Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Flaws in theories

Views and statistics on theories go in print real quick. There are zillions out there on journals, papers, online and of course plenty more on social media. Wikipedia written by people like you and I have gained in trust just by being out there. Remember the time when Sarah Palin and her cohorts tried to change history by sabotaging the truth about Paul Revere? Palin's history? That would be the last straw. It's possible theories out online have been changed by people of influence several times. So, this is just one example. What about some other serious stuff? Read on.

All of a sudden I've been reading many flawed theories just about on any subject.

Example - If the group of friends you hang out with are obese, you have a tendency to become obese too!! The claim behind this reasoning is obesity is a contagious trait that passes on from one person to another. What?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Cheese Cutlets make their appearance once again


Here is the recipe one more time for my cheese cutlets. Friends of mine requested the recipe. I decided to point the group to my online recipe site.

This is a repeat recipe of the week folks since it is quite popular.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Preparing for bad weather - Hurricane Irene

People along the east coast in the US are now going through a mix of emotions. Anticipation, anxiety, excitement, fear, anger, surprise all depending on which area of the east coast they reside in. Quite understandable giving the havoc caused by frequent hurricanes in the southeast regions. The media is having a field day following the hurricane and the disaster it's been causing along the way.

The northeast rarely experiences a hurricane; but this time the worst impact is likely to be felt in New York. So, what do people north of D.C. do in preparation? Empty out grocery stores. There is no milk, bread, eggs, fruits, bottled water, energy bars, snacks, vegetables or even batteries or candles available anywhere. Oh, forgot to mention dry milk powder. This is quite amusing. Grocery stores where one could hardly find a parking spot this morning and early afternoon are completely bare inside and out. It is quite late in the evening now, the latest news is the storms are not going to be that bad. I hope it stays that way. Although, people in the northeast are seriously disappointed .

Friday, August 26, 2011

Green tomato chutney

5 green tomatoes,chopped
1" ginger, chopped
1 tsp. canola oil or olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tsp.fresh chopped coriander
2 tsp. salt
2 green chillies
2 tsp. urad dhal

Saute garlic for about 5 minutes. Grind together tomatoes, ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies. Mix well and add salt. Toast urad dhal until it turns golden brown. Add to the mix. Run the blender a couple more times so the urad is not fully ground but are coarse. You may also crush urad separately in a wet grind and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.

Goes well with indian breads, uppuma, dosa, and idli.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Avacados for an expensive rich man's diet

Avacados, once referred to as a poor man's butter is now a rich man's butter. They have become very expensive. An avacado, the size of a lemon in the midwest costs a $1.50. I do miss east coast markets where they are twice the size and cost less. Regardless, avacados are worth spending a few dollars as their nutritional value is extremely high. They are high in fat, but monosaturated fat.

Avacados, although smooth to the touch and almost like butter to the taste are a great source of fiber. Other nutrients are vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin B6, as well as folate, copper and potassium (half of a medium avocado has more potassium than a banana). The avacado fat also aids absorption of carotenoids in other vegetables.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Garam Masala

This medley of pungent, aromatic spices has the power to transform even the simplest of dish to an exotic creation. There are some standard ingredients that go into the making of a garam masala mix. Basics are cinnamon, clove, cumin, and coriander. Fresher the ingredients,better the taste. They are either toasted dry and blended to a fine powder, or ground raw. Addition of fennel,turmeric, nutmeg and black pepper seeds produce more of a complex taste.

So, how do we add this to a dish? Add a teaspoon or two of the masala at the end of the preparation or right before adding the vegetables. The taste of the dish varies depending on the combination of the spices or quantity of ingredients. You can literally produce a slightly different taste or a variation of the taste every time you use them.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

My lower back kills when I do crunches

How does one do crunches the right way? I read that not laying flat is the right way to go. My trainer didn't say that to me! I also read that if you don't do crunches the right way it's of no use and will produce zero result. There are other exercises that work the core.

Guess I'll have to stick with those instead of killing my back and myself for those crunches. I am yet to see any results and I've been doing this for a long time, although not consistently.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Beans and nutrition

The general belief is beans are filled with proteins. A friend told me not to load up on them as they are not all protein. There is enough carbs in there to get one fat. I couldn't wait to get online and find out the truth. Yes, beans indeed have carbs but they are the complex carbs versus carbs we get from processed breads or rice.

Here is the nutrition summary. Beans are rich in protein and dietary fiber, low in fat, calories and sodium, and completely cholesterol-free. As little as a half-cup of beans added to the daily diet can be very helpful in reaching important nutrition goals.

Why would you not sacrifice regular carbs for beans? In addition to all the nutrition the full feeling keeps one satisfied for hours.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Tortilla Soup

This week's recipe of the week is Tortilla Soup.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Yo Yo weight programs

They just don't work. Celebrities who have tried and finally failed over the long term will vouch for this. The best programs are ones that allow you to eat anything meaning a balanced mix of carbs, protein, and fat but retricting the total number of calories. This with a combination of exercising at least for an hour, 3 to 4 times a week is a good way to go. Stick with this routine. The weight may not come off rapidly, but it will after a couple months. The system has to get used to a lifestyle that contracts your appetite and finally puts that in memory to be used over and over again.

Monday, August 1, 2011