Thursday, April 19, 2012

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew and Dumplings

Your complete dinner in one pot! This meal has been a family favorite for years, it appeals to the meat and potato lovers and is also quite low fat. It is quick and easy to assemble in the morning and can be left to cook all day in your slow cooker. Add the dumpling batter to the pot ½ hour before dinner. Serves 6.

Stew:

\"healthy Recipes\"

3-4 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks

3-4 stalks of celery, sliced

2 cups of whole baby carrots

1 ½ cups frozen peas

1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 can low fat cream of chicken soup

1 can low fat cream of celery soup

½ cup low fat milk

½ cup water

1-2 tsp poultry seasoning (according to taste)

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

Dumplings:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3 ½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp parsley

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp melted butter or margarine

2/3-1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Put potatoes, celery, carrots and chicken into the slow cooker.

2. Mix soups, seasonings, milk and water together and pour over vegetables and chicken.

3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender. (You can cook on high for 4-5 hours but results are better on low).

4. Add peas during the last ½ hour of cooking.

5. To make the dumpling batter: mix flour, salt, baking powder & parsley together; add egg, melted butter and milk to dry ingredients. Use enough milk to make a soft dough.

6. Turn heat on slow cooker to high and drop 6 spoonfuls of the batter on top of stew.

7. Cover and cook for approx. 30 minutes or until dumplings are well done. (The dumplings will expand to touch each other during the cooking, so separate them with a knife about half way through to make sure the dough on the sides gets cooked as well).

Hint: Check the stew before you add the dumpling batter to make sure there is plenty of liquid. You can add a can of chicken broth or water if necessary to make sure you have lots of gravy once the dumplings are cooked.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew and Dumplings

Pat Lockhart is the author and publisher of the website: SuperCookbooks.com a comprehensive cookbook resource. It includes a cookbook directory, information about how to create your own cookbook , a weekly featured recipe, and articles and reviews. Currently, we are collecting recipes for an exciting project: The Valley Cookbook which will feature healthy recipes from food produced locally in the Okanagan region of BC, Canada. We welcome submissions to this and other cookbooks. Visit our website at: [http://www.supercookbooks.com]

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

4 High Protein Meal Ideas

Protein meals don't mean just all meat! Many vegetables are very high in protein. You will get carbohydrates in the veggies, too, but unrefined carbs are good for you.

That is a great source of energy. The carbs to avoid are refined starches and sugars.

\"diet Meal\"

A nice protein-based meal will include some meat, fish or poultry. It will also have beans and their kin; black-eyed peas and chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

Also included will be some good green vegetables, greens and a nice banana split for dessert (ha ha, I lied about the dessert).

Here is a nice breakfast menu:

  • Sirloin Steak, 4 ounces, grilled (medium rare on mine).

  • Eggs, 2 poached.

  • Sprouted grain bread toast with natural peanut butter spread.

  • Fresh fruit compote (no refined sugar).

  • A high-protein-powder shake with raw milk and a little locally produced honey.

Lots of protein and "good" carbohydrates. Probably less calories than a Big Mac and a lot better for you. A great start for the day.

How about this for a lunch menu:

  • Grilled Tuna Steak, 4 ounces.

  • Broccoli, steamed

  • Cheese Sauce (for the broccoli)

  • Green salad with Tomatoes

  • High-protein-powder shake with raw milk and a little honey.

How about this for dinner:

  • Chili con Carne; Leanground beef (90%), Red Kidney Beans, Tomatoes, Cumin,Chili Powder, Salt and Pepper, Chopped jalapenos, Water

  • Coleslaw (with sour cream, not mayonnaise and a few raisins)

  • High-protein-powder shake with raw milk and a little honey.

  • Dessert - a bowl of fresh fruit.

These are just samples of how you can prepare a high-protein meal. Here's another:

  • Grilled Tuna Steak - 4 ounces

  • Steamed Broccoli - 1/2 cup Steamed Carrots - 1/2 cup

  • Garden Salad - Oil and vinegar dressing

  • High Protein shake - protein powder with raw milk and a little honey

There are many delicious high protein meals you can prepare, or order from the menu in your favorite restaurant.

As more and more people have become healthy eating conscious, restaurants have been offering a broader selection of healthy foods.

And Mothers, I know that macaroni and cheese is easy to fix and your kids seem to love it, but do you know what you are doing to their bodies?

How about choosing some healthy bread instead of non- nutritious, unhealthy, tasteless white bread? Try some sprouted grain breads, they are moderately healthy and nutritious.

Here are some other healthy choices for your protein-rich menus:

  • Salmon - either fresh or canned. Try making salmon cakes with some chopped onion, a (very) few bread crumbs and an egg. Bake these and serve with a sour cream and dill sauce.

  • Tuna - canned made into a tuna-and-egg salad with chopped onion, chopped celery, a touch of sweet pickle relish and sour cream.

  • Chicken - skinless breasts or thighs, saute in olive oil with onions and garlic. Brown on both sides then top with crushed tomatoes, oregano and basil, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Add a 1/2 cup of red wine for added flavor.

  • Turkey Breast - Lightly season and roast in oven or on grill with indirect heat.

  • Cajun Ten Bean Soup - Use prepackaged dried beans and boil them in water with chopped onion and garlic. Add cut up chicken; at the start of cooking if raw or near the end if cooked.

  • Eggs - prepare an omelet or frittata with onions, mushrooms and a little cheese. Be sure to whip in a lot of air for a fluffy omelet.

It's not hard to come up with delicious, nutritious, protein dominated meals. Combine a high-protein main dish with healthy sides like fresh vegetables, a garden salad and a protein shake.

4 High Protein Meal Ideas

Find home gym reviews of the best home gym brands and models at HomeGymJunkie.com including Bowflex home gyms, Body Solid, Nordictrack, Stamina, Powertec, Total Gym and more.

Get your FREE report 'How To Get 6 Pack Abs' full of tips and tricks on how to lose weight and build muscle to expose those sexy abs.

Monday, April 16, 2012

10 Foods That Keep You Full, Satisfied, and Help You Lose Weight Fast

It's not hard to lose weight fast. Eating towards weight loss has become a common practice and there is really no need to cut down on your food intake. It's what you eat that's most important. There are foods that you can eat that will make you feel both full and satisfied simultaneously. If you feel full, then you won't eat as much. I'm going to share with you 10 foods that will help you lose weight fast by making you feel full and satisfied.

10 Fats Loss Foods:

\"diet Meal\"

1. Garlic - useful in many ways, high in vitamin B6

2. Asparagus - a non-starchy vegetable

3. Cabbage - great to use in a soup as a filler

4. Kale - high in calcium and it's easy to grow

5. Green beans - another non-starchy vegetable that keeps you full

6. Bell peppers - they're both sweet tasting and non-starchy

7. Summer squash (like zucchini) - easy to cook, taste great and give you that full feeling

8. Whole grain breads - rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, protein, dietary minerals and vitamins

9. Chicken - high in protein, fairly lean meat

10. Salmon - high in protein, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D

This is a basic list of foods that will help you on your way to lose weight.

Shift Your Calories Around for Even Faster Weight Loss

A calorie shifting diet is also a great way to lose weight fast because it combines various great tasting foods to help you speed up your metabolism, and you can eat an unlimited portion every meal. Calorie shifting essentially manipulates your body's metabolism into burning fat all the time by fluctuating the amount of calories that you intake every meal every day. You are also required to eat at least 4 meals a day and drink 6-8 glasses of water to increase your metabolism even further. Weight loss is permanent and won't be regained which is a problem with some diets that only help you lose water weight.

10 Foods That Keep You Full, Satisfied, and Help You Lose Weight Fast

Discover how people are losing an average of 9 pounds of fat in 11 days without counting calories, carbs or fat! It's so simple and foolproof that ANYONE can do it without harmful drugs, boring workouts or starvation...But only by using a technique called - Calorie Shifting.

Click Here >>> http://www.lose9in11days.com

Note: You may wish to publish this article for your website, blog, etc. As long as the article remains in its full entirety; including the links and the about the author resource box.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Diabetes Diet, What Are The 10 Best Fruits And Vegetables For Diabetic Patients

This is the question my diabetic patients always ask. Hopefully this article will enhance your knowledge about diet for a diabetic patient.

AVOID THESE FOODS

Diet

If you are a diabetic patient try to avoid following list of foods.

1-Sugar, artificial sweeteners and honey. However you may take sweetener like stevia. It is difficult to omit sugar from your diet at-once, I will recommend you to decrease sugar in your diet gradually.

2-You should stop taking sweets and chocolates. If you are in a party and want to take chocolate, then preferably try to take Continental dark chocolate with at-least 70% or more cocoa solids, and try to avoid chocolates where sugar is the first named ingredient

3-Try to avoid foods containing ingredients end in (ol) or (ose) as these are mainly different forms of carbohydrates like fructose, glucose, dextrose.

4-Avoid grains like cakes, biscuits, pies, tarts, breakfast cereals, wheat, rye, barley, corn, rice, bread, pasta, pastry,

5-Avoid vegetables which contain larger amount of starch and carbohydrates like potatoes,carrots, peas, beans, parsnips, beet.

6-Also avoid fruits like watermelon, mangoes, banana, Chikoos(Pakistani), jackfruit, grapes, Strawberry, Sugarcane.

7-You may take milk but in small quantity. Avoid fat yogurts and cheese. Also be careful not to drink too much coffee or tea and add only as much sugar as in needed for taste.

8-Avoid commercially packaged foods like TV dinners, "lean" or "light" in particular, and snack foods, fast foods.

9-Avoid fresh fruit juices as these are highly concentrated carbohydrates. If you like fruit juices you may dilute one part of juice with 3 or 4 parts of water.

10-Always avoid saturated fats like fatty meat, full fat dairy products, butter, lard. Try to prefer unsaturated fats like olive oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, soy oil. Avoid cottage cheese as it has a high carbohydrate content and very little fat

You must be thinking that I have mentioned here all the stuff, and nothing is left to eat, these are foods you can eat:

1-You may take fruits like apple, Grapefruit, Lime, Peaches. You must divide your fruit and vegetable diet in five portions through all the day, by Spreading the fruit you eat through the day helps to avoid a sudden rise in blood sugar levels.

2-You must take high fibre diet. Fibrous diet is Cereals, Fruits, Nuts, Pulses, Seeds, Vegetables. Fibrous diet not only lowers your glucose level but also decreases blood cholesterol.

3-Always try to take whole grain rather than processed food and take things like whole-wheat spaghetti and brown rather than white rice(Indian Pakistani). Pakistani and Indian people do like white rice very much, but if you are diabetic, please avoid these.

4-You may take meat of lamb, beef once or twice a week. Organ meats can also be taken like liver kidneys and heart to meat your vitamin needs.

5-Try to take white meat like poultry chicken fish meat duck etc.

6-You may take Fish and seafood of all types. It is recommended to boil, steam, bake or grill fish rather than frying it.

7-Always prefer non-fatty dairy products such as "skimmed milk", non-fat cheese and yogurt.

8-You may take eggs as well but try to take whitish part not the yellow one as it may increase your cholesterol level.

9-All cheeses can be taken except cottage cheese.

10-You may take all vegetables, onion and garlic are known for decreasing blood glucose level.

Generally Type 2 diabetic patients need 1500-1800 calorie diet per day to promote weight loss, however calories requirement may vary depending upon patients age, sex, activity level and body weight. 50% of total daily required calories should come from carbohydrates.One gram of carbohydrate is about 4 calories. A diabetic patient on a 1600 calorie diet should get 50% of these calories from carbohydrate. In other words it will be equal to 800 Calories from Carbohydrates, it means you have to take 200gms of carbohydrates everyday.It is better that you buy food tables with calories measurements to know more about your daily required food.

Diabetes Diet, What Are The 10 Best Fruits And Vegetables For Diabetic Patients

Dr.Armughan maintaining site Diabetes Symptoms, High Blood Pressure Symptoms Treatment

Friday, April 13, 2012

What Not to Eat on a Diet - Foods to Avoid on a Diet For Losing Weight Smoothly

What not to eat on a diet? If you are on a diet, you should be careful in choosing your foods correctly. We usually get confused while deciding our list of options and we end up consuming some wrong food. The whole process of diet may take a wrong turn if we don't avoid them. Avoidance of some harmful foods is as important as consuming the right kind of food. A proper diet helps your body to shed those extra calories from your body and gives you a slimmer appearance.

Foods To Avoid On A Diet For Losing Weight Smoothly

\"diet Foods\"

Red Meat: Never ever try to binge on red meat. They are full of fats and may unthinkably increase the mass of your body. If you're thinking what not to eat on a diet then you should completely avoid their intake.

Soft Drinks: You should not consume soft drinks while on a diet. They contain excess sugar and may raise the sugar glucose level of your body. They not only increase your weight but also make your body prone to disease like diabetes. You can easily replace them with water. Drinking water is much more beneficial for your body because it cleans up your digestive tract and stimulates more digestion in your body.It plays a vital role in losing weight smoothly

Junk Food: If you are big lover of burgers and French fries then you should forget them for a while as these are what not to eat on a diet. You should completely cut them out from your diet in order to lose weight smoothly. You can eat home cooked meals that are more balanced and proper for losing weight.

Oily foods: Avoid deeply fried food inside oil that is what not to eat on a diet. Instead you can indulge more on boiled foods.

What Not to Eat on a Diet - Foods to Avoid on a Diet For Losing Weight Smoothly

Try the Dynamic Duo for Weight Loss & Total Body Detox !

Click Here For Free Trial ---> Acai Berry Diet

Get additional information or to request one of the FREE Acai or FREE Colon Cleanse samples.

Visit ---> Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse

FREE offers are for a limited time only so get yours today!

Ways To Keep Fit

With the high fat content and all the unhealthy ingredients in the American diet, it's important to take steps to ensure that you can keep in shape. In this article, we'll discuss some basic steps that you can take in your life to help you to stay fit.

- Watch what you eat. Fatty meats such as beef, pork, and ham should be consumed in small portions if at all, and you should opt for low-fat dairy products to keep your fat consumption to a minimum.

\"diet Foods\"

- Get an exercise buddy! We're much more likely to stick to an exercise schedule if we have a partner spurring us on, causing us to not want to disappoint our partner for a workout session. Simply having someone to work out with can increase the efficiency of your workout program quickly and efficiently.

- Record your results when working out. For example, if you do push-ups, record how many pushups you can do on a day-to-day basis. When you see that the number that you can do is increasing, you'll be spurred on to continue making progress. Also, by monitoring your progress, you can see when you hit a roadblock in your routine more easily, allowing you a better chance of finding the problem that is occurring.

- Eat fruits and vegetables as often as you can. Fruits and vegetables contain numerous nutrients that are necessary for the proper functioning of the human body. Vitamins and minerals are prevalent in most every fruit and vegetable that you can eat. The National Cancer Institute recommends at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but more can be even more beneficial to your health.

- Get outside! The sunlight provides Vitamin D which is important for the proper mineralization of bones. Also, those who spend time outside often experience less depression and more energy, giving you ample opportunity to increase your workout.

- If you're taking some time out watching TV, you can get a great workout while you watch! When the show that you are watching hits a commercial break, take the opportunity to do a set or two of sit-ups or pushups to help keep in shape. Doing some workout activity every commercial break can make you fit in no time!

These are just some basic tips when it comes to maintaining a proper level of fitness of the body. The proper method of staying in shape includes a combination of proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices.

Ways To Keep Fit

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Fitness [http://fitnessandourworld.com/], Cooking [http://cookingforfun.net/], and Health [http://healthandourworld.com/]

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Tips on How To Gain Weight Quickly

Tips on how to gain weight quickly are priceless to skinny people who struggle to put on some extra pounds. The world we live in is a contradictory one. There are folks who put on weight rather effortlessly and yearn to lose their weight and fats through unhealthy diets. Yet on the other end of the spectrum, thin people find it tremendously challenging to gain that extra few pounds to enhance their physical appearance and regain some masculine appeal in the case of men. Skinny ladies also dream of fitting nicely into beautiful clothes that look so fabulous on those svelte and voluptuous models. But do not envy those who put on weight too easily, especially those through unhealthy diets. It is better to understand the fundamentals behind healthy weight gain. This is where you can learn more on how to gain weight quickly and healthily.

Before we tackle the issue of how to gain weight quickly, let us look at the reasons why scrawny and thin people fail in gaining weight successfully no matter how hard they try. Survey statistics discovered the following as the top reasons why they are not putting on weight:

\"diet Foods\"

1. Poor Diet

Skinny people are not eating right and enough. By that, it means that they are not eating foods that would help them to gain weight. Protein is critical in adding extra weight but many folks do not get enough protein intake. This is where things go awry. So how can they expect to gain weight quickly or for that matter, any significant weight improvement at all? It is important to load more on protein, and less on simple carbs. Read on for specific weight-gain diet foods.

2. Proper Work-out

Eating is not sufficient. We all need to engage in some kinds of physical activities to convert our food intake to healthy mass. This conversion can take place only with proper exercises. People who truly understand how to gain weight quickly do so in a healthy manner with proportionate muscle mass gain.

3. Poor Motivation

Weight gaining or slimming works in a similar manner. Medical practitioners have come to understand that the motivation behind the individual wanting to gain weight is vital to his/her success. Our generation is often called the "instant noodles" generation where everyone desires instant results. Weight gaining is not an overnight mission, but a long-term goal. Failing to understand this is a sure ingredient for weight gain failure.

Once we are able to acknowledge and work around the common grounds for failure, we are well on our way to successful quick weight gain. Are you ready for some easy-to-follow tips on how to gain weight quickly?

1. Weight Gain Diet Foods 101

I mentioned earlier that eating the right foods and eating enough of them is the key to weight gain. Foods such as fast food, chocolates and other junk food like chips won't do you any good. Any weight gain from such foods would do your health more harm than good.

Cultivate a habit of eating more than your daily energy and calorie needs. First, find out what is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which equates your daily calorie need/count to maintain your weight at its current level. Next, start planning your weekly dietary plans to increase your weekly intake by 3500 calories to achieve a weight gain of 1-2 pounds within a week. This translates to an additional 500 calories in your daily calorie intake.

Eat more protein-based food stuff such as beef and chicken. Drink more milk for it is a rich source of protein. Balance your meals with vegetables and nuts as well. Eat 5 or 6 small meals rather than 3 big meals to balance the calorie intake.

2. Weight Gain and Muscle Mass Building Routine

You need to tone up the extra weight you are adding to your bodies so that you don't end up obese. Depending on your preference for physical activities, the 2 kinds of activities recommended here would be useful in complementing with your weight gain diet.

Engage in moderate activities such as brisk walking, jogging or playing a sport for at least 30 minutes for 3-4 times per week. Try to inject some fun into your physical activity so that you would feel encouraged and motivated to cultivate this as a habit and eventually as part of your lifestyle.

Work out in the gym on some resistance training for at least 3 times per week. But before you do so, speak to a qualified physical training instructor who can advise on what exercise routine is suitable for you. If not, go to the library to read up on what are the work-out routines that are ideal for a person of your build and weight.

Knowing these simple tips on how to gain weight quickly should give you better knowledge than most people in the basic building blocks of gaining weight healthily. For more details about the ideal natural weight gain diet foods and more tips on how to gain weight and muscle mass simultaneously, visit my blog for further reading.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Tips on How To Gain Weight Quickly

Davion is a successful webmaster and author. Find out more about natural and effective tips on how to gain weight and muscle mass quickly that have benefited many skinny people at his blog http://gain-muscle-mass-weight.blogspot.com