Food for Thought: Deploying Kindness Pt. 2 Positivity
Positivity is such an undervalued mental tool. Shifting from a glass half empty to a glass half full mindset is the difference between giving yourself a chance to win and not. As an entrepreneur, most days aren’t quite a walk in the park.
Positivity
is such an undervalued mental tool. Shifting from a glass half empty to a glass half full mindset is the difference between giving yourself a chance to win and not. As an entrepreneur, most days aren’t quite a walk in the park. Think about it, C-Suite level employees are often the last level of decision making for many businesses. That means all the success, all the failures, all the good times, and all the bad times land on those folks. That’s a lot of stress, and since company culture trickles from the top out to the spokes of the umbrella, the way you handle that stress affects the way you talk to employees, and ultimately, how your employees will engage with the customer.
It all starts with Awareness.
Observe yourself. Are you able to adjust quickly when things don’t turn out as expected or do your negative emotions overpower you? Dwelling about the “what if’s” and “if only’s” instead of just solving the problem. Someone who commits to making positivity a practice in their life, in general, are able to adapt and handle those road blocks much better. Navigate the twist and turns and unpredictability of life and be grateful for the things that are going well. Here are a few things that help me adapt positivity as a lifestyle:
Routine:
Establishing a steady routine is important for me. Things that I can count on will happen almost every day gives me a sense of control in my life. Also, the discipline in establishing a routine helps me practice discipline in other areas of my life as well. If I commit to eating healthy during the weeks and indulge a little more on the weekends, i’m also more likely to get all the things finished that I need to for the week and still have time for the things I want to do when my free time finally does come.
Exercise:
Exercise slowly releases Serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is one of the “feel good” chemicals the brain naturally produces to help fight off things like depression and anxiety. Getting in a daily exercise routine that I can count on gives me a sense of control, again, over my life. It gives me more energy and makes it easier to adjust to the inevitable ebbs and flows of life that remind us we are not always in control and that’s ok!
Meditation:
Meditation has a stigma surrounding it that only women, hippies, or folks following certain religions practice it. We need to get over that now. Meditation is a very useful tool to help relax the mind and the body and bring a more full sense of awareness to our lives. It allows time for the mind to reflect and for you to connect yourself with your body. We tend to abuse our bodies just by living our daily lives and doing day to day tasks. The stress adds up quickly and can really do a number on us. Meditation is an incredibly helpful tool to ground yourself and allows you flow with the tides of life instead of against them.
Know Yourself.
Like I said, It’s important to observe yourself. Ask yourself why you’re experiencing certain things as they happen and find ways that help you cope with those emotions and stresses. Everyone is different and has different techniques for managing these things but being mindful, giving yourself grace as you learn, and instilling good habits in your life will go a long way towards adopting a positive mindset for life.
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.””
Get the Facts on Green Tea
Coming at ya with another infographic on a healthy green superfood. It can come in the form of loose leaf tea, tea bags, or in a powder ground up form. Turns out, this stuff packs a lot of nutritional power!
Hey guys,
Coming at ya with another infographic on a healthy green superfood. If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re talking about Green Tea. Green tea can come in the form of loose leaf tea, tea bags, or in a powder ground up form called matcha. Turns out, this stuff packs a lot of nutritional power! Research shows that adding green tea to your diet helps with a wide range of heart related issues and has also been shown to decrease cancerous tumor growth! Read below about more benefits of drinking green tea!
PRO TIP: Brew some green tea at home using hot water. Sweeten with honey or agave, to taste and allow the beverage to cool. Once it comes to room temperature or lower, fill a tall glass with ice cubes, pour in your sweet green tea, garnish with lemon, and enjoy!
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake
Learn about this HISTORICALLY CHEAP Breakfast Superfood: The Egg
I wanted to share a little graphic with you about the nutritional benefits of one the cheapest and most versatile breakfast food items money can buy.
Hey Foodies,
I wanted to share a little graphic with you about the nutritional benefits of one the cheapest and most versatile breakfast food items money can buy. I’m talking about the egg. I know, it sounds boring but try again. The egg is actually an extremely adaptable ingredient that can be used in so many kitchen applications like aioli’s, gribiche, or hollandaise. It’s used in sauces, cookies, and so many things in between. Soooo you might as well learn a little bit about what your putting in your body. Happy Munching!
Relax your Mind and Body with this Green Tea Margherita Recipe
Here’s a drink idea that’ll make you feel good about having an extra night cap, in honor of your boss. heh.
Congrats!
You made it through the week. I know it’s only Friday morning, but I also know that your mind is already on your Friday night plans….and i get it, with COVID here, you might even be feeling like all bets are off, anyways. Well partner, that’s why you need to take it upon yourself to make sure you have a night to remember. After all, you owe it to YOU after the week you’ve had at work. Here’s a drink idea that’ll make you feel good about having an extra night cap, in honor of your boss. heh.
Green Tea Margherita
First of all, if you smell what the rock is cooking, make sure you grab some of his tequila too. I don’t claim to be any sort of expert, but Teremana is some pretty freakin’ good stuff. For this Margherita you’ll need:
Silver Tequila (preferably Teremana)
Triple Sec
1 Orange
Brewed Green Tea
I made my green tea at home, sweetened it with honey, and then chilled it before using. You can also use your favorite store bought green tea.
Fill a glass & cocktail shaker with ice. Set the glass aside
Add 2 parts tequila, 2 parts green tea, 1 part triple sec to cocktail shaker. Put top on and shake vigorously.
Serve contents in prepared glass. Top with more green tea, if needed.
Add a fresh squeeze of orange juice and piece of the reserved peel for garnish.
You can “WOW” your friends with this one, or just enjoy in the peace of your own company. Either way, cheers to relaxing and responsible imbibing.
You must be 21+ to drink alcohol. Darla’s Bagel’s does not condone or consent to underage drinking or aiding a minor in the solicitation for such.
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake
Working with Yeast Doughs - What to Look For
As someone that bakes bagels for a living, I’ve learned a thing or two about what you need to look for in a healthy yeast dough. Here are a few pointers and things to look out for when working with a yeast dough.
Hey Friends,
As someone that bakes bagels for a living, I’ve learned a thing or two about what you need to look for in a healthy yeast dough. After all, yeast is a living organism and you need to treat it as such! Here are a few pointers and things to look out for when working with a yeast dough.
#1) Use Instant Yeast, for your baking endeavors. It’s easy to work with, has a relatively long shelf life, and you don’t need to worry about keeping it alive. Besides, even most professional kitchens and bakeries use instant yeast for their dough.
#2) When hydrating the flour with water remember that cold water will slow down yeast activity ultimately giving the dough more time to develop its flavors. This also means it will take longer for your dough to rise and be ready to work with, however. Warm water will speed up the yeast activity meaning that it will rise much faster, but at the compromise of flavor.
#3) Oil is often called a “Shortener”. This is because when added to a flour that contains gluten, the oil will cause the gluten strands to shorten, making the dough less stretchy, which could ultimately affect the oven spring of your finished product. This could also be a desirable characteristic, depending on what type of final product you’re trying to make.
#4) Besides sweetening the dough, the presence of added sugar speeds up yeast activity and allows the dough to proof more quickly. Be careful of adding too much sugar, however. If the dough rises too quickly the gluten strands won’t have time to strengthen. This means as soon as you try to pick up the dough or work with it at all, it’ll deflate very quickly and most likely be sticky and hard to work with. Also be mindful of the affects of white vs. brown sugar. Brown sugar causes the end product to have a more firm and darker crumb.
#5) Salt is necessary in order to give the dough flavor. Be weary when mixing the salt with your other dry ingredients, though. Salt prohibits the development of yeast in the dough. To be safe, add salt to one side of your bowl and yeast to the other side of your bowl before adding your wet ingredients. This allows the yeast a chance to get hydrated by the dough before the salt comes into contact with it.
#6) Mixing the dough allows the gluten strains to strengthen and develop. In most dough applications, the dough is properly mixed when you can poke it with your finger and the exterior of the dough bounces back from the indentation left by your finger. Dough is slightly tacky but easily comes off fingers.
#7) A little baking soda when dissolved in water, can be brushed on to most dough products just before they are about to be baked to give your dough a “pretzel effect”.
#8) Baking with dough can be very challenging for cooks of any level. The moisture in the air can affect the way flour fills your measuring cups. When baking, it’s important to measure ingredients by weight. Using a scale will ensure consistent results and a better finished product!
I hope these tips helped you overcome whatever baking challenges your facing! If this blog didn’t answer your baking questions, reach out to us on chefjpexperience.com and we’d be happy to do our best to steer you right.
Keep spreading love, good people!
Best,
Chef Jake