Movie Chef (2009)

I am not the biggest fan of a cinema, nor a critic, but from time to time I like to watch something. What type of films I like? For sure many of Woody Allen's recent movies – I like the way he shows different cultures and beautiful cities while telling the interesting story to spectator. But as I said, I am not a regular cinemagoer, I don’t do a research before watching a film, so my every time I go to a cinema it is a bit of a gamble – sometimes it pays off, sometimes not.  So, when I went to watch Chef with my friend I really didn’t have any expectations.  Two hours later I was starvy as a wolf J

Chef(2014)it is a story of a – guess who  – a chef with enormous passion to cooking. One day, he lost his job and then his journey begins. The film is about cooking, travelling and about – as my blog title says – doing small things with great love. It is also a story about amazing relationship between father and son. The storyline is funny, not in the way you laugh all the time, but it keeps the viewer in the good mood. I would also add the music as a big advantage with something which has a special significance for me – Cuban rythms in the sun of Florida J But the best thing about the movie is the food and how preparing of it is shown – absolutely delicious!

To sum up, I will recommend this movie to everyone. It is not the masterpiece of cinema in any way but it gives a viewer a great entertainment and it stimulates many senses. But remember my warning: do not watch it hungry, cause you may not finish it! J

Skating

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about exercises with hula –hoop and its positive fitness effects – losing the waistline effectively, not to mention having fun and improving general mood. So I guess that my mind is set on sports right now, because my another blog will be dedicated to another activity –inline skating.

First of all, I have to explain the background of this topic. When I was a child (about 4 years old) I got a special gift from my parents – skates. And since that day I have been doing everything with them on my feet. I had a lot of fun then, I even started in many amateur competitions, but it came to an end in my high school. A few weeks ago I started to think about my old hobby and decided I have to rediscover it. I bought brand-new skates and now I know that I couldn’t made better decision.

As always I have to start with outlining the health benefits. First of all, if you want to lose weight, skating is a good way to do it – one hour of this activity burn about 700 kcal. What is more, it is not as damaging for joints like many other sports as the movement is smooth and easy. Do I have to mention that it improves your stamina and overall coordination? I guess not! Last but not least, this is a sport that you have to do on a fresh air which is another benefit for your body and mind.

Everytime I come back from skates, I feel so good, so happy, so relaxed.  I could write something more about the fun I have but this time I won’t do this – figure it out on your own!

Strawberries

June is coming and for me this means one important thing – strawberries approaching! I am in absolute love with this fruit and I only regret that in Poland it is available for only month or two.

Not only strawberries taste great but they are also very good for health. It is said that it is not a coincidence that they are heart shaped as they lower the level of bad cholesterol. At the same time they prevent rise of blood sugar and have very low glycaemic index (under 40). It is also proved that strawberries help to lose weight as they improve metabolism. As you see – it is hard to ask for more in that matter.

Interestingly, they  are not exactly created by nature – as a matter of a fact it is a hybrid of two species of wild strawberries in the middle of 17^th century.

All right, now we know something “scientific” about strawberries so it’s time to cut to the chase: how can we use it? There are many ways to serve the strawberries. The easiest and healthiest one is to eat the fruit without any additions (certainly without sugar and whipped cream if we care for our health). They are also popular ingredient of may desserts as well as dairy product such as ice creams, milkshakes and yogurts. But in modern kitchen you can use strawberries in traditional way.  Once I found a superb recipe for chicken in balsamic vinegar with rocket and strawberry salad. It may sound like a “strange marriage”, but when I prepared it…it was absolutely delicious! I have to make it one more time J

So much for my love of strawberries J Actually, writing this blog made me hungry… I better find some strawberries in my fridge J

Wedding preparations

Hi again!

In my previous post I mentioned that currently I am busy with wedding preparations. It might sound a bit surreal considering a fact that my ceremony will take place in the summer of 2016, but believe me – if you want to make it the best day of your life better act fast.

I got engaged in the August of 2014 and at that point it seemed that 2 years to the ceremony is more than enough. Nevertheless I decided to begin preparations immediately – I taught that sooner I start, sooner I finish and less pressure I have. However, reality is cruel – organisation of a wedding is a real race against time.  I wanted to book a wedding hall, photographer,band, and church by the end of 2014 – in my opinion those things are critical. Today I can admit that I realised 50% of my goals by completing first two points of my list. This is not a bad result, but the effort I had to make was huge. First thing is to look through all options that are on the local market – and believe me wedding business is thriving, you have unlimited range of potential options. You have to make a difficult comparison, make a choice, call the contractor and pray for his availability in your term. In my case, every music band that I like is busy on the term of my wedding… and it is just the tip of an iceberg, because there are so many details I have to take care of.

I don’t even want to speak about a financial side of a wedding because I have a feeling that every service is about five times more expensive.As I said, I want my wedding to be the most beautiful day of my life and it won’t come easily. But in my heart I believe I will not regret it J

Hi all,

As you know I have a soul of a traveller and from time to time I HAVE TO go somewhere. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I went abroad. To be honest, I do not travel in Poland either(except short trip to Kaszuby). I have a lot of things to do lately (studies, wedding preparations), but at the same time sitting in one place is sickening for me J So, I did a little research,  compared prices (my budget is ruthless…Cuba has to wait for me  a bit moreJ ) and I think I know where I will  go soon.

Alicante is a Spanish historical city in the middle of Costa Blanca. It also has many direct connections with Poland, for example flights from Wrocław and Kraków. In this season you can easily find a two way ticket under 400 zł. Alicante itself is not very big, it is mainly a port town but it has a one big asset – very good location. It is in the middle of south coast of Spain, you can travel from here to Barcelona as well as Andalusia. What is more, in direct neighbourhood you have two cities that are worth to visit. First one, Murcia, is a capital of province and historical city with Arabic descent. It main attraction is cathedral (Catedral de Santa María) with tower’s height second only to La Giralda in Sevilla. Second one, Valencia, is the third largest city in Spain with global city status. Few years ago I was participating language course there and I know that there are so many things to see there – monuments, museums, gardens. I would be very happy to come back there.

So, my plan is to spend about a week in Spain again, enjoying the sun and visiting new places. For now I am focused on finishing my semester, but I hope in a few weeks I hit the road again. J

Hope you enjoyed the read!

Attention!

This post is dedicated to all the ladies who would like to take care of their  figure, but still do not know which sport  they should choose.

Summer is just around the corner, and you have not shed extra kilos? You know that you should take care of yourself, but still you lacks the motivation and you make excuses?

Remember -  taking exercises regularly not only improves our health and physical fitness, but also has a positive effect on our mood. Unfortunately, despite all of these benefits, many people prefer rather passive lifestyle, saying that sport is not for them. However, it is possible to select exercises that are entertaining, relaxing and have many health benefits.

The Ideal sport that has all of these advantages is  … attention ... Hula Hoop! Exactly! The same  funny toy, which probably you turned when you were a little girl. I also had a hula hoop then and I think it was a great fun. Honestly, recently I  forgot about its existence. Just a while ago, however, I decided to go back to doing sport that will improve my mood  and figure. Looking in the mirror, I started to wonder, where my waistline has gone? Immediately I remembered about this wonderful inventionJ.  I began to browse through websites in search of information, where I could buy it. I was surprised when it turned out that the hula hoop, which once I had fun, now looks differently ... a big, heavy, and in addition with some strange massage balls! 

Well, small and light circle in reality is not hula hoop. There’s some information about it:

•           Above all, hula-hoop  will slim your belly and shape waistline. The first effects are already visible after two weeks of regular training with the circle.

•           The other big advantage of the hula hoop is improvement of posture of practicing. Long turning of the circle requires an upright posture, that’s why exercise improves posture and strengthen the spine. Moreover, it models buttocks.

•           You can turn the hula hoop both at home during watching TV or listening to music as well as outdoors. Break the boredom of training!

-           If you connect hula hoop turning with an appropriately balanced diet, the effects will be guaranteed. 

Important!

Single training should take no longer than 30 minutes - after that time, the body begins to burn fat. During each session burns about 200 calories, and the first results appear after 2 weeks of daily turning.

A good way to increase the motivation to exercise with a hula hoop, is to measure waistline before the first workout and after two weeks.

                              

Exercises to shrink the waist:

Stand with legs apart, slightly bend your knees and flex your abdomen muscles. Hold the hula hoop at waist level. Lean the rim on one side and set it in motion. Immediately move your hips, trying to keep the hula-hoop at waist level.

Search for other exercises, for example to firm thighs and buttocks up on the Internet.

Important!

 Hula hoop with massage balls can cause bruises on the abdomen and back, that hitting the weak muscles cause microtrauma. These areas of the body protects internal organs which are needed for the proper functioning of the body. Hitting kidneys regularly with hula hoop may have a serious impact on their condition in the future.

If you are careful  enough,  nothing is going to happen, quite the reverse, you will see the benefits from the using of the circle. I do exercise with hula hoop from about a month and I noticed satisfactory results. My waistline is back, thus I do not lose a motivation. After training I am full of power and relaxed. At the beginning it is not easy, but the important thing is not to give up! I guarantee that you will be satisfied. In case of any questions, I offer my help. J

Good luck J !

Do you know that … ?

Do you like as me to read various curiosities, such as those related to food? Sometimes some of them are really very surprising. Today I will present you  7 interesting facts.

 1. Black tip of the banana is not poisonous. Fortunately, it does not contain toxic substances or  larvae or pesticides.

2. Peel of kiwi is edible. Therefore, eating kiwi as a whole is completely safe.

3. Watching TV for two hours a day increases the risk of obesity by 23%. In addition, more rapidly develope skeletal defects  and the muscles get flabby.

4. Honey never spoils. The oldest jar found with this delicacy was 5500 years and still fit for eating.

5. Tomato  it's not a vegetable but fruit and in addition a berry . It is the fruit because is edible part of the whole plant called tomato, and the berry is a type of fruit, which the tomato is counted among to.

6. Apricot seeds are poisonous. They contain amygdalin, a substance hazardous to health and life. Consumption of large amounts of apricot seeds  may cause severe poisoning, particularly dangerous to children.

7. Eating raw spinach improves mood. It is in fact the source of tryptophan - electrically neutral amino acid, which reduces negative emotions.