Tag: Health

Cooking for Sunday Dinner

From as far back as I can remember there have been special church occasions when dinner on the church grounds was the order for the day. Far too many times I watched as person after person walked in with store purchased fried chicken. Whether the reason for this was lack of time, lack of planning, or lack of ideas I was never quite certain. I was certain however, that this was not isolated to my church alone.

It may seem odd but I have traveled all over the country and lived in many different areas of the culture. One thing that seems constant no matter where I live is that someone inevitably brings fried chicken from a local restaurant or deli as his or her potluck offering. There is nothing wrong with this of course, but there are so many great recipes available for Sunday dinner cooking that it seems odd that so many would resort to this tired old tradition rather than spicing things up with a spicy taco casserole or sweetening the deal with some delightfully delicious and simple to make dessert.

Sunday dinners obviously aren’t the only time when cooking a casserole or making a dessert is a good decision for the day. They are, however, the most common from my childhood, which is why I often refer to them. There are also ‘pitch ins’ at work that require a contribution and these are an excellent opportunity to make coworkers envy your culinary talents. Even for those who are health conscious however, there are many wonderful types of salads that can be prepared for occasions such as this that will provide you with a guilt free entre at the event for which you are preparing your offering.

You do not have to choose calorie or fat filled dishes for your Sunday dinner cooking. In fact, when you are doing the cooking you should cook the things you enjoy eating. Most of us are much more likely to put our best efforts into preparing the foods we enjoy rather than those that feel as though they are a chore for us to make. The same holds true when cooking for potlucks and such. Just be careful that you do not prepare the exact same dish every time or people will think that it is the only dish you can prepare.

I recommend checking out casserole recipes online and in your favorite magazines. Even magazines that offer healthier eating options often have a casserole, large salad, or even a healthy dessert you can prepare for these events. My personal solution has always been to collect recipes over time that I would like to try out and use the potluck audience as my recipe guinea pigs. This way if my family or I do not like it, we won’t be stuck with leftovers for a week and if we do like it, we can put it into our rotation of recipes for use at home.

Sunday dinner cooking doesn’t have to be nearly as stressful as many of us make it out to be. Many wonderful crock-pot recipes can actually be prepared while you sleep. Just load your slow cooker with the proper ingredients and turn it on before turning in. You should awaken to the wonderful aroma of whatever delightful dish you have prepared and still manage to get ready for church in record time. This tried and true technique is a great way to make Sunday dinner cooking quick and easy.

Even if you are one of the many who have very limited culinary talents it is quite possible to wow your friends, relatives, and fellow church members with the correct ‘simple to make’ recipe. Desserts are by far the best way to go in this effort and can also be made the night before (in many cases) and stored in the refrigerator. Desserts are almost always a good bet and very few people ever complain about them regardless. The Kraft foods website offers some fabulously easy to make and delicious desserts if you are in need. The next time it is your turn to join in on the potluck preparation don’t resort to fried chicken. Dish up something that will truly turn heads instead.

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Detox Diet: Juice Fasting Recipes

Juice fasting is gaining popularity as a great way to detoxify. Many people are interested in getting toxins out of their system so they can live a healthier life. When toxins accumulate in the body, they feel sluggish and also have a poor immune system. Juice fasting, as a cleansing method, can help to people to achieve better health and more energy. It is quite easy to do as fruits are readily obtainable and all that is required additionally is a juicer.

For a beginner to juice fasting, it is important to start out slow and to try it out for one day. By juice fasting, you are limiting your intake to juices only. Fruit juice is high in sugar, so if you are a diabetic or otherwise in need of monitoring your sugar intake you should be cautious of trying a juice fast with fruit juices. Anyone just starting out with fasting should always speak with their doctor first. Also, do not juice fast for prolonged periods like more than 3 days, not unless your doctor agrees that it is safe for you to do so.

The following are sample recipes that can help give you an idea of combinations of fruits and vegetables to use together:

Recipe 1: Vegetable Juice Combo

2 Swiss chard leaves

1/2 beetroot

2 or 3 sprigs of watercress

3 carrots

1 celery stalk

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 2: Carrot-Apple Juice

2-3 Green Apples

1 carrot

Fresh basil leaves

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 3: Carrot-Vegetable Juice

A handful of dandelion leaves

1 kale leaf

4 carrots

Fresh mint, basil or coriander leaves

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

Recipe 4: Peach Juice

2 or 3 peaches

Wash with filtered or distilled water, cut and put in juicer.

There are many different types of juice fasts. Some diets call for fruit juices while others used less sugary vegetable juices. You can always come up with your own unique combination of fruit and vegetable juice diet recipes.

Crockpot Recipes for Low-Fat Dieters

You may not believe this but there are actually a countless number of crock pot recipes for people who are on a low-fat diet. Apparently, such low fat crock pot recipes are intended for people who are watching their health and their weight very carefully. In this regard, we would want to share at least two of the low fat crock pot recipes that most dieters prefer to prepare.

Arroz Con Pollo is one type of a low fat crock pot recipe that we highly suggest. You will need to prepare such ingredients as two tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro, two cups of cooked rice, ten ounces of frozen peas that have been thawed, two tablespoons of red wine, one half cup of chicken broth, eight pieces of chicken thighs that do not have skin, two teaspoons of chili powder, one teaspoon of oregano, one clove of crushed garlic, one fourth teaspoon of pepper, and one half teaspoon of salt.

Mix such ingredients as chili powder, oregano, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl. Such spice mixture should be sprinkled all over the chicken pieces. Once each of the chicken pieces is sprinkled with the spice mixture, you may place all of them in a crock pot. The wine and the broth should then be poured all over the chicken pieces. Cover the crock pot and let it cook for at least five to six hours using low temperature. After five to six hours, remove the chicken and set the crock pot on high temperature. Add the peas soon thereafter and cover the crock pot again and let the ingredients be cooked for another seven to ten minutes. The cooked rice as well as the chicken should then be added into the crock pot. Before serving, make sure to sprinkle the freshly chopped cilantro on the dish.

Another low fat crock pot recipe that we suggest is the recipe for Basil Chicken. This is also an easy-to-prepare dish as it only requires few ingredients and can also be cooked while the crock pot is running unattended.

The ingredients include one half whole green pepper that is sliced, one can of cream of celery soup, one half teaspoon basil, one half teaspoon of pepper, and four whole chicken breasts that are skinless.

To begin the procedure for this low fat crock pot recipe, you must place first the skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot. The chicken should then be sprinkled with basil and pepper. The cream of celery soup should then be poured over the chicken pieces. Afterwards, the sliced green pepper should be placed on top of the chicken that is covered with soup. Cover the crock pot and let it cook for approximately eight hours. The crock pot should be set on low temperature for this low fat crock pot recipe. You do not have to wait for eight hours for this recipe to be cooked. There are instances when six or seven hours will do. This recipe only contains four grams of fat and is composed of 55 grams of protein and three grams of carbohydrates.

The Italian Food Diet

It seems recently that among health circles Italian food has gotten a bad rep. With the advent of Atkins many former Italian food fans have steered fair of the grub because of all the pasta that is used. However, this abstraction that pasta will make you fat is largely unfounded. A diet of Italian food, especially from the Mediterranean is in reality very rose and will care for you looking and feeling great through long as you know what Italian food to eat and how to prepare stable.

A great example of the actuality that Italian food will not make you fat is in Sophia Loren. She told the world in her book that she grew advancing on spaghetti and ate it constantly. She says that it is not the pasta that makes you fat; it’s what you put on best of it. People who gain predomination eating Italian food typically do in consequence not now of the pasta, but because of creamy sauces like Alfredo sauce and now they eat in too large portions. Italian food from the Mediterranean doesn’t rely on rich, thick sauces and uses olive oil instead of butter, making it very healthy.

It all starts with the ingredients you keep. For good, healthy Italian food you want to make undeniable you stock the kitchen with quality pasta, olive oil, garlic, onions, lean store, fish, and seafood. For inwardness you will want some herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. You’ll want to stay away from a lot of cheese and perhaps only get a little parmesan cheese to top your favorite Italian food dishes. The creamy and cheesy Italian food dishes are the ones you’re going to want to stay away from to keep a healthy diet.

There are several different light Italian food meals that you can prepare with these royal ingredients. Here is one to start you off, an Italian food classic, pasta with tomato sauce. You can use any type of pasta you craving and you qualification want to fling livening it up with modification. Italian food is not just spaghetti noodles. Boil the pasta in water with salt. Make sure not to overcook the pasta. You want it to be firm, yet tender. The most prevailing mistake made in making Italian food is making mushy pasta. Since the sauce simply chop up some garlic, an onion, and some tomatoes. Take a tablespoon of your quality olive oil and saut both the garlic and onions until they are soft. Once that is done add the tomatoes and cook until all the ingredients are blended together well. To top corporal off hold your favorite herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil. Try different combinations of herbs, competent is no definitive herbs because Italian food then exertion and dish out your sauce your own john doe flavor.

Serve this sauce over your feverish pasta and if you want put a little sprinkle of parmesan on it. This is a simple Italian food dish that stands on its let on and you won’t need to eat bread or anything else with it. This is a great example of how healthy Italian food is supposed to be, light and fresh.

Feel unrecompensed to try different variations on this instructions. Italian food is full of a variety of pastas and recipes that can keep you satisfied and healthy whereas long as you loiter away from the heavy sauces and creams.