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Three wallet-friendly recipes to keep food bills down before pay day
Pay day always seems too far away, but if you still want to eat like a king, we have it covered. As part of our Budget Bites column – where we’ve teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month – we’ve brought you three seasonal dishes that make the most of your staple ingredients while keeping your fresh shopping list minimal. This month, we’re elevating chicken wings and pork mince to new heights across three meals that don’t skimp on flavour. We’ve also provided a handy shopping list for the ingredients (though hopefully most of it will be knocking about already), which are used across all recipes to ensure minimal food waste. You just need to decide where to shop, whether it’s locally or online. Shopping list 8 cloves garlic 20g fresh ginger 5 spring onions 1 lime 200g fresh spinach 150g frozen peas 250g pork mince 500g chicken wings 200g dried pasta (of your choice) 150g basmati rice 200g dried medium egg noodles 2 tbsp gochujang 1 tbsp tomato purée/tomato paste 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp cider vinegar 3 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp caster sugar Sticky Korean wings with pea and sesame rice Track down some good, Korean-branded gochujang from your local Asian supermarket. It makes all the difference! Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 tbsp gochujang 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tsp caster sugar 2 clove garlic 500g chicken wings 5 spring onions 2 tbsp sesame oil 150g basmati rice 150g frozen peas Method: 1. Preheat: preheat the oven to 210C and line a large baking tray with baking paper. 2. Assemble the glaze: add 2 tbsp of gochujang, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tbsp of vinegar, and 1 tsp of sugar to a large mixing bowl. Peel, then finely grate in 2 cloves of garlic – we will use the rest later. 3 Mix and coat: add 500g of chicken wings to the bowl and give everything a good mix, ensuring the wings are well coated. 4. Tray em’ up: lay the coated wings onto the lined tray, ensuring they are well spaced. 5. Roast: roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until charred in places and cooked throughout. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 6. Chop chop: thinly slice 5 spring onions crossways, then peel and mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. 7. Preheat the pan: add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to a medium saucepan and place it over a medium-high heat. 8. Fry: once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, tip in ¾ of the spring onions and all the garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. 9. Add the rice: wash 150g of rice in a sieve under running water, shake off any excess moisture, add it to the pan, and stir to coat. 10. Add the water: add 320ml of water to the pan along with a generous pinch of salt, then bring everything up to a boil. 11. Cook the rice: reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the grains are nearly soft and almost all the water has been absorbed. 12. Add the peas: crack on with a bit of washing up! When the rice timer sounds, add 100g of peas, replace the lid, and steam them with the rice for another 2 minutes until they are both soft and all the water has been absorbed. 13. Serve: once the rice is ready, fluff the grains with a fork and divide between serving plates. Add the wings, scatter over the reserved spring onions, and serve. Cambodian-style pork and ginger stir-fried noodles Black pepper is key in this recipe for heat and depth, don’t go easy! Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 250g pork mince 5 spring onion 20g fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic 1 limes 200g dried medium egg noodles 200g fresh spinach 3 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp caster sugar Method: 1. Preheat the pan: fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil, this will be for the noodles later. Add 2 tbsp of oil to a large frying pan and place it over a medium-high heat. 2. Fry the pork: once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, tip in 250g of pork mince. Fry, breaking up occasionally for 10-12 minutes, until crisp and golden. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 3. Chop chop: thinly slice 5 spring onions crossways, then peel and mince 20g of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic. Cut 1 lime into 4 wedges. 4. Get the noodles on: add 200g of noodles to a medium saucepan, season with salt, and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Place the pan over a high heat. 5. Cook the noodles: cook the noodles for 5-6 minutes, until soft but still with a slight bite. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 6. Fry: once the pork is ready, add the spring onions, ginger, and garlic. Fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. 7. Add the spinach: add 200g of spinach to the pan and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, until the leaves darken and wilt. 8. Add the noodles: once the noodles are ready, use tongs to transfer them into the pan. Toss to mix everything together. 9. Add some flavour: add 3 tbsp of fish sauce, 1 tsp of caster sugar, and a very generous grind of black pepper. Continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally. 10. Serve: divide between plates and serve with the lime wedges. Gochujang pork ragu pasta This recipe also works really well with beef mince! Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 tbsp sesame oil 250g pork mince 200g dried pasta 10g fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic 2 tbsp gochujang 1 tbsp tomato purée/tomato paste Method: 1. Get the kettle on: fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil – this will be for the pasta later. 2. Preheat the pan: add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to a large frying pan and place it over a medium-high heat. 3. Get the pork on: once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, add 250g of pork mince. Fry for 8-10 minutes, breaking it up occasionally, until crisp and golden. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 4. Get the pasta on: add 200g of pasta to a medium saucepan along with a generous pinch of salt. Cover with boiling water from the kettle and place the pan over a high heat. 5. Cook the pasta: cook for 8-10 minutes, until soft but still with a slight bite. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 6. Chop chop: peel and cut 10g of ginger into thin matchstick-like strips, then peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic. 7. Fry: once the pork is ready, add the garlic and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. 8. Add the pastes: add 2 tbsp of gochujang and 1 tbsp of tomato paste to the pan. Continue to fry for a further 1-2 minutes, until sticky and darkened. 9. Add the pasta: once the pasta is ready, use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer it into the pan with the pastes and pork. Reserve a mugful of pasta water for the next step. 10. Mix and toss: add a splash of the pasta’s cooking water and toss to coat. Add another splash to loosen if the mix looks a little thick – we are looking for a loose sauce that coats the pasta in a red glaze. 11. Serve: divide the pasta between plates and top with the raw strips of ginger for freshness. In response to the rising cost of living, we have teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month. Find out more about Sorted and their nifty meal-planning app Sidekick at sortedfood.com/sidekick. Read More Marina O’Loughlin is wrong – there’s joy in solo dining Meal plan: Romesco chicken and other recipes to fall in love with School holidays sorted: Fuss-free and nutritious family dinner recipes A week’s worth of summery recipes (even when the weather is dire) The dish that defines me: Frank Yeung’s prawn wontons Discovering Sierra Leonean flavours in South London
2023-08-07 13:59
This is how stress affects different parts of the body
The increased focus on mental health in the last few years has seen more and more people turning to things like mindfulness, meditation and talking therapies to cope with stress. While these techniques can be very effective, it’s important to remember that stress isn’t ‘all in your head’ – it can have a serious physical impact as well. “Stress is how you feel and respond when life puts you under a lot of pressure,” says Dr Luke Powles, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics. “A certain amount of stress can be positive, as it can help you prepare for challenges and respond to them,” Powles adds. “But too much stress, especially over a long period of time, can cause both mental and physical problems.” That’s why it’s vital to look at the sources of stress in your life and be aware of both the short and long-term symptoms. Here’s how stress can affect different parts of the body… Heart and lungs A sudden surge of stress can make you feel like you’ve just run up several flights of stairs. “Immediately, you’re going to get an increase in your heart rate, with that almost panic attack or anxiety-like feeling,” says Dr Alka Patel, aka the Health Hacktivation Doctor. “Your breathing rate is going to speed up as well, because you’re trying to oxygenate your blood.” That’s also why you might get sweaty palms or pits: “You get vasodilatation of your blood vessels – you’re basically trying to increase blood flow to your body, so sweating is a very immediate phenomenon for most people.” Stressful situations can raise your blood pressure temporarily too, Powell says: “If you’re stressed over a long time, you could possibly develop long-term high blood pressure.” The link between stress and heart disease is mitigated by other factors. “Stress may not directly cause coronary heart disease, such as a heart attack or stroke and cholesterol,” says Powell. “But if you smoke, drink, or eat more to cope with stress, you increase your risk of these. Stress may also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.” Doctors also warn about heart rate variability (HRV), meaning the variation in the pauses between heartbeats. “You want a high HRV because you want to be adaptable,” Patel explains. “When you’re under chronic stress your HRV starts to drop, and that tells you that you’re not resilient in the face of stress.” Stomach and gut Feeling too anxious to eat? Or craving carbs when you’re under pressure? “You’re releasing this surge of cortisol, the stress hormone, very quickly, which is then trying to get as much sugar and fuel on board,” Patel explains. “A lot of people will then either notice the hunger response: ‘I’ve got to eat lunch to manage my stress’. Or you notice the dip, which is: ‘I don’t want to eat, I can’t eat anything else’.” You might experience digestive issues as well, she continues: “With an immediate stress reaction, everything else in your body has to stop. This means you can start to get those symptoms of diarrhoea, upset stomach, that kind of thing, because all of those digestive processes have to have to halt in order to manage your stress.” There are also some links between chronic stress and certain illnesses, including digestive complaints. “If you have a pre-existing health condition, stress could make it worse, or flare up,” says Powell. “Examples of conditions that can be aggravated by stress include irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, asthma and psoriasis.” Muscles A surge of stress can cause muscle spasms called fasciculation and tension in the cervical muscles of the neck, which might lead to a headache. “People don’t necessarily associate headaches with muscles, but you can get spasms in your upper neck muscles and shoulders,” Patel says. “You feel the tension in the muscles going over your scalp – and that’s why we call these tension headaches.” Teeth and mouth Stress can also harm your oral health, which should be dealt with by a dentist. “Teeth grinding (bruxism) is often linked to stress, but lots of people aren’t aware they have the condition because it happens in their sleep,” says Powell. “Symptoms include headaches, earache, stiffness and pain in the jaw or mouth; teeth which are breaking or look worn down; and facial swelling.” Inflammageing A hot topic among longevity specialists in recent years, ‘inflammageing’ means chronic inflammation that has a damaging effect and is caused by a variety of diet and lifestyle factors. “Stress accelerates ageing, and then there’s a whole cascade of stuff that goes on as a result of that,” says Patel. “[It affects] your immune response, the communication between your cells, muscle function and your bones.”
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What is ALS and what are the causes?
Sandra Bullock’s longterm partner Bryan Randall has died at the age of 57 after a three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ASL). His family shared a statement confirming that Randall “passed away peacefully” on Saturday (5 August), adding that he “chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honour his request”. The statement, sent to People magzine, continued: “We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours.” Bullock and Randall first met in 2015 and made their first public appearance together the following year. The model-turned-photographer’s family has asked for donations to be made to the ALS Association and the Massachusetts General Hospital. ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, its name coming from the Greek and referring to a wasting away of the muscles responsible for controlling voluntary movement caused by a lack of nourishment, the fault of a genetic mutation. As the ALS Association explains: “Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their demise. “When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. When voluntary muscle action is progressively affected, people may lose the ability to speak, eat, move and breathe. “The motor nerves affected when you have ALS are the motor neurons that provide voluntary movements and muscle control. Examples of voluntary movements are making the effort to reach for a smartphone or step off a curb. These actions are controlled by the muscles in the arms and legs.” Early symptoms of the disease, according to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), include: muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder or tongue; cramps; tight or stiff muscles; muscle weakness; slurred or nasal speech; and difficulty chewing and swallowing. “The first sign of ALS usually appears in the hand or arm and can show as difficulty with simple tasks such as buttoning a shirt, writing, or turning a key in a lock,” the NINDS explains. “In other cases, symptoms initially affect one leg. People experience awkwardness when walking or running, or they may trip or stumble more often.” There is currently no cure for ALS but the US Food and Drug Administration has approved four drugs to treat the condition and ease the discomfort of sufferers: Riluzole, Nuedexta, Radicava and Tiglutik. It was first discovered by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1869 and is also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease in memory of the celebrated New York Yankees baseman (1903-41) who also suffered from it. While ALS affects all demographics, it is most common among people aged between 55 and 75 and, according to some studies, disproportionately affects former members of the armed forces, perhaps because of exposure to harmful toxins during their service careers although this has not been definitively substantiated. The ALS Association reports that, in 90 per cent of cases of ALS, there is no family history of the genetic mutation that causes the disease and, in the 5-10 per cent of cases in which there is, only a 50 per cent possibility exists of its being passed on. For more information, please visit the websites of the ALS Association or the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes. Read More Roberta Flack announces she has ALS and finds it ‘impossible to sing’ NIH to fund unproven ALS drugs under patient-backed law ALS drug wins FDA approval despite questionable data Brain’s appetite control centre different in overweight or obese people – study Areas with lower bird diversity ‘have more mental health hospital admissions’ Greg Rutherford rushed to hospital ‘screaming and clawing at his skin’
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Husband fired from family business after wife roleplayed with reborn dolls
A woman who turned to roleplaying with hyper-realistic dolls “to help (her) cope” with the death of her first baby – and continues to do so with her husband and two rainbow babies – has said her husband’s parents disapproved of the hobby and fired him from the family business as a result. Christina Keeler, 38, a stay-at-home mum and YouTuber, from Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, USA, fell pregnant with her first “miracle” baby in 2015, despite having endometriosis and being told she would not be able to conceive in her 20s. She suffered a miscarriage, but after watching a documentary about so-called reborn dolls, she had a “lightbulb moment” and realised getting a hyper-realistic doll would be the “perfect solution”. Christina’s husband Bill, 43, was “hesitant” at first but became supportive after he saw how much it “helped (her) grief”. The couple went on to have two “miracle” daughters, Grace, six, and Joy, four, who now help feed, change and dress the family’s five reborn dolls – which cost between £1,560 and £3,899 each – in their “nursery” complete with “a crib and a wardrobe”. The family often take the dolls out in public, and have shared their journey on YouTube – where Christina documents people’s reactions to her dolls and birthing videos. Some silicone dolls come in a fake womb which allows a Caesarean section to be performed at home. But Bill’s family were “disgusted” with the hobby, to the point where they gave him a choice to stop having the dolls or leave the family business. He refused to shut down the YouTube channel and did not want Christina to give up her hobby, so he was fired. She fell pregnant with her first baby in 2015, a year after her mother died of cancer. The couple were “elated” about the pregnancy because Christina had been told in her twenties that she would not be able to conceive because she has endometriosis, but she miscarried at eight weeks. Christina told PA Real Life: “When we lost the baby it was so devastating, I remember lying in the hospital bed after they had taken the baby out of my belly, and screaming for my mum and wept wanting to cuddle my baby.” She “really struggled” with the grief of losing her mother and her baby so close together. She explained: “This feeling of sorrow just never went away, it was so painful that I never talked about it again.” Despite having her two “miracle” children Grace and Joy, Christina still longed to hold her first baby, and after watching a documentary about reborn dolls, she wanted to get one to see if it would help her grief. She said: “I felt so blessed to have two healthy girls, but that feeling of missing the first baby never quite went away. “When my youngest was around two years old, my husband and I came across a documentary about reborn dolls. “And he was like, ‘That’s really weird’, and I played it off that I thought the same, but actually I really wanted one to help me cope and I thought it would be the perfect solution.” After persuading her husband, Christina ordered her first lifelike doll, Hannah, costing her around £155. She said: “I told my husband and he was not on board at all, he was hesitant, but after explaining my reasoning, he was much more understanding and more accepting.” When the doll arrived, Christina instantly felt like it helped with her mourning. She said: “It helped me therapeutically because for the first time ever when I got my first reborn doll, I was able to talk about the loss of our baby. “And since then I have healed tremendously from that loss because I’m able to talk about it and share my story and help others – it helped my grief, for sure.” Christina now has a collection of five dolls called Carter, Cadence, Quinn, Isabella and Sammy, which she loves to dress, cuddle and feed. She takes the dolls out in public and people often mistake them for real babies. She said: “We have a nursery for them with a crib and a wardrobe. I check on them throughout the day, and on other days, especially when the girls want to get involved, I pick out an outfit for them, bring them to breakfast, get them to feed them a bottle, change them. “If we’re running errands we often take them out with us and put them in a car seat and stroller.” Christina and her family have been sharing their experiences on YouTube, where they are known as The Reborn Family. She said: “I make videos about people’s reactions to my dolls, as well as vlogs and birthing videos – I have some silicone reborn dolls which come in a womb and you perform a C-section on it at home, to give birth to the baby.” Despite her immediate family being supportive of the hobby, Christina admits not everyone in her wider family understands. She said: “My husband’s family were, and still are, disapproving of the reborns, even though they can see how much they helped me. They were disgusted. “We moved from California to Pennsylvania because my husband was next in line to take over the family business because they were about to retire, and they asked if we would like to do so and we agreed. “When they were on vacation they came across our YouTube channel, and they called us up and they were mortified and so embarrassed, and said we were ruining the family name.” When Bill’s parents came home, they gave him an ultimatum to stop having the dolls. Christina explained: “Bill said that he was not going to quit his job, and didn’t want me to stop having reborns because they were so therapeutic for me at the time, and his dad said, ‘Well, then you’re fired’.” My husband’s family were disgusted, they said we were ruining the family name Bill’s father was contacted by PA Real Life for comment, but he had not responded at the time of publication. Even though her reborns have caused tension in the family, Christina cannot see herself giving up her hobby any time soon. She said: “Reborns continue to help me with my grief, and I love sharing content with other people who have lost babies, and they can also really help people with dementia, people who are infertile, people with anxiety and depression, I wouldn’t want to stop this.” Read More Teenager who thought she was pregnant diagnosed with ovarian cancer Woman praised for response to parents who asked her to swap first class seat with their child Barbie vs Oppenheimer: Greta Gerwig makes history with biggest box office opening for a female director
2023-07-26 13:57
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