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By Lawrence Reaves

With recent studies saying that more than 50% of people in every state are overweight, more and more Americans are trying to eat healthy. Good, quality, healthy food is often more expensive. But there are ways you can feed your family a healthy, nutritious meal and still save at the grocery store.

While you may be tempted to think that its summer and slow cooking takes too much time and uses too much heat, think again. Really your only time invested is the preparation time. As for the heat, youd likely be standing over the stove anyway if not for the slow cooker.

You can buy a slow cooker in several sizes from one-quart to 12-quarts depending on whether youre cooking for a couple of people or a large group. Be sure to shop around because there are lots of options.

Even in the summer months, using your slow cooker for a stew, a soup or a chicken dish wont overheat your home during the day. Best of all, when you get home from your day, dinner is ready.

The healthy aspect comes from the way the foods are cooked. Because they cook at a slower rate, the mineral contents of the food are better preserved. But beyond that, you control the ingredients. No reading of the package and wondering what something is.

Some tips for cooking with a slow cooker include:

Choose the right ingredients. For example, cuts of meat which traditionally take longer to cook such as brisket, pork butt or a whole chicken do great in the slow cooker. Not only do they cook long enough that the meat falls from the bone, youre also pulling nutrients from the actual bone.

If your recipe calls for produce, use fresh. Canned vegetables will get soft and mushy when cooked for long periods of time in a slow cooker. Theyre already overcooked when theyre put in the can. Canned tomatoes are okay because its likely youre looking for them to become more of a sauce anyway.

Dont under season. The food will be cooking a long time absorbing the flavors. Saut onions, shallots or garlic before adding them to your recipe. The flavors will seep into the oil better if you do this. Add fresh herbs or a squeeze of lemon or lime at the end of the cooking time. Include ingredients that are high in flavor like roasted tomatoes or fire-roasted chilies for added flavor.

The slow cooker should be only one-half to two-thirds full when you add the ingredients. Adding too much or too little might mean your food is undercooked or overcooked.

Taking the lid off during the cooking process will lose some of the flavor and nutrients as well as increase your cooking time.

Here are a couple of healthy slow cooker recipes to try:

Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 pinches red paper flakes

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2 T dried parsley)

1 cup peeled, diced tomatoes, fresh or canned (I use 1, 14-oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid)

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bag frozen chopped spinach

Garlic Mayonnaise (add minced garlic to mayonnaise to taste)

Combine the ingredients in a medium to large slow cooker and cook on medium heat for 6-8 hours. Serve with a dollop of garlic mayonnaise and garnish with fresh parsley.

Chicken and broccoli pasta

Ingredients

4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 12-inch pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 package (1 ounce) Italian salad dressing mix

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (10 34 ounces) condensed low-fat cream of chicken soup, undiluted 1 bag (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1 package (8 ounces) low-fat cream cheese, cubed

14 cup dry sherry

Hot cooked pasta

Toss chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian salad dressing mix. Place in five-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for three hours. Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add mushrooms and onion; cook five minutes over medium heat or until onions are tender. Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese and sherry to skillet; cook and stir until hot. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for one additional hour. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

About the Author: Lawrence Reaves enjoys writing about cooking and he also enjoys trying new recipes with his slow cooker. He has a nice collection of kitchen

appliances

that he owns including a slow cooker that he got

here

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Delicious Regional Filipino Food from Bicol

by

Daisy G.

Bicol, a popular place in Philippines for tourist destination. It is known for Mayon Volcano, an active Philippine volcano known for its perfect shape. Bicolanos life is so simple, their main means of livelihood is through farming and fishing. One of their main agricultural products is copra (coconut fruit) which is a primary ingredient for animal feed, Copra is also a great source of cooking oil. Aside from natural scenery that Bicol offers for its visitor, Bicol province is also known for their recipe. One of the common characteristic with Bicolanos recipe is for being hot and spicy and for using coconut cream as a base for sauce with their recipe. One of the most well known Bicolano recipe are known as Kinunot, a spicy appetizer usually cook with shark meat or sting ray, Bicol express is also a popular Bicolano pork recipe, it is usually cook from liempo meat (Pig belly) and garnished with a lots of chili and coconut cream. Bicolano s Laing, a well known vegetable menu has become a popular day to day food for every Filipino not only on Bicol region but almost in entire Philippines , Filipino from all walks of life loves this recipe so much as it become one of the most cooked menu in every carinderia, it is not only delicious but affordable too. Laing or Pinangat as commonly called in Bicol is easy to prepare and so flavorful, here is my method for cooking this awesome Bicolano food recipe Laing.

For cooking Laing you will need the following ingredient:

2 bundle of taro leaves with stalk

2-3 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 whole onion peeled and slices

2-3 pcs peeled garlic, crushed

100 gram of labahita (variety of dry fish)

250 gram of liempo meat

Vetsin

Salt to taste

2 cups of coconut milk (gata)

2 cup of coconut cream (kakang gata)

2-3 pcs chilli, sliced

2-3 tbsp bagoong (shrimp paste) optional

Preparation for taro Leaves and Stalk:

Separate taro leaves from stalk, peel stalk by removing fibrous skin of the stalk, shred taro leaves and sundry both stalk and leave for 2-3 days.

Procedure for Cooking:

In a casserole, bring to boil taro leaves with coconut milk with coconut milk with bagoong (optional), ginger, garlic, onion, labahita (dryfish), upon boiling put fire into low and simmer until the sauce almost dry. Add kakang gata (coconut cream), siling labuyo (hot chili) and simmer to dry the sauce. Salt to taste and add vetsin. Laing is best served when it is newly cooked with hot steamy rice.

Hi ,I am Daisy, a Filipina mother and a blogger. I would like to invite you to visit mo blog about Filipino recipe. My recipe include kare kare and sopas. A food recipe that always been part for being a Filipino.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Submitted by: Eric Cho

Healthy eating does not denote a diet strictly made up of salads; it just means that your favorite meals are prepared with more care to calorie and fat, as well as other harmful ingredients among them.

Reduce the Fat

Non-stick cookware is also a way of cooking healthy, as it negates the need for using cooking oil. Valuable nutrients are also maintained by boiling, steaming, braising, baking and microwaving foods.

Taking the Fat Out of the Cow

The choice of reduced dairy fats products and lean meats minimizes hidden fats within these food groups, which can also be found in varying amounts in processed foods. Dietary fats are best found in natural, unrefined form in foods such as avocado, olives, soy, fish, seeds and fish. If fats are used in the cooking process, use, to a bare minimum, mono-saturated oils, like canola and olive oils.

Shopping for Healthy Eats

Healthy cooking begins when shopping at the store and as such, the choices made reflect upon the results. Skinless chicken breasts are a wise choice, as is lean meat cuts. Make sure to look for foods with low fat versions, such as gravies, salad dressings, yoghurt, cheese and milk.

Start With Healthy Ingredients

Other tips on healthy cooking include consuming more fish, rich in protein and omega three acids, while being short on fats. As a matter of course, consume fresh legumes and vegetables and desist from adding too much salt while cooking. Recipes that require animal fat saut ing and deep frying should be eliminated, as well as those that need butter in their preparation.

Lighten the Lunch Meal

Suggestions for healthy sandwiches include using reduced salt wholegrain or whole meal bread, use very little or no cream cheese or butter on the bread, use instead avocado, low fat peanut or cheese spreads. Herbs have been known to replace oil and salt flavors, as well as containing phyto-oestrogens, which are health protective. They can be used to augment meat dishes, as well as drinks, desserts, vinegars, salad dressings, mustards, breads, and soups. Great herbs are such as lemongrass, chili, garlic, ginger, and coriander.

Cooking Healthy for a Healthy Body

To reduce the loss of vitamins in vegetables during cooking and preparation, scrub them clean rather than peeling, as nutrients are close to their the skin. Vegetables that are stir-fried retain their nutrients through their crunchiness, as they are not overcooked.

Finally, if it looks good, it probably is. Presentation will increase enjoyment, just as great taste will. Many higher end restaurants will use presentation to increase the visual size of the portion and to make the meal appear more intricate than it really is.

The key to the healthiest of cooking is at the beginning of the recipe. By choosing the best ingredients and the best cooking methods for your body, you are choosing a healthier lifestyle. Alternative medicine and treatments begin with treating the body with respect and honor and that begins with offering healthy foods as a source of daily energy.

About the Author: Learn how to

cook healthy

at methodsofhealing.com

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How to Choose the Best Yogurt Maker By Atica Brewton

Many people who are seeking a more healthy diet and lifestyle are contemplating what is the best yogurt maker for their budget. There are many different brands to choose from with a plethora of options and price ranges. Although there are many to choose from, the difference between competing yogurt makers is minimal. All you need is a device that will maintain the yogurt mixture at the required temperature for a set amount of time. Honestly, the best yogurt maker is the least expensive and most reliable appliance that fits your budget.

Many consumers choose the least expensive option and just won’t buy a yogurt maker. I don’t think these people are cheap, but I do think they should explore their options. Instead, they will use their oven for heat. This is a viable option but it will end up costing you in the long run because of how much electricity is required to keep an oven heated for at least 6 to 8 hours. I recommend they purchase a yogurt maker instead because it is more energy efficient and won’t use nearly as much electricity as their oven. I must repeat that they best yogurt maker is the most inexpensive option.

Another option I’ve heard from several people is to use a microwave convection oven. Once again, this is a large appliance that draws tons of electricity so your power bill will be affected from leaving the microwave on for several hours. Also your microwave is tied up and can’t be used while your yogurt is heating. Some people would be annoyed by the constant noise of the microwave. It just seems easier and more hassle-free to invest in an inexpensive yogurt maker.

There are several ways to make yogurt using alternative heat sources. All of these options are legitimate and can yield a wonderful tasting snack. I recommend that you follow whatever method works best for you. I like to keep things simple and worry-free. The less utensils I dirty during the process, the better. Since I make yogurt several times per week, this works best for me. In my opinion, the best yogurt maker is the most user-friendly and inexpensive device available.

The author’s website Yogurt Maker Enthusiast features tips on finding the best yogurt maker, how to use yogurt makers, yogurt starters and homemade yogurt recipes.