Saturday 6 October 2007

How To Make Homemade Protein Bars

Young and old consume snack bars because they provide a good boost of energy and other dietary essentials very easily. Likewise, people love them because you just pop them in your bag or slip them in your pocket and you have food that can actually sustain you for a long time. Some say they get their recommended natural fibres from these snack bars as well; they can do without preparing elaborate meals with vegetables and other fibre-rich ingredients which are essential for regular elimination.

Now, here's the thing about these health bars. They can be pretty pricey, and some, after tests, actually proved to be not that healthy at all - they have extenders and too much sugar. If you wish to save a whole lot of dough and have the assurance that you are eating snacks or replacement meals which are truly good for you, making your own protein bars is something you should try doing.

Homemade protein bars are easy enough to make. Plus, you can be as creative as you want with them so the final result is not only thoroughly nutritious but very pleasing to your palate as well. There are so many recipes available online and if you wish for protein bars that can provide you adequate levels of nutrients, 180 Nutrition has a bounty of quick, completely good-for-you and delicious protein bar recipes everybody will surely love.

For the No-Bake Homemade Protein Bars, you will need two groups of ingredients and they are provided below.

Base

· 1 cup hazelnuts

· ½ cup raw cacao powder

· 2 scoops 180 Natural Protein Superfood

· 2 teaspoons stevia

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· ½ cup melted coconut oil

· 2 tablespoons of water

· 1 teaspoon of organic almond butter

Ganache

· 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder

· 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1 teaspoon of stevia (if desired)

To make these homemade protein bars, you will need a small food processor where you will blitz the hazelnuts for a minute before adding the cacao, stevia, protein powder, coconut oil and almond butter. Blitz everything until everything is properly combined. Afterwards, line a freezer-safe baking tray with baking paper and pour the mixture on it, pressing down firmly and evenly. Allow it to harden in the freezer for 15 minutes.

While you're waiting for the mixture to set, launch into the ganache by whisking all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Take out the base mixture from the freezer for a bit and pour the ganache over it before popping it back into the fridge. Once everything is properly hardened, slice it up, serve on a cake stand as a dessert, or place in cute plastic bags as snacks you can take on the go.

Saturday 9 June 2007

Five Key Elements for a Quality Asphalt Driveway

When it comes to asphalt driveways, whether for commercial or residential properties, there are five key elements that make or break their dependability and longevity. Specifically for commercial properties, a good asphalt installation job is vital for several reasons. Not only does it make the investment worthwhile, it safeguards drivers and pedestrians that enter commercial premises because potholes and other road hazards are not present. And aesthetically speaking, good asphalt driveway installation is important so that a commercial business looks professional and prioritized. Continue reading to learn what these five key elements are, and who to trust for quality asphalt concrete paving and installation services.

A Suitable Foundation

The first aspect to consider is the ground foundation. For proper driveway paving, there must be a solid subgrade and a strong aggregate base. Often times, problems occur during paving projects like these because the subgrade is not stabilized correctly. For example, if the ground is full of soft wet clay, a contractor must remove this clay or cover it with a durable stone base that will reinforce the ground surface. Failure to do any of the above methods can result in driveway buckling, cracking, crumbling, and ever-increasing deterioration.

Good Drainage

Water is the number one threat to asphalt and concrete pavement. So when it comes to asphalt driveways, proper drainage is absolutely crucial. Water must drain away from the edges of pavement, rather than collect or amass on top of it. If there is no slope to the pavement, water will not properly runoff the sides and away from the driveway. Water will seep into the pores or open crevices of asphalt and freeze, thaw, and expand the pavement overtime. This is what causes potholes, crumbling, and cracks.

Proper Supplies

If the wrong pavement mix is used to pave an asphalt driveway, problems are bound to ensure. Asphalt driveways are vulnerable to weathering and oxidation, so the right type of hot asphalt mix is vital. Although opinions differ among pavement companies and contractors as to which type of mix is best for such projects, driveway mixes should contain less air voids than highway mixes, but more binder. It should result in a finer aggregate finish to look smoother and darker.

Routine Maintenance

Once a driveway is paved and completed, the work is not done. Routine maintenance all year round is critical for all pavements to last. This includes a daily sweeping of debris, regular power washing, seal-coating, crack repair, and more. Consult a professional pavement contractor for advice on proper asphalt maintenance practices. Companies can even outsource these services.

Ethical Workmanship

It is highly important to hire a licensed, bonded, and insured pavement company for proper construction practices and ethical workmanship. Commercial companies that outsource such services want their providers to be liable for any defects or issue during the installation process. In addition, proper workmanship guarantees a proper job. Trained and experience paving contractors can provide this kind of work for commercial companies and more.

Friday 2 February 2007

Renting a House That's Going Into Foreclosure

One of the worst situations that a tenant can find themselves in is to be renting a house that is going into foreclosure. It's an uncertain situation and may eventually see the tenant evicted through no fault of their own.

If you find yourself in this situation, you have a number of rights that you should be aware of.

Will I Be Evicted?

Before 2009 the vast majority of tenants would lose their lease once the home entered into foreclosure, leaving them in a situation where they had to find somewhere else to live.

However, in 2009 the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act changed so that any tenant in a foreclosed property can maintain their lease and continue to live there, assuming the new owner doesn't want to use the home for themselves.

While it is certainly not ideal, you will find that many people purchase foreclosed properties as an investment, rather than as a place to live themselves. That means many will be happy to keep you where you are, as they will now be receiving monthly money without having to put any work in.

Bear in mind that this differs slightly for tenants who are on a rolling monthly contract. In these cases the tenant will be given 90 days to vacate the property once ownership is transferred, unless they can reach an agreement with the new property owner.

What About Maintenance?

This is where the issue becomes a little stickier. Before a foreclosed property is sold to a new, individual owner it will usually become the property of a bank or mortgage provider for a period of time. There is no determining what this period of time is going to be, but it can be detrimental to maintenance efforts on the house.

A bank is not inclined to make sure everything in the house is working as you need it to, and your old landlord will no longer care once the house enters foreclosure. This means that any maintenance issues are likely to go neglected until there is a new property owner who is happy to allow you to keep renting.

Legal Action

In some cases, the tenant will also have the option of pursuing legal action against their former landlord, particularly if the landlord failed to inform them that the property was being foreclosed on.

In a legal sense, this failure to provide information essentially amounts to fraud, which means that the tenant can sue for monetary damages, such as any costs associated with the tenant being forced to move and any rent increases that they have had to endure in the process.

Unfortunately, if it has gotten this far then it is likely that you will have had to move out of the rented property, which is not an ideal situation.

The risk of foreclosure is something that should be disclosed, if it is a possibility, before the tenant ever signs the lease. Otherwise, they are having vital information withheld from them, which means their decision is less informed.