our friends across in the USA celebrate that are making their way across the Atlantic to the UK.  Halloween is a prime example – while it originated here, it is the Americans who have made it the holiday it is today.  Thanksgiving is a very American holiday that is becoming popular to celebrate here in the UK, especially if you have friends who are from the US originally.  So what is it all about and how would we celebrate it?

Roots of Thanksgiving

The idea behind Thanksgiving is based in the traditions of the first Pilgrims and Puritans who travelled to the US back in the 1600s.  These settlers arrived in 1621 and were thankful when their first harvest produced crucial supplies for their new settlement so celebrated the event.  Therefore the root of Thanksgiving is similar to the harvest festivals celebrated around the world – celebrating a time of plenty when all the work of the year has produced the food needed to survive the winter.

Today, Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the US and is a secular holiday focused on spending time with family and friends as well as eating and drinking.  It is a time for larger gatherings that is typical at Christmas with ‘the more, the merrier’ being something of a saying for the occasion.  Americans also worry a lot about people being on their own at Thanksgiving and make a great effort to ensure no-one is by themselves.  The holiday is celebrated on the 4^th Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving traditions

One of the biggest traditions at Thanksgiving is football – not as we think of it, that’s soccer over in the US, but American Football.  There are usually at least three games on during the big day with around twelve hours of televised sports for fans.  The ThanksgivingDay Parade at Macy’s in New York has also become a huge tradition, for those visiting the city or just to watch on TV. 

However the biggest part of the traditions associated with Thanksgiving are around the food.  It isn’t the best time to be a turkey in the US, as this is the main meat for the day, though the President does traditionally pardon one each year at a fun ceremony at the White House.  Classic turkey served with stuffing is usually the centrepiece of the table.  Mash potatoes, glazed carrots and cranberry sauce are also found on most American tables while a green bean casserole is a side dish made with green beans and crusty Italian bread.  Cornbread is another dish we in the UK aren’t too familiar with that plays a big part.

For dessert, pumpkins are the top ingredient, a link to the harvest season origins of the holiday.  Pumpkin pie is one dish that is easy to make at home and is a great excuse to get out the personalised baking setthe kids got you for your birthday to put them to good use.  If you aren’t keen on pie, then pumpkin cheesecake or pumpkin bread pudding make themed alternatives.

Decorating Your Home for Christmas

There’s a lot going on a Christmas what with shopping, visiting friends and family and seasonal parties.  Decorating the house tends to be focused around the Christmas tree and we all put a lot of effort into decorating it.  But should we be considering more than just popping up the Christmas tree?

Seasonal candles

One of the best ways to enjoy the scents of winter and the Christmas season is through a candle and most companies have their own Christmas ranges.  These are often big on woody scents and seasonal smells as well as spices from the Christmas pudding.  But not everyone likes these strong and sometimes masculine smells so the option to stick with something that is a favourite all year round also works, such as vanilla.  Candles are also a great present, particularly personalised ones that allow you to add a special message to the candle jar including a name or a message that means something to you and the recipient.

If you have kids and don’t like the idea of real flames then the other option are diffusers.  These are usually jars or bottles filled with a scented liquid that come with sticks.  Insert the sticks into the jar and they absorb the liquid then evaporate into the room to create a gentle smell.  There are no flames involved and they have an equally long life span.

Fireplace decoration

If you have a fireplace or other feature in your living room, this often cries out for some seasonal decoration.  Whether you opt for the simple tinsel wreath or want to go for something more comprehensive, it isn’t an opportunity to be missed.  Wooden signs are a popular choice to hang above the fireplace and offer an instant Christmasmessage to anyone that enters the house when they are personalised.  Again, they make a great gift, particularly if a year is the first in their new home for a family.  It also makes for an ideal decoration for a baby’s bedroom, remembering their first Christmas that can be brought out each year.

If you don’t want too much clutter on the fireplace or are worried that you have a real fire and waving decorations could be a hazard, then a simple centrepiece could work well.  Candles are one choice and if you have kids or are young at heart, a snow globe is a great idea.  As well as traditional ones with village scenes and Santa Claus, modern versions often include cute teddies and fairies for those modern tastes.

Dining table decoration

Many people lay the table with special settings for Christmas including tableware for the occasion, candles and special serving dishes.  Special glasses can be added for each person with their own message added or otherwise, a Christmas personalised label on a bottle of Prosecco makes for a great Christmas present for someone who loves a glass of bubbly stuff with their Christmas lunch.  Wines and spirits can also have their own special bottle messages so place them on the table at the last moment for an extra surprise for someone special.

Christmas Traditions – The Snow Globe

From Santa Claus to reindeer, trees to baubles, there are many traditions we have associated with Christmas.  One of the most heart-warming and varied is the snow globe, that tiny world within a globe that instantly has a perfect snow covering with just the shake of a hand.  Yet compared to other traditions, the snow globe is a relative newcomer to the Christmas list.

History of the snow globe

The man credited with coming up with the idea of a snow globe was an Austrian man named Erwin Perzy.  Back in 1900 he lived in Vienna and came up with the concept with production starting five years later.  His company was called the Original Vienna Snow Globes and over a century later, the company still produces snow globes and is run by the grandson of the man, also called Erwin.

The idea for the snow globe came about in a total unexpected way – Perzy was trying to improve the brightness of the newly invented light bulb.  Looking to shoemakers of the time, who used a candle mounted inside a glass globe and got more light that way, his idea was to make a light bulb in the same way.  Unfortunately the idea wasn’t successful but he took his globe and one day added some semolina powder into it.  When he turned it around, the movement of the powder reminded him of snow falling.

After this, a miniature scene was added and for the first four decades of production, these were always including a tiny church.  After the Second World War, Perzy II took over production and widened the range.  Along came Christmas trees, Father Christmas and snowmen inside the tiny globes.  He also created a new material for their artificial snow – a family secret to this day!

Modern globes

Erwin Perzy III has been running his company since the 1980s and produces some 200,000 snow globes a year – though it only employs 30 people and half of these work from their own homes.  These snow globes are still made from glass as was the original design back in the 1900s and has produced globes for some of the most notable figures in the world, most recently for the children of US President Barack Obama.  Other famous snow globes that the company have made include the one used (and smashed) at the beginning of the film Citizen Kane in 1941. 

Currently, the company produce around 350 designs with around 20% of their orders being made up from customised designs that people order specifically.  There are even four different sized globes and the factory has a museum within it that allows kids to visit and see the history of one of their Christmas favourites.

Christmas Present

The world quickly grabbed the idea of the snow globe and many more companies now produce variations.  As well as the Christmas traditional scenes and trees, there are also now many modern versions including fairies and teddy bears, often with the facility to have personalised messages added to them.  All have that magical floating snow effect that Mr Perzy would recognise over 100 years since he first came up with the idea.

Helping Pets Deal with Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night can be great fun with the fireworks, the bonfires, the food and parties.  But for our pets, it can be a time of complete terror as the noises and sights of the even scare them badly.  So what can we do to help our pets on Bonfire Night?

General advice

According to the RSPCA, the first step in helping them deal with Bonfire Night is to make sure they have somewhere to hide.  Most cats and dogs will have a hidey hole that they use if something spooks them, such as behind the sofa or under the bed.  On Bonfire Night, ensure they have easy access to it so if it gets too much, they can go somewhere that makes them feel safe.

Make sure you keep animals in the house on the night as they are more likely to panic and get injured if they are outside when fireworks go off.  If the dog needs to go outside to the toilet, keep them on a leash so if they do bolt, you can control them.  For cats, make sure there is a cat litter box ready for their use and keep them inside.

Ensure that microchip and collar information is up to date in case they do get out and run off.  That way when a vet or animal shelter find them, they can reunite you with them as quickly as possible.

Try to act normal and not make too big a fuss during the fireworks.  Give them their favourite treats in their special bowl or make some time to sit with them if they want to do this but don’t try to force anything on them.  Scared animals are more likely to lash out and this can lead to a nasty injury.  Only interfere with them if they are going to hurt themselves, such as trying to jam themselves into a space too small to hold them.

Other animals

Cats and dogs aren’t the only animals effected by fear of fireworks.  If you have small pets such as rabbits or guinea pigs who live in hutches outside, it is worth covering the hutches to help reduce the impact of the noise and lights.  Make sure they have plenty of bedding so they can dig under it and hide to feel safe.

For those who have birds outside, a bright light is a crucial measure.  This means that if they become frightened and leave their roost, or perch where they sleep, they are able to find their way back again.  Background music can also lessen the impact of the noise from the fireworks and help them remain calm.

Just for dogs

If a dog is particularly affected by fireworks, then it may be worth looking at an animal behaviourist for some help.  Therapies such as Sounds Scary are recommended to help dogs that are very severely frightened by the noise from fireworks but also from other loud sounds that occur during the year.  Therapy such as this can help them cope with the noises and make both yours and their lives less stressful.