Meal planning is a fantastic way to save both time and money week to week.  With life being so busy nowadays, cooking every night seems far from ideal, but constantly ordering take out and fast food is both unhealthy and can add up quickly.  Setting aside some of a day to meal prep is a perfect solution, but it can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie.  Don’t worry though, as here’s a step by step guide to help you get meal planning in no time:

#1: Figure Out Your Dietary Needs, or Wants

The first step is the probably the hardest step, but it’s the most important.  If you’re trying to plan out meals, you need to understand what your body needs, and maybe what your body doesn’t like, too.  Also, you need to ask yourself why you’re doing this–is this only a money and time saving measure, or are you trying to lose weight?  Gain muscle?  Maybe an attempt to stick to dietary restrictions?  Once you can clearly answer why you want to begin meal planning, you can actually begin to plan.

#2: Find Some Recipes You Want to Make (and are within your skill level)

Another difficult step for some, if you’re new at cooking.  It’s very important to know what you need to cook when you’re meal prepping, and unless you’re really good at making up meals in your head, the best way to do that is by amassing a bunch of recipes.  Try to find things that sound fun or tasty to make, but also try to make sure you’re not overstepping your skill level.  Of course, cooking is the type of skill you’ll only get better at by doing it, but it’s not the best idea to try to make a soufflé if you’ve only boiled pasta before.  An example for me, I have trouble with recipes that require too many odd ingredients, as I’ll probably only use them with the recipe I’m looking at or a few others, so not only am I unfamiliar with the stuff, but it feel almost like a waste of money.  I tend to stick to recipes with less overall ingredients, as I am less likely to forget or mess up something along the way.

#3: Actually Plan the Meals

An easy step to forget in the hustle and bustle of everything, and easily the one I mess up most often.  When meal planning, looking up recipes, and making grocery lists, make sure you’ve actually planned enough meals to last your prepping timeframe (typically a week for most, some prep twice a week though).  If you don’t have enough to cover you for all your meals and all your days, then you’re going to left desperately looking for something to eat on those empty days… and that can do a number on your wallet and your diet plan!

That said, it’s always a good idea to prepare for the worst.  If say, you burned a meal or something went bad earlier than expected, it can be quite helpful to have a few ’emergency meals’ on hand to help bridge the gap.  Ideally, this would be something you cooked well in advance and froze some portions of, but additionally things like frozen dinners (provided they pass the dietary test!) and protein bars can help with meal failures.

#4: Make A Grocery List

We’ve all done it at least once, right?  “Oh, I only need a few items, I don’t need to make a list.”  Then you go to the grocery store, and come out with twenty things you didn’t need, and only half of the stuff you did need.  If you want to save money and be efficient at meal planning, you really have to make a grocery list to keep yourself on track and get only what you need.  Not only does it help with you not buying unnecessary stuff (if you buy spinach 50% off but it goes bad before you use it, that doesn’t save any money), but also makes sure you don’t buy an item you already have some off (assuming you check your pantry before making the list).  Wasting money on stuff you don’t actually is, obviously, a huge money waster after all!

#5: Set Aside Time to Cook

The last step, but the one you’ve been preparing for… time to actually cook and prepare the meals!  For all its time saving during the week, meal prepping can be a bit time consuming on the day of prepping itself.  Depending on how many recipes you’re making, it could take multiple hours.  Of course, that depends on how and what equipment is needed to cook the food.  A slow cooker cooks food in six to eight hours, but having something in the slow cooker frees the oven and stovetop up for other recipes, and a slow cooker is very much ‘set it and go’ in terms of cooking.  If you properly manage your kitchen space and recipe times (which will take practice, of course), you can cut down on prep time drastically.

Do you meal prep?  What are your tips and tricks?  Let us know in the comments!

Eat Smart: A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning

Happy 2019!  A new year means a fresh start, and with that comes a new set of resolutions.  One of the most common resolutions involves one’s health, whether that is to “eat better”, “lose weight”, or “get fit”.  However, it’s a well known fact that most people fail to reach their new year goals.

What’s something that often stops projects–and resolutions–in their tracks is a lack of a clear plan.  Getting healthier is always an admirable goal, but it also can be overwhelming for those that don’t quite know how to go about such goal.  Thankfully, there are a number of apps to use that can help you get organized to make 2019 the year you hit that healthy resolution.

MyFitnessPal

The key to losing weight is quite simple in theory–eat less calories, and you’ll burn fat.  But, how much less food should you eat?  Do you know how many calories that spaghetti you made is?  Calorie counting can be really overwhelming, but MyFitnessPal can make it so much easier.

You simply plug in your stats and how many pounds you want to lose (or gain!) a week, and the app does the calculations for you.  Then, you pick the foods you eat from its extensive database (the largest of all the apps of its ilk), and viola, you’ve taken the first step in getting your diet in shape!

Google Play   Apple App Store

MapMyFitness

There are dozens upon dozens of workout tracking apps, but MapMyFitness is one that gets a bit of a special mention.  By the same makers as MyFitnessPal, syncing the two apps for accurate measurements of calories you burn is an immensely helpful feature for someone overwhelmed with the healthier lifestyle.

MapMyFitness tracks walks, runs, and cycling trips via GPS, giving you plenty of information about how far you went, how quickly, and how many calories you burned.  Additionally, MapMyFitness has a datatbase for things like local trails and fitness events, to make sure you never run out of things to do.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Fitocracy

If you’re not as worried about syncing your apps together, and like to ‘gamify’ things, then Fitocracy is right up your ally.  Fitocracy has a nice database exercises that you can search, and as you do them you earn points.

Points level you up and earn achievements, adding a competitive element with friends if you so choose.  It’s a bit of a more fun way to motivate yourself to work out.

Google Play   Apple App Store

C25K

All the fitness tracking apps are great, but they don’t help if you’re not sure what to do in the first place!  If you’re interested in running and cardio, but don’t quite have the endurance yet, one of your best bets is the Couch to 5k (or C25K) program.

The program is designed to get completely sedentary people up and running a 5k in only 90 days, by a staggered run/walk program three days a week.  It’s an extremely helpful program, and there is a whole slew of apps that can help you with this particular program.  The one I chose for this list is both free and has a nice looking interface, though most of the apps do serve the same purpose.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Stronglifts 5×5

If you’re not one for cardio, maybe weightlifting is more your cup of tea.  One of the best beginners’ programs for lifting heavy things has to be the Stronglifts 5×5 program.  It’s deceptively simple–you only need learn five exercises, and you’re only in the gym three times a week.

The app gives you all the information you need on what exercises to do and on what days, and there are many success stories out there with how much this program help others get stronger and lose weight.  The creator of this program wanted all the information about Stronglifts to be free to all and easily accessible, and that extends to this official app.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Headspace

People tend to not realize how important their mental health is to their physical health!  Stress can cause hormone inbalances, to hold on to water weight, and even a terrifying smorgasbord of health issues.  One of the simplest ways to set aside some time to yourself, a way to calm down and unwind from our busy lives.

This is where meditation comes into play.  When meditation is properly practiced, it gives the mind time to slow down, unwind, and simply let thoughts slip by.  But meditation is not always easily learned… but thankfully with meditation apps at our fingertips, there’s never a better time to try.

Headspace is my personal favorite–while it does require a monthly subscription, Headspace teaches you the foundations of meditation and how to practice it, as well as many different varieties of guided meditation.  There are programs to help you sleep, deal with anxiety, and plenty of other series well worth the fee.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Fitness and Health Apps to Kickstart Your New Year’s Resolutions

Have you ever chosen snoozing over your job?

For some of us, it’s a critical decision we make every single day of our lives. Those first moments in the early morning are a chaotic warzone where your primal love of sleep battles a gradually growing voice of reason. Regular alarm clocks don’t wake us up.  They just make us go back to sleep angry.

We’re not alone. There are many of us who, try as we might, just can’t succumb to the sweet wiles of responsibility.

For people that need extra help getting up, there’s a whole industry of alarm clocks that go the extra mile… to hell! These evil alarm clocks are the last thing we want in the morning, but exactly what we need.

Below, we list the 5 evilest alarm clocks, organized from least to most evil.

Sonic Bomb Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker

If the bed is rockin’… maybe you should get up. The Sonic Bomb Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker ($33.26) is designed specifically for people who sleep through most alarms, not really snoozers. The first assault is a 113-decibel sound blast that dwarves most alarms, coupled with a pulsating light show. But the heavy artillery is the vibrator unit placed under the bed or mattress. This desperate measure works miracles with even the heaviest sleeper.

Buy the Sonic Bomb Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker Now

Walk Me Up! Alarm Clock App

You’re up, but so what? It won’t stay that way for long… unless you get moving. The Walk Me Up! Alarm Clock App (Free App) requires you to walk a certain amount of steps before the alarm turns off. You set up the number of steps you want, and can modify the step sensitivity. And don’t try to cheat! The advanced “shake” detectors will punish disobedience.

Buy the Walk Me Up! Alarm Clock App Now

Screaming Meanie

The Screaming Meanie ($31.95) is another alarm designed to wake up heavy sleepers, except with no pretense of courtesy. The reviews read like confessions from an S&M forum (“it just about blew me out of bed, and all I could think was ‘make it stop! make it stop!'”).

This loudmouth comes with three settings of audio levels similar to a vacuum cleaner, a lawnmower, and a full-throttle chainsaw. Many alarms only claim to hit 120 decibels, but real customers confirm this was one, unfortunately, really does.

Buy the Screaming Meanie Now

Alarmy (Sleep If U Can) Alarm App

Don’t be fooled by the cutesy name of the Alarmy (Sleep If U Can) Alarm App (Free App). It’s nickname of “The World’s Most Annoying Alarm App” is more accurate.

This user-friendly, user-hating technology only shuts off when the sleeper completes mild tasks. The most common is taking a picture in a specified location (where you first register the app), so for example, it won’t shut off until you take a picture of the toilet. Other options include a number of shakes and brain-waking arithmetic.

Buy the Alarmy (Sleep If U Can) Alarm App Now

SnūzNLūz Wifi Donation Clock

Last, we arrive at the evilest alarm clock in the world. The games are over, and this clock is not f*cking around. Instead of relying on gimmicks like loud noise or tasks, the SnūzNLūz Wifi Donation Clock ($39.99) uses psychological — and financial — warfare. Every time you snooze, it donates $10 or more to a charity/non-profit you hate.

While alarm clocks that shred your real money turned out to be illegal, this one uses a wifi connection to your bank account in order to waste your money responsibly. You choose the donation amount (at least $10) and recipient — anyone from the Republican Party, PETA, or your neighbor with the loud dog. This is the only clock that gets in your head to wake you up from the inside out.

Buy the SnūzNLūz Wifi Donation Clock Now

5 Evil Alarm Clocks That Will Force Snooze Addicts to Wake Up

Launching on Google Play for Android users recently (LINK) and iOS today (LINK), the new Ben’s Bargains mobile app incorporates all the account functionality found on the main site in a compact, speedy package with more features than our mobile Web version of Ben’s.

The core new feature in the app is mobile notifications. When you set a deal alert on a specific product, we will send you a mobile notification the second that it’s posted on the site (assuming you toggle notifications on). This way, you won’t miss out the next time we post deals that sell out in less than an hour.

Tied to your Ben’s profile, you can manage preferences including Deal Alerts you’ve set on specific products, products that you have set as favorites over time and products that you have recently viewed (either on the Web version of Ben’s or the mobile version).

Similar to the main site, you have the ability to filter products by categories, stores and price range. You can also use the quick filters at the top of the app to see the latest deals, the hottest deals and your recently viewed deals.

We’ve also includes easy icons to trigger specific events. Tapping the bell icon will set a Deal Alert on the product (and tapping it again will turn it off). The same goes for the heart icon, which triggers the favorite function.

We also have a share icon on the deal page that allows you to share to Facebook, Twitter or via email. Also similar to the main site, you can visit the deal page within the app to make comments as well as vote on comments left by others.

The Google Play version is compatible with Jelly Bean and higher (Android version 4.0.3 and up). Our iOS version for Apple devices is compatible with iOS version 7.0 or higher.

Ben’s App on Google Play –  Ben’s App on iTunes

You can check out pictures of both versions of the app below:

Android App Photos:

iOS App Photos:

Introducing the new Ben’s Bargains mobile app

Just ahead of launching Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar has introduced Chop the Dog, your canine companion (Rottweiler) in the game.  Anyone who cannot wait a moment longer to play Grand Theft Auto V and has an iPhone or iPad, can now download Rockstar’s iFruity app from the iTunes store.

The app ties into the game through Rockstar’s Social Club. Meaning, training Chop the Dog in the app nets you new abilities for Chop in the full game, including the ability to find hidden items.

In the app, you can throw the ball around with Chop. Sometimes though, Chop brings back random finds from the surrounding neighborhood, such as a kilo of “product” or a “pencil holder.” Naturally, like any virtual pet, Chop has to be fed, watered, and kept happy.

Taking Chop on a walk opens up top-down style mini-games where you guide him into protecting his female dog companion in the park, or defending your ride in the middle of the street from thugs. But the easiest, and thereby most fun, mini-game… is to have Chop remove as many bikinis on the beach as possible.

You can also buy collars for Chop and teach him tricks, both of which will show up in the console game once you have the Rockstar Social Club linked.

Note: For those who are, for whatever reason, playing on the PS3 or 360, there is an option in the settings to switch and select platforms.

Those disinterested in Chop’s little big dog life can still find some solace in the iFruity’s Los Santos Customs feature. As you can see below, I have crafted a “ROAD HOUS” vanity plate to match my newly modified vehicle. There were some charges listed — linked, in theory, to in-game GTA V credits — but when the total came up, the app said that the first customized car and license plate charges were comped. Too bad most of the upgrades were locked. I’ll have to come back once I’ve made some progress in GTA V and get a bigger engine and such.

Don’t own an iOS device? Rockstar has promised the free app will soon be heading to Android devices, Windows Phone, and even the PC/Mac platforms. Oh, and at some point today, Rockstar is going to put the entire GTA V 100-plus page manual on the iOS store.

Now to go see how Chop is doing…

Meet <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i>‘s Chop the Dog

Sphero is a lot like a small pet.  They both roam around the house.  They both make your smile.  And they’re both terribly cute.  But it’s time to face facts: Fido doesn’t come with Bluetooth.

Point, Sphero!  The newest and most original gaming system to date sets itself apart by thinking outside the TV box.  Sphero is a robotic ball encasing a gyroscope, accelerator, and lots of other fun stuff that the player (or players) control with their Android or iOS devices.  Speeding around at up to 3 feet per second at a range of 50 feet, this gaming device is a huge leap forward from that stationary Nintendo robot from the 80s.

With over 20 apps already available and more on the way, Sphero has much more sophisticated tastes than just “fetch.”  Some games utilize rolling the Sphero around the floor – the ground-breaking Sharky the Beaver incorporates your mobile device’s camera feed to replace the robot ball with a cartoon beaver, so you can see what your home would look like with a 3d cartoon waltzing around.  Other games use Sphero as a controller, placing in your hands a sort of multidimensional steering wheel.

So move over, Rover!  There’s a new ankle-biter in town, and this one doesn’t need you to clean up after it!

Sphero Is Better Than Your Flesh-and-Blood Pet

These days, just about everybody is watching HBO’s Game of Thrones, in addition to constantly debating which character died most undeservedly.

While the recently released iTunes app George R. R. Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire – A Game of Thrones Guide ($0) allows Game of Thrones fans to double-check character back stories, connections and associations with a book-to-book, spoiler-limiting slider, fans are still looking for a stellar level of interactivity that the books and the show cannot provide. But just how can that work with a catalog of characters that is both loved and inevitably mourned by fans?

Let’s face it.  As great as the house mottoes are, “Winter is Coming” and “A Lannister Always Pays His Debt” might as well be “Shut up beloved character and and get busy dying.” Even characters that fans love to hate just seem to be riding the pine until they seem so endeared to the viewer/reader that killing them will be the most devastatingly unexpected.

Fortunately, College Humor is ready to step forward and take the black with Game of Thrones Wish-Fulfillment. Not only can your favorite dearly departed character be saved alongside a heft of comeuppance, but those wishing for a definitive version of the theme song need look no further. Check it out:

Game of Thrones: Revengeance