News Genx, Ottawa, ON (2025)

07/22/2017

7 Tips On How to Get Out of a Bad Mood in The Morning

Check magnesium levels
As stated, sometimes your vitamin levels might be low and more so, your magnesium levels. Whey these levels are low you might be moody and have other side effects that comes from low magnesium levels. Look into getting over the counter magnesium or either have some dark chocolate. Another idea is to have some dark leafy greens because they are loaded with magnesium. If you have time, take a very nice and relaxing Epsom salt bath. This will boost your levels and you’ll feel very relaxed when you’re done.

07/17/2017

3 Tips For Planning A Road Trip On A Budget

U.S. gas prices are averaging at a low $2.28 per gallon, making now the perfect time for a road trip. Here’s how to ensure your getaway is as low-cost as filling your tank.

Plot your stops on a good old map. This will help you and your friends decide on the best routes and how many hotels you’ll have to pay for along the way.

Bring a cooler with fruits and veggies. “The cost of food on a road trip can be drastically reduced by shopping at grocery stores instead of eating in restaurants,” Mark C. Sedenquist, cofounder of RoadTrip America, shares with Forbes contributor Stacey Leasca.

Check out audiobooks from the library. Listening to a novel is a perfect (and free) way to pass the hours on a long drive. And when you’re done, you’ll have a topic of conversation to last the whole way home.

07/13/2017

Failing to Get Specific About Conference Goals

As I mentioned in last week’s post, the internal speakers should first list their goals for their talk. That’s true for planning the offsite, too. What outcomes would make this conference a success? What are the most important takeaways?

Your answers to those questions will dictate your conference agenda. For example, let’s say you aim to increase camaraderie among employees at different branches. Your goal is for everyone to collaborate more effectively and thus improve productivity. To meet that goal, give employees plenty of activities where they can socialize and get to know each other. Maybe the VP of HR can facilitate or lead a “connection” exercise (for help with this, check out the Conference Ripple by my friend Steve Harper.)
Underestimating Presentations and Training Sessions

Your speakers are the single most important factor in whether your conference meets your goals.

As a conference organizer, you’ll probably be planning a couple of types of sessions:

Presentations convey information. They should also motivate and inspire. They are typically 90 minutes or less in length.
Training sessions transfer knowledge and offer specific learning objectives. Because they go into greater depth, they may run longer than a presentation.
Don’t underestimate how much extra work creating either of these will be required for an internal staffer to squeeze in around his or her regular duties (in addition to the dangers of putting an inexperienced speaker in front of your team). For a training session especially, you may find it worthwhile to hire professionals to conduct these sessions. In my experience at these events, I find that a more general talk by a subject-matter expert can be a refreshing addition to a day or more full of technical, industry-specific content. It is important for the team to hear from the leadership, and vice-versa, but this interaction may be better suited to more informal breakout sessions.

Delivering Boring Talks

If you hire professional speakers and trainers carefully, you increase the chances that your attendees will be engaged and that the conference will deliver results.

But you may not have the budget for a full slate of professional speakers, or just not enough time for a lot of outside content.

In that case, I suggest that you keep the sessions delivered by nonprofessional internal speakers to 20 minutes or less. If a session really needs to go longer than that, pair these speakers with co-presenters. This can help make their talks more interesting for the audience.

You can also consider creating guidelines for your internal speakers. You can pass along tips like my advice on visuals from last week’s article. And you can provide details such as the size of the room where they’ll be speaking (which can affect their presentation content and style).

Dampening Attendees’ Energy Levels

Finally, keep in mind that the same things that help your employees improve productivity on a typical workday will also help them have a more productive conference. Give them some breaks to synthesize all the information and ideas they’re taking in. Serve healthy meals and snacks. Rich or sugary fare will leave your attendees sluggish by afternoon sessions. Encourage them to take notes on paper instead of their devices. This will ease the temptation to answer email and help them give their full attention to the sessions.

Your annual corporate offsite is likely a large annual expense. For more tips on improving its effectiveness, feel free to reach out. (I’m happy to discuss it with you, even if you’re not hiring outside speakers. My advice is always free.)

07/08/2017

Churros with chocolate

INGREDIENTS

250ml (1 cup) water

100g unsalted butter

150g (1 cup) plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, lightly whisked

Vegetable oil, to deep-fry

80g (1/2 cup) icing sugar mixture, sifted

200g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

250ml (1 cup) milk

METHOD

Step 1
Combine water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until butter melts. Remove from heat.

Step 2
Add the flour and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and the dough comes away from the side of the saucepan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes or until cool.

Step 3
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until well combined. Spoon dough into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm-diameter fluted nozzle.

Step 4
Add enough oil to a large saucepan to reach a depth of 6cm. Heat to 180°C over medium heat (when oil is ready a cube of bread will turn golden brown in 15 seconds). Using a small sharp knife to cut the dough, pipe four 10cm lengths into the oil. Deep-fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer churros to a plate lined with paper towel. Dust with icing sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough, reheating oil between batches.

Step 5
Meanwhile, combine the chocolate and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.

Step 6
Arrange churros on a platter and serve with chocolate dipping sauce.

07/04/2017

Ridiculously Refreshing Rum Cocktails You’ll Be Drinking All Summer

You should never have to question why the rum is gone.

The Old Battle Axe Cocktail

You’ll love this drink’s smoky secret ingredient.

Pirates Rum Punch

THIS is why all the rum’s gone, Jack.

Lava Flow

You’ll lava this drink! 😉

Cranberry Zombie

A festive riff on rum punch.

Rum Sunset

Our rum-ified spin on the classic Tequila Sunrise is simple yet sultry.

07/03/2017

3 High Protein Lunches to Gain Lean Muscle Mass

During busy weekdays or even busier weekends, it’s not always easy to get a high-protein lunch to help keep you ripped and lean. But it is possible—all you really need is a little advanced planning and you can ensure you eat right every day of the week. Here are 10 lean muscle-building recipes that prove it. Choose one or two to make each week. Do your grocery shopping and cooking on Sunday and your coworkers will be envious come lunchtime on Monday (and Tuesday, Wednesday… you get it).

1. Tuna “Superfood” Salad Sandwich

More than a tuna salad, this “superfood” sandwich is packed with both tuna and salmon, which gives you a boost of protein, omega-3 fats, and selenium. Served between two slices of whole grain bread or stuffed in a whole wheat pita, it’s a quick and easy lunch for any busy day.

Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 10 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes

2. Turkey Parmesan Burgers

These burgers take less than 30 minutes to make. The lean ground turkey and cheese contribute muscle building BCAAs.

Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 25 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey
6 tablespoons marinara sauce, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

3. Sumac Shrimp & Crispy Chickpea Salad with Figs, Beets, and Feta

Shrimp is a very lean protein that contains BCAAs. Although it was once thought that the cholesterol in shellfish like shrimp is not healthy, studies are revealing that it doesn’t impact the blood cholesterol as once thought.

Skill level: Beginner
Serves: 4
Start to Finish: 41 minutes
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes

Ingredients:
For the dressing
1 tablespoon tahini paste
Juice of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt, pepper and sumac to taste

For the chickpeas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and dried
Generous pinches of salt, pepper and paprika

For the salad
6 cups spring mix lettuce
1 English cucumber, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
½ cup pickled beets, sliced
8 figs, quartered
¼ cup reduced fat feta, crumbled
¼ cup mint leaves, chiffonade

For the shrimp
½ tablespoon olive oil
1 lb shrimp, shells and tails removed
Generous pinches of salt, paprika and sumac

Instructions:

For the dressing
1. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Adjust seasonings, as necessary. Set aside.

For the chickpeas
1. Preheat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the chickpeas and a generous pinch of salt, pepper and paprika. Sauté until golden and crispy, shaking or stirring often, for about 6 minutes.

For the salad
1. In a large bowl, mix together the lettuce, cucumber, beets, figs, feta and mint.

For the shrimp
1. Preheat the oil in the nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp, along with a pinch of salt, paprika and sumac. Cook, flipping once, until shrimp are pink and curled, about 3-5 minutes.

To assemble
1. Divide the salad between four plates, top with the shrimp, chickpeas and the salad dressing.

Nutrition Information (per serving)
Calories: 510; Total Fat: 22 grams; Saturated Fat: 4 grams; Protein: 34 grams: Carbohydrates: 48 grams; Sugar: 27 grams; Fiber: 9 grams; Cholesterol: 241 milligrams; Sodium: 531 milligrams

07/01/2017

7 Tips On How to Get Out of a Bad Mood in The Morning

They are cute, small and furry – and don’t leave piles of p**p in your back garden.

While cats and dogs may be top of the pets, hamster owners know how special their furry little friends can be.

But don’t be deceived, like any pet they take a lot of care and attention and are a big responsibility.

Once you are sure you can give your little friend the love and care he deserves, however, they will steal your heart.

Here’s why hamsters make the best pets.

1. Cute

Just. Look. At. That. Face

2. Self content

While a dog might bark and jump up and a cat might be aggressive to house guests, the hamster couldn’t care less.

She is happy enough dawdling around her cage, filling her cheeks with food and quite possibly having a snooze if it is daytime.

Someone made an entire tiny town just for hamsters

3. Fly on the wall

There’s something relaxing about watching your hamster potter about its cage.

It’s like your very own episode of Big Brother but without the annoying, loud housemates.

4. Walkies

If you take a dog for a walk it needs a lot of kit – poo bags, treats, collar and lead, ball flinger, whistle.

You have to stop to let it wee up trees or clean up its mess.

No such problem with a hamster, the little fella will either jump in its wheel or just pop it in a hamster ball and let it go.

5. Companion

Lonely at night? These little crepuscular (it means active during twilight) critters will keep you company (and possibly keep you awake) while they play in their cage.

6. Hamster cages

Who knew there were so many options?
7. Calming

Stroking a hamster can help soothe a troubled mind.

8. Obstacle courses

A few toilet roll tubes, Lego or building blocks can make a decent obstacle course for your little friend.

9. Train them

Spend time training them to do tricks using treats as rewards and, who knows, you may be all set to appear on Britain’s Got Talent in no time.

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