Monthly Archives: November 2017

Quick & Easy Chili at Home

Daylight savings time has us falling back and the sun is setting earlier. Days are getting darker, nights are getting colder and we’re moving through Fall quickly, on our way to Winter. The change of seasons and weather provides us the opportunity to cook different dishes in order to keep our bodies warm and even capitalize on different foods that are in season. One food that you can make all year round is chili, but there’s something special about having a warm bowl on a cold night.

We’ve presented loads of different recipes on the blog, in different forms. Sometimes we use recipe cards; sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we use lots and lots of work; sometimes we don’t. One thing we always want to do is include lots of delicious pictures, but this time around, we’re going to use these pictures as the recipe.

During (nearly) every stage of the cooking process, we’re going to show you a picture and only provide a brief description as to what is going on. Since we’re not baking, precise measurements aren’t as important, and since we’re making chili, there aren’t any complex techniques. Plus, the most important thing to remember is that this is YOUR chili, and you should adjust the seasoning to make your mouth and tummy happy. (If you want to throw some serious heat in there, go for it!)

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Red wine
  • Vegetable stock
  • Potatoes, cut into chunks 
  • Fresh or canned tomatoes 
  • Seasoning like oregano, paprika, and salt & pepper
  • Beans
  • Fat, such as butter
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Step 1: Caramelize onions and garlic in a stockpot.

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How Your Mattress Can Help You Stay in Shape

Usually, we associate getting fit with getting active because it’s only when we’re running around during the day that we burn off those calories, are capable of losing weight and can strengthen our bodies, right? Wrong. In fact, one of the key times in which we can get fit is actually when we’re horizontal. Nope, I’m not talking about leg lifts or chin ups. (Phew, says you.) I’m talking about night-time, when we’re getting our snooze on.

Getting enough, good-quality sleep is one of the best things we can do for our bodies and our minds. It can improve our memory, help us to lose weight, and reduce anxiety. It even lets us live longer! Sleeping properly makes us happier, healthier people and a little bit better at everything we do. And yep, that includes working out.

Here’s how sleep can help you become a workout machine… (Not literally. That’d be weird.)

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Why You Aren’t Getting a Six Pack!

Recently, someone in the gym asked us about an exercise we were performing, specifically inquiring if it was targeting our abs and then questioning how it differs from the abdominal crunch machine he was using. We explained that this particular variation of the abdominal crunch would activate more muscles in his core, since the weight could force his body left or right as well. 

When he showed obvious frustration and explained how he’d been using the machine for years with no progress, we asked how he was using the machine, specifically referring to how many reps and sets he was doing. When he told us that he performed 30-40 reps per set, we asked him if he was happy with his upper arms. When he said that he was indeed happy with that body part, we asked him how he trained his arms, specifically referring to how many reps and sets he was doing. When he told us that he performed 8-12 reps per set, we presented the question: why are you training your abs differently?

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Tips for a Better Rest and a Good Night’s Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is an essential component of maintaining your emotional and physical health, but with all the stresses and obligations of modern life, it isn’t always easy to get a good and restful night’s sleep. Psychological therapies to help reset our sleep cycles take time to have an effect and the pharmaceutical sleep aids are addictive in the long term.

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Our Last Few Weeks in Pics

I know, it’s been a while since we did week in pics! It’s been super busy: Fit got a new job and is committed to also doing a lot of work on her novel and Hungry has grand plans for similar yet different pursuits. We’ve had fun with Halloween and a little escape to Idyllwild in between.

Been hitting up plenty of workouts

Been hitting up plenty of workouts

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Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich? The Final Answer is Here!

Before you read any further, skip all the way to the comment section below and leave your answer to the question, is a hot dog a sandwich? Then, when you’re finished reading, go back to your comment and reply to it… if you changed your mind or feel any differently about the matter.

This all started when an old teacher of mine presented the question on Facebook as a result of a discussion that began in his English class. This individual teaches just outside of New York City, in New Jersey, so you’d imagine that everyone he knows is relatively familiar with high-quality sandwiches. (New York and New Jersey have some of the best sandwiches… period!) Without sharing too many opinions, Facebook was clearly divided. People were getting particularly picky with naming conventions, essentially stating that anything with its own name (burger) isn’t a sandwich. Others were quite clear that anything between two slices of bread was, in fact, a sandwich. Someone even went far enough to provide Webster’s definition of sandwich, which states a: two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between; b: one slice of bread covered with food. Clearly, the folk at Webster’s are big fans of open-faced sandwiches.

After over 80 comments, someone stated that Rutt’s Hut (one of the most iconic hot dog eateries in the country, founded in 1928) doesn’t list hot dogs under the sandwich section. This idea led to the teacher physically going to Rutt’s Hut and recording the man himself give his two cents. The verdict: the hinge of the bun makes it one piece of bread, so he doesn’t consider it to be a sandwich. Still, he sounded very understanding of those that did.

Throwing my own opinions aside from the start, I decided to take this to some heavyweights in the world of sandwiches, since the teacher took it to a heavyweight in the world of hot dogs. Not only did I get clear-cut answers from both of these gentlemen, but one of them seemed fed up with the question, as if he was sick and tired of answering it over and over again. Hopefully, this prevents people from asking him… as long as they see this first.

Eric Greenspan, also known as Chef Greeny, is an LA-based celebrity chef who has made countless appearances as a competitor and judge on Food Network. Since we’ve seen nearly every episode of everything ever on Food Network (the good stuff), we’d go as far as saying Greeny is arguably the greatest competitor in the history of Cutthroat Kitchen. His resume doesn’t need anything else, but we’d love to let you know that he is the king of grilled cheese. We’ve had his grilled cheeses many times over on Melrose Ave. When I asked Greeny his thoughts on the matter, he got right to the point. “I’m saying yes. Stuff between bread. End of story.”

Jeff Mauro, who is the host of Food Network’s The Kitchen and Sandwich King, is a self-proclaimed professional combiner of meat, cheese, and bread. While Jeff didn’t attend Le Cordon Bleu like Greeny, he strong-armed his love for sandwiches and used that force to win the 7th season of the Food Network Star competition. Jeff went on to defend the need for a sandwich only show and now appears in Subway ads. This guy, who is extremely likable and charismatic, has made a living from sandwiches. Taking all of that into consideration, are we surprised by what Jeff had to say? Not really, he agreed with Greeny and even stated, “End of story for the love of God.”

After presenting all that information, we only have one question for anyone who denies that a hot dog is a sandwich. If you’re clinging on to the one piece of hinging bread argument, what happens when the bun tears in half? Stay hungry and fit!

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Five Tips to Identifying a Helpful Program For Adult Learners

Most adults grew up in an archaic generation that was devoid of internet facilities. Learning was mainly formal, where knowledge was passed from the tutor to the learners. In this generation, however, there are numerous learning resources and platforms. Many adults today learn new things every single day. In this article, we look at five ways you can help adult learners to identify helpful programs.

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