The Best Way To Fight Poor Health Is To Make Home Cooking Fast And Easy!

Obesity and related health problems are epidemic in North America. Not only are most of us eating way too much and getting little exercise, but we’re also eating very fatty foods. Even if you shun fast food restaurants and buy your food at supermarkets, it’s still almost impossible to find quick-to-fix foods that aren’t high in fat content.

Experts say we were in far better health a few decades ago when just about everyone prepared their meals from scratch. Home cooking, even when elevated to the gourmet level, is far healthier than restaurants or instant dishes from the grocery store.

But these days when everyone is working one, two, even three jobs, who has the time to make a complete meal at home? It would seem there is simply no fast, easy way to eat healthy food.

Let me speak from experience: You CAN cook FAST at home and make EXCELLENT meals. Nick has been a gourmet chef for 25 years. During that time he developed more than 300 great, healthy recipes that can be prepared quickly.

As a general rule of thumb, you can be sitting down, eating a hot, fresh meal within 45 minutes to one hour after you come home.

Consider how much time and money you spend at fast food restaurants, and you’ll realize how much money–even time–you can save.

Not only does eating better help you stay trimmer, it also makes you feel better. People who eat better have more energy and quite often feel younger. Education specialists assure us kids develop normally and perform better in school when they eat right. And you can certainly head off a host of health problems that can plague you in middle and later life.

Do yourself and your family a huge favor. Start cooking your meals at home using fresh ingredients in recipes that help you cook fast and often from scratch. It’s cheaper and, goodness knows, it tastes a lot better!

The Benefits Of Preparing Home Cooked Meals

Health Reasons For Eating At Home

If you’re looking for an easy way to delight in a healthy life for you and your loved ones, one of the most effective ways is to prepare home-cooked meals. Here are some helpful hints.

With our time being at a premium, preparing your own meals is often replaced with on the go meals at fast food or casual dining dining establishments. Not only are these choices usually more costly than eating at home, but also not figure friendly. You can drastically increase the health benefits by preparing home-cooked meals.

Eating at Home Gives You the Choice
Eating at home has many health benefits, but most importantly it gives you the choice of what ingredients you decide to cook with or not include in your meals. Have you ever glanced at what a burger at a fast food restaurant is made with- there can be dozens of ingredients, some with names you haven’t heard of or cannot pronounce. When you prepare home-cooked meals, you can keep your foods natural and whole.

Do You Have Special Dietary Needs?
Another health benefit of eating at home is that if you have special dietary restrictions such as limitations on sugar in your foods, you can conveniently fix dinners that fit your health needs. No need to fret if the restaurant has a low salt dish or if there is any extra sugar included in a dish.

Portion Control
One of the reasons that many people have gained weight is due to the portions that many casual dining restaurants give you. They are much larger than necessary. If you eat in, you can create the appropriate amounts for you and your loved ones, eliminating unnecessary food intake.

Food Allergies
When you eat at home, you can be more deliberate in preparing foods, especially if you or a family member has a food allergy. Food allergies in many situations can be serious and possibly even fatal. Preparing food at home reduces the risk of an allergic reaction to allergic food reaction.

Quality Time
Another benefit to dining in is the quality of time spent together. We all like to be taken care of at times so it’s okay to eat out for special events. However, preparing home-cooked meals allows you to spend valued time with family. Everyone can take part in meal preparation so it’s a shared event. By allowing children to participate in meal planning and cooking you are teaching them valuable self-sufficiency skills. The ambiance is more conducive to talking.

Make a pledge to prepare more home-cooked meals. The benefits of eating at home exceed the time it takes to prepare a home-cooked meal. Your loved ones will thank you in the end.

Some Different Ideas for Cooking Rice

Rice needs to be thoroughly washed. A good way to do this is to put it into a colander, in a deep pan of water. Rub the rice well with the hands, lifting the colander in and out the water, and changing the water until it is clear; then drain. In this way the grit is deposited in the water, and the rice left thoroughly clean.

The best method of cooking rice is by steaming it. If boiled in much water, it loses a portion of its already small percentage of nitrogenous elements. It requires much less time for cooking than any of the other grains. Like all the dried grains and seeds, rice swells in cooking to several times its original bulk. When cooked, each grain of rice should be separate and distinct, yet perfectly tender.

Steamed rice.
Soak a cup of rice in one and a fourth cups of water for an hour, then add a cup of milk, turn into a dish suitable for serving it from at table, and place in a steam-cooker or a covered steamer over a kettle of boiling water, and steam for an hour. It should be stirred with a fork occasionally, for the first ten or fifteen minutes.

Boiled rice (japanese method).
Thoroughly cleanse the rice by washing in several waters, and soak it overnight. In the morning, drain it, and put to cook in an equal quantity of boiling water, that is, a pint of water for a pint of rice. For cooking, a stewpan with tightly fitting cover should be used. Heat the water to boiling, then add the rice, and after stirring, put on the cover, which is not again to be removed during the boiling. At first, as the water boils, steam will puff out freely from under the cover, but when the water has nearly evaporated, which will be in eight to ten minutes, according to the age and quality of the rice, only a faint suggestion of steam will be observed, and the stewpan must then be removed from over the fire to some place on the range, where it will not burn, to swell and dry for fifteen or twenty minutes.

Rice to be boiled in the ordinary manner requires two quarts of boiling water to one cupful of rice. It should be boiled rapidly until tender, then drained at once, and set in a moderate oven to become dry. Picking and lifting lightly occasionally with a fork will make it more flaky and dry. Care must be taken, however, not to mash the rice grains.

Rice with fig sauce.
Steam a cupful of best rice as directed above, and when done, serve with a fig sauce. Dish a spoonful of the fig sauce with each saucer of rice, and serve with plenty of cream. Rice served in this way requires no sugar for dressing, and is a most wholesome breakfast dish.

Orange rice.
Wash and steam the rice. Prepare some oranges by separating into sections and cutting each section in halves, removing the seeds and all the white portion. Sprinkle the oranges lightly with sugar, and let them stand while the rice is cooking. Serve a portion of the orange on each saucerful of rice.

Rice with raisins.
Carefully wash a cupful of rice, soak it, and cook as directed for Steamed Rice. After the rice has began to swell, but before it has softened, stir into it lightly, using a fork for the purpose, a cupful of raisins. Serve with cream.

Rice with peaches.
Steam the rice and when done, serve with cream and a nicely ripened peach pared and sliced on each individual dish.

Browned rice.
Spread a cupful of rice on a shallow baking tin, and put into a moderately hot oven to brown. It will need to be stirred frequently to prevent burning and to secure a uniformity of color. Each rice kernel, when sufficiently browned, should be of a yellowish brown, about the color of ripened wheat. Steam the same as directed for ordinary rice, using only two cups of water for each cup of browned rice, and omitting the preliminary soaking. When properly cooked, each kernel will be separated, dry, and mealy. Rice prepared in this manner is undoubtedly more digestible than when cooked without browning.

Smarter Food Choices 101: Tips For Busy Women

Summer is often synonymous with beaches, ballparks and barbecues, all offering tempting snacks and treats. To many women who are watching their weight, the back-to-school season is an ideal time to enroll in their own “Making Smarter Food Choices 101″ class and refocus on a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

To help these busy women make wiser food choices, Weight Watchers has partnered with food manufacturer Dawn Food Products Inc. to create a line of sweet baked goods that make the grade in convenience, portability and taste. Available nationwide in carrot, lemon and chocolate snack cakes and blueberry and double chocolate muffins, Weight Watchers sweet baked goods satisfy hunger and are lower in calories and fat than traditional sweets.

“We all want flexibility in our lives, be it in our daily routine or in our food choices,” said Schryse Williams, vice president of consumer brands for Dawn Food Products. “It’s all about balance and offering consumers the opportunity to make sensible choices.”

Most foods can fit into a balanced diet – in moderation. Some tips for making smarter food choices include:

* Go whole grain. Consume three or more 1-ounce servings of whole-grain products per day, along with three servings of enriched grains.

* Eat calcium-rich foods. Consume two cups per day of fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products.

* Find balance between physical activity and food you eat. Make sure you aren’t taking in more calories than you’re using or burning.

* Limit intake of saturated and trans fats. Trans fats have been linked to increased risk of heart disease. Look for low or no trans fats on the label.

* Get active. Engaging in regular physical activity and reducing sedentary activities can promote good health, psychological well-being and a healthy body weight.

* Size does matter. Buying treats in small, individual packages for portion control helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Simple Scratch Cooking For Healthier Families

There’s a quick and easy way to help your kids become happier and healthier-try planning and preparing a meal together.

Cooking as a family activity is fun and can be surprisingly quick. In fact, preparing a satisfying meal or dessert from scratch can take less time than dining out. The time it takes to decide where to eat, get everyone ready, drive there and be seated, order and finally eat, takes much longer than you think. The time could be better spent with your loved ones with everyone helping to get the food on the table.

Another benefit of scratch cooking is that it allows you to better control the types of ingredients you consume. As people look for ways to avoid trans fats and food allergens, reduce sugar and salt consumption, and increase whole grains, fruits and vegetables in their diets, making dishes from scratch has been “rediscovered.” And the delicious results will please the entire family, especially when you prepare it together.

Start with the proper planning and make sure to stock your pantry and freezer with fresh ingredients for simple and healthful dishes. For example, before baking muffins, breads or cookies, make sure you have checked your baking powerhouses-baking soda and baking powder, as well as spices, cornstarch and flour. Replace any that are a year old. If in doubt, start new and date each item to make sure you’ll be reminded next year.

Here’s an easy whole grain oatmeal cookie to try:

Spicy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

11/2 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 teaspoons Clabber Girl or Rumford baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

11/2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oats

8 oz. raisins

11/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 375° F. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides. Beat in vanilla. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir until blended. Stir in oats, raisins, cinnamon and allspice. Drop by rounded tablespoonsful (about 1/4 cup) onto greased baking sheets. Bake until firm to a light touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Secret To Cooking Vegetables

Vegetables are essential to the human diet. We get a great deal of our daily vitamin content from vegetables. We need to make sure that how we cook them does not drain vitamin contents and benefits of consumption.

Cooking vegetables can be tricky. Over cooking can make vegetables bland and soggy. My belief is that vegetables should not be boiled. Boling not only rob us of vitamin content, it is the main culprit in turning vegetables to a lifeless, tasteless form.

If we cannot boil, how do we proceed?

First option, steaming vegetables is always a good choice. This will leave vegetables full of life. They will be crisp and colorful. It will also not deplete the vegetables of their vitamin content.

By rule of thumb, vegetables will only need a few minutes in the steam.

For those who do not have official vegetable steamers, an easy steamer can be fashioned out a of pot, a metal colander, and a pot lid. Place a small amount of water in the bottom of a given pot. Fit the metal colander into the pot. Start to boil the water. You will begin the see the steam rise. Place your vegetables into the metal colander and place the pot lid over the metal colander and pot. This collection of kitchen items will allow you to steam vegetables as good as any fancy store bought steamer.

Another good option is to cook your vegetables in a wok. The secret to the wok is that it cooks quickly at a very high temperature. Vegetables retain their flavors, textures, and colors with small amount of nutrient loss.

My favorite wok recipe for vegetables is to cook broccoli, carrots, bok choy, and snow peas in a very light garlic sauce. The vegetables remain crisp and the garlic adds just the right amount of flavoring. This combination can be served with any cut of meat.

I hope you will see that secret to cooking vegetables is not to over cook. Vegetables need to remain crisp, full of color. As you learn different tricks to bringing your vegetables to life, these will become the most requested dishes on your dinner table.

Refrigerated Treats Can Make For A Cool Event

It’s always a great time to get “Back to Cool” and enjoy a picnic with family and friends.

The refrigerated dairy aisle of your local grocery store can be a great source for tasty, convenient selections for your outdoor gatherings, such as cheeses, breads, jello, dips, puddings, yogurts, juices and much more.

Try ideas like these for a very tasty picnic:

• Make an easy, scrumptious potato salad with convenient refrigerated potato selections.

• Create and bake delicious snacks with refrigerated bread dough and shredded cheese.

• Stock up on a variety of yogurt flavors and pack fresh fruit for dipping.

• Try the many dips and sour cream selections and bring plenty of fresh vegetables to the picnic.

• Remember the individually packed cheese slices to top grilled hamburgers or to enjoy as simple snacks.

• Don’t forget the whipped toppings to make any dessert special.

While you are planning your menu, also plan for a safe picnic. Food spoilage and cross-contamination are real concerns when eating food outdoors in warm weather. Be sure to follow these tips from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) to ensure your picnic is a healthy one:

• Bring water for preparation and cleaning, or pack clean, wet, disposable cloths or moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands, surfaces and utensils.

• It’s important to keep hot food hot and cold food cold during the picnic.

• Carry cold perishable foods in an insulated cooler packed with ice or frozen gel packs. Make sure raw meat and poultry are wrapped securely to prevent juices from cross-contaminating.

• If bringing hot take-out food such as fried chicken, eat it within two hours of purchase or plan ahead and chill the food in the fridge before packing in an insulated cooler.

• Don’t stock the cooler until immediately before leaving from home. Keep the cooler in the coolest part of the car when traveling.

Raining Outside? Try Indoor Barbecuing!

Yes, there is such a thing as indoor barbecuing. But hey, indoor barbecuing doesn’t mean using your ever-reliable wood or gas grill. First of all, that’s illegal in most places because it’s a major fire hazard. Second, it could kill you since these types of grills produce large amounts of carbon monoxide. What you need to know is that there are two basic types of indoor grills – the open grill and the folding contact grill.

Indoor Barbecuing 101

An open grill is pretty much like the electric version of the wood/gas grill. It provides you with the outdoor barbecuing feel as you occasionally turn the meat while cooking and even produces flavor closer to the outdoor variety. . On the other hand, the folding contact grill works much like a panini press or sandwich maker. (Such as the George Foreman Grill). The upside to using this kind of indoor barbecuing grill is that is cooks your food faster as it simultaneously cooks both sides. Thus, it doesn’t require turning so you can do other things while grilling at the same time.

The George Foreman Grill is an electric grill which has non-stick grill surface, grooved to give those desirable “grill marks” on food and a cover which has the same type of grooved surface.

Food is placed on the grill and the cover is closed on top of it, enabling the grilling of food from both sides at once – cutting the normal grilling time in half. The grill is built with a “tilt” toward the front and a plastic dish is place under the front end so that fat can draw off away from the food. This is considered a low-fat feature. It also helps with the ease of cleaning in which George markets as one of the most important features of the grill.

The George Foreman also cooks food more evenly because the surface maintains a constant temperature that’s easy to control, so you won’t get hot spots or flare-ups. You should never use an extension cord with any electric grill, and always use an outlet with a ground fault circuit interrupter.

The George Foreman Grill currently comes in nine versions and prices range from $19.99 to $99.99

However, as we always say, equipment is just one aspect of producing amazing barbecue dishes. Though it’s true that using an indoor barbecuing grill means none of that smoky flavor, which only wood or coal can deliver, there’s definitely more to barbecue taste than smoky flavor. There are a variety of rich, bold flavors that characterize a good barbecue dish and these you can definitely get from a good marinade, dry rub or barbecue sauce. If you’re looking for the greatest ones with the richest and boldest flavors, visit InsaneChicken.com and check out their wide selection of products, which can be delivered right to your very doorstep.

Quick and Easy Lunches for the Cooking Challenged

Let’s face it, cooking is not a top priority in the lives of every man, woman, or child on the planet. In fact, far too people have made learning to cook a priority in their lives. This means that we often exist on convenience foods and boxed mixes rather than taking the effort to prepare healthy meals for our families and our own personal enjoyment.

The same holds true for lunches when we often resort to a can of soup or box of macaroni and cheese or some other such product rather than putting our creative efforts into making a quick and easy yet delicious lunch. You will see many ideas in this article and the hope is that these ideas will not only get you off to a great start for ending the lunch rut we all seem to find ourselves in at some time or another but also to try new things on your own.

First of all, not all great lunches require actual cooking in order to prepare. Some of them will require the use of the microwave and some of them will need to be cooked or at least prepared before hand and reheated. The choices are virtually limitless once you understand the creative concept that must be in place. You should also find that many of these ideas are so simple you will wonder why on earth you have never thought of them. I certainly hope that some of these ideas will become main features within your own home.

Lettuce wraps. These mike delightfully delicious lunch treats and the filling can be prepared ahead of time, which leaves only reheating the filling and wrapping when you’re ready to eat. This is a fun lunch to share with your little ones and it teaches them that lettuce is much more versatile than people often give it credit for being. Some people choose to go with a teriyaki inspired filling; my family likes taco inspired fillings for our lettuce rolls. You are perfectly free to come up with a favorite filling of your very own.

Try sandwiches with different breads. Believe it or not, my children love trying new things. It’s a rare trait for which I am extremely grateful. Believe me I understand all too well how fortunate I am. My youngest however, has a little difficulty with thick or crusty bread. Her favorite sandwich choice has become Hawaiian sweet rolls. We put the meat, cheese, mustard, and pickle in her roll as if it were a bun and she’s thrilled. Other great ideas include hollowing out crusty rolls and filling them with roast beef and cheddar. You can broil this in your oven for a few minutes for a rare sandwich treat. The cooking part is very minimal and you do not have to have in depth knowledge of anything to prepare or enjoy these simple treats. Other great bread ideas include croissants with ham and cheese or chicken salad, taco pitas (another great favorite in our household), and paninis (this works really well if you have a George Foreman grill or a panini press).

While this is by no means the end all be all guide to cooking quick and easy lunches it is good food for thought. The hope is that this will get your own creative juices flowing so that you can prepare wonderful lunches for your family without needing to do too terribly much heavy cooking in the process.

Quality – Cooks Knives – A Cutting Edge Investment

Of all the tools and utensils used in the kitchen today, it is probably the knife that rewards the most careful selection. When you consider it, a knife is an extension of your hand. To fillet, slice and chop requires manual dexterity. If a knife allows you to move and handle your ingredients in a natural and easy way, this will add to your cooking enjoyment and mastery.

There are a wide variety of cooks knives available today. In addition to the quality traditional European brands such as Henckels, Wusthof and Sabatier, there is a fascinating array of Japanese and oriental brands, such as Global, I.O. Shen, Tojiro and Kai. These Japanese brands tend to be made of harder steel and have thinner blades. They hold their edge for longer and are sharper, making them ideal for precision and accuracy. However they do take longer to sharpen and maintain than their European counterparts, which are generally considered to be easier to look after, more sturdy and great for chopping for example.

But how do you choose which is right for you? First and foremost, you should consider the tasks that you perform most regularly and choose accordingly. Here are a couple of things that you may like to bear in mind:

Material: High carbon steel is generally considered the best performer, but can discolor with use, although this is purely cosmetic. High carbon stainless steel is a popular choice, will look great and will take and maintain a sharp edge. Stainless steel is generally less expensive, will retain its good looks but is not hard enough to maintain the best possible edge. Ceramic blades are so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with little maintenance. However, they are more expensive to buy and may require diamond-sharpening.

Handles: The next material choice to consider is for the handle. Handles generally fall into three categories; wood, stainless steel or composition. Some chefs prefer the feel of wood although wood is not allowed in many commercial kitchens. Composition handles help ensure a safe grip on the knife when handling wet items, and are generally preferred over more slippery stainless steel. However, both are sanitary and virtually maintenance-free.

Types of knives: There are some tasks in the kitchen which, if performed regularly, warrant having a special knife for the job. However, there are three knives that will probably see the most wear and tear; a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife.

A good chef’s knife will typically have a blade 6″ – 12″ long. It will be used for slicing, dicing, chopping and mincing. I can even be used for boning large cuts of meat if you do not have a cleaver. The side of the blade is great for crushing garlic etc.

A paring knife will have a 3-4″ long blade and will be used for peeling and paring fruit and vegetables and for trimming where a larger blade would be cumbersome.

A serrated blade is used for cutting through bread, bagels, baguettes etc and should have a blade log enough to cut through a large loaf or a sandwich cake.

These three kitchen work-horses will serve you well and, if you’re on a tight budget, will serve most purposes.

If chosen wisely, a quality set of cooks knives will increase your cooking enjoyment and be a valuable investment for a long time to come.

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