In this article, while we talk about low carb meal, we will associate the same with keto diet. This low carb meal plan, although it may include keto regimen, is a broad diet plan itself. Yet, we will focus on keto routine as a low carb meal strategy. At any rate, keto diet may also be considered as low carbohydrates meal routine, specifically, among others, designed for healthy weight loss objective.Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss
What is Keto Diet?
Keto diet is a low carb meal plan that can help you lose weight. It is effective in controlling one’s appetite. Likewise, it helps in burning fat and raising energy levels. The principle behind keto diet is to switch from using glucose, as energy source, to ketones. Ketones are the by-product of fat metabolism.
For anyone who has tried a low-carb diet before, you’ll probably notice how different a ketogenic diet feels. This can be explained by the fact that in most cases a low-carb diet does not eliminate carbohydrates completely.
When your body does not have enough carbohydrates for energy, it burns fats instead. If you are on a low-carb diet for too long, your body becomes adapted to using fats as fuel instead of glucose. When following a ketogenic diet, your body will learn to utilize fat as its main energy source instead of glucose, as mentioned.
Consequently, keto diet is all about controlling your carbohydrates intake and eating foods that are high in fat and low in carbs. Such meal strategy focuses on increasing your fats and protein consumption.
By restricting carbs, your body is forced to burn fat rather than glucose (blood sugar) for energy. This process is called ketosis.
When you eat low-carbohydrate foods, your body produces ketones, which aid in burning fats. Carbohydrates will be the least priority of your body. The latter will now target ketones to fuel your brain and other organs, thereby, converting fats into energy.
What is a Low Carb Diet?
The answer is simple as limiting the amount of carbohydrates that your body is used to ingest. Hence, a low carb meal is a way of eating that reduces carb consumption. There are various forms of this meal plan. One is keto diet. Others are, Atkins, Paleo, or Mediterranean, among others.
But not all carbs are created equal. The main difference between high and low carb foods is the number of grams of carbohydrate in each serving. As a general rule, if you’re looking for a low carb option at a restaurant or market, select one that has 5 to 10 grams of carbs per serving.
What are the Similarities and Differences Between Keto and Low Carb?
Tempted as you may be to try a new diet, make sure that you’re not jumping from one extreme to another. Yes, there are some similarities between keto and low carb, but don’t expect to succeed if you’re switching back and forth between two completely opposite diets.
Keto Diet vs Low Carb Diet
Both diets are very effective in reducing body weight and improving your overall health. They are both low in carbohydrates, which translates into less sugar in the body and more energy for other activities.
Both diets have shown positive effects on insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol levels, and more. In some cases, weight loss can be, or even surpass, 20 pounds (9 kg) in one month.
When it comes to weight loss, both diets are equally efficient, when followed correctly. These meal plans will substitute other sources of energy than the calories found in carbs. Fats, therefore, will become the main fuel of the body.
Despite the many similarities between these two diets, there are also significant differences – so much so that they can still be classified as having distinctive characteristics.
A low carb diet restricts carb intake to under 150 grams per day. A keto diet, on the other hand, is a high-fat, adequate-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet. It allows a maximum consumption of 30 grams of carbs per day.
A low carb diet replaces complex carbs (starchy foods) with protein and fat. In contrast, a keto diet reduces your carbohydrates intake by substituting the same with fats.
A low carb diet doesn’t have a cap for carbohydrates as long as you keep your intake at or below 100 grams of carbs per day. While in keto, it is way below that, as stated earlier.
How Keto Diet Works?
The human body is made up of two types of fuel: carbohydrates and fats. When you eat carbs, they break down into glucose. Glucose from carbohydrates is the body’s main source of energy.
The body can store excess glucose as glycogen in the muscles and liver for later use or it can be converted to fat for long-term energy storage. When you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, however, your blood sugar will drop below normal levels.
Your body will metabolize fat for energy, instead, which, in turn, produces compounds called “ketones.”What Should Your Ketone Levels Be? | Carb Manager This process happening to individuals on ketogenic diet has given rise to “keto” parlance. Thus, the birth of what we call Keto Diet Plan.
As mentioned, when your body does not have enough carbohydrates for energy, it burns fats instead. If you are on a low-carb diet for too long, your body becomes adapted to using fats as fuel.
This is how keto meal strategy works. You have to deprive your body substantial amount of carbs, and instead, substitute them with healthy keto-friendly fats, to be used by the body as its fuel.
Can you alternate between Keto and low carb?
You may alternate between keto and low carb in the same day, at least for a short period of time before you get into issues with electrolytes. Nonetheless, there are no clear cut guidelines, and it will depend upon the sensitivity and adaptability of your body, in relation to your goals and objectives.
The first thing to consider is that every person is different and some are more sensitive to health concerns than others. So, if you feel like something isn’t right, that’s the time your body tells you it’s time to stop.
A few months ago I was eating keto, but I was doing one or two days of normal eating each week (low carb). During one of those days, I decided to go out for pizza.
After about an hour I felt like crap so I stopped eating the pizza and after about 30 minutes I felt better (elevated blood sugar messing with my electrolytes).
This is why it’s important to listen to your body because it will let you know when something isn’t right. So, as long as you’re feeling good and not having any health issues, going from keto to low carb, then back to keto (or from low carb to keto), shouldn’t be a matter of concern, especially problems with messed electrolytes or other things going wrong.
Just make sure you listen to your body so that if something feels off or not right, then stop what you are currently doing, as the same may do more harm than good to your overall health.
At any rate, prior to embarking or engaging in any form of diet plans, it is fairly advisable to consult first your health professional, dietician, or nutritionist.
Benefits of Keto Diet
Keto diet is gaining popularity and for a good reason. This diet has been designed to provide the body with clean energy, which is beneficial for your overall health and well-being. In this regard, it is helpful to point out some benefits, among others, of this meal plan and strategy.
You will do away, eventually, unwanted fats in your body, as the same will be utilized as fuels during this keto routine.
Healthy Weight Loss
Subject to certain health limitations, keto diets may often be recommended by doctors to help people lose weight. The reason is that keto recipes give you more food satisfaction in less calories, which results in weight loss without feeling hungry.
Many people stay away from the ketogenic diet because they think it will be too restrictive, or even worse – unhealthy. However, the keto diet comes with a number of health benefits that you might not be aware of. In this article, we’ll discuss nine of these unknown benefits of keto diet.
When your body uses fats for energy, it releases ketones in your bloodstream. It has been found that when the human body is in ketosis state and then starts burning fat for energy, it leads to weight loss.
A caveat though, it will be advisable to not just eat unhealthy fats. There are foods which are replete with sustainable and healthy fats, such as avocados, almonds, chicken meat, red meat (consult first your nutritionist), and other foods which your nutritionist or dietician may recommend as regards your diet plan.
Increased Energy Levels
When you follow keto diet, you will notice significant increase in your energy levels and metabolism. This happens because all the unnecessary carbohydrates are removed from your body. Therefore, it becomes easy to convert fat into fuel, thus, elevating your energy level throughout the day.
The ketogenic diet is basically a high fat, low carb diet. This means that your body will require significantly less energy to perform daily actions compared to those who are on rich carbs diets.
Prevents Heart Disease
Keto diets are often used as a method of controlling heart disease, with studies showing that they can reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol significantly. While this isn’t the only way to keep heart disease at bay naturally – it can play an important role in any plan to reduce overall risk factors.Keto Diets and Heart Health: What’s the Risk?
It is best, however, to follow health guidelines aimed at reducing the risk factors of heart ailment.
Reduces Hunger Pangs and Limits Food Cravings
When you follow keto diet, there are no cravings for carbs because your body starts converting fat into energy instead of carbohydrates. That means you don’t have to worry about hunger pangs. The keto meal plan has been designed to reduce food cravings and help people lose weight faster than other methods.
One theory is that when your body enters ketosis or burns fat for fuel, instead of carbs, it releases less insulin, which in turn could cut down on sugar cravings. In addition, by allowing the body to enter a state of ketosis, the ketogenic diet may reduce food cravings, improve mood, enhance concentration and boost energy levels.
Optimal Brain Function
Since keto causes ketosis, which is characterized by an increased generation of ketones in the body, there is a significant increase in brain function. Studies show that when people adopt a ketogenic diet, they experience an improvement in memory and cognitive function.
This indicates that a person who implements the diet will have better thinking skills and more clarity. Ketones are produced as a result of fatty acids being metabolized by the liver. It has been found that these molecules improve cognitive function and support mental performance.
A study published in The Journal of Physiology showed that when mice were fed a ketone diet for two weeks their brain cells showed improved mitochondrial function and increased production of proteins important for synaptic plasticity (improved brain function).
People with diabetes can benefit from Keto Diet
While it is still best to heed the advise, suggestion, and recommendation of health professional and medical doctors, studies may show that keto diet plan may provide health benefits to those who are afflicted with, or may be suffering from, diabetesHow the Ketogenic Diet (keto diet) Works for Type 2 Diabetes (although not in the chronic stage).
With excess carbs being removed from your diet, you will be putting less stress on your body to produce insulin and keep your blood sugar levels stable.
Many people with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes find that they are able to manage their condition by following a ketogenic diet. Moreover, they find it easier to control their sugar levels once they begin following the keto lifestyle.
How to start Keto Diet?
Starting a keto diet can be challenging. You may be one of those keto dieters who wants to embark on such food routine.Low Carb & Keto Diet Plan: How To Start a Keto Diet This is an extraordinary diet with gainful health benefits, along the way, provided the same is done appropriately.
You have been relying on carbs as your primary fuel source. The human body has to work harder to convert protein into glucose than it does for carbs. Switching from burning carbs to fats [or healthy fat] may let you experience a drop in energy levels or an increase in hunger. You may may now be free from limiting your healthy fat intake.
Consequently, you should try to figure out how to start a ketogenic diet properly. In this regard, make sure you’ve been doing keto for at least two weeks. Some people experience changes in mood and energy levels shortly after starting keto.
However, this is usually more of a “low-carb flu” than anything else. It typically goes away within two weeks. By that time, you should be feeling pretty good on your keto low carb diet. If not, then it’s probably time to make some adjustments.
Ketosis takes time, so don’t try to rush it. Your body still needs a few weeks to fully adapt and learn how to burn fat efficiently for energy. You just have to be patient and give it time. Once you’re in ketosis, you must figure out your personal carb limit.
Everyone is different, so finding the right level will vary from person to person. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body burns fat rather than carbohydrates. The ketogenic diet has been used, likewise, as a tool for weight loss, among others.
Keto involves eliminating carbs, including those found in grains, fruit, and starchy vegetables. Instead of these foods, you eat high-fat foods like meat and cheese, along with non-starchy vegetables. It’s important to choose the right ketogenic diet plan for you.
If you’re new to this way of eating, consult first the expert. Then, you select your preference based upon a professional advice.
The ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat-based nutrition plan. As said, it encourages the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates for energy. This state is called ketosis.
When in ketosis, body begins burning stored body fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. If this happens, your liver converts fatty acids into molecules called ketones. Your body can use as its main source of energy.
You will lose weight without having to follow a very strict diet or count calories. It promotes the rapid loss of water weight through urination. Many people see noticeable results in just a few days. You can eat lots of meat and fat while being on the Keto diet.
Many people are not able to tolerate high amounts of carbohydrates. They have digestive issues like “leaky gut” syndrome or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
The high-fat nature of a ketogenic diet helps tons of people with these conditions. They stay healthy because they are not consuming large amounts of carbohydrates every day.
Practical tips when starting keto diet
- Ketogenesis occurs when the body burns fat for fuel.
- When in a state of ketosis, the body needs to create more ketones
- It fights off the byproducts of fat burning.
- It is important to control also your protein intake.
- You should eat enough healthy fats so your body can use them as well.
- This can be done by cutting out processed foods and limiting carbohydrates.
- You must know your carb intake especially the net carbs.
- If you are a person who exercises regularly, you still need to control your carbohydrate intake.
- Even though exercise helps burn off fat, it also speeds up the metabolism.
- Do not try to lose weight rapidly while on a ketogenic diet.
- This will do more harm than good to your health.
- Your goal should be to lose 1-2 lbs. per week to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid weight regain.
Starting a low carb diet means substituting certain foods for others in your meal plan. You need to learn what foods are good on a low carb diet and how to incorporate them into your day.
We may have given you pointers on how to do this, as well as discuss some of the benefits of a low carb diet. Yet, it is best to align with the needs and sensitivities of your body, and your health goal.
In addition, processed foods are always bad and will cause you to gain weight. If you remove it from your diet and replace it with fresh healthy natural foods your body will become more alkaline and you will burn fat.
Eating healthy meats, butter, and avocados, among other keto foods, and avoiding carbs will help you lose weight and enjoy the benefits of you keto journey.


I want to join your 21 day challenge starting Aug 1st please.
Iam interested in your 21 day challenge.
My food challenge list
1)No eating out and/or fast food
2)No carb snacks chips, crackers, breads, etc. (exclude an occasional 1-2cups of popped popcorn)
3)Eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies throughout the day
4)No wine or Lime-a-Rita
5)Lower intake of coffee creamer from 1 serving verse 3, yeek!
6)No Red meats, only chicken or fish
7)Do minimum 30 minutes of cardio every other day on my lovely precor elliptical that has not had much love lately (alternating cardio and arms everyday)
8)Do arm workouts minimum 4 days a week (alternating cardio and arms everyday )
9)Meal prep all meals the night before work so Iam not tempted to cheat on my food challenge
10)Relax and unwind with some light reading every night before I go to bed 🙂
So here’s my list! Good luck to all!
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


By Army National Guard Spc. Zachary T. Sheely Colorado National Guard
DENVER (1/18/12) - When people think of Army chow, a boxed lunch or a Meal, Ready-to-Eat may come to mind, which is why Army Capt. Mark Tommell, commander of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 135th General Support Aviation, has enlisted the services of a professional chef and culinary instructor to teach his food service specialists the tricks of the trade - changing the way his Soldiers feel about chow.
Chef Ronald Lavallee, a culinary instructor at Johnson & Wales University, and Army Sgt. Shannon Roppolo, a food service specialist and shift leader with Company E, 2nd Battalion,135th General Support Aviation, strategize over a recipe at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo., Jan. 7. 2012. Lavallee works with the troops during drill on a volunteer basis to teach them advanced culinary techniques. (Army National Guard photo by Spc. Zachary Sheely)
Chef Ronald Lavallee, a culinary instructor at Johnson & Wales University, is a Vietnam veteran with 45 years in the food service industry. He's been working with the cooks of Company E since autumn 2011, and since Tommell called on him for assistance, the Soldiers tend to stick around for lunch on drill weekends.
Not only has the quality of food improved, it's also much cheaper for the company than paying for civilian catering services to deliver food to Buckley Air Force Base on drill weekends.
"When an Army National Guard company orders catered meals, they receive $10.50 to spend for each Soldier," Tommell said. "We cook this food here with fresh produce and herbs for $3.72 per Soldier. With around 200 Soldiers in the company, we're saving just under $7 per Soldier, which averages out to about $1,400 per drill that we're saving on meals."
The improvement in food quality is a force multiplier, and the improved quality and savings is coming at no extra cost to the company, he said.
Lavallee works with the troops on a volunteer basis.
"My offering to the commander is to spend a minimum of 30 days with this unit to help them build and refine their techniques," Lavallee said. "I'm teaching fundamental techniques such as cutting vegetables the proper way to more advanced techniques such as braising, stewing, sautÃ©ing and roasting in the type of environment that they will be in.
"The objective is to prepare the food as expeditiously as possible, but correct in terms of proper methodology to get from point A to Z in a timely fashion with the correct product. In a field situation, you want to take the straightest line to accomplish your objective, because you certainly don't want to be wasting time."
Tommell, a graduate of Johnson & Wales, wishes to further Company E's relationship with the university to advance his Soldiers' culinary skills, and wants to see additional training with the school.
Food service specialists in the Army are given entry-level culinary training at their follow-on school after basic training, but Lavallee brings an "upscale flair" to the training and meals, said Army Sgt. Shannon Roppolo, a food service specialist and shift leader.
"No other Colorado Army National Guard company has a chef instructor from one of the best culinary colleges in America," she said. "And for him to be here is a privilege and an honor for us."


Newcomers to Zero Carb often ask for recipes that they can follow. While there are a few recipes that require a bit of prep, there is nothing like keeping it simple with just one or two ingredients. However, keeping it simple doesn’t mean eating dull food!
Here is a lovely recipe that is both simple and super-tasty too! If you are a fan of feta, then look no further than these feta cheese stuffed burgers submitted by Claudine (a member of Zero Carb UK on Facebook).
These are three x 1 lb burgers made with minced beef mixed with some salt and pepper, then formed around a feta cheese filling. Grill or bake to your liking and devour…..!
Thank you Claudine for allowing me to use your meaty pictures xx


Sugar and your Immune System
The topic we are focusing on today should
be surrounded by signs such as:
YOUR LIFE IS AT STAKE !
It is important to understand the effects of refined sugar on our immune system. White blood cells are crucial to the defense of the body as bacteria multiplies rapidly. Taking in 24 tsps of sugar causes white blood cells to be INEFFECTIVE in protecting us against bacteria and this loss of protection lasts for 5 HOURS!! giving the bacteria a major head start in establishing disease in the body. (1)
A 12 oz can of coke contains 39 grams or 10 tsps of sugar.
A 20 oz can of coke contains 65 grams or 16 tsps of sugar.
Arizona Lemon Ice Tea, 24oz contains 72 grams or 18 tsps of sugar.
Coffee drinks with more sugar than a can of coke include:
16oz Dunkin Donut French Vanilla coffee coolatta, 300 cal, 70 grams sugar
16oz Panera Frozen Carmel, 570 cal, 66 grams of sugar.
This coffee drink contains more calories than 142 Jelly Belly’s
or nearly as much sugar as two cans of coke.
12oz McDonald’s McCafe Mocha, 340 calories and 42 grams of sugar(2)
12oz Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha, Non-fat milk, No whip cream
270 calories and 45 grams of sugar. Even though Starbucks is
reported as saying the company has plans to reduce the sugar in its
“indulgent drinks” by 25% by the end of 2020, that is a LOT of
reduced immune protection and blood sugar-spiking drinks
between now and then.
Imagine a cup of coffee that is actually GOOD for you. It is made with multiple parts of the coffee fruit to add benefits not found in your normal java. GLYCOCAFE is the most complete coffee you will ever drink.
● Helps improve cognitive function with roasted organic Arabica beans.
● Boosts your antioxidants with coffeeberry brand coffee fruit.
● Helps kickstart your metabolism with unroasted green coffee.
Each convenient, easy to carry in purse or briefcase package contains 1 and ¼ tsp of rich coffee so you can measure out the exact amount that suits your taste according to the cup size and brew strength of your choice.
All you need is hot water and you have a refreshing, healthy cup of coffee.
One of the first steps in taking control of the health of our bodies is in reading product labels. Sugar by any other name is still sugar so begin to recognize all the different terms. According to an internet search there are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on food labels. Among the more common are corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, dextrose, maltose and sucrose. Be sure to add these all together to get a better picture of actually how much sugar is in each serving.
The Hidden Ingredient with Many Different Names
To figure out if a packaged food contains added sugars, and how much, you have to be a bit of a detective. On the Nutrition Facts panel, the line for sugars contains both the natural and added types as total grams of sugar.
There are four calories in one gram, so if a product has 15 grams of sugar per serving, that’s 60 calories just from the sugar alone, not counting the other ingredients.
How much is just right?
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting the amount of added sugars you consume to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories allowance. For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons. The AHA recommendations focus on all added sugars, without singling out any particular types such as high-fructose corn syrup. For more detailed information and guidance on sugar intake limits, see the scientific statement in the August 2009 issue of Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association.
In the April 5, 2015 issue of Angie’sOption, “If it says “sugar”, it comes from genetically modified (GMO) sugar beets. Corn syrup is another form of sugar from GMO corn. Maltodextrin, another high glycemic sugar additive derived from GMO corn or rice or potato. Hidden sweeteners like vegetable glycerin, rice syrup, dehydrated cane juice, tapioca syrup are also terms to look for on labels.
(3) High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a corn syrup that, while it can be called “natural” because it starts as corn, has undergone enzymatic processing in order to increase the fructose content. It is then mixed with pure corn syrup (100% glucose) to become the final form of a blend of glucose/unbound fructose. HFCS can have a wide range of fructose/glucose content. It is cheaper and easier to transport and leads to longer shelf life.
The really bad news about it is that many independent studies (Harvard School of Public Health and CDC, University of Florida, Rutgers University and others) have demonstrated a link between HFCS and disease states such as:
● Heart disease
Rats given a high fructose diet for just 10 weeks ALL developed insulin resistance. When buying sweets, stick with ingredients like just plain sugar or even corn syrup but AVOID HFCS. (3)
Our prayer always is that “we would be doers of the Word and not hearers only”, so to put into practice the information gained today will require us to take some action.
(1) Carefully read the labels of the food already in your cupboard and decide what changes you will make.
(2) Commit to carefully reading labels to identify hidden sugars.
(3) Avoid processed foods and choose fresh or frozen as much as possible.
(4) Choose grass-fed beef and free range chicken.
(5) Cut back on pastas, potatoes and other carbohydrate starches that turn to sugar in the body.
(6) Add at least one tasty vegetarian meal to your weekly menu.
(7) Shop local farmers markets as much as possible
(8) Choose organically grown products as much as possible.
(9) Check out a ketogenic diet, one focusing on healthy fats and organic grass fed sources of protein. www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com
Remember we always appreciate feedback so let us know of your successes and if there is a particular topic that interests you, lets learn about it together. Be blessed!
(1) Cancer Free! Are You Sure? Gabar Publishing, Texas
(2) http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/20-coffee-drinks-with-more-sugar 3/22/16
(3) http://www.angiesoption.com/2011/08/two-common-ingredients-to-eliminate 1/16/2016
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The first and most important thing we have to understand is the difference between synthetically made and plant sourced vitamins and minerals. Lets start with vitamins and we will discuss minerals ne


WHAT IS FLOURMAGO
Flour Mago – the magician of flour. This is because the owner thinks that flour is a very unique ingredient that has incredible magical power and it can turn into any heavenly food just by combining with other ingredients.
MAGIC AND FLOUR
Flour Mago is a creative French bakery. The bitter and sweet of the past has made the owner to
realize about the real potential of flour.
Hence, Flour Mago is selling extraordinary bread which is made by creative magic. The "magician" is the one who fused the flour and other ingredients together to make the tasteless flour becomes delicious.
Some of the bread looks indifferent, some have
special shapes, some are luxurious but all of them will make you mouth watery for sure.
As you tear the bread, the bread is conquering your heart with its irresistible aroma.
Every single bite toward the bread is going to make you immerse in joy as it is so fluffy and palatable.
We believe in seasonality, creativity, and surprising our customers with new delights.
the bread ingredients' quality and freshness is the key of deliciousness. Everyone can be a bread magician as long as they follow this rule. Hence, Flour Mago will make fresh bread daily and never keep overnight bread.


These patties are a cinch to make, and will surprise guests with their exciting flavor combinations.
- 2 lbs Salmon fillets, skinless
- 1 Tablespoon Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Green Bell Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Yellow Bell Pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Yellow Onions
- 3 Tablespoons Celery
- 2 ounces Butter, unsalted
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley, chopped
- Â˝ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Â˝ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- Â˝ teaspoon Dill Weed
- Â˝ teaspoon White Pepper
- Â˝ teaspoon Blackening Seasoning
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1-1/4 cups Mayonnaise
- 1-1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs, for coating
- 6 ounces Vegetable Oil
- 1 bottle Remoulade Sauce
- 1 each Lemon, cut in wedges
Cook the salmon in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until itâ€™s done, then chill in the refrigerator.
The vegetables should be cut into a small Â˝ in. dice. Melt butter in a sautĂ© pan and sautĂ© the vegetables until theyâ€™re translucent but have no color. We donâ€™t want them to caramelize. After theyâ€™re finished cooking chill them in the refrigerator as well.
When everything is chilled mix all the ingredients together and mix well. If the mix is too dry add a little mayonnaise, if too wet add a little more bread crumbs. Use a 1/2 measuring cup to form the patties and roll in additional bread crumbs.
SautĂ© the cakes in vegetable oil until theyâ€™re golden on each side, then place them on a lined sheet pan and cook for 5 min on 350 degrees.
Serve hot with Remoulade Sauce and lemon wedges.


I silently apologized to my husband and children in advance. How would reducing the amount of inflammation-promoting food actually affect my system? I’ve seen dermatologists in the past but they didn’t offer much help beyond a prescription for steroid creams that left my skin crinkly and paper-thin.
Tips For No Sugar Added Eating
Many are not covered 100% by insurance and could run as high as $30,000 for one month of treatment or one procedure. You can be as active as you like or just listen for a time as real, live mentors guide you on your journey and answer all of your questions. Over 4,100 people are currently supporting each other, learning from one another and generally just loving each other to sugar freedom. After the detox – the simple way to keep the weight off.
No Sugar Challenge: How And Why I Quit Sugar For 60 Days
Supplements aren’t the only way to improve your gut health. While using any gut health protocol or cleanse, you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including habits that support gut health. While doing the cleanse, Andrea was inspired to clean up her diet to get the best results. Make a large batch of brown rice or quinoa and take 1/2 cup of the cooked grain with a lean protein and veggies for lunch.
An Herbalist recommends these herbs and foods to help you fight illness and recover quickly. We all know that our immune system is what keeps us How many delta 8 gummies should I eat? healthy and able to fight off infections. For the most part, the immune system works on its own to help us defend against disease causing germs.
Others, not so awesome, which is why I only chose to follow this diet for one month. From there I decided to start making elaborate lunches, which got crazy expensive. I had been eating rice, veggies and lean meat for lunch so I wasn’t sure how I was going to replace my carb source. I made a few lunch meals that were delicious, but I was still having stomach issues. Even though i had eliminated SO MUCH i just couldn’t shake the bloated feeling. There is meat in this meal plan – look closely.
It’s not about willpower or who you are as a person, it’s about the environment you’re in. And environments are changeable, we can adjust them to better suit our goals. So when it comes to sugar, this means eliminating sweets from your home and avoiding places where you typically indulge.
Benefits Of Cutting Out Sugar
I had less back pain and felt more alert. In just 2 days I could feel the difference which kind of shocked me a little. Also I had no night sweats while on this diet. The other thing I also noticed, I drank more water because I was always thirsty. Why this happen to me I have no idea so I carried my water everywhere.
At the time she was teaching me stuff. You HAVE to change the “I feel restricted” feeling and change your mindset around your new foods and behaviors. If you suspect that eliminating or cutting way back on sugar might change your life then you and I are similar.
If there is SUGAR listed in the ingredients, then don’t have it on the sugar detox. I looked up ingredients for one of the kind bars and that one had SUGAR in the ingredients. Most bars contain added sugar, these don’t. Simply put, detox is the process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. It DOES NOT MEAN juice cleanse, or starvation diet, or drinking lemon water with cayenne pepper . A detox is where YOU choose to go through a process to rid your body of TOXINS that are harmful to your bodily functions.
I was tired, sad, anxious, and couldn’t focus at work. So much so that I feared I was entering a serious depressive episode or having an existential life crisis. As someone who struggles with mood swings and anxiety, I was eager to improve my mental wellbeing with a sugar elimination diet. I was also curious to see physical changes in the clarity of my skin and weight. Stick out your second week without sugar.
At some point, I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. My clothes felt clingy instead of confidence-boosting. Shiny red and angry patches of eczema, which usually plagued only my fingers and upper lip, cropped up with a vengeance on the back of my neck, eyelids, chin and fingers. I woke up most mornings feeling like I was hit by a truck or hungover (when I didn’t even drink the night before). I couldn’t speak to my family until I shot half of cup of coffee into my system. I tried to eat as many whole foods as I could!
It’s usually the most difficult, but once the cravings subside, you’re going to feel amazing. One-page Bulletproof Diet Roadmap for a complete list of foods to eat and foods to avoid. Go to your kitchen and look at the nutrition labels on everything. If the food has more than a couple grams of sugar (or if it’s high in carbs, like pasta or potato chips), throw it out. This is a detailed article about sugar alcohols and their health effects. They have several health benefits but can also cause digestive problems.
I thought of the cafe and its muffin and I quickly shrugged off the feeling. On Tuesday, February 6, 2019 I will post the results of my 30 day challenge on my 30 Day Diet No Carbs. I am asked often about strategies to reduce sugar cravings and to eat less sugar.
Try using this step-by-step guide to cut sugar from your diet for 30 days. You’ll be amazed by how much better you look and feel by day 30. Additionally, most no sugar challenges recommend forgoing artificial and naturally derived low or no-calorie sweeteners such as Splenda, Equal, stevia, and monk fruit. Although similar foods are typically restricted when participating in a 30-day no sugar challenge, specific rules may vary by the program you choose to follow. Sugar-rich diets are linked to heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure, triglyceride, and LDL cholesterol levels. High sugar diets, especially high fructose diets, can increase the risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease , a condition characterized by fat buildup in the liver .
It’s tough to be social when you’re doing no sugar added eating but it’s not impossible. It was great to complete the challenge and keep that promise to myself. And it was eye-opening to learn what has sugar in it and to take on some new recipes. But, to be honest, we didn’t really feel all that different. Neither of us felt more energetic; in fact, sometimes we were more cranky without the sugar. There were some dark days, like that time I almost had a breakdown in Walmart.
And The Brain Could Feel A Lot Less Sluggish
Even with being mindful I had 26 grams of sugar today. If you don’t know him, Dr. Lustig is a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF that has devoted his career to researching and treating obesity, mostly in children. Lustig’s popularity is largely attributed to his message that obesity is not the result of individual laziness or gluttony. I lost 2-3 pounds within the first few weeks of the challenge, but then my weight loss came to a complete halt. That’s when I decided to take it up a huge notch and cut out all fried foods, white flour and most processed foods. I lost another 2 pounds within a week and could actually see a difference in my body.
Trying To Cut Down On Carbs? These Tasty Dinners Are For You! This 30
If only I could keep being like this all year round that would help. But I do feel very motivated in summer when the weather is hot. It was tough I am not going to lie but the results were worth it and I had missed my old wardrobe and feeling like me for so long. I’ve been following slimming world since July. You get syns to be able to have some things you fancy, but like you I find not eating it all is the key.
I did not let my diet take a toll on my vacation or festival celebrations. This I think is a very important part. I went by a simple framework of ‘Will I regret having it or not having it? ’ Whenever the thought out answer not the impulsive response was the latter I listened to it. Healthy Weight Forum does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Food And Pleasure
My craziest streak at the moment is I have not taken an indoor shower since mid-August 2019. As of today, December 12, 2020 I am on the cusp of 1 year, 4 months! Another blog to come on that whenever that finishes. Avoid alcohol—I like the occasional glass of red wine. Again, I decided it was just easier to cut this out, too. So I consumed no wine (or beer or delicious gin and tonic—not even New Year’s champagne!).
And I don’t drink anyway, so adding alcohol to the off-limits list was easy. The biggest shock for me was when I tried eating a greasy pizza how absolutely bad it made me feel cbd gummies what do they do afterwards. My stomach hurt, gurgled, I was bloated instantly and made my skin feel disgusting. Something I have never noticed before when I was eating it all the time.
The good news is a lot of people are choosing to reduce their bread and sugar intake to live a healthier life. While it’s nearly impossible to completely rid your diet of sugar , reducing the amount of sugar and carbs you consume on a daily basis can do wonders for your overall health. Eliminating bread and sugar from your diet can occasionally do wonders for your health. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels impossible to overcome those cravings. With thousands of American-based foods laced with sugar and thousands of overly processed bread options to choose from, it’s hard to say no.
For example, why in the world is there sugar in a jar of tomato sauce? It’s because sugar is highly addictive, and brands add it to foods whenever possible to keep the consumer coming back for more. So, to cut sugar from my diet it became necessary to start reading every food label. Which wasn’t a big deal for me, because as a vegan I was already accustomed to checking every label at the grocery store anyway.
Eating no sugar for a month started to get more challenging on day 7. For the whole second week, I experienced a slightly lower mood along with more cravings. Although I can’t be certain that a low mood can be blamed on sugar withdrawal, I definitely felt much better in the last few weeks than I did this week.
Are you currently detoxing or dieting? Share with me in the comments section below. Last week, I was super tempted to eat Chicken Wings, but with the support of my work bestie, I was able to pass on it and have Maki instead. I decided it was all the evil sugar toxins trying to find their way out of my body.
I try to stick with green tea or if I’m feeling perky, something herbal. Occasionally, I miss the taste of coffee, but that is easy enough to remedy as a treat. Ultimately, I want my dependency to remain an emotional one, without getting a headache or feeling lost if I don’t have fresh ground beans in close proximity. Read some examples and therapeutic principles on how to calculate the carbohydrate coverage dose, high blood sugar correction dose and the total mealtime insulin dose. Your provider will prescribe an insulin dose regimen for you; however, you still need to calculate some of your insulin doses. Your insulin dose regimen provides formulas that allow you to calculate how much bolus insulin to take at meals and snacks, or to correct high blood sugars.
It will help take your mind off of food so that you can come back and make a snack or meal with a clearer head. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start your day off by making a filling and refreshing smoothie. One way to boost the nutrients in your smoothie is to add vegetables.
Kyle on the other hand, wasn’t as fortunate to get home early enough to make dinner every night. He had to work late one night and searched all over for takeout food that would accommodate this no-sugar diet. He came up empty handed and all he had available to eat was a green pepper. I was running late the morning of jury duty and sprinted out the door — forgetting my breakfast and lunch. I was able to hunt down fresh fruit and veggies, which held me over until dinner.
I am still doing these recipes and new ones now that I am back home. I like to think that I will try to do a 30 day diet plan with my mom every summer. We all know that refined sugar is not a health food, but sometimes it can be so hard to say no to all those oh-so-tempting sugary treats. Cravings kick in, and suddenly you realize that your sugar intake for the day (or week, or month…) has been less than ideal.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as people with compromised immune systems or weak heart, liver or kidney disease should also avoid juice cleanses. Looking for the best prediabetes diet? Learn what foods are best to help you manage your prediabetes. You might need to skip eating out this month. That’s okay.A picnic in the park is just as much fun for the whole family, and easier on the wallet. Give it 30 days.A full 30 days with zero slip-ups, zero excuses, zero cheats.
Place zucchini shells cut sides down in dish. Limit soda and lemonade to special occasions. Some have up to 25 grams of added sugar—that’s 6 teaspoons—per cup. Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that’ll last a lifetime. I don’t regret a thing today and I’m happy I could share a dessert with my family on this day. It felt so magnificent to finally to eat something sweet that wasn’t fruit for a change.
What We Learned During The No Sugar Challenge
It is no longer news that we, as a people, consume too much sugar. If we could see the foods we consume converted into cubes or cups of actual sugar, maybe we’d be scared straight. Sadly, sugar is such an addictive substance that the thought of going “cold turkey” should scare you. I recently read an article about a family that stopped eating sugar for a year. I was so touched that the motivation to try a no-sugar challenge for 30 days was reborn. Alcoholic drinks are high in calories, both due to the alcohol and the sugar.
It gets easier to cut out the sugar even though I LOVE IT, but how I feel and look is starting to take presidence. Just listen to yourself and you can find some answers…. During this 30 day sugar-free trial I did not experience any obvious or amazing benefits that would make me never want to eat sugar again. I eat well in general (almost entirely whole-foods and plant-based) so eliminating sugar did not noticeably increase my energy level, which tends to be high overall. My weight is also healthy and I did not experience any weight loss that I can attribute to giving up sugar, although I have read that many folks who try a no-sugar diet do lose weight. March 30 Joseph and I stayed up til midnight.
“I’ll stir in a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a bit of cinnamon and vanilla extract,” Cording says. If you would rather buy individually portioned flavored yogurts, try Wallaby Organic Purely Unsweetened; it only adds fruit to its whole-milk Greek yogurt. Brands that go easy on the added sugar include Chobani Tots, Siggi’s, and Yoplait Kids.
Feel How Good It Feels When Youre In A Right
It took me a long time to figure this one out. I’d grumble and groan about the other guy and when I finally realized that maybe I was part of the problem I started looking for something nice to say to everyone. Do it for 30 days and at the end you will have changed.
Artificial sweeteners haven’t been well tested in kids, and they’ll stand in the way of helping your child adjust to the taste of lesssweet foods. If you can’t find a good lower-sugar version, go in a different direction. For instance, you could put a spice rub, in place of barbecue sauce, on chicken. Or give your kids salsa for dipping (several brands don’t have added sugar) rather than ketchup . Flavored Greek yogurt plus a cup of chocolate milk for breakfast, 24 grams.
A vegan’s day is full of potential stumbling blocks. Whether it is our Runtastic company breakfast, family get-togethers, vegetables sautéed in butter, a coffee to go or cake with co-workers, temptations are waiting all around. Nevertheless, I was a bit shocked at how harsh people judge other people’s eating habits. Other small changes included, coffee with no sugar, more green tea, boiled pulses , wheat puffs, roasted chickpeas and peanuts for snacks.
As someone who has had a lifelong sweet tooth, I realized that my dessert consumption was getting a bit out of control even though my diet was fairly healthy overall. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about balance and there’s nothing wrong with indulging in the occasional cookie or vegan ice cream. But, there comes a point when opting for the healthier option feels like the better decision on a day-to-day basis. So, I decided to challenge myself by cutting out refined sugar from my diet for an entire month. Processed, or refined, sugars are basically empty calories. They cause a spike in your blood sugar levels and also lead to equally speedy crashes.
No candy, no ice cream, no desserts, no protein bars, no sodas , nothing that can satiate my monster sugar cravings. This was the most difficult but gave me the best results. In a week I was able to shed 5 pounds and did not feel bloated at all.
That just further confirmed for me each of the habits I changed worked together. And that I was better off without caffeine. In total, it took about 6 months for me to get better. My doctors never did figure out what was wrong. The experience made me realize how much we rely on prescription drugs.
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that’s caused by high blood sugar. The body can keep up for a period of time by producing more insulin, but over time the insulin receptor sites burn out. Eventually, diabetes can affect nearly every system in the body, impacting your energy, digestion, weight, sleep, vision and more. The beauty of this plan is that it has some allowances to keep you sane should cravings strike. (A juicy glass of red? That’s practically cheating—except it’s not.) For the best results, you’ll want to moderate that second category and indulge in the bare minimum.
This exact powerless feeling is what I’ve been feeling recently. I feel like that impulsive 11 year old with either no memory or no regard for the consequences of eating enormous amounts of sugar. Once I eat one sweet, even something as small as a couple bites of chocolate, that all-consuming need for more sugar is turned on. I will consume every sweet I can find. Early on in the blog – day 4– I realised that slathering every bit of myself in various deliciously smelling bath gels, creams and oils was a great replacement for eating sweets. Something about the smell of luscious things and the act of rubbing them on myself filled that ‘treat myself’ gap left by Lindt balls being off limits.
It is most definitely not going to cut it, because the average person needs about 0.8g per kilo of body weight as a daily protein intake. If you’re following a juice fast, you won’t even meet a necessary minimum. And while it’s not likely to cause any irreversible harm if your fast lasts 3 days, 30 days of fasting will have detrimental effects on your health. Most of these, however, are entirely unsubstantiated. That is not to say fresh juices are unhealthy – they indeed are, since they’re made of fruits and vegetables. The ketogenic diet is a popular low-carb and sugar diet.
You have inspired me to start my own challenge for my followers. Ditch the bread at lunch and branch out with a fun salad, or have chicken or tuna salad in 1/2 a pepper or on cucumber or zucchini slices. In mixing bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining Splenda and 2 teaspoons vanilla until blended. Note though that doing so will add carbs to the recipe and it may effect the texture.
All fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, meat , and eggs are naturally gluten free. So avoiding gluten isn’t a giant leap if you are eating lots of real food like the challenge states. I get asked from time to time for a menu to follow for low carb, so here you go, this menu is not set for any certain month, so adjust it as you need too.
Being prepared for mealtimes can help you steer clear of takeout or fast food, which usually add more sugar to dishes than you would at home. Check out our No-Sugar-Added 1-Day Meal Plan for inspiration. Join us for delicious recipes and inspiration to cut back on your sugar intake. On Monday, I began my 30-day no sugar challenge. My Willy Wonka candy days as I have known them are over. To be honest, this is actually a 60-day challenge, but I need to break it down into two parts, to make the goal more achievable.
Today, I went to chipotle for lunch as I usually do and I got a chicken quesadilla, which has enough grease to fill a big gulp from 7-11. But I am so happy with the changes I have seen since giving up sugar that I definitely want to continue. I have been dealing with random breakouts throughout the month, as well as significant break outs once a month for as long as I can remember. Last year I discovered that our tap water was contributing to a significant amount of the bumps I was getting on my face, and switching to a water filter made a huge difference.
One thing I’m sure you cant do – 30 days without electricity! No offense, but there’s no man enoug in you for that. I vote “no meat” because of the chances it will have similar effects to some of your other experiments – open up other options just cbd gummies 500mg how to take and potentially impact habits. I’ve done it for shorter stretches and it really makes you look at what you eat, where you eat, and can have a lasting effect. After a week or two you will start to see humanity in a much more positive light.
A handful of lime Tostitos became half a bag. I needed a flour tortilla quickly warmed on the stovetop whenever my stress levels started to spike. And bread—the crusty, doughy baked fluffs of heaven—I loved it. Plus, my family’s health history is bleak.
We spend, as a family of three, about $150 a week on groceries. We could really look for the sales, clip coupons, eat more staples and less fresh produce. We could also buy from a chain instead of our local store, but we don’t want to do that! We enjoy supporting a local enterprise, and the produce isn’t really significantly more!
I am not one of those people at a restaurant who grills the server for the details about a dish. I’m not a picky eater, nor do I have allergies or other food issues that make asking questions necessary. So it was difficult for me to speak up when ordering—but I had to. I travel a lot for my job, so eating out is common. For the second half of the month, expect to feel better and better.
You have to recognize that losing 30 pounds in 30 days is tough. Therefore, surmise all the willpower and discipline to adhere to a strict diet and exercise regimen without failure. Getting enough sleep will help you lose weight and manage stress. Replace alcohol with water and fruit-infused beverages. Drinking alcohol will increase your calorie intake and interfere with fat oxidation.


Brunch at Punch: Mr Punch Public House (Food Review)May 06, 2017
|Brunch at Punch|
Mr Punch Public House is a unique restaurant known for the retro gastropub, rooftop bar, and MINT Museum of Toys atop it. Situated comfortably near City Hall and Bugis MRT, Mr Punch Public House is a hit with tourists looking to enjoy the best of Singapore's nightlife, and Singaporeans looking for something fun to do during the weekends. Their new brunch menu, aptly named Brunch at Punch, features a range of popular breakfast food.
|Replicas of vintage toys for sale|
Inline with the vintage theme, Mr Punch Public House's name came from British puppet show set in 1660s, Punch and Judy. Visitors and patrons can stop by the first floor to purchase replicas of vintage toys found at MINT Museum of Toys.
|Mr Punch Public House's name cards|
|Media food tasting at Mr Punch Public House|
I was invited to try the newest addition to Mr Punch Public House's menu — Brunch at Punch, available every weekend from 11am to 6pm.
Seaside Omelette — Lobster, Eggs and Toast ($28) was a hot favourite among the bloggers. The lightly seasoned Boston lobster went surprisingly well with the otherwise-boring scrambled eggs.
|Lobster, Eggs and Toast|
The gruyere cheese and toasted brioche (a French bread rich with butter and eggs) are perfect for people who need crabs to complete a meal.
|The Sinful — The Devil's French Toast|
If you have sweet tooth and love Nutella (seriously, who doesn't?!), order a dish of The Sinful — The Devil's French Toast ($14). While most never think of ice cream as a brunch menu item, The Sinful is the best way to end off your brunch on a sweet note — quite literally.
Chocolate sauce drizzled all over the vanilla ice cream resting on bioche that was slapped with Nutella and peanut butter, this brunch item gives all sweet tooth a run for your money. Not forgetting the rice krispies banana balls that gives this brunch item an interesting texture.
|Judy's Plate — A Continental Choice|
A healthier alternative, Judy's Plate — A Continental Choice ($18). Nothing screams brunch like a couple of crispy, freshly made Danish croissants! The butter and chocolate croissants came with toppings to choose from, or you can eat them on their own.
Mr Punch Public House provided a generous serving of homemade granola to be paired with honey and vanilla yoghurt. Together with a fresh fruit bowl that allows you to forget all about your sinful brunch. Just don't look down at your ever-growing belly (#worthit though).
|Mr Punch Public House's new brunch menu|
Mr Punch Public House is also running a special promotion. Purchase any brunch item, and you'll get a ticket to MINT Museum of Toys, Asia's largest collections of vintage toys. While stocks last!
|Weekend brunch at Mr Punch Public House|
Mr Punch Public House
(Website / Facebook)
26 Seah St, Singapore 188382
Monday to Thursday: 3pm to 11:30pm
Friday: 3pm to 2am
Saturday: 11am to 11:30pm
Sunday: 11am to 6pm
Thank you for having me, Mr Punch Public House :)


Tefal are creating a snacking sensation with the latest addition to their Actifry range. This handy update to their classic low fat cooking collection allows you to create a range of healthy snacks completely effortlessly.
And although we all now know how easily (and deliciously!) the Actifry cooks chips, chicken and other kitchen favourites, there’s a whole host of things you may not know that it can also rustle up just as easily.
Guilt-free and gloriously good, this collection of recipes means you no longer have to rely on carrot sticks and crackers when you fancy a healthy snack.
We made an epic concoction of carrot, strawberries, grape, ginger, celery and cucumber – it was SO delish! The Tefal Infinity Press works SO well and it’s super quiet (ie: husband could totally make me a fresh morning juice while I’m sleeping – just sayin’). Unlike a lot of other juicers, this Infinity Press doesn’t take up a huge amount of space – which is SUCH a bonus for the (generally small) London Kitchens. We have already found a permament home for ours on our kitchen counter!
Full review click here:
The web site freefitnesstips.co.uk provides some top health & fitness tips associated with juicing.
Juice cleanses have also become very popular and are typically recommended for people who need a bit of a kick-start when their diet or lifestyle has left them feeling sluggish and unhealthy.
By increasing fibre intake and reducing the consumption of unhealthy trans fats, sodium, and pro-inflammatory animal-derived foods, a healthy juice diet is often a great way to revitalise and reenergise the body and give the liver, kidneys and skin a chance to detoxify and expel toxins that have accumulated.
Really, juicing is one thing that’s easy to fall in love with! Here are a few of our favourite reasons why summed up!
1. Max out on healthy fresh vitamins and antioxidants!
2. Less Sniffles, more Vitality!
3. It’s Super Delicious!
4. Minimal Effort
5. It’s Fun
Fresh juices are enjoying huge popularity in the UK, with the vast majority of households drinking them on a weekly basis1. Research shows high fruit content in juice is one of the key features that appeals to consumers2, and squeezing your juice at home is a great way to pack in as much fruit flavour as possible. What’s more, vitamins are maintained at maximum strength for the first 15 minutes after juicing3, so making it in your home for immediate consumption is the healthiest option too.
Here is what people are saying about Juicing & the new Tefal Infiny Press.
The influential lifestyle magazine Menswear Style has just published a review of Juicing, health & fitness, the review states that the Tefal Infiny Press Revolution Juicer is well designed, easy to clean and makes healthy and tasty juices. The feature goes onto to say that Juicing at home does require a pretty heavy duty juicer as a regular food processor cannot normally handle the fibre content of raw vegetables and fruits. “For this feature we used the new Tefal Infiny Press Revolution Juicer which worked a treat”.
1 Mintel Fruit Juice, Juice Drinks and Smoothies report, Nov 2013
2 Mintel Fruit Juice, Juice Drinks and Smoothies report, Nov 2013
As restaurateurs know, a picture of a perfectly cooked succulent steak is still an image that’s known to entice diners through the doors of their establishment.
Although it’s not as popular in Asia or Eastern European countries, beef steak is still consumed in vast quantities throughout the US, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe. A sizzling steak is a firm favourite on menus across the UK, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Of course, this depends on your idea of perfect so we got in touch with Fresh Food Guru Andrew Gordon who comments, “My preference is to let the steak come to room temperature and then oil & season it or brush with an oil based marinade. I am also a fan of cooking dirty which is straight onto the coals on the BBQ”
How long you cook your steak depends on taste. As a guide, these are the times we were recommended for a 2cm thick sirloin.
Obviously, this is only a general rule, and cooking times will depend on the thickness and density of the meat. So how do you know if your steak is ready to serve? You can use a meat thermometer, though you’ll have to poke a hole in your steak to do this.
To put all this “chef stuff” to the test we take a novice cook from the MWS team and invited a few hungry lads around for a bit of world cup action. Steak and nothing but steak was on the menu and with a ‘Man vs Machine’ theme, we use the good old frying pan and the Tefal OptiGrill.
Tefal OptiGrill – On first impression we wondered if a machine could get it 100% right and if all the flavoursome juices would be kept, especially since we’re using steak cuts at different shapes and sizes.
“THE MACHINE IS SUPER EASY TO USE AND HAS ‘AUTOMATIC SENSOR COOKING’ TO WORK OUT THE THICKNESS AND TEMPERATURE OF EACH OF THE MEATS”
Thankfully it’s fool proof since at each stage of the cooking process, rare to well-done, an LED Indicator changes colour and beeps to inform you it’s ready.
Amazingly the steaks were 100% perfectly cooked according to each preference with all the tasty juices remaining as if it had been served at a fancy restaurant by a top chef. A lot of the fatty juices are drained into a drip try (for all you health conscious guys) too.
You’ll also see from the pictures that it’s definitely a guy friendly machine with some unique stylish design features.
Read the ful review here:
Copyright © 2014


Delight to the palate in your region
The Heidelberg falafel store on the road to success. Whether humus, shawarma or falafel – with us you will find the coveted, levante kitchen – for over 10 years. Within a short time we were able to settle the falafel enjoyment on several locations. You want more information about your local location? Then scroll and see our locations. For more information just click on the picture.
It’s more than just falafel and shawarma
We know how to make a good taste
Falafel and Shawarma. This is easier to say than done. In order to keep the high quality standard of our courts, we work very hard. See why Heidelberg so highly sought after us.
Hommos, freshly prepared daily and rich in fiber: chickpea mousse with sesame sauce garnished with olive oil and cumin.
Enjoy the fresh taste of crunchy falafel taler – served with chickpea mousse or grilled aubergine puree
Also in the bread
Explore our creative dishes rolled up in fresh pita bread – with crispy baked falafel or tender chicken meat
Made with love
Our most popular dishes – fresh falafel taler on chickpea mousse with various crispy salads.
Falafel with mixed salad
Shawarma with chips
Spezialteller mit Shawarma
What our customers say about us!
“Loved it and hence, the full rating.”
Fresh and good quality. Above all, very tasty. Good vegetarian & vegan options. Chicken & lamb available for non vegetarians.
Not to forget the complimentary tea. Was our second visit, will come again for sure. Keep it up! 🙂
Mystica S. P.
“Very good food and service”
We shared the vegetarian platter for 3 with bread and it was amazing. The food was plentiful and extremely tasty, and it was good to have the complimentary tea as a refreshment. The staff were cheerful and welcoming from the moment we opened the door to when we left.
“The best falafel and babaganush”
“best middle eastern quick food”
And what do you think?
We take our work seriously and appreciate any form of criticism. If you have a concern or just want to say thank you, we look forward to hearing from you.
daily 11 - 22 (winter)
daily 11 - 23 (summer)
Phone: +49 (0) 172 460 44 41
Mahmoud's on site
Do you already know our catering service? Here is more information.


When you’re looking for something sweet and satisfying that won’t ruin your diet, you need not look any further than banana pudding. If you’re asking me, it’s the perfect snack.
Let’s get this out of the way: banana pudding is more than just good. It’s absolutely delicious. It will make you smile, and it can last a while if you store it properly in your refrigerator!
So, exactly how long can banana pudding last?
I’ll answer that question and more below.
Table Of Contents:
How Long Does Banana Pudding Last In The Fridge?
Banana pudding can last for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. The key is to keep it tightly sealed in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. This will prevent bacteria from growing, which could make it unsafe to eat after such a short period of time.
If you have more leftovers than you reasonably know what to do with, don’t worry.
Your tasty treat doesn’t have to go to waste just because there’s no one to eat it!
You can extend your banana pudding’s life by storing it in the freezer where it will last for up to 2 weeks. When you’re ready to eat it, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight in the fridge. After that, you can enjoy your pudding worry-free!
Crumbl cookies also freeze well. So if you’re looking to ramp up your dessert game and go all in on your sweet tooth, you can always whip up a batch of these to enjoy with your banana pudding instead of adding in wafers.
For another tasty treat that lasts a long time, try manchego cheese with crackers!
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Different Types Of Banana Pudding
Sometimes, you just want the basics. You know what I mean: vanilla wafers and whipped cream—the cake and frosting of banana pudding.
But if you’re feeling like shaking up your routine a little bit, here are some ways to keep things interesting and make your banana pudding extra special:
● For chocolate banana pudding, add chocolate chips or even a spoonful of semi-sweet chocolate morsels (the kind typically used for making cookies) to the pan before cooking. This will give the filling a richer flavor without having to use an entire bag of chocolate chips on top!
● For peach cobbler banana pudding, add half a cup of chopped peaches (frozen work well here) along with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon before cooking. Top it with crushed vanilla wafers, fresh peaches, and whipped cream.
● If you’re not lucky enough to live near the famous Magnolia Bakery, you can still recreate their signature banana pudding at home. Just add 1/3 cup heavy cream when combining your ingredients into your saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture coats your spoon.
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How Do You Tell If Banana Pudding Has Gone Bad?
With all the time you’re taking to create this delicious dessert, you would probably rather not risk it going bad before you even have the chance to enjoy it.
You can tell that your banana pudding is at the end of its life when it starts to get soggy.
Typically, your banana pudding can last up to 3-4 days in the fridge before the bananas start to turn brown and the wafers get too soft to taste good. But if you’re still not sure, there are a few things that can help you determine if it’s still safe:
● Smell – If your banana pudding smells sour or if it has even the tiniest hint of an ammonia-like odor , then throw it out immediately.
● Look – Visually check for mold growth on top or around the edges of your pudding before eating it. If there is any type of discoloration or white spots throughout the dessert, do not eat it! Also, look for a slimy texture in either colorless or white layers inside your serving dish. This may indicate bacterial growth issues as well.
● Taste – Banana pudding is usually on the sweeter side. When it goes bad, it starts to become bitter. Make sure nothing tastes off before taking another bite; if something does taste funny, then get rid of what’s left ASAP!
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Overall, banana pudding is a delicious dessert that can be enjoyed by all. This creamy treat comes with plenty of health benefits and is perfect for any occasion.
The only downside is that it doesn’t last very long once you open it, so make sure to store it in an airtight container in your refrigerator before eating.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if you eat bad banana pudding?
Bad banana pudding will make you sick—and not just with a slight tummy ache. The symptoms of bad banana pudding poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. So while eating spoiled food doesn’t always mean immediate sickness (remember: spoilage occurs over time), there’s no need to take any chances.
The best way to avoid ingesting contaminated foods like this one is by storing them properly at home in an airtight container where moisture cannot enter.
Is banana pudding good for diabetics?
Here’s the good news: banana pudding is a great option for diabetics. You can find recipes that use little to no added sugar, so it’s safe to consume. Bananas are a low-fat, low-calorie food—making it an ideal dessert for your next diabetic dinner party. Banana pudding is also a good source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and prevent kidney stones (not to mention the fact that bananas are delicious).
Most diabetics can eat about 1-2 bananas a day. So when you make your next batch of banana pudding, be sure to share it with everyone who’ll enjoy it!
Is Magnolia banana pudding good for 1 week?
Yes, it is! You can keep it in the fridge for up to 7 days. If you won’t be able to eat the whole Magnolia Banana Pudding within a week, freeze it! You can freeze Magnolia Banana Pudding for up to 3 months—just thaw overnight in the fridge before eating.
If you do decide to do some freezer-to-fridge time traveling, please remember that once you’ve thawed out your Magnolia Banana Pudding, do not refreeze it again; otherwise, the texture will be compromised and not nearly as delicious or creamy.


“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”
– George Bernard Shaw
In The Kitchen
Meals for Two for $10.00 or Less
Recipes for Couples and Singles on a Budget
I am a firm believer that anyone should be able to stay home and make a delicious meal in their own kitchen for under $10.00. I challenge you to give it a try… buon appetito!
Where can you go to get breakfast for under a $1.00? That’s right! Less than $1.00 actually. Strawberry Pancakes is so easy to make. The trick is let the batter rise for about an hour, otherwise they will feel like boat anchors.
Take your favorite pancake mix, Bisquick works, but because we live in Northern California, we chose Krusteaz. Follow the directions to make the batter. Let the mix rise in the bowl for about an hour.
Prepare the strawberries by washing then slicing them. Add sugar to taste to allow the juice to happen.
About 5-7 minutes before starting the pancakes, prepare the sausage links according to the directions. When finished, place on a plate covered in paper towel to absorb the grease. Place in a warm oven to keep hot.
Cook the pancakes according to the directions. Place on a plate, top with the strawberries and add whip cream. Add the sausage links and you’ve just prepared a scrumptious breakfast for less than $1.00.
Lunch and Dinner
Making homemade lasagna can be intimidating for some. Actually, it is quite easy. Even I can go it and I don’t cook! First let’s decide on what type of lasagna you want to make – vegetarian, meat, or whatever you might prefer. The size of the pan is the next decision you need to make. If you use the standard disposable aluminum lasagna pan you can purchase from the grocery store, your cleanup will be simple.
Purchase the ingredients you’ll need: one to two packages of lasagna noodles (depending on the pan size), 2 cans of diced tomatos (16 ounce size), 2 cans of tomato sauce (small cans), bulk or italian sausage (if you want meat in your lasagna), basil, oregano, fennel seed, one medium onion (diced into 1/4 inch cubes), one medium green pepper (diced into 1/5 inch cubes), 5-6 large mushrooms (button or crimini), parmesan, romano, asiago and mozzella cheese, and ricotta cheese. Salt and sugar.
Blend the parmesan, romano, and asiago cheeses. Set aside.
Make the lasagna noodles according to the package. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together the diced tomatos, tomato sauce. Add a teaspoon of basil and a teaspoon of oregano. Take a half teaspoon of fennel seed and crack them with a mortar and pestal. Add to sauce mixture. Add onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. Add salt and sugar to taste. Simmer on medium heat until all ingredients are blended and warmed through.
If you want meat, cook bulk or italian sausage removed from the skin in a frying pan until brown and cooked through. Make sure the sausage is in small chunks no larger than 1/2 inch in size.When finished cooking put meat on a plate layered with paper towel to drain the grease off the meat. Add the meat to the sauce.
Now take your pan and coat it with olive oil and then let the layering begin. Make a layer of noodles, then make a layer of sauce, then another layer of noodles. Now make a layer of ricotta. Then make a layer of noodles, then make a layer of sauce, another layer of cheese, another layer of noodles, then another layer of cheese.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Poke holes in the foil. Place in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for an hour. Remove foil and let cheese brown (it may take 15 minutes to a half hour). Remove from the oven and let everything cool for about 10 minutes. Cut and serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Salmon with White Rice and Asparagus
|Salmon with White Rice and Asparagus|
This is a simple, classic meal and it can be made using your favorite fish. We used salmon that we purchased in bulk from our local Costco.
Start the rice first as it takes 20-30 minutes for the rice to cook. Take 2 cups of water and 1 cup of white rice, teaspoon of salt, tablespoon of butter and turn the heat on until the liquid in the pot starts to bowl. Turn down until just boiling and cook until most of the liquid is gone. Stirring occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick.
Cut off the woody steam of the asparagus and peal the bottom half if it is late season. If it is early season, just cut the ends off. Put asparagus on a platter that is longer than the asparagus and cover with plastic wrap. Cut small slits in the plastic wrap and place asparagus in the microwave. Heat the asparagus for one minute at 3/4 of the way cooking time for the fish.
The fish will take 15 minutes to cook. Put some olive oil in a pan heated to medium-high (the oil needs to be under the smoking point about 380 degrees), add garlic (smashed). Put salt and pepper on the salmon and place in the pan skin side down. Cook the salmon until done (the flesh needs to be firm and not overcooked and dried out). If you want it more cooked, and the end you can put the lid on the pan for 3-4 minutes and it will steam the fish from the top down so it is more cooked and not dried out.
When the fish is almost done, heat the asparagus on high for another minute. For softer asparagus, heat for an additional third minute. Otherwise, add a little salt and butter when serving.
Cost: Rice when purchased in bulk on average is $.10 to $.20 per serving. Asparagus is $.75 per serving. The fish we purchased was $15.00 which we cut in half and we each had 1/2 of the half. So the cost per serving is $3.75. Total cost is $4.60 – $4.70 per serving.
This is an amazing meal and you won’t go hungry…I can guarantee it. We had it with a nice bottle of dry white wine (which didn’t cost us a thing because I got the bottle for free).
Mmmm…mmmm…mmmm! There is nothing better than homemade pizza. Not frozen, not take-n-bake, not take-and-eat, nor restaurant version can match the wonderful gooey, cheesy, deliciousness.
The best part…it’s totally unpredictable. Why do I say that you might ask? It’s unpredictable because this fabulous food can be made from a multitude of ingredients used in numerous combinations. No two pizzas would be alike if you wanted it to be.
Pizza is all about the crust, sauce and the toppings!
Make the crust using whatever method you choose. Some of you would prefer to use a standard mix, while others would prefer to make it from scratch using your grandmothers recipe. This takes about 15 minutes to make (plus rising time) and costs about 50 cents. Still others may just want to make it simple and use a pre-package crust like Boboli. Use whichever one you prefer and find the easiest. If you have the time, try making it from scratch. There are lots of recipes available online to choose from. Be sure to make it and pre-bake it for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees.
One of the things that we noticed about pizzas, other than the ones that we make, is the lack of good or enough sauce. We either make the sauce ourselves from garden fresh tomatoes (in-season) or by using plenty of tomato paste. You don’t want the sauce to be too runny because then all the toppings just slide off the slice. Be sure to add the appropriate spices to taste. Some popular ones include fennel, basil, and oregano. If you want to experiment, try using pesto or some other type of sauce you’d want to see on a pizza.
Living in California has afforded us to make our pizzas with the most freshest ingredients. Use a variety of fresh local ingredients from the neighborhood farmer’s market, vegetable stand or the local grocer. Be sure to select the freshest mushrooms, peppers (all colors), onions, black olives or any other topping that suits your taste. We’ve noticed that many Californians like to experiment with their pizza so they will select artichoke hearts, roasted eggplant, zucchini and even sweet corn. Choose the ingredients that you love and don’t be afraid to experiment. If you want pineapple on your pizza, then go for it!
There are a variety of meats and seafoods that you can choose from, including ham, chicken, pepperoni, proscuitto, sausage, venison, salmon, lobster, tuna and prawns. Choose from any of those or not at all. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional veggie pizza!
Select the cheese that works for you…try fresh mozzarella, cheddar, colby, parmigiano – reggiano, or something even more exotic like feta, goat cheese, gorgonzola, or roquefort.
Remember, the type of pizza you decide to make will dictate the types of ingredients you choose to put on it. For me, the perfect pizza is just plain and simple. I like cheese and sausage, so it’s just fresh mozzarella or maybe cheddar and sausage from my favorite vendor.
Once you’ve selected your ingredients, and placed them on top of your pre-baked crust or pre-packaged crust, then place in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Be sure to watch it so as not to burn the crust or the cheese.
You can make a large pizza (16″-18″) for under $10.00 (depending on the ingredient selection) and enjoy it for several meals. Very economical and delicious.
Pasta in A Bowl
Pasta In A Bowl
I love pasta. All kinds. I guess you could say I am a “Carb Queen”! Regardless, there is nothing better than simple comfort food that comes in a bowl. Pasta In A Bowl is a very easy, quick and inexpensive meal to make.
The trick with this is to start the sauce first. However, you do want to start a pan of water to boil. Prepare the water according to the package of pasta and heat it slowly. It should take about 10-15 minutes to get the water boiling. I know you’re wondering why I am asking you to take so long to get the water boiling. It’s all about timing, so trust me. At this point, don’t put the pasta in the water.
Empty your favorite pasta sauce (I tend to like the Classico brand, but you can use whatever you prefer) into a saucepan. Bring the temperature to medium heat. When we’re in the mood, we might make the sauce from scratch, but it’s off season and not worth the effort tonight. Remember that your sauce should taste the way you want it. We always add extra ingredients such as fennel, basil, oregano, salt, bay leaf and sugar to taste. If you need to add some vegies, choose onion, green peppers, and black olives.
Mix all the ingredients together in the saucepan and simmer the sauce on medium heat for about 20-30 minutes Remember you don’t want to cook the sauce on really high heat because you’ll burn it. I will start out a little above medium heat and then turn it down as I don’t really want it to boil. Use a splatter screen while the sauce is heating to minimize the sauce from spraying out of the pan.
About halfway thru the heating process of the sauce, the water should be boiling. Simply take whatever pasta you might have on had, above I used shells. Place the pasta in the water and make as directed. When the pasta is finished, remove the pan from the heat and drain into a pasta strainer. Don’t rinse. The sauce should be ready now so turn off the heat. Be sure to remove the bay leaf if you’ve used one as it’s toxic if you ingest it.
Place your pasta in a bowl and pour the sauce over it. Add parmigiano reggiano or other cheese you prefer. Serve with a baguette and your favorite glass of wine!
This whole meal costs less than $5.00 for two depending on the extra ingredients you add and if you choose to serve it with a baguette. (I didn’t count the cost of the wine, because this page is all about the food!)
Valentine’s Day Dinner
Just finished an amazing dinner prepared for me by my husband. He is a fabulous cook and I love it when he makes meals for me. So what did he make?
Anjou Pears with Gorgonzola Cheese
Tenderloin Tidbits with Mushrooms, Onions & Tomatoes and Mashed Potatoes
A fabulous bottle of Toad Hollow Vineyard’s Risque Sparkling Wine
1/2 hour prep and cook. Restaurant Cost = $75/plate; Cook at home cost = less than $10.00 for two. More details to follow.
Snacks and Desserts
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
|©Susan Dusterhoft 2011|
If you would like a pumpkin pie with texture instead of a pureed can, then here is what you do. Get a pumpkin. Depending on how many pies you want will determine the size. You can use a sugar pumpkin or a regular pumpkin, which can be had at a bargain slightly before Halloween.
Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and pulp. Cut the halves in half and place in a cake pan. Add water to the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until a fork can be inserted all the way thru the pumpkin.
Remove the pumpkin and let it cool. Scrap the meat out into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Place 2-3 cups in a flour sack towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. Set the water aside for to use in your pumpkin bread if you want. Your pumpkin is now ready to be made into a pie.
For one 9 inch deep dish put 20 ounces of pumpkin by weight in a mixing bowl. Add half a cup of white granulated sugar, half a cup brown sugar, firmly packed, one 12 oz can evaporated milk, 2 eggs and combine until thoroughly mixed. Add:
A teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
½ teaspoon of cloves
½ teaspoon of salt
Mix all until consistently incorporated.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Fill one 9 inch deep dish pie shell and distribute evenly. Your mixture should be fairly thick and will need to be spread out with a spatula or the back of a large spoon. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the pie from the oven and let cool. Serve with real whipping cream.
Assuming you have an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, refrigerate the mixing bowl and whipping cream to a temperature of 40 degrees. When ready, remove the bowl and whipping cream from the refrigerator, add the whipping cream to the bowl and begin mixing at medium-high speed. Add one teaspoon of vanilla. Add up to ½ cup of sugar depending how sweet you like your whipped cream. Whip the cream until you get peaks that retain their shape. Serve immediately.
This is a fairly spicy pie. You may modify to taste.
Here it is…something with chocolate in it! Enjoy!
Brownies with Raspberries and Vanilla Ice Cream
|Brownies with Raspberries and Vanilla Ice Cream|
What a yummy dessert that’s fast and simple. All you need is one package brownie mix, some fresh or frozen raspberries (approximately 1/2 pint) and a little vanilla bean ice cream.
Prepare and bake the brownies according to the package. When done baking let cool on a cooling rack.
Put the berries in a bowl and add a tablespoon of sugar. Set at room temperature until juice comes up. Then stir and refrigerate until serving time.
Slice the brownies in 1/2 inch thick slices. Add a few scoops of ice cream. Pour the berries and juice over the top. Be sure to serve the brownies slightly warm.
I love dessert. All kinds…especially if it has chocolate in it. But when the fresh fruit is in season, I love dessert with fruit in it. And the most classic dessert I can come up with that has fruit is one of my favorites….
Take the most freshest strawberries and wash them thoroughly. Then thinly slice them using a sharp paring knife. Place the the slices into a bowl and sprinkle some sugar over them to develop the juice. Let sit for about an hour.
For the cake part, use dessert cups, pound cake or angel food cake. Place the cake/cup on a plate or in a bowl. Spread real whip cream over the cups, and then add a layer of strawberries. Pour some of the juice over the top. Add more whip cream and then garnish with strawberry slices as desired.
Homemade Grape Jam (from real grapes grown in our garden)
|“My Garden Grapes” by Edward Dusterhoft|
Don’t these look yummy! We have about 4 grapevines in our small, back patio area. One is just a rootstock, and then there are three others. We planted them years ago when we first moved into our condo, but today, if you asked me what type they are, I wouldn’t be able tell you. I just know they look beautiful and taste great.
Originally we planted these grapes to hide the ugly garage wall that our patio backs into. Now since they are finally established they are actually producing these beauties. Not producing alot mind you, but enough to make a very small batch of jam. Even the rootstock had grapes on it! There isn’t anything grafted onto it so somehow being in close proximity it cultivated it’s own variety! How cool is that!
So you are probably wondering how we made the jam. Well, it was easy. Be sure to destem the grapes first. Then, using a similar recipe similary used for making cranberries, put the grapes into a pot and heat them until the juice starts to form. Then mashed them with a potato masher to get out as much juice as possible.
Once everything is completely mashed, put the grapes through a fine sieve to separate the juice from the skins and seeds. Put the resulting juice back on the heat, and bring to a high boil. Add sugar to the desired sweetness.
I like tart so we didn’t put in very much sugar. With about two cups of juice, we added added 1/2 cup of sugar and then tasted. Always remember to taste before adding more sugar. You can always add, but you can’t take away. Remember these are flavorable wine grapes. If you use concord grapes or any other kind of table grapes you will need to add a different amount of sugar.
Bring the liquid/sugar mixture to a high boil for 10-20 minutes. Remember, you need to boil it at a high enough temperature to get it to jell; which means it needs to boil above the boiling point of water (212 degrees). You want it to be 225 to 230 degrees so the natural pectin allows the juice to jell.
Pour it into whatever vessal you choose and let cool. If you want to make preserves, follow the standard procedures for canning. Since we didn’t have that many grapes we didn’t feel the need to go this route. We just had enough for a small bowl.
My husband thinks this is really just a fruit compote and the truth is that you can use any fruit that is in season. If the fruit is naturally sweet, you don’t need to add a lot of extra sugar. As for me, this is probably the best grape jam, I’ve ever tasted.
Cost: Essentially FREE as the grapes were already ours!
|Homemade Grape Jam|
Thick-Cut Sirloin Steaks for $2.89/lb
Most of us like to have a good steak every now and then. What we don’t necessarily want to do is to go out to dinner and pay the $50.00+ tab. Depending on the restaurant, that bill could be double or even triple. In this economy, most of us can’t afford it. However, we can afford to eat a really good, thick-cut, sirloin steak for $2.89/lb.
When shopping for meat, you should be looking at the price per pound, not the overall price. You should also look at how many meals you can get out of the cut of meat. For example, filet mignon at the local grocery store is 15.00 per pound, at the local specialty store it is $22.00 per pound, and at the wholesale store it’s 9.00 per pound. If the meat purchased at the grocery store and the specialty store is only one serving, then that is almost as expensive as going out to dinner. However, if you purchase a larger piece of the filet mignon, you might actually spend as much as an expensive dinner out, but you actually get more servings.
Above, you’ll see a recent purchase we made of a very nice cut of Beef Round Tip. The cost was $2.89/lb and the total weight was 9.06 pounds. You’ll see the total cost was $25.82. For most people, this is alot of money for a piece of meat, but for us, this cut of meat will provide us 18 servings. Yes, that’s right! 18 individual servings!
Here’s how we did it:
Remove the meat from its package, rinse if off and put it on a large cutting board:
Depending on the piece you have, remove the excess fat, tendons and membrane.
Slice the meat to your desired thickness:
We were able to slice 4 thick-cut sirloins from this piece of meat ( 2 – 2lb steaks, 2 – 1 3/4lb steaks).
We still had some left over bits, so we cut them up into smaller pieces:
Then we turned to our KitchenAid Mixer (best kitchen investment we ever made) and added the meat grinder attachment:
Turn on the mixer and feed the meat into the top of the grinder:
From the left over pieces, we were able to make 1 1/2 pounds of sirloin burger meat:
Overall, there was about 4-6 ounces of waste and we ended up with all this meat for 18 meals. What did we spend again…$25.82. This ends up being $1.43 per serving. Now…what restaurant did you want to go to again? I think I’ll stay home and have my husband make me dinner.


In central Minnesota it finally got warm enough to grill out, so I decided to make a cedar-plank grilled salmon. It was nothing too adventurous, so I wanted to find a recipe with a twist to it.
Eventually I found this recipe for a pinot noir infused cedar-plank salmon with some fresh herbs on top. The recipe calls for soaking the plank and wood chips in a pinot noir and water mixture before grilling. That sounded pretty good, and it is always a nice idea to start the grilling season with a lot of smoke to let the neighborhood know that winter is over.
I used a baking sheet to soak the plank in the wine-water mixture, and a measuring cup filled with the wine mixture and wood chips to weigh it down. I soaked everything for about 2-3 hours. The wood chips I used were organic golden alder chips that I bought from Maine Grilling Woods. They have a nice selection of wood chips for smoking and were featured in Food & Wine in June of last year. The Food & Wine article also gives 20 grilling tips, which are handy to review before grilling season really starts.
I pretty much followed the recipe to the letter, but I did marinate the salmon longer in the wine-water mixture and sprinkled some kosher salt and freshly ground pepper on the fish before putting it on the grill. Also, because I bought a rather large center-cut piece of salmon, it took around 20-25 minutes to cook instead of 15 minutes as the recipe calls for. The marjoram, thyme and rosemary were also a nice touch on top.
The end result was really amazing. I had never cooked with wood chips before, and I can’t say exactly how much the pinot noir influenced the taste, but it was so good that I don’t think I would change anything the next time. In the end the hardest part of the meal was sacrificing a bottle of red wine to season the wood, but the result was definitely worth it.


The flavor of potatoes is influenced by the stage of development at which they are harvested. Potatoes dug while the vines are still green are termed "new potatoes", and have a special sweet flavor and texture. Because sugars are continuously being produced in the leaves and transported to the tubers, the special new potato flavor does not keep for more than a week or so after the potatoes are dug. It's better to dig small quantities of new potatoes each week than a large amount at one time.
We have new potatoes ready for creamed peas and new potatoes for the 4th of July each year. The round white variety, Superior, is the first to be ready. Red new potatoes available a little later in July.
The process of digging potatoes causes bruises, scrapes and sometimes cuts. Freshly dug potatoes require a period of ten days to two weeks at room temperature to allow the wounds to heal. After that, they can be successfully stored for several months at temperatures between about 40° F and 50° F. High humidity is desirable, but potatoes should never be allowed to get wet. Potatoes must be stored in the dark to keep them from turning green. (Green parts of potato tubers can be toxic and should not be eaten.) Covered cardboard or wooden containers work well. Tight plastic containers may not allow the potatoes sufficient opportunity to "breathe". Do not wash or scrub potatoes until you are ready to use them. Potatoes do not store well after washing.
In a meat, potatoes and gravy culture, many people don't realize that potatoes have much flavor. (That's what gravy, butter and sour cream are for.) However, some kinds of potatoes have a very nice flavor of their very own! We have selected the varieties of potatoes that we raise for flavor.
We raise Superior potatoes, an early round white variety with excellent flavor. Yukon Golds are good bakers with yellow flesh. Our red potatoes are sweet as new potatoes, and well flavored and fine textured when mature. Yellow Finn potatoes are Chris's favorite. Very fine texture and sweet flavor. These yellow fleshed potatoes are good microwaved or in casseroles.
And of course, for just plain great flavor we have the fingerling variety, Rose Finn Apple. These fingerling potatoes are great in potato salad, or microwaved and served as finger food - either warm or cold.
Pick your own potatoes really means dig your own potatoes. Kids just love the process. Start with a few vines coming out of bare ground, put the shovel in the ground, and all of a sudden a handful of potatoes appear. It's a real treasure hunt.
There are a few tricks that make digging potatoes more efficient and easier. Start with the blade of the shovel straight up and down about 5 inches away from where the vines enter the ground, and push it 8 to 10 inches into the ground. Then pull back on the handle a little, and push the shovel under the potatoes. Push back and down on the handle, and the potatoes are lifted to the surface. Watch the kids scramble to find all of the buried treasure!
To help all customers find the kind of potatoes that they want and to minimize wastefulness, we have a set of instructions that we ask all diggers to please follow. In the field you will find that the rows of the different varieties of potatoes are marked with different colored stakes. Once you know which kind of potato you want (white, red, yellow, fingerlings), find the row marked with the corresponding colored stake (this information is provided to you at the farm). We ask you to:
We appreciate cooperative diggers/pickers. Such customers are a tremendous help toward making harvesting veggies at The Tree Farm simple, fun, and enjoyable for all.