Tips That Will Have You Sleeping Better Tonight
Feeling tired? It’s not uncommon – countless people have trouble sleeping, and don’t feel fully rested in the morning. Thousands of Americans suffer from poor sleep and insomnia, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined for sleepless nights forever! Review these simple suggestions that you can incorporate into your lifestyle today in order to sleep better tonight.
Let It Go.
Stop thinking about all the highs and lows of the day, and let yourself relax. If you find it difficult to wind down, write your thoughts or to-dos down on paper so you don’t have them continually running through your mind.
Fight Stress.
You want your cortisol levels to go down, not up, before you go to sleep. What does that mean? No fighting, worrying, or plunging into activities or conversations that might wind you up, and stress you out in the hours before bedtime.
Begin Your Fast.
You may not think about this often, but in reality you fast every night until you wake and “break the fast” with your morning meal. Fasting allows your body to repair itself, and not focus on digestion while you sleep. Not eating for a few hours before bed will set your body up for its nightly work, and help you rest better.
Electronic Free Zone.
Aim for no electronics in the bedroom for at least for 30 minutes to 1 hour before you fall asleep. That means no TVs, laptops, iPads, or phones — all these electronics keep us awake and our minds active instead of letting us settle in for the night.
Still Feeling Awake? Here Are A Few Other Great Ways To Wind Down:
1. A nice hot bath with Epsom Salts, lavender oil and candles in the winter.
2. Fifteen minutes of meditating in bed.
3. Reading in bed.
4. A glass of wine, or herbal tea and a movie.
5. Light stretching, quick restorative yoga session, or a relaxing neighborhood walk.
Sleep well!
Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate, and there’s nothing quite like the taste of creamy, rich, homemade fudge to show someone that you care. If you’ve come to believe that decadent fudge only comes from the mom and pop shop, prepare to be proved wrong. This simple recipe will have you whipping up this traditional treat just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of whole milk
2 tablespoons butter (plus more for greasing the dish)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Equipment
Measuring cups and spoons
Thick-bottomed sauce pan
Whisk
Heat-proof spatula
Wooden spoon
Pyrex pie plate or dish
1. Measure the ingredients and whisk. Measure the sugar, cocoa and salt in the sauce pan you are using to cook the fudge. Add the milk and whisk until blended. Don’t worry about a few lumps, they’ll go away when you heat the mixture.
2. Bring to a boil. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium-low flame. Stir occasionally with the spatula but not too often or your fudge will be grainy. Keep the heat as low as possible to avoid scorching.
3. Prepare pan, ice water, and water bath. While the fudge is cooking, butter the pan that will hold the fudge. Fill a glass or jar with ice and water and set next to the stove. Fill your sink with several inches of cold water.
4. Determine when the fudge is done. Start checking the fudge for doneness after 10 minutes of boiling. If you are using a thermometer, your fudge is ready when it reaches 235°F. Or go old-school and use the soft ball test. Using a metal spoon, drizzle a little fudge in a cup of ice water. If it forms a soft, pliable ball, then it’s done.
Another hint that your fudge is almost ready is that it will go from a mix of larger and smaller bubbles to just the smaller, tighter bubbles. Begin testing as soon as you notice this change.
5. Add the vanilla and butter, and beat until cool. When the fudge is done, turn off the heat and gently stir in the vanilla and butter. Remove from the stove and place the pan of fudge in the sink of cold water being very careful not to splash into the pot. The water may sputter for a few seconds when the hot pan hits it. Holding the pot steady with one hand, beat the fudge using a wooden spoon until it is fairly cool but still liquid.
6. Pour into the pan. Pour the fudge into your prepared pan. It should be liquid enough to spread out evenly on its own.
7. Cool, cut, and enjoy. Allow the fudge to cool before you cut it — generally a half hour at room temperature does the trick. Use a thin-bladed sharp knife to cut the fudge. You can dip the knife in hot water, wiping the blade dry with a dish cloth, if needed.
*Just before you pour the fudge into its cooling pan, you can stir in any number of extras. Chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, or macadamias are wonderful. Chopped candy canes are good for the holidays, too.
Recipe courtesy of www.ApartmentTherapy.com
If you have a stressful day, the last thing you want is to come home to a messy apartment. Your apartment should be your sanctuary. Home is where you get to check your troubles at the door, and the following are some basic tips that will allow you to do so. Stay happy and healthy in one of 1st Lake’s many New Orleans area apartment communities!
Clean – Instead of waiting for the weekend to spend it cleaning the house after a week’s worth of dirt and clutter, break it down and spend 20 minutes a day cleaning. That way the house will be clean every day and you don’t have to devote a whole weekend to picking up the past week’s mess.
Organize – One of the most aggravating things ever is not being able to find something – typically keys – when it’s time to leave the house. Make sure everything in your apartment has its own home so you always know where to find it. Use the same logic for the rest of the apartment as you do when organizing closets or junk drawers.
Breathe – Literally. Let your apartment and in turn yourself breathe easier with indoor houseplants. Use our guide to easy indoor houseplants for the best types to grow in your apartment. Not only do they spruce up the place, but they are great natural medicine!
Think – Think about what makes you most happy about your apartment and incorporate it into your daily home life. Is it keeping it neat and tidy? Displaying photos of friends and family? A pet? Good karma by doing chores even if it’s not “your turn?” Decide what will make you happy at home, practice those things and so it shall be.
Have you ever attempted to double a baking recipe, only to have the final result come out looking nothing like it did when you made just a single batch? Well, this is actually a very common issue for the home baker. As you’ve likely heard, baking is a science, and calls for exact measurements, which have to be modified when bigger batches are prepared. The next time you’re baking up a storm, keep these calculations in mind to achieve the best results.
Cakes, Muffins, and Quick Breads: These baked goods are the main offenders when it comes to disappointing doubling. Why? The blame can usually be placed on either the baking soda or baking powder. The next time you’re making a double batch, you can simply double all the other ingredients, but re-calculate the baking soda and baking powder based on the following ratio: 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour OR 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of all-purpose flour. Remember, if your recipe contains an acidic ingredient, such as yogurt or buttermilk, include an extra 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of an acidic ingredient.
Cookies and Bars: Thankfully, cookies, brownies, and bars can typically be doubled without too much of a problem. Keep in mind that if you’re hoping for puffy, cake-like cookies, follow the baking soda and baking powder ratios as outlined above. Also, you can try cooling the cookie dough in the fridge between batches so that the dough doesn’t become too warm and soft in the hot kitchen, as this will cause the cookies to spread more than usual while baking.
Breads and Rolls: Yeast is a much less temperamental agent than baking soda and baking powder. For that reason, yeast-risen breads and rolls can be doubled without needing to adjust any of the quantities in the recipe. If you’re tripling or quadrupling, however, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than measuring them by volume to make sure the ratios stay consistent.
Before, we told you about three 10 minute meals to make for dinner, and we’re back with three more for the New Year. It’s a busy time of year for 1st Lake’s New Orleans apartment residents. Super Bowl and Mardi Gras are just around the corner and whether you’re busy working or playing, there may not be much time left over for cooking. That doesn’t mean you can’t whip up a quick, healthy and above all, delicious meal. Try these three recipes that take 10 minutes or less.
Spicy Grilled Shrimp – New Orleans is known for its unparalleled seafood, so residents of New Orleans apartment rentals that 1st Lake offers will be able to take full advantage of this regional bounty! The shrimp will need to brine for about 30 minutes and then marinate in a savory mixture, but the cook time will take no longer than 10 minutes. You can’t go wrong with fresh Louisiana shrimp, and a winning combination of zesty smoke and spices! Make the delicious and easy dinner with this recipe.
Fried Rice – Fried rice is one of the easiest meals to make and also one of the most delicious. It’s made by throwing veggie and protein leftovers together and mixing with some rice and beaten eggs. The trick is to cook the protein and eggs first and set aside, then cook the rice, then throw in the vegetables, cooked protein and seasoning. Delicious!
Apple-Arugula Salad Wraps – This wrap takes hardly any time at all to make and is full of flavor. All you have to do is combine arugula, chickpeas, cheese, apple and dressing together then wrap up in a tortilla. Cooking easy never tasted so good! Use this recipe to make these quick and easy wraps for lunch or dinner.
Recipes courtesy of thekitchn.com.
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
