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While our Charlotte NC community at Ashford Green apartment homes enjoy moderate winter temperatures, they still crave the warm and fulfilling foods that are popular when the thermometer starts to plummet. Today, we look at how you can make winter grains a nourishing part of your everyday meal plan.
3 Nutritious Winter Grains
Benefits of Buckwheat
Buckwheat is really a seed, but it is most often consumed as a cereal grain. Even though wheat appears in its name, it is a non-gluten alternative that is not related to wheat. Add buckwheat to your diet whenever possible, using buckwheat flours, noodles, and even buckwheat tea to take advantage of better control over blood sugar and its high antioxidant and mineral content. Try these tasty Buckwheat Pancakes for breakfast.
Rye Bread instead of Wheat
Rye is a cereal grain with a sharper and more intense flavor than wheat. While rye bread is a must for a great corned beef sandwich, you should definitely give it a try as a quick and healthy snack that is packed with heart-healthy nutrients, and rye has a lower glycaemic index, which means it won't spike your blood sugar. Top a few slices of your favorite style of rye bread with these delicious combos for a filling snack or lunch:
- Cream cheese, smoked salmon, and thinly sliced cucumber
- A light spread of ricotta and a drizzle of honey
- Top with sautéed spinach, chopped boiled egg, and minced garlic
Add Wild Rice to Dishes
Wild rice is a nutty, whole-grain alternative to brown rice. Traditionally, it has served as an add-on to create rice mixtures, but today it is standing on its own as a nutritious grain that is high in protein, fiber, and vitamins. This low calorie, high nutrient rice can be added soups early in the cooking process, or simply keep some cooked and refrigerated to toss into salads, sprinkle on roasted veggies, or make casseroles like this Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Butternut Squash and Cranberries.
Choose Rolled Oats This Winter
Old-fashioned whole oats are rich in antioxidants, can lower blood sugar, and can better assist in weight loss than instant oats. A great way to use rolled oats in the winter is for home-baked muffins, cookies and granola bars. You can also use them in your morning smoothie to fight off hunger cravings through the morning. For smoothies, rolled oats are best because you don't have to cook them first and they blend better than steel-cut oats.
We hope these delicious and nutritious grains will delight your culinary tastes this winter as you enjoy the Ashford Green apartment homes in Charlotte, NC. Enjoy the best of local shopping, entertainment venues, and breathtaking views while relaxing in a spacious apartment with all the amenities you need to make a home.
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Make Your Apartment Life Easier and More Comfortable Than Ever
Even in a beautifully designed Charlotte apartment, how you arrange your items can have a major impact on your health and comfort. Let's look at some ways you can improve your apartment ergonomics — and thus your quality of life.
Use Your Breakfast Bar as a Standing Desk
Too much sitting can damage your health, playing a role in everything from diabetes and heart disease to cancer. You can probably think of several places in your apartment that can accommodate a slim, minimalist standing desk — or you can turn to your trusty breakfast bar. These nooks are designed to approximate a comfortable elbow height, making them ideal areas to place a laptop so that you can pursue your daily routine from a standing position.
Plan for Sensible Cabinet Storage
You may love having an apartment with lots of cabinets and built-in shelves — but do you love experiencing shoulder pain or neck pain from reaching up to some of those spaces? The most remote cabinets may compel you to stretch yourself beyond your body's comfortable capacity. Even worse, a heavy item stored on a high shelf invites head injuries or other painful incidents. Always place your heavier and more commonly used everyday items as close to your resting body position as possible. Rarely used items may not merit a position on any of your cabinets or shelves; consider hiding them under your bed, stuffing them away in a closet or even leaving them in the trunk of your car.
Remove Awkward Motions From Your Kitchen Routine
Every time to have to bend, twist or stoop to grab a seasoning or pull a pan off of a wall hook, you're placing your back muscles, tendons, spinal discs and nerves at risk for repetitive motion injuries. Again, ask yourself which items you reach for most frequently when cooking or cleaning up, and position those items so that you can get to them with as little motion as possible. Your back and hips will thank you for it!
Looking for the ideal apartment layout for your needs? Call Ashford Green to schedule a look at our Charlotte apartments!
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The food pyramid makes perfect sense on paper, but in practice, it can be quite difficult for busy people to get all the nutrition they need. Since the residents of our Charlotte, NC, apartments are busy people, we're always looking for ways to provide helpful (and healthful) tips. With this in mind, we've come up with a few ways you can delve deeper into the food pyramid.
1. Make Smoothies
Smoothies are a no-excuse way to get superfoods like kale and blueberries into your body, even if you're constantly running from place to place. A quick tap of a blender's buttons will transform nearly any fruit, vegetable, nut and dairy item into a drinkable solution that you can enjoy when you're on the go. Experiment with different items because foods you may not enjoy all by themselves can suddenly become delicious when they're paired with flavors your palate prefers. Smoothies are also a great way to get rid of food that may otherwise go bad if it's not consumed quickly.
2. Do Salads Every Day
There's no reason your salad should consist of boring lettuce and a dash of oil as dressing. Salads are an awesome way to get creative with tons of ingredients, and they're another demonstration of the ways fruits, veggies and proteins play together perfectly when they're plated properly. Besides the benefits of leafy greens, you can utilize an assortment of proteins, such as salmon, tofu, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, deli turkey and beans to give your body the energy-boosting nutrients it needs. If you have leftover produce, do a quick search online to find recipes that will optimize those items.
3. Plan Your Menu Ahead of Time
It's hard to know how well you're adhering to the food pyramid if you're not actually tracking your dietary intake. By planning your meals ahead of time, you'll be able to allocate the essential food groups into small meals and snacks throughout your day, helping to ensure you hit the important points that will keep your body healthy and happy.
Eating well is a lot easier when you have a beautiful kitchen that deserves to be cooked in. Check out the stunning kitchens we offer at our Ashford Green luxury apartments!
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(And it's not just the media telling you what to eat either.) Your body will respond better to produce that favor the seasons of the climate you're in. Here are a few tips to help you knock off your shopping list.
Look for the Deals
You can certainly look up which produce is in season in Charlotte. The most famous spring stars are arugula, asparagus, carrots, green beans, and blueberries. But if you don't feel like keeping a list with you of what's in season, you can just look for the deals in the produce section. Things that are in season are grown locally, which means they cost lots less to transport. Now is a good time to look for all the beautiful green veggies and fruits that will lend themselves to the perfect salad (made in your very own kitchen).
Eat Better
Produce is good for you no matter when you eat it. As long as it's not spoiled, you'll still get some fiber and nutrients from the vegetable or fruit you consume. But you'll get the best taste of fruit when it's in season, which may inspire you to eat better on a regular basis.
If your memories of fruit are tainted by visions of its watery insides or limp exterior, then you're unlikely to buy fruit the next time around. You don't necessarily need to buy organic either. Grapes, strawberries, and spinach tend to be grown with more pesticides than other veggies or fruits. It may make sense to shop organically based on the produce as opposed to consistently buying organic foods.
Spring is a reason to celebrate the lift of winter's heavy clouds, so make sure you take full advantage of the new view at your local grocery store. If you're looking for an apartment that can keep up with your busy lifestyle (and store your produce), call Ashford Green to see our kitchens, amenities, and floorplans.
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Living in an apartment can be an amazing experience. From meeting new people to walking to work, there can be many benefits to apartment living. In fact, many people would rather live in an apartment than a house because of the benefits. One very important benefit for most is in regards to health and well-being. If you live in an apartment, it can actually lead to a healthier lifestyle. In this post, we’ll discuss how apartment living can result in a healthier life.
Taking the Stairs
The truth about apartment living is, sometimes your apartment is on the top floor. While many see that as an obstacle or a negative attribute, a lot of people see it as motivation. If you have to constantly climb stairs to your apartment, you’ll get a great workout without even going to the gym.
On-Site Gym
Another great benefit of apartment living is that most apartments have a gym on site. That gives you zero excuses for not going to the gym. Instead of driving over 20 minutes to the nearest workout facility, you have a gym within a short walk from your bed.
Getting Social
While staying in shape can be a huge advantage to apartment living, it can also be very beneficial for your social well-being. With most apartments being close to other neighbors, in addition to the close proximity to bars, restaurants, and other popular areas, you’re sure to meet people and grow your social network.
Room for Cooking
A huge reason why people don’t eat healthily is that they believe they don’t have the time, money, or space to cook. Especially if you live with roommates, cooking can be a challenge. But if you live in your own apartment, it’s easier to make those healthy meals. Instead of being cramped for space, you can enjoy your large kitchen and stay on top of healthy eating habits.
Ashford Green Luxury Apartments
If you’re looking for the best apartments in Charlotte, NC, then head on over to Ashford Green Luxury Apartments today! From beautiful floor plans to exceptional amenities, we take Charlotte apartments to the next level. Call us today to find your next dream apartment!
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