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Techniques for Healthy Cooking – Steaming
Steaming is very healthy and flavourful way to cook. It is especially good for cooking fresh vegetables. You can purchase a special steamer that plugs into the wall or you can convert an ordinary pan into a steamer by inserting a special steaming basket made of metal or bamboo. With steaming, you just add add some water to the pan, then add the steaming basket. Your veggies go on top of the basket so that the water doesn’t actually cover the vegetables or even touch them. You’ll then need to put a lid on your pot to keep the steam in. As you heat the water at the bottom of…
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Healthy Cooking – Grilling – Baking – Broiling
When it comes to healthy cooking, several methods that give great taste and good health are grilling, baking, and broiling. None of these methods add extra fat to your food and they all impart a wonderful flavour and texture to your meals. Grilling One of the healthiest ways to cook is to use your grill. Here in Canada, many people grill outdoors year round, even during the cold and snows of winter. Most outdoor grills use charcoal or propane gas. Gas grilling is quicker than using charcoal, but doesn’t have the same flavour as charcoal. Grilling can also be done indoors. There are many indoor grill models available for purchase.…
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Healthy Cooking – Healthy Fats and Substitutes
Many times when people decide to eat healthy foods, they try to eliminate fats from their diet. However, your body needs healthy fats and substitutes in order to function properly. The fat soluble vitamins A,D,E,K, and F are absorbed by the body with the fat that we eat, and are also necessary for the metabolism of certain minerals. To understand how dietary fat is important, you’ll need to know the difference between saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Saturated Fats Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are animal based. You find these fats in meats and dairy products such as bacon, butter, and lard. These are the fats that…
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Healthy Cooking – Frying
When you think about healthy cooking frying is not usually the first method that comes to mind. Frying involves cooking your food in some kind of fat or oil. When you fry foods, it usually adds a large amount of fat or oil to your food as the fat is absorbed by the food as it cooks. While fat is something that your body needs, it doesn’t need it in such high amounts. If you are trying to lose weight, you need to be especially careful about your fat consumption. Fat is very high in calories and reducing your fat intake is an easy way to reduce your overall calorie…
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Techniques for Healthy Cooking
If you’re trying to improve your health, one of the best things you can do is to incorporate healthy cooking techniques into your meal preparation. Sometimes when people talk about healthy cooking, it can sound intimidating and even unappetizing. We get used to doing things a certain way, and having things a certain way, so we are leery of making changes. But healthy cooking doesn’t have to be difficult or bland. Quite the contrary! Benefits for You Fresh natural foods, simply prepared, can be the most flavourful and delicious of all. And with just a few small changes, you can make a big difference in your health and the health…
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The Power of Beauty: Feel Better, Get Respect
I love watching television shows like What Not to Wear and How to Look Good Naked. In case you don’t know, these shows give women a self-esteem makeover by showing them now they can look fabulous without dieting, liposuction, facelifts, etc. They do this by showing them how to choose clothing that flatters them and how the right hairstyle and a bit of makeup can help them feel better about how they look. To be honest, there was a time when I would have dismissed that kind of thing as superficial fluff. That was before I was ready to deal with my own self esteem issues. To be beautiful is…
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How far will your dreams take you?
Today, I am offering my readers free desktop wallpaper, courtesy of Desktop Inspirations. This particular wallpaper happens to be the one that I have on my laptop right now. It inspires me to get to work, to think big, and to stop making excuses. All good things. In case you can’t see the graphic, it is a photo of the moon with the question beside it, “How far will your dreams take you?” When I designed it, I was thinking about how the dream of walking on the moon inspired so many people to invest their so much of their time and resources into making it happen.
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Spring is on its way!
Hooray! As of February 4, winter is officially half over and spring is on its way! The days here are already getting longer. Soon we will be moving our clocks ahead and sacrificing our annual hour of sleep to Daylight Savings Time. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I love winter. I am a Canadian, so I am used to cold, snow, ice, and dressing for the weather. I love the cool, blue light that reflects off the snow on a sunny day. I love how beautiful the snow can make a dead autumn landscape. I love winter clothing. The cozy sweaters, the warm scarves, the multiple layers that can…
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Caffeine Induced Insomnia – Sleep Deprived Again!
After extolling the virtues of good sleep hygiene and warning of the dangers of caffeine and video screens in my last post (all about how to sleep well… Oh, the irony!…), I myself have fallen victim to the curse of too much coffee and too little sleep. Coffee is now my enemy. It started out innocently enough with an early morning business meeting. The waiter at the restaurant brought coffee for everyone, and it was delicious. As I am always thirsty in the morning, I had a second cup with my breakfast. If only I had stopped there! But no… I had another cup of coffee at lunch. And that…
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How to Grow in Confidence – The Power Pose
As a natural introvert, I have always had to work hard at showing confidence in my interactions with other people. The good news is that feeling and showing confidence is a skill that can be learned and improved upon. By using some simple exercises and developing some positive habits, you, too, can grow in confidence. One of the easiest ways to help yourself to more confidence is by improving your posture. Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk, a fascinating 21 minute video, describes how recent research has shown that standing tall in a “power pose” like Wonder Woman or Superman for just two minutes can actually measurably change your body chemistry. This…
