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Great meals go beyond having excellent culinary skills or knowing how to mix ingredients or spices to achieve great taste. It involves ensuring the cooking ingredients used are healthy enough for consumption. This is why Adanne Uche, a graduate of Foreign Languages and Literature, started Ady’s Food Mart in 2017 to improve nutrition and help consumers stay healthy and also ensure families and catering companies have healthy options of cooking ingredients to use for their meals.

Adanne was inspired to venture into this line of business when she observed the overwhelming influx of adulterated food ingredients and spices in the market and its effects on the health of its consumers. This is why she saw a need to process and package healthy food ingredients and spices for consumers in Nigeria and Africa, where healthy African dishes are appreciated.

It has been a rollercoaster but something I am confident in saying is that we have scaled to become a household name.

With no previous knowledge in entrepreneurship. Adanne started her first business after the birth of her first daughter, but having no entrepreneurial skills it failed after 2 years. She started another business after a year, it still did not work, that is until she found something she really enjoys doing and that is cooking.
So she decided to cook and do something that could give her joy and at the same time pay her a salary.

Ady’s Food Mart was birthed with a N30,000 loan from her brother. She decided to solve food adulteration problems starting with Palm Oil, then grew to other food ingredients and a world of spices, where they process, package and distribute healthy spices to families in Nigeria.

From her journey and experience, the simple piece of advice she can give to anyone is “Find your passion that can get you paid, study it, look for someone that has done it before you, learn from them, run with it, and be resilient.”

Passion is one of the key ingredients to building any successful business and brand. And, in the world of artisan chocolate making, it is one of the Savanna Premium Chocolate brand’s strongest assets, thanks to founders Chiinga Musonda and Lynn Musonda Phiri.

Chiinga Musonda – Savanna Chocolate

Chiinga has previously worked in banking with JP Morgan Chase and UBS in NYC. Most recently, she worked with the scientific publisher / information services provider Elsevier in The Netherlands. She also has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics and in Computer Science from Smith College in the USA.

Lynn Musonda – Savanna Chocolate

Lynn, the second half of the company, previously worked for the Zambia Telecommunications company. She is currently pursuing an MBA in International Business and has a BA with honors in Business Studies with Marketing from University of Greenwich.

These two sisters have a tracked record of different previous work settings, but nothing beats the passion which drove them to produce chocolates. The pleasure they derived from eating chocolates right from childhood and also the joy on the faces of loved ones when gifted chocolates were enough to fuel their passion and kickstart the journey.

Savanna Chocolate Products


Today, we have Savanna Chocolates because two sisters in love with chocolates decided to recreate the standard in Zambia.

As expected from an Indigenous manufacturing company, the duo absolutely love the support they are getting from the Zambian community. Chiinga and Lynn learned pretty quickly that this is not about them manufacturing chocolate in their beloved country, Zambia but that they are building a Zambian brand and the people want to engage with the brand in help to make it the best it can be.

The invaluable feedback received from their community has helped them improve in packaging designs and even in the chocolate flavors.
The excitement they get when their customers purchase their products and then share their feedback on social media cannot be contained as these positive feedback in turn motivates them to keep improving their products.

Savanna Premium Chocolate
Chocolate letters, a product of Savanna Premium Chocolate

They take pride in the fact that their chocolates are made from carefully selected single origin cocoa beans to preserve the flavors of the country of origin. They are constantly improving on their chocolate making process to ensure that consumers get premium quality chocolates.

What makes their chocolates different from others is that they sell handcrafted chocolates and chocolate products that are made from natural ingredients with no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, and no preservatives.

“Start before you are ready”. If you have a business idea, don’t wait until you feel you are ready. Just start and with every step that you make, it will become clear what you need to do and you will learn what needs to be done. The product or service may not be perfect in the beginning but you can keep improving as you build. By starting you will get invaluable feedback that you need to grow or make adjustments to your idea. The more momentum you build the more you will see your dream become reality,” are their final words to women who have a business idea they’re afraid to launch.

 

No. Don’t ignore this because you think you don’t have any bad habits for we all have bad habits. No matter how much we fail to acknowledge them.

It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make efforts to adjust and stop these bad habits especially as the long-term effects the have on us are unpleasant.

Whether you can’t keep your gaze off your phone screen or you can’t help but have a little extra midnight snack, here are seven unhealthy habits that make you feel not so great and helpful tips to correct them.

1. Not getting enough sleep.

If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning and if you constantly wake up tired, it is all the sign you need to know you are not getting adequate sleep hours and apparently, it isn’t doing you any good.

Lack of adequate sleep can affect a whole heap of things, making you moody, irritable and stressed. It can also mess with your ability to learn and retain information. That isn’t good for your well-being.

According to a Harvard Medical Study, “Most experts have concluded that getting enough high-quality sleep may be as important to health and wellbeing as nutrition and exercise.

Sleep is not only crucial for keeping your mind fresh and performing optimally, but it’s also a pivotal factor in maintaining a healthy weight.

So, if you are one of those who binge watches a whole season of a Netflix show in one sitting, you can prioritize your sleep time by setting an alarm on your phone and actually go to bed when the alarm goes off.
Doing this will help you set a regular sleep routine and develop good sleeping habit, in the long run.

2. Scrolling on your phone until 1am.

Don’t roll your eyes yet, we are all guilty of this.

This is tied to the inadequate sleep mentioned above. Now, while lying in bed seems like the perfect time to perform deep dive into the life of a complete stranger who lives across the other side of the world, thanks to the internet, your late night screen time could be jeopardising your health.

Not only can a lengthy exposure to blue light damage your eyes, it can seriously interfere with your sleep. That’s because blue light messes with the production of melatonin – a hormone that regulates the body’s sleep cycle.

If you spend ages scrolling through your phone, you’re likely to experience more sleepless nights and fatigue. You know, pretty much everything we discussed above, but it can also lead to a variety of other health issues like anxiety and depression.

I’m sure you wouldn’t want that.

3. Snacking right before bed.

I’m not here to tell you it is inappropriate to have those delicious snacks. But you can try to not eat too much of it before jumping right into bed at night.

The digestive process can interfere with your sleep quality because eating just before bed also increases the likelihood of reflux and indigestion, as your gastric juices are being secreted to breakdown food whilst you are lying down, which gives them far greater opportunity to make their way back up your oesophagus and into your throat.

Terrifying right?

4. Exercising so you can eat whatever you want.

You remember when you hit your fitness goal and decided to reward yourself with your favourite junks? Because after every fitness goal smashed, a cheat meal isn’t a bad idea right?

First, know that only exercise will not make up for a poor diet.

Not only is gorging post-workout wrecking havoc on your fitness game, but this frame of mind can really mess up your relationship with food. Because having the mindset that you have to ‘earn’ food is really unhealthy. Food is not a reward.

You can’t expect exercise alone to make you super fit. Focus on fuelling your body with the right foods that will help you power through your workouts.

5. Viewing food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

When you start labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, not only are you officially stripping all the joy out of eating, but it might be one of the worst things you can do for your health.

No shame – we all do it, but we’re here to tell you to stop.

So, let’s get this out of the way first: all food is inherently neutral. There is no such thing as ‘good’ food or ‘bad’ food. Okay?

Eating a burger and chips one night isn’t going to give you diabetes or heart disease. It’s more about your overall eating patterns.

The deeper harm in restricting yourself from foods is that when you do have a ‘cheat meal’ or a ‘bad day’, you’ll usually end up feeling guilty and shameful.

Instead of policing all of your food choices, try to get rid of the emotional attachment and start listening to your body – eat what you want in moderation. By doing this we guarantee healthy foods will taste even better, and you’ll stop feeling like a failure over enjoying foods that are good, overall.

 

Whether you are having a drink at home or in a public space, it is supposed to be worry-free.

However, considering that there are reports of drinks getting drugged or spiked, one needs to be careful and understand the risks that come with leaving drinks unattended or drinking carelessly.

In this article, we will share some advice on how to remain safe and avoid tainted drinks while still being able to enjoy the experience of relaxation. Find below basic tips you should take into consideration to make sure you are drinking as safely and enjoyably as possible.

Only Drink Cocktails That You Can Watch Being Made

If you are drinking out in public or with company, ensure that you watch your cocktails or similar beverages being made. Order drinks that you are familiar with the recipe to enable you to monitor what is being added and if there is an ingredient you should be wary of.

Opt For Canned Or Bottled Drinks

Although canned or bottled drinks does not guarantee that your drink is taint free, you are decreasing the risk of your drink getting spiked or drug.

Bring Your Own Drink

If possible, consider bringing your own drink from home with you are going for an outing that requires you drink. it is an easy way for you to ensure that you know what you’re drinking and where it came from.

Seek Medical Attention ASAP If You Feel Strange

If you’re feeling weird after you’ve had a drink, don’t second-guess yourself. Ask a trusted friend to get you professional medical help immediately.   That way, you have someone looking out for your best interests even if you’re incapacitated.

Avoid Surprisingly Cheap Liquor

If you’re in a new place and you’re shocked by how cheap a handle of liquor is, then it might be too good to be true. This could be a sign that you’re about to purchase illicit or unregulated alcohol. If the price seems too cheap to be true, it probably is. Be mindful of cheap, discount products. Keep the four “P’s” in mind: place, product, price, and packaging.

 

BY:  AKINWALE AKINYOADE

 

Francesca Chaney, already a successful Black business owner at the young age of 22, has great taste for food and a big heart for underserved people. Her Brooklyn-based vegan restaurant called Sol Sips, is not only famous for its healthy food but is also recognized for letting patronizers pay what they can afford – even if it cuts into her profits!

Chaney developed an interest in healthy eating when she was just a child. She was inspired by her mother, who is a vegan, and became a vegan herself when she was 18-years old. Since then, she began dreaming about opening up her own restaurant that offers nutritious, plant-based foods.

Initially, she started Sol Sips as a pop-up shop in the neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn. However, in April earlier this year, Chaney made the location permanent. Her and her staff serve plant-based beverages and plant-based “bites” made with only four ingredients or fewer that are soy-free and with low acidity. One of the best-sellers is a plant-based dish that is an alternative to the New York staple — eggs are made of chickpeas, bacon is tempeh, and the cheese is dairy-free.

More than introducing a unique and healthy food alternative, Chaney wanted more people, especially those who are in underserved communities, to be able to come and eat at Sol Sips. So she decided to create a brunch menu with a sliding-scale pricing — which means people can enjoy their dishes for a price that’s anywhere between $7 to $15. That way, she hoped everyone can take part in the dishes.

“We started that initiative,” Chaney told the Rachel Ray Show, “because we wanted to make sure that everyone that lives here can get more foods that help us to get our nutrients in.”

Since it’s already a given that she couldn’t make much money with such altruism, there are people and organizations who wanted to help Chaney with her cause. Dairy-free brand So Delicious — which Chaney herself uses in her dishes — donated $5,000 to help her continue her advocacy.

Also, earlier this year, Chaney started a GoFundMe campaign to help her with the expenses to further expand Sol Sips. So far, it has raised over $5,500 and contributions from $5 to some hundred dollars keep coming in.

For more information about Sol Sips, follow her on Instagram at @solsipsnyc

Source: Blackbusiness.org

I vividly remember my article ‘Lagos Hustle’, where I narrated my daily activities in a bid to paint the picture of how stressful it is to work or live in Lagos. I read the various responses about how I was trying to be a super woman. Some people even called my husband a lazy man who was not helping me in anyway. While I enjoy reading the comments and feedbacks, sometimes I think we are too quick to judge without checking the angles to understand what the writer is trying to say.

I am first a woman, before I became a wife and a mother. As a growing girl, I had dreams, things I hoped to achieve, status I wanted to attain, lives I wanted to touch, and I will still try to achieve those dreams.

This is what drives me. My dreams shouldn’t change because marriage and motherhood happened, no. As much as I would try my best to make a success of my roles as a wife and a mother, I should also try and make a success of my dreams.

The worst thing that can happen to any human is to live an unfulfilled life. I don’t think it’s right to think that marriage or motherhood is enough validation as a human, there has to be more to life. I love my husband and children, but I also love ME and will strive to make ME happy. So every hustle I make is not because I don’t have an option of staying at home to be a good wife and mother, every hustle is because I had my dreams as a girl and I want to make them happen.

It will be total injustice for a girl to endure the stress of getting educated or skilled and then throw them away on the altar of being a wife and mother, well if it works for you, good, but it does not work for me.

And that is why I have a problem with being told plainly without mincing words that my place is in the kitchen and bedroom. I disagree. I don’t think any man would set out to marry a dumb, foolish girl as a wife. What kind of kids would she give you? How would she even be able to take care of your home? Marrying such a woman will be tantamount to inviting unending stress into your life because you will end up doing double roles.

I believe that one of the qualities men look out for when picking a wife is smartness, they need to be assured that God forbid if anything happens to them, their kids and properties will be ably handled and safeguarded by their wives. So they marry smart women. Assuming they have political ambitions, they not only marry smart women they go for the ones that are skilled at communication and winning people to their sides, and they bring out their wives to campaign for them when the need arises. How can you then tell me to my face, after bearing and training your children for you, after giving you both moral, emotional, psychological and financial support (if need be) that I belong to the kitchen, just because I am bold enough to air my opinion?

I remember back then as an undergraduate, I knew someone who would always say he wanted to marry me. I thought he was joking about it then. One day, he came to the house and started again with his usual talk, so I told him to get on his knees and propose to me. It was a joke but he took offence and said, what if he got on his knees and I refused to marry him, how would he get up? That as a titled man it was a taboo for him to kneel for a woman. So I told him that my greatest desire is for my fiancé to propose to me on his knees. That was the end of his marriage proposal, he stopped saying it and even avoided coming to the house if I was around.

America is on the verge of having a woman as its first female president. Will we ever have such achievement with politics in Nigeria, if we are constantly reminded that we belong to the kitchen? So I say so, I don’t belong in the kitchen, I also have a dream and will strive to achieve it, so help me God!

Source: Bellanaija

You will need
2 canYou will need
2 cans of Plum tomatoes
2 medium red onions
Ginger – amount depends on your tolerance, but you should be able to smell the ginger in the uncooked pepper mix, otherwise you haven’t added enough
A sprinkling of thyme – emphasis on sprinkling
A sprinkling of curry powder
3 – 4 pieces of ata rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper
3 pieces of tatashe
Sunflower oil – or your choice of veg oil
How To
1. First things first, blend your pepper mix + ginger. Take out a quarter of 1 of the onions and set aside. Make sure you keep your nose out for the ginger. Very important, but carefully ensure that you do not go overboard with it. Boil the pepper mixture to reduce it until it becomes thick. Also be on the look out for the colour. Big Oladunni’s Chicken Stew is a feast for the eyes and palate.
2. Boil your chicken with chopped onions, ginger, salt and seasoning cubes. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: To boil chicken, you start with steaming it first in its own juices, decanting that first batch of stock, adding a little extra water, and put back on the heat again. This is how Mummy does it. She always stressed that you should never end up with more than 2, cups of stock, per whole chicken, otherwise you have just adulterated the flavour of the chicken by boiling it with too much water. Advice drilled in my ears over time. Mummy would get quite upset with you if you boiled chicken with a lot of water. Fry or grill after boiling and set aside.
3. By now, you should have your aromatic and sweet smelling reduced pepper mix. When you get to make this and you leave feedback, I really would be expecting comments about the aroma of the pepper.
4. Heat up sunflower oil in the same pot you boiled the chicken with, so as to caramelise as much of the chicken bits left behind. Chop the last quarter of the onion from step 1, add to the oil and let it fry till it softens.
5. Add the reduced pepper and let it fry. See what I as saying about the pleasant to the eye colour. Yeeeeees, once you can achieve this, you are on to something fantastic. Allow it to fry for a bit until you start to see bubbles appear in the pepper.
6. Sprinkle in a little curry powder and thyme. Emphasis on sprinkle because these spices are just flavour enhancers, and should not over power this stew
7. Allow the pepper to fry till it absorbs the oil and takes on a glossy kind of look. This is key.
8. Big Oladunni’s stew is not fried for ages like Buka stew (recipe click HERE), or else you lose the flavour of the ginger, so keep an eye on the pepper. Once the pepper has thickened further from Step 7 above, add the chicken stock, and fried or grilled chicken. Stir and lower the heat. Now, this is where the magic happens.
Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: Lowering the heat is vital. You forget and you will hear her screaming from the living room “shey o ti yina e lole”. English for have you turned down the heat. I know some may be wondering if my mother speaks any English at all, not to worry she has a BA in English from University of Ibadan and was an English teacher for years before she left to setup her own schools. Some of my memories of cooking with her just happen to be in Yoruba.
9. Allow it to fry until you start to notice oil patches on top. Once you start to notice a little oil layer above the stew, take it off the heat, and as Mummy does, just leave it to sit on its own for a while, to allow the flavours to develop before you serve.
This is a bite your fingers, crush all the bones to smithereens kind of chicken stew. Its flavour is light, delicious, flirty on your palate and tingly aromatic on your nostrils.
You will enjoy this Chicken Stew, trust me.
Your Sunday Lunch Rice and Chicken Stew will never be the same
This stew is quite flexible, in that you can use leftovers for Peppered Chicken, which is exactly what I did yesterday. Step by step recipe for peppered meats, click
HERE
2cans of Plum tomatoes
2 medium red onions
Ginger – amount depends on your tolerance, but you should be able to smell the ginger in the uncooked pepper mix, otherwise you haven’t added enough
A sprinkling of thyme – emphasis on sprinkling
A sprinkling of curry powder
3 – 4 pieces of ata rodo – scotch bonnet/habanero pepper
3 pieces of tatashe
Sunflower oil – or your choice of veg oil
How To
1. First things first, blend your pepper mix + ginger. Take out a quarter of 1 of the onions and set aside. Make sure you keep your nose out for the ginger. Very important, but carefully ensure that you do not go overboard with it. Boil the pepper mixture to reduce it until it becomes thick. Also be on the look out for the colour. Big Oladunni’s Chicken Stew is a feast for the eyes and palate.
2. Boil your chicken with chopped onions, ginger, salt and seasoning cubes. Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: To boil chicken, you start with steaming it first in its own juices, decanting that first batch of stock, adding a little extra water, and put back on the heat again. This is how Mummy does it. She always stressed that you should never end up with more than 2, cups of stock, per whole chicken, otherwise you have just adulterated the flavour of the chicken by boiling it with too much water. Advice drilled in my ears over time. Mummy would get quite upset with you if you boiled chicken with a lot of water. Fry or grill after boiling and set aside.
3. By now, you should have your aromatic and sweet smelling reduced pepper mix. When you get to make this and you leave feedback, I really would be expecting comments about the aroma of the pepper.
4. Heat up sunflower oil in the same pot you boiled the chicken with, so as to caramelise as much of the chicken bits left behind. Chop the last quarter of the onion from step 1, add to the oil and let it fry till it softens.


5. Add the reduced pepper and let it fry. See what I as saying about the pleasant to the eye colour. Yeeeeees, once you can achieve this, you are on to something fantastic. Allow it to fry for a bit until you start to see bubbles appear in the pepper.


6. Sprinkle in a little curry powder and thyme. Emphasis on sprinkle because these spices are just flavour enhancers, and should not over power this stew


7. Allow the pepper to fry till it absorbs the oil and takes on a glossy kind of look. This is key.


8. Big Oladunni’s stew is not fried for ages like Buka stew (recipe click HERE), or else you lose the flavour of the ginger, so keep an eye on the pepper. Once the pepper has thickened further from Step 7 above, add the chicken stock, and fried or grilled chicken. Stir and lower the heat. Now, this is where the magic happens.


Dooney’s Kitchen Tip: Lowering the heat is vital. You forget and you will hear her screaming from the living room “shey o ti yina e lole”. English for have you turned down the heat. I know some may be wondering if my mother speaks any English at all, not to worry she has a BA in English from University of Ibadan and was an English teacher for years before she left to setup her own schools. Some of my memories of cooking with her just happen to be in Yoruba.


9. Allow it to fry until you start to notice oil patches on top. Once you start to notice a little oil layer above the stew, take it off the heat, and as Mummy does, just leave it to sit on its own for a while, to allow the flavours to develop before you serve.


This is a bite your fingers, crush all the bones to smithereens kind of chicken stew. Its flavour is light, delicious, flirty on your palate and tingly aromatic on your nostrils.


You will enjoy this Chicken Stew, trust me.


Your Sunday Lunch Rice and Chicken Stew will never be the same


This stew is quite flexible, in that you can leftovers for pepperedchicken

Source:dooneyskitchen.com

Nowadays, there are so many food choices, however, the unhealthy ones seem to be more available than the healthy ones. Today on Ariyike weekly, it’s all about food choices. Nutritionists, Doctors, People who have had personal experiences with food choices and People who want to learn, Please get in here and let’s share our views on the healthy food choices we need to make and the unhealthy ones we need to ditch this year.

 

 

A true mother is one who sacrifices for her children, a caregiver who does whatever it takes to put a smile on the faces of her children. In a world where true motherhood is becoming a rarity, Mrs Godwin is an exception

Mrs Godwin is a fish seller and the mother to Joseph, a member of the National Youths Service Corp who recently posted a picture of himself and his mum on social media. In the picture, he is dressed in the NYSC uniform while his mother puts on the NYSC face–cap.The picture was taken in the market where she sells fish. The picture got the attention of Yoruba actress, Toyin Aimakhu.She posted it on her social media platform and it has gone viral since then.

According to Toyin Aimakhu:” God will bless him and his mother. He is a son who will never forget the sacrifice his mother made for him”

In this interview with Women of Rubies, Mrs Godwin shares her inspirational story. It will trigger your emotions and probably make you cry.

The Beginning

My name is Eunice Godwin a fish- seller, she sells frozen and smoked fish. My husband works as a security guard. He lives in Kaduna South, Nassarawa. I gave birth to six children; two boys and four girls .I love my children a lot and would do whatever it takes to make sure they are successful. I was selling orange before but the business was not giving me what I needed to support my family and I started the fish business because I see it as a means to sponsor my children’s education. The fact that I make profit from this business gives me joy and makes me fulfilled,

Challenges

I am facing a lot of challenges in my business. Government workers are against people selling by the roadside and we are always in constant fear that they can show up at any time. Another challenge I face is that my neighbors complain that the smoke coming out from the fishes irritate them .I need a place I can be doing that because I sell smoked and fresh fishes, also most times there is no market and I have to bring the fish back home , these things sometimes want me to give up but I won’t.

READ ALSO : 12 Thing mentally strong women don’t do

Sustaining the business

As a result of the need to sponsor my children’s education, I put in my best and do everything within my power to sustain the business. The profit made is sent to my children in school. I used the profits made from selling fish to sponsor my child who is currently undertaking his national youth service and others who just gained admission. I have always dreamt of sponsoring my children to the university and this is already happening

Giving up

I sometimes feel like giving up on my business. I buy the fishes on credit and pay at the end of the day. Sometimes I am not able to pay all because I would need the money, to be sent to my son in school. This makes me owe the person who sold the fishes to me .I am still paying the debt because it is much

Viral picture

When my son told me the picture we took has spread I was really surprised. I didn’t really look beautiful in the picture. I am really happy for it. My son was used by God to make the picture go that far.

Advice to Mothers

Take care of your children and they will take care of you, seedtime and harvest time will not seize.

Being a Woman of Rubies

I see Proverbs31:10-31 as a reflection of the person God created me to be. This makes me a Woman of Rubies