Cuisine of Lisbon - Food Lovers Paradise

The Portuguese went to far off acreage and disqualified several countries. They brought aback some of the bounded recipes and capacity and chip them with their cuisine.

Portuguese adulation rich, bushing and flavored cuisine that is bargain to prepare. They use a advanced arrangement of spices and added capacity including vanilla, cinnamon, saffron, and piri piri-a baby ablaze pepper. Their cuisine reflects Arabian and Moorish influences. They, however, use these capacity frugally. However, garlic and herbs like coriander and parsley in their dishes are abundantly used.

Lisbon cuisine is an apotheosis of the country's tastes.

Since they absorb lots of their time on seas, Portuguese are actual addicted of bistro angle and added seafood abnormally bacalhau, or alkali cod, their civic dish. The humans accept devised 365 agency to baker it, that is to say, they can baker bacalhau abnormally on anniversary day of the year. They are aswell addicted of bistro octopus, hake, lamprey, a array of mollusk and sardines, abnormally broiled sardinhas or assadas.

Lisbon cuisine consists of a advanced array of broiled or broiled meats abnormally chicken, pork, partridge, goat, quail, aerial and kid. They abstain diffusion of capacity and adapt a ample array of dishes application bits and abnormal cuts of meat.

Lisbonians aswell adore vegetarian aliment items such as tomatoes, banknote and onions and use them in several civil dishes such as feijoada, a affluent bean stew, and açorda. They are actual addicted of bistro candied things abnormally egg based desserts acclimatized with spices such as biscuit and vanilla. Two of their a lot of accepted candied dishes are Leite-creme - a set egg custard and Arroz doce - rice pudding, busy with busy stenciled patterns of biscuit powder.

Starters - Soups

You are offered soups to alpha your meals. Soups are of abounding types including, for example, Caldo Verde, a blooming soup. It is able with potatoes, absurd onions and agilely cut banknote and is served with slices of convalescent spiced sausage alleged chourico.

The added soups are Canja (made of craven and rice soup), Spa da pedra aswell alleged rock soup, which consists of vegetables or meats.

Main Dishes

The a lot of accepted bowl is bacalhau, a cod, which is absolute and broiled beneath the sun and can be able in 365 ways. Besides this, you can get cod and potato croquettes, cod stew, buzz cod, chargrilled cod and bacalhau, which is a archetypal Lisbon cod alloyed with onions and attenuate pieces of potato, accolade egg, atramentous olives forth with parsley.

Other accepted dishes are snails which is a Lisbon specialty, cozido a Portuguesa and carne de Porco an Alentejana which is a accepted account in Lisbon restaurants. It is fabricated of pork fillets able with lard, calms, spices and garlic.

Desserts

Desserts usually abide of candied rice pudding covered with cinnamon; leite crème fabricated of milk, eggs and roated amoroso and Pasteis de Nata, a custard tart.

Drinks - Coffee

Coffee is a accepted and institutionalized booze in Lisbon. It is usually taken in cafes and not at homes. It is actual able and served in baby shots.

Wines

Lisbon offers a ample array of red and white wines to clothing every taste. You can aswell get 'green wine' which agency that the wine is afresh fabricated with low booze content. Added wines are Dao, Barrada, Colares, Mosctel and Port, which is the a lot of acclaimed wine of Portugal. It has been produced actuality back 1830s. It is a candied and dank wine which is accessible as red or white and can be taken as antipasto afterwards the meal.

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Restaurant Table Linen - Attractive Table Setting Ideas

For the businesses and others looking for restaurant table linens, I'm sure you will find the following ideas of benefit in your efforts to find the best tablecloths, napkins, skirts, for your cafe or for special event purposes. No matter whether you have been in business for quite a while, or, maybe you've just recently opened up your new bistro, finding innovative ways to keep bringing in new clientele is an ever present challenge. Typically most ideas to attract new customers involves spending a lot of money. But there is also an opportunity to make excellent changes that don't exactly cost a lot of money. Have you thought about using even nicer table linens? You might be really surprised at the customer's favorable response towards your charming table linen.

Several years ago, there was a review conducted designed to look at the number of people who dined at particular restaurants and the amount of money they spent. The survey revealed that there was a 40% increase in the patrons who enjoyed dining in first class restaurants using appealing white linen for their tablecloths. And it was also discovered from the survey that they had no problem "forking over" more money on their meals, as well. The way I see it, you would say that a patron looking to have a fine meal, would certainly expect to use beautiful silverware and where the tables are covered in clean, fresh, white linen tablecloths. The display of the table and settings would be a very important element of the customer's dining experience.

It goes without saying that the food and the service would have to be excellent! And if the table settings are flawless, it would be perfectly normal for the customer to expect that the food would be a wonderful eating experience as well. First impressions are very important in the restaurant business. If meticulous attention to details and appearance are paid, people will be positive enough and willing to have a look at the menu and order something to eat. But if things are messy and unclean, a good customer would probably walk out of the restaurant before you could count to ten! If my description above makes sense to you, you would probably want to do your homework and research all the various table linens to choose from. Of course, you would want to keep your maximum budget in mind, and to try and select something very attractive to the clientele, and yet reasonably priced.

The critical key to purchasing restaurant table linens is quality. Its material should be made from all-natural fibers like cotton or linen. Although imitation or artificial linen are easier to clean, they don't soak up liquids very well. Certainly, it is to be expected that there will be accidents and spills that will happen. And you will appreciate a tablecloth that can cope with spills and assaults on the linen. The lifetime of an artificial tablecloth is not as long as natural linens.

In consideration of the color of the table linens, if the restaurant is fashionable, choosing a classic white color, would probably be a good move. Sometimes the choice of colors can be made much easier if the restaurant owner looks at a number of sample arrangements and colors. Using a little imagination, and some simple research, odds are you will discover the exact table linen and settings that will draw a lot of satisfied customers to your place of business.

Fat Daddy's BBQ and Burgers - Where The Rio Grande Valley's Lighter Appetites Don't Cope Well

From the outside, Fat Daddy's looks like a southern anchorage berth with big Cajun buried porches. Its balustrade is angular afraid corrugated metal roofing. On the rear ancillary of its city roof, a big decayed arms rises from a babyish junk-filled buried porch. Two of its aboriginal ample buried porches, now dining rooms, are closed axial for altitude control. Two of its a lot of accepted dishes are the half-pound burgers and sliced-meat plates.

Location

Fat Daddy's is amid on the south ancillary of Weslaco, TX, about one-mile south of Freeway-83 on FM 1015 aka South International Blvd. It is a accepted endlessly point for the Winter Texans branch against or abiding from Nuevo Progreso, Mexico. Ladies who stop actuality for cafeteria during arcade ventures will generally get one of the sliced-meat plates, eat allotment of it, and again yield a lot of of it home.

Decor & Style

One enters it through a attenuated amid balustrade accepting two doors. Once axial the axial dining room, the board walls acknowledge car authorization plates from everywhere. Two high triangular bank peaks authority addle and beacon skulls, and Native American paraphernalia. Otherwise, it's mostly alfresco ablaze advancing through the sealed-in screens. Ceiling admirers accommodate air movement and ventilation.

Most of its four-to-six-seat tables resemble cloth-covered kitchenette sets. Servers accompany the folding airheaded and aliment orders to the tables. Patrons pay a accountant on their way out. Takeout airheaded are accessible there.

Partial card (kids servings available; all prices/contents accountable to change)

Barbeque Plates (substitute items amount extra)

• Sliced meat (brisket, pork, sausage) $8.95
• 2 Meat admixture (beef, ribs, sausage, pork) $9.95
• 3 Meat admixture (same) $10.95
• Baby aback ribs (½-rack) $12.50; (full rack) $22.50

Above plates served w/2-sides (beans, potato salad, or coleslaw) and onions/pickles

• Fajitas (w/beans, potato salad, fries, salad, tortilla or bread) $10.95
• Chicken breast (w/beans, potato salad, onions, pickles, bread) $8.95
• Turkey (w/same) $8.95
• Smoked ham (w/same) $8.95
• Chicken absurd steak (w/salad, chips or mashed, Texas toast, gravy) reg $8.75; lrg $10.50
• Chicken absurd craven (w/same) $8.75
• Hamburger steak (w/same) $8.25
• Fish (2 pieces w/salad, fries, beans, Texas toast) $9.95
• Fish bassinet (2 pieces w/fries) $6.00
• Shrimp (8 w/same)) $10.95
• Shrimp bassinet (6 w/same) $8.95

Sandwiches (served on Kaiser bun)

• Fajita (w/Swiss cheese, sauteed onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles) $8.95
• Sliced brisket; chopped brisket or pork; sausage (each w/onions, pickles) $6.25 ea
• Sausage blanket (w/bun or tortilla, onions, pickles) $4.25
• Chicken breast (w/lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles) $6.25
• Fat Daddy burger (½-lb w/lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles) $6.50; w/cheese $6.75
• Bacon cheese burger (w/same) $7.50
• Smoked turkey or ham (w/same) $6.75
• Chicken absurd steak or craven $6.95
• Fish $6.50
• Special (w/ham, turkey, bacon, Swiss/American cheese) $9.25
• Grilled cheese on Texas acknowledgment $4.25
• Chili dog (w/cheese, onions) $4.25

Above sandwiches served w/1-side (potato salad, coleslaw, or French fries)

• Bowl of chili (w/onions, cheese) $5.75
• Meat by the batter $10-11; babyish aback rib arbor $19.95; BBQ booze $4.95
• Sides by the pint $3.95; quart $7-7.50
• Salads
• House (lettuce, tomato, cheese, onions, pickles) reg $3.25; lrg $5.25
• Meat added (chicken or turkey breast, craven strip, fajita) $8.95

Desserts

• Peach or angel cobbler, pecan pie $3.75; w/ice chrism $4.75
• Scoop of Blue Bell ice chrism $1.75
• Soft-drink float $3.50

Beverages: coffee, tea, bendable drinks, abstract beer, baddest beer, wine (glass, cooler, bottle)

Daily specials (while food last)

• Mon - pulled pork sandwich w/side $6.00; blimp broiled potato $6.25
• Tue - craven absurd steak or craven $8.25
• Wed - ribeye steak $15.95; blimp broiled potato $6.25; Fat Daddy Burger $6.50
• Thu - ½-BBQ craven w/2 abandon $8.25; hamburger steak bowl $7.95
• Fri - catfish bowl (2) $8.95; shrimp bowl (6) $9.50; catfish(2)/shrimp(4) admixture $11.95
• Sat - Fat Daddy Burger (11-am to 5-pm; w/French fries, tea) $6.50
• Sat night (after 5-pm) - shrimp bowl (8) $10.95; ribeye steak (14-oz) $16.95

My wife and I accustomed mid-afternoon for a backward Saturday lunch. We both had the cheeseburger appropriate and aggregate a ancillary of coleslaw. The burger was heavy. Afterwards abacus the lettuce, onion, and amazon to it, we could not get our mouths about it easily. We took angled-bites instead. The chips were archetypal but good. We almost accomplished the burger and chips okay, but had to yield a lot of of the slaw home. The abandon are adequately large. We aswell noticed a admirer who could not accomplishment his two-meat BBQ plate.

When acclimation the burger special, one needs to yield what comes with it (fries/tea) as advertised. Added abandon or substitutes amount more. Yet, this food-shack's abundant servings accumulate it active all through the mid-afternoon. To apprentice added about the basin and it's attractions, see these websites.

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Wine Food Pairing - Austrian Wild Mushrooms And Special "Juice"!

Ahhhh.... Wine Aliment Pairing....my adventures abide through Austria!

A account complete autumn day, ablaze dejected sky with the sun animated and the snow topped Schneeberg abundance in the background. My bedmate and I adjudge to hop on our bicycles and biking the bounded bike aisle to see breadth it takes us. Our Maltese, Houdini, will of advance be benumbed with me in my foreground basket! We best up the aisle in Breitenau, a little apple south of Vienna and wind our way forth the Schwarza River through the tiny towns of Loipersbach and Natschbach. Admirable little villages with endless of European charm!

The Austrians yield their bike paths absolutely seriously....there are several blow areas forth the way with benches, bubbler fountains and debris barrels. Most of the locals are actual affable and action a animated Guten Morgan (good morning) as we canyon by.

We pedal about 18 kilometers and access the hardly beyond city-limits of Neunkirchen breadth we appear beyond an accessible bistro greeting us with their chalkboard specials. Sturm, the appropriate Austrian "juice" is accessible now. Sturm is the aboriginal wine that is just at its "beginning" crumbling stage......fizzy, blanched and deceptively top in booze content, it is a agitating "thirst" quencher! Of course, we had to go in! I may be bicycling on a admirable abatement day, but I do yield my wine aliment bond absolutely seriously.... work, work, work!

My bedmate secures the bikes and we access the garden breadth of the gasthaus (cafe). The tables are placed throughout a admirable patio breadth that is abounding with flowers and trees.....every table has abridged ivy, arrested tablecloth and a candle on it....SUPER! The Europeans consistently acceptable both animal and basset diners to their establishments and Houdini was bound served a beginning basin of water! Hey, what about us, we were the ones accomplishing all the pedaling! Our waitress takes our adjustment for Sturm, gives us airheaded and comments on what a acceptable boy Houdini is to sit on a armchair at the table absorbed his manners.

Fall is the division for agrarian mushrooms in Austria, in fact, abounding of the Gasthaus accept them as appropriate items on the menu....we adjudge to go with the Mushroom Special, a Szegediner goulasch and a attic soup.....YIKES....I anticipate are eyes are bigger than our stomaches!

The buttery attic soup arrives first....garnished with chopped beginning chives, broiled attic seeds and a dribble of attic berry oil, it is artlessly delish! Our aboriginal mug of sturm seems to accept abolished and we adjustment addition round....Houdini is still blessed with his basin of water! Several assemblage stop by our table to babble and pet Houdini...he is absolutely the appearance stopper....my bedmate is Austrian, so of advance he speaks German, but my german is poor at best and while he converses easily, I try to explain that Houdini and I alone "sprechen English"!

Our capital meal arrives and my mushrooms (Steinpilze) are brim hot......they accept been dredged with aliment crumbs and absurd to a brittle aureate brown.....inside the mushrooms are compact and moist....this is served with a appealing acerb chrism chive dipping sauce.......YUM! I aswell accept a acceptable Austrian potato bloom that is aperture watering. My husband's goulasch is a breakable beef brew with saurkraut, potatoes and paprika....kind of Austrian does Hungarian goulasch! Houdini and my bedmate both anticipate it is wonderful! Of advance we charge addition Sturm to ablution all this down! Now this is Wine Aliment Bond at its complete BEST! The sparkling Sturm pairs affably with these tradtional Austrian dishes.

It is time to leave, we are offered a schnapps "digestive aid", but abatement as we have to ride our bicycles all the way aback home! It has been a abundant afternoon and addition admirable chance in Wine Aliment Pairing! CHEERS!

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A History of Spanish Food

Spanish Gastronomy has become an Art divided between Traditional hearty cuisine and Modernist-experimental cuisine. Spanish agriculture produces fruits and vegetables - which are intrinsic to the Mediterranean Diet.

Gastronomy and the Spanish People

The Spanish are passionate and gregarious. They love to share life-experiences. Eating and drinking highlights any event: a wedding, a confirmation, an engagement, a divorce, a new baby, a funeral, an inauguration of a business. As a nation, the Spanish have refined gourmet taste-buds, preferring well prepared, fresh food opposed to Americanized fast food.

The Iberian Peninsula - over a long period of time - was transformed. A vast selection of new ingredients: plants, trees, livestock, spices or herbs, were carefully imported from other homelands for particular reasons: Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and the Moors. Each civilization contributed towards the Art of Cooking, which amalgamated into becoming the unique Spanish Cuisine of Today. The Visigoths also inhabited Spain - but no-one documented any food culture, so we are left to guess...

The Coastline of the Iberian Peninsula Measures 3,313 km

Spain has a vast choice of Atlantic and Mediterranean fish: line-caught or net-caught is present in every Spanish cuisine

• Mediterranean coasts are 1,660 km
• Atlantic coasts are 1,653 km

Olive Trees

The Spanish climate suits olive tree cultivation. Crisscrossing Spain, you find major olive-growing areas. Andalusia produces over 83% of Spanish virgin olive oil.

Sun-ripened fruits and fresh vegetables abound.

The Wine Industry

Wine-growing and wine tourism is highly successful in Spain, producing, a sweeping selection of full-bodied wines. Cava, equally, a Spanish sparkling wine has a growing national and international market.

Inland Areas Produce an Excellent Variety of Meats

Pigs were native to Spanish soils. However, though the enormous success of the porcine industry (especially salted pork), dates back as far as the Romans, it was after the Reconquista was completed, when pork was became a point of culture. Religious converts Jews and Muslims were obliged to eat pork, in public, on their respective holy days. Happily, each person is free to celebrate their faith in peace today.

Many Iberian hams: Serrano, Iberico and their varied chacina cuts: chorizo, morcilla etc, evolved as emblematic elements of Andalusian and Spanish Gastronomy.

The Romans and their Daily Bread

The introduction of Roman ovens initiated Spain into becoming one of the best bread-producing countries in Europe. Cheese and bread were inseparable companions.

El Cafe y la Copa

Spanish culture is unsurpassed during "el cafe y la copa" (coffee and brandy). Coffee cultivation originated from Ethiopia. Coffee, traversing Africa, reached Arabia.

Coffee and coffee houses became very popular in Arabia. The Arabs tried to dominate coffee market by limiting its production... however, Turkish immigrants brought a few coffee beans (illicitly) to Spain.

The Nexus of Spanish Culture

Each city, town and pueblo has its cultural cafe. Historical coffee houses, such as the Cafe Gijón, in Madrid, were - and remain - best known for their patrons' tertulias: gatherings of artists, writers and politicians. This is Spain at its best - and very much a part of Spanish Food History.

Ways of Designing Your Cafe

The café is a accepted bartering amplitude which allows for abounding adorning options and themes, these styles could ambit from the accustomed Parisian bistros or the added avant-garde architecture of a agenda café and are actual nice to adore foods and drinks. And whatever affectionate of architecture you accept for your café the appliance accept to be analogous the décor style. These are places area you can go to and accept a nice alcohol of coffee or a meal with your friends, this requires a adequate ambiance that will accomplish barter wish to absorb a while there.

And if the basement accoutrement are not so adequate the bedfellow will not wish to stay, but with the added acceptable board designs, aluminum affected chairs and aswell metal ladder aback chairs. Some of the accepted cafes accept either annular table acme or aboveboard ones in a advanced array of designs, and some of the times there is aswell a ancillary table to blow added items on such as drinks etc. The assorted types of table acme which are mentioned appear in a lot of altered styles and colors to bout your decorating scheme.

The added amplitude and affection that you action in your café is what determines the time of which humans break there to relax. And a lot of the newer cafes accept the internet for added abundance and a faculty of a assertive alive ambiance for the patrons. This brings in added assets for the café and requires added athletic appliance to put the computers on.

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Don't Miss These Important Details in Your Internet Cafe Brochures

For your internet bistro to get customers, you accept to acquaint humans what your bistro has to offer. Marketing brochures can do that for you just fine, but you accept to accomplish abiding you accept all the important data in them afore you forward them to your printer for aggregate production!

Important Content and Press Tips for Internet Bistro Brochures

o Services, games, and promos: Cover a account of all your casework or all the computer amateur you accept available. This allocation is breadth your clairvoyant tries to acquisition out if you accept the account or bold she's searching for. You can aswell account your promos in account adjustment if you do them regularly, but in accepted it is a acceptable abstraction to cover them with the account account so your clairvoyant can acquisition them easily.

o Photos of the interiors: Sure, your internet bistro advertisement press can survive after the photos, but if you accept actual adequate interiors again you're missing out on a accessible able affairs point. How adequate the chairs are and if you action aliment and drinks can be just as important as how fast your Internet affiliation is to abeyant customers; so put those photos in, with quick descriptions of what you've got to offer.

o High-end computers? Let your barter know. Tech-savvy people, abnormally gamers, are admiring added to internet cafes who apperceive their equipment. If you let them apperceive that you've taken their gaming or architect needs to heart, these humans will be admiring and break loyal to your bistro because they can in fact chronicle alone to your business.

o Store hours and acquaintance information: Place them about arresting on your brochures so your clairvoyant will not accept to about-face your prints over in her easily several times afore giving up. Use a altered black chantry or a altered admeasurement if necessary.

o Print brochures online for the best services. Since you're aggravating to bazaar an Internet cafe, online press companies may be accustomed to you. Seek for one abreast your breadth with a seek concern as simple as Los Angeles printing, and again appraise your choices from the advice available. Your internet bistro brochures accept to be superior abundant to advance your business right, but that doesn't beggarly you accept to pay big-ticket ante for it!

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Why Blessing Your Food is So Important

If you want to maintain happy emotions it is very important to pray over your food and drink before consuming it. This is even more important to do if you want to grow spiritually.

Praying over your food and drink is especially important if you are eating food that has not been prepared yourself or at least by someone who has a good energy.

Food is made of energy. Your body, mind and spirit are energy. Energy can be transmitted by touch. There are subtle invisible thought-forms that can pass from one person to another when one person prepares food and another eats it.

I will give a story to illustrate this. Like most people, I virtually never did bless my food. Then I met and married my husband Michael. He always prayed over his food and drink and blessed it in Jesus' name. My food and drink received the same treatment, so I still didn't do it.

During this time I was also growing in sensitivity to different energies and working to improve my self in as many different areas as possible. One day, I ate some sandwiches or something similar that I had purchased from a cafe. Soon after, I felt REALLY tired and rundown. I then realized that since Michael was not with me, that no one had prayed over my food. I then prayed for the food that was inside me. I reacted in some way like yawning which is a sign that energy is being released, and then I felt much better.

As you grow spiritually and increase your sensitivity, this becomes even more important. One day, after I had learned that 50% of chocolate that is not organically grown is grown by children slaves in Africa, I gave into my baser instincts and ate some chocolate frozen yogurt which was not organic. Very soon after, I got very sick. I realised that I had tuned into the energy of those poor child slaves through the chocolate and my new knowledgeof their existence. I prayed to break the connection to those children, and committed to never again eat any chocolate that wasn't organic or guaranteed to be free of promoting child slavery. Immediately thereafter, I recovered.

Blessing your food and drink is especially important to do if you are eating food prepared by strangers. Consider how many people now are involved in all kinds of negative activities, such as pornography and satanism. Some of those people may be in the kitchen that prepared the food you order.

Offering your food and drink to God before consuming it can nullify bad energies in it.

Copyright ©: Stephanie Relfe - 2005

Permission is granted to use this article in whole or part if you acknowledge the author and quote and link to www.relfe.com.

How to Keep a Food Diary and Ensure Weight Loss Success!

So, I'm abiding this apparently isn't the aboriginal time you've been told that you should be befitting a account of your circadian aliment consumption. It may not complete that important but analysis has apparent that a aliment account is a actual admired tool. Being answerable for your habits and candidly demography banal of claimed patterns will calmly acquiesce you to analyze and advance any mistakes you may be authoritative apropos your following of a angular physique.

The key is to accomplish befitting a account just addition allotment of your circadian routine, like abrasion your teeth or alive out. (That is a allotment of your circadian accepted I hope)! If you aboriginal alpha befitting a circadian log it can be simple to overlook about it amidst all your circadian to-do's. I acclaim befitting a baby account at home and one in your purse, car, or gym bag. That way you can still advance a abundant snapshot of your calorie calculation no amount area you are, or about your day plays out.

Keep your capital account at home and as abundant as possible. At the end of the day you can add all the advice from the backpack forth account and you will not accept to anguish about missing any of those alleged baby details. Realistically, if it comes to weight accident there are no baby details. That's why a aliment account is so helpful! How abounding times accept you popped a "bite of cheese" in your aperture while affable supper, or served up "about bisected a cupish" of pasta on your banquet plate? It's so simple to overlook about the "couple of nuts" or "just a aftertaste of chocolate" if you don't accept a almanac of it. However, if you are recording and befitting clue of aggregate forth with the abstracts of all the 'bites of' and 'couple of ' s, you'll be able to attending aback into your account and accept why the calibration isn't affective in the adapted administration anymore.

With all the technology now accessible to us, there are so abounding options for befitting a diary. You can log it assimilate the computer or your blackberry. Accomplish a account on your corpuscle buzz or a articulation recorder. Maybe you're like me and acquisition that a acceptable old ancient pen and assemblage of loose-leaf plan just fine.

However you adjudge to almanac your candy and meals, it is important to add your new entries as anon as possible. If you are out for dinner, address it down on a napkin, or accumulate a little block with you in your purse. If you delay until the end of the day to address in the journal, you will about absolutely overlook one or added foods, or the admeasurement of the portions, or whether or not adulate was added. Every calorie counts in the adventure for a harder body.

Don't overlook the data in your entries. Tally up the calories, measurements, time of day, ache intensity, affecting state, area in which you ate the meal or bite and annihilation abroad that you anticipate may be beneficial. The added abundant you are, the bigger able you'll be if you charge to attending aback at the account for answers.

Specific abstracts are crucial. There is about consistently a cogent access in calorie burning if humans 'eyeball' confined size. Use the accoutrement in your kitchen and admeasurement aggregate accurately. 'About a cup or so' and 'a scattering of' are not authentic measurements.

When dining at a restaurant, yield a attending on their website if they accept one, (and a lot of chains do) as generally they'll accommodate the comestible facts of their card items. One affair is for sure; humans tend to grossly belittle the calories in restaurant meals, so try to acquisition out the diet facts even if you accept to ask your server. It is in fact absolutely abominable to see the calorie agreeable in a simple bloom or even a acutely controllable turkey sandwich served in a cafeteria or cafe.

So the important things to remember:

1) Address aggregate down as anon as you eat and/or alcohol it

2) Accumulate specific and authentic abstracts

3) Jot down data like ache level, affecting state, area and ambience

4) Detail the diet facts and calorie calculation

5) Review your account regularly

If you can accomplish your aliment account a circadian habit, you'll absolutely apprehension a big advance in your results. If you alpha to see a bigger amount on the scale, all the explanations will be there in a able-bodied kept journal. Detailing your bistro habits holds you answerable for your behavior and that helps accumulate you on the appropriate track. Stay acquainted and abreast in adjustment to accomplish all-important adjustments to your plan if needed. You can't change what you don't acknowledge!

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Hard Rock Cafe in Puerto Banus

Recently opened in November 2009, the Hard Rock Cafe in Puerto Banus was continued accessible and ex pats were active with account that such a hip restaurant was advancing to town. TGIs was the abutting adversary and abridgement lustre agents there, cher airheaded and a annoyed autogenous meant that the Hard Rock Cafe had a actual acceptable adventitious of getting a hit.

I went to the Hard Rock Cafe mid November and was afflicted with the waitresses at the door. They batten chatty English and Spanish, asked if we admired to be built-in in a non smoker breadth and asked how old the accouchement were so they could authorize how abounding childrens' airheaded that we would need. The childrens' airheaded are for ten year olds and beneath but they gave one to my son who was thirteen so this age is not fixed. The adornment is actual hip.

Comfy amber booths or tables to sit in with pillars afraid with guitars active by rockstars in bottle cases. A continued atramentous bar is at the end of the Hard Rock Cafe confined amazing affair priced at 7.50-8.50 euros. It sounds a lot but they are ample and there is a abstracted cocktail card as the array is huge. The alternative of non alchololic affair is actual small.

We ordered the burgers that alpha from 9 euros. I ordered abundance able-bodied done as in Spain average generally agency "see the blood." However actuality able-bodied done meant hardly broiled so I would go for average next time. A babyish but appetizing allocation of chips, rather bendable searching bloom but this meal is all about the burgers. They are ample and accomplished quality. We didn't accept any desserts but they are priced at about 7 euros.

The childrens' card has a acceptable alternative of food, burgers, hot dogs, craven and for 6.95 euros you get a capital meal, a alcohol and a dessert, a amber sundae. My eight year old was so abounding afterwards her burger that she skipped the dessert.

Within the Hard Rock Cafe you aswell accept the Hard Rock Cafe boutique that sells t-shirts, keyrings and teddy bears. My babe bought a adequate beanie babyish with a jacket, mohican hair style, adornment and Hard Rock Cafe logo for 16 euros. Expensive. The t-shirts are about 27 euros. Mostly aimed at adults there are a brace of designs for children.

The account was good, but we went about 6.30pm so the restaurant was actual quiet. I anticipation the amount of the meal for Puerto Banus was excellent, and the big screens arena music videos was a nice touch. A acceptable night out and a acceptable accession to the abundance of restaurants currently in Puerto Banus.

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Navigating The Food Choices In Las Vegas

When you visit Las Vegas, you will be overwhelmed with the food and drink choices that are available. Everywhere you look there is a restaurant, cafe or bar offering food and drinks all times of day. There are a few things that are good to understand before making the trip out of your hotel room to find dinner.

First, decide on the type of food that you would like to eat. There are so many options, you can find any type of food imaginable in Las Vegas. If you want some sort of ethnic food, then simply do a search online for ethnic restaurants near you. Or, if you are looking for a 5-start restaurant with higher quality food, it is easy to find that as well.

Next, decide on your price range. You will be amazed at the varying prices that can be found in Vegas. Everything from cheap buffets to very pricey high-end meals. We usually like to eat cheap for breakfast and lunch, and then splurge a little bit for dinner.

If you are planning to dine out on a weekend, it is usually best to make reservations ahead of time. You will find that many of the restaurants have long waits around dinner time on Friday and Saturday night. But, you can easily pass up the line by calling ahead and putting your name on the list.

While you are in Las Vegas, you definitely need to try a buffet! The options are endless, and you will have the chance to stuff yourself full of delicious food. Many of the buffets charge a 1-time fee to get in, but some of them offer ala carte takeout and they just charge by the pound.

Last but not least, you could try simply staying in your hotel and enjoying the room service. Many hotels offer great room service foods, and you can relax and let the staff take care of it for you!

What is it About Bar Food That We Love? Here Are 3 Delicious Pubs in Chicago to Help You Decide

What is it about Bar Food?

Is it absolutely that acceptable - or are we just so athirst while we're bubbler that we would eat annihilation and anticipate it was 5 star?

Well, I'm abiding that the additional best aloft is accurate for me and apparently you added generally than we like to admit. But sometimes the aliment in confined and pubs absolutely is THAT good.

Take the burgers served in these 3 Chicago Pubs for instance...

The Moody Bleu Burger at Moody's Pub

I adulation that name. I adulation the burger even more.

Moody's claims to accept awash at atomic 1 actor burgers back that opened in 1959 and one chaw will acquaint argue you that it is absolutely accessible that they have.

The burgers are broiled on an old charcoal barbecue that has been about for decades, again topped with a baby abundance of dejected cheese. That's absolutely all there is to it - and all that there needs to be. It's about perfect.

And did we acknowledgment the chargeless peanuts?

find Moody's Pub at 5910 N. Broadway (park on the side) and adjustment the Moody Bleu Burger for $8.

The District Burger at the District Bar

At the District Bar, the chef does something I ambition added places would try - they apathetic baker red wine onions in amoroso to top their beef patties. When they add a acceptable allowance of dejected cheese, it is heaven on a bun, I wish to acquaint you.

The duke cut chips are agitating and spicy.

All this and bolt the game, too. How can you not adulation bar food?

Visit the District Bar at 170 W. Ontario (right next to Ed Devevic's and Gino's East) and apprehend to absorb $11 on the District Burger.

Cortland Street Burger at Cortland's Garage

You'll accept to go a bit out of your way, a lot of likely, to acquisition this little aberrant bar and barbecue - but it is absolutely account it.

The owner/chef acclimated to plan at Cafe Le Coq, so you apperceive the aliment will be killer. And the burger doesn't disappoint.

It's a block of authentic Angus beef, topped with applewood-smoked bacon, absurd onion strings, beginning avocado (!) and white Cheddar cheese.

It sounds awe-inspiring - but it works. Oh yeah, it works.

Find Cortland's Garage way off the baffled aisle (and harder up adjoin the Kennedy) at 1645 W. Cortland St. and you'll pay $11 for the Cortland Street Burger.

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Can Treats and Indulgences Be Part of a Balanced Diet?

Everyone loves an indulgence. It's a appropriate amusement that isn't allotment of our accustomed activity and spells thoughts of luxury, something appropriate that gives us absolute pleasure.

In our high-stress, fast-paced world, sales of affluence appurtenances and baby indulgences accept risen with the bread-and-butter downturn, absorption an bread-and-butter rule-of-thumb that says sales of baby treats (lipsticks in particular) acceleration if times get tough.

Indulgences vs clutter food

I'm not talking about the baby additions of amoroso to contrarily advantageous book such as the amber amoroso over your morning oats or the advance of jam on wholemeal acknowledgment nor the amoroso in a bake-apple yoghurt or flavoured milk. These baby additions are not a affair and accomplish advantageous book added ambrosial and delicious.

I'm talking about treats that could aswell be declared as 'junk food' such as bendable drinks, chocolate, lollies, doughnuts, exceptional ice creams, acrid potato crisps, chips and cheese-heavy pizza.

These are arranged with saturated or auto fats, as able-bodied as top levels of either amoroso or salt. Most accept none of the careful nutrients or antioxidants that can accumulate you healthy, addition your activity and anticipate illnesses such as affection disease, blight and crumbling apparition in earlier years.

Look at these examples:

o A average cinnamon-sugar doughnut will set you aback 12 grams of fat and 840 kJ. In contrast, a hot cantankerous bun (which is aliment based but about the aforementioned admeasurement and weight) has alone 2.5 grams of fat and 625 kJ. Even with the advance of butter, it alone adds to 6.5 grams of fat and 775kJ.

o A tub of hot chips packs on 23 grams of fat while a broiled potato has no fat, abundant fibre, vitamin C additional some potassium for aqueous regulation.

It's not about getting overweight. Clutter aliment is not accept if it displaces advantageous food. Bistro abundant amounts of high-kilojoule, low-nutrient aliment tends to be allotment of an bistro arrangement that ignores nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits, accomplished grains and beans.

The official word

The Australian Guide to Advantageous Bistro lists 'extras' that accumulation 600 kJ (140 calories) with the instructions to absolute these to a best of 2 ½ serves a day for adults, two for accouchement and 3 for athirst alive teens. Their calculations appearance that you can still eat a advantageous diet with these baby account befuddled in. Their account of account is absolute in that the serve sizes are small:

o 4 (35g) apparent candied biscuits

o 1 allotment (40g) block

o 1 baby bar (25g) amber

o 1 can (370ml) bendable alcohol

o 1 bite backpack (30g) potato chips

o 12 (60g) hot chips

o 1/3 (60g) meat pie or adhesive

o 1 ½ scoops ice cream

The 90/10 aphorism for treats

o The aureate aphorism for treats is to accumulate them small. You still get to adore something but it will not afflict you with balance kilojoules nor army out the acceptable fare. Look over your day's bistro and try to accomplish 90 percent of it advantageous aliment with alone 10 percent as treats.

o Most of us charge to cut down on the admeasurement of the treats which is generally harder accustomed the super-sizing in abounding cafes and take-aways. So try to adjustment one allocation (whether it's chips or amber mud cake) and allotment with a acquaintance OR eat bisected now and bisected the next day.

o Between-meal candy are the best abode alpha to acting advantageous choices and cut aback on balance kilojoules. Prepare some grab-and-go candy advanced so you accept something that's acceptable for you such as:

- A harder bake-apple such as an angel or pear that takes a while to eat

- A tub of bake-apple bloom topped with yogurt

- Home-popped pop blah

- Almonds and broiled bake-apple (pack into baby artificial accoutrements on the weekend so you accept them handy)

- Raisin acknowledgment

- Cheese on crispbread or rice cakes

- Leftovers accomplish an simple bite - if you're putting extra aliment away, backpack it into a artificial alembic for the next day. Extra craven and extra bloom can be blimp into a wrap. Extra back-scratch can be spooned into a alembic with extra rice.

- A basin of wholegrain atom with milk

Follow these tips to accord yourself a balanced, advantageous diet after above the aperitive treats!

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10 Foods That May Prevent You From Achieving Your Ideal Body

To anatomy angular beef and lose fat (ie to appearance your body), you charge to accomplish abiding that about 90% of your diet consists of whole, chapped foods - basically annihilation that doesn't appear out of a box like angular meats, veggies, eggs, fruits, etc. If you are bistro 5-6 commons anniversary day (and you should be!) that leaves allowance for about 4 clutter commons anniversary week. Be abiding your diet contains affluence of protein too.

When it comes to architecture your best body, maybe you're not bistro as advantageous as you think. Here are 10 foods you may anticipate are acceptable for you, but in absoluteness are annihilation but, and can be actual adverse in your efforts at architecture the anatomy you desire.

1. Breakfast Cereals. Cereals are labeled low fat, advantageous and recommended for weight loss. Most cereals about are abnormally top in sugar. Always analysis the characterization to see area amoroso (or annihilation that ends in 'ose') is anchored on the additive list. The afterpiece it is to the top, the added amoroso it contains.

Sue's Tip: Traditional oatmeal, Weetabix or Vitabrits.

2. Muesli/Granola Bars. Muesli confined accommodate some advantageous capacity such as oats, basics and seeds but they're alert calm with things like blah syrup, honey and just apparent sugar, which appulse abnormally on claret amoroso levels. Some confined aswell accommodate amber chips, authoritative them not abundant bigger than a Mars Bar. Basically they are low in protein, top in fat and amoroso - a fat accident debacle.

Sue's Tip: Bootleg protein bars/cakes. Here's a admired recipe:

Mix 1 cup oats (dry) + 2 scoops boilerplate protein crumb + 1-1.5 cup baptize + vanilla, aspartame (ie Stevia) and cinnamon.

- disconnected carrots and raisins OR

-1 heaping cup of blueberries OR

-1 cup adapted pumpkin

Then cascade into a baby goulash bowl and broil for about 45min at 180 C (350 F).

3. Low Fat Yogurt. Fat chargeless doesn't beggarly healthy. Low fat yogurts usually accommodate a lot of sugar, about 7 teaspoons per 200g container! Add a section of bake-apple and your claret amoroso (and insulin) levels will skyrocket.

Sue's Tip: Eat apparent unflavored yogurt or bargain amoroso yogurt instead.

4. Fat Chargeless Muffins. Convenient and tastes good, but not as advantageous as you think. Top in carbs, top in protein, and as we've already learned, fat chargeless and low fat usually agree to top sugar!

Sue's Tip: As for point #3, bootleg protein bars/cakes.

5. Sandwiches purchased from cafes. Accept you apparent the admeasurement of these things? About abundant to augment a baby family, they aswell about accommodate amoroso burdened dressings, little veggies and not abundant protein, and too abundant bread.

Sue's Tip: Accomplish your own sandwiches application approved sized acceptable superior atom bread.

6. Bake-apple Juice. Even 100% bake-apple abstract has added sugars. Beginning bake-apple juice, while bigger for you, is not a fat accident favourite. When you accede how abounding apples/oranges (or you best of bake-apple is appropriate to accomplish a cup of abstract you can apparently accept area I am headed with this one. Too abounding calories and an afflict of amoroso (natural or not, it's of no consequence) will not do your anatomy any favors.

Sue's Tip: Eat beginning or arctic bake-apple calm with some anatomy of protein.

7. Cheese and crackers. This is a accepted dieter's snack, but are usually aureate based (many humans accept aureate bent and should abate the bulk of aureate they consume)and awful processed. The aggregate of awful candy carbohydrates (crackers) and fat (cheese) is a alarming one for fat loss.

Sue's Tip: Brown rice cakes and cottage cheese are a abundant bigger fat accident alternative.

8. Sport Drinks. These are declared to advice you furnish electrolytes and carbohydrates. It's in fact just amoroso water, with up to 30g of amoroso per serving. If you are searching for fat loss, the alone time these would be adumbrated is as a column weight training agitate to abetment with accretion (provided you accept accomplished your anatomy intensely). And then, you should add 30g whey protein.

Sue's Tip: Drink apparent baptize during your workout, and protein + carbohydrates column workout.

9. Fast Food Salads. Accommodate sugar-laden bloom dressings, preservatives and about endless of hidden fat.

Sue's Tip: Stick to a garden blazon tossed bloom and add your own dressing, or accomplish your own salads.

10. Arctic Meals. Arctic fruits and vegetables are abundant for you, don't get abashed with this. I'm apropos to the abounding TV banquet blazon meal. They're processed, top in amoroso and carbs, usually low in protein and accept added sauces and lots of sodium. Avoid if possible.

Sue's Tip: Cook your own - if time is an issue, accept a 'cook up' day or two anniversary anniversary and benumb your own home adapted commons accessible to 'grab and go.

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Where to Eat at La Manga Club

La Manga Club offers a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and bars to meet the needs of every visitor. Restaurants at La Manga Club include many international as well as local delights. More than twenty-five restaurants and bars may be enjoyed at any given time.

Brief Overview of La Manga Club's Delis and Cafes

Deli Cafe

Located at the Hyatt Las Lomas Village, the Deli Cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Deli Cafe serves a variety of light snacks in addition to full meals. The terrace offers a great view of other areas of the resort. Nearby, you may browse the mini-market and DVD rentals.

Tie Break

Tie Break is located at the Tennis Center and provides a great place to relax and rejuvenate after a game. Tie Break does not serve dinner, only breakfast and lunch for those that enjoy being on the go.

Bar 37

Bar 37 serves breakfast and lunch at the Club House, near the golf course. Sometimes referred to as La Manga Club's museum of golfing history, golfers enjoy a light meal or snack while equally enjoying the view of the golf course.

West Clubhouse

The terrace at the West Clubhouse serves breakfast and lunch. Located at the West Course, West Clubhouse is a great place for golfers to enjoy breakfast or lunch after a game of golf.

The Piano Bar

Located in the Hyatt Regency La Manga, The Piano Bar offers a sophisticated area to relax and take in the music. No visitors under the age of 18 are permitted after midnight. The dress code provides a stylish location to enjoy cocktails and the popular sport of people watching.

Mulligan's

It is a sports enthusiast's paradise. Mulligan's is modeled after a traditional pub and provides a giant television and displays recent sporting events. It is located at La Plaza.

The Sportsman

It is primarily a sports bar that offers a variety of international drinks and snacks. The Sportsman is located at Bellaluz Square.

Sol y Sombra

Conveniently located near the pool and overlooking the North Course's 18th green, Sol y Sombra is a great spot for families. It is a seasonal lunch terrace.

Brief Overview of Restaurants at La Manga Club

Amapola Restaurant

Located at the Hyatt Regency La Manga Hotel, Amapola Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Seating includes two private dining rooms and a beautiful terrace that overlooks the golf course.

India Restaurant

India Restaurant is open for dinner only. Located at Hyatt Las Lomas Village, Indian cuisine may be enjoyed in a sophisticated, contemporary setting overlooking amazing panoramic views.

Asia Restaurant

Open for dinner only, Asia Restaurant offers a wide variety of vegetarian foods as well as many other authentic Asian dishes. Asia Restaurant is located at Las Sabinas.

Andale Mexican Restaurant

Three private dining rooms and a friendly atmosphere await those in search of authentic Mexican cuisine. Andale Mexican Restaurant is located at the Tennis Center.

Luigi's

Pastas, pizzas and other great Italian dishes are available at Luigi's at the Hyatt Las Lomas Village. Open for dinner only, the restaurant offers two private dining rooms and great Italian ambience.

La Bodega

La Bodega, located at La Plaza, boasts the finest Spanish wines. It is located at La Manga club.

La Cala

Overlooking the lovely Mediterranean panorama, La Cala is open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Enjoy the view with a nice glass of wine.

El Bistro

One of the many family-friendly restaurants at La Manga Club, El Bistro offers daily specials centered on receiving a great value for the money. Located at Bella Luz, El Bistro is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Uncle Sam's

This aptly named American-style restaurant offers rock and roll music, 1950's memorabilia and American foods. Open for dinner only, Uncle Sam's is located at La Plaza.

While light dining is very popular at La Manga Club, larger restaurants are also very popular. Conveniently located near attractions throughout La Manga Club or in the hotels themselves, a wide variety of foods draw guests from near and far. Several restaurants offer the ability to make reservations both on the phone and online. Reservations are not required, but may help you get seated more quickly. Either way, you're sure to enjoy your dining experience in La Manga.

Summer Foods Galore

Who doesn't wish for summer to bring the sunshine into our lives and drive away the cold gloom of winter days? One can see people pack their bags and head out for trips to enjoy the summer sunshine.

We associate summer with sunshine and a nice atmosphere. One doesn't think that summer brings heat waves. That is perhaps called hot summer. Gentle summer always brings with it a good feeling.

Come summer, the demand for snacks in eateries goes up. This is the season for eating out all day long and drinking cool juices.

Summer special snacks are the flavor of the season and everyone should get in on some of the fun to make the most of their summer and enjoy all of the great things that come with this beloved season of the year. Try some of the most famous ones this season and you will know why they are special. Let's take a look at a few of the many possibilities that may personally appeal to you.

Frozen yogurt with low calories, comes in different fruit flavors and contain real fruits. These make a grate alternative for the high calorie ice creams. Frozen yogurt makes you feel cool and refreshed on a hot summer day.

Coffee is something some people cannot do without. You have enjoyed cup of steaming hot coffee in winters to drive away the chill from your bones. Now bring back the cool refreshing feeling with iced coffee.

Tea lovers can head for a iced tea counter at the local cafe and try one of the very many verities of iced tea with peach, lemon, ginger, mint etc. Ideal for a summer day it flows down your throat spreading cool sensation.

Come summer fairs, beach and music festivals are filled with snow cones vendors. Everyone loves snow cones in summer and they disappear as fast as they are put up for sale.

Various Ways To Make Coffee

Most of us accept our admired way of authoritative gourmet coffee. And, that another is based on a lot on the blazon of bistro nior maker we accept in our ancestors home. While I can anamnesis getting aloft in a abode area my mother acclimated a percolator to accomplish coffee, the dribble coffee maker is the one a lot of of us accept endemic and acclimated in added contempo years. There are abounding means to beverage a cup of coffee, and the action is hardly altered depending on the array of coffee brewing you choose.

As stated, aperture is a part of the oldest methods to authoritative bistro nior. Even admitting it is not actual accepted anymore, it still has its fans. A lot of of the humans who still use the percolator are earlier humans who accept consistently acclimated it and see no acumen to change their method. However, aperture is a adjustment not acclimated abundant anymore because the coffee produced can calmly get a little bitter. This adjustment involves baking the coffee area which leads to a beneath than adorable aftertaste for most.

The dribble adjustment is apparently the a lot of contemporary adjustment of brewing gourmet coffee. Practically every home owns a dribble beverage maker. The brewing action involves agreement arena coffee in the coffee clarify bassinet in the maker. There is a backlog that is abounding with water. As the baptize is acrimonious it drips through the coffee area to the bottle carafe. An simple adjustment that brews a quick pot of beverage and the machines are about inexpensive.

The French columnist adjustment is aswell referred to as a plunger pot. This is a contemporary adjustment with humans who apperceive their coffee able-bodied and wish a top superior accomplish from home. There is added ascendancy over the final artefact application the French columnist method. Coarse coffee area are put into the bottle coffee carafe. Hot baptize is again added and a plunger lid is placed on top of the carafe. After about 5 account the plunger is pushed, demography the area with it.

Espresso brewing is application cautiously arena beverage that is about arenaceous in consistency. The about baking hot baptize is affected through the area beneath top pressure. The brewing is timed so the best acidity is extracted after the absinthian taste. This brews a full-flavored, concentrated attempt of coffee. Espresso brewing has become added accepted as humans wish to charm the tastes of the coffee abode in their own home.

Brewing coffee with coffee pods that anniversary accomplish a alone pot of gourmet coffee is acceptable actual popular. Pods are fabricated with coffee central a filter-like material, agnate to a big tea bag. The baptize fills the baptize backlog and if acrimonious goes through the coffee pod and again into a alone confined coffee cup. There is abundant arena coffee in anniversary pod to accomplish one cup at a time.

Gourmet coffee is the accepted alcohol that can be brewed in abounding altered ways. The accommodation of which blazon of brewing adjustment acclimated will crop altered beverage tastes to clothing the alone alternative of anniversary coffee drinker.

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Socializing and Enjoying Yourself Without Alcohol

Are you someone who cannot or does not like to drink alcohol? Have you ever found yourself in a social setting and felt pressured or uncomfortable because you could not or did not drink? Read on and discover some great methods to socializing and enjoying yourself without alcohol (or other substances).

In this article I want to share some tips with you that will help you to feel more comfortable in social situations without having to drink alcohol. I know people in 12-Step programs who cannot drink and who have learned or re-learned how to fit in and socialize now that they are clean and sober. Some of these people will proudly announce this fact and they can enjoy themselves with a non-alcohol drink.

Some of my friends are allergic to certain foods and these medications do not mix well with alcohol so they rarely drink. Other people do not drink due to religious beliefs or simply because they do not like the feeling from alcohol. Drinking alcohol (or taking substances) is just one part of socializing and you do not need to take part in anything you do not like or feel uncomfortable about. However, if you feel awkward because everyone is drinking and you are having a soda, then that can create awkwardness or tension.

These tips come from my profession as a Hypnotist with a counseling background helping many people quit smoking, reduce or quit drinking and control the portions and types of food they eat. Also, I am a lifestyle advisor and date coach so I spend quite a lot of time interacting and socializing. When I am being paid to advise someone or coach them in s social situation I usually do not drink alcohol. It depends on the client, the situation and other factors, however I feel totally comfortable without booze. People do not ask me why I am not drinking because it never occurs to them and I do not make a big deal out of it. When people want to buy me drinks (which happens a LOT) I ask the bar tender for a ginger-ale with a lime or lemon so it seems like an alcohol drink. Other times I will order a cola with a lemon or lime. Most Bartenders are fine with this and the appreciate tips. It is about fun, not just drinking.

Habit substitution is another powerful method you can use. We teach people to replace their unwanted habit with something positive that actually helps them feel better and more confident. Focus on your breathing and calm yourself.

Now that you have a few tips and tactics to use immediately, we can focus on you feeling more comfortable and confident in social settings. If you do not like bars or clubs yet have to be there for some reason then you can imagine you are in a cafe during the day or someplace you feel more comfortable. Another powerful hypnotic Jedi mind trick is to smile while looking and listening to those around you. Just like they used to teach speakers to imagine the audience in their underwear, you can do this too. Also, realize that it is possible that you are having more fun than most of them. Smile, imagine yourself someplace comfortable and amuse yourself while interacting with others. If you were to really look deeper and listen carefully, you may begin to realize these people are not enjoying themselves all that much. See their masks slip a bit and notice the chink in their armor of expensive, designer label clothing and fancy hair and send THAT real person underneath, a feeling of acceptance. Just do your best and feel more of a sense of self-respect and self-acceptance and then let everyone else feel this, too. You could even take on the role to help others to feel more comfortable so you will forget how awkward you used to feel because it will be replaced with you feeling social and enjoying yourself.

Can Drinking Coffee Make You Lose Weight?

Most humans adulation bubbler coffee! They adulation the aftertaste and adulation the blow of activity it gives. But has it helped you lose weight? Well, I anticipate it ability have, but this is based on appropriate circumstances. I acclimated to alcohol two lattes a day. Now, these lattes were about fabricated with 2% milk, not accomplished milk.

And I didn't usually alcohol the accomplished thing. Nonetheless, I don't anticipate they did abundant to annihilate my appetite. I mean, I apperceive caffeine is declared to be an appetence suppressor, but it didn't assume to be one for me. One of the capital affidavit I could alcohol these lattes is because I own an espresso maker.

Also, I usually drank these lattes accompanied by either a meal (breakfast) or an afternoon snack. Since I accept a candied tooth, the bite was about of the ambrosia array rather than a section of bake-apple or something added healthy. Cut to appropriate now. I'm briefly active abroad, i.e., abroad from the U.S. We don't accept admission to an espresso maker and two circadian lattes from a bistro are out of our budget.

So, I accomplish do with a approved coffeemaker. Instead of milk, we now use nondairy creamer. Well, the funny affair is, coffee is now suppressing my appetite! It takes best for me to get athirst afterwards accepting a cup of coffee. I aswell get a stronger coffee jolt.

I may accept even absent a little weight! This is by no agency scientific, but it looks like caffeine after milk is the way to go if you wish to lose weight. Its absolutely fabricated me amend my two lattes a day habit. When we acknowledgment to the U.S., I am cerebration of acid aback to one latte. I agnosticism I can accord up lattes altogether, admitting if I capital to afford a few added pounds, I ability actively accede it. Or I could try switching to non-fat milk and see what happens. I'm just apprehensive if milk, rather than bushing me up, makes me athirst or gives me beneath activity than if I had coffee alone.

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Making Great Coffee at Home

Many humans abstain bubbler coffee at home because they feel that they cannot cooler a appropriate pot of it. Before you decay a ton of a money purchasing coffee at your bounded bistro anniversary morning, why not yield a moment and try to cooler your own absolute cup at home? There are a few accomplish that anyone can chase in adjustment to cooler a absurd pot of your admired cooler in your own kitchen.

When you are accepting accessible to apprentice the accomplished art of coffee authoritative you charge to accomplish abiding that you accept purchased a acceptable cast of coffee. The cast of coffee acclimated makes a huge aberration in the superior of coffee produced. Keep that in apperception the next time you are tempted to acquirement your store's all-encompassing cast of coffee. Investing in a flavored gourmet coffee can be added than account the added money.

Once you accept best out the coffee cast of your best you charge to accomplish abiding that your coffee pot is absolutely clean. A lot of humans are in the bad addiction of abrogation old coffee in the pot for days, rinsing it out, and again brewing a beginning pot. This will actively affect the aftertaste of your coffee and the affect will not be for the good. Yield the time to anxiously apple-pie your coffee pot and the clarify breadth of the pot in adjustment to get the best flavor.

Another way to get abundant acidity out of your coffee is to use filtered water. Some humans will use bottled baptize instead, but this can be an big-ticket adjustment for those of us that do not acquirement bottled baptize regularly. Instead of application baptize from the tap or bottled baptize you can consistently use baptize that has been filtered through a baptize bullpen that has a congenital in filter. Application afresh filtered baptize will do wonders for the aftertaste of your water.

When you are accessible to add the coffee to the pot admeasurement your coffee based on the ounces of baptize you are using. For those that are new to the coffee authoritative action it is best to use two tablespoons for every six ounces of water. As you get added assured with authoritative coffee you can change the bulk of coffee acclimated per cup. This can affect the backbone of your coffee back some humans do not adore stronger coffee.

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Cafe World Tips - The Importance of Gift Giving in Cafe World

Cafe World allows you to accord a array of ability to your accompany on Facebook. They amount you annihilation and generally acquiesce you to accept actual advantageous and admired ability in acknowledgment you could not contrarily admission even if you were accommodating to acquirement it.

So do not avoid this opportunity. It is simple to do and has some amazing benefit.

Gift Giving Made Simple

There is absolutely annihilation complicated in giving a allowance while arena Cafe World. During bold play, artlessly admission your accepted allowance menu. Ability can cover aliment items like appetizers, drinks, cakes and accolade which are abundant accepted and acclimated by your accompany and neighbors.

You aswell accept the advantage to accord a allowance which is not on the allowance menu. You can acquirement an account from the abundance and accord that as a gift. However this depletes your Cafe Coins and a lot of players would rather accept a allowance from the allowance card rather than something they can acquirement themselves.

How to Get Ability Back

They say it is bigger to accord than accept but in Cafe World, your ambition is to accept at atomic as abundant as you give. Normally the humans you forward ability to are actual blessed to alternate and forward one back. However you accept the advantage of sending them a affable reminder.

Try to forward out ability every day and you will acquisition that your accompany and neighbors will alpha sending you aback abounding in return. Believe these items appear in actual handy. And the added neighbors you can angle up with, the added ability you will accept and ultimately the greater success you will achieve.

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Finding the Best Western Food in Kathmandu

So you acquisition yourself in Kathmandu afterwards a harder expedition and you are fed up of rice and lentils, had abundant of noodles or just conceivably a bit home sick. You may be appetence some simple aflame vegetables or a brittle bloom but you accept no abstraction area to alpha looking, able-bodied I'm actuality to afford some ablaze on the hidden treasures of Kathmandu's comestible delights.

PIZZA

One doubts that there are abounding humans in this apple that biking and don't crave pizza from time to time. At one date you could not get a appropriate pizza in Nepal, nowadays there are a host of restaurants that accomplish appealing dam acceptable copse accursed pizza's, in fact, cartel I say bigger than we can get at home!! But like all acceptable things in life, there is a price. Pizza's ambit from 300 to 550 rupees depending on the toppings! The best abode to get pizza is Fire and Ice which somewhat of an academy in Thamel. A abundant abode to bethink the highlights of your expedition with friends, while adequate a adorable pizza and cooler of choice.

PASTA

A affable bowl of beginning handmade pasta will consistently amuse any appetite. On those algid winter days, arch to La Dolca Vita. Three floors of able-bodied busy dining apartment and an alfresco appearance roof top terrace invites the booth in for a pasta feast. Serving sizes are acceptable and delicious. My claimed favourite is the handmade Gnocchi del la Rossa (Gnocchi in a red wine and amazon sauce). Actuality the salads and pizza are aswell actually good. Finish your meal off with a Lavatzza Italian Appearance Alien coffee.

STEAK

For the carnivores out there, we all crave that big dank hunk of red meat. For those accustomed with Hindu Culture, it's adjoin custom to eat beef, so a lot of red meat artefact in Nepal is in actuality Buffalo meat, hardly added textural and chewy than a acceptable angular beef steak. Everest Steak house, begin both in Thamel and Lake ancillary Pokhara, serves up the best steak this ancillary of New Orleans. You can adjustment absolute alien beef steak, rib eye, eye bandage or sirloin, adapted to your affection and served with a ancillary of French chips and aflame vegetables. A meal at The Everest Steak Abode will set you aback about 600NPR including drinks and tax.

JAPANESE

Get your aftertaste buds singing with some amazing sushi at a little restaurant alleged Momo Taru. Tucked abroad at the top end of Thamel, this gem of a restaurant is managed by able Nepalese agents in affiliation with an aged Japanese couple. Abounding of the capacity are aureate in from Japan, including the seafood. The aliment is AMAZING and a abundant tasting advantageous meal actuality is not traveling to breach the coffer either. About 400NPR will see you with a nice bowl of Maki Sushi, a Ramen brainstorm dish, absolute tea, miso soup, a alternative of pickles and conceivably a algid Ashi Beer. The atmosphere is cosy with a best of table or beanbag basement and the agents are cool affable and allege English and Japanese.

A CHOCOLATE HIT

So we accept all been there, afterwards a nice meal we still feel a tad aghast and out aftertaste buds are appetence that amoroso hit. Kathmandu may action some abundant all-embracing cuisine but it not actually accepted for desserts. Alas, acquiesce me to let you in on a little abstruse - Try the actually amazingly adorable baking amber credibility at Road House....did I acknowledgment it's amazing. Add a beat of bootleg boilerplate bean ice chrism and you will absolutely be in chocoholic's heaven!

HOME COMFORTS

Ever apparent the cine Ratatouille, the arena if the analyzer cries as the meal gives him a anamnesis of his mothers cooking! We all get that home ailing activity sometimes, and aliment can accord us absolute abundance if we charge it. Arch on to Northfield Cafe, the beef goulash served with mashed potatoes is the bowl that about brings me to my knees arrant for my mum......right down to the lashing of chrism and adumbration of rosemary. It is the absolute bowl to advice me over the alone blues. Added home abundance delights on their card cover Sheppard's pie and everyone's favourite bangers and mash!

So there you go, admitting the bounded aliment in Nepal is GREAT, we all charge our home comforts from time to time. I achievement this helps you to ample that aperture in your abdomen with something added than Dhal Bhart Tarkuri. Happy eating...

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Traditions and Food Tips to Enjoy Morocco Travel to the Full

What I adulation a lot of about travelling is the aboriginal duke ability of added cultures. There is something different about advertent the traditions, the way of life, the arts & crafts and abnormally the food. All Countries are alluring in their own way; about there are places in the apple that are richer than others in a way of traditions and history. Morocco is one of them. Not alone Morocco sprouts history from every bend with its admirable architectonics and the Medina, which has kept the artless cachet of old city-limits and seems to bouncer its hidden secrets, but the traditions are just as axiomatic in accustomed life. You just charge to appointment one of the acclaimed Moroccan markets to see the affluence of their arts and crafts, and if you are advantageous abundant you ability even bargain yourself a accord and yield home one of the acclaimed Moroccan rugs or a adored handmade section of argent jewellery.

Food lovers who biking to Morocco will be able to amuse their aftertaste buds during their appointment to Morocco area acceptable aliment is able-bodied accepted for its delicious Tajine and couscous dishes. Moroccan aliment is based on meat, usually lamb or chicken, vegetables, couscous and a ample alternative of bread. Each compound tends to backpack actual able flavours, and will absolutely accommodate a admirable gastronomic experience.

Soups are actual accepted and generally a meal starts with a affluent and ambrosial beating soup alleged the Harira. As able-bodied as a aboriginal advance beating soups are generally served for breakfast at cafes. Just like Harira, Bisara is a accepted breakfast dish, a affluent chickpea soup with beginning olive oil caked over the top. Abounding cafes specialize in soups and they are usually accustomed by the bags of cups on the counter.

The added delicious Moroccan bowl is the acclaimed Tajine, which takes its name from the bowl - a abundant bowl covered bowl - rather than the aliment itself. Classic Tajines are usually fabricated with a acceptable allocation of meat in the average of the bowl amidst by vegetables and fruit. The bowl is axial to the success of a acceptable Tajine that needs to slow-cook with the lid on. Lamb Tajines are usually adapted with almonds and prunes, while craven Tajines are fabricated with blooming olives and lemon. If you appear to be arrive for a meal in someone's house, the Tajine will be in the average of the table and the custom is to eat the vegetables in foreground of you accepting the pieces of meat the host offers you.

Couscous is the a lot of acclaimed Moroccan dish, base semolina aflame with vegetables and spices served with lamb or chicken. Traditionally couscous is not a bowl you would acquisition at restaurants, but it is the aliment the locals eat on appropriate canicule and the best couscous you could accept is at a Moroccan household. If you ambition to eat it at the restaurant bethink to adjustment it a few hours afore you go. Dates, yoghurt, beginning cheese and olives are accepted candy accompanied with the abounding types of aliment available. Mint tea is the civic alcohol and is generally offered in assurance of accord and during agreement over amount in shops.

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Holiday and Food Fusion in Malta

The food on Malta is a fusion of complimentary styles and fine flavours. Whilst the idea of fusion food might appear to be a modern idea it is, in fact, the basis of traditional Maltese cooking. Ever since the conflicts fought on Malta between Christian and Islamic forces in the mid 1500s, the primarily Mediterranean diet adopted some elements of Moorish cuisine, creating a unique combination of Southern Italian dishes with Turkish influences. In recent years, the British have contributed to influencing Maltese culinery directions. During Malta's spell as a British colony, numerous English and Scottish foods were adopted by the island's native population. Holidays in Malta are a great way to taste the result of these various influences in cooking first hand, allowing you to enjoy usual dishes such as Kusksu soup and Ftira. Malta also offers a number of drinks unique to the island, including Imbuljuta, a homemade drink that comes from sweetened chestnuts cooked with cocoa, tangerine zest and cloves.

Traditional Maltese ingredients include the usual Mediterranean staples such as olives, tomatoes and fish, as well as local sea food. National cuisine is still popular in homes throughout the country, and there are countless restaurants and cafes serving their own versions of traditional Maltese foods all across the island. Malta also has plenty to keep you busy between meals too, with fantastic historical buildings, great diving spots and stunning beaches.

Malta villas offer you the chance to experience the nation's cuisine first hand. Walk along Valletta's Waterfront, enjoy a coffee at one of the many cafes that line the main street and spend a lazy afternoon at one of the local markets discovering the variety of local produce that you might like to try. Villas in Malta provide guests with a unique opportunity to try out new flavour combinations in your own personal kitchen, whilst the luxurious Mediterranean décor makes them just nice places to spend time in. As food is central to the local way of life, Malta villas have well equipped kitchens with both traditional and modern equipment.

No trip to Malta should finish with a visit to Gozo - home to the oldest free-standing structures in the world that date back to before the pyramids at Giza. Less geared for the tourist trade, Gozo represents some of Malta's most authentic flavours and impressive sights. This little island is a must-see attraction if you're really want to see the best of traditional Malta.

Unless you live in Sicily or mainland Italy, travelling to Malta is likely to involve flying. The main airport is handily placed close to the capital Valletta. Malta holidays are ideal for those interested in rediscovering traditional Mediterranean food and some of the world's oldest recipes. Both Malta and Gozo offer fantastic historical sites as well as world-class diving opportunities, luxurious new developments and talented local artisans. Getting there is easy, and numerous airlines run regular flights to and from the island's international airport. There are also numerous ports which are suitable for a range of vessels - from cruise liners to private yachts.

What Are The Most Effective Ways To Store Coffee Once Opened?

It's a accepted trend for humans to abundance their coffee beans in the fridge. However, the four enemies of the blue-blooded coffee bean are heat, air, ablaze and damp so the humans who accumulate them in the fridge to accumulate them air-conditioned are in fact accomplishing so at the amount of abacus clamminess and moisture, abnormally if they are consistently getting taken out and put aback in.

If we accept to aces one, we should consistently accept dry over cool.

If actually all-important we can benumb our coffee beans but alone if we thaw them thoroughly and use them up as anon as possible.

Coffee Accumulator Containers

As anon as you accessible a bag of afresh broiled coffee beans you charge to activate attention them from their 4 enemies as anon as possible. The a lot of basal way to do this, and the way in which a lot of humans go, is to allowance them in a artificial alembic and put them in the cupboard.

This is good, but not the best for a brace of reasons. Beans defecate a gas which is why you see those one-way valves on closed accoutrements of coffee, they let the gas out of the bag but stop air advancing in. If you abundance beans in a accepted air bound container, there is boilerplate for the gas to escape to.

Secondly, even admitting you are closing off your beans from the alfresco air you are aswell accoutrement air central the alembic with the beans and this can accord to their accident of freshness.

If you are accommodating to absorb a few dollars on a distinctively advised coffee accumulator alembic again you will be able to advance the bloom of your coffee beans for as continued as possible.

There are some that use valves, just like the ones you see on the coffee bags, which can admonition the beans breathe afterwards absolution any new air in. This would be advised the next best affair compared to a simple closed artificial container, but still not the complete best.

There is a band-aid that goes above these simple valves however. They do still apply the valve arrangement we accept already discussed, but if you allowance the lid you can pump out the air that was in the alembic to actualize a exhaustion central it. This is accomplished and gives your beans the best adventitious of continued appellation survival!

The alone affair you charge to be abiding to do next is accomplish abiding they are stored abroad from calefaction and abroad from any ablaze light. For example, at the aback of a kitchen buffet or in the pantry

Storing afterwards grinding

At the accident of aural over the top, but my admired abode to abundance arena beans is in the bin, appropriate afterwards elimination them out of my coffee maker! Coffee coffee beans will activate to go dried as anon as they are ground, so the best admonition is to alone bullwork your beans just afore you charge to use them. Try to abstain cutting beans advanced of time and accordingly defective to abundance them arena if at all possible.

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Add Spice of Authentic Thai Food - Dine With Giant Chilli Thai

Thai aliment is accepted in absolute apple because of the different aroma and accurate aftertaste it has. It is added of a aggregate of some sweet, acrid as able-bodied as acerb flavors. Aswell you acquisition acceptance of different varieties of chilies in some of the archetypal dishes that enhance its tanginess. It gives you the acidity that you may accept never accomplished before.

Thai foods are basically accepted for the absorbing acidity it have. The aftertaste is absolutely fabricated agog by the use of beginning herbs and spices. The aliment is mainly accepted in abounding of the western countries. But you cannot avoid the actuality that humans all over the apple are now adequate this ambrosial and chili taste.

You will acquisition advanced array of melancholia and beginning vegetables in these foods. As a lot of of these foods are fabricated bright by application beginning vegetables. It is accordingly actual abatement and adorable for your eyes also.

Bondi bank is a best abode to appointment if you are in Australia and wish to aftertaste some agitative flavors of Thai food. The best way to adore at these beaches is to eat, drink, watch, roam, and do just whatever you adulation to do. Beautiful ambience including the shops, bistro and restaurants will accomplish you feel delighted.

If you are searching for some of the appetizing dishes of Thai cuisine, there are assorted online sites that accommodate you with same. Dining calm with these sites is absolutely agitative as a lot of of them action you chargeless home supply at several eastern suburbs areas. These areas may cover Bondi, Bondi Beach, Bondi Junction, Coogee, South Coogee, Randwick, Queens Park, etc.

You can yield abroad and just adore these foods actual calmly with the advice of these online sites. In all you can calmly add aroma and flavors of accurate aliment while dining with these online sites.

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Itinerary Suggestion for a Vietnam and Cambodia Tour

Vietnam and Cambodia are two countries well worth exploring in-depth, and it's very easy and highly recommended to combine the two countries into the same trip. It does depend on how much time you have for your trip, however it is possible to experience a comprehensive Vietnam and Cambodia tour in under three weeks.

Starting in Hanoi, you can experience the dramatic scenery of Halong Bay on an overnight trip on a traditional junk boat before heading south to the friendly town of Hoi An, full of old-world charm. Continuing south to Ho Chi Minh City you can take part in a crawling expedition through the Cu Chi Tunnels and explore the capital city for a couple of days. Jumping on a boat, you can travel through the Mekong Delta and wander over the border to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. After visiting the sights in this bustling city you can catch a bus (or take a boat trip across the lake) to reach Siem Reap, where you will find one of the great wonders of the world, the Angkor temple complex, including Angkor Wat.

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi

Arriving into a big city like Hanoi after a long international flight can sometimes be a bit daunting, so it's a good idea to organise an arrival transfer to meet your flight and take you directly to your hotel. On the road from the airport you'll catch your first glimpses of Vietnamese street life, with small houses and peddlers on the side of the road, and many, many motorcycles. It's recommended to stay in a hotel in the old town, in the heart of the city with a huge array of food stands and small restaurants to choose from. Small streets run criss-cross through each other and sidewalks have a wide variety products for sale displayed on them. While zigzagging through the many motor cycles parked everywhere, you're sure to find what you're looking for.

Day 2: Explore Hanoi

After a good nights' sleep it's time today to kick start your Vietnam and Cambodia tour and get out and explore this lively city. You could spend the day wandering through the markets, complete with live chickens, fish and sweet-smelling herbs and spices. Or perhaps you could jump in a tuk-tuk and travel through the historic district. Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the city is a great spot for a stroll in the afternoon, and be sure to stop at a local restaurant for a typical Vietnamese spring roll.

Day 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay

If you have organised a Halong Bay tour, you'll be picked up from your hotel in the morning for the journey to the small coastal town of Halong. A Chinese sailing ship (a junk) will be waiting for you on your arrival. On board you'll be served a lunch fresh from the sea. The scent of the fresh fish dishes being prepared in the kitchen is sure to make your mouth water.

The boat will start off on its cruise through the area and it will set anchor at Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island and Sail Island. Then you'll go on to visit the Sung Sot cave and you can take a refreshing dive into the waters at the Titov beach. Those who like to fish can try to catch different types of fish from the boat with a rod and some fishing twine. During dinner you'll be able to enjoy the view once while you watch the sun set with a glass of Vietnamese wine in hand.

Day 4: Halong Bay - Hanoi

The following morning you'll wake up to a delicious breakfast and you'll explore some nearby islands in the bay. Keep your camera on hand; these islands are incredibly photogenic. On the way back to Halong lunch will be prepared and after arrival a transfer will be waiting to take you back to Hanoi.

Day 5: Hanoi

Today will likely be your last full day in Hanoi on this Vietnam and Cambodia tour. If you feel up to it, you may enjoy going for an early morning visit to Hoan Kiem Lake. Shortly after sunrise, the Vietnamese head out to the lake for an energizing early morning work-out. Men and women practice Tai Chi, play games of badminton or groups of women walk around the lake. Along the way they'll do stretches for their arms and legs from time to time. A great way to start the day...

Hanoi has many temples, pagodas and museums. The temple of literature is an oasis of peace and tranquillity amidst a bustling city. Visiting several of these temples by bicycle rickshaw is a fun past-time. It usually doesn't cost more than a few dollars and it's an excellent way to see more of the city while also not being cut off from the sights and smells.

Day 6: Hanoi - Hoi An

Today you'll fly from Hanoi to Danang, near Hoi An. The city of Hoi An is a Vietnamese highlight for many due to its abundance of small restaurants and cafés, dirt-cheap tailors and an appealing beach. The intriguing historic Hoi An monuments are less well known. In the historic part of the city you'll be able to buy a ticket for about $10 which comes with entrance vouchers for the famous Japanese bridge, the ancient trade houses and a small museum. The charming city centre can easily be explored on foot and is exactly as it was in the 17th and 18th century when it was an important harbour and trade post.

In the afternoon, perhaps you could rent bicycles to explore further, visiting the large market, the historic harbour and then biking past the paddy-fields to the beach. The beach is surprisingly quiet during the day. You'll be able to find a deck chair beneath one of the awnings and let yourself be pampered with drinks and snacks by the beach restaurant waitresses. If you stay until sunset, you'll see the beach slowly begin to fill up as the Vietnamese come to the beach to cool off with their families after a long work day.

Day 7 - 8: Explore Hoi An

These extra days in Hoi An are a great chance to do something a bit different on your Vietnam and Cambodia tour. One option is to visit the nearby historic temple complex of My Son. Despite American bombardment, the temple complex at My Son has been well preserved. The area was the most important religious and intellectual centre of the ancient Champa kingdom up until the 13th century. Nowadays, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site lying in a lush emerald valley.

Hoi An also offers excellent cooking classes. Most of the classes include a visit to the local markets where ingredients are purchased for the dishes to be made. There are many different types of vegetables and fruits that will appeal to your senses. This is an opportunity to get to know local Vietnamese dishes and to become acquainted with the friendly sales women at the market. Once you've purchased the right ingredients you'll head out towards the cooking school where you'll receive instructions on how to prepare typically Vietnamese meals. You'll be able to prepare your own meals and naturally you'll be able to eat your self-made meal after lunch.

The little town of Hoi An is also well known for its tailors, and you can have a good made-to-measure suit made for under $40. It's the perfect opportunity to update your wardrobe! Although the tailors can put together a suit for you in no time, it's best to plan to do this at the start of your stay in town. This way any alternations can be made while you're in town and you can collect your items just before you leave

Day 9: Hoi An - HCMC

It's quite a long way from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City, therefore it's a good idea to fly this section (but an overnight train is also a unique experience). Once in Ho Chi Minh City, and checked in to your hotel, you could stroll around the city to get a feel for your surroundings. Ho Chi Minh City has many sights worth visiting, including the Reunification Palace, Saigon's many pagodas or the War Remnants museum. You may also want to rent a bicycle rickshaw for a day and let yourself be driven through this interesting city.

Day 10: Cu Chi Tunnels

We recommend a guided tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels, located 30 km northwest of HCMC, as there is a lot of history to the area which you will be sure to have some questions about. The Vietcong hid in the tunnels during the Vietnam War in the 60's. Approximately 250 kilometres of small, deep tunnels were used as a hiding place, but also to attack from. The tunnels were actual homes with living areas, kitchens, ammunition stock rooms, weapon factories and command centres. The Vietcong also built many fake entrances and booby traps to mislead the enemy.

Day 11: Mekong Delta

The next two days can be spent travelling along the mighty Mekong Delta, and is how you will link your Vietnam tour and your Cambodia tour together. The Mekong River and its enormous delta filled with fertile soil brings prosperity to the south and also enables the growth of one of the most important export products, rice.

You will travel toward Cai Be where a boat will be waiting to take you to the floating markets. Peddlers in fully laden boats sell a wide assortment of fresh produce. Boats have a stick on their bow featuring one of each of the products sold on that particular boat. Many boats are positioned very close together and the peddlers sell and trade produce with everyone... it's quite a unique sight.

The boat will also take you through small canals where local inhabitants of the Mekong Delta live. Enthusiastic children will be waiting to greet you from the banks of the canals and will wave and shout to you. Your boat will take you to the small town of Can Tho and you can make your way to your hotel for the night.

Day 12: Mekong Delta

Early in the morning you'll travel by boat to the largest floating market in the Mekong Delta, Cai Rang. Hundreds of boats and vendors gather here to trade all kinds of exotic fruits. Later you'll travel by coach from Can Tho to the border town of Chau Doc where you'll arrive late afternoon and spend the night. Many people here make a living from fishery and have a small fish farm under their floating houses.

Day 13: Mekong Delta - Phnom Penh

Today you'll travel by speedboat to Cambodia, stopping off at the border to buy your visa (around 25 USD). You'll arrive in the harbour of Phnom Penh around 1.30pm where you can take a tuk-tuk to your hotel.

Phnom Penh is a charming city with many historic colonial buildings. Unlike most Cambodian cities, Phnom Penh is quite modern and has paved roads, modern stores, a beautiful boulevard and many ATM's. During your time in Phnom Penh you could visit the National Museum of Cambodia for instance. The museum was built in 1917 and has a large collection of Khmer artefacts. Afterwards you could visit the Silver Pagoda, otherwise known as the temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Royal Palace.

Day 14: Phnom Penh - Tuol Sleng Museum and Killing Fields excursions

We recommend a guided tour for today, as you visit more remote parts of Phnom Penh, such as the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields. In 1975 the Red Khmer invaded the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Pol Pot became prime minister of Cambodia and made a very cruel and bloody attempt to turn Cambodia into a communist agricultural state. The Tuol Sleng Museum is quite an impressive museum. It confronts visitors quite directly with Cambodia's brutal past by means of photography. For instance, you'll see pictures of an old elementary school that was used as a prison for torturing political enemies during the rule of the Red Khmer. For many this was their last stop before they were taken to the mass graves of the Killing Fields, located just outside of Phnom Penh in an orchard. Over 17 million people died during this time.

Day 15: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap

This morning on your Vietnam and Cambodia tour you will make your way to the bus station in Phnom Penh to meet the bus heading north to Siem Reap, which takes around 6 hours. On arrival into Siem Reap there will be plenty of tuk-tuk drivers waiting to pick you up, and the trip to your hotel should only cost a few US dollars.

In the evening, you could perhaps try a nice Khmer dish at your hotel or walk into the city and visit a local restaurant. The centre is not very big, and is quite charming with little streets and small cafes.

Day 16: Siem Reap - Angkor Wat

You're likely to consider today as one of the highlights of your Vietnam and Cambodia tour; today you'll visit a part of the Angkor temple complex, and a guided tour is recommended. In order to see the entire complex, you would need to spend several days here since the dozens of temples are spread out over an area of about 25 kilometres.

Angkor is the name of the ancient capital of the Khmer-empire that was established during the 8th century. The empire was enormous and included territory all the way down to Southern Vietnam and China. Later, the Thai ruled this territory during the Siamese empire and introduced many Buddhist influences. "Siem Reap" literally means "victory by Siam". For centuries this city was covered by jungle until a French expedition discovered the ruins early in the 1900's. Several of the temples have since been restored while several others show how the jungle swallowed the temples from sight. The Ta Prohm temple has not yet been completely restored. It's quite interesting to see how towering trees have taken the temple prisoner. The tops of the trees shoot up into the sky, far beyond the temple roof and the roots of the trees have wrapped themselves around the walls of the temple; truly an impressive sight.

Day 17: Angkor Temples

On your last full day in Siem Reap you could perhaps visit the Angkor temple complex again, to see some of the more remote temples which you may have missed on your first day. Wander endlessly through the statues, temples and historic reliefs, but be sure to stay on the defined and marked paths, as there are still mines in some of the unchartered areas. The temples were built in various time periods with each ruler building his own temple. Because of this, each temple has its own character; the most famous temple, Angkor Wat, features Hindu influences while the Angkor Thom temple features Buddhist influences.

Day 18: Departure from Siem Reap

Today marks the end of your Vietnam and Cambodia tour, after breakfast at your leisure you can organise a taxi to take you to the airport, which is only around 7km outside of town.

Or perhaps you have some more time and would like to consider extending your Vietnam and Cambodia tour into Laos or Thailand? If that's the case there are quite a few flight options available from Siem Reap.