Advantages of Simple Pasta Recipes

Easy pasta recipes are extremely well liked by a lot of people and this article talks about the reasons for this, such as its versatility and cheapness. A cheap and tasty tuna salad recipe is also shown.

Almost everyone loves easy pasta recipes because they have many advantages to eating it. It isn't expensive at all and makes feeding a family very easy and inexpensive. Quick pasta recipes can also be in many different forms ranging from popular dishes like macroni to the much less used like pasta soups. Basic ingredients can also be used with these simple pasta recipes. Those involved in sports also make good use of this popular ingredient because of its ability to release energy slowly, which can help with endurance sports.

It is useful to sports people because it helps with the creation of energy due to the carbonhydrates it contains. This makes it an important nutrient for athletes and aiding them in getting the best results. It is stored as glycogen in the muscle where they perform as a willingly accessible energy souce during lengthly and strenuous competitions.

Water, eggs and flour are used to make it and you can use these ingredients to make your own also. They are sometimes coloured and the flavour changed, by adding dye and herbs and spices. A bit of extra taste can also be added to the food by filling the pasta with tomatoes or different meat types.

There are also many different types of this food for many different uses. These include spaghetti used in meals such as bolognaise; noodles that can be used in chicken noodle soup; sheets for use in lasagne dishes; and different shapes used in, for example, macaroni cheese; and dried and fresh pasta also. They all help to provide a wide range of tasty, easy recipes that anyone can easily make. A tuna salad recipe is shown below.

Ingredients: - Pasta for 2 - 1 can of tuna - Rocket leaves, watercress, spinach - Cucumber, sliced - 8 cherry tomatoes, halved - 1 pepper, chopped - Few tablespoons of salad cream

What to do: 1. Follow the packet's instructions for cooking the pasta properly 2. Once cooked, mix with everything else and stir well

That's it. Very easy and quick!

The reasons stated above in this article are why Italian food is liked so much by people from many different countries, other than just Italians. Anybody, anywhere can make great meals from easy pasta recipes, with all the simple ingredients that are used.

Low Fat Pastas - Pastas For All

Low fat pastas have made it possible for pasta-lovers to satisfy their temptation without compromising on the calorie chart prescribed by their health consultant. Pastas with low fats are especially helpful if you are required to maintain a low carbohydrate diet, be it for your fitness or due to some health reason like diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity. The health-friendliness of these low fat pastas has gained them a great popularity among people of all ages and communities. There are many food product companies that sell pastas and most of them have introduced the Low carb Pastas into the market. The nutritional value, of course, depends on which type of pasta you opt for.

The origin of pastas dates back into the BCs. 'Pasta' is the name given to noodles produced by adding water to the paste of grains. Additional constituents frequently added in pastas are egg and salt. While rice noodles are considered to be a Chinese cuisine, the wheat noodles are a part of the Italian cuisine. The name pasta is also given to the concoctions with pasta as the main ingredient and other items sprucing it up. From vegetables to beef, pastas can be cooked with almost anything. It basically depends on what tastes you and how your family would prefer to have it. This is perhaps one of the major reasons why pastas are so well known all around the globe.

Low fat pastas are cooked in the same way as the normal kind. The two basic methods of their preparation are - by extrusion and by lamination. In extrusion, the prepared dough is mashed through a plate with holes to obtain the pasta. Lamination is a different process where the dough is rolled and folded into the desired shape. Fresh pasta is easier to cook but there are more chances of it getting spoiled early due to the presence of a lot of moisture. On the other hand, dry pasta has a long shelf-life because its moisture content is only around 10%. Noodle like pastas surpass all other types in popularity. Macaroni are the most popular type of short tube pastas, with Penne standing second in popularity.

Low fat or low carb pastas are an excellent and filling breakfast, lunch or dinner for calorie-conscious people and diabetics. The best thing about them is, you can expect their taste to be just same as your regular pasta. Now, to devour a plateful of mouth-watering pastas, you don't need to worry about your weight. Lowfat Pastas have been whole-heartedly welcomed by pasta-lovers. You can browse different varieties of Low fat Pastas at the Diabetic Direct store. Delicious food with great nutritional value- what else can you ask for.

Picnics Made Easy

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A picnic meal need not be a complicated event. Offering cold food items makes the menu easier to control. There will be less equipment to bring and fewer cleanups afterwards.

Sandwiches are a preferred picnic item. In the past a sandwich consisted of two pieces of bread and lunch meat. Sandwiches have been given an overhaul in recent years.

To add variety to ordinary sandwiches, choose from a variety of breads. Sandwiches are being made from pitas, flatbreads, and tortilla wraps. Cut the bread the night before and store in an airtight container.

Buy meats from the deli counter at the grocery store. Fresh turkey breast, ham, chicken breast, and salamis are options. Put the sliced deli meats in the freezer. The morning of the picnic, take them out so they can slowly thaw and stay cold until they are ready to be consumed.

You can run into trouble with condiments at a picnic, especially anything that is made from dairy products. Refrigerate mayonnaise based foods and dips until ready to pack the cooler for the picnic. To avoid having condiments containers sitting out without refrigeration, use condiment packets like the ones available at fast food restaurants.

Salads of all types are awesome cold picnic options. Macaroni or potato salad is best when served cold. If your get together is large, investing in single serving plastic cups with lids will avoid bringing too much to the picnic. When mayonnaise based salads come to room temperature they begin to get soupy and could spoil.

Rather than a fruit salad, bring along whole fruits. Fruit need not be refrigerated. It can be cleaned off before you leave the house and kept from the light in a paper bag. Choose a selection: apples, peaches, oranges, plums, and etcetera. Fruit makes a nutritious dessert alternative than ice cream or candy. Plus it has natural sweetness.

Individual pouches of chips and other snacks keep everyone's hands from reaching in the same bag, dirty and clean. There will be no opened bags of chips to transport home. This gives picnickers more variety without having to spend a fortune on snacks. It also allows everyone to choose the snacks or chips they prefer so everyone gets what they prefer most.

Nuts make an easy snack for a picnic. They need no refrigeration and can be easily transported. For easy handling by others, separate nuts into individual snack bags. Any bags that are not consumed can be emptied back into the can to be eaten later.

Cold food items equal a convenient and simple picnic menu. There is no need to use a grill. Packaging foods individual allows for less mess and easier serving.

How To Add Leafy Green Vegetables to Your Diet

Many of us already know how good green vegetables are for our health, but sometimes it's hard to incorporate them into our daily diet except in the form of a green salad, and often that's made of iceberg lettuce which is hardly green at all.

Leafy greens are highly nutritious and low in calories. The World's Healthiest Foods site (www.whfoods.com) puts collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, swiss chard and turnip greens on its list of healthiest foods. Depending on the green, they can be high in calcium, iron, antioxidants, and vitamins A,C, and K among others. (www.whfoods.com gives a complete list.) Usually, the darker the green, the more nutrients it contains. Leafy greens are also a good source of fiber.

So, what to do with them? Well here's a few of my favorite easy suggestions:

* For collard greens or kale--Wash, remove stems, and coarsely chop a bunch of greens. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a frying pan, sauté the greens for a minute or so, then add a small amount of butter and finely chopped garlic (the butter should keep the garlic from burning). Lightly salt, and keep cooking & stirring over a low heat until the greens are tender but not overcooked. (I prefer my greens still slightly crunchy, so I don't cook them long--for me if they're dark green and mushy, they're way overcooked.) I like to serve these as a side to beans and rice. You can put them right in the same bowl.

* Another idea for kale--Kale can easily be added to lots of different meals without anyone knowing. (Helpful if you're cooking for picky eaters.) Wash and dry a bunch of kale, remove stems, and then chop it up finely in your food processor (do not puree!). Put desired amounts in Ziplock bags ( I put in about a cup of chopped kale per bag), and then put them in the freezer. You can then add the chopped kale to chili, soup, stir fry or spaghetti sauce while cooking--and none of the picky eaters has to know what it is. I even add small amounts to macaroni and cheese.

* Swiss chard--Okay, if you're worried about fat, then this is not the recipe for you. Because of the high fat content, this is a recipe I only do about once a month, but it's always a hit. This is my version of Cheesy Chard.

* Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked brown rice, 1 full bunch of swiss chard, 1 large onion, olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper, 1 package of sharp cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

1. Cook 1 cup of long grain brown rice according to the directions on the package. (Don't use white rice for this recipe because it's too light and sticky.)

2. During the last 20 minutes that the rice is cooking, chop the onion and sauté it in a large frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until the onions start to get soft.

3. While the onion cooks, wash the chard, remove the stems and coarsely chop. When the onion is soft, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and add the chard. Lightly salt. Stir, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the chard just wilts (this should not take more than 3 to 5 minutes).

4. Remove pan cover and layer some cheddar cheese over the chard. How much? This depends on your tastes. I use about 1/2 a small brick (maybe 4 oz) of cheddar cheese.

5. Cover the cheddar cheese with the hot brown rice and wait only a minute for the cheese to melt. Then mix the chard, cheese and rice thoroughly.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. If you want more flavor, either add the Parmesan cheese or add even more cheddar cheese. For more vegetables, you can also add chopped carrots or some garlic while the chard is cooking.

As I said up front, this is not a low fat recipe. I serve it with warm French bread drizzled with olive oil, and that's the whole meal.

So those are a few ways to add non-lettuce leafy greens to your diet, and there are many more. Some good recipes can be found in Great Greens: Fresh, Flavorful, and Innovative Recipes by Georgeanne Brennan. The U.S. government now recommends eating at least 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day for the average person, and it gets pretty boring if all you eat is broccoli, carrots, and lettuce. Add some leafy greens to your diet for more variety and better nutrition.

Simple Recipes Ham - 5 Ways For 5 Days

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A quality spiral ham is the ultimate simple yet versatile meat and here's proof. These are five different ways to serve it so you can have a different meal each day of the week with limited prep time. And since the ham is fully cooked, it is a snap to create these comfort food masterpieces day after day. And you thought that half ham was going to be too large for your family of 4!

Monday's Hammy Quiche

Cook time: 45 minutes,

Prep Time: 10 Minutes,

Serves 4

Ingredients: 9 inch pie crust shell, 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups half and half, 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup chopped cubed pams-hams, salt and pepper to taste, optional: chopped spinach, onions or mushrooms

Sprinkle half the cheese on the pie crust, whisk remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

TIP: If you don't have half and half handy, use the milk in your fridge and add 1/3 stick melted butter.

Tuesday's Great Ham Dinner

Cook time: 45 minutes,

Prep Time: 20 minutes,

Serves 4

This is my idea of the perfect meal - holiday or otherwise. See recipes - sides for the side dishes that best compliment the ham. My choice would be green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and sweet potato casserole. Delicious and colorful!

Wednesday's Chef Salad Extraordinaire

Cook time: 0 minutes,
Prep Time: 10 minutes,
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pams-hams, 4 slices swiss cheese sliced, 4 slices cheddar cheese sliced, 2 hard boiled eggs chopped, ½ cucumber sliced, one head of iceberg lettuce chopped. Combine all ingredients and serve with your favorite dressing. In my family, we each use a different dressing but here's a couple of fun and simple dressing suggestions. Combine 1/3 cup each ranch and thousand island dressing. Ranch island dressing! Combine 1/3 cup each Italian dressing (I like Newmans) and Caesar dressing (again, I prefer Newmans.) It's a Newman medley!

Thursday's Jambalaya

Cook time: 30 minutes,
Prep Time: 15 minutes,
Serves: 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups pams-hams diced, 1 large onion diced, 1 can okra drained, ½ green pepper chopped, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup uncooked rice, 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, ½ cup chicken broth, 2 T. olive oil, hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or other), salt and pepper to taste. In a large saucepan, use olive oil to brown onions, garlic, okra and green pepper. (about 5 minutes) Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until rice is cooked (about 25 minutes).

Friday's Wild Rice and Ham Chowder

Cook time: 45 minutes,
Prep Time: 10 minutes,
Serves 4

Now that you've widdled down the ham, you can end the week with a great soup using your ham bone. See recipes - soup for this favorite or any of the other ham soup recipes.
Serve with crusty bread and/or remaining salad from Wednesday!

For more of my simple versatile recipes and cooking tips, go to [http://www.pams-hams.com]. An inviting place for glazed baked ham, dinners, gifts and clever conversation.

Fried Green Tomatoes - You Just Got To Love Them

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Fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits and corn on the cob is one of the best meals you can eat. Hmm! I'm getting hungry already! I remember when my mom use to cook big meals, I would sit in the kitchen with her and watch every thing she did. The smell of greens and cornbread just made me feel warm all over. My mom loved to cook and I love to watch her cook, she would bake cakes, pies, cookies, and more. As I got older I soon began to learn how to cook. I would cook chicken, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, bake cakes, and crabs anything you could think of I've tried and I'm still exploring with foods. I love a challenge and I love trying out new things. One of my favorites to cook is fried green tomatoes, I think they make a perfect appetizer or sidedish.

Cooking this dish is very easy and takes little time, about 25 minutes is all it takes. Once you learn how to cook them and taste them you'll never want to go without them.

Depending on how many people you are cooking for go to a store that sells fresh veggies. Grab you about 4 large green tomatoes. This is how to cook them.

1. First rinse off the tomatoes very thoroughly, then dry them off with paper towel or towel.

2. Lay the tomatoes on the sides and cut medium size slices. Make sure when you cut them they are in a shape of a circle

3. Pour 2/12 cups of flour and cornmeal into a bowl. Make sure you measure out the cornmeal to 2/12 cups also. This is what I use because I double dip mine. If you do not want to double dip for extra crispiness then reduce the dry ingredients by a cup.

4. Season the dry ingredients with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Season to your taste.

5. Grab two eggs and whip them into a bowl with a little milk or water.

6. Get a medium size pan while whipping the eggs and pour 2 cups of vegetable oil into the skillet on high and let it get hot. Once hot turn the stove down to medium heat.

6. Grab one tomato at a time, dip it in the egg mixture and then dip into the cornmeal and flour. For extra coating repeat this step.

7. Drop the coated tomatoes into the hot grease and let them cook for about two minutes on each side until golden brown. Lay on paper towels to drain any excess oil and you're done! Eat and enjoy with ketchup or you can just eat them plain.

Now that was easy! I hope you enjoy my Fried Green Tomatoes.

Lorna Darden

Kid Friendly Lasagna

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I am one of the many moms that have a picky eater under the age of five. If he had his way, he would only eat chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and pudding. After many attempts to make a meal that the whole family will enjoy, I found a recipe in one of my cooking magazines and changed it up to suit my busy lifestyle. This meal is sure to please the picky eaters in your home.

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 26 oz. can of Hunts Four Cheese spaghetti sauce

1 26 oz. can of Hunts Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce

1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed

6 "no boiling required" lasagna noodles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain.

3. Add can of Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce and half of the can of Four Cheese spaghetti sauce to the ground beef. Stir well and heat through.

4. In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in baking dish, spoon in half of the meat sauce. Top the meat sauce with three noodles. Cover the noodles with half of the cubed cheese. (Please note: the cubed cheese will not completely cover the noodles. This is fine because the cheese will spread while baking.)

5. Now spoon the rest of the meat sauce over the cheese. Add three more noodles and cover the noodles with the rest of the cheese.

6. Top with remaining Four Cheese spaghetti sauce.

7. Cover baking dish with foil.

8. Bake for 1 hour at 375.

9. Let lasagna set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Serve lasagna with a side salad and breadsticks for a complete meal.

This kid friendly lasagna is also great the next day. Simply place a serving in the microwave to heat up. Be sure to cover the lasagna in the microwave because it will splatter and make a mess.

Happy cooking!

Add Spice to Your Supper With Italian Pasta

Pasta is the most flexible Italian fare. While it is extremely popular here in the U.S., believe it or not it is far more popular in Italy. Pasta is mainly made from flour. However, various types of grain can also make pasta. In order to make pasta flour is combined with water and often also prepared with eggs. When the mixture is done, it is kneaded and shaped into a whole variety of shapes. The vast amount of pasta that is cooked is first boiled before served, however pasta can be baked, but before doing so it is usually boiled.

Pasta is very affordable and can be very filling. It is a starch, and while most Americans are familiar with the dried pasta that is in long thin rods- spaghetti, it can also come fresh and in practically any shape including shells, tubes, spiral, very thick noodles, etc.
Italians refer to all pastas as macaroni, however, here in America we usually refer to macaroni as small shell type shapes of pasta.

Pasta with Tomato Meat Sauce

-16 ounces of pasta (spaghetti)

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

-1-1 ½ pounds of hamburger meat

-1 onion

-Olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water to ¾ full and add a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt. Once the water boils add in the pasta and stir for a minute or two to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. In a frying pan, add some oil and then add some hamburger meat along with a chopped onion. Cook the hamburger meat until medium or well done. In a sauce pan, add contents of tomato sauce. Let simmer on a low to medium heat. Do not cook the sauce fast, it will only burn it and become dry. Once all items are complete, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Yields about 4 servings.

Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed shells are an awesome way to make dinner out of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. They are simple to prepare and can be cooked in about 20 minutes. Here is the recipe:

-1 16 ounce box of large pasta shells. (Make sure that the shells are already pre cooked and ready to be baked. If not, you will have to first boil them and then bake them.

-1 pound of ricotta cheese

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

- Side dishes that go well are spinach, green beans, mushrooms or a Greek Salad

Heat your oven to about 350 degrees. Fill the shells with ricotta cheese. Typically each shell can be filled with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once filled, place the shell on a baking sheet and cover the shell with foil. Cook for about 20 minutes. In a medium sauce pan with a low to medium heat simmer tomato sauce. Once complete spread shells with sauce. Other variations include adding meat to the sauce, spinach, etc.

Pasta Salad Recipe - Are You Tired of Rice and Potatoes?

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Every cook seeks to add some variety to the side dish menu. So often potatoes and rice are the traditional sides appearing on the dinner plate. Why not serve up some delicious tasty pasta salad? This recipe is very easy, and you can alter it to incorporate ingredients you have on hand.

This dish is best served warm, but don't toss the leftovers. They are also good cold, or you can do a quick warm in the microwave. Don't warm too long, though, because you don't want to "cook" the mayonnaise. You can mix up different pastas, using some colored rotini for some flair.

I often mix together traditional "white" enriched pasta along with some whole grain or spinach varieties. My family will eat spinach and whole wheat pasta if it is not the only pasta in the dish, so just toss some of those along with the regular pasta, adjusting the ratios as desired.

This recipe is very flexible, allowing you to utilize leftovers and food you have on hand. Summer garden vegetables work great in this recipe. If you don't have the exact ingredients listed, feel free to substitute items you do have, using your culinary creativity.

Eight ounces of pasta makes about 4-6 side dish servings. You can increase or decrease quantities as needed.

Ingredients:

* 8 ounces of pasta (mix different pastas together such as elbow macaroni, piccolini, and colorful rotini)
* Red and/or yellow bell pepper
* Green onions
* Celery
* Black Olives
* Bacon (4-5 slices per 8 ounces pasta)
* Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning
* Mayonnaise
* Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Cook bacon and set aside to drain.
2. Dice all of the vegetables into small dice. Total of all vegetables is 1 cup per 8 ounces of pasta, no need to get too exact here.
3. Assemble the vegetables on a plate, sprinkle with Italian Seasoning (be generous), salt and pepper, and set aside. If you want to spice things up a little, add some crushed red pepper flakes.
4. This pasta dish is best served warm, so finish other dinner preparations.
5. About 15 minutes before dinner, cook pasta according to directions.
6. Drain pasta, DO NOT RINSE.
7. Add vegetables and crumbled bacon to pasta.
8. Add mayonnaise to pasta and stir, use about 1/2 cup per 8 ounces of pasta, or according to taste.
9. Stir gently with rubber spatula.
10. Add grated Parmesan Cheese to top and pepper again (fresh ground black pepper is best).
11. Serve immediately (again, best served WARM).

Be creative and add other ingredients you have on hand. You can add leftover meat, green olives, or small cheddar cheese squares. If you are a gardener, this is a great way to utilize your vegetable bounty. Hot peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, snow or English peas, and eggplant are delicious in this salad.

Simple Pizza Dough

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Ingredients:

1-package Active dry yeast

1-cup Warm water

3-cups Flour, all purpose (add more for kneading)

2-tablespoons Olive oil

1½-teaspoons Salt

Instructions:

Place yeast in large bowl. Add the water and stir until yeast is dissolved. Make sure bubbles appear on the surface. The bubbles are an indicator that the yeast is working. Add the flour, one tablespoon of oil, and salt; stir well to combine.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes until it forms a smooth and elastic ball. Grease a large bowl with one teaspoon of oil; add the dough to bowl and turn the dough to cover with oil and cover with plastic or a dish towel. Place in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in size about two hours.

Place one of the oven racks on the bottom level of your oven to 500°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets with 1 teaspoon and set aside. Divide dough into two balls. Pat each dough ball down about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. After patting both dough balls let rest for about ten minutes. Push out each dough round with fingertips or rolling pin.

Makes 2 medium pizza crusts

Be sure to visit Crisite's Cookin for more recipes, spices or even a thriller of a novel "11.11.11". Don't forget to submit your favorite recipe and you could win a free "Gotcha Covered" apron.

Home Remedies For Acid Reflux - Economical Way to Say Stop to Acid Reflux

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Acid reflux is a rough experience that causes anger and disappointment. In many cases, the symptoms can be taken care of with antacids like the ones you see on commercials all the time, or it can even be maintained with the help of doctor prescribed medications. For some people, these options are not ideal as most products that offer acid reflux relief have ingredients that aren't natural and aren't always needed.

So they prefer Home Remedies. When food enters the stomach, it passes through the esophageal sphincter. The esophageal sphincter closes, allowing for digestion to take place. Sometimes, certain foods and situations can cause the esophageal sphincter to weaken or pressure pushes it open. When this occurs, the contents of the stomach or stomach juices are able to rise back up through the esophageal sphincter. These are the true causes of reflux.

Information about Acid Reflux:

It occurs when the contents of the stomach or stomach juices rise back up through the lower esophageal sphincter. This causes an irritation that feels like a burning sensation. Since the heart is in close proximity, It is commonly called heartburn. When considering the Home Remedies for Acid Reflux there are many steps that the suffering individual can take. Some of those steps include refraining from acidic foods, elevating the upper part of the body when sleeping and the use of medications.

Home Remedies for Acid Reflux: Shrink the Throbbing and Uneasiness

The first step in Home Remedies is to try a few lifestyle changes. These changes may not be as difficult as you think. The first change to make is a change in the way you eat. Home Remedies suggests that eating smaller meals four or five times a day is much better than eating three larger meals which is the traditional way of eating. This has more benefits than just helping to control symptoms. When you eat smaller meals your body doesn't have to work as hard to digest the meal. It is more likely the body will digest all of a smaller meal. With a larger meal, the part that is not digested could turn to fat.

Next step in Home Remedies for Acid Reflux should be avoiding cakes that have creamy frostings and ice cream. Brownies and doughnuts are foods to avoid for those with acid reflux. People can substitute some kinds of frozen yogurt for the ice cream. Milkshakes, cottage cheese and sour cream are dairy products that should be added to the foods to avoid. Macaroni with cheese and pastas with rich sauces are definitely on the list of foods to avoid. Creamy salad dressings should not be consumed by those who have symptoms of acid reflux.

The Church Ladies, God Bless Them All

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I am a sincere admirer of the church ladies. These are the ladies who are the back bone of their parish and neighborhood churches. These ladies come in all sizes and denominations and they do good where ever they are found. They clean the altars, they make certain the church vestments are clean; they make certain that the churches have flowers and are appropriately decorated for the seasons. They are the volunteers who staff the church offices. They are the church members who come in early to mind the younger children who are left in the church nurseries while the parents attend the services. They are the ladies who teach Sunday School. They are the ladies who visit the sick. They are the ladies who raise money, in various ways, so that the churches can fund their various projects. And how do they do this? Well, they run carnivals and craft shows and sundry other things. But for me, the thing I love best is that they raise money by publishing cookbooks

I love these cookbook, and I have many of them that I found in various cities throughout the United States and Canada. Often when I want a recipe, I reach for one of these cook book before I reach for the books put out by the guru's of the cooking world (I will not name them here, but we all know who they are). I reach for the church ladies cookbooks because I know that the recipes I find will be familiar, easy to prepare, with easy to find ingredients. These recipes will be time and family tested. They won't have me running around in the wild looking for pine nuts or trying to milk a goat to satisfy a recipe calling for it. They do not call for tofu.

One of the things that I notice is that these cookbooks usually have the same basic recipes with slight variances depending on the region in which they were published. For example, recipes from the Southern United States use more sugar than the same recipes found in Northern cookbooks. Likewise, recipes from the Southwest generally have similar recipes as those found in the other regions, but they generally are spicier.

All of these books have recipes for Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Soup, Roast Chicken, Apple Pie, and Jell-O Salads, and all the other old favorites on which we were raised. In one of the books I have, is a recipe called "Mystery Salad". And it is aptly named and is printed below for your enjoyment and amazement. Oft times, these books will have recipes named, for example, "Aunt Louise's Barbecued Green Beans", or "Mom's Best Bubble Bread".

Incidentally, when you read these books, you will be amazed at what these ladies can do with Jell-O. Reading these recipes can be one of the funniest thing you will ever do on a cold wintry day when your car is stuck in the snow and you are looking for something good to read (I love to read cookbooks). Or perhaps you are looking for something fun and easy to cook.

None of the church ladies who write these books and contribute their recipes seem to care a fig about calorie count but many of them, showing their thrifty bent, will substitute margarine for butter in their recipes. I applaud their decisions with regard to calorie count (for the most part, we are much too caught up in this). I prefer to diet as the French do: eat what you want, eat hearty and well and take a walk or two during the day or evening so that you can indulge without guilt. However, I think all things taste better with butter and so, if you use one of these books, use butter and find another way to save a little money.

When I cook with a recipe from the church ladies' cookbooks, I feel a kinship with them that I never feel when I use a cookbook written by Ina or Martha or Rachel or any of the other master chefs who have cookbooks out. It's not that I don't use these chefs fine cookbooks because I do when I have the time and the inclination to prepare their more complicated dishes. But when I just want good old fashioned home cooking like my mother's, I turn to the church ladies' cookbooks every time. Frequently these books will have the names of the contributor's printed under their recipes and I like to imagine that I may be cooking the same recipe that Betty or Tammy or Barbara (or whoever) might be cooking at that very moment.

And so, I am glad to be able to salute these women who are cataloging the recipes that have been, and still are, the mainstay of the average families' daily meals. And I want to urge you to look for these cookbooks remembering that when you buy them you are contributing to the good works done by the tireless and unsung church ladies.

The following recipes can be found in the Crestwood United Methodist Church (Crestwood, Kentucky) cookbook entitled OUR BEST HOME COOKING published by the ladies of the church in 1996.

MYSTERY SALAD

1 (3 oz.) pkg. Raspberry Jell-O

¾ cup hot water

1 (16 oz.) can of Stewed Tomatoes

2 or 3 drops of Tabasco Sauce

Topping

4 oz. Sour Cream

4 oz. Mayonnaise

2 tsp. Horseradish

Method

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Stir in tomatoes which have been broken up. Pour into a mold and refrigerate until firm. Mix the topping ingredients and spread on Jell-O to serve.

PERFECT CORN PUDDING

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten

3 Tbsp. Cornstarch

3 Tbsp. Sugar

2 cups of corn (1 can of cream-style is best)

1 tsp. Salt

2 cups of milk

Melted margarine or butter

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add to corn. Stir in beaten eggs and melted butter. Stir thoroughly and put in buttered casserole. Bake for 1 hour or until set at 350 degrees. Don't overcook.

HOLLY COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine

30 Large Marshmallows

4 cups Corn Flakes

Green Food Coloring and a Bag of Red Hots

Method:

Melt margarine and marshmallows in double boiler. When melted add 3 drops of green coloring and stir in the corn flakes over low heat, then spoon onto wax paper in Holly Shapes. Sprinkle immediately with red hots. Let cool until shaped.

Knowing What Food to Eat And Avoid For Acid Reflux Disease

Acid reflux disease can be an extremely painful condition. For people who live a socially active life and attend frequent parties and gatherings, acid reflux is like a curse as they have to often miss out on the delicacies served because of fear of the acid reflux attacks.

Acid attacks, as the name suggests is the attack of the stomach acids on the esophageal lining. The frequency of such attacks can be extremely damaging for the esophagus because it leads to the formation of scar tissue. If this scar tissue is not able to heal, then it may lead to ulcers and in certain cases even the cancers of the esophagus. Of all the reasons, for acid reflux problem, bad eating habits contribute the most.

Hence, the first point to remember in the treatment of acid reflux is the knowledge of foods to eat and foods to avoid. Acid reflux may require you to create a new meal plan for yourself, giving more places to healthy and nutritious food and say goodbye to some other.

Why Are Some Foods A Problem?

To answer this question, let us first consider what causes acid reflux problem. The food goes into the stomach via the esophagus. Inside the stomach the digestion process begins where the food is acted upon by the digestive enzymes and the hydrochloric acid present in the stomach. The food remains locked inside the stomach by the action of valves that is present at both the ends of the stomach. Due to the acidic environment inside the stomach, sometimes the excess pressure causes the valve to open. This causes the acidic content of the stomach to move out into the esophagus. This condition is known as acid reflux.

It is therefore clear that the more acidic the content of the stomach, the greater will be the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter valve and hence greater chances of acid reflux. So, to solve the problem of acid reflux, acid forming foods should be avoided.

Common Foods to Avoid for Acid Reflux

Having talked of acidic foods, let us list certain foods in this category that can trigger acid reflux problem. Red meat is one such food. Instead opt for fish that may be great nutrition wise and excellent from health point of view.

One also needs to stop consumption of dairy products. This not only includes milk but also creams, cheese, ice cream, shakes and any other food item that uses dairy. Apart from dairy, chocolates are also a prohibited for people having acid reflux. Food items such as pasta and macaroni should also be avoided. Instead whole grain bread can be used. Low fat yogurt however, seems to have relieved acid reflux in many people. Fruits and vegetables are generally alkaline forming and should be taken in adequate quantities. Tomatoes and tomato based products are yet another thing to be avoided. This includes tomato sauces and even tomato pickles.

It is important to use less oil and spices while preparation of food for acid reflux. There is a direct relation between acid reflux and obesity. People who are overweight are more likely to suffer from acid reflux problem. Hence foods rich in carbohydrate and fat content should also be avoided.

Picking the Right Food to Eat For Acid Reflux

Picking the right food to eat for acid reflux can be bothering especially for people who are very choosy about their food habits. But where there is will, there's always a way. Using a little bit of imagination and creativity one can still find replacements for his/her favorite foods. For example, instead of opting for a scoopful of ice cream for dessert, one can go in for fruit salad combined with whipped low fat yogurt.

Not all foods can cause acid reflux problem to everyone. The condition varies from person to person. While some may get acid attack immediately after eating a bar of chocolate, the other person may not. One has to try and observe if a particular variety of food is causing acid reflux.

You may have to give up on your favorite hotdog or beef corn sandwich while dealing with problems of acid reflux. Choosing healthier means of cooking such as baking and grilling also is an advantage. Frying can not only destroy the nutritional value of the foods but can also be bad for acid reflux.

On the other hand fruits like pineapple, banana and apple are known to absorb the extra acid from the stomach and prevent acid reflux. Similarly vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower are alkaline forming and can prevent symptoms of acid reflux.

Authentic Italian Pasta Recipes

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Americans and many other countries in the world have only recently warmed to term pasta. Having made only spaghetti and macaroni for generations the term authentic Italian pasta recipes was truly a blank canvas.

Home cooks and chefs today are becoming more sophisticated about what really are authentic Italian recipes. Well, Italian recipes are and can be simple or elaborate, practical or as foolish, store bought or made at home. But even more today, Italian recipes had become the world's most important culinary art, and almost where ever you go you will find an Italian restaurant on the corner of a road.

In the beginning people didn't knew much about how to boil pasta, missing some of the basic information. At the question: "How much water and salt does one need for one pound of Italian pasta?" S/he wouldn't  probably answer at all.

Instead today, there are more worse questions that you could be asked to answer for: "Should you add oil to the cooking water?" "How thoroughly should the pasta be drained?" Well, I know that for somebody might be tough to answer. So let me help you from the beginning, in the case that you still don't know today.

Four quarts of water for one pound of Italian pasta, one tablespoon of salt, never add oil to the water, and the pasta should still be slightly wet when drained.

Of course cooking is a combination of objective technique and subjective taste.

Lets move now to Italian pasta sauces determining the best  kind of tomatoes for making sauces, which is of course the diced tomatoes packed in water, not puree are best. When making "pesto" best is to pound the leaves to release the oil, blanch the garlic, and toast the pine nuts. The range of Italian sauces goes well far from simple cream sauces. Had you never tasted those made with beans and lentils? Seafood? Poultry and meat?

Here is where I invite you for further investigations, you will come across new Italian recipes learning the best methods for preparing pasta dishes. From pasta soups, pasta salads, and filled pasta dishes, as well as the basic of pasta making from fresh egg pasta to pasta without eggs. All this and a long tradition had made that endless number of Italian pasta recipes.

I hope that you will enjoy the process of discovery as much as the recipes themselves, made at home as in an authentic Italian restaurant.

Getting Your Kids To Eat Their Vegetables!

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Getting kids to eat more healthy foods is usually a top concern among moms today. There are so many unhealthy options available at the grocery store, at restaurants and eateries, and in the school cafeterias that it seems moms must work extra hard to make sure healthy foods don't disappear from the menu. This becomes especially important when we take a look at some of the health problems facing young kids today that are increasingly being associated with poor diet such as diabetes, childhood obesity, attention deficit disorders, and even plaque build-up in the arteries.

What can you do when your kids just don't prefer healthier foods and vegetables? Giving up and letting them eat whatever they want is not an option. Almost daily a mom tells me that I should just give up and give in and let my kids eat what everyone else is eating... so they can learn how to "cope" with the real world. I'm wondering if that also means I should just let them take some drugs and watch some 'mature', graphic entertainment, since that seems to be the way of the world, too!! Of course not! Giving up is absolutely not an option.

It's time to get creative and here are some ideas.

1) Kid-Friendly Understanding of Requirements for Health

First and foremost, we teach our kids that vegetables are a requirement for health. Plain and simple, like it or not. If they want to feel great, be fast and strong, jump high, do well in school, etc. they need to include vegetables in their daily intake. It keeps them alive and well and their bodies performing at peak levels. I'm a firm believer in parents "wearing the nutritional pants" of the family. We set the rules for our kids when it comes to bedtime, chores, manners, time on the phone and computer, types of friends they can spend time with, experimenting with drugs and sex... why on earth would we not take food as seriously? It's our job to keep our kids healthy and to teach them how to make healthy decisions for themselves. Wear the pants!

2) Get Sneaky

If you're not up for wearing those very unpopular pants some days, one of the easiest ways to overcome an aversion to vegetables is to hide them inside other foods so that your kids either do not know they are there or they don't care. This subject has come under fire recently with the release of two recipe books that address this very issue. The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious are two books that provide instruction on creating vegetable purees and then inserting them within other foods so that kids still get the nutritional benefit of their vegetables while still enjoying the "taste" of their favorite foods. The purees can be used in making macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, and even brownies.

Some parents have denounced this method saying that sneaking the vegetables into the meal does not effectively teach kids the importance of eating healthfully. Other parents have decided the benefits circumvent this reasoning and do not see why healthy eating education cannot include teaching children to disguise the healthy foods they find unappealing inside the foods they do like, perhaps creating a life long habit.

OK, I definitely agree with the first group of parents. To the second group I say, "Okaaaayyyy... I kinda' sorta' agree with you... kinda'!" I think kids need to completely understand the critical importance of filling up with healthy food choices, whether they need to disguise them or not. Once they understand THAT, I'm in favor of doing whatever floats your boat to get kids to consume generous amounts of veggies.

Some of the not-so-obvious ways we include ample servings of veggies (and other health-building foods) in our family's diet can be summed up by the "3 S's": Soups, salads and smoothies. Especially at this time of year, we love to whip up a batch of homemade soup each week, loaded with a surplus of vegetables the kids might not consume otherwise. We also make a salad topping consisting of finely chopped pieces of a wide variety of vegetables - things like beets, kale, rutabaga, parsnip, leeks, onions - things you definitely won't catch my kids asking for as a snack! We add various herbs and seeds, keep it all in a glass container in the fridge and scoop it onto whatever lettuce we're using as a base. This ensures that we all get a wide variety of nutritious veggies at one sitting. Finally, we whip up a mean, green smoothie that our kids LOVE! (You can actually get FREE samples of the greens and protein we use at http://www.FirstShake.com/4251)

3) Invite Your Children to Participate in Meal Preparation

One of the best ways to ensure that kids are enthusiastic about their meal is to have them participate in making it. When they help out with meal preparation and cooking they feel a great sense of accomplishment and that in itself makes the meal more appealing. Even younger kids can help out by measuring or mixing ingredients, finding recipes inside magazines or cookbooks, and setting the table. The excitement of making the food can only be surpassed by the excitement of actually trying it. Just take a few deep breaths before undertaking this adventure with them... and anticipate that a normal 30 minute meal prep will now take 90 minutes, with their "help"!

4) Give Them Time

It can take many repeated exposures to vegetables at dinner time before kids feel comfortable trying them. The key is not to pressure them and make the dinner hour one of tension. Pressuring kids to eat their vegetables can work against our ultimate goal. Just keep serving vegetables and other healthy foods with each meal and let children get used to seeing them on their plates and their parents plates and often times they will come to accept them in time. If there are a select few veggies that your kids DO like, just make sure they get those daily. Right now our daughter is going though one of her phases where she's not wanting much variety in her vegetable. I find myself serving her green beans, peas, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes (I know it's not really a vegetable!) for 80% of her dinners and lunches. Then I throw in asparagus, edamame beans, sweet potatoes and salads the other 20% of the time and don't worry about it too much! I'm sure she'll embrace broccoli and Brussels sprouts again at some point in her life!

Also, remember that children mimic the actions of their parents so the next time the salad is passed to you, realize that a big "I LOVE salad" can go a long way!

Traditional English Cookery

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The late 19th and early 20th centuries were periods of major upheaval in British cookery and food which saw the demise of the excesses of Victorian dining (where even breakfast could consist of 10 or more dishes) as the frugality of the First World War bit home. Admittedly, many of the recipes we have come from the bigger houses, but they show an interesting trend. That towards more use of ingredients from the kitchen garden and the bulking-out of exotic ingredients with home-grown ones to give dishes more bulk.

The Victorians were in love with taking European (particularly Italian) dishes and giving them an English twist (which is where Macaroni and Cheese comes from). The same also applied to various spices and dishes from the Empire, particularly from India though Victorian cooks tended to have no idea of how to use the spices properly (as a result curry spices and curry pastes were added raw to a dish rather than being cooked in oil before being added). Partly this was due to the rise of a middle class with no pre-conceived idea about the preparation of food and partly it was due to ex-patriots returning from far-flung corners of the Empire and bringing new tastes and cuisines back with them.

A lot of this culinary adventurousness was lost during the privations of the First and Second world wars and the great depression of the 1920s and it's here that English cuisine's reputation for bland stodginess appeared. But even during the early 20th Century, despite the lack of many ingredients food wasn't all bland!

Here, an exuberant Victorian dish is compared to a more homely Edwardian one.

Kedgeree

This is a classic Victorian breakfast recipe, incorporating British and Indian ingredients.

Ingredients:
350g smoked haddock (or smoked mackerel)
900ml milk
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
225g basmati rice, washed
4 large eggs
1 pack flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, washed and chopped
pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Lay the haddock in a large pan and cover three-quarters of the way up with milk. Bring to the boil and poach for 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, gently cook the onion and garlic for 10 minutes in half the oil. Add the spices and fry for 5 minutes then remove the fish from the milk, add the fried onions and spices and stir in the rice. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed.

Put the eggs in a pan with a lid and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Rinse under cold water, peel, then halve. Flake the haddock into good-sized pieces, removing skin and bones, then stir into the rice.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in cream, add parsley and salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

Kitchen Garden Cake

This is a traditional Edwardian cake, making he most of the late autumn surplus.

Ingredients:
225g self-raising flour
180g softened butter
180g caster sugar
1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
120g grated parsnip
120g grated carrot
120g grated eating apple
finely-grated zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange

For the Orange Water Icing:
50g unsalted butter
80g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp orange flower water

Method:
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat together the eggs in a bowl. Add them a little at a time to the creamed butter mix, combining well after each addition. Beat to combine thoroughly then sift the flour and nutmeg into the mixture. Fold into the cake then add the grated ingredients and fold in.

Turn the batter into a well-greased 20cm round cake tin and place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the top of the cake is nicely browned and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly.

Allow to cool in the tin for a little while then turn onto a wire rack to cool. When the cake is cold cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the orange flower water and mix into the icing. Use this to cover the top of the cake. Allow the icing to set then serve in wedges.

I hope that these recipes have piqued your interest both for traditional British and English cookery and the history of cooking.

Family-Favorite Macaroni and Cheese

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This recipe, like all the recipes I post allow you to make a global impact just by buying the key branded ingredient.

Even a great dish like mac and cheese needs dressing up now and again. I love this dish so much that I am always sampling it as a make it. There is always less that gets to the table than what I began with.

Family-Favorite Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time:25 min

Start to Finish:50 min

Makes:6 servings (about 3/4 cup each)

2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni (7 ounces)

2 tablespoons of margarine

1/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon of Onion Powder

2 cups of fat-free (skim) milk

1 ½ cups of reduced-fat shredded or cubed sharp Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

1 Jar of Amish Family Recipes' Keith's Corn Salsa

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.

2. Cook macaroni in boiling water until noodles are tender.

3. While macaroni is cooking, melt margarine in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove pan from heat. Slowly stir in milk. Put pan back on heat, heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.

4. Drain water from cooked macaroni noodles. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly. Spread corn salsa on top of baked macaroni and cheese.

Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

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Of course, with homemade ice cream recipes that you need a machine to make ice, ranging in price from about $ 30.00 and above can. At these prices, it may be worth your own ice cream and not just for special occasions.

The great thing about the recipe for homemade ice cream and do whatever ingredients you can provide joy in them. You can also free to all tastes like sugar, low in calories, not the regular milk or even the great ice creamcream.

You can use all kinds of fruit for the ingredients, apples, pears, apricots, plums, berries of all sorts, bananas, kiwi fruit, lemons, oranges and the list goes on. Somewhere there will be an ingredient to suit almost anyone's taste even if it is exotic.

Here's a tidbit that you may not have known, ice cream was said to have been invented by a French Chef of King Charles the 1st who apparently dished it up as a dessert after a sumptuous state banquet.

King Charles has even been alleged to have paid his chef a princely sum so that he did not share the ingredients of his delightful dish to anyone but instead keep it for the royal personage only. Naturally like all best kept secrets they get out in the end.

To this day it is not known whether Ice Cream was invented or came about naturally because even in the roman era it was known that something similar to ice cream was also around in the time of the Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar. It has been said that he sent slaves to the mountains to bring back ice and snow to cool or freeze the fruit drinks that he was said to be fond of.

One can even imagine times before that when water was frozen over that people would mix some kind of fruit with snow or ice to take as a substitute for frozen water or even to give it some taste. After all this is how wine and beer came about.

What we can be sure of is that ice cream in one form or another is around to stay and we should make the most of it. Ice Cream is a delicious pleasure of surfaces that a good meal, party or special occasion for almost everyone.

In hot weather is great for feeling fresh and gives you a fresh way of enjoying the heat of the day or night. For each day, would be an advantage that can be a bit 'too much for most of us, but there is a wide selection of recipes, you can now virtually ice that is almost enough to get food every day.

Forhealth conscious amongst us it is still only for the occasional treat, but what a treat! If you fancy getting around to making your own homemade ice cream recipes but you don't have a clue on how or where to start then you may wish to try the link in my bio.

Happy Homemade Ice cream recipes!

Paul

Nutrisystem Diet Pros and Cons

I'm asked a lot about the pluses and minuses / pros and cons of the nutrisystem diet since I often write about this weight loss plan and how it works. In this article, I'll try to provide a balanced, unbiased review of what I think are the great and not so great things about the nutrisystem diet.

Pros: I do believe that the pros far outweigh the cons with this plan, so I will list them first.

1. It Is Very Effective. I've come to believe that if you follow and stick with the diet as planned you can not help but lose weight. I spend a lot of time in weight loss forums and find that the few folks who aren't having success are just not sticking with it or are cheating. But, I haven't found anyone who has stuck with it faithfully that didn't get results.

Nutrisystem is really a low carb diet (although you certainly don't have to eat meat all of the time.) It's low in calories and high in protein as well. This works to put your body in metabolic state where it is fooled into burning its own fat. I find that this is effective for most people.

And, results come pretty quickly which helps to motivate you to stick with it.

2. Lots Of Good Tasting Choices: Nutrisystem has over 130 food choices available and many of them are comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, fajitas, pizza, and tacos. There are also lots of desserts and snacks available. And, you never have to count points, worry about keeping track of carbs, or count calories here. All of the foods are glycemic friendly and safe. Jillian Barberie wasn't kidding when she said that she got to eat pizza and chocolate on this diet. Ok, so the pizza doesn't exactly taste like Chicago deep dish, but it's not half bad. I find that the taste and variety of this food puts it head and shoulders above many of the other diets I've tried and I'm very picky.

Convenience: Many of the foods in this diet are prepackaged and require very little preparation. Some are literally grab and go. You are asked to add veggies and proteins to your Nutrisystem meals (salad, yogurt, etc.), and you are asked to eat five times per day, but the meals are small and there isn't much prep time associated with them. It's also nice that you never have to count or tally anything. You just eat five of the plans meals per day and know that you are safe.

Cons: Now, onto what might be considered cons by some.

1. It Takes Some Getting Used To At First: Over time, I've grown to really enjoy having my meals mostly provided for me, but this was not always the case. Eating five times per day can really take some getting used to. I used to skip breakfast and eat a snack type lunch. I can't do that on Nutriystem because I have to eat regularly to keep my metabolism strong. And, if you're someone who loves to plan, cook and eat elaborate meals, you may find having your own food provided difficult. (Sure, you can get elaborate with your sides, but if you're a "foodie," this might frustrate you until you get used to it.)

2. Having To Add The Sides With Every Meal And Eating So Often: I know that I have gotten spoiled over time and I understand that I need a regular supply of fresh healthful foods to be as healthy as I possible can. But, once I got used to eating the pre provided meals, then I did not want to take the time to add the sides. I've learned that the best thing for me to do is make good use of bagged salads, frozen stir-fry, and prepackaged yogurts. I also now assemble what I can ahead of time, but it took me a while to get the hang of this.

Eating five times per day was a challenge at first, but I've learned that this is necessary to keep the metabolism revved and fully functional. Luckily, the meals are small and most are grab and go, so this helps.

3 Cost: With the price of gas and groceries so high, the cost of this plan doesn't seem altogether that bad now, but it certainly isn't free. The average price of a month's worth of Nutrisystem is about $290. This works out to be about $10 per day, which certainly isn't bad.

I was worried about the cost, but it just hadn't been an issue as being on this diet has greatly cut down the amount of money I was spending on eating out and splurging on treats. My grocery bill has come way down as well, since most of my food is provided.

Still, I understand that some people will be skeptical at having to buy food outside of their family's groceries, but I'd argue that every time you buy your lunch at work, you're doing just that anyway.

Cooking Recipe - Camper's Succulent Barbecued Lamb Recipe With Pita Bread and Fresh Mint Salad

You are on your camping holiday. You're cooking over a barbeque. Let's say, you're putting on the burgers. Now, do you ever think to yourself, what are the ingredients that make up these burgers?

We have all seen on the packets of burgers the list of E numbers and preservatives. Also do you ever wonder how old and how good is the quality of the meat?

What better way of knowing the quality of the meat than to make the burgers fresh yourself. That way you know they are made from the freshest meat. Of course there will be no artificial colors or preservatives. They'll be packed with all the proteins and vitamins that fresh meat provides.

Here is a quick and simple recipe for lamb patties (small burgers) using fresh lean minced lamb. This is accompanied with a fresh and tasty mint salad inside a wonderful wholemeal Pita pocket.

Ingredients: Serves 4

1Kg fresh lean minced lamb
60g finely chopped fresh parsley
1 medium onion finely chopped
25g finely chopped fresh mint
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Mint Salad

4 small ripe tomatoes
20g whole fresh mint leaves
1 small red onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method

Place the lamb, parsley, mint, onion, garlic and egg into a large bowl. Knead all the ingredients together while adding salt and pepper for seasoning. The use of the egg is to bind the ingredients together while adding extra protein and vitamins to the meal.

Shape the mixture into eight small patties and leave until you have made the mint salad. To make the Mint Salad first slice the tomatoes into thin rings. Place them in a bowl along with the sliced red onion, whole mint leaves, olive oil and lemon juice. Using a spatula or large spoon gently turn over the salad. Add salt and pepper for seasoning at the same time. Stop when the salad is evenly coated with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Once the salad is prepared brush on the patties a little olive oil both sides to stop them sticking to the hot barbeque grill. Place the patties on the barbeque and cook on each side for approximately 3-4 minutes. Make sure there is a nice brown crust on the bottom before you turn. Otherwise it may fall apart.

Put the wholemeal Pita breads on the barbeque only for a few seconds to brown both sides. Using wholemeal Pitas gives the meal an extra higher fibre content than using ordinary white pitas. Once browned take off the pitas and cut in half. Open them up and place inside them a little salad. Add a lamb pattie and then a little more salad.

If you like natural yogurt, it is a great compliment as a dressing. It is also good for your digestive system because natural yogurt has good bacterial properties. This cooking recipe is rich in nutrients. It has protein, vitamins, iron, minerals and good bacteria for the digestive system. A truly wholesome meal for the whole family. Enjoy.

Hearty Greens With Dried Cranberries, Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Apple Vinaigrette, Apple Topsy Turvey

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Fall apples are appearing in farm stands around here and I had a Macoun while shopping for salad fixings. Tart, sweet, juicy, crunchy and so appley if you know what I mean.
I decided right then that apples would take the spotlight for this month's recipes.
You must know that they are a healthy choice but did you know that apples have the highest level of anitoxidant activity of the most commonly consumed fruits in the US, beaten out only by cranberries? And their high levels of the mineral Boron help with bone health. So this salad combines both superstar fruits in a perfect fall or winter salad.

The dessert is a fun and easy variation of apple pie. You don't have to worry about getting the crust perfect because it's covered in caramel and flipped out of the baking pan.

Hearty Greens Salad Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

8 cups of torn salad greens. For this I use a combination of escarole, baby arugula, red romaine but use whatever you like as long as it's a sturdy mix.

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup walnut halves toasted to golden brown or candied

3 oz goat cheese crumbled

Dressing

2 Tablespoons of sweet butter

1 Tablespoons minced shallots

3/4 cup of grated, peeled apple

1/2 cup olive oil

¼ Cup walnut oil

¼ Cup warm water

½ cup of sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar for a milder flavored dressing

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Salt and black pepper

Method for dressing

1. Heat a medium sized sauté pan over a low flame and add the butter.

2. When it begins to brown add the shallots, stir around and cook for one minute then add the apples.

3. Raise the heat up and cook apples and shallots for about 3 minutes, add the vinegar.

4. Let vinegar bubble up and mix into apple mixture and remove pan from the heat. You don't want to boil all the vinegar off.

5. Cool mixture.

6. Pour cooled mixture into a blender with thyme. Turn on puree or high and slowly drizzle the olive oil in to emulsify.

7. Once everything is emulsified add some s & p to taste. Pulse one last time.

You can refrigerate it at this point or use it warm which I prefer.

Salad Method

1. Put greens, cranberries and walnuts into large bowl.

2. Pour some dressing over and toss. If you need more dressing add it and toss.

3. Plate onto 6 (or 8) plates and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Topsy Turvy Apple Pie Serves 8

This recipe comes from one of the Pillsbury Bake Off Best Desserts Books. It's so easy--what I like about these Bake Off books--and really is just killer good. For pies the best apples are Cortlands, Pippins, Romes. Winesaps, or Grannie Smiths.

Ingredients for Glaze and Crust

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon of butter, melted

1 Tablespoon of maple syrup is what I use but they call for corn syrup

½ cup of pecan halves--optional

1 pack of refrigerated or frozen pie crusts--2 per pack

Filling

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons ap flour

½ teaspoon of cinnamon or apple pie spice which I prefer

5 cups peeled and sliced apples-not too thin

Method

Preheat oven to 425°

1. In a small pan combine the butter, brown sugar and maple syrup, mix well and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.

2. Pour the above mix into a pie pan and arrange the pecans around evenly over the mixture if you are using them.

3. Place one of the pie crusts over this mixture and nestle it in on top snuggly.

4. In a medium sized bowl mix the apples with the spice, sugar and flour. Toss to mix well.

5. Brush the edges of the first crust with water or milk, pour the apple mixture in and top with second pie crust, seal edges and cut some steam holes in the top crust.

6. Place pie on a cookie pan, put in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

7. Lower temperature to 325° and bake an additional 35 - 45 mimutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

8. Once you can handle the pan loosen the edges with a small knife and invert the pie onto a platter slightly bigger than it is.

9. Carefully flip the pie over onto the plate or platter and let it rest in this position for about 5 minutes.

10. Carefully pull off the pan and if some apples and crust stick to the bottom just scrape them off with a spatula and place on top.

This is a casual dessert so don't sweat it if it doesn't look perfect. The flavor will wow you I promise.
Be decadent and serve with ice cream or whipped cream if you dare.

Simple Recipes Ham - 5 Ways For 5 Days

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A quality spiral ham is the ultimate simple yet versatile meat and here's proof. These are five different ways to serve it so you can have a different meal each day of the week with limited prep time. And since the ham is fully cooked, it is a snap to create these comfort food masterpieces day after day. And you thought that half ham was going to be too large for your family of 4!

Monday's Hammy Quiche

Cook time: 45 minutes,

Prep Time: 10 Minutes,

Serves 4

Ingredients: 9 inch pie crust shell, 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups half and half, 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup chopped cubed pams-hams, salt and pepper to taste, optional: chopped spinach, onions or mushrooms

Sprinkle half the cheese on the pie crust, whisk remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

TIP: If you don't have half and half handy, use the milk in your fridge and add 1/3 stick melted butter.

Tuesday's Great Ham Dinner

Cook time: 45 minutes,

Prep Time: 20 minutes,

Serves 4

This is my idea of the perfect meal - holiday or otherwise. See recipes - sides for the side dishes that best compliment the ham. My choice would be green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and sweet potato casserole. Delicious and colorful!

Wednesday's Chef Salad Extraordinaire

Cook time: 0 minutes,
Prep Time: 10 minutes,
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pams-hams, 4 slices swiss cheese sliced, 4 slices cheddar cheese sliced, 2 hard boiled eggs chopped, ½ cucumber sliced, one head of iceberg lettuce chopped. Combine all ingredients and serve with your favorite dressing. In my family, we each use a different dressing but here's a couple of fun and simple dressing suggestions. Combine 1/3 cup each ranch and thousand island dressing. Ranch island dressing! Combine 1/3 cup each Italian dressing (I like Newmans) and Caesar dressing (again, I prefer Newmans.) It's a Newman medley!

Thursday's Jambalaya

Cook time: 30 minutes,
Prep Time: 15 minutes,
Serves: 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups pams-hams diced, 1 large onion diced, 1 can okra drained, ½ green pepper chopped, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup uncooked rice, 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, ½ cup chicken broth, 2 T. olive oil, hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or other), salt and pepper to taste. In a large saucepan, use olive oil to brown onions, garlic, okra and green pepper. (about 5 minutes) Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until rice is cooked (about 25 minutes).

Friday's Wild Rice and Ham Chowder

Cook time: 45 minutes,
Prep Time: 10 minutes,
Serves 4

Now that you've widdled down the ham, you can end the week with a great soup using your ham bone. See recipes - soup for this favorite or any of the other ham soup recipes.
Serve with crusty bread and/or remaining salad from Wednesday!

For more of my simple versatile recipes and cooking tips, go to [http://www.pams-hams.com]. An inviting place for glazed baked ham, dinners, gifts and clever conversation.

What's So Great About Slow Cooking Anyway?

As I walked through the grocery store aisles a few weeks ago, I noticed the increase in prepackaged slow cooker meals. I've been using my slow cooker and reaping the rewards for years, so it was no real surprise to me when others started proclaiming the benefits of cooking with a crock pot. Why did it take the rest of the country so long to catch up? With this increase in popularity, I've recently been asked by a few 'newbies' 'What's so great about slow cooking anyway?'

That's an easy question to answer even if all you've ever done is make chicken stew with your slow cooker. It's just so dang simple and the food tastes better when cooked slowly and evenly in a crock pot.

I'm a work at home mom. I operate a Family Child Care and also have a busy online business, both of which keep me going all day long. That on top of my daughter's activities and the in and out nature of my husband's business, we're usually searching for time to sit down and eat, especially eating together as a family. There's where the slow cooker comes in handy. I have tons of slow cooker recipes, and can find just about anything to cook that my kids and picky husband will like to eat.

Since I work at home, having the kitchen stay a comfortable temperature is a must, as I spend quite a bit of time there preparing meals and snacks for my day care kids. I use my crock pot year round, and love its usefulness during the warm weather months when I can fix the beginnings of the meal in the morning when I've got other 'stuff' out on the counter anyway, put it all in the pot, and then clean up the whole mess when I'm done. The crock pot requires very little clean up itself, so there you have yet another major reason for why slow cooking is so great.

For those of you who work away from home, consider this scenario: As the day goes along, the slow cooker is busy fixing your meal for you, and when you walk through the door at the end of another grueling day at work, your dinner is waiting. All you need to do, depending on the recipe you've selected, is prepare a side dish or salad, add some bread, set the table, and call the family in to eat. Simple, simple, simple; and very satisfying to come home to.

Here is a favorite slow cooker recipe that you can try with your family. I'm sure you'll all love it.

Country-Style Crock Pot Chicken

6 carrots, sliced

6 celery stalks, sliced

8 chicken pieces

1 can (10-3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1/3 c or chicken broth

2 tsp cornstarch

Slice vegetables place in crock pot. Place chicken on vegetables. Spread undiluted soup over chicken. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix. Do not add any water. Cook on High 4 hours, or until chicken is done. Stir often, but leave that lid on during cooking! 10 minutes before serving, mix broth and cornstarch. Pour over chicken, stir well. Serves 4.

High Sugar Meals Lead to Future Disease, Not Just Obesity

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A new study shows that eating meals with high sugar content causes the release of damaging substances into the blood. Parents should take special note since many kids are eating high sugar meals and snacks several times a day. This behavior is setting the stage for a lifetime of chronic disease problems.

It’s all about the burn

All foods have a ‘glycemic index’, which is a measure of how fast the body burns the food to turn it into fuel. Foods with a lot of simple sugars burn very quickly while foods high in fiber and complex carbohydrates burn very slowly.

High glycemic foods that burn very quickly cause blood sugar to rise fast. The body reacts to this rise in blood sugar by releasing a large dose of insulin to drive the blood sugar back down. This is the reason for the ‘energy crash’ that you feel after eating a high glycemic meal.

Low glycemic foods that burn very slowly cause blood sugar to rise gently at a controllable rate. This way the body does not need to take drastic measures to keep blood sugar under control. You feel a smoother level of energy after a low glycemic meal and don’t feel the crash a couple hours after eating like you do with the high glycemic meal.

The danger of your personal reactor

The energy spike and crash that you feel after a high glycemic meal is because the body uses blood sugar as the primary source of fuel to make an ‘energy molecule’ called ATP. However, the production of ATP is somewhat dangerous because it also leaks other molecules called ‘free radicals’, which in turn cause ‘oxidative-stress’.

Oxidative stress can be very damaging to your cells and if left unchecked this damage leads to chronic diseases like heart disease, some cancers and even depression. The damage caused accumulates in your body in places like your arteries, heart, lungs and brain and slowly leads to chronic degenerative illness.

Luckily, our bodies have mechanisms to keep free radical damage and oxidative stress under control. We have proteins that actually capture the free radicals and ‘neutralize’ them so that they are no longer dangerous. However, to function properly, this system requires the anti-oxidants you get from fruits and vegetables and multi-vitamin supplements.

It’s similar to the dangers involved in using nuclear energy. This is an incredibly efficient energy source as long as nothing goes wrong. If the nuclear reactor over-heats then trouble can happen. The same happens with ATP production. When blood sugar levels are high, ATP production goes into high gear and free radical release gets out of control. High glycemic meals kick up ATP production.

It has been known for some time that eating high glycemic meals leads to oxidative stress and a new study in the July 2006 issue of The Journal of Clinical Nutrition validates that by actually measuring signs of oxidative stress in the blood after eating both low and high glycemic meals. The study found a strong relationship between the glycemic index of the meal and the level of oxidative stress markers in the blood after the meal. High glycemic meals caused high levels of oxidative stress.

Why is this important? It means that high glycemic meals that our kids eat all the time are causing damage that will likely lead to chronic degenerative disease when they are adults. Especially when you couple this with the fact that most kids do not get the anti-oxidant protection that they need from eating several portions of fruits and vegetables. It’s a double whammy; increased damage and decreased protection.

Damage control

What types of foods are causing this damage? There are many common kid’s foods that are very high on the glycemic index scale. For starters, high-sugar breakfast cereals, waffles and pancakes with lots of syrup and white toast with jam are very high glycemic foods. It’s not just sugary meals that are the problem. Foods made primarily from refined grains and white flour are just as bad. Things like white bread, macaroni and cheese, crackers and hotdog buns.

You can go a long way in protecting your kids current and future health by switching to whole grain cereals and breads and getting more fruits and vegetables into their diet. This is common sense stuff that people have known for a long time.

My hope in writing this article is that understanding a little more about the reason why ‘healthy foods’ are so necessary will help motivate people to act. Just picture in your head little pick axes circulating through your kids blood every time they eat these high glycemic meals and perhaps that will help you help them make better choices.

To be realistic, food choices are all about balance. It’s not going to kill you to eat poorly every now and then. You just need to understand that it’s all about risk. The more you or your kids make poor eating choices the more damage you are allowing to accumulate and the higher your risk will be for problems later in life. Act now to instill thoughtful food choice in your kid’s behavior.

A proud moment I want to end with a brief story. Last week my 9-year old son came to work with me and we had lunch in our small cafeteria. The menu choices that day were a turkey sandwich, pepperoni pizza, soups and a salad bar. I told him he could have whatever he wanted and I was very happy when he chose the salad bar. It’s not that he doesn’t like pizza or turkey sandwiches but he made a healthy choice on his own because he really likes salad.

A year ago, he hated everything ‘green’. My wife and I just kept putting a small amount of vegetables on his dinner plate and offering salad when we had it. We did not force him to eat this stuff but just kept offering it. Eventually he started to eat more and more and realized that he likes salad. Now both my kids love a wide variety of steamed vegetables and eat all kinds of fruits on a regular basis.

Kids don’t like a lot of foods when they are very young but experts have told us to just keep offering them. Eventually they will come around. Otherwise, they will grow up eating fast food for the rest of their life and be robbed of good health in there older years. Please do not rob your kids of this. Give them the greatest gift you can, their health.

Copyright 2006 Simon Evans

The Perfect Pesto

Pesto in Italy and Pesto in the rest of the world; is just not the same. So what is it that makes authentic Italian pesto unlike any pesto you have ever tasted? Is it as simple as making it by hand or are there certain techniques that ensure a successful or a flopped pesto? The following will give some general hints as to how to make the perfect pesto from scratch.

Pesto originated from the region of Liguria. It is named for the method of its preparation - pestatura - grinding of the leaves and the other ingredients in a traditional marble mortar (murta) using a wooden pestle (pestellu). This gives us a hint of the true key to the perfect pesto - that is hand-grinding using a mortar and pestle. Most pesto that you will encounter, will have been machine blended. This causes the ingredients to become homogenized into a paste with little or no definition between them. By hand chopping the ingredients, you allow for definition between them so that when you taste the final product of the dressed dish, individual flavours pop into your mouth in a unique way for a unique taste.

Ideally, when chopping the ingredients, you should chop some of the ingredients, then add some and chop some more. Continue this way until all ingredients have been added and chopped. This allows for different sizes of cut ingredients throughout the pesto, which adds to its texture and character.

Make sure that you use a sharp knife when chopping the basil for your pesto. If your knife is blunt, the basil will turn a dark shade. It can take twenty to thirty minutes to chop all of the ingredients for a pesto, so a sharp mezzaluna (preferably with a large, single blade) is the ideal knife to use. The ingredients often get stuck in the double bladed knives, so these can become frustrating to use. A half-moon shaped pizza cutter can work a treat as well.

Genovese pesto is made with small, young basil leaves - a distinction that has made it famous. It is possible to find these in the stores, but if you grow your own basil that will afford you the flexibility of choice of basil leaves that may make all the difference to your pesto.

Seasoning is very important with your pesto. It is quite acceptable not to add salt to the pesto, but if you are serving it on pasta, then make sure that you salt the water for your pasta well, or the overall flavour will be lost. You may need to slightly adjust your seasoning before serving.

Pesto tastes best when it is served soon after it is made, though it will last a short time in the fridge. If you are serving your pesto on pasta, you can add some of the pasta water to thin it for more coverage, but this is not a necessity. Just before serving, give the pesto a good stir to mix the olive oil in with the basil leaves, dress your dish and have a treat.

Recipe of the Day - Pesto Chicken Swirl

This recipe assumes that you have made your own tradition pesto (ie a combination of garlic, olive oil, basil and roasted pine nuts). If commercial pesto is used, may be add a bit of coarsely crashed roasted pine nuts and/or chopped basil leaves to enhance the texture and flavour.

Serving Size - 1 Person

Ingredients

1. 1 Skinless Chicken Breast

2. 50g of Gourmet Cherve (or any mild goat cheese or fetta)

3. 3 Tspn of your homemade Pesto

4. 1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

5. 1 Tspn of roasted Pine Nuts

6. 1/2 Cup of Chicken Stock

7. Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

1. Pound your chicken breast to a thin piece. To minimise the mess of the pounding you could create, just make sure you cover the chicken breast with a layer of glad-wrap while pounding. Make sure to avoid pounding through the meat creating holes.

2. Spread the Pesto on one side of the chicken generously and season with salt and pepper.

3. Coarsely crushed the cheese and arrange on one side of the chicken and sprinkle the roasted pine nuts along the cheese. Make sure this is arranged to allow you to roll the chicken with the cheese becoming the centre of the roll. Also make sure there is enough room at both ends to allow you to secure it with wooden skewers to prevent the cheese filling from escaping from the roll.

4. Roll the chicken to ensure it is a reasonable tight roll, securing both ends. If the chicken is too big a piece, cut it into half, it is easy to cook and less likely to fall apart if the roll is smaller but big enough to cut into half (if not thirds). Brush the chicken roll with olive oil generously.

5. Heat up a pan with some olive oil. When the oil is hot enough (but not smoking), place the chicken roll with the unseal side down first and turn down the flame to medium. Gently pan fried the chicken rolls about 5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the roll.

6. Pour in chicken stock and cover to simmer for 10 minutes (make sure that the stock does not dry up, add hot water if stock looks like drying up).

7. Dish up the chicken roll and remove the skewers at both ends of the roll. Cut the roll diagonally in half to review the cream, green and white swirling colour effect of the roll. Drizzle the remaining cooking juice from the pan onto the roll. Server it with either cooked vegetables or salad.

How To Throw a Co-Ed Wedding Shower

Why should the ladies have all the fun; why shouldn't the guys join in the celebration too? More and more people are deciding that a co-ed wedding shower is the way to go. If this is the type of shower that appeals to you and your group then you probably can use a few tips on how to do it right.

Who Hosts a Co-Ed Shower?

It is usually the mother of the bride and the bridal party that are hosts of a bridal shower. In the case of a co-ed shower, both sides of the family should get involved to cut costs as well as getting the boys in the wedding party to do their part, particularly the best man. Having a co-ed shower may even cut the costs of a traditional "girls only" shower because you can have simpler food and there are more people involved to absorb the costs of a co-ed wedding shower.

What to Serve at a Co-Ed Shower

For an easy party that will be fun for all, you can have a barbeque that will keep the men busy while the women concentrate on the presents. Men and women both like hamburgers, hotdogs, barbequed chicken, brisket, macaroni or potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and fresh corn; simple yet traditional fare served at a barbeque.

You can make or buy a special dessert and for beverages, be sure to have lots of iced tea, lemonade, beer, wine or punch on hand for your guests. Having this type of party for the bride and groom can be large, and asking the guests for their food contributions is perfectly acceptable.

You Can Have a Theme

Having a co-ed shower that is themed is sure to produce gifts that even the men will enjoy seeing. You can think about having a honeymoon shower. If you know where the bride and groom intend to relax after the big event you can keep the destination in mind and use it for the theme of your co-ed shower. The guests will be expected to bring gifts that the couple will enjoy on their honeymoon such as cameras, excursion gift certificates, guidebooks, or even a video camera.

If you decide to host a shower around the theme of home entertaining, this will allow the guests to purchase gifts with that in mind. Some gift ideas might include a wine rack, decanter or glasses, barbeque tools, cake plates and special tableware.

Whatever theme you decide upon for your co-ed wedding shower, it is sure to be a hit with all the guests when you use some ingenuity and creativity to keep all the guests happy and satisfied.

Spinach - 10 Ways to Get More in Your Diet

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Spinach is full of vitamins, calcium, iron and fiber. It has been said to be anti-aging, cancer fighting and rich in antioxidants. Use these tips to enjoy the incredible benefits of this wonder food.

1. Salads: Add fresh spinach to your favorite salad. Fresh spinach has a much milder flavor than when cooked and pairs well with most salad dressings.

2. Casseroles: Fresh or frozen spinach can be added when assembling the casserole. Be sure to drain well if using frozen spinach. Spinach is also a good addition to macaroni and cheese or baked pasta dishes.

3. Stuffing: Fresh spinach and cheese are a tasty combination when stuffing meats such as chicken, beef or pork. Spinach can also be added to traditional stuffings made for chicken or turkey.

4. Soup: Add fresh or frozen spinach to any vegetable or tomato based soup.

5. Drinks: Add one to two cups of fresh spinach to smoothies or juice drinks. Spinach can also be blended into store bought juice drinks and vegetable juice.

6. Eggs: Spinach is a delicious addition to omelets, frittatas and quiche.

7. Wraps and Sandwiches: Add fresh spinach along with lunchmeat or cheese to a tortilla wrap. For even more flavor use a spinach or pepper tortilla. Spinach is a great substitute for lettuce on a sandwich.

8. Cheese: Add chopped fresh spinach to cheese balls, grilled cheese or fondue.

9. Ground Beef: Finely chopped fresh spinach can be added to meat loaf, hamburgers and meatballs.

10. Pizza: Add fresh spinach along with your other vegetables when topping pizza.