Q: Washing, chopping, and cooking vegetables and fruits is sometimes the longest or most tedious part of preparing meals.  Cut down on cooking time by doing these things ahead of time.  If possible, start preparing your fruits and vegetables right when you get home from the store.  Keep everything out on the counter and work through as much as you can. Wash all produce, dry, and store in appropriate containers or in the refrigerator.  If you are planning on using the food whole, you don't have to continue with any other preparation. For cooked vegetables, cut or chop them and store in zip-top plastic baggies.  When it's time to cook them, just pour them into a pan or into a pot and cook! Consider using a food processor for a super quick way of chopping fruits and vegetables. If using fruits and vegetables as part of lunches or snacks, portion out what you'll be eating and store it until you're ready to consume it. Having some meals completely prepared and ready-to-eat can be handy with a busy schedule.  The key to success is being prepared. Having healthy meals ready and waiting will help you make the healthier choice. Not every meal needs to be this way, but they're great in a pinch.  Plan breakfasts on the go.  Some foods and meals are easy to eat while you're driving or riding the train to work. Keep foods like these available:  protein or granola bars, pre-made smoothies, or hard boiled eggs. Also try making breakfast on the weekends.  For example, make a few scrambled egg, cheese, and English muffin sandwiches and wrap them up in the refrigerator.  All you need to do is reheat them in the microwave. Lunches and dinners can also be made in advance.  Put together salads with lettuce, vegetables, lean protein and other favorite toppings and store in air tight containers.  Just add dressing when you're ready to eat.  Casseroles are another type of dish that can be made completely in advance and just need to be heated when you're ready to eat. Slow cookers or crock pots can be a busy person's best friend.  They cook a meal all day long and you have an easy, hot and ready meal to dig into when you get home.  Some slow cookers are relatively inexpensive, falling in between $20-$220.  Choose one that's a good size, shape and has the features you need.  Slow cookers are also great for making large portions. These can be good for leftovers, lunches, or to freeze for another time. If you have a night or two to spend cooking, consider doubling your recipes.  Having leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day is helpful.  You won't have to worry about grocery shopping or cooking, your meal is already made!  If you're not a fan of leftovers or want to have a different meal, try doubling only part of your recipe.  For example, if you're making chicken fajitas, grill up extra chicken (with or without seasonings) to use in another dish (like grilled chicken caesar salads or chicken and broccoli with brown rice). It may be a good idea to double your recipes even if you don't think you'll need the leftovers in the near future.  Portion and freeze doubled recipes for the days when you're in a pinch.  You'll be happy you have a full meal that just needs reheating. Prepared snack foods or items you can have on hand when you're in need of a quick pick-me-up are a smart idea to have when you're busy.  They can keep you from unhealthy tempting fast food or convenience items.  Each week take some to prepare healthy snack foods.  Portion out foods and store them in air-tight containers in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat them. Healthy snacks to prepare in advance can include:  carrots and hummus, apple and cheese stick, celery and peanut butter, or individual greek yogurt with fruit. If you have to dig around to find something sweet or unhealthy, you're less likely to opt for that when you're in a hurry.
A: Prep fruits and vegetables ahead of time. Prepare entire meals in advance. Purchase a slow cooker. Double your recipes. Prepare and stock healthy snacks.

Q: If you're not experiencing intense symptoms, uncomfortable sensations such as jittery feelings will pass on their own. One way to handle them at home is drinking more water. This will help flush caffeine out of your system and rehydrate your body. Try to drink a glass of water for every cup of cup of coffee, soda, or other caffeinated beverage you consumed. Healthy snacks can help slow caffeine absorption. Try having something to eat if you feel uncomfortable after consuming too much caffeine. Try high fiber fruits and vegetables. Things like bell peppers, celery, and cucumbers can be particularly helpful. To slow a rapid heartbeat from too much caffeine, take  series of deep breaths. Breathing in and out slowly for a few minutes can reduce symptoms right away, relieving some of the discomfort associated with overdoing it on caffeine. Remember, for severe difficulty breathing, call poison control or go to the emergency room. Caffeine can actually help prep your body for a big workout. Try taking advantage of consuming too much caffeine by using it to get active.  If you do a daily workout, or go to the gym each day, do that when you start to feel discomfort over consuming too much caffeine. If you don't workout regularly, try going for a walk or jog if you have time. This may lessen some unwanted effects of caffeine.
A: Drink water. Have some healthy snacks. Take some deep breaths. Get active.

Q: The most common cause of popeye is dirty water, and the best form of prevention is frequently replacing the dirty tank water with fresh water. Always have clean water in the betta’s fish tank or bowl to ensure that it won’t get popeye.  If your betta is kept in a bowl or tank that holds two gallons of water or less, do a 50% water change every week. If your betta is kept in a larger aquarium, change 10-25% of the total water every 2–4 weeks. Clean the tank every week if you don’t have a filter and every two weeks if you do.  Gently remove your betta fish with a net and place it into a separate clean bowl of water. Dump out all of the water in the fish tank, remove all rocks and decorations, and rinse them with clean water. Using a paper towel, scrub the inside walls of the tank. Put the rocks and decorations back in the tank and fill the tank most of the way with bottled drinking water or pretreated tap water before putting your betta fish back in. The natural habitat for betta fish is warm, stagnant water. Make sure the water is kept between 76 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit (24.4-27.7 degrees Celsius) in order to provide a healthy environment for your fish. Use paper pH test strips to test how basic or acidic your betta’s water is. The pH should be kept at 6.5 or 7.  If the pH is too high, filter water through peat moss before putting it in the tank. If the pH is too low, add baking soda or shells to the tank. Bettas prefer soft water, so keep the dH at 25 or lower. Go to a pet store to get specialized products that can extract the magnesium and calcium from your water if it is too hard. Different fish require different environments, so make sure that you don’t add any fish to your tank that have conflicting environmental needs. Popeye often occurs when the tank water is not kept at the proper levels, and adding a new fish that thrives in a different kind of ecosystem might throw off those levels.
A:
Change the water regularly. Clean your fish tank every 1–2 weeks. Keep the tank water warm. Keep the tank water slightly acidic. Purchase a dH kit to determine water hardness. Carefully introduce new fish to the fish tank.