Friday, January 22, 2010

Herbal Tea for your Health

Sage
Thyme
Ever since I was a kid, my grandmother (3asa allah yeshafiha), used to tell me to drink a combination of herbal tea of thyme and sage. It is good for gas, bloatness and whatever ailment you feel. Then I hear it is good for diet. Apparently it burns extra fat in your system and helps with digestion.
Since then its been part of my diet. Even when I over eat sometimes half hour later I have a steaming cup of Za3tar and Maramia (Thyme & Sage) in my hands. I drink it every morning before exercising and in the evenings.
Try it you wont be sorry ;)

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Wicked and Gelato at the Coffee and Chocolate Expo

Wicked & Gelato
The Gelato booth and Wicked has a small corner because of last minute change of booth The Wall paper is a new design made for us by the great team of Technographics who handles most of our ads and prints. Very Retro isn't it? Our Crunchy wafer cones made fresh on daily basis for our store Bombs and not the terrorist kind. These are delicious and made with love and peace in mind ;p Ice cake Wicked Bites. We still don't deliver, but it would be available at the store this week I'll announce it as soon as possible Pic taken by the end of the evening, almost sold out ;) A selection of our signature chocolate cupcake, vanilla cupcake and oreo Our signature chocolate & chocolate marshmallow cupcake Yum! Not because I make them, but they are really good and full of flavor. Wicked chocolate chip & walnut cookies Wicked chocolate & walnut brownies
Wicked mocha fudge It was a crazy day, with a lot of things to do and prep to make. We had some minor setbacks but no worries, we made it through. The table tops which we made for exhibitions were misplaced in the store room and couldn't be found along with business cards and some fliers. One of our display cabinets stopped working and had to be replaced with a less impressive freezer. Anyway, having less than a week to prepare for this exhibition I think we fared well.
A young girl, who also has cupcakes, approached our booth looking down at the cupcake boxes, and she asked me if it was homemade. "We have a kitchen." I replied. "Then you are not the real thing." She says. "What do you mean not the real thing? This is all made from scratch and we don't use ready mixes." I looked at her confused. "But still it isn't home made so you're not the real thing." She insists. I still don’t understand what her definition of the real thing was and why does it have to be homemade to be real. So I shrugged, "Whatever you say dear." She leaves and Fahad starts laughing. "Et3eesheen oo teshoofeen." And I'm still chuckling whenever I think about it.

Sprained my Ankle :(

It was a long hectic day, being understaffed and having a lot of preparations to make at the last minute it was stretching a little too thin. Then I had to rush to do my mullet! Yes after almost three weeks since I had that ugly haircut my hair style turned into a mullet! And I can't do it at home, if I did it turns into a helmet. I'm really considering hair extensions. I reach home exhausted and contemplating whether to go or not, and let Fahad handle it with the rest of the staff, but I couldn't do it to him. So I change in a simple dress with a black cardigan and I wear my killer Sergio Rossi platform heels. I love those heels. They are as Abdullah Poach would say *ZeXy!* I reach the Palms hotel. As the driver slowed in front of the entrance and I open the door and get out, there was a woman standing just in front of me. She gave me one quick glance from my Zexy heels to my ugly mullet, and the next thing I know, I toppled! Everything in my hand flew around. My handbag nowhere to be seen, my camera went under the car, and my dress all the way up to my thigh! Oh yes! I was mess. My poor driver dashed to help me up. I got up straightened my dress, put on my Killer platforms and turn around and glared at the woman, and the hag was laughing at me!!! "A3oothballah min 3ainich!" I snap at her. Was I embarrassed? No. I was actually very pissed. People don't have any courtesy left in them, instead of helping she was laughing. It really embarrassed her when said what I said. As I took my first step I felt a painful twinge in my ankle. Great! It is sprained, but stubborn me wouldn't take off the platforms and spent the whole evening in them. By the time I got back home, I couldn't bear the pain. It is still painful this morning and it will delay my exercise Schedule.

What is an Ankle Sprain? An ankle sprain is an injury to one or more ligaments in the ankle, usually on the outside of the ankle. Ligaments are bands of tissue—like rubber bands—that connect one bone to another and bind the joints together. In the ankle joint, ligaments provide stability by limiting side-to-side movement.Some ankle sprains are much worse than others. The severity of an ankle sprain depends on whether the ligament is stretched, partially torn, or completely torn, as well as on the number of ligaments involved. Ankle sprains are not the same as strains, which affect muscles rather than ligaments. What Causes a Sprained Ankle? Sprained ankles often result from a fall, a sudden twist, or a blow that forces the ankle joint out of its normal position. Ankle sprains commonly occur while participating in sports, wearing inappropriate shoes, or walking or running on an uneven surface.

Non-surgical Treatment

When you have an ankle sprain, rehabilitation is crucial—and it starts the moment your treatment begins. Your foot and ankle surgeon may recommend one or more of the following treatment options: Rest. Stay off the injured ankle. Walking may cause further injury. Ice. Apply an ice pack to the injured area, placing a thin towel between the ice and the skin. Use ice for 20 minutes and then wait at least 40 minutes before icing again. Compression. An elastic wrap may be recommended to control swelling. Elevation. The ankle should be raised slightly above the level of your heart to reduce swelling. Early physical therapy. Your doctor will start you on a rehabilitation program as soon as possible to promote healing and increase your range of motion. This includes doing prescribed exercises. Medications. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may be recommended to reduce pain and inflammation. In some cases, prescription pain medications are needed to provide adequate relief. Source: http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/ankle-sprain.htm

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Scale

I don't own a scale. It is just too depressing to check your weight everymorning. I leave it when I'm at the Doctors. But I want this scale! It is soooo lovely and an ego booster ;)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Looooong Day!

I don't Know how much calories in this cup,
but it is skimmed milk and I'll working all day
and don't know when I'll be eating next. ;)
Cheese with onion Sandwich
only 180 Calories
Cheese with Onions sandwich.
Not too much onions only a hint.
I'm on my way to Sultan for last minute shopping and I'm starving. But I wouldn't eat a thing until I finish my bottle of water and wait for at least 20min. (don't ask me why it's just a habit).
I'm craving Hot Chocolate. My three favorite brands, KDD Milk Chocolate, Gelato Italiano Hot Chocolate and Second Cup Hot Chocolate. Second Cup was the closest for me, just opposite of Sultan Salmiya. I know Fahad will strangle me but if I drink it all and get rid of the cup he wouldn't know unless he checks on the blog ;p
While I was at Sultan I picked few sandwiches from Diet Care. Then I stopped at Second Cup and ordered a hot chocolate.
Here I am still at home, 3 hours late for work, and trying to finish my food and head for the Lab. (That is my Kitchen). I know... I am in trouble!!! Its going to be a looooong hectic stressful day!

Diet!

Since November I started dieting by closing my mouth and eating sensibly and exercising. So far I lost around 15Kg. Which is really really good, and I still have a long way to go. Although I know and have all the tools for dieting, I still went to a nutritionist. It was like having a teacher looking over your shoulder and you have to do the work or you'll be in trouble, besides she gave me some supplements to jump start my weight loss. Now, I haven't been to her in a while, but I'm still following her guide lines.
However, yep, I have somehow fallen off the wagon! It started when the kids were on vacation. I started waking around 9am instead of 6am, and getting too lazy to exercise, and what follows are good sugary fatty foods I've been indulging in. I love food! who doesn't?
As my new year resolution, I want my old body back! Yes! this year I'm serious! I'm going to cause murder if I'm not whipped back in shape! I want to feel fit and healthy, I want to look and feel good about myself, and summer is coming very fast and soon we'll be shedding the many layers of heavy dark clothes for beautiful sheer and light fabrics.
I will keep you posted, inshallah, and I will post some yummy guilt free recipes and tips for you to try ;)

Monday, January 18, 2010