Most people are unaware of the 2005 change that replaced the old food pyramid. Many people are familiar with the old 1992 version that was long outdated. I have added a link for everyone to visit so that you may see the new pyramid.
www.mypyramid.gov
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Show them that you care!
As a college student it's hard to buy gifts for family memebers because of all the holidays and birthdays.What i have started to do is i have began baking them cakes and different treats..Yesterday for Mother's day I was short on funds and baked my Mom a cake..she loved it and it saved me some cash. Try it and see the response you get.
Summertime is almost here!
It's crazy to think that summer is almost 1 month away but don't worry i am here to help you get through it.What better way to spend the summer than picnics and family gatherings. I have a receipe below that is perfect for the summer-enjoy
Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 35m
Ready in: 40m
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Directions
1)Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2)Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in ketchup, honey, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes to thicken sauce. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
3)Lightly oil the grill grate. Dip chicken in sauce, and turn to coat. Cook on grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Move chicken to the skillet with sauce. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.
Prep Time: 5m
Cook Time: 35m
Ready in: 40m
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Directions
1)Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2)Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in ketchup, honey, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes to thicken sauce. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
3)Lightly oil the grill grate. Dip chicken in sauce, and turn to coat. Cook on grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once. Move chicken to the skillet with sauce. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Vegetarian Restaurants
If you are like me, than you are not really a fan of meat. Its hard for me to eat vegetarian because of all the meat-eaters that surround me. Here are some vegaetarian restaurants listed below that might convince you to give up the meat-enjoy
Native foods, 1110 1/2 Gayley Avenue, Westwood, open 11am to 10pm daily, tel# (310) 209-1055This is a must for vegetarians! It's all vegan, it's cozy, the staff is really friendly and they offer reasonable prices as it is so close to UCLA. My favorite is the Ru-Bruin sandwich. It's blackened seitan with native foods "cheese" (which I think is some sort of delicious cashew concoction) served with cole-slaw. (SN)
Real Food Daily, 242 S Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, tel# 310-858-0880Vegan
Fattys & Co., 1627 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, open until 8 or 10pm except on Tuesdays, tel# 323 254 8804We want you to know about Fatty's fine dining restaurant, which is 100% vegetarian cuisine. (KD)
Dr. J's Healthy and Tasty Vegetarian Restaurant, 1303 Westwood Blvd, open Monday through Saturday, 11am to 8pm, tel #310/477-2721This is an all natural wheat-free, sugar-free, and other items-free casual restaurant owned by a very sweet woman who loves to talk about her food philosophy with the customers. Asian influence cuisine. (JW)
Real Food Daily, 514 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, 310/451-7544In case you're in Los Angeles (really a fine town, despite the bad reputation), the best vegetarian restaurant here is Real Food Daily with locations in West Hollywood and Santa Monica. It's a vegan restaurant that even my meat-eating family members enjoy. The food is flavorful, healthy and organic, and there is a wide variety of types of food. (JW)
The Farmer and The Cook, 339 West El Roblar Drive, OjaiAn all-organic, all vegetarian restaurant, open since 2001. "We make an effort to have vegan options. We make a vegan veggie burger while preparing the regular vegetarian recipe. The salad bar is 75% vegan and all the eggs and cheese are seperate so that incidental spillage is reduced. We never cook meat. The store is all organic. The store has been operating for seven years. The proprietors grow 14 acres of fruits and vegetables organically on sites that are virtually free of neighboring contamination. We do not use manure, we use flax seed meal as our main fertilizer. We scratch-cook all our soups and main meals." (SS)
Native foods, 1110 1/2 Gayley Avenue, Westwood, open 11am to 10pm daily, tel# (310) 209-1055This is a must for vegetarians! It's all vegan, it's cozy, the staff is really friendly and they offer reasonable prices as it is so close to UCLA. My favorite is the Ru-Bruin sandwich. It's blackened seitan with native foods "cheese" (which I think is some sort of delicious cashew concoction) served with cole-slaw. (SN)
Real Food Daily, 242 S Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, tel# 310-858-0880Vegan
Fattys & Co., 1627 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, open until 8 or 10pm except on Tuesdays, tel# 323 254 8804We want you to know about Fatty's fine dining restaurant, which is 100% vegetarian cuisine. (KD)
Dr. J's Healthy and Tasty Vegetarian Restaurant, 1303 Westwood Blvd, open Monday through Saturday, 11am to 8pm, tel #310/477-2721This is an all natural wheat-free, sugar-free, and other items-free casual restaurant owned by a very sweet woman who loves to talk about her food philosophy with the customers. Asian influence cuisine. (JW)
Real Food Daily, 514 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, 310/451-7544In case you're in Los Angeles (really a fine town, despite the bad reputation), the best vegetarian restaurant here is Real Food Daily with locations in West Hollywood and Santa Monica. It's a vegan restaurant that even my meat-eating family members enjoy. The food is flavorful, healthy and organic, and there is a wide variety of types of food. (JW)
The Farmer and The Cook, 339 West El Roblar Drive, OjaiAn all-organic, all vegetarian restaurant, open since 2001. "We make an effort to have vegan options. We make a vegan veggie burger while preparing the regular vegetarian recipe. The salad bar is 75% vegan and all the eggs and cheese are seperate so that incidental spillage is reduced. We never cook meat. The store is all organic. The store has been operating for seven years. The proprietors grow 14 acres of fruits and vegetables organically on sites that are virtually free of neighboring contamination. We do not use manure, we use flax seed meal as our main fertilizer. We scratch-cook all our soups and main meals." (SS)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
fad diets
What is a fad diet? When I think of a fad diet I think of a something that gains tremendous popularity and following, promises a huge weight loss, and is reasonably unhealthy, maybe mentally in addition to physically. Some of them stay around for a long time; some go away just as quickly as they came. I have never gone on a diet in my life but am very fascinated by those who decide to follow these strict routines. I understand the need for a quick fix…I get the need to be thinner, “hotter,” more attractive, etc. But I do not understand the people who follow a fad diet that is obviously unhealthy. Why, why, why put your health in danger because you want to look good???!!! (Yes, why needs to be repeated and three question marks are needed. This idea is obviously absurd to me).
The Hollywood diet is the perfect example of a fad diet. It promises a loss of ten pounds in 48 hours by drinking a cocktail of “vitamins, fruits, minerals, antioxidants and essential oils” (http://www.everydiet.org/ ). This diet is so ridiculous; you can even buy it from a commercial on TV. Other examples include the Zone diet, which has become popular because of celebrity followers (Jennifer Aniston is an avid Zone dieter), the South Beach diet which follows the same kind of detailed structure that the Zone diet follows, and the Atkins diet which my mom has been following on and off for a few years now.
Check out the diets and let us know what you think!
Websites:
http://www.everydiet.org/
http://hotsearches.aol.com/2008/04/15/whats-the-latest-diet-craze/?icid=100214839x1200152802x1200007235
http://www.faddiet.com/ (for a humorous approach to dieting. Check out the AMPUTATION diet).
The Hollywood diet is the perfect example of a fad diet. It promises a loss of ten pounds in 48 hours by drinking a cocktail of “vitamins, fruits, minerals, antioxidants and essential oils” (http://www.everydiet.org/ ). This diet is so ridiculous; you can even buy it from a commercial on TV. Other examples include the Zone diet, which has become popular because of celebrity followers (Jennifer Aniston is an avid Zone dieter), the South Beach diet which follows the same kind of detailed structure that the Zone diet follows, and the Atkins diet which my mom has been following on and off for a few years now.
Check out the diets and let us know what you think!
Websites:
http://www.everydiet.org/
http://hotsearches.aol.com/2008/04/15/whats-the-latest-diet-craze/?icid=100214839x1200152802x1200007235
http://www.faddiet.com/ (for a humorous approach to dieting. Check out the AMPUTATION diet).
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Nicaraguan Appetites
Plátanos Fritos
(Fried ripe plantains)
Yield: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
PREP
AMOUNT
Ripe plantains
cut in half crosswise and lengthwise, peeled
4 each
Oil
for frying
METHOD
Basic Steps: Sauté
Heat about 1/2" oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the plantains, a few pieces at a time and sauté until lightly browned. Turn and sauté the second side.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the rest of the plantains. Sprinkle with a little salt serve hot.
VARIATIONS
The plantains can be sliced in rounds if you like.
Top the plantains with a little brown sugar or piloncillo if they need added sweetness. Other possible garnishes are crumbled queso fresco, grated Parmesan cheese, sour cream or seasoned tomato sauce.
(Fried ripe plantains)
Yield: 4-6 servings
INGREDIENTS
PREP
AMOUNT
Ripe plantains
cut in half crosswise and lengthwise, peeled
4 each
Oil
for frying
METHOD
Basic Steps: Sauté
Heat about 1/2" oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the plantains, a few pieces at a time and sauté until lightly browned. Turn and sauté the second side.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the rest of the plantains. Sprinkle with a little salt serve hot.
VARIATIONS
The plantains can be sliced in rounds if you like.
Top the plantains with a little brown sugar or piloncillo if they need added sweetness. Other possible garnishes are crumbled queso fresco, grated Parmesan cheese, sour cream or seasoned tomato sauce.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Reality Show + Food = Fabulous
I'm gonna come right out and say it: I don't cook well. I have trouble following directions even on a box of rice, I’m impatient, and I’m messy. It’s like putting a kindergartener in the kitchen. Pretty much the only things I can make that don’t include directions are spaghetti, grilled cheese, or scrambled eggs. But I like food. I like eating it, I like smelling my mom cooking it in the kitchen. I wish I could become a better chef but I have shelved that hope (at least until I’m all grown up and mom isn’t making my meals anymore). This is why I watch cooking shows. I am cooking vicariously through them!
Over the past several years reality shows have gained tremendous popularity. It started with shows like The Real World, Road Rules, Big Brother, and Survivor; shows that throw a group of strangers together, give them challenges, and then broadcast the results for our entertainment. But now we have every kind of reality show from cake baking challenges on Ace of Cakes on The Food Network to The Deadliest Catch on Discovery. We are able to view the lives of groups of people that we will never be, never want to be, or only wish to become.
Two major cooking reality shows are Hell’s Kitchen on Fox and Top Chef on Bravo. Hell’s Kitchen stars Gordon Ramsay, an award winning Scottish chef. The premise is simple: while the group of contestants is small they compete in two teams: red and blue. When the group is small enough they compete individually but while on the same team. When it is down to the last two, each person is given their own restaurant. Then the winner is chosen. The winner is awarded the title of top chef of a restaurant. I have only seen this show a couple times but let me say that Gordon Ramsay is a very intense man. He has no qualms about cussing out the contestants even using the phrase “fuck off” when he eliminated one. He takes his craft very seriously and flips out when things are not done to his standards. It makes for pretty entertaining television:
Hell is the right word for it.
I find this one hard to follow simply because it is usually the same every week: the contestants suck, Ramsay yells, then he reluctantly chooses a winner.
Top Chef stars Padma Lakshmi (cookbook writer, actress, model), Gail Simmons (food critic, Food & Wine magazine), Tom Collicchio (chef), and Ted Allen (wine connoisseur, was on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) as judges. The premise is equally simple: there is a “quickfire” challenge in which a person is chosen to be “immune” from elimination. Then there is an elimination challenge in which there is a winner and (shock!) a loser who is eliminated. When three contestants are remaining the show has a final challenge, usually taking place in at a big event in a special location. This show is one of my favorites because of the elaborate, artistic ways in which the food is prepared and served. They prove that cooking can be a real art form and it just makes me want to go raid a whole foods and go to town in the kitchen!
This clip has no cooking in it but it’s still entertaining.
To me, shows like this have real value because our world today is run by McDonald’s and frozen dinners. That is not real food. I like seeing everything freshly prepared by people who love preparing it :)
Go check them out:
http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/4/index.php
http://fox.com/hellskitchen/
Over the past several years reality shows have gained tremendous popularity. It started with shows like The Real World, Road Rules, Big Brother, and Survivor; shows that throw a group of strangers together, give them challenges, and then broadcast the results for our entertainment. But now we have every kind of reality show from cake baking challenges on Ace of Cakes on The Food Network to The Deadliest Catch on Discovery. We are able to view the lives of groups of people that we will never be, never want to be, or only wish to become.
Two major cooking reality shows are Hell’s Kitchen on Fox and Top Chef on Bravo. Hell’s Kitchen stars Gordon Ramsay, an award winning Scottish chef. The premise is simple: while the group of contestants is small they compete in two teams: red and blue. When the group is small enough they compete individually but while on the same team. When it is down to the last two, each person is given their own restaurant. Then the winner is chosen. The winner is awarded the title of top chef of a restaurant. I have only seen this show a couple times but let me say that Gordon Ramsay is a very intense man. He has no qualms about cussing out the contestants even using the phrase “fuck off” when he eliminated one. He takes his craft very seriously and flips out when things are not done to his standards. It makes for pretty entertaining television:
Hell is the right word for it.
I find this one hard to follow simply because it is usually the same every week: the contestants suck, Ramsay yells, then he reluctantly chooses a winner.
Top Chef stars Padma Lakshmi (cookbook writer, actress, model), Gail Simmons (food critic, Food & Wine magazine), Tom Collicchio (chef), and Ted Allen (wine connoisseur, was on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) as judges. The premise is equally simple: there is a “quickfire” challenge in which a person is chosen to be “immune” from elimination. Then there is an elimination challenge in which there is a winner and (shock!) a loser who is eliminated. When three contestants are remaining the show has a final challenge, usually taking place in at a big event in a special location. This show is one of my favorites because of the elaborate, artistic ways in which the food is prepared and served. They prove that cooking can be a real art form and it just makes me want to go raid a whole foods and go to town in the kitchen!
This clip has no cooking in it but it’s still entertaining.
To me, shows like this have real value because our world today is run by McDonald’s and frozen dinners. That is not real food. I like seeing everything freshly prepared by people who love preparing it :)
Go check them out:
http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/4/index.php
http://fox.com/hellskitchen/
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