November 2022

When I was a kid I think every family in the neighborhood had a cast iron skillet. The skillets were pretty much the same, but the meals that came from them were as diverse as the families. Our next door neighbors were from St. Paul, MN and they fixed Swedish Meatballs in their skillet. My family came from German and English stock and our meals reflected this heritage. Often my mother fixed German Fries, sliced onions and potatoes fried to a crispy brown. When I try hard I can see the German Fries in the skillet and smell the delicious smell that permeated the house. When German, Swedish and Europan immigrants came to America some brought their cast iron skillets with them. These skillets accompanied them on the Westward migration. Later, chuck wagon cooks used cast iron skillets, baking pans, and Dutch Ovens to fix meals. A cast iron skillet seems dated when compared to today’s electric appliances. But cast iron skillets are making a comeback and for good reasons. Consider these features. DURABILITY. Cast iron skillets have stood the test of time. They’re so durable they’ve been passed down from mother, to daughter, to grandaughter. USABILITY. You may use a cast iron skillet on your stove top, in the oven, over an open fire, on charcoal or gas grill. Better yet, today’s cast iron skillets come with a non-stick coating. VARIETY. A six-inch skillet is perfect for fixing a meal for one. The larger 10-inch skillet is just right for family meals. Grill pans – skillets with ridges on the bottom – are also available. COST. You’ll search far and wide before you find a better value. A six-inch skillet costs about $8 and a 10-inch skillet costs about $17,not bad for a lifetime investment. The cost of a grill pan varies, depending on whether the exterior has an enamel coating. You’ll need to re-season your skillet if you’ve had it for a long time. Lodge, the primary manufacturer of cast iron cookware, says you should wash the skillet in hot soapy water first. Dry the skillet and let it stand on the counter for a few hours. Next, Lodge says to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat the skillet with solid or liquid shortening. Place the skillet on a jelly roll pan to catch any drips. “Bake” the skillet in the oven for one hour. Turn the oven off and let the skillet cool completely before you open the door. Last, wipe off any residue with paper towels. Never wash a skillet in soapy water or scour it after it’s been re-seasoned. Instead, rinse the skillet under hot water and swish away food residue with a stiff brush. Make sure the skillet is dry before you put it away. You may also rub the skillet with salt to clean it. Rinse the salt off with hot water. Over time a dark coating will develop on the bottom of your skillet. Don’t worry, this is exactly what you want. In fact, some professional chefs think this coating gives food extra (and maybe secret) flavor. A well seasoned skillet needs only a coating of baking spray for shortening. Some recipes may not need shortening at all. I have two skillets, a plain one and a griddle pan. What do I fix in them? A better question would be, “What don’t I fix in them?” Marvelous food comes from these skillets: chunky applesauce flavored with cinnamon, stir-fried onions, peppers, mushrooms, and pea pods, fried brown rice with lots of veggies, chicken scallops with lemon sauce, lean hamburger patties, grilled asparagus with a hint of garlic, and more. Cooking healthy? Forget those fancy, shmancy pans. Get out the cast iron skillet and fix healthy meals for yourself and your family. Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. For more information on her work please go to http://www.harriethodgson.com. Source by Harriet Hodgson

In general, kids like to eat healthy. They love foods like fruit, yoghurt, milk and cereals. But unfortunately, the huge amount of chocolates and chips they see and are offered everywhere often makes them crave for these foods and rather rejecting the healthy foods you serve them. But with some simple tricks, you can easily make your kids eat healthy foods, sometimes even without them noticing it: Hide the veggies in foods your child loves Serve healthy foods with foods your child loves to make them more attractive Serve foods in a way your child likes them Make desserts, sweets and chips a bonus treat for eating the healthy food Make your kids help preparing the meal  Trick #1: Hide the veggies in foods your child loves Finely chop vegetables and pack them into a meatloaf or meat balls. Your child won’t even notice they are there. Especially mushrooms and aubergines can barely be seen as they take up a similar color like the meat. You can also use this trick for your minced meat when making a burger. Which child would reject a burger? If your child likes milk and yoghurt but refuses to eat fruit, puree the fruit secretly and mix it into the yoghurt. Tell your child it is fruit yoghurt you bought just like that. Or make a smoothie or milk shake. Maybe add some honey to make it sweeter and tastier. Trick #2: Serve healthy foods with foods your child loves to make them more attractive Serve fruit or fruit puree with ice cream. Pack fruit into your chocolate or vanilla cream. Serve a small portion of the veggies your child doesn’t like with other vegetables and chips. Put various vegetables into your pasta tomato sauce. Pour a vegetable puree over the pasta, or make chutney to serve with the chips or crackers. strong>Trick #3: Serve foods in a way your child likes them Maybe your child doesn’t have a general problem with the food itself but rather with its texture. If your child doesn’t like tomatoes, try tomato sauce, canned tomatoes or tomato soup. If he doesn’t like a certain fruit, make a jelly of it and put it on his sandwich for breakfast or mix it in his yoghurt as a snack. Try stewed or canned fruit instead of fresh fruit. Buy canned fruit in fruit juice rather than syrup as these products don’t have sugar added. Make your child’s plate look interesting. For example, cut the fruit and arrange it as a picture. Some butchers also sell special polony for kids in the shape of a funny face or a teddy bear. Trick #4: Make desserts, sweets and chips a bonus treat for eating the healthy food This strategy requires some determination from your side and might well result in some tantrums but should be quite effective after a while. Don’t ever give in! Eventually your child will give up. If your child refuses a certain healthy food, tell him he will only get dessert if he finishes his lunch. Chips and sweets will only be given after eating the whole dinner. Just make sure not to overload your child’s plate. In that case you might be punishing him for not overeating which would certainly be wrong. Trick #5: Make your kids help preparing the meal Children are much more willing to eat a meal when they helped preparing it. Give your child any task he can perform, like peeling the fruit, cutting the vegetables, stirring the food etc. The more you involve him in the cooking process, the better. When following these five tricks, your child will eventually eat at least some of the healthy foods. Focus on one food or one trick at a time, and when your child accepts this food, move on to the next one. Your child has developed his eating habits over time and will only gradually change them. Source by Bettina Berlin

The modern world, with its innumerable fast food joints, can really wreck a child’s health and well-being. Due to the growing popularity of fast foods, parents find it very difficult to inculcate healthy eating habits in a child. Foods that are cheap and easily prepared are usually not good for health. In spite of this obvious fact, a child, when given a choice between fast food and healthy food, will invariably choose fast food. Getting a child to enjoy healthy food is next to impossible, but there is no harm trying. You will have to use your creative powers to the maximum because it is not really that easy to make a child eat healthy food. You could try some of these ways to make your child eat healthy food. Use Fruits and Vegetables to Make Your Child’s Favorite Dishes You might not be successful in making your children understand the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables. But they will surely appreciate you if you make muffins out of apples or bananas or put a generous dose of spinach on their favorite pizza. Rename Fruits and Vegetables Children love it when you give funny names to usual fruits and vegetables. For instance, you could call broccoli “trees.” Renaming fruits and vegetables thus make them more interesting to eat. Children enjoy eating food that has unusual names. Experiment with Food Modify recipes so that you come out with exciting dishes. For instance, you could top broccoli with ranch dressing and celery with peanut butter. Vegetables can be combined in any number of ways to make them taste great. You can even permit your children to select a topping for a vegetable of his or her choice, even if you don’t really appreciate your child’s taste. Create Funny Designs Children enjoy food that looks attractive. Make your dishes look as exciting as possible. Make humorous designs on your plate or pile them up in such a way that they look like animals or human beings. While some people don’t like playing with food in this manner, it sometimes helps to make the child eat healthy. You have just looked at a few ways of making healthy food interesting for your child. Children normally don’t like food that is good for their health. But, if you can make healthy foods look and sound as attractive as fast foods, there is every chance that your child will learn to eat and appreciate fruits and vegetables throughout his or her life. Source by Abhishek Agarwal

Healthy food choices can be difficult, especially when we are surrounded by junk food everywhere we go: fast food drive-thrus on every corner, treats at the office, social events with unhealthy foods, and everything in between. But, with a little bit of practice, you can make healthy food choices! This article is going to outline 3 steps to take next time you are faced with a food choice. 1. Look at the Ingredients The most important aspect of eating healthy is to pay attention to the ingredients that are used for the foods that you are eating. Stay away from foods that include sugar, white flour high amounts of unhealthy fats, preservatives, chemicals, and high levels of sodium. Focus your eating on foods that are in their most natural form, because they contain higher levels of nutrition. 2. Always Keep Healthy Food On Hand You never know when you are going to need a snack, so it is a good idea to keep healthy options available all the time. Store some non-perishable treats in your car, items such as nuts and dried fruit are great. Have healthy snacks available in your desk drawer and the fridge in the break room. Take an apple with you when you leave the house. 3. Remember That It’s OK To Say No Many people find themselves eating unhealthy foods because the food is free or they are in a social situation where everyone else is eating unhealthy food. If you find yourself in one of these situations, remember that it is OK to say no. Most friends and family will understand why you are eating other foods, just explain why you are eating healthy and they will be supportive of your decision. One of the best defenses to keep you on track with your healthy food choices is to have a plan put together ahead of time. Remember the 3 steps that you need to follow, and stick to the plan next time you are faced with a difficult food choice. Source by Becki Andrus

Often, developing healthy food habit is not as restrictive or as confusing as several individuals imagine. The first and foremost principle of healthy nutrition is simply eating a wide range of foodstuff. This is more important, since varied foodstuff make varied dietary contributions. Secondly, vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains are necessary, since these foods are high in carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, vitamins, and low in fatty substances and are cholesterol free. It is also better to balance between calorie expenditure and calorie intake. That is, avoid eating more foodstuff than what the body can consume. Otherwise, there is a possibility of gaining additional weight. Therefore, the more the active an individual is, the more he can eat and uphold this balance. It does not mean that aforementioned three fundamental steps suggest an individual to sacrifice the favorite food. As long as, an individual’s diet is rich in fiber and nutrients and well balanced, there is nothing improper. Individuals also can view healthy foodstuff as a chance to expand range of alternatives by trying some healthy food such as vegetables, fruits or whole grains. A healthy nutrition does not have to imply eating foodstuffs, which are unappealing or bland. Benefits of Healthy Food: Nutritious and healthy diet is very much significant for maintaining a healthy body. Healthy diet involves timely and regular food, snacks, nuts and juices. A balanced meal and appropriate food habits are essential for leading a healthy life. In due course of life, everyone forgets to take essential nutrition for proper body function, hence fall under several life-style diseases. Hence, it is necessary for an individual to understand and know about the benefits of healthy food such as vegetables, fruits and nuts. Below discussed are some of the benefits of healthy food: o Beetroot: It has good amount of potassium, manganese and foliate. It also contains fewer calories and helps to cure skin problems. o Cauliflower: It is extremely nutritious and is much effective in curing several ailments. It is rich in folate and apt for pregnant women. o Mangoes: They are very popular and largely available fruit. They are rich in potassium and good for healing wounds. o Nutritional Values of Banana: It aids in the healing of anemia, depression, brainpower, blood pressure and constipation. o Egg: It is nutritious and healthy food. Eggs lecithin prevents the absorption of egg’s cholesterol and other sources as well. Overview: Research has witnessed that, those who eat less processed food and saturated fatty items live longer and healthy life, and are very less prone to disease and illness. Good health food along with proper exercise gives tons of energy and makes feel stronger and healthier. Good health food can assist individuals in maintaining a healthy weight. The phrase Healthy Weight is not only important for those individuals who are overweight, but also for individuals who are underweight as well. With eating healthy food, individuals can control their body weight without being underweight or overweight. Healthy livelihood is all about understanding the body requirements and rendering it with good supplies for proper body function. Unhealthy eating habit can affect the individuals’ body severely, hence intake healthy foodstuff to avoid such consequences. Source by Silvia Goodman

The idea of embracing a healthy lifestyle has become in demand today more than ever. What with the presence of more and more dreaded diseases. To start your quest of wellness, take a sneak peek in this healthy food list and oh, start munching, huh! * Avocado – this wonder fruit has the ability to lower your body’s cholesterol and increase the level of HDL through Oleic acid. It also has lots of fiber that is good for the body. Indeed, a few slices of avocado to dress up your burger make for the healthiest alternative. Drop the mayonnaise, avocado is yummy, too! * Raspberry – this fruit from the berry family has too many good benefits to the body to ignore. For one, it has Ellagic acid, a known component that can interfere with cancer cells. It is also equipped with vitamin C and fiber, which can help in your battle against high cholesterol, hypertension, and heart disease. * Raisin – who would have thought that such small beings can bring in great advantage to your health? Raisins can help you enjoy sufficient supply of iron, which is an important component in transporting oxygen in the blood. It also has some fiber that is useful all the way. * Garlic – anyone who says this does not deserve a spot on our healthy food list must be enlightened. More than the flavor it brings to the food, garlic also comes with it very important nutrients that our body needs to keep it healthy. There is its ability to lower LDL cholesterol, battle high blood pressure, and reduce your risks for certain cancers. * Peanut – we all know that peanut can make us smart. More than that and its ability to supply our daily protein requirement, it is also infused with unsaturated fats that can reduce your risk for heart disorders by 20%. * Yoghurt – yes, it has active bacteria and interestingly, that’s where the health benefits come from. Yoghurt’s bacteria can help protect you against yeast infections. Plus, it has calcium, which makes the bones strong. What’s more, yoghurt is good even for those who are lactose intolerant. It does not upset the stomach so you can load up on it for a healthier you. * Crabs – more than being very delectable, crabs also contain nutrients that our body needs. It has vitamin B12 and zinc. It strengthens the immune system while you are having your fill of the delicious meat! What’s more, crab meat is low in fat. You do not need to worry about any risk! Source by Kenny Leones

One should never underestimate the importance of eating healthy food. There are so many benefits but why are there so many people still not eating right? Why has obesity and heart diseases become such a huge factor? Although the statistics are clear, people still refuse to change their life styles. Eating healthy food may become a struggle, especially when there are so many fast food restaurants everywhere we turn. Often people make excuses like they don’t have time to get healthy food, it’s not that accessible, or that they don’t know how to prepare it. However, there are just as many supermarkets that stock fresh produce as there are fast foods outlets, so accessibility is a poor excuse. The rate at which obesity in children is rising is more shocking than that in adults. But what is the root of this problem. One cannot really blame the children as they learn from their parents. Children are more likely to eat unhealthy foods if their parents do. The benefits of eating a healthy diet include living a longer life, feeling happier, gaining vitality, weight loss, and a healthy appearance. Processed food decrease the quality of our lives, so eating healthy foods means we can better fight diseases and live longer. When it comes to happiness, studies have shown that eating healthy foods is an excellent natural anti-depressant. When you eat healthy your energy levels tend to rise. Because fatty foods cause weight gain you will also have a better chance of losing weight with a healthy diet. You will not only feel healthier but will look healthier. You’ll be surprised at how much healthier your skin, hair, and nails will become. Sometimes it is not enough just to eat an apple a day. To really gain the benefits of eating healthy foods you need to plan an entire healthy diet and stick to it. The best time to eat healthy is the morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so keeping at least your breakfast healthy is a good start. Drinking a smoothie in morning is a good healthy option. It is packed with goodness and tastes delicious. Yogurt also makes for a healthy breakfast but stick to low fat, unsweetened yoghurt. Eating plain yogurt with freshly cut fruit pieces may be an even healthier option. Eggs and whole wheat bread or bran muffins is more filling. Eating cereals or oatmeal is also better than eating a fatty breakfast or even no breakfast. During the day you need to eat meals that contain loads of starch because they contain energy. Breads, cereals, rice, potatoes and pasta will do the trick however, stay within the limits. Do not over eat; just eat enough to sustain your energy. You should also try to eat as much fruits and vegetables as possible throughout the day. One should at least pack in 5 portions. Avoid eating a lot of meats; rather choose fish as a healthy alternative. Stay away from a lot of fatty and processed foods but do not cut it out completely. Lastly, drink loads of water. Source by James Zane Johnson

So you want to eat healthy food on a low budget? Well who wouldn’t? – But in these hard times that’s not so easy is it? If money is tight and time to prepare nutritious family meals is limited, it’s all too easy to get drawn into buying unhealthy high fat pre-packaged foods. These often look like the cheapest option – but is that really the case, and what is their true cost in terms of our overall health and well-being? Pulses are an excellent way to improve the quality of our diet, and the great thing is they also allow us to save money into the bargain. Pulses are the family of foods that include dried beans, dried peas and lentils. They are high in fiber, high in protein, low in calories and can help to lower cholesterol, so all in all they are simply a great health food which is also satisfying and cheap. But surely dried beans take an age to prepare with all that soaking and boiling? – That’s certainly true, but these days all good supermarkets stock a wide range of tinned pulses which are equally nutritious, still very cheap and also very quick to prepare. For example, my own Easy Bean Stew Recipe from preparation to on the table takes me no more than half an hour (see link below). It would be quite wrong however to discount dried beans and pulses just because of the preparation time, after all they are so cheap that I always keep a stock of various types in my store cupboard for when I’ve had the time to plan meals ahead. Planning is the key point here, if I know I’m going to make a bean dish tomorrow, I just put the beans in a bowl of water before I go to bed. As soon as I get in from work the next day, I change the water put them on the cooker to boil and they’re ready to incorporate into my meal by the time I’m ready to start the main preparation. Really easy, but just needs a little forethought. Aside from their inherently healthy properties, pulses also improve our diet in other more subtle ways. Pulses are generally very filling, so to balance that out we are usually inclined to need less meat in the dishes we create with pulses. This can reduce the overall bad-cholesterol quantity in the meal, but also by bulking out stews, soups and casseroles, pulses can also make the same amount of expensive meat fill more plates which is again no bad thing. Taking this a stage further, pulses have traditionally formed the basis of some of the very best of vegetarian dishes, so if you’ve been looking for a way to cut down on, or cut out meat completely, pulses are the way to go to achieve this. If like many of us you are currently struggling to make ends meet, and the weekly shopping budget never quite seems to fill the shopping cart, then why not let pulses help you out a little? Your family probably already loves a good chilli con-carne full of nutritious red beans, so you’re half way there. Why not try out my Easy Bean Stew Recipe or get experimenting with some different types of beans and lentils and a few herbs and spices? With a little effort you could easily add a whole new repertoire of tasty dishes to the family menu. They don’t even have to know that you saved a bundle whilst providing them with healthy food on a low budget! Source by Des Greene

The challenge most parents face is trying to get their children eating healthy food. The subject of healthy eating is always a battle or a struggle between parent and child, and many times both parties become upset and frustrated. The easiest way to get children eating healthy food is to start them young. Children form their eating habits before the age of ten. As a parent, focus on these formative years, and shape their eating habits early. Always serve healthy food in your home, and pack healthy lunches and snacks for your children. When you are in someone else’s home, be polite by eating their food, but teach your children how to spot healthier options, and encourage them to go for those options. While they’re still very young, give them no choice and they will probably not mind at all. Another easy way to get children eating healthy food is to get them interested in healthy foods. Do this by having a range of healthy choices in your house. If you have many different kinds of food, but all healthy, then you won’t have to worry about your children making the wrong choice. Also, introduce new foods like tofu, different fruit, and vegetables often. Consistently having a new fruit or vegetable once a week should be enough to spark your children’s interest in the food groups. Play games with your children, and have fun with colorful fruit. You can make fruit men with your children, getting them interested in many fruits! It is important to remember setting an example for your children. You may impose all these rules, but if you don’t follow them yourself then your children will see that they won’t have to follow them someday either. During their younger years, children want to be just like their parents. If you show them that you eat healthy and you enjoy it, they will want to do the same. Even when your children aren’t around, choose the healthier option. It’ll be good practice for you and good for your health too! When taking on the healthy eating endeavor, remember to be consistent. ALWAYS eat healthy and choose the healthy option. When you go out to restaurants, choose the healthy option for your kids, and show them how to choose the healthy options. Being consistent is the key to having children that eat healthy all the time. If you eat healthy food at home, but let your children eat unhealthy choices when they’re away from home, they’re likely to develop a taste for food they shouldn’t be eating. So be consistent and it will pay off! Finally, talk to your children. Get them to understand why you choose and eat the foods you have at home and in restaurants. If your children are past the age of ten, call a family meeting and talk about how you can all eat healthier. If you hadn’t started healthy eating habits early, make it a family endeavor and work as a team. Learn how to minimize your fast food, junk food, and microwave ready food slowly but surely. Even if you didn’t start them young, healthy eating is always within your and your children’s reach. Source by Audrey Cornwell

If you dream of having a healthy and fit body for the rest of your life, it is important to make sure that you have in your lifestyle eating healthy cooking. If this will be a part of your life, you should expect yourself to be physically fit. Some people think that eating healthy cooking can sometimes be too boring. It is because they think that the food options connected with eating healthy cooking are too bland and the choices are too limited, Sometimes, they just to eat that greasy pizza. Every intake of food must me moderated to ensure that you will be safe. However, the more careful you are about yourself, the lesser chances you have of having risks and health problems in the future. Just like what the old saying says, “better safe than sorry.” Who would want to put dirty oil into his car just because he does not want to do extra mile of driving? Or would you not want to spend extra time just to make sure that your car is in proper maintenance? These questions could also be applicable with eating healthy cooking. Yes, you really have choices on the foods that would eat, but you have to think also that the food that does not bring you good would bring you harm. Using boring as an excuse for not eating healthy foods is not a valid excuse You have to think of how do unhealthy food do to your body and health. As time passes by, more and more restaurants are offering eating healthy cooking. These kinds of restaurants think of more ways on how do healthy foods be appealing and more tasty to the consumers. And the means now are becoming endless. Eating healthy cooking is just as simple as choosing a nonfat dressing over a fattening dressing for your favorite salad. Also, you can choose salsa as a great salad topper! Aside from being full of flavors, salsa offers healthy ingredients on it, not to mention the little fat that it could give you. More so, spicy foods helps in speeding up the metabolism. So why not choose the spicy salsa? Some individuals may think that changing their eating habits to eating healthy cooking is too hard. However, this is not always the case. If you are really determined of living a healthy life, things will just be simple. These simple changes can bring great difference. Eating healthy cooking might just be one of the best choices that you can make in your life. Do not deny your body of the benefits that it deserves. The better benefits shall follow. Source by Abhishek Agarwal