Are Parents to Blame For Childhood Obesity?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past three decades the obesity rate for children between the ages of 6-11 has tripled. As a result the cases of childhood Type 2 diabetes has exploded, as has the number of cases of bone and joint problems caused by excessive weight. Our super-sized society is literally jeopardizing the health of our children. From big gulps to “biggie sized” fast food meals – society promotes unhealthy eating habits in our children.

Yet, even inside the home we continue to encourage poor feeding habits. Typically parents will tell kids to eat everything on their plate, yet our plate sizes have grown over the last decades. Nine inch diameter dinner plates were once the norm. Now eleven inch diameter dinner plates are commonplace. May not sound like much of a difference but realize that an eleven inch plate holds 33% more food than a nine inch plate. The result – we are simply over-feeding our children. What can you do to help fight the epidemic of childhood obesity? Try these tips. They’ll encourage healthy habits in your kids and keep more of your hard earned money in your wallet. Switch to smaller plates. Continue reading “Are Parents to Blame For Childhood Obesity?”

Fusion Food – A Multicultural Feast

What is fusion food?

Fusion dishes combine elements of various culinary traditions while not fitting into any one of them specifically. It is food that offers the best of both worlds. In culture and tradition menus are limited to the availability of food.

The lucky thing about a country like Australia is the wide range of fresh, seasonal produce – fruits, meats, herbs, spices – available to us removes some of those limitations. The inclusion of uniquely Australian flavours and produce into other the food of other cultures offers an exciting menu opportunity not available anywhere else in the world. Continue reading “Fusion Food – A Multicultural Feast”

The Different Kinds of Cooking TV Shows

Cooking shows have proved to be quite an effective method of driving the ratings up for a network. The premise of cooking TV shows is fairly simple. You find a great chef, create a kitchen for him or her, place the chef in the kitchen and have him or her prepare mouthwatering dishes. Many people may think that this is boring and that it’ll hardly work, but numerous shows have proven them wrong.

Reality Cooking TV Shows

Cooking shows are popular. In fact, they are one of the most popular daytime shows. People generally love the idea that these shows have to offer. With the popularity of reality shows, reality cooking TV shows are inevitable. Combining reality TV and cooking is actually brilliant because this removes the boring factor associated to cooking by people who are not actually interested in the art. Reality cooking shows effectively introduce cooking to people who are looking for edgier programs. The idea is this — even if you don’t like to cook, you’d still get entertained. People get hooked, not by the actual cooking, but by the excitement the show generates. People come back week after week just to see what will happen next. Continue reading “The Different Kinds of Cooking TV Shows”

Spumoni – Part 3 – A Delicious Easy Recipe

Well, I’m sure by now you’ve decided that, while spumoni might well be a delicious Italian Dessert, it’s WAY too much work. I wanted to provide a reasonably authentic recipe for this delicious dessert for those who wanted to hone their cooking skills. However, the tedious and time-consuming recipe listed in the previous post is not one that everyone will care to try.

With this in mind, I sought out an easier, more user-friendly recipe that would enable more people to try spumoni without the huge investment of time, energy and skill. The recipe I’m bringing to you today will be easier and faster to prepare and offers the opportunity to be selective in the ingredients for those who are fat, calorie and carb conscious.

Easy Spumoni Continue reading “Spumoni – Part 3 – A Delicious Easy Recipe”

Indian Tasty Breakfast (Upma) Receipe

Upma, also known as Uppindi, Uppumavu, Uppittu, Kharabath, Uppeet, and Rulanv is an Indian dish made of semolina or rava. The name is an amalgam of two words: uppu means “salt” and maavu means “flour”. Upma is a common South Indian breakfast dish. It is usually made with refined wheat grains, which Indians generally call suji.

A variety of upmas can also be made with both vermicelli and thick, brown wheat grains. Upma is simple and easy to prepare. You can also add vegetable to enhance the taste and make it more nutritious and healthy dish. Upma may also be garnished with a variety of beans (raw or sprouted), cashew and peanuts.

Semolina is most commonly made from Durum wheat, which is thicker and yellow in color with a higher protein and gluten content than Rava. Rava on the other hand is specifically semolina made from soft wheat also known by the trade name of Cream of wheat or farina (food), which is a softer white cereal. Continue reading “Indian Tasty Breakfast (Upma) Receipe”

Tips For Preparing Easy To Make Healthy Dinner Meals

For most families, dinner is the most important meal of the day. It is that only part of the day wherein all family members are present and everyone can catch up on all the important familial and school matters. Parents who are in charge of preparing dinner will also have more time to cook and won’t have to feel rushed about making the night’s meal, unlike during breakfast, when everyone has to hurry to go to work or school.

Since dinner is usually the only time during the day that everyone can be present at the table, you will certainly want to spend less time preparing the meal and more on conversing with the family. As such, it would be helpful to know some tips for preparing easy to make dinner meals that are healthy and delicious, too. Below are some of these tips you can follow for making easy to cook yet healthy dinner meals: Continue reading “Tips For Preparing Easy To Make Healthy Dinner Meals”

3 Categories To Follow For Newbies On Pinterest

For newbies, starting with a new social media website can be both exciting and confusing. If you are new to Pinterest, which is a social media website established in 2010, navigating your way through it could take a little getting used to. The site, which is divided into categories of boards (a board is where you attach your pin), offers a plethora of information if you can get a bit organized. Here are some of the categories you may start with.

Food

This is a category with which you cannot go wrong. Whether you want to share your own recipe with the world, or get abreast with the latest trends in dishes worldwide, this category could provide you with the right kind of platform. All you need to find are the top influencers in this category. They could be anyone from a home baker to a celebrity chef (and a little bit of research on Google could help you with that), and follow their boards. If you are up to sharing your own recipes, or anything else related to food, simply pin the image to your board, and provide a link that would take the visitor to your website or blog. Such a great way to improve traffic, is it not?

Travel Continue reading “3 Categories To Follow For Newbies On Pinterest”

Fruit Platter

Fruit is a big hit after a meal, especially when you are dinning with your family and guests. A fruit platter complements a full course treat. It is a delicious and beautiful serving where a large dish is decorated with various fresh fruits arranged in a pattern. There are some methods which can be followed to make the fruit platter perfect fit for an occasion. The serving bowl, in which the fruits are served, must be a simple one. Always remember that a simple and soft color highlights the fruits the most. Select ripe and firm fruits with rich aroma, and wash and dry the fruits properly before making the preparation. Fruits like apples, melons, berries, grapes, plums, apricots and kiwi go well for the best fruit platter. Not choosing soft fruits like Fuji, bananas, pears or peaches would be a wise decision as these fruits discolor quickly. All fruits should have individual place in the platter so that it gains a uniform appearance. Sprinkle mint leaves and other ingredients to garnish the fruit platter.

Continue reading “Fruit Platter”

Tzatziki Sauce Recipe, A Few Variations

Tzatziki is a Greek dressing which goes well with gyros, souvlaki or Greek salad. It is also a great dipping sauce, or an appetizer. While vegetarians wouldn’t normally eat gyros or souvlaki, tzatziki can be served to vegetarians who consume dairy, making it a refreshing sauce both vegetarians and meat-eaters can enjoy.

There are several variations of the tzatziki recipe. You can use sour milk, or yogurt, or strained yogurt, or sour cream – it all depends on your taste. You can use dried and crushed mint, or dried and crushed dill, or fresh dill, cut into tiny pieces. Tzatziki can be made with or without parsley, with or without lemon juice, olive oil is often used but it’s not mandatory – and it will still be a tasty tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce – Ingredients for 8 Servings Continue reading “Tzatziki Sauce Recipe, A Few Variations”

A New Look at an Old Pound Cake Recipe, the Pros and Cons

Making changes to cake recipes is tricky. One never knows how the result will actually come out. Will it be too dry? Will the oven time need changes? How much beating is enough? The pound cake recipe my sister sent me all those years ago called for baking in a bundt or tube pan. As the cake starts out in a cold oven, slowly heating to a very low temperature over a lengthy baking time, using an angel food cake pan or other pan that separates at the base is disastrous. I say this from experience. The oven was a mess.

Difficulties with this Recipe

The one problem with the cake is that it has always stuck to the pan. It comes out in pieces. It is still delicious. It can be used cut into a trifle. It can be used as shortcake with fruit over top. It is just not very pretty. An angel food pan would have been ideal, as it is easy to run a knife around the edges to separate, lift out the tube portion and then run the knife around the base. But it cannot be baked in that sort of pan. My thought has been that using a couple of loaf pans would work. The recipe is large, and easily could make 2 smaller loaf pans. A loaf pan has straight sides, making it simple to line with parchment, and thereby eliminating the problem of sticking to the pan. This is not possible in a bundt or other solid tube pan, as they are generally patterned. But, I wondered, how about a silicone bundt pan?

Changes and Substitutions Continue reading “A New Look at an Old Pound Cake Recipe, the Pros and Cons”