healthy living Archives - Page 3 of 3

Baking in Your DealDash Kitchen

Do you love to bake? No matter if you are a beginner or advanced, DealDash has you covered with things to help you bake.

One of my favorite ways to spend time with family from young to elderly is to bake things together. From birthday cakes to Christmas cookies once you start a baking project with a treasured family member you can’t help but reminisce about birthdays and holidays gone by. Baking by yourself can be fun too, as long as you have the tools that you need. My favorite way to jazz up my kitchen is fun-colored kitchen supplies . There are a few popular brands that make an awesome array of different colored small appliances to appease anyone looking for something a little “different.”

KitchenAid Artisan Series Persimmon 5-Quart Stand Mixer KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer Raspberry Ice KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, Cobalt Blue KitchenAid Artisan Series Canopy Green 5 Quart Stand Mixer

If you don’t normally bake (or even cook very much!) the first thing that you probably need to get started is a good set of bake ware. DealDash has quite a few selections for you. The main things that you want to look for in my opinion are to make sure that the bake ware is rated up to the temperatures that you will use, that it’s non-stick, and that it has common sizes that you think that you will use on a regular basis.

If you are really going to get serious about baking, I suggest that you get a scale that you can measure your ingredients with. They are usually called “Digital Kitchen Scales,” and they are actually useful for other things besides baking such as weighing letters and small packages so you don’t have to go to the post office.

Taylor Digital Kitchen Scale American Weigh Scales Digital 11-lb. Kitchen Food Scale Taylor Stainless Steel Electronic Kitchen Scale

A handy tip that might make your life a little easier as a beginning baker is to remember to bring refrigerated items like butter, eggs, and cream cheese to room temperature before you start to put together your recipes. A good idea is to take your cold ingredients out of the fridge at least a of couple hours before you are planning on baking. If you forgot to take the eggs out, and you need to use them right away, take the chill out by dipping them in a bowl of warm water. For butter, cut into chunks, and at room temperature, it will soften in about 15 minutes.

I hope this article has encouraged you to bid on some baking supplies and get started making something delicious. If you’re interested in getting some items to help you with cooking at home head on over to the Kitchen & Dining section on DealDash. DealDash has food processors, stand mixers, cookware, and plenty of other items that you can use. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Fun in the Kitchen

Do you love to cook? Well, even if you don’t, here are some ways that you can have fun in the kitchen.

One of my favorite ways to have fun in the kitchen is to have unique kitchen gadgets and fun-colored small appliances. There are a few popular brands that make an awesome array of different colored small appliances to appease anyone looking for something a little “different.”

There are also a number of lesser-known brands from other countries such as France and Finland that make really adorable kitchen items that definitely ramp up the fun factor.

Another great way to have fun in the kitchen is to get your kids involved! Babies love to sit on the floor while you cook and play with pots and pans, while kids as young as 3 can learn to crack an egg or pour and mix for you. Elementary school-aged children can really be a lot of help to you, with very specific safety instructions and close supervision they can learn how to chop veggies and fruits, measure ingredients, and read to you from a cookbook so you don’t have to keep wiping your hands off before you touch the book. If you still don’t like cooking by the time these trained tiny chefs go to Middle school, well, maybe they can take over the cooking for you!

My last suggestion for you to help you have more fun in the kitchen is to get some gadgets that you don’t really need, but ones that make your life easier. Personally, my favorite kitchen gadget is my stand mixer, which I definitely don’t need, but it comes in handy now and again, and it always looks beautiful sitting on my kitchen counter. My sister is a little more practical, her favorite kitchen gadget is a margarita maker. It gets significantly more use than my stand mixer, and everyone gets excited when she brings it out of the pantry and yells “Margarita Time!!!” If we’re really being honest here, maybe my sister is the one you should be asking for advice on how to have fun in the kitchen!

I hope this article has encouraged you to try some of my strategies for having fun in the kitchen. If you’re interested in getting some items to help you with cooking at home head on over to DealDash. DealDash has food processors, stand mixers, cookware, and plenty of other items that you can use. Check out the Kitchen & Appliances category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you can use to make your time in the kitchen a little more fun. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Living Healthy: Let’s Learn About Fitness Equipment

Welcome back to DealDash Blog’s Living Healthy series. Today’s blog is going to introduce you to some pieces of fitness equipment and tell you how to use them.

Let’s start out with everyone’s favorite, the treadmill. Treadmills are the indoor motorized equivalent of walking or running in place. You simply keep up with a belt that’s moving under your feet. Your treadmill workout will burn about the same number of calories as walking or running outdoors, yet in your lovely air conditioned and internet equipped house.

If you’re getting on a treadmill for the first time, or even more importantly if you’re someone who hasn’t had any strenuous physical activity for at least three months, it’s recommended that you begin with walking. By training consistently (initially twice a week and then three times a week), you can gradually increase the intensity of your exercise by increasing your speed and incline.

Next up is the exercise bike. The exercise bike is a piece of exercise equipment having handlebars, pedals, and seat like a bicycle, and you pedal and stay in a stationary place, which is why is is also sometimes called a stationery bike. The exercise bike comes in both computerized and non-computerized versions. Computerized exercise bikes typically have digital displays that let you know how many calories you’ve burned and how much distance you’ve cycled. Some even have the technology for evaluating your heart rate and speed. If you like to have a calorie count, a computerized model may be for you. However, a non-computerized model will help you to burn calories just as well (You just won’t know how much you’ve burned!)

As with the treadmill, if you haven’t been exercising regularly then start slowly.If you strain yourself, you will be in too much pain to want to work out the next day. Start with 15 minutes on the bike, but understand that it’s okay to stop earlier if it becomes too much for you. Eventually, your legs will get used to the workout, and it will be more comfortable to do the entire 15 minutes. Gradually work up to 30 minutes on the bike. Once you are comfortable at this level, work towards a goal of spending one hour on the exercise bike, five days per week.

The last piece of exercise equipment that we are going to talk about today is the rower, or rowing machine. An indoor rower is a machine used to simulate the action of watercraft rowing for the purpose of exercise or training for rowing. In addition to being a great strength training exercise, rowing is an intense calorie-burning exercise. Although new rowers with less ability and training will burn fewer calories, the rowing machine is an excellent piece of exercise equipment for use in a weight-loss program.

If you are a total beginner with the indoor rower, please watch some YouTube videos to learn the proper form, I have included a link to one at the end of this article. If you use the rower improperly you can give yourself a back injury. After you have learned the proper form for rowing, shoot for 15 minute sessions at a 1-3 level of resistance. After you have mastered this, try to work yourself up to 30 minutes at a 3-5 level of resistance.

I hope this article has encouraged you to think about your health and how different pieces of exercise equipment could benefit your fitness. If you’re interested in getting some items to get you started head on over to DealDash. DealDash has all of the pieces of equipment that we talked about, as well as water bottles, mats, and plenty of other items that you can use to get healthy. Check out the Hobbies, Outdoors, & Sports category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you just love. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Living Healthy: Eating Well, Even on a Budget

Welcome back to DealDash Blog’s Living Healthy series. Today’s blog is all about sharing ideas of how you can eat healthfully, even when you’re on a budget.

Most people have a basic idea of what it means to be a healthy eater – everyone is familiar with the Food Pyramid from elementary school, right? The problem is, sometimes making healthy food choices can really put a strain on your budget, especially if you are feeding a family of four or even more. Luckily, I have some easy strategies for you to try to incorporate into your daily life.

1 – Meal Planning. Strategy number one is really important to staying on budget – when you plan your meals out ahead of time (I like to do a week’s worth at a time) it allows you to buy healthy food in bulk at your local wholesale club and spread the goodness out over multiple meals. For example, if I were to buy the single mixed-greens bag of salad at the local supermarket it would cost me approximately $3, and last my family of four for just one meal. However, if I plan my meals ahead of time and I know that we are going to have salads three nights in the upcoming week I can buy the large box of mixed-greens at the wholesale club for $6 and have enough salad for all three nights. See? I just saved myself $3 by planning ahead.

2- Home Cooking. Strategy number two is really beneficial for both your health and your wallet. If my family of four decided that we would all like to have lasagna and we went to any of the mid-priced Italian restaurants in my area we would spend approximately $60 (I live right outside of Boston, it might be cheaper near you), and in addition to that the lasagna would most likely be made with lots of oil, white pasta, and full-fat cheese. However, if I were to make the exact same meal at home it costs less than $15, and I am able to use fat-free cheese, whole wheat pasta noodles, and even substitute some of the ricotta for cottage cheese. It tastes absolutely delicious, and it’s very healthy as well. In a quest to get my children to eat more veggies I also add mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and zucchini slices (Shhhhh…Don’t tell!)

3- Farmer’s Markets. Strategy number three may or may not work for you depending on where you live. In my area, there is a farmer’s market going on in my town and every small town around me. When you go to the farmer’s market you are getting delicious fruits and veggies that are extremely fresh because they are grown locally. In addition to that, the prices are definitely better than any supermarket around, especially if there are multiple vendors selling the same fruits and veggies. If you want to make your trip to the farmer’s market even healthier, try walking there! The weather is beautiful in August, and the fresh air is great for your body and mind.

I hope this article has encouraged you to try some of my strategies for living healthy on a budget. If you’re interested in getting some items to help you with cooking at home head on over to DealDash. DealDash has food processors, stand mixers, cookware, and plenty of other items that you can use. Check out the Kitchen & Appliances category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you can use to make you and your family a little bit healthier. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

Living Healthy: Let’s Learn About Yoga Together

Welcome back to DealDash Blog’s Living Healthy series. Today’s blog is going to give you a quick and easy introduction to yoga. Let’s get started!

I’m sure that you have heard the word “yoga” before, but I bet that you didn’t know that the word yoga came from the Sanskrit word “yuj”, which means to yoke or bind. Yuj is often interpreted as “union” or a method of discipline. If you are just getting started into the practice of yoga, you will be pleased to know that you can spend as much or as little time doing yoga and you will still be able to reap the benefits of this healthy and calming exercise. Even if you only practice yoga for one hour a week, you will experience the benefits of that practice. If you can do more than that, you will certainly experience more benefits. I suggest starting with two or three times a week, for an hour or an hour and a half each time. If you can only do 30 minutes per session, that’s fine too. Don’t worry or stress, just get another practice in when you have the chance.

Here is an infographic of some of the most popular yoga poses. Please note the color coding on the infographic, some of these are advanced poses not meant for the beginner!

Yoga_Poses

Now that you’ve seen some of the poses, let’s talk about some of the benefits of practicing yoga. Here are some great reasons to start:

1- Sleep. Yoga can help you sleep better. When you start practicing yoga you’ll be releasing pent up energy that could prevent you from falling asleep, and sleeping soundly once you do get to sleep. Yoga helps relax your nervous system, which is the part of your body responsible for restful sleep or a night of tossing and turning.

2- Builds muscle strength. Yoga requires you to get into and hold positions that will naturally strengthen your muscles, using only your body’s weight for resistance.

3- Lower blood pressure. Yoga is a great workout for your heart, and will improve your cardiovascular function over time.

4- Metabolism. Yoga helps improve your metabolism, which is directly responsible for helping you burn more calories with less work.

5- Better posture. Yoga will give you better posture naturally. All of the poses you’ll be performing are geared to get your body back into proper alignment the way that it should be.

I hope this article has encouraged you to take up the practice of yoga. If you’re interested in getting some items to get you started head on over to DealDash. DealDash has yoga mats, yoga balls, water bottles, and plenty of other items that you can use. Check out the Hobbies, Outdoors, & Sports category and I’m sure that you’ll find something that you just love. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!