Healthy Eating Menu - Preparation is Key

Healthy Eating Menu - Preparation is Key : There is a simple way to have a healthy eating menu every single night for your family. All you have to do is have a well-stocked kitchen full of healthy foods and you'll be good to go. Don't let the "What am I going to cook for dinner" blues keep you from eating right. Know ahead of time what you will cook for dinner and be prepared.

Healthy Eating Menu: Stocking the Pantry

A well-stocked pantry with common sundry items such as legumes, rice, lentils, pasta and other whole grains is a must when wanting to cook healthy meals for yourself and family. Legumes can be used a hundred different ways and there are twenty different varieties to choose from. Beans can be used for nachos, pasta salad, pureed for dips, and used in soups and stews.

Brown rice can be prepared in a couple dozen ways from stir-fries to rice pudding. Whole grain pasta is healthy and can be used for salads, soups, stews, and a variety of sauces. A healthy pantry should not be without legumes, pasta, and brown rice. Think of all the healthy, tasty and simple meals you can prepare using these three common sundry items as the base.

Healthy Eating Menu: Stocking the Freezer

The refrigerator should always have the basic vegetables for soups and stews such as carrots, onions, and celery. But as we all know, it is not always feasible to have fresh vegetables available when we need them. That's when frozen veggies come in handy.

Frozen vegetables aren't always as tasteful as fresh, but most of the vitamin content has been retained through freezing. Most vegetables are picked fresh, quickly blanched and then frozen to keep the nutrition intact. Use frozen veggies in the same way you would fresh.

It's also a good idea to have fresh frozen fruits and berries on hand, such as blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Berries are full of cancer fighting agents called antioxidants that protect the body. They are great in smoothies, cereal, and breakfast muffins.

Healthy Eating Menu: Stocking the Seasoning Rack

Nothing beats fresh herbs for flavoring our healthy meals with. Especially the aromatic herbs like basil, oregano and rosemary. But unless you have the luxury of your own herb garden, you'll have to resort to the grocery store's stockpile of herbs and seasonings. This is fine, but picking fresh basil from your own basil plant makes cooking a little bit more entertaining.

Be sure to have a variety of different herbs and spices on hand to flavor many of your dishes, sauces, soups, casseroles, and stews. Here is a basic list. Chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, curry powder, cayenne, sea salt, paprika, thyme, pizza seasoning, dill weed, sage, and garlic powder.

Healthy Eating: Cooking the Food

Now comes the fun part. Deciding what to cook with all the nutritious food in your kitchen. One way to get focused on nightly meals is to make a weekly menu of each meal you are going to cook for that week. Do the bulk of your shopping ahead of time. You can wash and cut vegetables and meats the night before.

You wouldn't believe how much time you will save just doing the basic prep work the night before. And family members, if you're reading this, give the cook some encouragement for their efforts in the kitchen. They will be overjoyed.

Healthy Diet Menu - 7 Things You Should Add to Your Daily Food Menu

Healthy Diet Menu - 7 Things You Should Add to Your Daily Food Menu | Obtaining a healthy diet menu is absolutely vital because food has always been the biggest factor regarding weight gain and also weight loss, according to various studies. As you can see, you do not have to stop eating just to lose inches off your waist.

The key to losing weight is to adjust your food intake and the foods that you take in. Moderation and control-these are your allies in the race against finding a healthy diet menu.

For your convenience, here are some useful tips you can use in preparing your food. Doing so may help you remove the fattening elements in the food that you eat. Remember these and you will be able to create the perfect menu for your dieting troubles.

Things Not to Have in Your Healthy Eating Menu

Things Not to Have in Your Healthy Eating Menu

We have all heard of all the healthy foods that we should have in our healthy eating menu. Having balanced meals in a healthy menu is quite easy with all this information on eating healthy. There are so many sources of information and guides to creating a healthy menu for daily living that people have access to. 

This information is detailed with all the benefits of eating healthy and all the detrimental effects of not sticking to a healthy eating menu. However with all these guidelines on how to eat healthy, it is also important to know what not to compromise on when it comes to a healthy menu.

GMOs are a latest feature in the food market, providing a larger and faster yielding variety of foods to the people. But with the level of controversy surrounding these types of foods, they should not feature in your healthy eating menu. This is because the nutrient quality is affected by the procedures and additions of chemicals and artificial fertilizers that the growth of these foods. A healthy menu should contain foods of excellent nutrient quality. Foods that do not have this quality should be exempted from a healthy eating menu.

Highly processed and packaged foods are also a no-go zone in a healthy eating menu. This is because these foods are usually added with artificial preservatives and passed through many processing procedures to ensure that all bacteria is destroyed to ensure that they last longer in the shelves. The problem with such foods in the healthy menu is that the same procedure used to destroy the bacteria also affects some of the nutrients and vitamins in the food making the nutrient quality much lacking. For your healthy eating menu, always go for fresh produce as it does not contain these preservatives which are not good for your health.

Finally, fast food and foods from restaurants cannot be classified as foods to be part of a healthy eating menu. You cannot add these foods in a healthy menu as these foods are usually prepared in mass amounts and overcooking or using excess oil and salt among other types of seasoning can always occur. 

Unless you have overseen the full process of the preparation of the foods in a healthy menu, anything else does not suffice. A healthy menu should contain. A healthy eating menu should contain foods that have been prepared with detailed precision ensuring that the nutrient quality is preserved through the whole preparation process.

Weight Loss Healthy Low Calorie Recipes

Weight Loss Healthy Low Calorie Recipes - Lose Weight Diet Tips & Healthy Foods Menu 4 Men-Women

Looking for advice on weight loss, or is it healthy low calorie recipes to lose weight you want, if so read on. Are you considering what the best weight loss plan to choose is? Have you found a low calorie diet that sounds great, but at the same time you feel wary about? Or, do you just want to lose weight fast and not sure how to go about it?

With the right help and best diet, along with guidance on choosing healthy low calorie recipes best suited to your taste - then you're onto a winner for shedding the pounds.

Is it belly fat you want rid of? Are your legs on the fat side? Are you obese and think you look gross, and want to do something about it? These are common reasons why overweight people come looking for ways to help them get slim.

Most people want to lose weight fast to get their body back in shape so they look good, while this is a good thing; it is also a bad thing if health is not considered first. Your health needs to take priority over beauty. Get a bad diet and all is lost. Pick the right diet and you get the best of both worlds (a good looking healthy body).

A lot of folk think they know all there is to know about dieting. Knowing the basics is not enough; in fact it can be dangerous. Most think if they eat less food the weight will drop off. While this is true, certain factors have to be considered first "health." If you ignore this and go swallowing diet pills you know nothing about then serious complications can happen and leave you extremely ill.

Weight Loss

Losing weight is simply a matter of burning more calories than you eat. Okay, if it as easy as some make out then why are there still fat people walking the streets. A lot of the time those with weight problems find it hard to follow a weight loss program. These same people take drastic steps no matter the cost to their pocket, or health. They take up diets and consume slimming pills that contain risky elements, and this is worrying because they are that desperate they'll suffer the consequence, just as long as they lose the weight.

If you're to be successful with your weight loss plan you will need to make some changes. Forget about instant results and settle in for the long run and enjoy your time dieting.

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn about 3500 calories over and above what you already burn during the day. You don't want to do this. Take one step at a time and decide what you need to do daily to burn or cut out those extra calories.

Remember to calculate your basal metabolic rate. What is BMR? Simply explained it is what your body needs to keep normal functions like breathing and digestion in order. This is the smallest amount of calories you should try and consume every day. It's good to keep a diary with your figures written down.

Calculate your activity level. You can purchase a calorie calculator which you will find helpful when following a weight loss plan. The calculator is your best friend throughout this time; it will help you figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, and lifting heavy weights during the day. Keep a daily activity log, or wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. Ask your doctor, dietician, or speak to a pharmacist for details about the heart rate monitor. Keep track of the amount of calories you eat.

1 out of 4 low calorie healthy recipes

Shrimp dish Serve with brown rice or roasted vegetables.

Sauteed Shrimp recipe - 134 calories

Ingredients:

1 1lb large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon herb seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add the shrimp and saute (1 minute.)

3. Add the herb seasoning, lemon juice, salt and pepper; stir to coat the shrimp.

4. saute (3 minute until cooked through).

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

Servings: 4

Nutritional information for one serving:

Calories: 134

Total fat: 3.5 g

Cholesterol: 220 mg

Sodium: 545 mg

Total carbs: 0.8 g

Fiber: 0.1 g

Protein: 23.8 g

Weight Watchers points: 3

Everyone loves Nutella, so just for you here is a delicious recipe for you to try and share with others, well maybe not with others, it is your call.

Number 2 of 4 low calorie healthy recipes

Nutella Biscotti Recipe - 90 calories

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 cup hazelnuts (optional)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy.

4. Add the sugar and continue beating for about 2 minutes.

5. Stir in the Nutella.

6. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until well combined.

7. Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts (if using).

8. Flour your hands well and divide the dough into 2 or 3 logs; arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press the logs into rectangles approximately 1/2 inch thick.

9. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven. Turn down oven heat to 300° F.

11. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into 1/3-1/2 inch slices. Arrange on a baking sheet and return to the oven.

12. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, then turn the biscotti over and bake for about 10-12 more minutes (depending on the thickness of your slices).

Servings: 36

Nutritional information for one serving:

Calories: 90

Total fat: 2.5 g

Cholesterol: 17 mg

Sodium: 62 mg

Total carbs: 15.8 g

Fiber: 0.7 g

Protein: 1.7 g

Weight Watchers points: 2

3 of 4 low calorie healthy recipes

Stuffed Mushrooms recipe - 175 calories

Ingredients:

28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Stir the Pecorino cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, mint, parsley, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend.

3. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat.

5. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange them on the baking sheet (cavity side up).

6. Drizzle the remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom.

7. Bake for about 25 minutes (until the filling is golden on top and heated through and the mushrooms are tender).

8. Serve.

Servings: 7 (4 mushrooms per serving)

Nutritional information for one serving:

Calories: 175

Total fat: 13 g

Sodium: 264 mg

Total carbs: 9.4 g

Fiber: 1.3 g

Protein: 6.8 g

Weight Watchers points: 4

4 of 4 low calorie healthy recipes

Southwestern Onion Rings recipe - 171 calories

Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons chilli powder

2 teaspoons salt

1-2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation:

1. Slice the onions into 1/4? slices and separate the rings.

2. Place the rings in a bowl and add the buttermilk to cover the onions.

3. Soak for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and water.

5. Combine the flour, chilli powder, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder and sugar in a shallow dish.

6. Drain the onion rings.

7. Dip the rings in the egg mixture first, then dredge in the flour mixture.

8. Fry the onion rings in 1? of oil heated to 375 degrees, a few at a time, until golden brown on each side.

9. Drain and serve immediately.

Servings: 12

Nutritional information for one serving:

Calories: 171

Total fat: 2.4 g

Cholesterol: 55 mg

Sodium: 688 mg

Total carbs: 29.8 g

Fiber: 1.6 g

Protein: 7.5 g

Weight Watchers points: 3

Number 5 of 5 low calorie healthy recipes

Eat healthy and live longer by watching your diet.

Healthy Foods to Lose Weight

Healthy Foods to Lose Weight

Forget the diets that tell you to eliminate entire food groups or that tell you to eat only one thing every single day. Those plans do not work for a number of reasons. You only need to rely on healthy foods to lose weight, and no gimmicks. Gimmicks and tricks do not work. Fad diets and crazy plans do not work. Using healthy foods to lose weight does work.

There are only a few rules for using healthy foods to lose weight. Food that is as close to natural is generally what you should be basing your healthy food menu on. It is next to impossible to get fat eating fruits and vegetables after all.

Learn the "healthy version" of every food and what is the best or top choice in every good group. Learn how to serve these foods in more than one way so you don't get bored with them. For example, the blueberry, one of the best healthy foods to lose weight with, can be eaten as is, frozen, served in a smoothie or mixed with other berries. It can be tossed on top of yogurt for a dessert or on top of a salad as an interesting addition to a common side dish item.

There are so many fruits and vegetables in the world that we may have never heard of before, and while there are other foods that we may not be as familiar with, some are healthy foods we can use to lose weight. Look for foods that you may not know at farmer's markets, ethnic stores and other locations. While you are there, ask advice about choosing the best one and how to serve it for the best flavor. At some places, the seller might be interested in showing you how to make these items and may even give you a sample.

Recently, a number of articles were released that told people that the days of eating dried veggies are over and done with. Thankfully, it was discovered that a number of the vitamins and minerals in these foods are better absorbed by the body when they are accompanied by some healthy fats. The best tip then was to cook your veggies lightly in healthy fats such as olive oil for the best absorption of the vitamins and minerals.

There are other healthy foods to lose weight with including protein foods such as nuts, dairy foods and lean meats. Some varieties of fish give not only lean protein but healthy fats and Omega 3 fatty acids as well. The trick with these foods is not just in knowing which are good to eat and which are not but in knowing the proper portion size for your healthy diet. Nuts, for instance are high in calories, so it only takes a small amount for the proper serving size.

Refreshing Summer Drinks to Stock Up on This Summer

Refreshing Summer Drinks to Stock Up on This Summer - Along with those perfect summer days and nights comes the oppressive heat and humidity. Excessive heat can be very uncomfortable without air conditioning. Whipping up something chilled and refreshing can be easy if you have all the ingredients at home. So why not shop at your local cash and carry and stock up on some wholesale products.

Stock up on these refreshing summer drinks products.

Concentrated juice is a variety of juice that is often diluted with water. These juices can also be mixed with other drinks to give it a sweeter taste. Concentrated juices come in 1 litre, 3 litre or 5 litres options. There are various flavours available to tantalise all taste buds. Such flavours could include orange, lemon and many others.

Drinks that come in sachets are popular amongst children. Drink-o-Pop, for example, makes flavoured drinks that can be mixed with water. Children may take this drink to school as part of the lunch box. The sachet contents can be mixed with chilled water in the morning before your child goes to school. Choose a reusable drinks bottle that your child will love and fill it with the mixed cool drink. It is a great way for parents to save space in their kitchen cupboards. It is also a good way to minimise the use of drinks bottles that are usually discarded after one use. The individual sachets make one glass of cool drink. If you are planning on buying them in bulk, they are available in small boxes of 72 sachets and these are packaged into a larger box of 8 units.

Chocolate milk drinks are a healthy and tasty drink especially for children but also loved by adults. The traditionally warm chocolate milk drinks can also be mixed with cold milk in the summer months. Nestle Cocoa and Milo are popular chocolate milk drinks. After school, fill a glass with cold milk and mix in about 3 to 4 teaspoons of chocolate powder. Give the milk a good stir to dissolve all of the cocoa granules. For an added treat, you could add a spoon or two of ice cream to create a chocolate milkshake. Children love this variation of the chocolate milk drink. Nestle Cocoa and Milo are both available in resealable containers that can be bought in bulk packs of 6 containers.

These are summer drinks that will be in demand during the following months so be sure to stock up at your local wholesaler.

2 Steps to Ease Fears & Speed Metabolic Rate

Green Energy Drinks - Worried About a Slow Metabolism? 2 Steps to Ease Fears & Speed Metabolic Rate

We all want a fast metabolism. A fast metabolism means that our bodies are efficiently converting food into energy and burning fat as fuel instead of storing it for a rainy day. In other words, with a good metabolism, we're energetic, active, healthy, alert and lean, and with a slow metabolism, we're hungry, sluggish, foggy-headed, unhealthy and fat. No brainer, right? Especially when a slow metabolism can keep your body from getting the nutrients it needs, eventually leading to breakdown.

A fast metabolism is tied to a simple healthy diet with the right ratio of lean protein (like fish or whey protein), unprocessed carbohydrates (like leafy greens or green drink powder) and healthy fats (like nuts or flax oil).  It's not tied to processed quick-fixes like diet pills, caffeinated drinks or sugary beverages that make you feel "speedy" and then make you crash. No, these ups and downs throw off your blood sugar and slow your metabolism even more! Plus, they only further add to environmental toxins building up in your body and slowing your metabolism.

The good news is that there are easy, all-natural ways to speed your metabolism that last all day. And whey you feel energetic on a steady basis, you're more active and less hungry causing a snowball effect that benefits your overall well-being and body tone in the long-term.

One of our favorite energy-boosting metabolism speeders is green energy powder. The higher energy levels it gives you keeps you moving and burning more fat and leaves you with that fast metabolism snowball effect. Here's how healthy energy drinks give you more energy naturally:

o  They have all-natural green tea, a natural stimulant.

o They're full of antioxidants that keep cells healthy, giving you plenty of energy to use on whatever you want.

o They contain probiotics and digestive enzymes that help digestion, keeping the body cleaner, more efficient and more energized.

o They have lots of chlorophyll that alkalizes and cleans the blood. This gives you more red blood cells to carry oxygen in and metabolic waste out.

o They're all-alkaline and help keep your body in ideal alkaline PH state.

So how can you speed up your metabolism naturally to stay energized and lean? Follow This Breakfast Shake 2-Step Plan!

#1. Get the optimum amount of protein, carbs and fats at every meal and snack. What's the optimum amount? A fist-size portion of unprocessed carbohydrates, a thumb-size portion of healthy fats, and a fist-size portion of lean protein.  Your body needs all three to :

o Turn carbs into glucose to fuel your body and brain
o Stabilize blood sugar
o Provide fiber to curb hunger
o Burn body fat

#2. Have a green energy drink for breakfast and plan ahead by having the ingredients on hand. This breakfast drink is easy to prepare, tastes delicious and has the perfect nutritional balance that we just talked about in step #1.

Blend the following to desired smoothness:  liquid (water, milk); green drink powder; pure protein powder; good fat (omega oil);  fresh fruit; ice; optional essences and spices (ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, mint, vanilla ).

Ready to be energized all day long thanks to a healthy metabolism? Start by shopping for the ingredients for your breakfast smoothies...