Rustic Lamb Pie

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Ingredients 

• 2kg leg of lamb meat, cut into cubes
• Olive oil to brown the meat
• 2 rashers streaky bacon
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1Tbsp chopped thyme
• 1Tbsp chopped rosemary + 1 whole stalk with leaves on
• 1 x 410g tin of chopped peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup (250ml) lamb stock

Topping:

• 3 potatoes, thinly sliced
• 3T cream
• 2 t melted butter
• Fresh rosemary to scatter

Serves: 6 – 8

Instructions 

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb pieces in batches on all sides until the meat starts to caramelise and go brown. Set aside.
2. In the same pan add another splash of olive oil and fry the bacon for a minute or two, add the vegetables and cook until they soften (about 6 minutes).
3. Add the wine and allow the liquid to evaporate off.
4. Put the vegetables and the meat into a large casserole / heavy based pot. Add the tomatoes, garlic, all the herbs and the stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce to a low heat and allow to gently simmer for about 2 hours (cook with a lid on for ½ an hour and then cook uncovered for the remaining 1 1/12 hours).
5. Check seasoning and add a generous sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F prior to the meat finishing cooking and prepare the potato slices for the topping.
7. Spread the cooked meat into a large appropriately sized oven proof dish.
8. Peel and slice the potatoes very thinly (I find a mandolin on a narrow setting works very well), and make a layer over the meat. Brush each layer of potato with melted butter and drizzle a little cream before adding the next layer. You should be able to make 3 to 4 layers. Brush the top layer with butter and scatter over fresh rosemary, salt and pepper.
9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cooked through.
10. Serve with steamed green beans or any other vegetable of your choice.

Source: Rustic Lamp Pie – Drizzle and Dip

Image Credit: Rustic Lamp Pie

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Staying Up Late and Waking Up Early Cause Weight Gain in Teens

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You’re not a human if you didn’t spend your teenage years staying up late and waking up early (or maybe cross out the waking up early, thank god for weekends, right?!). There’s the table full of homework and projects that you need to finish that night, and you still have to wake up really early the next day for school.

And nowadays, the world wide web causes a lot of teenagers to stay up all night, even if they know their alarm clock will ring in just an hour. This isn’t healthy, at all.

A recent study has found that teens staying up late and waking up early are more prone to rapid weight gain. If remained uncontrolled, this can cause obesity, among other lifestyle diseases. Read more about it in this report by Samantha Olson on Medical Daily:

Late Nights, Early Mornings: When Teens Stay Up Late They Put Themselves At Risk Of Gaining Weight, Despite Exercise

Inside the Sleep and Mood Research Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, researchers studied how the number of hours a person sleeps may affect their weight. The findings, published in the journal Sleep, reveal how teenagers are especially susceptible to gaining weight when they regularly go to bed late. Read more…

The only real solution to this is t0 get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. I know that you might say that’s hard because of the homework that leave you staying up late and waking up early the next morning, but maybe you need to stop being such a procrastinator, like for real!

Additionally, eat a balanced diet and increase your physical activity. This will reduce your risk of lifestyle diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more.

Image Credit: Late Nights, Early Mornings: When Teens Stay Up Late They Put Themselves At Risk Of Gaining Weight, Despite Exercise – Medical Daily

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First Gene Therapy Approved in the US

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A lot of health experts have been looking for ways to use gene therapy as a cure for a variety of diseases, but sadly, there hasn’t been any luck. It is the technique of replacing mutated genes with healthy ones to fight diseases.

Now a clinical trial for treatment for inherited retinal dystrophies, which is a very rare hereditary disease that affects 1 in 3000 individuals, succeeded as the first gene therapy approved in the US just last Monday. More information is discussed in this article by Andrew Pollack on NY Times:

Eye Treatment Closes In on Being First Gene Therapy Approved in U.S.

What could become the first gene therapy to win approval in the United States moved closer to market on Monday, when its developer announced that the medicine had succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial in treating an inherited eye disease that can cause blindness. Read more…

Gene therapy can also prevent hereditary diseases, and some studies even say that it can possibly treat cardiovascular diseases, aids and cancer.

However, it also has its risks. Some of these risks include:

1. The immune system’s reacts by causing inflammation in the body.
2. The healthy gene might be put into the wrong area.
3. The healthy gene might be “too much”, causing more harm to the body.
4. Other genes might be delivered to the cell.
5. The virus might spread to other cells.

Still, people are rooting for this miracle worker to treat more diseases that still do not have a cure until now.

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Nobel Prize for Anti-Parasite Drug

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Just imagine if there was no treatment for parasitic diseases such as malaria, river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. Especially malaria, which caused about 584,000 deaths out of the 198 million cases worldwide in 2013 alone, according to the World Health Organization. African children were the most affected group.

These people truly deserve the nobel prize for anti-parasite drug. See the details in this report by Michelle Roberts on BBC News:

Nobel Prize for anti-parasite drug discoveries

William C Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura found a new way of tackling infections caused by roundworm parasites.

Youyou Tu shares the prize for her discovery of a therapy against malaria.
The Nobel committee said the work had changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people affected by these diseases. Read more…

What’s the world without people like William C Campbell, Satoshi Ōmura and Youyou Tu who are patient and determined enough to look for the cure for a variety of diseases? It’s totally not easy to spend all your years studying for the world. So this nobel prize for anti-parasite drug is just a way to let them know that they are appreciated.

Science is always going to be complicated, and we will always need scientists and health experts. Funny, isn’t it? Science may be objective, but it still remains a mystery, anyway.

Image Credit:  Nobel Prize for anti-parasite drug discoveries – BBC

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Roast Chicken In White Wine, Herbs and Garlic

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Ingredients 

• 1 large free-range chicken cut into 8 pieces
• 700gm new potatoes, cleaned
• 3/4 cup dry white wine or verjuice
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ cup finely chopped herbs (rosemary, parsley, thyme and sage)
• 3T olive oil
•  salt and freshly ground black pepper
• sliced lemons (optional)

Serves: 4

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C and place the chicken pieces and potatoes in a large deep sided roasting pan. Mix the wine or verjuice, stock,mustard, garlic and herbs and pour over the chicken. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Roast uncovered for an hour, or until cooked through.

Source: Roast Chicken In White Wine, Herbs and Garlic – Drizzle and Dip

Image Credit: Roast Chicken In White Wine, Herbs and Garlic

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Shaved Zucchini, Rocket, Basil and Parmesan Salad

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Salad

• 3 medium zucchini shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• 2 cups of wild rocket leaves
• ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
• 50g Parmesan shavings

Dressing

• 2 tbs white wine vinegar
• ½ clove garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp Dijon or grain mustard
• 4tbsp olive oil or Parmesan infused olive oil
• salt and pepper

Arrange all the salad ingredients on a large flat platter and lightly toss.

Place all the salad ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until combined

Source: Shaved Zucchini, Rocket, Basil and Parmesan Salad – Drizzle and Dip

Image Credit: Shaved Zucchini, Rocket, Basil and Parmesan Salad 

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How to Build a Strong Chest Fast and Easy

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Most men want a superman-like chest because that’s what girls dig for. True. I mean, what’s a perfectly toned arms without a toned chest?! It’s what makes girls feel safe when you hug them. But there’s more to that than making you look attractive. Did you know that a strong chest actually helps protect your internal organs, among other health benefits?

Here’s a workout routine with the use of strength bands on Muscle and Fitness:

BUILD A STRONG CHEST WITH THE STRENGTH BAND PEC FLYE

Strength bands can give you a hell of a workout, even when they’re not attached to a heavy barbell or dumbbell. One of the best features of M&F strength bands by Bodylastics is the ability to augment traditional lifts, but once you attach a set of handles, you’re entering another world. Read more…

Workout variations are essential for an enhanced muscle growth, and this is a great way to spice up your old, boring routine. Here are more exercises on Men’s Health to sculpt your chest, with and without the use of equipment:

6 EXERCISES FOR A BIGGER CHEST

There’s much more to chest day than the bench press. Don’t get us wrong: its status as your number one pec-builder is secure. But to bulk up your upper body faster and more effectively, variety is key. We asked celebrity personal trainer Scott Laidler to pick the half dozen moves you need to supercharge muscle growth up top. Chop and change with your regular workout – or combine all six moves into a single savage routine. Read more…

Again, don’t focus merely on looking attractive, build a strong chest for a better overall performance! A strong chest strengthens your arms and shoulders, which means you are less prone to injury. It also enhances your posture, apart from making you look good in almost any clothing.

Final tip: increase the reps and intensity as you go on, and eat a balanced diet to maximize your gains. These exercises won’t only target your chest, but also your core, arms and back!

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