Cider Soaked Pears with a Vanilla Cinnamon Sauce

December 11, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes

Summer Superslimmers

July 27, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes, Inspired Living

When the refrigerators are lined up with berry coolers we know it time for the summer season to take over. The season is synonymous with fun, frolic and food. Unlike winter during which most of the time is spent indoors as a result of that the options on the food menu at home is limited, the summer season lays down a vast array of options in front of us to savoir.

You can treat yourself to an unending variety of drinks, coolers, snacks and desserts during the sunny summer days. But with so many options forcing us to gravitate towards the tastier foods, it is very important to control our tasty instincts and get hold of healthy choices. It’s important to be in harmony with the season to reap the benefits of good health. You should avoid gorging on cheesy pastas and stay closer to lighter foods like beans and broccoli. Summer time is the best to lose the extra pounds you always wished to. Losing weight does not necessarily mean sweating yourself out in the gym or starving yourself to death to achieve the desired fitness levels. The most important thing to remember is to eat right. Unlike the present trend losing weight is not about eating less but eating right. Many doctors and dieticians say that by not eating for longer periods we do ourselves more harm than good. So, always remember to eat right food, right portions and at the right time.

There are many summer foods out there which are more effective than any fitness centre around you. There are many foods which help you lose weight albeit not by burning your extra fat off, but in a very different manner. Such foods are called negative calorie foods. They are called so because the body uses up more calories to absorb these foods than the calories these foods return. For example, a negative calorie food “A” takes up 150 calories during the digestion process and returns 120 calories to the body, it ends up reducing 30 calories from the body thus resulting in a net loss of weight. The following fruits and vegetables are the best negative calorie foods: celery, carrots, garlic, lettuce, apples, grapefruits, oranges, pineapples, lemons and mangos.

Remember listed below tips this summer:

1. Celery: a cup of celery (120gms) contains only 19 calories and the number of calories burnt during the process of cooking and eating celery is much more than 19, so it keeps you full and silently takes the accumulated calories away.

2. Onions: a cup of onions not only 64 calories but many anti-cancer agents. So grilling onions along with other veggies like lettuce, bell peppers and zucchini and eating them like kebabs really fills you up and also kills the calories.

3. Fruits: during summer season fruits like grapefruit, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and cucumbers (yes cucumber is a fruit!!! A brother of the sweet melon) should be your best friends. All these fruits have a high water content making them low calorie but high volume fruits.

4. Cheat your way to health: by following a specific way and order of eating can help you cut down on your calorie intake. By consuming a high volume low calorie soup like cucumber-dill or gazpacho (whacky name right?) you can cheat your tummy into believing that you are pretty full and thus reduce your tasty high calorie food intake.

5. Water : although water does not provide you the important nutrients but it does take up some calories to get absorbed in the body, so stay away from the sodas and gulp down at least 2.5 liters of water a day to keep your skin glowing, system rehydrated and your metabolism perfect.

6. Patience: this is the most effective negative calorie food you have on the menu. It is important to understand that results will not be achieved overnight. You have to follow the above mentioned steps religiously to reach your destination of “lessland”.

So this summer do not pay attention to the brochures of all the fancy diet or fitness centers which have you gravitating towards them by exploiting your desperate need to look in shape in time for your 35^th anniversary or your beach vacation to Australia!! Just eat right to feel light.

Photo credits: Randal Droher and churl on flickr.

Tags: fruit kabob, fruits, healthy foood, summer food, summer slimmers

Stuffed eggs

April 30, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes

1 Comment

Ingredients

5 eggs
½ medium onion
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 (5-6 oz) can of tuna (in oil or water)
salt and pepper to taste

Ruth Flickr

Directions

1) Peel boiled eggs and cut them in halves lengthwise. Leave all egg yokes for stuffing.

2) Chop the onion, put into a small bowl and add egg yokes, tuna, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mash the mixture until its smooth and consistent.

3) Fill whites with the tuna mixture, forming the slightly rounded tops.

4) Serve as a cold appetizer. Enjoy!

Did you know that……….

One egg contains 6 grams of protein and 9 essential amino acids important for your body.

1) Essential amino acids, the building block components that make up proteins.

2) Vitamin A, important for good night vision, general cell growth and healthy skin.

3) Riboflavin (vitamin B₂), folic acid (vitamin B₉), vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂, support and increase the rate of metabolism, maintain healthy skin and muscle tone, enhance immune and nervous system function

4) Choline, good for your mental function and memory.

5) Selenium, powerful antioxidant your body needs for a strong immune system.

6) Vitamin E, preventing damage to your body from free radicals.

7) Sulphur, promotes healthy hair and nails.

8) Iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium, essential minerals micronutrient in human nutrition.

Read about the raw diet. Enjoy more great recipes: Eggplant salad and Egg Salad.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

*image credits: photos by Ruth Flickr on flickr

Tags: eggs, healthy diet, healthy eggs, healthy foods, stuffed eggs

Green String Beans with garlic and ginger

April 27, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes

Did you know that……….

Green string beans are very low in calories (31 kcal per 100 g of raw beans), contain no saturated fat and loaded with important for your health nutrients listed below:

1) Vitamin K is important for maintaining strong bones and helps to speed up the healing process.

2) Great source of dietary fiber (9% per100g RDA), which stimulates the colon by decreasing re-absorption of cholesterol binding bile acids and lower the risk of color cancer.

3) Contain good amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and manganese which are very essential for body metabolism.

4) Potassium, the important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

5) Zea xanthin, it is helpful in preventing age related macular disease of the eyes in old age.

6) Vitamin C, helps speed up the healing of cuts and bruises, boosts the immune system, regulates high blood pressure and prevents heart disease.

7) Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant also known for eliminating signs of skin aging: wrinkles, fine lines, dull skin and age spots.

8) Anti-inflammatory properties of green beans are useful for asthma and arthritic patients.

Enjoy more great recipes: Eggplant salad, Egg Salad and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

*image credits: photos by sassyradish on flickr

Tags: green beans, Green String Beans, Green String Beans with garlic and ginger, healthy beans, healthy cooking, healthy foods, string beans

Broccoli Salad

April 23, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes

Did you know that……….

Apart from being one of the richest sources of dietary fiber and calcium, broccoli also contains many vitamins and minerals listed below:

1) Vitamin C, broccoli contains twice the vitamin C of an orange, it helps to supply our body enough of antioxidants.

2) Selenium, a mineral that has anti-cancer and anti-viral properties.

3) Sulforaphane that stimulates the cells that are engaged in the production of cancer-fighting enzymes.

4) Beta-carotene, which is another cancer fighting agent.

5) Diindolylmethanem, has anti viral and anti bacterial properties.

6) Broccoli enhances the absorption of iron in our bodies.

7) It contains many other protective minerals such as: indole, sulfur compounds, xanthines, riboflavin, phosphorus, etc.

Enjoy more great recipes: Eggplant salad, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Egg Salad, Avocado salad and Green Beans.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable Fitness Apparel do visitYogacaraShop.com

*image credits: photo by alde on flickr

Tags: broccoli, broccoli salad, easy recipe, healthy deat, healthy food, healthy foods

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

April 21, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes

2 Comments

Ingredients

1 pound of Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

cbcastro

Directions

1) Remove any old-looking outer leaves on the brussels sprouts. In the medium size pot boil or steam the brussels sprouts for 3-5 minutes or until just tender.

2) Strain the hot water, place the sprouts to cool down and cut them into halves.

3) Heat the oil over medium flame in a medium size pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 min until translucent.

4) Add the brussels sprouts halves to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and cook 3 more minutes. Do not overcook! Brussels sprouts should have bright green color.

5) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (if using) and cook for another minute.

The sprouts should be slightly browned; some of the outside leaves could be crunchy, but cooked through inside.

Dave77459

Did you know that……….

Brussel sprouts are very healthy for you because of their low sodium and fat content, but at the same time they are full of vitamins and minerals listed below:

1) High in Dietary Fiber, which stimulates the colon by decreasing re-absorption of cholesterol binding bile acids and lower the risk of color cancer.

2) Sulforaphane that contains anti-cancer properties.

3) Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant as well as known for eliminating signs of skin aging, such as wrinkles, fine lines, dull skin and age spots.

4) Vitamin K, important for maintaining strong bones.

5) Vitamin C is great antioxidant and fighter against the common cold.

6) Brussels sprouts are rich in folate, which important for pregnant women to keep the fetus healthy.

7) Lutein and zeaxanthin which ensure macular health.

Good source of phytosterols, that helps to lower cholesterol levels; as well as Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Iron, Potassium, Manganese, Riboflavin, and Magnesium.

Enjoy more great recipes: Eggplant salad, Egg Salad and Green Beans.

*image credits: photos by cbcastro and Dave77459 on flickr

Tags: brussels sprouts, healthy deat, healthy food, healthy foods, live healthier, roasted brussels sprouts

Green Beans

April 18, 2011 by svetlana
Filed under Healthy Cooking Minutes

4 Comments

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 medium or one small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 can (16 ounce) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 basil leaves

foreverdigita

Directions

Heat the oil over low flame in a medium size pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent.
Add green beans, can of diced tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, pepper and sauté using low heat, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes or until the green beans are well cooked.
Add the basil leaves, turn the heat off and let beans to cool down to a room temperature. Great to serve chilled!