How To Make A Delicious, Healthy Smoothie

Your smoothies shouldn’t just be delicious mixtures of fruits and veggies. Either its a banana, pineapple or strawberry smoothie with or without yogurt, it should boost your health. The need to stay healthy is becoming a really serious issue as people are passing on younger than they should these days. Healthy eating can prevent many lifestyle related illnesses and help with weight loss.

To make a really healthy and delicious smoothie, recipe with try these four key categories of ingredients.

1.    Greens

This is a key part of your smoothie. Green vegetables are super super healthy. Many are rich in fiber and fiber is the most important part of a balanced diet. Your smoothie should contain a green veggie like Cucumber, Lettuce, Kyle, Moringa, Spinach, Cabbage, 'Ugwu', Broccoli. Choose one or two of these options or research to discover more greens. Greens reduce cholesterol, heart disease and cancer. They improve immunity detoxify the body etc. My favourite green is cucumber since it contains a lot of water and doesn’t taste so bad.

2.    The Condition/Deficiency Manager 

If you have a health condition or have a deficiency of some specific nutrients, here’s your chance to make up for it through a supplementary fruit or vegetable in your smoothie. For instance, I wear glasses and tend to have cold so Vitamin A and C are my friends. What’s your condition? Do some research to find out what smoothie ingredient will help you manage it.

3.   Vitamin E 

I wouldn’t tell a woman to make a smoothie without some fruits or veggies containing Vitamin E. They help put our reproduction system in order. Fibroid, irregular period, fertility etc can be managed by Vitamin E. So add some avocado, almond, paw paw and spinach to your smoothie.

4.    Your favourite fruit  

  At this stage you deserve a reward for being so health conscious and you ought to make your smoothie as enjoyable as possible. So pick any fruit you like that can improve the taste of your smoothie especially if your other ingredients aren’t so tasty. For instance, I like bananas so at this stage this will be my option. Some people also want something sour or thingy so they don’t feel the urge to throw up, in that case, you can try some lemon or lime.

-You can also add juice, yogurt and nuts to your smoothie and even dark chocolate but it is important to ensure that your smoothie is not too sweet. That won’t help your blood sugar. When you choose your ingredients consider that.

-Finally, to always enjoy your fruit as often as possible, even on the go or when there’s power failure (if you live in Nigeria) get a usb powered blender.

Hope that was helpful?

I always love questions, comments and all. Please drop them below. See you soon.

The 30 Sec Danfo Toasting Pitch

How do you toast girls?

Do you have a favourite line? Has it been working for you so far?

One Reason for this Blog

Recently, a guy was toasting me with cliches and I wanted to disappear lol. So I thought why not just ask girls what they want and give it to the guys. Simple right?

So I came up with the 30 Dec Danfo Toasting Pitch which tells you a great way to show a babe you are interested, in such a way that she doesn't put you off because your lines are tired. If she no answer, its probably something else like your hair or shoes lol. 

What's in the Pitch?

I drew up two scenerios in which a guy is toasting a babe in a danfo bus. (Why danfo? 'Cause its one of the most awkward places to toast a babe. So if these lines can work in a danfo, it can work pretty much in many other situations).

The Toasting Scenerios

As I was saying jare, scenerio 1 features Guy 1 who toasts a babe in a danfo,

while in scenerio 2 we have Guy 2 who toasts the same girl (at another time) still in a danfo bus. Below are the two scenerios.

Scenerio 1: Guy 1 - In a Danfo Bus
                                                                                                                                                 
Guy- Hello.
Girl- Hi.
Guy- What's your name?
Girl- I'm Ada.
Guy- Do you stay around here?
Girl- No.
Guy- Where do you stay?
Girl- Ikeja.
Guy- What school are you?
Girl- Yaba Tech.
Guy- Can I get your number?

Scenerio 2: Guy 2 - In a Danfo Bus

Guy- This driver is so rough. Hope you are ok? Someone needs Panadol after this journey o.
Girl- I'm fine.
Guy- I'm glad you are fine.
Girl- Thank you.
Guy- I'm Kola, what's your name?
Girl- My name is Ada.
Guy- I will be getting off soon, please can I get your number?

Now, we wanted to find out who's lines are better? Guy 1 or Guy 2? So we decided to ask babes and they didn't dull. 70% of the girls we asked said they will give Guy 2 their number.

Why?

Why?

Try to Converse not Question

Guy 2 tried to engage the babe by starting a conversation instead of going directly to ask personal profile questions like Guy 1. Haba, she can as well have been filling a jamb form or sitting in an interview or registering for BVN. 

Ask Fewer Personal Qs

Also, Guy 2 asked few personal questions. About two. While Guy 1 was just shooting her with questions. Maybe he be FBI.

The First Line Can Make or Break It

Then Guy 2 understood that the first line is very important. That's how you catch a girl's attention. If you get it wrong or say what every guy says like; you look familiar, or heaven has lost an angel etc then the girl could have canceled your request before you even ask another question. Access Denied! Guy 2 not only joked in his first line as he was trying to use their situation to strike a conversation and he showed care by askin if babe was okay. Sharp guy.

So that's it o. Now go ahead  and create your own lines based these ideas. 

I hope this blog has been helpful. Please share and tell me what you think below. :D

The 2015 Innovention Series

I felt this positive forward shove when I listened to the speakers at this event. The theme of this year's Innovention series was identifying the 'next big thing in Africa' which you will find out asap.

One of the speakers, Prof. Pius Adeyemi of Carlton Uni. Canada did in his lecture titled, ‘Iyalaya Anybody’ (no he didn’t) summarized the visions of continents and other regions in the world e.g China’s Vision 2050 and Europe’s 2060 Agenda in comparison with the African Union 2063 and revealed that Africa’s own agenda is the most ambitious agenda setting document. 

He explained that most of these territories similarly agree that innovation, entrepreneurship, knowledge, invention and research are driving forces for future prosperity due to the shift from unsustainable resources like crude oil to human capital like ideas and intellectual property. Countries like UAE made this shift while UK and the US have been living on tourism and intellectual capital for ages. 

Hold on, this does not mean that we are doomed in Nigeria or Africa. There is hope. Nigeria currently depends a lot on oil and baby steps are being taken towards tapping into more sustainable alternatives. The good news is, Africa has plenty of potential in harnessing these driving forces for its future.

 Why?

These driving forces (innovation, entrepreneuship etc) are youth-led forces and behaviours. Bottomline, the youth are Africa’s untapped potential. Yup, people like you and I. If you are reading this and you are not a youth, it doesn't matter. You probably will become a youth one day or you’ve got youth children/ grand-children that you can inspire.

The best part is, compared to other territories, Africa has got tons and tons of youths. This means the African youth needs to be driven for innovation and problem solving because ideas will solve complex problems.

The creative industries (music, film, design, media, fashion, art etc) are also in the centre of this development. The only sad part is why it has taken us too long to realise this. There’s this book called The creative economy: How people make money from ideas by John Howkins. 

Howkins advises on how to turn ideas into money. According to him, US and Britain export more intellectual property than cars! This book was written back in 2001 and it seems that we are just realizing this potential in African. We have not even fully realized it- so spread the word. Tell that youth you know to keep going, stay inspired and persist at churning out ideas. Ideas could save lives, inspire more people, resolve conflicts or feed a nation.

A major challenge we have as discussed by Prof. Adeyemi is that Africans fail to tell their own story. As a result, we have many ideas that stay shelled and unnoticed. So I would say to you that you tell your story especially when its an exceptional one. I will be blogging about ideas that inspire and solve problems so feel free to share your ideas with me.

I also love comments, questions and constructive criticisms so put them in the comment box. 

I will be blogging again soon. xxx

Finding Myself

The problem

My name is Dupe. 

I am a blogger but I stalled- several times. I decided that I really have to do this blog today. This is probably the most important blog that I have ever done. I am writing this because I discovered myself and finally found a sense of meaning. I had been on the trail to finding who I am for a while and at an event that I attended, the final bits of discovery exploded in my head. 

Read more about the event (2016 Innovention Series) I attended here.

So unlike the other blogs I have posted, this content is more for me than for you. Selfish much- I know. In spite of this, I do hope that you find inspiration here, just as I have. Never mind. You will get my meaning shortly.

So what’s the problem? Simple. I stopped blogging. That’s a summary though. The major hitch was- I stopped some things in my life as I moved unto other things. Has this ever happened to you? 

My Journey

I started blogging in 2011 when I finally found a platform through which I could write and reach. That’s all I ever wanted to do when I was little. I studied Mass Communication for that reason and in the process, I fell in love with branding and advertising and found great interest in broadcasting. 

So I currently work in a marketing communications company where I do brand strategy. I also work part time during the weekends as a radio presenter of a fashion program. My life is not rosy-far from it! However, I love God and he helps me handle my challenges. Not just that, others look at my life and feel like they should push harder which is a good thing right?

So I design clothes as well and build the brand of our family business, a couture and ready to wear line. It's called Dadu Bajo.

Recently, I included photography in my resume because I love taking photos (got that from my dad). 

At this point I think I should have stated everything that I do. Hopefully. Oh, I also make male jewelry and sell online (don’t blame me, that market hasn’t been well tapped into). 

There are times that I feel that I have no focus and I need to have an embracing vision. If you are like me, you know what I mean. Or if there are many things you have tried your hands at, you may get me here. It’s not about money. It’s passion. Like this huge itch to start something new that works. There are serial entrepreneurs who successfully do this. They start businesses, sell them and start new ones again. They are ideas guys (I mean guys and girls here)! For instance, Jonathan Fields. He wrote the book, Career Renegade; How to make money doing what you love (you should read it).

I have never really thought of myself as a serial entrepreneur. I have started different stuff and I am yet to execute half of the business ideas that I have (I am not bragging). If there is anything, I believe that I am an innovator. 

My Advice

Developing new ideas isn’t the hard part. Making them work is key. Remembering my tutor back in school during my postgrad study, she mentioned that as a creative person, you sometimes have to kill your own babies (your ideas!) to make things work. Sounds horrid but it’s so true. Some ideas don't work. When you test them and realise this, move on to other ideas instead of having weeds that strangle the true plant.

Solution: Self Discovery

So back to my problem. I had wandered and wandered, lost focus and lost my sense of meaning. I knew this all the while and I felt it deep inside me. As a strategist I like to solve problems and I have to solve problems. Problems get me excited because they make me think of solutions or maybe initial solutions to start with. Feeling the need to turn my unfulfilled feeling around, I began thinking of ways to return to my first love- writing, what I felt made me tick.

I had lost my sense of meaning because I went from deserting the talent that had strengthen me during my childhood days as I moved on to acquire and practice other skills. The issue here is not really moving to other things. The issue is feeling unfulfilled because I was not writing.

I had stopped blogging, stopped writing the book I had intended to publish. The closest that I was to writing and touching the lives of others was content creation on social media and that itself, I was stalling at.

So I usually ask myself, who am I? Am I a designer, strategist, broadcaster, photographer etc? There was just no sense of meaning. My sister mentioned that I blog last week about my photographic works and I was reminded that I had a blog. 

I think back to the movie Kung Fu Panda 3, when the panda needed to know his identity. Who am I? I usually draw a link through the things that I do and tell myself that they are similar and that I was not just doing all sort of different stuff. 

I began devising a mental plan to make things change although I wasn't quite there yet. Then I got the motivation that I needed when I attended the 5th Innovention Series at the Lagos Civic Centre. 

Read about the event here. 

Realisation

Speaking of the tiny bit that struck me, Adeyemi, a speaker at the event closed his statement by revealing a reality. Intelligently, he mentioned that Africans innovate, yet do not often get regarded on world innovation/inventor listings.

Why?

Adeyemi explained that this is because we seldom tell our stories. Self esteem issues, timidity and issues of identity were blamed for this behaviour.

The action is, we need to begin telling our own stories to the world. That struck me because it is so true. I immediately began sketching a plan to begin blogging about African innovators and that idea strengthened me incredibly. I felt alive because I could tell stories that need to be told and help push Africans further, make a difference, inspire people and so on. 

It was at that point that I realized I needed to go back to blogging. There is so much information that has helped me that I indeed need to share with anyone, no matter how few. Some things have changed my life and made me better and this is the time to begin telling my story and the story of others.

Who Am I?

It was then that I realized my vision, focus and direction. Instantly, it struck me. I realized who I am. 

I am a storyteller, a communicator. It made so much sense that a bell of victory rang loudly in my head. It’s not about the lingo you use. It’s about how truly it resonates in you. Knowing who you are gives you focus and a sense of direction. I am a story teller and I will strive to tell stories that touch the lives of others. I will tell memorable stories through my writing. Through my photography I will tell stories of people, places and events. Through the dresses that I design I will tell stories of culture and trend, I will tell compelling stories of brands through marketing communications. I know this is me. This is what I was born to do.

Last words

If you have been able to figure out yourself, great! If not, think about the things that strengthen you and make you fulfilled. They will form the basis of your identity.

Thanks for reading. My next blog won't be this lengthy. I promise. xxx.

Think Accessory

Spend as much time accessorising as you do, dressing. Accessories can make or break any outfit!

Wedding Weekend

Style inspiration for that bridesmaid look. Hair, makeup and dress in sync!

Photo by H&M

Style Picks: Loose Comfy

The sun has nothing on you. Shop those items that are soft and loose to keep comfy in the heat.

Hottest Trend Alert: Comfy Feet

Pamper those feet in style by strapping or slipping on sandals or block heel slippers. Your call

Photo by: H&M

Stylish way to wear prints and how to achieve it!

A super stylish way to wear prints is to combine two different prints. Why? When peeps see you dressed in two different prints that work, they think you've done some 'sophisticated fashion thinking' and successfully achieved something that is difficult. But in reality combining prints isn't difficult. It just requires one simple rule which is BALANCE. If you are a designer, stylist or lover of fashion this will be useful for you.

 In this look I'm pretty much fixing up my monochrome geometric print top with my burnt orange Ankara print shorts by Dadu Bajo. I chose this combo not just because I love it but because it's quite simple to achieve since one of the pieces is black and white and black and white blends easily with many other colours. Trust me that's the safe way to go especially if you are not used to combining prints. And no, I was not about to Shoki ;)

Tips

When mixing you should consider the, size of the prints, shape of the prints, colours of the prints, positioning of the pieces and quantity of fabric. 

• Like here I have a smaller quantity of burnt orange ankara print compared to the monochrome print because the shorts are smaller than the blouse; so the monochrome will balance the look for sure. 
• You can also consider positioning. I decided to place the monochrome at the top and ankara print at the bottom to draw the eye first to the monochrome since it balances out other colours
• In terms of the size of the prints they are similar giving them no choice but to come together. Also one bigger size and one smaller size works as well.
• Like I mentioned with colour earlier, monochrome prints will easily mix with any other colour of print.
• Speaking of shapes, these are geometric shapes in triangle and circle so they will definitely work. You can also mix floral with geometric etc. But I played it safe and simple here for you guys.

So you can see the unity and the balance in terms of colour, positioning, shape of prints etc. (This is not a hard or fast rule, all you need to remember is balance!). Now get inspired and go combine those prints in your wardrobe. 

The hottest summer trend part II

Denim short, gladiator sandals, long sleeve top

Go back a few centuries and remain contemporary in one of this season's strappy trends. The gladiator! I like to choose really short bottoms when wearing glads so I can emphasize them (they were not created to be hidden). Which is why I paired my glad with my denim shorts. The denim is stoned washed so they are quite light in colour. They are mom jeans inspired as well which means 90s high waist and large back pockets. Honestly, I would have sworn that I'll never wear mom jeans again since stretchy low rise came in, but here we are and I'm loving it. 

Here's a look at the back

 

I love high waists! They enhance the shape of every woman and work for most body types especially when the band cinches at the smallest part of your waist. That way it makes your waist look smaller and displays the full bum right behind. Who doesn't like that? 

Denim jacket, flared dress Ankara

There are so many ways to wear a denim jacket. I love to wear denim with prints, especially African prints. So here I am in my denim jacket and my Dadu Bajo ankara flared skirt. I just added a white camisole to help the denim balance more with the Ankara but this really was not compulsory. I love this look so much! Very casual outing ready and I can take the denim jacket off and head to the beach. Lovely!

 

Wearing Orange: Dungaree, off shoulder top
Last week, I did mention that I was going to show you a different way of wearing orange which is a hot colour this season. So I paired my black dungaree with this orange off shoulder crop top. These two don't usually come together which I why I love this look but feel free to try something different as well.

Pastel colours
Pastels are the thing! Get them when next you shop. Even when they are not trending they are still wearable! Their softness is alluring and they are even more charming when they come in soft fabric like the ones in the photo below. Don't you just love?

Here is a simple palette of pastels below so you can have an idea of names and shades. Happy shopping!