The same holds true with healthy eating. You will never be healthy, eating healthy foods occasionally. You have to make healthy eating a habit if you want to obtain nutritional health. People jump on the "band wagon" of healthy eating when they read books or view websites that talk about nutrition. While many of these books and websites tell you what you should eat in-order to be healthy, they fail to teach you how to make healthy eating a habit.



Thus in a short period of time when temptations come, people fall right back into their old unhealthy eating habits. What is a Habit? According to Webster's dictionary a habit is "a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance."

Why Do We Eat Food?
There are two main reasons why we eat food. One is to supply fuel for our body. The other reason is for pleasure. Unfortunately some of the foods that gives us pleasure are unhealthy. Most people make their food selections based on what they see, smell or taste. Look at these three sentences: That pie sure looks good! That pie sure smells good! That pie sure taste good!

Notice that all three statements involve food and pleasure. However the food that is producing the pleasure may or may not be good for you from a nutritional standpoint. That is why we need to be wise in our food selections and not simply leave it up to our sense of sight, taste or smell.

Eating Healthy Can Be Enjoyable
Some people think of eating healthy as being boring and tasteless. I think that one reason they feel this way is because most of the commercial ads we see promote foods high in calories, fat, or sugar and only a small percentage of food advertising is done for fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Thus if there was more nutritional education, more and more people would find eating healthy to be pleasurable and tasty.

Bad Eating Habits
Bad eating habits do not develop overnight. For most people these habits began forming when they were kids. Thus one reason why many adults have a hard time breaking their bad eating habits is because these habits have been a part of their lifestyle for many years.

One of the first things most of us women prepare to say goodbye to once we see those two pink lines on our pregnancy tests is caffeine. Many women will stop their caffeine habit cold turkey out of the sheer fear of doing some sort of damage to the new life growing inside of them. These women will swear off anything that has caffeine in it from coffee, and soda to even chocolate. Then there are some of us who will still drink caffeine but cut back. Instead of drinking five cups of coffee a day, we might cut back to at least one cup of coffee to get us through the day.



Our mothers and grandmothers will probably tell us that they drank the same amount of caffeine pregnant as they did when they were not pregnant and their children turned out fine. However a lot more research has been done since their time and studies are showing that too much caffeine can cause some complications such as preterm labor and/or low birth weight.

So how much caffeine is too much caffeine? Doctors are telling their patients that a moderate amount of caffeine will not harm their babies. Even though caffeine does cross the placenta, anything less than 300 milligrams a day (an 8 ounce cup of strong coffee) will not do any harm. Anything over 300 milligrams puts your baby at risk and studies have also shown that women who drink more than 300 milligrams of caffeine a day during their first trimester have a slightly higher risk of a miscarriage.

Studies have also shown that women who had over 500 milligrams of caffeine a day had babies who had faster heart rates and faster breathing rates. These babies also spent more time awake in their first few days of life rather than peacefully sleeping after their long journey.

There are a number of other reasons why we women might want to cut back on the amount of caffeine we drink during pregnancy. For starters, it has no nutritional value. If there is ever a time for us to be aware of our nutritional needs it is when we are pregnant. Second, caffeine is a stimulant which will increase your heart rate and can cause insomnia and headaches which can put some stress on your growing little one. Third, caffeine can cause heartburn. If you have been pregnant before you know that heartburn can be a burden to begin with, and caffeine just makes it worse. Lastly it is a diuretic which means it can cause you to lose fluids which can put you at a risk of becoming dehydrated.



While it is not necessary for you to give up all caffeine through out the duration of your pregnancy, you should learn how to drink it in moderation or don't drink it at all. If you can not handle having only one cup of coffee a day, then you might be better off drinking no coffee at all. Stick with caffeine free sodas and even decaf coffee. Remember though that decaf coffee still contains small traces of caffeine so make sure you take that into consideration.

Nowadays, we are forever in search of those factors that will give us the edge in achieving maximum health with an ever vigilant eye towards health consciousness. As we've known, a healthy diet, a consistent regime of physical activity, and plenty of rest all has a profound impact on our overall vitality. Subsequently, there has been an overwhelming group of people that swear by the benefit of organic food. Today, I'd like to tell you some more about organic food.


Photo: naga-chan

Begin with the basic info of organic food. It produced by organic farms, organic food is grown under strict government supervision. Under these guidelines, organic produce is grown and packaged without the use of any chemicals or pesticides. Traditionally grown, non-organic produce is subjected to a myriad of chemicals - most of which are have not been studied thoroughly enough to understand or contemplate their long-term effects on the human body.

Although researchers are still undecided as to whether or not these chemicals can be linked to everything from food allergies to certain types of cancer, you still get the other benefits from them. For example, they are not subjected to these unreliable substances. Also, meat and dairy produced under organic guidelines are also chemical free. Traditional agricultural farmers often subject livestock to a bevy of chemical supplements designed to speed their growth and weight. Further, dairy cows are often given chemicals to increase their milk production. The benefit of organic food is that livestock is given only organic feed that is chemical and supplement free.

Furthermore the organic food also advantage to the environment. Traditionally grown produce are treated with chemicals; naturally the chemicals are then in the soil, changing the landscape and contaminating the ground and surrounding water supplies. The benefit of organic food is the ground in which it is grown is left unchanged.


Photo: nathalie.derain

Deciding to consume this kind of food is reasonable. I think I don't have to explain how good of it anymore. It's your turn to open your mind and try the new interesting thing.

Today I plan to eat some salad for my dinner but so bored with the simple salad that has a base only of veggie. The variation of my today's salad is using taco as the main ingredient. If you have never heard this dish, I will explain you in a nutshell.


Photo: rkazda

This salad is often served as a fried flour tortilla shell stuffed with shredded iceberg lettuce and topped with diced tomato, shredded Cheddar cheese, and/or salsa . It is topped with taco meat and may also have a base of refried beans on the shell before the lettuce is added, depends on each recipe.

Moreover, the nutrition fact of taco salad will make you pleased of it because you don't get only the vitamins and minerals from the veggie but also get the protein and carbohydrate from other ingredients. Thus, let's try to make this easy salad together with me!

Kitchenware

• Small and large bowl
• Knife
  

Ingredients

• 1 (1.25 oz.) package taco seasoning mix
  
• 1 (4 oz.) can jalapeno peppers or 3 to 4 fresh ones, finely chopped
• 1 (12 oz.) bag shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 (14.5 oz.) bags corn tortilla chips, crushed
• 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained1 cup ketchup
• 2 cups Miracle Whip
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 bunch romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped or shredded
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
  

Preparation

1. Brown the beef, drain, season with chili powder and set aside to cool.
2. Whisking the ketchup, Miracle Whip, and taco seasoning. Mix together in a small bowl.
3. In a large bowl, combine jalapeno peppers, half of the cheese, half of the crushed chips, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, green onions, green pepper, red pepper, tomatoes, dressing and cooled ground beef, cover and refrigerate.
4. Top the salad with the other half of the cheese and crushed chips. Serve with whole chips on the side before serving.
   

When somebody asks me about my favorite juice, one of the best juices in my mind is lemonade. Normally, I always drink a Fresh Squeezed which is made only with lemon juice, water, and sugar. That's enough for me to feel fresh, but I'm thinking about how to get the new taste with this one. So, I'd like to try the simple recipe of mixed lemonade with others. For today, I choose 2 recipes for recommending you which are Ginger and Fresh Mint Lemonade and Iced Tea Lemonade.


Photo: nur-u ay

First of all, I have some reasons to tell you why I choose them. For ginger and fresh mint, I think it's so strange and I've never known this recipe. Also, mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains, and it is commonly used in the form of tea as a home remedy so I think it's all right for the form of juice. Next, iced tea lemonade, I just want to tell you how easy of making it, no need to buy at drink stall anymore.

Ginger and Fresh Mint Lemonade

Preparation
- Squeezer
- Knife
- Measuring cup
- Medium bowl

Ingredients (4 serving)
- 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup of chopped fresh ginger
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup(packed) of fresh mint leaves
- 4 cups of cold water
- Water for boiling
- Lemon slice and fresh mint leave for decorating
- Ice cubes

Preparation
1. Add chopped ginger, mint leaves and honey into the medium bowl.
2. Pour water and bring it to rapid boil. Then, let steep about 30 minutes.
3. Strain into 4 cup glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract liquid.
4. Pour lemon juice and cold water. Add glasses with ice cubes.
5. Before serving, garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves.


Photo: Martjusha

Iced Tea Lemonade

Preparation
- Knife
- Measuring cup
- Medium bowl
- Slotted spoon

Ingredients
- 1 family size tea bag
- 2/3 cup of lemon juice
- 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
- 4 cups of water
- Ice cubes

Preparation
1. Boil 2 cups of water, then, pour over tea bag.
2. Cover and brew for 5 minutes.
3. Remove tea bag with a slotted spoon, squeezing softly.
4. Add sugar and stir till dissolve, stir in lemon juice and 2 cups of water.
5. Serve over ice.

I'm so free for today and think of the coming wonderful celebration that's very fun and come near my birthday, ha-ha. I'm talking about Halloween which comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest so many people always bake a apple pie, also, pumpkin pie. Moreover, pumpkin pie is a traditional North American sweet dessert usually made in the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas.


Photo: roboppy

Have you ever know about the benefits of pumpkin, not only the good taste but it's also nutritious? The main nutrients are lutein, and both alpha and beta carotene, the latter of which generates vitamin A in the body.

Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon of allspice
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 1 pie crust, baked
- 1 cup cold skim milk
- 2 cups prepared pumpkin
- 2 pkg. Instant Vanilla Pudding mix, sugar free
- 8 oz. low−fat cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz. cool whip, Lite

Preparation
1. Bake pie crust until browned and allow cooling.
2. Mix together cloves, allspice, cinnamon, 1 cup milk, pumpkin and pudding mixes.
3. Combine milk, sugar, and softened cream cheese. Stir until smooth and add 1 1/2 cups cool whip.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture in bottom of prepared cooled crust.
5. Spread pumpkin mixture over cream cheese mixture.
6. Top with remaining cool whip. Chill for several hours before serving.

Lots of people are paying more attention to their health and their bodies than perhaps at any other time in history. One method that has shown great success in helping people quickly drop those unwanted pounds is through low carb cooking and dieting. This method of weight loss seems to have taken the world by storm promising quick results for the simple lifestyle change of eliminating as many carbohydrates as possible from our diets. The notion sounds simple on one hand and is appealing to not only women hoping to drop those vanity pounds but also men who welcome the idea of eating all the steaks they can handle throughout the year.


Photo: betherann

Low carb cooking is becoming a way of life for many families as a result though the idea of this particular lifestyle change and the reality of it do on occasion seriously collide with one another. If you are interested in dropping those unwanted pounds and keeping them off, this is a doubt that without a doubt gets results. The problem is that you must stick to the diet in order for the results to remain consistent even after you've met your weight loss goals.

You are not really embarking on a diet so much as a complete overhaul in the way you eat. The excellent thing about low carb cooking is that it is so widely popular. This means that you will have no trouble finding resources, tips, tricks, advice, and even amazing substitutes for those things you often miss most when engaging in the low carb lifestyle. Popular stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes are great places to go for specific foods that are low carb in nature and designed to meet the chocolate or breading needs of those who feel more than slightly deprived by the rigorous restrictions of a low carb lifestyle.

Many mainstream grocery stores are also beginning to see the value of catering to this 'high end' market of consumers and offering a wider variety of low carb friendly foods to consumers. You can find recipes that are low in carbs by the mouthful at your local libraries and bookstores around the world. You can also find many resources on the Internet to help assist and encourage you in your low carb lifestyle incorporation.

In addition to the cookbooks, recipes, and encouragement you also need to weed out the fact from the fiction when it comes to low carb cooking. The best way to do this is to go straight to the source. If you are going to incorporate this lifestyle altering diet into your way of life, you want to make sure that you are following it to the letter and not some knock off version that may not be as effective. When it comes to low carb cooking you have the perfect excuse to use your grill well and use your grill often.



In fact, I highly recommend a George Foreman grill or some similar knock off for your home for those days when grilling outside simply isn't an option. Around our house, those are the days when the snow reaches the bottom of the grill but we are the exception rather than the rule. If you aren't making progress, check what you are doing and adjust your cooking and eating accordingly. Most importantly about low carb cooking you should keep your goal in mind.

Nowadays, spices and herbs are common in most foods around the world. Both are used to flavor foods and some for medicinal purposes. Also, they have been prominent throughout human history. In earlier times, herbs and spices were considered luxuries and only available for the use of the wealthy and they were traded frequently between nations in medieval times. However, most people do not know the difference between an herb and a spice. Although, there are many similarities between the two, some of the differences are very subtle and still valid. So, I'd like to explain about some interesting fact for unfolding your doubt.


Photo: robmansfield.net

In addition, If you consider about the using, there is no distinction between herbs and spices because both have similar uses. Nevertheless, a botanical definition reveals that an herb is a plant that doesn't produce a woody stem. It's common knowledge that in certain areas of the United States, a dried herb is considered to be a spice. This leads to more confusion because if a spice is simply an herb, then there cannot be a difference between the two. However, believing this is ignoring the fact that many herbs tend to be leafy green substances and spices are found in plants that are tropical in nature.

On the other hand, some people argue that they are different. The essential differences between an herb and a spice is where it’s obtained from on a plant. Herbs usually come from the leafy part of a plant, and are usually dried but some herbs can be used fresh. Anyway, spices can be obtained from seeds, fruits, roots, bark, or some other vegetative substance and spices are not necessarily as fresh as some herbs can be. Herbs can be found many places around the world, but spices are more commonly found in the Far East and tropical countries. Herbs are considered to have a few more uses than spices.

For instance, herbs have been used more frequently than spices in the medical field and used for augment cosmetics and preserve foods. Because herbs and spices have played important roles throughout history and so many uses as the great food flavorings.As you may know, the Portuguese navigator, Vasco Da Gama, sailed to India in search of spices. Even Christopher Columbus described the types of spices available in the "new world" to investors after he landed. Herbs have been used throughout history for medicinal purposes. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbology has been used for thousands of years.


Photo: nozomiiqel

For today, we still can’t find the conclusion of this debate. Some say that there is no difference, while others affirm that they are both completely different. It depends on your consideration. Anyway, I think you should also learn about the benefits of them instead suspect in their difference.

I think most of you have never known this type of food; in fact, it's just a marinated chicken with Japanese sauce. So, today I’d like to tell you how to cook Yakitori and also the easy sauce recipe.


Photo: Bento Business

As the sauce ingredient, we have to use Japanese alcoholic beverage which called Sake. It's also referred to in English as rice wine. In Japan sake is served chilled, at room temperature, or heated, depending on the preference of the drinker and we can use for cooking.

Kitchenware
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Bamboo skewer

Ingredient
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 medium leek
- 2 medium green bell peppers
- 4 medium dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft
- 8 ounces of chicken livers
- 12 ounces of boned, skinless chicken
- 16 to 20 skewers
- cold water

For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup mirin (sweetened cooking sake)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sake

Preparation
1. Mix the ingredients over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat to medium−low and simmer until reduced to one cup. (About 10 to 15 min.)
2. Soak the bambo skewers in cold water while you cut up the ingredients.
3. Cut the chicken and the liver into squares and add the livers into the cold water and cover. Let stand 5 min. then drain and pat dry.
4. Remove the mushroom stems from the water and cut each cap into halves.
5. Cut each green pepper into 1−inch squares. Cut the leeks into 1− inch lengths.
6. Thread the pieces of food on the skewers in alternating order, then place on a hot grill and baste with the sauce.
7. Cook for 3 - 4 min. Do not overfor 3 - 4 min. Do not overcook or the chicken will be dry.
8. Serve with the lemon wedges.

If you are considering making the switch to a vegetarian diet, you probably will want to pass your new found nutritional knowledge onto your family. In fact, as a parent you probably want to ensure that your family is receiving the best nutrition possible. It also helps them to learn about why it is important to eat healthy. Making the change with a family can be difficult because children are even more tempted from the various fast food restaurants and commercials for snacks on television.


Photo: fee-ach

It is very hard to make veggies look good over chicken nuggets and a free toy! You have to slowly switch you and your family's diet. Everything starts at the grocery store. Instead of cookies, buy apples, bananas, carrots and other tasty snacks. Exchange white rice for healthy, brown rice. You also want to avoid processed side dishes. Slowly make your meat portions smaller and increase more veggies and grains. If you have small children, it is much easier to make this switch.

You can teach them from an early age that olives are good snacks and that peaches are good desserts. They will learn to love these foods and they won't even know about all the other junk food out there. The real challenge will come when your children are in school and they have to learn to make healthy choices. The idea is to gradually change so that it is easier on you and your family. Many children will change simply because you tell them that they are saving the lives animals.

Children are very sympathetic and it is not unusual for children to become vegetarians on their own accord simply because they don't want to eat animals. Childhood obesity is at epidemic levels in the US and you will be setting your children up for a healthy lifestyle by teaching them how to eat healthy now. Your children may not realize it now, but you are doing them a huge favor that will last them their entire lives.

Do you know when is the potato digging time? It’s about the late September that’s coming. So I think about the sweet potato and want to find the easy recipe for today. I can be both a side dish and sweet snack for you, whatever you want. For other interesting information, this dish represents traditional American cooking and of that prepared with the indigenous peoples of the Americas when settlers first arrived.


Photo: n'omettre rien

Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Also, you can use sweet potato for many recipes like Sweet potato pie, Sweet potato fries and Sweet Potato Butter etc.

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon of grated orange rind
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 stick margarine
- 1 scant teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 medium sweet potatoes

Preparation
1. Prepare potatoes (peel, slice and wash) and keep covered with water until ready to cook.
2. Add 3/4 cup water, margarine, 1 scant teaspoon vanilla flavor and 1 cup sugar in Dutch or large pot.
3. Cover and bring to a rapid boil. Stir frequently, so as not to let the syrup stick.
4. Add the potatoes when the syrup has thickened.
5. Mix the cinnamon, orange rind, nutmeg and 1/2 cup sugar, and sprinkle over the potatoes.
6. Lower the heat and cook until tender. Gently spoon the syrup over the potatoes.

After you work hard all day, I'm sure that cooking some dish for dinner can make you feel terrible, So, I'd like to help you for today's menu. It's a simple and easy dish and you can finish it quickly, I'm talking about pasta. Although I know most of you have already known how to cook it, I just want to tell you the easier preparation.


Photo: mooshee85

Moreover, I still focus on the nutrients which composed of Carbohydrate, Sodium, Dietary fiber, Protein, Vitamin C & A, Iron, and Calcium etc. I have some tips to tell you about saving time for shrimp, you just buy your shrimp already peeled. If you can’t fine, you peeled them the night before or in the morning, whenever you can, it would help you to quicken up meal preparation.

I'm sure that you will like it. Also, finding some salad or French bread can make this dinner more perfect.


Kitchenware
- Large nonstick skillet
- Knife
- Spatula

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 pound shrimp large (peeled and divined)
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked
- 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, petite diced, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced


Photo: sewtrashy

Preparation
1. Preheat olive oil in large nonstick skillet.
2. Add garlic and cook about 2-3 minutes until softened.
3. Add wine, lemon juice, tomatoes, oregano and shrimp.
4. Cover and simmer until shrimp are cooked, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in feta.
6. Serve over cooked noodles; garnish with parsley.

The word "tortilla" originally comes from the Spanish word "torta", which means "round cake" that shows the figure of this unleavened flatbread. Although it originated by Spanish, it’s widespread in many countries particularly in Mexico. In Mexican cuisine, corn has been the most basic necessity in the kitchen for centuries and it also use as the main ingredient of tortillas.


Photo: zobeiry

Nowadays, Tortillas have increased in popularity in other countries and you can find many Tortillas factories. As you may see, most tortillas are made in factories with machinery, but they can also be homemade. So, I’d like to tell you the easy preparation for making it. You can consume all year round with variety of cuisines such as tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Let’s try to make it!!!

Kitchenware
- Pastry cutter
- Large fork
- Large mixing bowl
- Iron skillet

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of shortening
- 3/4 cup of hot water
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of salt


Photo: filloasdapedra

Preparation

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cut the mixture in the shortening till it is crumbly, either by hand or with a pastry cutter.
3. You can add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening if the mixture looks more floury than crumbly.
4. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.
5. Knead the mixture with your hand or a large fork, making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough.
6. Add a couple more tablespoons of flour if the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl. (until the dough forms a soft round shape)
7. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it rest.
8. Cover it with a dish towel, and set aside for about an hour.
9. Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10 to 12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
10. Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

For this dinner, I'd like to present one simple dish which called stew. I've ever talk about it but this one is different. I use veal for today because I'm sure that I will get the strange and new taste with it. Also, I want to eat some hot dish for this rainy day, it can warm me up.


Photo: Applekore

Not only the ordinary vegetables that always add for the stew's ingredients but I also use herb for the additional nutrient. I don't identify the specific type of herbs; you can add many kinds of herb you like and want to lean on their properties. For me, I pick sage, rosemary and thyme. You may not know that rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6, it's not only the beautiful flower.

Kitchenware
- Large pot
- Spatula
- knife

Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 pound Veal − trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- 1 cup baby carrots or 2−3 large carrots − cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 to 3 cups de−fatted chicken or beef stock
- 2 cloves of garlic − peeled
- 2 large boiling potatoes − peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 6 to 8 small onions − peeled
- Pepper and Herbs − to taste (sage, rosemary, thyme)



Photo: baccarati

Preparation

1. Prepare 2 to 3 cups of de-fatted stock (chicken or beef, whatever you like)
2. Heat a large, nonstick, pot on high. Sear meat on all sides when the pot is hot enough.
3. Place herbs and seasoning and stir. Add stock and bring to the boil (the chicken stock will be more delicate and let the full flavor come through).
4. Place vegetables and boil it again. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until meat is fork tender and vegetables are tender but not mushy.
5. Bring stew up to the boil, remove from heat and drizzle in corn starch mixture while stirring constantly.
6. Return to heat and continue to stir until the stew has thickened. Serve immediately.

After you spent your time in hurry or occupy in stressful issue, some fresh food can help you to feel better. I’m thinking about salad because I don’t have too much time during this week. As you may know salad is very easy for cooking, you just prepare fruits or vegetable with the desirable syrup. Also, you can eat for your breakfast or for dinner especially for people who are on diet.


Photo: stjernesol

For today, I don’t only choose sour fruit like pineapple, peach, orange, strawberry, grapefruit and kiwi but I also use cinnamon and ginger for originality. Moreover, I just knew that cinnamon is very good for health; it acts like other volatile oils and once had a reputation as a cure for colds and you can use for treating diarrhea and other problems of the digestive system.

However, you can adapt my recipe for your favorite food or some fruit which you can find in your refrigerator, up to you.

Kitchenware

• Saucepan
• Large mixing bowl
• Knife
  

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon of allspice
• 1 small pineapple
• 1 − 16 ounce can of peaches
• 2 − 3 inch long cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons of crystallized ginger root
• 2 large navel oranges
• 2 large pink grapefruits
• 2 pints of strawberries
• 3 kiwi fruits
  

Photo: happythings

Preparation
1. Drain syrup from the peaches into a small saucepan and place in a large bowl.
2. Heat syrup, cinnamon, and ground allspice to boiling over medium-high heat.
3. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Set aside the syrup mixture to cool during preparing fruit.
5. Grate peel from 1 orange, set aside. Cut peel from oranges and grapefruits.
6. To catch juice, hold fruit over bowl with peaches and cut sections from oranges and grapefruits between membranes; drop sections into bowl.
7. Cut peel and core from pineapple; cut fruit into 1/2 inch chunks. Add pineapple to fruit in bowl.
8. Pour syrup mixture over prepared fruit. Add grated orange peel; toss.
9. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
10. Just before serving, hull strawberries; cut strawberries in half if large. Cut peel from kiwi. Slice each kiwi lengthwise into 6 wedges.
11. Toss strawberries and kiwi with fruit mixture. Add in serving bowl and sprinkle with crystallized ginger.

Are you the one of seafood lovers? I also like it because I think seafood is very yummy and also distinguished from meat both taste and nutrition fact. Although it's still animal and is excluded in a vegetarian diet, seafood is an important source of protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. However, I'm sure that you will know one kind of wonderful aquatic animals I want to recommend today, that's Lobsters.


Photo: Koro Sun

Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry. As you may know that it's pricey, but many people still be pleased to pay for it. Therefore, it makes me suspect in the noteworthiness of lobsters and want to know about the fact I've never seen before. Also, I'd like to pass to you all interesting information I accumulated.

Begin with the general info of lobsters, you can found lobsters in all the oceans of the world. They live on rocky, sandy, or muddy bottoms from the shoreline to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. They are invertebrates, with a hard protective exoskeleton with 10 legs and the front ones adapted to claws. Lobsters typically eat live food, consisting of fish, mollusks, other crustaceans, worms, and some plant life. Although clawed lobsters, like most other arthropods, are largely bilaterally symmetrical, they often possess unequal, specialized claws, like the king crab.

In general, lobsters are 25 cm to 50 cm long and move slowly by walking on the bottom of the sea floor. However, when they flee, they swim backwards quickly by curling and uncurling their abdomen.


Photo: Nanuya Island Resort

There are many clawed lobster species in the world like Cape lobster, American lobster, European lobster, Andaman lobster, Australian scampi, Caribbean lobster, New Zealand scampi, Japanese lobster and so on. For today, I'd like to delve only into American lobsters which found on the Atlantic coast of North America. They commonly range from 20 cm to 60 cm in length and ½ kg to 4 kg in weight. Moreover, its life cycle is also fabulous. For instance, they molt two to three times per year while juvenile, but only once a year or less often when fully mature, which is about four to seven years old. Females usually mate right after molting, but mating in between molts, known as intermolt mating, can occur. Larger females can store sperm for several batches of eggs from a single coupling. All females store the sperm to fertilize eggs later, not at the time of copulation.

Another crucial part of my purpose for today is gastronomy. Firstly, you should know that lobsters are sold with claws banded to prevent them from injuring each other or people. They cannot open claws when banded, which causes the claws to atrophy. You can prepare and cook when it alive. I've ever seen one restaurant in Hong Kong cleaved lobster into two parts but it was wriggling for a while before died. For American lobsters, they commonly boiled or steamed; for either method, keeping them alive until they are cooked can help avoid food poisoning so it could be one of the reasons why it's costly, the restaurant have to pay for the tank with vary seasonally cost. Many restaurants in each country cook lobsters in variety of recipes, not only cook the live lobster in boiling water or steam but it also served freezing, fried, grilled, or baked.

Furthermore, do you know that lobster is very low in fat but not suitable for low sodium diets? If you don't know about the nutritional value of it, read the following fact. It contained Protein, too much for Vitamin B2 and B6, Vitamin B3 and B5, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and least fat.


Photo: rpslee

Anyway, I believe that you've already known further about this interesting seafood that I mentioned more or less. If you are looking for some lobster dish, I suggest you to find some famous restaurant for this dinner. Also, you can search in the internet for more information about lobster recipe or restaurant. I'm sure that's better than just imagine and drool with your PC. So, can buy your lobsters online from FineLobster.com as well.

For the perfect meal, the indispensable menu is appetizer and I choose this veggie dish for today because it’s very easy with simple steps. Also, the ingredients are available and nutritious. Whether you can find all ingredients, you can adapt the recipe for dinner or find other ingredients whatever you like.



If you just have ever visit my page or never try the healthy food, you may feel bad with some dish with full of veggie but please don’t be bias. I’m sure that for the health lover will know that this veggie dish is not terrible as someone’s thought. So, you can follow my recipe to cook for this one and you will find that it’s good enough for you to taste.

Kitchenware
- Knife
- Large mixing bowl
- casserole dish

Ingredients
- 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of parsley, minced
- 1/4 cup of onion
- 1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach
- 4 large firm tomatoes

Preparation
1. Hollow out the centers of the tomatoes.
2. Throw away the seeds and chop the tomato pulp up fine.
3. Place the tomatoes upside down on a piece of paper towel and allow to drain.
4. Cook the spinach according to package directions.
5. Once cooked allow the spinach to stand 3 minutes.
6. Drain the spinach.
7. Squeeze the spinach to help dry.
8. Put the spinach in a large mixing bowl.
9. Add the chopped tomato pulp to the spinach and mix together.
10. Stir in the onion.
11. Add the salt, pepper and parsley and mix well.
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
13. Place the tomato shells in a casserole dish.
14. Fill the tomato shells with the spinach mixture.
15. Bake 8 minutes before serving.
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Nowadays, it can be hard to eat healthy. With your busy schedule, especially if you have children, many people find it easier to grab whatever is available and the quickest and deal with the health consequences later. With the following tips for soups on the go you’ll learn how to make sure that the food you grab is of the healthy variety. The problem with dealing with the consequences of unhealthy eating habits is that later is actually closer than you might think.


Photo: angelamaphone

Later is right now. Sadly, we are a nation of obese adults and just as many, if not more, obese children. Our unhealthy eating choices have caught up with us. You might be asking yourself, “How can I eat healthy when I’m crunched for time already?” One way is to make foods that can be taken with you on the go. One of those foods is soup. Soup is tasty, filling, and good for you anytime, but especially on a cold fall or winter day.

There are hot soups and believe it or not even cold soups. Many of the warm soups are even good eaten cold or lukewarm. First, choose your favorite soup. A popular choice of many is the infamous chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better when you are under the weather than the warm chicken broth soothing your throat.

Campbell’s has a wonderful soup in a microwave container perfect for eating on the go, but we are going to make our own soup for an even healthier choice. The one thing that is best about homemade food is that you know what is and is not in it. Since we are concerned with health, preparing your own soup creations at home is the best way to go. No matter which type of soup you choose to make, be sure to use fresh ingredients.


Photo: RacingGrey

The other items you’ll need are plenty of cups with lids and a blender. Now it’s time to actually create your time saving soup. A good soup always starts with the stock. For chicken soup, make the broth by boiling the remains of the chicken you had for dinner. Add the herbs and seasonings of your choice and boil until the chicken bones come out clean. Any remaining meat will be included in the broth.

Once the broth cools completely, ladle it into air-tight jars or containers for storing. If you’re more of a beef and vegetable soup lover, you can use commercial canned broths or bouillon cubes for the base of your soup. Season the stock really well and boil before adding any other ingredients. Once the stock is ready, all that is left to do is toss in your favorite veggies.

Again, wait until the soup is completely cooled before pouring into storage or serving containers. Now, what about that blender? It’s a bit difficult to eat soup the traditional way while driving and if you are serving to your kids, the combination of a car and soup in a bowl is a disaster waiting to happen.



Here’s where the blender comes into the picture. Pour some of the soup into the blender and blend until the pieces are small enough for you to swallow without choking. You can even puree the soup completely if you’d prefer. For a thicker texture, add a bit of cream soup. Now, your soup is ready for distributing in your to-go Vacuum Bottles. These types of bottle have a wide opening perfect for drinking soups and also keep it warm. Be sure to prepare enough soup for the entire week. The next time you don’t have time to eat, reach for a Vacuum Bottle of healthy homemade soup instead of pulling into that fast food drive thru. You can also take the soup with you while you’re out shopping, working in the garden or to work. A bottle of soup is packed with healthy nutrients and it won’t mess up the car or cramp your busy lifestyle.

Are you ready for the new day? For me, I’m thinking about my breakfast but I’m so bored in cooking with oven. Unbelievably, I find the grill in my cupboard and I get one idea, it’s a veggie grilles sub that I’ll spread the veggie and other mixtures on the Italian bread.


Photo: food o' del mundo


I’ve never tell you about this type of cooking, so I’d like to tell you some interesting information. Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat from above or below. Normally, cooking beef, pork, poultry, and fish but today I suggest you to try with the vegetable. Also, you can adapt the mixture for the healthier dish, whatever you like.


Kitchenware
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Grate / Grill

Ingredients
- 1/8 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 cup of red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 sweet red onion, sliced
- 1 yellow squash, sliced
- 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced vertically and then horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves, minced


Photo: arobotar

Preparation
1. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic together into a mixing bowl and mix them together. Then, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Brush the grate of the grill with olive oil. Heat grill to high.
3. Brush the vegetables with olive oil on both sides.
4. Place the zucchini in the middle of the grill. Spread the peppers around the zucchini.
5. Put the squash around the peppers. And put the onions to the outside.
6. Grill for 4 minutes.
7. Flip and continue grilling 4 more minutes or until as tender as you like.
8. Open the bread pieces and spread each piece of bread with the mayonnaise mixture.
9. Put the bread on the grill mayonnaise side up.
10. Close the lid and grill for 2 minutes.
11. Place the grilled vegetables on one piece of bread and top with another piece of bread to make the sub.

If you are looking for the easy and fast menu for your breakfast, I have one to serve you. That’s squash smothered potatoes but this dish is not an ordinary baked potato because I also add other nutrients for our healthy meal.


Photo: blue coyote laughing

As you may know, potato is the popular starchy, tuberous crop. It contains Carbohydrate Vitamins and Minerals that have been identified as vital to human nutrition. We can use it in variety recipes of many regions like Latin America, North America and Europe etc.

Kitchenware
- Large skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Knife

Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 2 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1/4 cup of sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped fine
- 3/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn, thawed
- 2 cups of chickpeas, rinsed
- 3 cups of water
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 (28 oz) can chopped tomatoes, drained
- 2 lg. onions, chopped fine
- 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 in cubes
- 4 baked potatoes
- 6 garlic cloves, minced fine


Photo: contrary

Preparation
1. Bake potatoes as you normally do and set aside.
2. Heat toasts the cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Remove from pan when they become hot and carry a strong aroma.
4. Add the oregano to the pan and toast for 5 seconds.
5. Place in the bowl with the cumin seeds.
6. Add the sesame seeds and the pumpkin seeds to the pan and toast just until they begin to brown.
7. Place in the bowl with the other ingredients.
8. Place all the seeds in a food processor. Process the seeds into a fine powder and set aside.
9. Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium heat.
10. Add the onion and cook approximately 5 minutes or until it begins to tender.
11. Add the seed powder, chili powder, jalapeno peppers and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
12. Stir in the squash, chickpeas, tomatoes and 3 cup of water.
13. Add the salt and pepper to taste and stir well.
14. Cook 25 minutes or until the squash is tender.
15. Add more water up to 1 cup if necessary.
16. Stir in the corn and cook 5 minutes until corn is heated.
17. Open the potatoes and pour the mixture over the top of the potatoes.

After I go back home with the terrible headache, I think I want some hot dish to let me feel fresh. Then, I decide to cook soup and I choose dumpling soup with corn. I like to try to cook the ingredients that don't seem to be good together because it will challenge me to create the new recipe.


Photo: whiter shadow

Moreover, I like corn and it still left in my refrigerator from the cake that just baked. I've ever told you about the health benefits of corn but you may not know that it also useful for the beauty like hair and skin. If you don't believe me, just prove it by yourself.

Kitchenware
- Large kettle
- Large mixing bowl

Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of dried dill
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces.
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons of parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2/3 cup of soy milk, cold
- 1 cup of butternut squash, chopped
- 1 cup of parsley, finely chopped
- 1 cup of unbleached flour
- 2 cups of frozen corn
- 12 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, sliced thin
- 2 medium potatoes, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cloves
- Cayenne pepper to taste


Photo: niznoz

Preparation

1. Pour the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter into a large kettle over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic when butter has completely melted.
3. Cook 10 minutes or until tender.
4. Add the bay leaves, cloves, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and stir well.
5. Add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock, mix them together.
6. Bring to a rapid boil and slowly add the beans, carrots, potatoes, squash and 1/2 cup of the parsley.
7. Return to a rapid boil, lower heat to medium low and continue to simmer for 35 minutes.
8. Remove the bay leaves and throw them away.
9. Add the corn and the other 1/2 cup of parsley and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
10. Place the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, dill and 2 tablespoons of parsley into a large mixing bowl.
11. Add the butter and work into the flour mixture with your hands and this should from small crumbs with the flour mixture.
12. Add the milk and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
13. Return the heat under the soup to medium.
14. Bring soup back to a rapid boil.
15. Using a spoon gather enough dough to make a small ball.
16. Shape the ball with your hand.
17. Place the dumpling into the boiling soup.
18. Continue until all the dough has been used.
19. Place the heat back to medium low.
20. Cover the pot and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
21. Do not remove the lid until after 15 minutes.
22. When the soup is ready the dumplings should be puffy.
23. Serve soup hot.
    

After I have to be patient during diet, today I want to eat some chocolate. I’m thinking about the soft cake or something like that, I can’t wait for the taste when that piece touches my tongue. In addition, I don’t have too much time for this snack, so I think chocolate tofu is so interesting.


Photo: http://quickblogcast.com

Moreover, some people may think only the disadvantage of chocolate but you can also get benefit from it. For example, dark chocolate can help your circulatory system to work better. However, you can’t eat too much because it can be the cause of obesity.

You can adapt the chocolate tofu for the other recipe like Moose, Pudding, Cheesecake or Pie. If you have other ideas, don’t be shy to suggest me because I like to know more about food.

Kitchenware
- Microwave safe bowl
- Blender
- Soufflé pa

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of cocoa
- 1/2 cup of soy milk
- 1/2 cup of unbleached white flour
- 1 cup of melted chocolate chips
- 1 lb tofu, firm and water packed
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 3 tablespoons of Grand mariner
- Non stick cooking spray


Photo: Nathy²

Preparation

1. Add the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 1 minute at a time or until completely melted and smooth. Make sure to stir after each minute.
2. Add the honey, cocoa powder, soy milk, flour, tofu, vanilla, baking powder, and Grand mariner into a blender.
3. Blend until creamed.
4. Add the melted chocolate chips and puree.
5. Spray a soufflé pan with a non stick cooking spray.
6. Pour the batter into the soufflé pan.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Bake 40 minutes or until completely puffed up.
9. Wait for 5 minutes before removing from pan.
   

After I go to taste a stew in many restaurants, today I would like to cook it by myself with the same purpose, cooking the healthy food. So, I don’t use any meat for this dish but you may adapt by adding whatever you want for the better taste, up to you.


Photo: tanrazz

However, I also add the potato which play the important role in world food supply so don’t worry about Carbohydrate, Vitamins and Minerals because the potato can give them for sure.

There are many types of stew and I’d like to learn more about this food. Next time I’ll try to do the new recipe and tell you after I taste it. Now, I can’t wait for my happy time with the warm stew so let’s cook it together.

Kitchenware
- Dutch oven
- Knife
- Pan

Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 2 tablespoons of lime juice
- 1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups of tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups of frozen okra
- 1/2 lb shredded cabbage
- 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 dry roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, chopped fine
- 2 lg. onions, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- Pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic in the oil and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage and jalapeno pepper. Slowly stir in the wine.
4. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and the ginger, combine them together.
5. Stew for 8 minutes and stir often.
6. Add the water and bring to a rapid boil. Place the sweet potatoes in the boiling water carefully.
7. Lower the heat. Partially cover the pan with a lid and cook 12 minutes.
8. Stir in the tomatoes and the okra.
9. Add the salt and pepper. Gently stir in the lime juice.
10. Continue cooking 18 minutes or until the vegetables are as tender as you like. Then, remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.
11. Sprinkle with the peanuts before serving.
    

In addition, I’m very busy at this time and don’t have enough free time for cooking that’s so terrible. Today I think of the easy dish for my rush meal called noodles and I choose shiitake mushroom for improving the protein.


Photo: veganmom30

I’m interested in noodle for a long time because I can find the noodles in many countries with the variety menu especially for the wheat noodle which’s the Asian cuisine. Also, there are many different names of this noodle like Somen or Udon in Japan, Pasta in Italy and so on.

Kitchenware
- Large pot
- Skillet
- Knife

Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of cashews, chopped
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili paste with garlic
- 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon of dark roasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 medium bell pepper, sliced thin
- 1 lb wheat noodles
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
- 8 oz sugar snap peas, cut in half

Preparation

1. Pour water into a large pot and bring it to boil.
2. Place the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
3. Add the chili paste with garlic and ginger. Cook 45 seconds and stir steadily.
4. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms in the skillet. Cook 4 minutes and stir occasionally.
5. Slow add the water. Then, turn to low heat.
6. Add the peas. Cook 4 minutes or until they are just slightly tender.
7. Add the soy sauce and vinegar slowly. Mix them well and remove from heat.
8. Cook the noodles in the boiling water for 7 minutes or until they are tender to your liking. Drain well and add to the skillet with the medium high heat.
9. Toss the noodles to coat well.
10. Add the sesame oil. Cook 1 minute and stir constantly.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve.

Shiitake Mushroom

Shiitake are often dried and sold as preserved food in packages. These must be rehydrated by soaking in water before using. Many people prefer dried shiitake to fresh, considering that the sun-drying process draws out the umami flavour from the dried mushrooms by breaking down proteins into amino acids and transforms ergosterol to vitamin D. The stems of shiitake are rarely used in Japanese and other cuisines, primarily because the stems are harder and take longer to cook than the soft fleshy caps. The highest grade of shiitake are called donko in Japanese.


Photo: wikimedia.org

Today, Shiitake mushrooms have become popular in many other countries as well. Russia produces and also consumes large amounts of them, mostly sold pickled; and the shiitake is slowly making its way into western cuisine as well. There is a global industry in shiitake production, with local farms in most western countries in addition to large scale importation from China, Japan, Korea and elsewhere.

The antiviral effects are believed to be caused by Shiitake's ability to produce interferon. Researchers have reported that consumption of Shiitake mushrooms lowers blood cholesterol levels by as much as 45 percent. The most dramatic results occurred when high-cholesterol foods were eaten simultaneously with Shiitake.

Because they can now be grown world wide, their availability is widespread and their price has decreased.

Sources: shiitakecenter.com, wikipedia.org

Are you bored the simple French fries, the potato soup and whatever? If you say yes, you will be pleased with my recipe for today. I’m talking about potato au gratin which is so easy cuisine; you just layer the ingredients and bake them. Moreover, when you think of gratin, potato gratin is the most popular and if you don’t know what gratin is, you should read this.


Photo: freerecipes.org

Gratin is a widely-used culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. It originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind.

In modern day life health care has taken a back seat. Eating habits have gone worse. We are totally dependent on junk food. Junk food is not only insufficient to satisfy our body needs. It also harms our body drastically. Today we are so dependent on medication that we have forgotten to prevent disease. As we know that prevention is better then cures. We should plan our food in a way that it is more on healthier side. There is a say that health body consist healthy mind.


Photo: louisiana.gov

Now the question arises what are healthy recipes? There is nothing extraordinary it takes to make healthy recipes. You need add or remove something from a dish.

There are lots of things we need to check from our food. Junk food gives us extra calories and fats. We should restrict ourselves from eating plenty of junk foods. Healthy recipes are dishes which contains fewer amounts of calories and fats. If we cut short sweets intake that is healthy recipe. Elimination of sugar not only prevents dieses like diabetes and heart diseases also helps a person in maintaining a slim and lean body. If we reduce amount of sugar from any recipes it becomes a healthy recipes. Sugar is enemy for a person who is suffering from high blood pressure. Reducing salt from any dish makes it a healthy recipe for a person of that sort.

Second question is that why to use healthy recipes? As we have discussed examples of sugar and salt. That helps a person to prevent fatal disease just by changing a mere taste. Healthy recipes help to limit calories and fats. Provide to help in gaining useful protein and carbs. By having healthy recipes one can get fresh food, pesticide free food. Another thing is that in a usual healthy recipe amount of fruits and vegetables is more. Fruits and vegetables are helpful in making a dish healthier.


Photo: mariasmenu.com

Medicines are generally infamous for side effects. By using healthy recipes we can replace medicine. That is one add advantage with healthy recipes. These are the reasons for them one uses healthy recipes.

One needs not to be an expert to make a healthy recipe. There are some ideas which can help you in making a recipe into a healthy recipe. Few of them are here

• Replace milk by low fat skimmed milk.
• Replace butter by soy oil.
• Boiling is better than frying.
• Use brown bread instead of normal one.
• Elimination of egg yolk can be very useful for reducing cholesterol.
• Use less cold drinks and processed food as far as possible.
• Try to reduce amount of calories and fats.
• Reduce intake of spices, salts and sugar.

Conclusively we can see that it doesn’t take very much to make healthy recipes. Just change some ingredients in regular dishes that will change recipe into healthy recipe. These recipes not only prevent you from fatal diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease and others but it helps you to live a healthy medication free life style.

This is a full article which also published at article directories. Read more articles please visit ezinearticle.com.

Today I’m out of work so I went to the super market for storing victuals in my refrigerator and I bought many kinds of vegetables. I’m so happy to see my fridge full of veggies. I also bought bean and want to cook it for my today’s dinner. I recall one recipe that’s a hot bean soup.


Photo: besottedgourmet.com

When you peep through this bean soup’s preparation, you may think that’s too long but I want to tell you that it’s easier than you think. I just intensively tell you in each step with the tips for each kind of veggie. So, now, it’s a time for our hot wonderful soup

Kitchenware
- Large soup kettle
- Pot
- Roasting pan
- Knife
- Trencher

Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of lemonade
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
- 8 cup of water
- 1/2 small cabbage, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seed and cut into 1 1/2 in cubes
- 1 small hot chili pepper, chopped
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 lb navy beans
- 2 lg. onions, chopped
- 2 lg. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces
- Non stick olive oil cooking spray

Preparation

1. Add the beans in a kettle and pour just enough water to cover the beans with high heat. Bring to a rapid boil about 2 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and cover and allow beans to set about 1 1/2 hour to soften. Rinse kettle and place the olive oil in the kettle when beans soft drain and rinse well.
3. Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook 8 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the bay leaf and garlic. Cook for 1 minute stirring to combine them. Then, pour the water into the kettle.
5. Add the beans, thyme, cabbage, chili pepper and tomatoes into the pot and heat them over high temperature, bring to a rapid boil.
6. Adjust heat to low, partially cover and let simmer about 1 hour.
7. Add the squash, carrots and parsnips in a roasting pan spray with the non stick olive oil. Then, spray the vegetables with the olive oil spray.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast for 15 minutes.
9. Turn vegetables and continue roasting 15 minutes more until vegetables begin to caramelize.
10. Add the vegetables to the soup kettle. You may add more water if the soup is thick.
11. Continue to simmer another hour or until the beans are very soft. Add the salt and pepper.
12. Stir slowly in the lemonade and stir in the brown sugar until dissolved.
13. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the parsley before serving.

Presently, I have fun with finding some Italian food for my dinner but I'm so bored with the same shape of macaroni or pasta. I found the new one it's a tortellini which is a rind-shaped. Absolutely, I still cook for my healthy recipe so I choose my favorite vegetable, verdant broccoli.


Photo: media.rd.com/

Specially, I think I've never told you about the benefit of eating this vegetable although I love in it. You will not taste only the crispy floret but you also get variety kinds of vitamin like A, C and K. as well as dietary fiber. That's so useful for the women. Let's fun with this normal dish!!! But I'm sure that you will be stuck with it.

Kitchenware
- Large sauce pan
- Small skillet
- Mixing bowl
- Knife
- Shaker container

Ingredients
- 1 lg. garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb frozen cheese tortellini
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 5 cup of tiny broccoli florets
- Cold water

Preparation

1. Fill water into a sauce pan with a half level with medium-high heat. Then, boil it.
2. Add the broccoli and cook about 3 minutes for let it still crunchy.
3. Add the red peppers and boil for about 15 seconds.
4. Remove vegetables and place in a bowl of cold water.
5. When the water becomes room temperature pour out the water and replace with cold water.
6. When that water become room temperature drain the vegetables and pat dry.
7. Cook the tortellini as directed on the package. Drain well.
8. Add the cooked tortellini in a large mixing bowl.
9. Add the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat.
10. Toast the nuts about 5 minutes. Stir often and pay close attention because it can burn quickly.
11. Scatter the toasted nuts to the tortellini.
12. Mix in the broccoli and peppers.
13. Place the red wine minced garlic, vinegar, salt and olive oil in a shaker container. Shake well to incorporate all ingredients together.
14. Pour the dressing over the tortellini and broccoli mixture. Cover and let set for about 30 minutes before serving.

Photo: lilinoe

Broccoli Benefits
Broccoli is a spectacular and unique package of versatile disease fighters and abundant in numerous strong, well-known phytochemicals and antioxidants, including indoles, isothiocyanates, quercetin, glutathione, beta carotene, vitaminC, folate, lutein, glucarate, and glutathione. Broccoli is extremely strong in anticancer activity, particularly against lung, colon, and breast cancers. Like other cruciferous vegetables, it speeds up the removal of estrogen from the body, helping suppress breast cancer. Broccoli is rich in cholesterol-reducing fiber and has antiviral and antiulcer activity. It is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and bloodsugar. Broccoli is also a good source of calcium, thus help fight osteoporosis. Source: foodasfood.com