Easy delicious home made chicken salad

As I am on the road to a healthier, fitter me I am searching for healthy meals to make without spending too much money. They say great Abs are made in the kitchen, am be cooking my way to a six pack on a budget. 

So last night, having nothing to eat at home not even unhealthily stuff I took my soon to be tone butt to the store to see what my options were in terms of buying a healthy meal without breaking the bank. I decided on a chicken salad on my way there. So I went straight to the fresh produce section to get some items then got some chicken. The items for my chicken salad were/are:

·         Chicken (two breasts)                    N500.00

·         Tomatoes                                        N200.00

·         Lettuce (the leafy kind)                  N130.00

·         Yellow bell paper (x1)                    N150.00

·         Cucumber (already @home)          N  50.00

·         Avocado (already @home)             N100.00

·         Onions (already @home)                N  50.00

In total I spent N980.00 minus the petrol I used up to get to the store lol.

Anyways…… I prepped my salad by thoroughly washing my veggies and cutting the bits I will need for just one meal. Then put the rest away for another meal, imagine N1000.00 for two meals?! I like the bits in my salads to be chucky so I cut the veggies a tad large. I layered them on to the plate and put that aside. I then took 1 chicken breast cut into small bits, seasoned with salt and mixed herbs, then sauté-ed in very little olive oil. Once it was cooked I let cool for a few minutes and put on the veggies. I used apple cider vinegar and a little olive oil to dress……. et voila!!!

Next time I will add little bits of pineapple for a little sweetness.

Neem leaves or Dogonyaro as we call it

Neem tree or as we call it Dogonyaro is a very common tree across Nigeria and semi-tropical regions of the world. Almost all parts of this tree are used for medicinal and beauty purposes. It is popular for the oil in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Neem products are believed to be anthelmintic, anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiviral, contraceptive and sedative

If you live in Nigeria, you should know how common this tree is, it can be found from north to south of the country. It has numerous uses and most parts of the tree are used. The leaves and fruit are mostly used traditionally to cure malaria and sores but there are quite a number of ways and propose to use this powerful plant. 

Due to its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties Neem products are used to maintain healthy skin and cure problem skin such as acne, scabies and eczema. Its anti-inflammatory properties help with puffy eyes and swelling from blemishes. When the oil is used on the hair it helps reduce/cure dandruff, moisturizes the hair, control lice and adds shine. 

Extracts from this plant can be made into soaps, masks and oils. The leaves can be boiled or soaked in warm water to bathe with and wash/rinse out hair. 
I use dried Neem leave to rinse out my hair when my scalp feels a little dry and itchy. I bring about two liters of water to a boil then put the leaves in and let it cool down before I sieve out the leaves, The water than becomes a little brown, I use it to rinse my hair after a co-wash or deep conditioning.
The next face mask I make I plan on including fresh Neem leaves to help with my acne and spots. I will post the recipe for that once I try it out.

Nature is so wonderful; imagine the powerful plants and trees that grow in our backyards.

Weight management

Anyone who has lost, gained and lost weight as many times as I have will testify that maintaining a certain weight is just as hard as losing weight.

In 2009 I was a small size 12 by the end of 2010 I was a big 14. Since then I've been a 12 and a 14 again. It not that I don't have control; the problem is Nigerian food is soooooooo goood and I am a big foodie. Since I moved to Lagos away from my well planned workout regimen in Abuja, I've put on a few and in not so faltering areas, eeekkk..... But with diligence and research I am now seeing some weight loss.

I have stopped eating rice, wheat and flour; anything made from them is a no no. My body agrees with yam and sweet potatoes and digests them well. I eat beans but in small quantities. I seldom have plantains or corn. 

Dark greens are supper healthy and thank goodness there are ample foods made from dark greens around.

A very major lesson I've learned is portion control. You know what they say the keys to weight loss are “70% diet and 30% exercises”? Well, I will modify that to 70% of right amount and quality of diet and 30% exercise. What I now do is eat 50% of what I would usually have; then fill up with water. Once I got used to eating less, i began feeling lighter and saw changes in my weight quicker. 

Exercise is still important to speed up weight loss and tone up them muscles. I go for Zumba and Pilates classes close to my office three times a week. Due to logistics and proximity this is what I can do but I should be doing more.  

Maintaining or losing weight shouldn't be seen has this impossible task. Once you make up your mind to make it part of your life style and tackle each step with an open mind it becomes easy in no time.

I don’t starve myself of anything! I know that the content of most cakes will leave me bloated and uncomfortable so I avoid them or have very little (I usually have very little lol)

The most important thing is I am seeing direct results from knowing what foods my body processes better and reducing my food portions.

You should try reduce your portions for a month and see how it goes. 

Green Tea

I am a tea lover; I drink tea almost every day. I recently started drinking green tea because they say it is healthy. While having my daily cup this morning, I thought to myself "what really makes green tea healthy?"

Google is our friend!

After about 30 minutes of reading through cyber space, I've summarized the matter by getting the most repeated facts. So, in my own words...... Green tea.....

Green tea originated from China, no surprise there. The Chinese have one of the earliest histories of tea drinking culture. Green tea is said to be healthier than black tea (regular teas) but they both come from the same tea leaves. Black tea is allowed to go through the process of oxidation, which results in changes in color and flavor.

We all know that teas are rich in antioxidants, green tea is said to be richer than black tea. 

The health benefits of green tea include:

1. Weight loss by increasing metabolism
2. Detoxification by assisting the body get rid of toxins
3. Lowering blood pressure
4. Prevention of heart disease 
5. Prevention of cancer (not all though)
6. Cholesterol reduction by improving the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol
7. Lowering depression an amino acid found in the tea increases relaxation
8. Strong anti-viral & anti-bacterial properties
9. Regulates glucose levels aiding diabetics

Other health benefits include skincare as antioxidants helps to reduce wrinkles and signs of aging. It also has anti-inflammatory benefits. Not to forget its anti- bacterial properties that help with tooth decay. I use green tea as the liquid mix for my henna treatment for my hair; this also helps the color come out of the henna.Experts recommend about three cups a day to get the full benefit; that sounds like too many bathroom breaks to me.  

There seems to be a lot of reasons for me to continue drinking green tea (one cup a day is enough for me sha).

Plus Sized

Check out this hawt mama ...... Her name is Robyn Lawley. She is an Australian native and plus size model. Standing at 6.2 feet tall and a size 12, she is breaking norm and is fast becoming a renowned international model ( there is hope for us). 

I believe all  women are beautiful as long as they are at a healthy weight. I am pro healthy living, meaning I believe in eating right and regular exercise. We all have our goal weights  and sizes but we must remember to be healthy.

So back to Robyn Lawley, she registered with modelling agency in her teenage years and was told to lose weight. She did but put the weight back on during her University years. Upon return to her home country she was inspired by another plus size model and took to modelling again (so I read). Since then she has now graced the covers of top magazines across the globe such as  French Elle and Marie Claire and  Vogue Italia.

 She is just gorgeous!!!!!!!

I think the UK size 12 is the average size of Nigerian women. So all my sisters out there if you ever had the dream to model and you are not stick thin, there might just be a chance out there for you. But you will never know till you try.