How to Make Boba Bubble Tea at Home - Easy Peasy 1,2,3

I love Boba Tea and there is no better way to experiment with Boba Bubble Tea at home than with a kit made by those that know what they are doing. After making just one batch of Boba Bubble Tea you may find yourself searching for instruction online. Well, skip that silly step and go right for exactly what you need to succeed!

Step 1:
How to make Boba Tea at home? The essentials:

1. Choose your flavors. You will need to choose the flavor of your tea/mix and the flavor of your tapioca pearls (Boba).
2. Do not worry, this is easy!
3. Keep reading this blog and the information provided will help you determine the flavor(s) that you may enjoy.

Boba Tea's Origin
It is unclear when or who invented Boba, but we do know where it was said to be invented, Taichung Taiwan. The exact date has not been found but it is said to be sometime in the 1980s. Most Boba Tea aka Bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed with fruit or milk. 

A few popular flavors are:

• Honeydew Melon
• Taro
• Matcha Green Tea Latte
• Milk Tea

How to drink Boba Tea?
Boba Tea is most often served cold, although sometimes hot, and also blended like a smoothie or shaken like a cocktail. 

• There are hundreds of variants of the drink
• The most popular Boba/Bubble Tea drink is milk tea with tapioca pearls
• There are also variations of Boba, mostly with the color being or dark brown. 
• Boba has a mild sweet taste
• Some people also add flavored gelatin, called jellies, to the bottom of the cup.
• The newest type of Boba is called "popping Boba"

What is popping Boba?
Popping Boba are pearl-sized beads that are filled with fruit-flavored syrup, they pop when you bite into them. 

Where can you buy Boba?
Boba shops are up all over the world. One Boba drink at a Boba Tea shop or cafe will set you back about $4.00 - $6.00 on average. Quality and styles vary from shop to shop Additionally you can buy Boba Tea and make it yourself.

Start easy with an all-in-one kit. Most of these kits provide everything (except milk, ice, blender to get your drink started. 

Here are my 5 Favorite Boba Bubble Tea Kits:

1. J Way's Brown Sugar Bubble Tea Kit

2. Premium DIY Boba Tea Kit with Matcha, Earl Grey, Jasmine, Tapioca Pearls and Straws

3. The Ultimate DIY Bubble Tea Kit 6 Flavors

4. The Perfect Boba / Bubble Tea Starter Kit, 60+ Drinks, 6 Flavors, Boba Pearls, Cups, Straws, and Shaker

5. Matcha Pink Latte Kit - Premium Matcha Bubble Tea Kit Gift Set

What is Boba (Bubble Tea)?
Bubble tea is a tea-based drink invented in Taiwan during the 1980s, which is shaken with ice to create the "bubbles", a foamy layer on top of the drink; chewy tapioca balls are added as well. Ice-blended versions are frozen and put into a blender, resulting in a slushy consistency. Wikipedia

The 10+ Drinks Thai Boba Tea Kit:

Tea Powder, Tapioca Pearls & Straws By Buddha Bubbles Boba (shown below) is a great way to start your Boba Bubble Tea journey. It includes everything but plastic cups.

• 10 Ounces Thai Boba Tea Powder (makes 10 drinks)
• 10 Ounces Black 5 minute Boba Pearls (makes 10 drinks)
• Fat Boba Straws

 

I really like this specialty Boba Bubble Tea Kit (shown below) package though. It makes this journey easy and offers all types of flavors, including a custom flavor set. This truly is the ULTIMATE DIY Boba / Bubble Tea Kit, 60+ Drinks, 6 Flavors, Boba Pearls, Cups, Straws, and Shaker (FUN)...no joke!

There are four different package options are available:

• Fruity with Banana, Coconut Cream, Mango, Papaya, Green Apple, Watermelon
• Fun Bubble Tea Package with Almond, Bubble Gum, Lychee, Lavender, Rose, Taro
• Custom Bubble Tea Kit with your choice of 6 from flavors
• Classic Boba Tea Kit for home or business with Taro, Honeydew Melon, Green Tea Latte, Milk Tea, Thai Tea, Spiced Chai Tea Latte

There are many flavors available and even though Strawberry isn't as traditional of a flavor as Taro and Red Tea it is pretty tasty and the kids will love it. 

Fun flavors for kids:

• Strawberry Cream Boba Bubble Tea Drink Mix Powder
• Banana Cream Boba Bubble Tea Drink Mix Powder
• Honeydew Blended Crème Mix
• Variety Pack: Coco Real, Pina Real, and Passion

Don't forget the 10 Minute Fresh Boba / Tapioca Black Pearl 5 Pounds 

What is Boba Tea without tapioca pearls (well honestly it is like a watery shake) but really, what is tapioca and how do you prepare it?

Bubble Tea Supply has some great information on how to prepare tapioca pearls.

How To Prepare Tapioca Pearls For Bubble Tea

	Step 1: Boil Water Make sure there is a minimum of 7 parts water to 1 part tapioca.
	Step 2: Pour tapioca into boiling water When water achieves a rolling boil pour in the tapioca pearls.
	Step 3: Stir lightly Stir the tapioca lightly so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.
	Step 4: Let the tapioca float to the top Let the tapioca pearls float to the top.
	Step 5: Cook for 15 minutes on high heat with the cover on When the tapioca floats, cover the pot. Maintain a rolling boil and stir every 5 minutes.
	Step 6: Steep the cooked tapioca for 15 minutes After cooking for 15 minutes, take the pot off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes covered.
	Step 7: Drain the water from the cooked tapioca Run lukewarm or cold water over the pearls and drain the water from them.
	Step 8: Cover in sugar syrup Pour tapioca into a container and cover in sugar syrup or brown sugar. Cover the container. Serve when ready.

 Another fun and fruity Boba Tea option is:

• Qbubble's Tea Mango Powder with 50pcs Straws and Black Tapioca Pearl

Make it easy for you and your crew with this sweet set of all of the basic boba tea drink accessories that you will need to make just what you need. 

• ✅ Fusion Select - Best Combination and Selection inventor - Presenting Mango Flavor Tea with Tapioca Pearl along with 50 pcs of Bubble Size Straw
• ✅ Easy premixed powder to create a fun party drink with Bubble Pearl from Wufuyuan - Great for any occasions: Party, College, baby shower and Etc
• ✅ Same Professional flavor on the market - Never had to take a long drive when you have the carve for bubble tea. Mango Bubble Tea Hot or Cold Mango Bubble Tea
• ✅ Make your own bubble tea (Mango Flavor with great Bubble Available)
• ✅ The Bubble is easy to make and ready in 5 minute

Lorcaserin - A Weight Loss Pill That May Actually Work with Hallucinogenic Properties?

Update 2/23/2021: 

This product has been recalled, maybe it didn't work afterall?

Wikipedia reposrts that, "In December 2012, the US Drug Enforcement Administration proposed classifying lorcaserin as a Schedule IV drug because it has hallucinogenic properties at higher than approved doses and users could develop psychiatric dependencies on the drug.On 7 May 2013, the US Drug Enforcement Administration classified lorcaserin as a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled Substances Act." Excerpt from Wikipedia Lorcaserin

-----------------------------------------------------------

Original blog post 7/1/2012 (shown below):
If you have a BMI of more than 30 or more than 27 BMI  (Body Mass Index) with health conditions, you may be eligible for a recently FDA released weight loss drug. Lorcaserin is the first prescription available for anti-obesity to actually win the FDA's approval, since the defective Orlistat in 1999.

Don't go ask your doctor quite yet, as approval is still being sought from the  (DEA )Drug Enforcement Agency), once this happens the drug will begin its marketing and distribution throughout the United States.

33% of Americans have been declared obese, with an additional 36% considered overweight. Being overweight presents many issues for a person, including emotional and physical discomfort.  Lorcaserin aka Belviq is made by the San Diego based Arena Pharmaceuticals. With so much of the population struggling with weight loss and everyone seeking a "quick fix", something better happens soon.  Food can be a difficult journey because unlike an alcoholic or drug addict, food is everywhere!! Work, gas stations, yummy fast food commercials, parties and at home, this emotional and physiological addiction can be hard to overcome without the proper support from family, friends and a stronger sense of self-will.

Although pills are a quick fix, there are many severe side effects associated with this. Including heart defects and permanent gastrointestinal problems. Yet some overweight victims may be at their wit's end with trying to lose the weight and willing to take the risk, but chances are if you are physically abusing your body with food, anorexia or bulimia you may be willing to accept the side effects of  Lorcaserin /Belviq and other weight loss pharmaceuticals.

With or without the pills, here are a few weight loss tips to keep in mind throughout your journey:

• Eat half of what you would normally eat
• Take a walk instead of eating emotionally
• Choose protein over sugar/sweets
• Take it easy
• Join an online or other support group
• Don't isolate yourself and eat
• Find a food plan that works for you
• Replace all of those big plates and bowls with smaller plates and bowls and don't take seconds

Additional tips:

Helpguide.org

Webmd.com - Best Weight Loss Tips

Disclaimer: Talk to your Dr. before trying anything new in regards to your health. This website holds no responsibility for your own dumb and smart actions. Don't be a snowflake.

Top 20 Freebies Online for Every Occasion - Health, Dating. Free Education and Free Business Development and more

Need help with everyday life? Here are some of my everyday favorites that get me through the day. Top 20 Freebies Online for Every Occasion - Health, Dating. Free Education and Free Business Development and more!

School Help and Schooling

1. Free homework help - Cramster.com
2. Free graph paper for, well.  Graphpaper.us
3. Free SAT, ACT or GRE test preparation Number2.com
4. Free language courses by LiveMocha.com, interactive with opportunities to win advanced language classes by helping others learn.
5. College - MIT yes the geek school has opened up their classes for free, amazing ocw.mit.edu
6. Free textbooks online Questia.com

Business Development

1. Free business classes and business plan templates - the Small Business Association (SBA) government agency
2. Free credit reports AnnualCreditReport.com
3. Free Tax help IRS.gov

4. Free legal advice, Ask real attorneys any legal question and receive a personalized answer Avvo.com

Kids and Family

1. Toys R US: Your child will receive a gift, a card and even a phone call from Geoffrey the giraffe on their birthday Trubdayclub.com
2. Free legal advice - ask a real lawyer and receive an answer or find legal advice.  Avvo.com

Dating and Health

1. Free online dating website - OKCupid.com
2. Free virtual makeovers, hairstyles and make-up by Taaz.com
3. Free medical help, sign up and manage you health, weight and learn about health issues

Life's Accessories

1. Free Cell Phone Ringtones Myxer.com
2. Free text messaging - enter your friends cell carrier and phone number and you're ready to go Textem.net
3. Free greeting cards - by 123greetings.com Skype.com/intl/en-us/home
4. Free online games, Scrabble, Monopoly, Bingo, you name it seems like they have it Pogo.com
5. Free crosswords from BestCrossWords.com
6. Free music online and on your smartphone Pandora.com

Jessica Simpson's Weight Loss Failures and Successes

There are so many roads to weight loss. Permanent or otherwise, weight gain can creep up on you while weight loss can come at the most unexpected times. Some people handle stress with food and some just don't have that need to eat. Jessica Simpson a recent new mom and weight loss achiever of over 60 pounds was caught showing off her new body during this year's Halloween season.

Image courtesy of: Jessica Simpson 

Kudos to you Jessica Simpson for beating that rough road that so many women struggle through after having a baby. Many women find themselves in a place of desperation after their once beautiful body becomes stretched and tired. Many women don't find the strength or the desire to move forward into something better, weight loss takes work and people who tell you otherwise are not dealing with the underlying problems.

Here is an example of Jessica Simpson's daily regimen (per the Examiner) that has caught the media's eye:

Her daily weight-loss diet and workout program typically consists of the following:

7 a.m. - Jessica wakes up and feeds Maxwell, then has breakfast: half a flat-bread sandwich with egg whites, peppers and fat-free cheddar

8 a.m. - Simpson walks up to an hour a day, trying to get at least 14,000 steps on her pedometer. Afterward: a snack of berries, bananas, melon or grapefruit.

11 a.m. - Four days a week, Simpson works out for 45 minutes with a trainer doing a combination of cardio and circuit-training exercises such as dumbbell triceps extensions, hamstring curls and crunches with a medicine ball.

1 p.m. - Jessica eats lunch of spinach salad with 4 ounces of chicken satay and pear.

2 p.m. Simpson walks again outside or on the treadmill, then has a berry smoothie.

6:30 p.m. Dinner of fish (4 ounces of halibut or tilapia) with roasted eggplant, broccoli or asparagus. Low-fat ice cream for dessert.

10 p.m. Bedtime.

The media is so hard on movie stars and women in general, high expectations of always being beautiful and catching them at that glorious moment when they let their hair down must really be stressful. But just like the normal everyday Joe's life, weight loss takes discipline. Including mental discipline, deciding what and what you do not want to have in your life and in your thoughts can help you succeed and push through to your goals. 

"I have to separate myself from the world's expectations," she said, "I have to look inside myself. I'm not a supermodel...I just wanna be a better version of myself." - Jessica Simpson -

Carrie Underwood's Favorite Get Healthy Stay Fit Diet Food

Everyone has a favorite meal, some have more than one. If you had an insane amount of money, like most of the popular celebrities and an inextinguishable amount of weight loss and nutritional resources what would you eat? Well let's find out:

Carrie Underwood:
She is a vegetarian and prefers vegetable stir-fry usually tofu and peppers. She explains to US Magazine that "It's her go-to meal."

Image courtesy of: Supplements Love

"Nearly a decade-and-a-half later, the plan she's worked out with nutritionist Cara Clark is imminently more sensible with the vegetarian (a "wannabe vegan") aiming for a solid mix of protein, carbs and fat on each plate.

Image courtesy of: Talent Cap

"I love rules," she offers by way of explaining her strategy of consuming 45 percent carbs, 30 percent fat and 25 percent protein plus at least a gallon of water each day. "This is how I feel good about myself, and this is how I operate."
(Excerpt, E-online 2021, Carrie Underwood's Exact Plan For Staying Fit)

Image courtesy of: Yahoo

LIn 2020, Carrie Underwood posted a taste of her detailed full-body workouts on her Instagram page. Here workout details mention:

•  Burpees
• Thrusters
• Barbell squats
• Deadlifts
• Alligator pushups
• and treadmill sessions

But how does she do it? How does she stay fit? In a recent article by https://news.amomama.com they report that Carrie Underwood puts more effort into her exercise routine while cutting down on her daily calorie intake. Sometimes her calorie content only amounts to around 800 per day.

Image courtesy of: Instagram

Miley Cyrus Gluten-Free Diet

Back in 2012 Miley Cyrus got a lot of media attention regarding her choice to change her lifestyle and food choices by adopting a gluten-free attitude. I say "attitude", because going gluten-free is as hard, or harder than going vegetarian, and probably as hard as going vegan. Wheat and gluten seems to be in everything.

Image Source: US Magazine

Chances are you are probably familiar with wheat, just keep in mind that everything with flour includes wheat. Unless the flour is an alternative flour, like rice or corn. But what about gluten-free?

What is gluten-free per Wikipedia: "Gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat (including Kamut and spelt), barley, rye, and triticale. Corn and rice also contain gluten but are considered gluten-free, as the gluten in these species does not cause celiac disease. A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease, the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy, but not gluten allergy."

If you are considering a gluten-free diet you may want to consider talking to your doctor. Many people that are on a gluten-free diet replace wheat flour and wheat-based products with the following:

• corn
• potatoes
• rice
• tapioca (derived from cassava)
• amaranth
• arrowroot
• millet
• lupini beans
• quinoa
• sorghum (jowar)
• taro
• teff
• chia seed
• yam 
• Some bean, soybean, and nut flours are used in gluten-free products.

Many major recipe resources are finally acknowledging gluten-free needs, here is a small list of popular gluten-free recipes:

1. Food Network
2. All Recipes
3. Gluten-Free Goddess
4. Celiac
5. Food.com

Soon after the 2012 Miley Cyrus gluten-free episode, she tweeted to her Twitter followers that she does not have an eating disorder, that in fact, she has an allergy to gluten and lactose. Here was her response, nice Miley, nice! "For everyone calling me anorexic I have a gluten and lactose allergy," she wrote. "It's not about the weight it's about health. Gluten is crapppp anyway!"

Image Source: US Magazine

90210's Jennie Garth's Favorite Food and Her High Protein Vegetable Diet

Jennie Garth, some of you may remember her for her start on the original Beverly Hills 90210 TV show in the 1990's. Jennie's shines with a beautiful, California style and she is now 40 years old. How does she do it? What does she eat?

Her daily diet of chicken, a high protein source has helped her lose 30 unwanted pounds in 2012. Side dishes include...yes vegetables, mostly fresh. 

For more information on High Protein Vegetable Diets visit: 

• EHow's Article on High Protein Vegetable Diets
• Livestrong's High Protein Vegetable Resource

Image courtesy of: Wikipedia, Jennie Garth 2021

Per Wikipedia:
"In 2002, Garth was diagnosed with a leaky heart valve, a condition she stated would require monitoring for the rest of her life. She revealed the diagnosis in 2009. "Down the road it’s something that could get more complicated or it could not," she commented. "People have had valve replacements and that kind of thing … but I’m prepared, that’s the key."

Image courtesy of: Wikipedia, Jennie Garth 2021

In January 2010, Jennie Garth starred in an iVillage web series created by NBC Universal, Garden Party, about farm life, fresh produce and healthy eating. Then on May 3, 2017, Garth launched MomGiftBox.com (now no longer a secure website), "an online subscription box of products to indulge, inspire and pamper moms with every purchase benefiting a charity."

Can Twitter help you lose weight?

New studies show that Twitter may help with weight loss? But now it's just social media? The University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health's researchers recently released a study that followed 96 overweight and obese men over a six-month period. 

The researchers divided the 96 men into two groups:

• one that used podcasts to help them lose weight
• the another coupled podcasts with Twitter via mobile devices

Image courtesy of: Twitter @FunnyFatPeople

The result was that those who used Twitter daily to tweet about their weight loss journey also encouraged others to shed the pounds. This group of men lost more weight than those who did not use Twitter to post about their experiences.

The Twitter study highlights include:

1. Twitter can be used to help individuals live better
2. also can help to encourage healthy behavior and patterns
3. Twitter can be a great resource for helpful weight loss hints and tips for their followers
4. Twitter can help people meet their goals by providing support and allowing the tweet'er to express their journey in a relatively safe context.

Your followers on Twitter can work just like any other support group if you have the right followers. i.e. positive influences. If your followers are negative and belittling, maybe get some new followers to help you reach your goals.

Keep in mind that Twitter and Facebook have been known to set some on an eating craze. For instance, you read something disturbing somebody wrote, it is late at night, and you cannot communicate to them and you get worried. What happens? You head for the fridge. 

So although social media can be helpful you should still be selective. Try Pinterest, at least it lacks the emotional mumbo jumbo!

Image courtesy of: US Magazine