Gina A. Herrera

June 14, 2017 Nutrition & Healthy Food

The 8 Commandments of Vacuum Sealing Food

“I bought my vacuum sealer after watching an online ad out of excitement and it has since been lying in my kitchen cupboard, never having seen the light of the day.”

Sounds Like You?

Well, don’t worry! There are many out there just like you! But don’t blame this amazing gadget on your sloth. There is still time to utilize this amazing item. Here are a few tips that will help you freeze food for longer and save up on a few bucks at the same time!

Rule # 1: Pre-freeze

Every time you try to vacuum out the air from a bag of fruits, meatballs, etc., the food gets squished. You wonder why you should use the vacuum sealer at all! Well, news is that you’re not doing it the right way. When freezing food items like berries, freeze them on a plain sheet, before putting them in a packet and vacuum sealing them. Moreover, in case of soups, freeze them in plastic bowls or containers.

Rule # 2: Freeze Certain Foods Uncooked

Because of the differences in the consistency and type of food, each food when frozen will not heat well. While there are soups and other semi-liquid food items that reheat well, it is very likely that something like meatballs might remain cold from the inside. So it is better to freeze it uncooked.

Rule # 3: Label Everything

When putting anything in the freezer, label it properly with the name of the food item as well as the day it is stored. This will ensure that you do not mistake tomato puree with chili sauce. Moreover, each food item has a certain expiry date even when it is frozen.

You do not want to forget when you store a certain item and use it after its expiry. Labeling packs also ensures that your refrigerator is organized.

Rule # 4: Do Not Limit It To The Freezer

Though vacuum sealing keeps all kinds of food preserved, it is not effective to freeze food only. If you vacuum seal the foods with their boxes in your pantry, you will be able to increase their shelf life as well. So do not limit the use of the vacuum sealer.

Food items like flour, cheese, etc. can all be vacuum sealed. In case of powdered food like flour, just make sure that the vacuum sealer does not directly come in

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June 14, 2017 Nutrition & Healthy Food

Belly Fat Cure and Fruits

Belly fat cure! This is the single most interesting topic that engages most of the people across the world. Everyone, in the same way or the other, worries about losing weight. Now, the general idea is, the lesser you eat, the lesser the weight gain and thus your weight remains in check! But this is far from the real truth! Not eating is not the solution here.

Controlled and selective eating is the answer. Here, we are listing some of the best ideas for protein food that leads to belly fat cure.

Belly Fat Cure By Protein Foods

Baby Spinach Nutrition

This is not only useful for the good old Popeye, but it has several positive effects on the human body. You would be surprised to know how much protein is contained in spinach. One cup of this leafy vegetable has as much protein as a hardboiled egg. But it might not be that pleasing to the taste buds.

So you could steam it instead of having the food raw. Also, you could team the spinach with some pasta or omelette to toss in the vegetables to make for an exciting meal. Apart from proteins, it has a good combination of vitamins for the body too.

Guava Juice

Guava is one of the most important and nutritious foods around. In fact, it is the fruit with the highest protein content. It offers a rich 4 grams of proteins per cup of the fruit. Guavas are delicious to taste and healthy to consume. So, having these in your regular fruit content might be an exciting prospect to get the weighing scales to go down.

Peas

You would be surprised if we really told you peas are protein rich foods. In fact, this vegetable has a lot more proteins than the conventional spinach. The best part about peas is that they offer a high dose of vitamin C as well. So one cup of these peas on a regular basis can really keep your immune system on a high.

You could use peas in your regular cooked food or even use it on your sandwiches or omelets in order to have a complete meal and get started with the whole process of weight loss.

Slivered Almonds

This is a great idea for snacks every now and then. Be it an early morning snack just before those long jogging sessions or

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June 10, 2017 Nutrition & Healthy Food

Some Reasons Why Brown Rice Is Better Than White Rice

Everybody takes white rice in their daily food but no one familiars that it has only less nutritional value than the brown rice. At all the times, brown rice is better than white rice because of its nutritional difference. Most of the people think that the difference between these two types of rices is only color.

It is a wrong thought because the brown rice is completely different from the white rice. In real fact, the brown rice is only a natural food with full of protein and existing brown rice nutrition. Only the top layer of the brown rice will be removed and all nutrients will be preserved in it. But the white rice is a polished form of brown rice. Generally, the rice has several layers on its top to preserve its nutrients.

When the brown rice is milled or polished, almost all healthy layers of the brown rice will be removed and resultant rice will be white with no nutrients. The brown rice has several nutrients such as phosphorous, selenium, manganese, iron, protein, dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, with no cholesterol.

These vitamins and nutrients are not available in the white rice. This is why brown rice is a healthiest food than white rice.

Some Reasons Why Brown Rice Is A Healthiest Option Than White Rice.

Rich in Manganese – A single cup of brown rice will provide nearly 80 % of the daily manganese requirement of the human body. This manganese nutrient will help to synthesize the fats. It also benefits human reproductive and nervous systems.
High in Selenium – Brown rice has high amount of selenium that helps to reduce the risk of some common illness like arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.
Rich in essential oils – Naturally occurring essential oils existing in the brown rice are greatly beneficial for the human body. These are healthy fats to normalize their cholesterol levels.
Whole Grain – The brown rice is basically considered a whole grain because there is no refinement process in it. It is proven to reduce the development of arterial plaque and also reduce the risk of high cholesterol and heart diseases.
Stimulate weight loss – The rich fiber content in the brown rice actually keeps a bowel function at its peak level because it makes a human body digestion much easier. Brown rice is a perfect choice

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June 8, 2017 Recipes

Put Spicy Octopus On The Menu Tonight

Spicy octopus doesn’t tend to be an everyday meal but sometimes you just hanker to present a entree that isn’t at all obvious. After all, who doesn’t want to break up the monotony of the nighttime dining ritual by coming up with a seafood dish that is out of the ordinary, to say the least?

So, roll up your sleeves and bring on your ingenuity to create what will be a meal to remember by following the explicit directions of chef David Maclellan of James Republic to make his grilled spicy octopus, served with roasted cauliflower and Meyer lemon confit.

Greek Octopus Recipe

All three recipes follow:

Ingredients for serving six:

1 ½ Octopus.
1 Onions.
1 Carrot.
1 Celery Stalk.
1 Garlic Head.

1 bunch Thyme.
1 tbsp coriander seed.
3 bay leaves.
1 cup White Wine.
1 Box Kosher Salt.

Marinade:

½ olive oil.
1 lemon, zested.
1tsp ground fennel seed.
2tbl red chili flakes.
2 smashed cloves of garlic.

Instructions:

Heavily salt the octopus for 12 to 16 hours. Rinse under cold water. In a 2 quart pot 3/4 full of water add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, coriander seeds, bay leaves, white wine and add the octopus. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for about 1 hour or until tender.

Remove from the water. Add to the marinade for 24 hours, then season with s&p and char on the grill, then dice into ½ inch pieces.

Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients:

1 head of white cauliflower (trimmed to small florets, save the remainder for puree).
1C Marcona almonds.
½ C castel ventrano olives.
½ C. rinsed watercress leaves.
½ C extra virgin Olive oil.

2 shallots (diced).
4 tbl of butter.
1 bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley (chiffonade).
2 sprigs of thyme.
¼ C heavy cream.

Directions:

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes. Take the left over cauliflower stem, and sauté with the shallots and 1 tbl of the butter, then add thyme. When the cauliflower is tender add the cream, bring to a boil. Place the cauliflower mixture in a blender, puree until smooth, while blending add the remaining butter, season with s&p and reserve.

Meyer Lemon Confit

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June 6, 2017 Nutrition & Healthy Food

Raise Your Awareness About Health Benefits

Find out more about essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants.
A healthy diet can be better monitored if you understand your own body.
From preventing cancer to lower your cholesterol levels.
Being aware of the health benefits of different ingredients can certainly be a step forward.

By no means, I wish to claim that certain foods alone can cure cancer and guarantee that you will be immune to all diseases. The right ingredients however, will help reduce the risk of poor health. I know which option I would rather take!

Below is a table of health benefits listing more than 100 ingredients and an explanation of essential acids and antioxidants.

The Following Table Lists Shows How Ingredients May Benefit Your Health:

INGREDIENTS	HEALTH TIPS AND BENEFITS
Aniseed	Aniseed, also known as Pimpinella Anisum. This ingredient is a decongestant, alleviates respiratory congestion and a bloated stomach. It contains Oestrogenic properties, increase milk production for mothers breastfeeding.
Apples	Apples provide excellent health benefits, help prevent constipation but also reduces diarrhea symptoms. This ingredient can improve lung capacity and it benefits the heart.
Apricot	From the same family of peach, apricot health benefits include to help prevent cancer and improve skin.
Artichoke	Promotes healthy function of the liver, heart and digestive system. Helps treat IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It can help to lower cholesterol and balance sugar levels.
Asparagus	Asparagus has a low calorific value but it is rich in antioxidants and vitamins A and C. Antioxidants like rutin, ferulic acid and ascorbic acid. This ingredient is recommended for cleansing blood, is high in fibre, can boost your immunity and ease digestion.
Aubergine / Egg Plant	Low in calories and fat. Reduces cholesterol levels. Good source of folate and potassium. Provide excellent health benefits, it is said to prevent cancer.
Avocado	Avocado can help balance hormones, shed unwanted weight, and prevent cervical cancer. Helps fight against diabetes lower cholesterol, reduces risk of strokes, improves skin and controls blood pressure.
Banana	Banana is rich is vitamin A, can improve skin conditions and can be a healthy alternative to help reducing depression. This ingredient is also rich in potassium and is good for the heart and nervous system. It can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Excellent for the blood as it also contains Vitamin 6. Bananas can promote regular bowel movement but also reduce diarrhea symptoms. Can contribute to