Are you investing?

Hey all, I’m back from a bit of a break and wanted to catch you up on what i have been doing for the last few months. I have felt for the last few years that working for someone else does not get a person anywhere in terms of a rich and full life. Racking my brain trying to find things to invent, sell, and other ideas led me to rethink stock investing. I have been investing for over two years yet not knowing what i was doing left me where one can expect…at a loss. I decided 5 months ago to start really understanding how to play the market and try and grow my account.

I have read many books on not only investing but on stock investing, analysis, and strategies. And have come to realise that most of these books are difficult to understand, even the “for dummies” books. Funny i know, but with perseverance and brute force it has been easier to understand. I have come to understand the most interesting and in my mind most powerful thing about finance, and that is QUIT WORKING FOR YOUR MONEY! This is nothing more than a long drawn out slow death with many worries and stresses that we don not need in life. From now on turn it around and get YOUR MONEY WORKING FOR YOU!

How exciting it is to realise that while you are playing, sleeping, working at your job, your money is working and sweating and pinching its finger for you. There are many avenues that you can explore to get your money working for you so i encourage you to go and understand some of these ways for yourself. I wanted to show you what is possible when you dedicate a little bit of time and effort to learning how to get your money working for you.

This is what i have been able to do, most of these gains were made in the last five months.

For the sake of enriching your life please take the time and look into investing if you are not already, and if you are make your game more efficient read and do not stop reading.

How to grow microgreens

Fresh greens are delicious and great for some nutrient dense quick eats. what are they? MicroGreens are a tiny form of edible greens produced from very young vegetable, herb or other plants.   They are generally one to two weeks old when harvested. Here’s how to have fresh greens at any time of the year!

First thing is to find a container or tray and add a good compost mix. Next add hundreds of greens seeds and sprinkle all across the compost. Next cover with a light cover of compost and keep moist. You can use a cover to keep the moisture in. Now all you have to do is wait a couple of weeks and your hitting the jackpot of greens at a super low price.

Plant every week or so a new tray and have microgreens whenever you wish.

Add 1 to 2 inches of compost

Sprinkle seeds, cover lightly and keep moist.

 

Next you will have this; 

 

Sweet potato Sriracha bites.

Sweet potato. Orange, root vegg, tasty! Some people overlook this colorful and tasty root and move on to the “normal potato” section. Well here is something that I whipped up to wake your taste buds and get you out of the regular potato scene.

Recipe:

2-3 sweet potato cut into wedges

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper

1tbls Worcester sauce

2 tbls sriracha

Sprinkle of brown sugar

Toss everything in a bowl and mix well. Bake at 350f until desired texture, I baked mine just passed cooked. Serve with lemon wedge and perhaps some ranch dressing. Enjoy.

Sparkling Spring Refresher

Hey everyone, it was an amazing 25C in Alberta today and was just lovely. I thought about having an ice cold beer to cool down but just wasn’t feeling it. So I am writing this recipe for a hot day that will cool you down and is delish!

Recipe:

2 oranges

3 limes

1 lemon

Splash of grenadine

Ice

Coconut rum

Club soda

Mix the juice of lemon, lime, and orange. Fill Glass with ice, add 1 ounce of mixed fruit juice, 1 ounce coconut rum, and fill to the top with club soda. Garnish with fruit slices, grenadine and maraschino cherries. Chill out an enjoy.

Whiskey Espresso BBQ Sauce

Can you feel the weather changing? That’s right summer is rapidly approaching and all the fun times with it. Let us all be vigilant in our view of summer activities and live life to the full, we can do this by preparing early for BBQ season. Here is a recipe of mine that will amaze you and your guests when it comes time to camp, tail gate, or impress your significant other. Practice makes perfect so get on with it!

Recipe – Whiskey Espresso BBQ Sauce

Ingredients;

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1Tbls harissa chili paste (optional)
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup espresso or instant coffee – double strength
• 1/2 cup  apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbls liquid smoke
• 2 Tbls whiskey
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 medium onion, finely minced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

 

Method;

Saute the onions and garlic until translucent, (a couple of minutes).

Add the spices and stir.

Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer over medium heat.

Allow the sauce to thicken. If you prefer a smooth sauce you can strain the sauce with a colander.

 

Supplements a necessity or expensive urine?

Have you ever had a cold so bad you felt like you were dying? Well about six months ago i suffered from a cold that lasted for a month – the longest i have ever had a cold for. I decided that some research was in order because i hated every gross minute of being sick and was determined to not get sick again. My research started with the deficiencies we as a society have in regards to vitamins and minerals. It was very interesting to me that many of us are deficient and have been for a long time, whether it is magnesium, selenium, or other nutrients, our lives are affected when missing these things.

After two months of being on high doses of vitamins and minerals the cold bug hit me again, UNBELIEVABLE!  I was initially very upset, but i am glad to say that on day three i was pretty much over it. Coughing was scarce and energy levels were back up to normal, also i did not have that “skin hurt feeling” where even putting on clothes is painful. So what do i attribute this to? The vitamins and minerals. It’s now been over 5 months now that i have been taking high amounts of liquid vitamins and minerals, more than the RDA and have slowly but positively felt the benefits in my overall health.

After researching a lot about vitamins and minerals and what they do in our bodies and also what illnesses they prevent, i found the world of vitamins and minerals is indeed fascinating! The specific interactions between vitamins is nothing short of mind boggling but so interesting.

The new truth about vitamins and minerals

But many have the view that supplementation is just “expensive urine” and does not really help anything, while others claim that we get all of our nutrients from our food. Is this valid? Let’s discuss. From Scientific American – Agricultural methods used are very intensive and have stripped away nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows. A study by Donald Davis from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was published in December 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. They studied U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional data from both 1950 and 1999 for 43 different vegetables and fruits, finding “reliable declines” in the amount of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin C over the past half century.

 

 

The Organic Consumers Association cites several other studies with similar findings: A Kushi Institute analysis of nutrient data from 1975 to 1997 found that average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables dropped 27 percent; iron levels 37 percent; vitamin A levels 21 percent, and vitamin C levels 30 percent. A similar study of British nutrient data from 1930 to 1980, published in the British Food Journal,found that in 20 vegetables the average calcium content had declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent. Yet another study concluded that one would have to eat eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents would have gotten from one.

With this information and studies done on the nutrient depletion of the soils in north america, we really see the need to supplement with the necessary nutrients for healthy living. This is NOT to say that a person can replace nutritious food and take a supplement thinking all is OK, the most important thing is whole food with minimal to no processing and adding in high quality supplements to fill in the nutritional gaps. For the serious person who wants to break away from all the “health” advice given in droves from celebrity experts start by reading some books, yes plural in order to truly see what is important for you. I have spent many hours researching this topic and believe me it is huge! Do not be intimidated and power through and you will find some great information.

Take a few minutes to watch the video below and comment with your opinion.

Have a great day everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drunken vegetarian chili.

Hey all, I wanted to do a quick blog for you because i made a great tasting “experiment”. We here in Alberta are in the middle of winter, and there are many ways that we try to stay warm and one of the ways is chili! I decided i would make a black bean chili, and just started throwing veggies on the counter with no real plan. I did decide to do something rash and use a whole bottle of malbec…something i have never done before and still do not know why i did it but i’m glad i did. Recipe below:

• 2 green peppers
• 1 large onion
• 4 carrots
• 4 stalks celery
• 3 cups black beans
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cup kale chopped
• 2 tbls harrisa paste
• 1 bottle of Malbec (red wine)
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 3 Tbls chili powder
• 1 Tbls onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup corn
• large can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup salsa

Method:

• Soak beans for 24 hours then rinse
• Saute’ veggies until soft
• Add bottle of wine, tomatoes, harrisa paste, beans, and salsa
• Add spices to taste
• Simmer until beans are soft
• Add kale about half hour before serving.

Add water as needed.

Enjoy this great dish to keep you warm this winter.

Processed food, your time is up!

“Real food doesn’t HAVE ingredients, real food IS ingredients” – Jaime Oliver

Hey everyone, i hope the new year was a good one for you. I would like to talk about processed food which is such a part of life for many that we do not really understand the danger lurking in these foods. I have been fortunate enough to have started my working life in restaurants and have learned how to cook using fresh ingredients and knowing how to prepare food, something sorely lacking in people today. Even though i know how to cook, i find it very hard to avoid foods that are easy to “heat up” or grab as i’m on the go. When a person does some research into what they are actually eating it may be alarming.

One of the insidious ways the food industry tries to get us to eat their products is the “healthy” labels put on the packaging such as terms like fat free or all natural which may not be healthy at all. Some manufacturers will say products that have high fructose corn syrup in it is healthy since it comes from corn, unbelievable! Another example is whole wheat breads that have a healthy label, many of them are no better than white refined flour bread with added caramel coloring, duping people.I have decided to take the rest of 2016 to slowly eliminate processed food from my diet and focus on foods that build me up not tear me down. There is so much disease in the world we have only ourselves to change the odds of us getting sick. My view is that these chemical laden foods are one of the sources of cancer and other diseases, note the graph below.

Is it just coincidence that cancer rates have increased as well?

Here are some links to give some insight to readers of what is in our food. I wish all to be healthy and happy, here is to a great year!

http://authoritynutrition.com/9-ways-that-processed-foods-are-killing-people/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/12/9-dangers-processed-foods.aspx

http://www.naturalnews.com/039743_processed_foods_eating_reasons.html

http://www.ivlproducts.com/Health-Library/Health-Concerns/Weight-Management/The-Impact-Of-Processed-Foods-On-Our-Health/

How to make Harissa chili paste

As an avid hot sauce guy, I love to try new flavors that pack a punch. I really dig Sriracha and i stumbled upon this hot chili paste that hails from Northern Africa and had to share with all of you.

Ingredients
4 ounces dried chiles (I used Thai chiles)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 to 4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Soften the chiles with boiling water
2. Toast the caraway, coriander, and cumin in a dry skillet over low-medium heat, occasionally shaking or stirring to prevent burning. When you start to really smell the spices rmove from heat
3. Grind the spices
4. Drain the chiles.
5. Stem and seed the chiles
6. Combine the chiles, ground spices, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
7. Drizzle in the olive oil and process to form a smooth and thick paste. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally
8. Top with olive oil and store.

 

 

 

Thai chiles

 

Toast spices

 

Process ingredients

 

 

How to make seriously delicious pulled pork!

A savory yet familiar smell fills the cool air as the smoker is warming up and the excitement of putting on a Pork butt gets a guy just a little giddy. This time honored way of cooking a pork roast comes with a tradition that has been handed down for generations. Pulled pork a BBQ delight.

Let’s begin the step by step process to making pulled pork. Firstly one needs to buy a pork shoulder, often called a Boston butt. Why? In pre-revolutionary New England and into the American Revolutionary War, some pork cuts ones not those highly valued, were packed into casks or barrels (also known as “butts”) for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as Boston butt.

                                Boston Butt

The next step is to trim off any thick areas of fat and leave approximately 1/8 – 1/4 inch.

Next, liberally apply a rub to the pork, i used a special mixture i have been working on for quite some time and basically it has a little sweet with a little heat. The rub i make includes sea salt, spices, very little sugar, and garlic. After you rub the pork down let the pork rest for 30 minutes.

Next, insert a temperature probe into the meat. I put my pork on the BBQ/smoker at a temperature of around 150C, i like the hot and fast method. We are looking for a final temperature of 95C.

       Hot and fast at around 150C

Temperature probe in thickest part of the pork

When the pork has reached a temperature of around 85C wrap the pork in heavy tinfoil with just a small amount of apple juice and replace the temperature probe. Next put the meat back on the smoker until it reaches 95C.

                   Beautiful pork shoulder

When the temperature of 95C is reached pull the pork out and let it rest for about half hour, then pull out the bone.

Next pull the pork apart with a couple of forks.

Now finally you can load up your bun and place some coleslaw on top with a small amount of BBQ sauce if you wish. Or skip the bun all together and have a low carb meal.

I hope you will take the time to try this great meal and just for the Sherpa readers i will include the dry rub recipe. Have a great day all!

Pork dry rub recipe

Ingredients	Amount
Sea Salt	2 tablespoons
Ginger ground	1 tablespoons
Brown sugar	2 tablespoons
Coriander ground	2 tablespoons
Cumin powder	1 tablespoons
Black pepper	3 tablespoons
Garlic powder	3 tablespoons
Onion powder	1 tablespoons
Cayenne pepper	1 tablespoon
Paprika	1/4 cup paprika