The Messenger

On average, every retired person in the United States has around 8 of free time every day. Like you can imagine, retiring can have a significant impact on a person, especially if that person doesn’t have what to fill those hours. The real question is, how to spend them and feel good about it? According to the research that was conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person in the United States spends about 4 hours a day in front of the TV. When it comes to people 75 and older, they are spending double that time. During these days, having a hobby may seem like some of the rarest things.

When you think about it, this makes perfect sense, because we are busy for all of our lives, with family, career, etc. In the end, when we retire, we have a hole in our day that needs to be filled with some quality and significant time. As you could presume, having a hobby that keeps you occupied during your free time has a very positive impact on your overall mood. Especially if you didn’t achieve a career you hoped for, hobbies can be some kind of a substitute. In that case, a hobby will provide you with all the pleasant work time that you don’t have on your regular job.

Moreover, having a hobby that you can return to any time can have a significantly positive impact on a person comping with stress or loneliness. For example, through their hobbies, people can establish new social connections, improve the daily flow, and most importantly, can boost the daily mood of a person. We know how a retired person can feel if there are no hobbies in their daily schedules. They are essential during retirement. This was the reason we’ve decided to compile a list of the best hobbies an older-adult can have in their free time. Without wasting too much of your valuable time, we are going to start with this list of ours now.

Art

We all know people that had the ambition of becoming artists during their youth, but life had other plans for them. Practicing arts during retirement is one of the best hobbies to spend your time with. For example, if you had plans of trying out in the movies, then you can look for movies filmed in your area. You can even enlist for a casting for some roles, or you can enlist for extras. When it comes to the other art practices like photography, sewing and knitting, arts and crafts, photography, etc. You can acquire all that’s needed for practicing these hobbies. Moreover, you can enlist in different classes. During old ages, it is of utmost importance to keep your mind and body stimulated. Believe us when we say that practicing arts is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Military Coins

If you know an older person, maybe your grandfather, who served in Korea or Vietnam, then you know that the military is one of the landmarks in his life. On the other hand, there are people who are fascinated with war memorabilia. Some of them are even collectors. One of the ideas that came to us while writing this article was collecting military coins. Luckily there are a lot of them in the United States army. Moreover, you can look for some foreign military coins, badges, even weapons. If you are interested in learning more about this hobby, and military coins overall, be sure to check out gs-jj.com. As we already said, this hobby can be done for more than decades because you don’t really have a limit when it comes to the items you can collect. Therefore, your collection will never be fulfilled. We sincerely think that this is one of the best hobbies people in retirement can have.

Gardening

Staying active and spending quality time surrounded by nature go hand-in-hand when we are talking about gardening. We are just talking about planting flowers; you can even grow some vegetables in your garden. We can call this a win-win situation. You are going to stay active during all the work that needs to be done in your garden and you will eat healthy and organic food throughout all year. If you decide that you want to plant flowers, you must know that this is an endless task. After you plant all of your favorite flowers or vegetables, you will have a lot of work to do when it comes to maintaining your garden. Countless studies have explained that spending your time in nature will reduce the levels of stress and anxiety. Moreover, you can participate in a gardening class, where you can obtain certain skills that can help you with the planting and maintaining of your garden. Staying active in your later part of life is essential, remember that.

Having a Pet

We’ve stumbled across a study that says that when we are caring for our pets, our brain stimulates a chemical reaction that lowers stress-related hormones, which are known as cortisol. The hormones that are produced while we are caring for pets is called Serotonin, which is known as a hormone of happiness. Also, some other studies proved that caring for a pet can reduce lower levels of stress, cholesterol, and can reduce the blood pressure that’s common among people of that age. Maybe the best option you have when it comes to caring for a pet is that you can obtain an older pet. This makes perfect sense because older pets don’t require so much attention and time like young pets do. Naturally, you wouldn’t have to run around and entertain your pet all day. If you feel like caring for a pet could help you with too much of your free time, you can always contact a rescue center in your city and look for the pet that you like the most.

Gone are the days when vegetarian food was looked upon as bland and predictable.  A vegetarian menu today serves sumptuous and tongue tingling flavours. Over the years, vegetarian fare has evolved to become more adventurous with the mixing up of various ingredients, resulting in the introduction of new and exotic lip smacking dishes.

A vegetarian meal contributes to better health as it reduces the risk of chronic degenerative diseases such as obesity, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, stomach, lung and esophagus.

For a large number of people, it takes a while to grow fond of the myriad flavors and textures of a vegetarian diet. Once these initial inhibitions are crossed, there’s so much to discover and love.

Vegetables are packed with nutrients that ignite metabolism, thereby giving an edge to a weight control regime. Since they are loaded with essential minerals and vitamins, vegetables are healthy for overall well-being.  The concept of vegetarianism has been growing worldwide in such a way that 1st October every year has been declared and celebrated as World Vegetarian Day. 

10 Best Vegetarian Recipes for 2020

This day initiates the month of October as the vegetarian awareness month. Established and instituted by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977 and endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union in 1978, the aim of this movement is “to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.”

Vegetarian dishes are vast and in varied forms across countries and continents. The range of palatable dishes are mind-boggling, starting from the Unites States of America to Europe, Africa and Asia. We shall now take a deep dive at the ten best European vegetarian recipes that are not only nutritious, but also healthy.

1. Veggie shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash

This recipe pie is a true comfort food, bursting with nutritious vegetables and flavour. With a glass of red wine and a grating of cheddar, this meal turns out to be a great treat. This dish is prepared with onions, carrots and chopped thyme along with red wine, water, chopped tomatoes and green lentils, including the juice. After adding boiled sweet potatoes to this mixture, mash it with butter and seasoning for taste. When this mixture is done, sprinkle grated vegetarian mature cheddar and the remaining thyme.

• Spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal

This healthy low-calorie spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal dish packs in all the essential nutrients of a day. The base recipe has a mild and delicate flavour, but can be spiced up as required. It is considered to be a good working lunch.

Cook a red onion. Once the onion has softened, add crushed garlic clove and ginger and chilies followed by a dash of ground turmeric and cumin. After this mix is cooked, add two sweet potatoes and mix them thoroughly. Add red split lentils, vegetable stock and the required seasoning. The dish is ready when the lentils and potatoes are done.

• Lentil ragu

A scoop of this rich lentil ragu with a bowl of spaghetti is an instant family favourite. This healthy ragu is easy to prepare and contains four of the required daily nutrients. It can be served with cheese, pasta, rice or slabs of crusty bread for a great filling meal.

Cook onions, carrots, celery and garlic in oil until all of them have softened. Add the lentils, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs and stock. Maintain until the lentils are tender and saucy and add seasoning, if required. Once this is done, add the cooked spaghetti along with sauce with a final topping of grated cheese.

• Roasted vegetable lasagne

This bubbling classic is an Italian specialty.  It consists of a layer of pasta sheets, roasted veggies and tomato sauce topped with creamy white sauce and chunks of mozzarella. This delicacy is loved by both children and adults. It is particularly effective during winter and creates a perfect family setting for the meal.  The tongue tingling feel of zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions and eggplant laced with capsicum, basil, semi-dried tomatoes, garlic and flour and the final topping of cheese is a real feel that lingers in the mouth for some time.

• Crispy Greek-style pie

This crispy Greek-style pie with five ingredients is a delicious meal for everyone. Cooking this pie delicacy takes barely ten minutes, proving the fact that vegetarian meals can be conjured up quickly. With a combination of feta, sundried tomatoes and spinach for a myriad of classic flavours, this dish will be the delight for all. The lingering taste of spinach, tomatoes, feta and eggs 

gives a divine experience.

• Somerset stew with cheddar & parsley mash

Casseroles and Stews are excellent options for seasonal vegetarians.  The Somerset stew with cheddar & parsley mash can be adapted for vegetarians. It is a delicious and healthy dish. The cider adds a great sense of flavour to this tasty wonder. Boil the stew until it reaches the desired consistency and serve with a fluffy scoop of mash. The taste of onions, garlic and carrots with tomato puree, tomatoes, butter, flageolet beans, cider, stock and thyme is a definite plus for the vegetarian guest.

• Jerk sweet potato & black bean curry

A helping of jerk sweet potato & black bean curry adds extra taste to a serving of rice and peas. This Caribbean-style curry uses jerk seasoning for the extra flavour boost with a large dose of ginger for a tinge of added spice. This spicy and tangy serving is good for digestion and overall health. The final sprinkling of coriander combines all the flavours beautifully.

•  Burnt aubergine vegetarian chili

This smoky, spicy and sweet aubergine veggie chili is rich in flavour and taste. Feasting on this exotic dish with toppings and a few tortilla chips results in a magical taste. A dash of soya sauce, dark chocolate and spices make this a deep and delightful meal that is packed with the essential nutrients.

• 9. Best ever macaroni cheese
• This tried and tested Macaroni cheese is a perennial favourite. This versatile dish is simple to make and adding vegetables like butternut squash, cauliflower or cherry tomatoes makes it a finger-licking meal. The crisp topping and creamy base is a winner.

1. Margherita pizza

The simplest recipes are always the best and Margherita pizza is no exception. A novice can master the art of making a perfect pizza with this four-step recipe. Seasoning it with homemade tomato sauce makes it a rather appealing and healthy meal.  

Conclusion

These ten delicacies are the select few from a humongous range of vegetarian dishes that invites delight and wagging tongues on the dining table. Many of them are incredibly easy and fast to cook and ideal for office going couples, who find very little time to devote in the kitchen.  The range of vegetarian food traverses the whole of Europe and United states and can be whipped up with many different flavours and tastes in accordance with the specific cultures and practices in these countries.