Snack Foods: Meaty!

By Valerie Olmsted Valerie Olmsted
Level: Platinum

Dr. Valerie Olmsted is a Naturopathic Physician in active practice in the Phoenix area. A retired RN with over 30 years in the acute care …

Meaty snack foods are not just for big guys who yell a lot and swill beer; they are also for the ladies and kids. For those of blood type O or B, meat is the perfect snack and those who follow the Atkins Diet look for all meat too. Hint for the blood type A and AB though: dump the all-protein diets-they will cause problems the like of which you will wish you had never experienced (go to The Zone Diet instead). For those who have no problems with high protein diets, the meat craving can be satisfied in snack foods too. You can get all kinds of dried meat snacks now: beef, turkey, salmon and tuna. While you won’t find much other than beef at the supermarket or quick-stop type of store, you can find the more exotic ones at health food stores.

The problem with most of the stuff you buy ready-made is the preservatives they have to use: nitrates and nitrites, which combine with amino acids-PROTEIN-to create nitrosamines, which cause cancer. If the jerky is BBQ, there are further problems with carbon deposits on the meat, which also causes cancer. It’s a heck of a lot healthier to make your own jerky and it’s not hard at all. It is messy, but not difficult. The basic thing with making jerky is to slice the meat really thin, marinate it (with salt too, so it gets some antimicrobial treatment) and then dry it slowly. You can dry the strips in your oven; it takes hours but you’ll end up with tender, delicious, home-cooked and healthy snacks.

There are all sorts of marinades one can use to make dried meat snacks; pick your favorite, hopefully homemade. The reason you want to make your own marinating mixture is so you can limit the amount and type of salt used. Most commercially available jerky uses soy sauce but that is an allergen for a lot of people. You also want to avoid the regular salt and go for celtic or Himalayan salt instead. The natural salts have trace minerals in them that are not found in the regular iodized salt, which has been bleached and purified and only has iodine added back in. By adding other spices like garlic, you can also cut down on the amount of salt used. Garlic also has antimicrobial properties, which is a good thing when you’re talking about preserving meat. Green meat is scary. The other problem with meat is that you really want to be guarding against botulism (Clostridium botulinum), which is found in the soil…everywhere…and is why nitrates and nitrites are added to meat. Making your own meat snacks is healthy, just make sure you know what you’re doing and don’t make too much at once unless you have researched proper care and preservation of the food.

?2010 Dr.Valerie Olmsted All Rights Reserved

Dr. Valerie Olmsted is an author, naturopathic physician, metaphysician, internet entrepreneur, artist, speaker, and lover of life. Traveling with the Quantum Vortex Experience, she has helped thousands of people reach the inner connection they are seeking and has contributed to the discoveries of manifestation practices via quantum physics applications.

http://www.bewhoyoureallyarecoach.com/
Contact: Dr.Valerie Olmsted
2370 W. SR 89A
Ste.11-#121
Sedona, AZ 86336
928-257-3290

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Olmsted

This article has been viewed 1 time(s).
Article Submitted On: December 01, 2010

Cooking Traditional Food From The UK

Cooking traditional food from the UK in the comfort of your own home can seem like the impossible. The wonderful foods that one thinks about from England may seem only possible if you eat at the finest restaurants in the UK or around the world.

The truth is that you can make your own favorite traditional English foods at home now. The Internet has opened many doors for food lovers. The average person, as well as the professional chef, has added to the many incredible British recipes that can be made at home by using the net.

Where to Find UK Traditional Food

It can seem a bit out of reach to be able to find real traditional food from the UK if you do not live there. The idea that what you get will be the same as if you were fine dining in London seems very farfetched. The truth is that you can get the real deal to serve at home. Many traditional British meals are available on recipe sites all over the Internet.

If you want to find the best traditional UK food recipes to make at home, simply log onto your computer and search online. This will offer up hundreds of authentic meal idea all straight out of Great Britain. You will be able to recreate each of these meals for yourself, family, or guests. While cookbooks offer many generic recipes, the Internet can offer more traditional foods that are served in specific ways depending on the region in which they are being prepared.

Choosing the Right Recipe

Choosing the right traditional food recipe may not be as easy as one thinks. When you are looking online there will be hundreds of sites to surf through. Knowing which sites actually have traditional UK foods may not be easy to see at first.

The first thing you want to look for is the recipe site rating. Anything less than 4 stars should be ignored. There are so many sites that this will still leave you many, many options. You also want to look at where the site is derived from. Using a UK recipe site to get the best traditional food makes the most sense. You are more likely to find the real recipe the way it is made in England when using UK sites.

Finding the right recipe may take a bit of time, but since you are searching at your own leisure from home, it is not something that is daunting or horrible. You will be able to bookmark each recipe for future reference. This makes it very easy to pull up in the future. You can also save the UK food recipes onto your computer in a folder. This will allow you to retrieve them even if the website shuts down later.

No longer do you have to be in London to eat the traditional meals that they do. Now you can get the recipes you enjoy online and eat these great dishes at home.

Grilling: Enjoying a Variety of Ingredients

Every one’s grilling habits are going to be a little different. Ask ten friends about their preferred method, and be prepared for fifteen different answers. One of the beautiful things about a grill is its sheer versatility. Anyone can start a fire and throw food on it, and most of the time, it’ll come out passable at least. So when dealing with specific ingredients for the grill, one has to narrow that down to its most basics.

Depending on your tastes, you might be throwing on a steak, a fillet of tuna, or a packet of veggies. With any of these, however, one step remains constant. A swab of canola oil. Rub down the surface of the grill with a paper towel soaked in canola oil to prevent sticking. This will not impart much, if any flavor at all in to your food, but will make clean up easier.

A good dry rub. Every family has one. Ask grandma about hers, chances are she’ll have some already prepared if she isn’t quite ready to give up the recipe. What is a dry rub you ask? It is a cocktail of various herbs and spices that is applied to food before its thrown on to the fire. As it cooks, it will bring a lot of flavor into the dish. How do you make one? Well, that’s another story. There is no one “dry rub” recipe. They usually include some kosher salt, but beyond that, it could be any of a great many different combinations of spices, and few people are willing to give out theirs. Finding a good one would require some independent research, and trial and error to figure out what works for you. A good dry rub will work with most meats, and some fishes.

Beyond that, the choices are yours. Venture out from your regular routine of hamburgers and sausages. Get adventurous. If it’s edible hot, you can find a way to cook it with fire. There’s never a reason not to try something new. Cooking with an open flame is the single oldest method of preparing food known to mankind, short of eating it raw. Get some pita bread, some flavorful leafy greens and peppers next time. Or maybe a big hunk of tuna and roll it in sesame seeds. Try different kinds of poultry. Go to that section in the meat isle you normally avoid and pick something at random. This grill is yours to do as you please.

Hiring a Personal Chef on Vacation

If you are planning a vacation and would like to hire a personal chef while on vacation in Hawaii it’s important to start the information gathering at least 45-60 days before you arrive as many vacation rentals and chefs are booked weeks in advance. The best way to find a qualified chef is to utilize prestigious American Personal & Private Chef Association pre-approved vendors or speak to your rental agent to see if they can recommend a chef who has a good reputation and has worked for that estate before. The next step is to visit each personal chefs website to get a feel of their cooking style and type of services offered. Before you start information gathering it is important to outline your expectations so its easier to make your final decision when comparing chefs to one another. A good example of your expectations would be did you want each meal platted individually or served buffet style for a family? what seems like a simple question can change the dynamic of your dinning experience and is an important to outlining your expectations in advance so you receive the best service possible while hiring a personal chef in our beautiful islands.

Furthermore, when hiring a personal chef on vacation the only way you will be able to communicate with the chef over the phone or email and will not get the chance to meet them face-to-face which can be stressful for many individuals. To insure your making the right choice its very important to carefully review the chefs credentials and website to make sure you feel comfortable with their level of expertise and brand equity. Visit each chefs website and look for clearly outlined clearly outlined Rates, Terms of Service and Privacy & Cancellation policy which protects your interests. Also look look for what culinary education they have received as well as previously held positions in the industry in there “About Us” section. Good credentials also include excellent client testimonials and client lists which validate and endorse the chefs quality of work.

Finally, the most important thing to remember when hiring a private chef in on vacation in Hawaii is you want to feel comfortable and relaxed while on vacation. Make sure to hire someone who has excellent work ethic and responds to your inquiry within 48 hours in a professional manner. This includes being flexible in their culinary style and menu preparation. If you have food allergies or sensitive conditions to gluten, nuts, dairy, shell fish, or are diabetic or vegetarian its important to let your private chef know up front so you can assess if they have the skill set to prepare meals for your and your families unique needs. Aloha from Ryan Covert with http://www.covertaffairs.com/ and we hope you enjoy your vacation in paradise!

Versatile and Delicious Pollock From the Icy Alaskan Waters

Alaska Pollock just might be the most widely consumed seafood species that nobody’s ever heard of! The quality of the product that comes from the icy waters of Alaska makes this particular variety of whitefish extremely popular, and the sustainability and quantity make is economical for use in a wide variety of products. This versatile fish can be found anywhere from gracing the plates of five star seafood restaurants to fast food fryers.

When Alaska Pollock is harvested from the pure waters of Alaska it is then frozen only once thereby locking in the great flavor, flaky white meat texture and the freshness. This type of fish meat is very consistent, meaning that it is guaranteed to create products that live up to a certain standard each and every time. While it can be harvested from all over the North Pacific Ocean, the product that comes from the Bering Sea of Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska is the most desirable. Strict environmental and sustainability standards guarantee that the product will be of the top quality without having much effect on the price.

One of the largest fisheries on the planet, and the largest in the United States, the harvesting of Alaska Pollock is carefully managed not only by national standards but by those of the state of Alaska as written into the 1959 state constitution. A real pioneer and leader in the area of natural resource management, development and sustainability, Alaska has put its best foot forward when it comes to the seafood industry. When supporting a seafood species that can be found in thousands of consumer products around the world, it is important that such standards be not only put into place, but reinforced. Luckily in this case the politicians have lived up to their word and mission as far as seafood sustainability goes.

Common uses for Alaska Pollock include fish and chips meals, fillets, fish sticks, and many other breaded and battered fish products. It is also commonly found in surimi, more commonly known as ‘imitation crab.’ This can be found in everything from fast food sandwiches to fine sushi dishes. When fast food chains serve fish baskets, fish sandwiches, or even salads, often this particular seafood species is the featured ingredient. In Japan and Russia the roe is often used, and smoked or salted to give an interesting and complex flavor to traditional dishes. It’s the most versatile fish that most people never knew they’d already been enjoying for years!

The Healthy Main Meal

By Valerie Olmsted Valerie Olmsted
Level: Platinum

Dr. Valerie Olmsted is a Naturopathic Physician in active practice in the Phoenix area. A retired RN with over 30 years in the acute care …

We all seem to be in such a hurry these days. Fast food joints came into being because of our rushed lifestyles didn’t they? You can make your own ‘fast food’ at home, with only a once-a-week effort. In fact, if you have ample freezer space you can make a lot of fast food in one day and box it all up for a later time. The key to creating a meal that you’ll enjoy later is variety; hence the freezer reference. If you bake a pan full of chicken, it can be divided up into many meals. If you’re really lazy or uncreative you can even make all the meals the same but I suggest you freeze all but one…and then make some other batches of different types of foods.

Try to make everything proper food combining too; that will help you to feel better while you’re working. You can start with making a salad that will last all week by placing the heavy stuff on the bottom and laying the rest of the vegetables so the lightest (lettuce) is on the top. Don’t mix dressing in until you’re ready to eat. If you parcel out the salad into five or more containers that way, they will all keep to the end of the week. You might want to wrap the lettuce in moist paper towels to be sure since the last ones might get a little dried out, depending on your container. Eat the salad at work as one meal at a break, or combine either a protein or starch with it, but not both. Putting some chicken, fish or beef in is fine, but avoid rice, potatoes, corn or carrots if you do that. Likewise, you can put in rice, corn, potatoes or beans in the salad, but not meat at the same time.

The entr?e you choose can be marinated and baked, fried, BBQ, or whatever, and a whole week’s worth can be done at once and parceled out. You can put a non-starchy vegetable with the meat, but no grains or other starchy vegetables. Green bean, broccoli and asparagus are the best choices for veggies to go with meat and once cooked they can be frozen right along with the meat. If you make a pan of chicken, one of beef and one of salmon, with several portions of each, you can have some variety during the week. Variety is good since we need a mix of amino acids (proteins) to be healthy.

If you split the meals up like that and use proper food combining principles, you will feel better and have more energy at work. Depending on the type of phone or computer work you do, this can result in more work, bonuses, tips, or promotions. That would make it worth the little extra effort to eat healthy wouldn’t it?

?2010 Dr.Valerie Olmsted All Rights Reserved

Dr. Valerie Olmsted is an author, naturopathic physician, metaphysician, internet entrepreneur, artist, speaker, and lover of life. Traveling with the Quantum Vortex Experience, she has helped thousands of people reach the inner connection they are seeking and has contributed to the discoveries of manifestation practices via quantum physics applications.

http://www.bewhoyoureallyarecoach.com/
Contact: Dr.Valerie Olmsted
2370 W. SR 89A
Ste.11-#121
Sedona, AZ 86336
928-257-3290

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Olmsted

This article has been viewed 1 time(s).
Article Submitted On: December 01, 2010

Don’t Settle For Anything Less Than The Best Lobster – Order Online

Lobsters are best enjoyed when they are cooked at their freshest. Even the best recipes are not likely to yield a palate-pleasing lobster meal when the lobsters used are days old and kept in unsuitable conditions. This happens when lobsters are kept in crowded tanks and left unfed for days, as in the case of lobsters sold in most local supermarkets.

The best lobster meals come from lobsters that are cooked soon after they are caught. This is the reason why people are willing to pay for shipping costs just to get the freshest Maine lobsters shipped and delivered to their homes. You are assured of quality lobsters caught and shipped to you on the same day when you order from online lobster stores.

You can get lobsters of various sizes anytime of the year from various online lobster stores. As there are plenty of suppliers online, you can actually shop around and find the best deals available on lobsters at any particular time.

You can expect to get good prices on your Maine lobsters during the warm months. But the cost of the best lobster catch significantly increases during extremely cold weather, as it becomes difficult to catch them.

It would also be wise to check on the shipping costs. There are some online stores that already compute the shipping costs in their lobster prices. There are those, however, that charge shipping costs as billed by their shipping partners. Find out which will be more cost-effective for you.

The best lobsters to order are those that are about a pound or two in weight. Heftier lobsters are not necessarily meatier and more delicious. In fact, bigger lobsters are actually less tender than smaller ones.

You can plan on about a pound of lobster per person. But you can stretch this a little further by serving fixings that complement your recipe.

There are online lobster stores that feature recipes, as well. These websites also have packages that include all the other ingredients you need for a mouth-watering and tummy-filling lobster feast. Some packages come with claw crackers, bibs, utensils, and even cookware. These fun ways of enjoying lobster will definitely do more than satisfy your crustacean cravings.

If you are looking for the best lobster source, online stores are your best bet. You don’t even have to leave your home to find the freshest lobster for your feast. All it takes is a few minutes of searching, comparing, and ordering. As long as you meet the store’s cut-off time, you can expect your lobster delivery service to come knocking at your door the day after you place your order.

When you order your lobster online, it’s like sending off a fisherman to catch the best lobster and deliver it right to your kitchen, ready for you to wield your culinary skills and be transformed into a delicious meal guaranteed to satisfy your taste buds.

Organic Coconut Oil

There are some things in life that are simply designed by nature to be a healthy remedy, organic coconut oil just happens to be one of these treasures. There are so many uses for this oil when it comes to the human body, that it is actually shocking that people worldwide are not using it every day. You can find these oils just about anywhere and you will not have to worry about paying through the nose to obtain it. This could be a perfect example of nature doing what it does best.

Many of the health food stores or organic food specialty shops carry organic coconut oil, so this is something that is very easy to find. There may be several different brands available to you, so you will most likely benefit from some research prior to buying any one brand.

Great For Hair And Skin

If you are looking for an all in one product that can take care of both your hair and your skin, you owe it to yourself to look into organic coconut oil. This is a natural wonder cure that can have very beneficial results to your hair and skin, if you look into using it on a regular basis. When it comes to your hair, you will quickly find that a continual regime of scalp massage with this oil will promote healthy hair, no dandruff and can even repel or kill off lice and lice eggs. These oils can help repair damaged follicles and can ever help in growth of new hair.

Organic coconut oil is also an excellent source of nutrients for your skin as well. You can use it to sooth burns and or abrasions, or you can use it to put on bruises to help speed up the healing process. The benefits seem endless and this is something that you will appreciate as it is all natural and no harmful or harsh chemicals introduced.

Digestion And Weight Loss

If you have been having issues with digestion of food lately, you might want to look into a regime that includes organic coconut oil. This natural cure all is said to be able to balance out a human’s digestive track and functions. This is excellent news for those that may be struggling as of late. The same can be said for those that are looking to lose weight and are having troubles. The oil is rich in fatty acids that are within the short or medium chain. The oil can also help you with proper thyroid function and will help burn more fat and produce more energy. This can be attributed to a higher metabolism.

Whatever it is that you wish to use organic coconut oil for in regards to your health, you will also appreciate the fact that it can be used for everyday cooking. This will make it easier to actually find room for this oil in your life on a constant basis. It is good for your health and it will help you pep up your cooking adventures as well.

Take Time to Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Studies show that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a healthy and big breakfast in the morning jump starts a person’s metabolism, giving them the energy to think and work for the rest of the day. From a dieting standpoint, breakfast is extremely crucial because it gets the body burning calories right away, making it easier for the body to burn calories for the rest of the day.

One of the problems with having a big, healthy breakfast in the morning is that most people don’t have the time. Too many people around the country skip breakfast, opting for a to-go cup of coffee instead. People who do eat breakfast in the morning settle for sugary cereals or to-go greasy hash browns from fast-food joints.

The best way to eat a healthy and nourishing Phoenix breakfast is to wake up 10 minutes earlier. There are a lot of healthy breakfast options for people who take just a few minutes in the morning to cook up something fulfilling. Eggs are definitely the healthiest breakfast option out there. Two scrambled eggs take less than 5 minutes to cook, and less than 2 minutes to eat. Add just a scoop of fresh salsa to the cooked eggs, and it’s a quick meal with a lot of flavor.

For those who enjoy cereal and milk in the morning, stop buying the sugary cereals that have practically no nutritional value. Find whole grain cereals and sweeten them with fresh bananas, blueberries, or strawberries. Instead of buying 2% milk, buy skim milk or light vanilla soy milk. This will make a cereal based breakfast pack a lot more punch for the day.

Instant Noodle Production Line

The origin of instant noodles dates back to 1950s in Japan. However, the food has become a hot favorite throughout the globe and produced in over 80 countries. Statistically, the annual noodle production in Chine was over 1 million MT in 2001. Jan produced about 70,000 MT of noodles in 2001. The data clearly show the huge popularity of instant noodle. However, with the changing trend, apart from Asian countries noodles have made their place in European and American countries as well. Also, the consumption of noodles has been instantly on rise every year. The above information just reveals the fact that noodles are becoming really very popular everywhere with numerous people loving eating noodles in various forms.

How noodles can be prepared?
For making this delicacy, it is important to understand the entire process. The first and foremost step is to prepare the dough for it. Dissolve the salt or starch, kan sui, and ingredients such as flavors, flours, and waterrch. The entire mixture is added with the chosen flour and a dough is prepared is kept on rest just to gain maturity. After that this dough is uniformly distributed and hydrated all the particles. Once you are sure of the prepared dough, it is usually passes through two rotating rollers that cut dough into the desired shape. Once you get your desired shapes, noodles are steamed or fried in order to make them dry and cut into pieces to be stored into suitable packages. By doing so, the texture of the noodles also gets improve.

The dried noodles are then stored and packaged into package and send to stores for consumer sale.