5 foods for good memory and better concentration

Today I will provide you a list of 5 food that are great for good memory and better concentration. If you forget things and you cannot concentrate, do not worry. You can improve these things in a natural way by starting to eat foods that help you with this problems. If you include the following aliments in you daily routine, you will notice improvements for a good memory.

1. Nuts for good memory

Nuts are on the first place because they look like a little brain. Nuts protect our brain against cognitive decline. Also, due to rich content of antioxidants, nuts protect our brain cells from free radicals.

2. Coffee for good memory

Many people drink coffee every morning but they do not know that coffee is very healthy for brain. Helps you to concentrate better and put your brain to work. For your health, however, I recommend you to choose a healthy coffee with a little sugar.

3. Berries for good memory

They are the best anti-aging foods. These fruits protect the brain from daily stress and, because they have an incredible content of antioxidants help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. In addition, studies have confirmed that the berries improve learning ability.

4. Spinach for good memory

It is rich in vitamin E, which is known that this vitamin improves cognitive activity and helps to increase brain tissue. Also, this vitamin present in spinach stimulates the release of dopamine, a substance that controls the flow of information in the brain. Moreover, spinach contains lutein, an antioxidant that fights against cognitive decline.

5. Water for good memory

Water is the most natural substance that you can consume. Our body is made from water, so it is crucial in maintaining our health. Without enough water, your brain does not function at its peak and  this is a reason of headaches and lack of concentration. A study from 2011 revealed that not only the body suffers of dehydration, but also the brain does.

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OVEN ROASTED SEA BASS

Are you a lean mean healthy eating machine?  Do you want to add more Omega 3’s to your diet, oh yeah and eat more veggies.  You know those plants are good for you.  Well, guess what brothers and sisters?  This recipe is all about clean, healthy,  low calorie, omega 3, veggie boosting your diet.  Can I get a “booya” after I tell you that this recipe is on your table in less than 30 minutes.

Now don’t get all “I don’t like sea bass or I ain’t never had sea bass or I can’t cook sea bass” because I say rubbish.

Sea bass is a white flaky fish that is painless to cook, a little marinate some hot heat and voila its finished.  Sea Bass has a mild, delicate flavor that goes well with almost any vegetable.  It has a flavor and texture similar to Cod.  You can actually substitute Cod in this recipe as well as Halibut.

Choose the type of white fish you use in this recipe based on what is available in your area and make sure that you purchase your fish from a store that only offers wild caught seafood that is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship council.  I typically buy mine from Whole Foods.

With a side of some tender asparagus spears and marinated mushrooms you have the complete meal in one dish that goes from oven to table.  Literally you only use one dish, which means… yep you got it, less dishes to wash.

Are you in love yet?  Well, if you are still not sure, you let me know after you have a taste, cuz I know you will be swooning.

OVEN ROASTED SEA BASS

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

22 mins

 

Author: Amy Stafford

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 large lime)
• 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 generous tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 large shallot, peeled and minced
• 5 teaspoons avocado oil + more for baking dish
• 2 6-ounce sea bass fillets (each about 1½" thick)
• ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• About 15 Small Bella mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 pound Asparagus Spears, trimmed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl.
3. Brush 13 x 9" porcelain or glass baking dish with a bit of oil.
4. Arrange fish at one end prepared dish.
5. Add asparagus spears next to fish and sliced mushrooms at opposite end.
6. Sprinkle fish and vegetables with salt and pepper. Flip fish and sprinkle other side with salt and pepper.
7. Drizzle Soy sauce over fish, asparagus and mushrooms.
8. Place in preheat oven and bake until just opaque in center, about 12 minutes.

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CAULIFLOWER ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

Our family absolutely loves soup and I am really talking about myself. The significant other will tolerate them as long as they have meat, which this one does not. Keep reading to see if he loves this soup or not.

During the colder season, late fall and the entire season of winter, I love having soups with my meal. Not only are they delicious, but they warm you up inside. I love them if they have meat or not. If it is a hearty soup we have it just by itself, it is isn’t hardy there is always meat served with it.

The other night we had this soup with hamburgers. It’s definitely a weird combination; however, it was truly delicious. It is a soup where you would want to serve with it something else, as well. That was the case for us, but we are very hardy eaters.

I just want to let you know, I think you all will love this soup! Have you ever tried the roasted red pepper soup from Trader Joe’s? If so, this is so much better and easier on your wallet – which I love.

Not only will I think you will love it, but it’s really simple to make. The longest part of making this soup is allowing the red peppers and cauliflower to roast in the oven.

CAULIFLOWER ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

 

COOK TIME

1 hour

TOTAL TIME

1 hour

 

Author: Chelsea @ Gal on a Mission

Serves: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium-sized red bell peppers
• 1 head of cauliflower, diced into florets
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium-sized onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the red bell peppers in half, scoop out the seeds and lay face-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil in the oven on high until the skin has become black. Remove from the oven and place into a sealed container and allow the peppers to cool down and steam. This step makes it easier to remove the skin from the pepper.
2. Broil the cauliflower florets in the oven on high until they are tender and crisp, making sure to turn them over halfway. Takes about 20-25 minutes.
3. While the cauliflower is roasting, place the oil in a large pot, add in the diced onion and garlic cloves. Saute over medium-to-low-heat until the onions are tender and caramelized.
4. Add the chicken stock, thyme, and smoked paprika into the pot and mix everything together. Allow the mixture to simmer on medium-heat.
5. Remove the skins from the peppers, dice the peppers and add them into the pot; mix together. Do the same with the cauliflower. Allow the soup to simmer on medium-heat for 20 minutes.
6. Add the soup into a blender 2 cups at a time and blend until the mixture is creamy and pureed. Do the same with the rest of the soup. Add the pureed soup into the same pot, add salt and pepper to taste; allow it to simmer on low-heat until ready to serve;

ROSEMARY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Happy Friday, everyone!

By the time you read this, I will be tucked away in a cabin with a bunch of girlfriends (and without wifi!) deep in the heart of Arkansas for a long weekend at the lake.  And oh man, I’ve been looking forward to this trip for weeks!  The plan for the weekend is to blissfully not have a plan, and just spend the weekend relaxing by the lake and sleeping in and cozying up with good books and cooking together and drinking lots of good wine late into the fall evenings and just enjoying the chance to spend days and days off the grid hanging out together.

Well on that note, I thought I would leave you with an ultimate comfort food recipe for the weekend while I’m away.  As the weather is getting chillier, and everyone is arriving home ready for a warm meal, it seemed only appropriate that we kick off fall soup season with a classic — homemade chicken noodle soup.

Although my favorite way to make this soup is with an herby, aromatic, delicious twist that I think you will all love.

Who’d like some rosemary chicken noodle soup?  :)

When it comes to comfort food, I’m pretty sure that good ol’ chicken soup for the soul is always a good idea.

I love it on chilly evenings, I love it even when it’s warm, I love ordering it out at restaurants, I love making a big pot at home on the stove, I loved popping open the ol’ cans of it back in college, and I love experimenting with fresh and healthier versions today, I love it when I’m sick, I love it when I’m feeling great, I love making a big batch to freeze, I love sharing steaming hot bowls with friends.

Basically, as they said so well on SNL, IloveitIloveitIloveit.  :)

But as much as I indiscriminately love all chicken noodle soup, I have discovered over the years that my favorite way to make it involves one simple tweak — lots and lots and lots of fresh rosemary.

(Well, I strongly recommend fresh rosemary if you can get your paws on it.  But dried rosemary — or if you must go dried, I highly recommend using powdered rosemary in order to avoid the little spiky needles — will also work.)

Traditional chicken noodle soup recipes usually use at least a hint of rosemary, usually mixed with thyme.  But my version is all rosemary, all the way.  It’s fragrant and woodsy flavor gives an unexpected (yet subtle) kick to traditional chicken noodle soup.  And every time I make it, people love it and always ask about the “secret” ingredient.

So simple!  Yet so deliciously satisfying.  :)

The other great thing about this particular recipe is that it can be ready to go from start to finish in about 30 minutes.  My kind of recipe!  I tend to take shortcuts by using high-quality organic chicken stock (very important — I recommend Trader Joe’s, Swanson’s, or Kitchen Basics) and I shred a rotisserie chicken while the soup is coming to a boil to save time (although you could also use any pre-cooked chicken like my slow cooker shredded chicken).

Feel free to also sub in your favorite kind of noodles.  I went traditional with some wide egg noodles, but whole-wheat pasta, or even gluten-free noodles would also work well.

However you make it — if you love fresh rosemary and you love a big ol’ bowl of chicken noodle soup — I think this one may be just the soup for you this winter.  Enjoy, friends!

ROSEMARY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

This Rosemary Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is kicked up a notch with the addition of lots of fresh aromatic rosemary, and it's ready to go in about 30 minutes!

PREP: 8 MINS COOK: 22 MINS TOTAL: 30 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, ends trimmed and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 8 cups (64 ounces) good-quality chicken stock
• 3-4 stalks *fresh rosemary (or more/less to taste)
• 6 ounces wide egg noodles (or use gluten-free noodles if making this GF)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• salt and pepper
• (optional: chopped fresh parsley for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add carrots and celery and saute for another 3-4 minutes, or until the carrots are softened a bit.  Add garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Add chicken stock and stir until combined.  Gently stir the rosemary into the soup, then continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes until the broth has your desired level of rosemary flavor.  (You can add in more rosemary if needed.)

Once the broth is ready, remove the rosemary, and stir in the egg noodles and chicken.  Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes or until the egg noodles are al dente.  (The longer they cook, the more broth they will soak up.  Feel free to add more chicken stock if desired.)  Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm, garnished with extra black pepper and fresh parsley if desired.

*A few important notes about rosemary:

If fresh rosemary is not available, you can substitute 2-3 teaspoons (or more) of dried rosemary.  Or 1.5 teaspoons (or more) ground rosemary.  I always recommend starting with less, and then you can always add more if desired.

Also, I'm not a big fan of eating rosemary needles, so I prefer to let the sprigs simmer in the broth until most of their flavor is released, and then just removing them before serving.  But heads up -- they soften and tend to fall apart after they simmer for quite awhile.  So I recommend letting them simmer on top of the stock so that you can remove them easily.  As an alternative, you can also mince them up finely and just eat them with the soup.

To each, her or his own when it comes to rosemary preferences.  ;)

THE BEST CREAMY ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

Who else is already beginning to crave fall soups, everything pumpkin and the cute Fall Fashion that comes along with the gorgeous month of Autumn? I swear I must not be the only one. I have a bunch of Fall dresses and cozy sweaters that are just itching to surface from the back of my closet just in time for the leaves to change. Too soon? 

And with Fall comes soup. And lot’s of it. I’m a soup person. I love rich, hearty, nutritious, comforting soups in particular and what better way to welcome Fall than with a giant bowl of Healthy Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup?

This soup means business. Not only are the tomatoes roasted to perfection but I also threw the garlic and onions in the oven to roast alongside the tomatoes for good measure. This equates to some serious soup flava and also less hands on time in the kitchen pre-sauteing the veggies before blending them into a delicious soup. Less work and more tastiness? Yes, please!

This soup even got the thumbs up from J – who is a serious soup critic. When gobbling this soup up with some tasty fresh-from-the-oven Easy Artisanal No-Knead Maple Oat & Seed Bread(recipe to come, I’m seriously obsessed), he said to me “Wow, you can really taste the difference of the roasted tomatoes”. He will never admit to me if he doesn’t like a recipe perse, but he’ll politely take a few bites and say that he’s ‘not that hungry’ and will ‘save the rest for later’. Let’s just say, there was not much of this soup left to munch on later and we were both sad when we managed to finish the pot off the next day.

This Healthy Roasted Tomato Soup is creamy, hearty, naturally vegan & gluten-free, boasting with nutritious flavor and is best served alongside a warm piece of homemade, perfect-for-dipping-crusty bread. Fall, ready or not, here I come. 

CREAMY ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

 

PREP TIME

5 mins

COOK TIME

1 hour 10 mins

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 15 mins

 

This is the best Roasted Tomato Soup. The tomatoes are roasted to perfection alongside the garlic and onions for good measure. This Healthy Roasted Tomato Soup is creamy, hearty, vegan, naturally gluten-free, boasting with nutritious flavor and is best served alongside a warm piece of homemade, perfect-for-dipping-crusty bread. In short, this Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup makes the perfect fall or winter meal.

Author: Ceara

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6 bowls

INGREDIENTS

• 16 Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 2½ medium yellow onions, cut in half lengthwise
• One garlic head (see directions - use 8 roasted peeled garlic cloves in soup)
• 1½ tbsp olive oil (for drizzling)
• Salt & Pepper (for drizzling)
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2½ cups water
• 1 cup light coconut/almond milk
• Splash Hot Sauce
• Bay Leaf

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400f or 200c.
2. Cut tomatoes and onions in half lengthwise. To prepare the garlic for roasting, peel the outer skin from the entire head of garlic. Cut the top of the garlic head off in order to expose the top of the garlic (making sure that the majority of the garlic is still intact).
3. Place the tomatoes (facing up), onions and garlic (exposed garlic side up) side-by-side on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 60 minutes. Check after thirty minutes to ensure that garlic and onions are not getting too dark. When perfectly roasted, the tomatoes, onions and garlic should begin to shrivel and begin to darken.
5. Let the vegetables cool down for 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven.
6. In a large pot using an immersion blender or large blender, blend the tomatoes (with the juices that accumulated in the pan while roasting), onions, 8 peeled garlic cloves, paprika, basil, oregano, water, coconut/almond milk and maple syrup until perfectly creamy smooth.
7. Simmer in large pot for 5 minutes with bay leaf to allow the flavors to come together. Season with a couple splashes of hot sauce to taste (optional).
8. Serve alongside a warm piece of crusty bread! Enjoy!

EASY THAI SHRIMP SOUP

I am such a sucker for Thai take-out, particularly for red curry and coconut soup. I order it on a weekly basis! But ordering take-out this often has been getting a bit costly so this homemade coconut curry soup comes in very handy. And it tastes a million times better too.

Best of all, it’s so easy to make, and it doesn’t require ingredients that are hard to find. And if you’re not a fan of shrimp, you can easily swap that out for chicken, pork or even tofu for a vegetarian option. Either way, you’ll be sure to skip your usual Thai take-out and indulge in this budget-friendly version instead!

Easy Thai Shrimp Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 6 servings

Skip the take-out and try making this at home - it's unbelievably easy and 10000x tastier and healthier!

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoon red curry paste
• 2 (12-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
• Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
• Add garlic, onion and bell pepper to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in curry paste until well combined, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in coconut milk and vegetable stock, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in rice, shrimp, lime juice and cilantro.
• Serve immediately.

This is a nice, well-rounded meal that has a good amount of several nutrients including folate, potassium, and iron. Eating soup is also a good way to fill up faster. The water in the soup will fill you up faster than eating solid food and drinking water on the side!