Archive for the "Recipes" Category

Party Planning on a Budget

July 26th, 2011

If you are trying to plan a simple birthday party on a budget, here are a few tips that will help you save money yet have a good time also.

Make the cake yourself. Maybe it won’t be as beautiful as one that you order, but it will taste better and no one will care if it does not look professionally decorated. If it is a child’s birthday, choose a theme and decorate the cake accordingly. Choose a few other inexpensive snacks such as some chips poured into a large bowl, some no bake cookies or chocolate chip cookies and your beverages. Drinks can be simple like koolaid, iced tea or a couple of choices of soft drinks.

For the decorations, don’t go all out. Maybe a plastic table cloth that goes with the theme and a banner. Buy the cheapest paper plates, cups, silverware and napkins that you can find. Don’t worry about party favors. Play games such as twister or something that will not cost you money and give a few pieces of candy as a prize. The fun is in playing the game so you don’t need to buy expensive prizes. If you already have a swimming pool or large backyard you may not even need to plan games. It could be a simple, informal get together with some birthday treats. Take some pressure off yourself when it comes to party planning and go simple and cheap. Everyone can still have a great time without all the extra expense!

 

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Vegetables in Indian Cooking

July 8th, 2011

Vegetables are often the main ingredient in Indian cooking. This is because many people who are native to India are vegetarians. Many vegetables are only found in India, and many recipes use these vegetables as an integral part in the overall meal. The majority of Indian recipes are designed for vegetarians, or for people who eat very few kinds of meat. Vegetable curries are a stable in the Indian household, normally served for dinner, and occasionally for lunch. These curries can take hours or even days to be finished, as the flavors of the vegetables, herbs, and spices must mix exactly right for the curry to taste the way it should. Boiling, frying, and baking different vegetables is also often done in Indian recipes. Some curries, in fact, are baked or fried, rather than boiled. This gives them a unique flavor that you won’t soon forget, and that you will want to have again and again.

 

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Ideas for Healthy Kids Snacks

March 29th, 2011

It is without a doubt that we need more healthy kids snacks for the younger generation to stop the problem of obesity, which is on the rise. If we can’t get kids away fro their computers and take them to the sports field then the least we can do is make them treats that are also healthy enough to eat.

In the past kids have been not only eating junk food, but snack cosisted of white bread topped with thick butter and a sprinkling of sugar. This is potent to anyone and this is where change needs come about. You don’t have to go to the extreme of giving your kids celery and carrrot sticks to eat, but you can make fruits and vegetables really interesting.

Kids will love a sweet and sour chicken kebab or a handful of nuts. Salads can be made to be creative and imaginative. You can bake a peach in the oven and stuff it with almonds, which will keep kids happy.

 

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Losing It with Clean Eating

March 29th, 2011

Clean eating has a lot of benefits when it comes to shedding fat off your body. Unlike other diets, eating clean reduces fat, weight, and keeps it off. The problem with fad diets is that you have to starve yourself, sacrifice the foods that you like to eat, and when you stop dieting, your weight bounces back. But having a clean eating lifestyle can give you the results that you want without sacrifices or even the thought of your weight going back. Here is why.

First, it reduces fat in your body because you avoid foods that are making you fat. This includes fast food, grocery bought foods, sodas and artificial fruit juices. And by eating fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and good fats, your body gets all the nutrients it needs. At the same time, it is able to absorb and remove all the bad fats and cholesterol from your body.

Because of that, eating clean helps you reduce weight. But besides removing bad fat, this kind of healthy eating also energizes your body. It makes you want to exercise and pursue a fitter lifestyle. You may start jogging or even enroll in a gym. So it just does not reduce fat and weight, it also helps you build muscle to burn more fat. As a side note, eating whole foods actually increases your metabolism, which is why you burn more fats whenever you are moving.

By eating clean foods, you keep weight off you because of those reasons. You reduce fat, eliminate the intake of bad fats, and you start living a healthier lifestyle. But the best of all, you will not feel any hunger when you follow this diet because you are able to get all the nutrients you can from food. You do not need suffer, unlike the other fad diets out there.

 

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Easy Mexican Dish

February 26th, 2011

This is one of my husband’s easy recipes. He is from Mexico and this dish is often eaten durning Semana Santa or Holy Week, where most catholics do not eat meat. Here is what you will need:

For the cheese patties:

2 cups Maseca (found near the flour)

1 cup cheese of any kind, shredded or in very small cubes

2 eggs

1/2 to 3/4 cup milk

salt to taste

oil for frying

For the sauce:

5 large tomatoes

water

salt

Mix all the ingredients for the cheese patties, the batter will be crumbly but should hold together when pressed. Form batter into palm sized patties and fry them in the oil until gold brown on each side. Set patties aside. Mix the ingrents for the sauce in a blender and put into the frying pan, heat until boiled and lower heat for an additional 5 minutes. Add the patties back into the sauce and ready to serve.

 

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Can You Really Cook?

November 18th, 2010

Many people say they can cook, but what they mean is that they can open a can, pour the contents into a microwave-safe dish, and push a button. That’s called heating food. If the food is in a freezer box, and you have to open the box and peel back the film before you put the little tray into the microwave and push the button, that’s still heating food. Many people are so busy they say this is the only way they have time to cook. Honestly, though, it is possible to actually cook. Do you know how to make cinnamon toast? Do you know how to make banana bread? Perhaps you could whip up some eggs, stir in just a little milk, then top with shredded cheese, and in 3 minutes, youd have a souffl for one. Did you have an overnight guest? Invert the souffl on a plate, then slice an orange into half a dozen wedges, arrange them into sunflower petals, and serve with toast. Yes, you used the microwave and a sharp knife and a toaster, but you actually cooked, and your guest will be impressed!

 

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