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
  

• 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
  

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.