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May 09 2013
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Food, Health

Filler Foods

Eating low-calorie foods that fill you up can help cut your calories and control your hunger at the same time. This combination can help you reach and keep a healthy body weight.

Water-rich vegetables are a great filler foods. Good examples include celery, cucumbers, lettuce, hearts of palm (palmito), radishes, carrots and alfalfa sprouts. Fruits are another good choice for the same reason. For example, grapefruit is almost 90 percent water. As an added bonus, fruits and vegetables provides you with necessary nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

filler_foods

High-fiber soups also work well as low-calorie filler foods. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are rich in fiber and protein; add legumes to your soups and stews to satisfy your hunger with fewer calories.
Other filler foods include whole grains that would fill you up for a long time because they contain fiber and complex carbohydrates. Boiled whole grains like oatmeal and brown rice can give you energy and lasting power. Low fat whole grain pretzels and crackers are good healthy snacks.

Choose from a variety of low-calorie filler foods to keep your diet interesting.

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May 02 2013
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Food

Perfecting Lemon Sorbet

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I love making desserts, even though I don’t enjoy eating them. I have made ice-cream before, but it was a total disaster. It tasted like ice, without any signs of cream. This time I thought of making sorbet. I fell in love with sorbet the first time I went to Italy in 2008. I remember going to every restaurant and ordering lemon sorbet for dessert. Five years later, I decided to give it a shot and make my own.

Here’s something to empress your friends with at your next gathering.*

Lemon Sorbet:

5-6 lemons

1½ Cup Granulated Sugar**

1½ Cup Water

Preparation:

  1. Zest 2-3 lemons or until you get  ⅓ cup of  lemon zest.
  2. Juice the lemons until you get 1 cup of juice.

Procedure:

  1. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine sugar and water until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Add the lemon zest.
  3. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
  4. Boil for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the lemon juice and stir the mixture for a minute.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat.
  7. Allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
  8. Strain the mixture to get rid of the lemon zest.
  9. Pour the mixture into a container, cover it and put it in the freezer.
  10. After 4-5 hours, or when it becomes semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again.
  11. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
  12. Cover and refreeze until serving time.

*This recipe is from Cuisine Magazine.

**When I first read the recipe, I thought granulated sugar meant powdered sugar, but it’s actually the normal white sugar. I used powdered sugar and the sorbet turned out fine.

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Mar 27 2013
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Food, Health

Food that can Improve Your Eyesight

Various foods are important for good eye health..

  • Carrots are a critical source of vitamin A and beta carotene as are all orange-yellow vegetables. Beta carotene converts to Vitamin A in the body and is a potent antioxidant.
  • Spinach and other green vegetables are a great source of lutein and zeaxathin, both being vital for eye protection from the sun.
  • Garlic and onions are rich in sulfur and aid the eyes by producing glutathione; this is a really great antioxidant for the eyes.
  • Cod, tuna, sardines and mackerel are loaded with DHA which supports cell membranes and help to reduce the likelihood of macular degeneration. It is highly recommended for dry eyes.
  • All fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that are vital for eye health, with those being vitamin A, C, E and will help to improve daytime vision.
  • Blueberries and grapes improve night vision with an increase in anthocyanins. They are able to quickly create a noticeable improvement in critical night vision.
  • Eggs are rich in sulfur which helps to protect the lens of the eye and prevent cataract development.

Link

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Mar 24 2013
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Food

Cinnamon Toast Rolls

I love it when desserts contain cinnamon. I never thought of making a “cinnamon-y” desert until I found this recipe. It’s so easy! All you need are 3 ingredients.

  • a dozen or so slices of very soft, fresh white bread
  • melted butter
  • cinnamon sugar

Here are the instructions from Cirlce-B-Kitchen

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cut the crusts from a slice of bread and roll until very thin.
  3. Spread both sides of the bread with melted butter and then sprinkle one side with the cinnamon sugar, making sure to cover very well.
  4. Fold each side into the middle and then gently roll up and place in a buttered mini muffin tin.  Spread a little more melted butter on each roll and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar.  Alternately, you can fold the bread into a triangle, and then fold into another smaller triangle and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
  5. When all of the rolls are made, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn golden brown and get a little crisp.  Remove from the muffin tin to cool.
  6. If desired, drizzle with some icing made with powdered sugar that’s been moistened with a little milk.
  7. These freeze really well.  To reheat, place briefly in a microwave to thaw and then bake in a low oven (250 or 300 until warm and slightly crisp.  Alternately, you can reheat them in foil in the oven.

Whenever I decide to do these I’m posting the results on Instagram! But for now, here’s what they’re supposed to be like.

cinntoastrolls58

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Mar 13 2013
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Food

Basic Cooking Techniques

There are basic cooking techniques that are rarely mentioned in recipes. That’s why when following a recipe, it’s very rare that the food turns out the way it’s supposed to be. These posters can be used as a guide to help you with your cooking. I found them on a website on Stumble Upon. There were a total of 22 posters that you can find here. I only posted the ones that I would use (click the pictures below to enlarge). I’m considering on printing them to make a cooking booklet for myself.

Grain to Water Ratios
Juicing Basics
Knives of the Kitchen
Mixing Methods
Eggs
Mass & Volume Equivalents
Volume Conversions
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Nov 19 2012
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Food

Starbucks Reserve Review

I was recently invited to attend an invite only event to get a tour of the newly opened Starbucks Reserve in Avenues. It is the 3rd Starbucks Reserve in the world alongside Amsterdam and Seattle. The interior gives a cozy and warm feel because the coffee shop is encompassed with wooden ceilings, furniture, and flooring. Not only is it the biggest branch world-wide, but it consists of two floors with a lovely view of Grand Avenue. The atmosphere is just wonderful considering that it is very Arabian. The food display is quite different than the other Starbucks branches we are used to. The great thing about Starbucks Reserve is that it provides customers with a selection of freshly baked goods. In addition, the coffee shop offers 2 new types of black coffee. At the end of the tour, I was given a gift that consisted of a Starbucks notebook, a mug, an exclusive coffee flavor and a coffee plant. I would really like to thank Starbucks Reserve for inviting me to this event!

I urge you to visit soon! You won’t regret it!

Written alongside BNM

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Oct 08 2012
2 Comments
Food

The Reinvented Imbra6oor!

One of the best juice combinations I have ever tried is orange juice with vanilla flavoring. The first time I tried it was at Pizzetta. I ordered their pizzetta sunriser and fell in love. It’s basically orange juice with vanilla syrup and maybe one other thing. Some of my friends didn’t like the combination, but I loved it. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and sour. I remember ordering two the first time I had it! The problem was, I can’t have that drink a lot because I rarely go to Pizzetta, so I tried something yesterday. What I did was go to a Co-Op’s juice store and order orange juice with vanilla ice-cream. The guy didn’t look pleased with what I had ordered, but he made it anyways. When I tried it, I was overjoyed because the overall taste wasn’t so different from the sunriser. Then, it hit me. The combination of orange juice with vanilla ice cream is just like ordering imbra6or (mango juice with vanilla ice cream) except I’m switching the mango with orange. I thought of calling it the Imbra6ora Summer Sunriser. The ISS. Yeah, don’t worry I’m going to come up with a better name.

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Sep 18 2012
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Food

French Toast Waffles – Review

The other day, I was at Sultan Center looking for Eggo’s whole wheat waffles, when my eyes fell on something else. I have never seen it before, but apparently it has been sold there for a really long time. It was Eggo’s French Toast waffles. The name intrigued me and I couldn’t stop looking away from it. Just then I grabbed the box and forgot all about the whole wheat waffles. I couldn’t careless. I WANTED to try the new waffles. By the time I came back home I was too anxious to try it out that I didn’t mind having it as part of my dinner. I got out the toaster and took out a waffle from the box. Seconds later, the smell of waffles filled the air, but it was a new kind of smell. It was cinnamon-y and sweet. I kept telling myself that it’s okay, I can wait for one last minute. A strong feeling of excitement washed over me, the waffle popped out of the toaster and in my plate it fell (yeah right, but you get the picture). I grabbed the syrup and poured some of it on top. I sat down and quickly took a bite. It was heaven in my mouth. I still can’t believe I never heard of this french-toast-waffle-combination before. I devoured the thing so quickly that I ended up toasting another one. The second time I learned my lesson and savored every bite. It’s my latest addiction. The box finished in a matter of days. It’s so incredibly yummy that I can’t stop thinking about it.

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Sep 07 2012
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Food

Blueberry Bread Recipe

Getting complements for my cooking or baking always makes my day. A couple of days ago I posted a picture on Twitter of a bread I baked. To be honest, I made it using a Betty Crocker bread and muffin mix, but it was the first time I bake something that gets so many positive replies! What was so special about it was that I decided to do the quick bread mix. Everyone that tried it thought it was cake because of its circular shape, so I played along with them. It was the fluffiest thing ever! It wasn’t too thick and the fact that it had blueberries made people feel good about themselves because it was “healthy”! Just a word of advice, make sure you get the exact same box in the picture above because there’s a similar one, but it doesn’t come with the bread recipe. The ingredients are very simple and should be available at your home. The only extra thing I added was the powdered sugar, you know, to add my extra touch.

Fresh out of the oven.. and before the photo shoot!

The grand finale..

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Aug 11 2012
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Food

I WANT A JUICY LUCY

Ever since I watched an episode of Man Vs. Food about Juicy Lucy, I’ve been craving it. I don’t know if it’s even possible to crave something I haven’t tried, but that’s how I feel. It’s a burger stuffed with melted cheddar cheese that oozes when you bite through it. I love cheese and having it hot and melted inside a burger is just perfect. The episode is about where to find the best and original Juicy Lucy. It famous in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but there are two burger joints on the same avenue that claim the title of being home of the first Juicy Lucy.

Also, an episode of Food Wars about Juicy Lucy.

WARNING: Don’t watch the videos if you’re craving burgers!

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