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Wednesday, February 01, 2006 A symbol of peace and fertility - Olives  Many people used to think that olives were a high-calorie food because of the oil they contain. But in fact, both black and green varieties provide relatively few calories; a serving of 10 olives contains between 30 and 40 calories. Although olives a good source of vitamin E, they are not consumed in large enough quantities to supply useful amounts to the diet. They also provide natural antioxidants. The oil derived from olives is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, which, unlike saturated fats, do not adversely affect blood cholestrol levels and may even help to lower them slightly. Raw olives are so bitter and unpalatable that they have to be pickled in brine, or salted and then marinated in olive oil, to be enjoyed as a food. Because olives are high in sodium, they should be eaten in moderation by anyone with high blood pressure. DO YOU KNOW……. The olive tree has been cultivated for at least 5000 years. In Ancient Greece, it was sacred to the goddess Anthena. The olive branch is traditionally a symbol of both peace and fertility; historically, an olive branch was a peace offering. Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Presenting the Infamous Silent Killer - Mr Stress  And this is not only happening to executives, in fact all humans at any age, will face stress, the only difference is in the level of stress which can be very individualistic. Technology is not helping as it should. Remember those days when handphones/internet are not so common. Once we are out of office, we can choose to be sheltered from events by virtue that we are isolated because we cannot communicate. Now with handphones, internet and so on, we remain contactable and unless we make it a point not to touch those gadgets, it becomes an invisible pressure to continue responding to those information/people, while we are away. What happens within our bodies when we encounter a stressor ? Read on... 
www.grand-illusions.com/........ be amazed by The Einstein Hollow Face Illusion and Dr Angry and Mr Calm Illusion..you wouldn't believe what you see! Coconut cream is not as unhealthy as we thought..  Coconut cream is widely used in curries, desserts and cakes. That's because it enhances the aroma and tastes of the dishes and can be obtained easily and cheaply. It has a thick, paste-like consistency and when diluted, it is called coconut milk. However, people avoid coconut cream because of its high fat content. Especially those who want to lose weight. But do you know that it is good saturated fat which can be easily metabolised or turn into energy fast? In other words, it does not transform into bad cholesterol which clogs up arteries. I'm not suggesting you to indulge in coconut cream, but rather than avoid it altogether, it is alright to eat in moderation. The principle fatty acid in coconut milk is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk and is known to promote normal brain development and contribute to healthy bones. It also has important anti-carcinogenic and anti-pathogenic properties and is less likely to cause weight gain than polyunsaturated oils. Never know coconut milk can be so good right? Canned or packaged coconut cream is available in supermarkets. It must be refrigerated once opened and do not last more than a week. Also, do not freeze coconut milk as this causes it to curdle when you next use it in cooking. Try different brands of canned coconut milk to find the one to your liking. Good brands which have not been artificially homogenised, will have thick cream floating on top of the can while the milk at the bottom is much more watery. Happy cooking! :-) Sunday, December 25, 2005 Just 25 mins and US$10 DIY with milk and keep those wrinkles away !  Babies know all about milk – they refuse to drink anything but milk the minute they arrive in this world, don’t they? Because milk provides them with lots of calcium, high quality protein and good supply of B vitamins, phosphorus and zinc, all of which are important in healthy bones and teeth. Now if you are one of those ladies who shun milk because of its high fat & calories content, re-think your choice. Do you know that if we store enough calcium in our body when we are still young, we can prevent osteoporosis in our old age? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to deal with the consequences of calcium shortage in your later life. Milk comes in many guises – skimmed, low fat, yoghurt etc. They even come in mixed with other flavours we like – banana, strawberry, chocolate etc. Those who are intolerant of the lactose (milk sugar) in cow’s milk, I suggest goat milk as a better alternative. For vegans who reject all dairy products, they can get their calcium from vegetables, pulses and nuts. But the drawback is the calcium from these foods is absorbed less efficiently than it is from milk. Besides taken internally, you also find milk in shower baths, moisturisers, shampoos etc. The effect is to moisturize, strengthen and whiten the skin. Here I recommend these six facial and hands DIYs treatments, using milk as the main ingredient. Choose any one of them, apply it regularly and you will see the results as fast as in one month's time. FACIAL DIY TREATMENTS
NAILS DIY TREATMENT
Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Zesty lemons
When we describe a woman to be like a lemon, it means she is tart, acidic, astringent but also surprisingly invigorating. Not many men can handle that though.
Apart from that, adding a squeeze of the lemon to food and drink does invigorates their taste and smell . Their fresh and heady citrus scent will blossom in your nose even before your eyes can spy the fruit. Do you know a single lemon contains 35 % of Vit C your body needs every day? Not to mention other goodness they contain, like vitamin B, vitamin E, potassium and a host of other important minerals. They also contain bioflavonoids, which act as powerful antioxidants. Therefore, a glass of fresh lemon juice drink gives you the Vit C you need with very few calories. Remedy for colds : lemon juice mix with hot water and a teaspoon of honey. Honey soothes the sore throat. Lemon juice contains an oil which may help to relieve rheumatism by stimulating the liver to expel toxins from the body. Look out for : citrus fruits have been linked to migraine and some people are allergic to them. As lemon juice is highly acidic, it can destroy tooth enamel. Lemons are normally treated with fungicide spray and wax, so be sure to wash it thoroughly under warm tap, especially if you need to grate its skin for use. You may notice that there are three types of lemon available, namely common (The Eureka and Lisbon), sweet (The Meyer) and rough (Rough Lemon).  Common - The Eureka and Lisbon They are commonly found in supermarkets. Both of them are true bitter lemons with high juice and acid content. Compared to Lisbon, the eureka skin is more texturised and is virtually seedless. Sweet – The Meyer The meyer has lower acidity, reduced bitterness and softer pulp texture. The mature fruit turns from yellow to an orangey colour. Rough – Rough Lemon It has a very coarse skin, is round and slightly bigger than common lemon. Have a go at this simple recipe. You may substitute apples with other fruits like bananas. APPLES FRITTERS WITH A ZEST Ingredients :
Directions:
Sunday, December 04, 2005 Who says Mr Cucumber is cheap and useless?  Ladies on diet love the cucumber for its refreshing and low-in-calories quality as 96.4% of it is water. It is a natural diuretic, but not a particularly powerful one. Choose firm cucumbers without soft spots. With the exception of lemon cucumbers, they should have a solid green color without signs of yellowing or puffiness. Cucumber can be eaten on its own or as a garnishing to dishes. For those nights when you don’t feel like cooking up a storm, I recommend this quick, simple-to-prepare vegan salad recipe of a sweet-sour-salty taste which never fails to increase your appetite. It goes great with egg/tofu and rice. SALAD RECIPE Ingredients : Serves 6 to 8
Another of my favourite quick-to-cook recipe is Cucumber Omelette, which sure to attract both young and old alike. CUCUMBER OMELETTE Ingredients : Serves 4 Preparation : Stir-fry ginger till fragrant. Add in cucumber and fry for a minute before adding the soy sauce. Lower the heat, pour the beaten egg evenly over the cucumber and sprinkle the cheese and black pepper evenly over the egg. When one side of the egg is cooked, slowly flip it onto the other side and let it cooked completely. Serve it hot. Cucumber is also widely used in facial mask for its cleansing and soothing effect. Here’s a simple and commonly DIY facial mask to try. CUCUMBER FACIAL DIY Ingredients: - 1/2 cucumber - 1 egg white - 1 Tablespoon lemon juice - 1 Teaspoon dried mint flakes Method : 1. Mix all ingredients together in blender until smooth. 2. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. 3. Apply to face and leave on 15 minutes. 4. Rinse with hot water, then cool water. 5. The facial mask is best when used immediately as the ingredients are perishable. The leftovers can be refrigerated in the coldest section of the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days but should be discarded after that. Wednesday, November 30, 2005 Cancer Fighting Eggplant  Eggplant got its name from early varieties that were white with egg-shaped appearance. Today, we find them in much more shapes, sizes and colours – long and slender; short and stumpy; purple, green and striped. Eggplant benefits those suffering from high blood pressure and high cholestrol as it can help to keep blood pressure in balance and lowers cholestrol. Due to its richness in vitamin D, it also helps to strengthen our blood vessels and clear blood clots, thereby prevent stroke. Constipation is one problem which eggplant can also help to overcome. Scientists are even using eggplants to fight against colon cancers. Vegetarians and those on diets like its filling nature, meaty texture, contains very few calories and virtually no fat. But its shortcoming is it does not provide a high level of essential vitamins or minerals. You can create so many interesting ways of cooking eggplants - baked, boiled, broiled, sautéed, souffled, stuffed, and mashed. Then you can cooked it in soups, dips, appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, sauces, relishes, salads, and even desserts. It gets along well with other vegetables and on its own, it tastes equally delicious. A healthy eggplant should be well-rounded, symmetrical with satin-smooth, uniformly coloured skin, firm and heavy in relation to its size. It is so delicate that any undue pressure will bruise it which will cause the flesh underneath to decay. Do handle it with care. Here are some points to note when cooking eggplant:
As eggplant is easily cooked, we can prepared a simple dish using eggplant in less than 30 minutes. Try this recipe which is one of my favourite too. EGGPLANT AND MUSHROOM SAUTE Ingredients : Serves 4
Methods :
Sunday, November 27, 2005 Powerful Antioxidants : Strawberries
Strawberries are low in calories, high in fiber and vitamin C, folate, potassium and antioxidants. Compared to fruits like apples, oranges or bananas they score highest in most of the nutrients.
1 cup (8 to 10) fresh strawberries contains :
Wow, that’s a lot of nutritions packed in one tiny fruit ! A recent study by Dr. Gene Spiller, Nutrition and Health Research Center, has shown that eating one serving (about 8-10 strawberries) a day can significantly decrease blood pressure, which may then reduce the risk of heart disease. Other studies showed additional benefits: Strawberries are found to reduce risk of cancer, enhance memory function and rheumatoid arthritis Besides eating on their own, they are also used in a wide variety of salads, smoothies, bread, cakes, desserts etc and because of their bright, appealing appearance they are used as decorations to enhance the presentation of dishes, making them more appetizing to your guests. Here’s a thirst quenching juice great on a hot summer day, ideal for kids and elders alike : Squeeze two oranges per person and put the juice in a blender with strawberries and one or two ice-cubes. You may substitute oranges with apples or honeydew, but the more strawberries the better. All the goodness in one glass! You really should try this! I have tried another great method of preparing fresh strawberries which I would like to share with you. If it is simple enough for me (who doesn’t like fussing too much over food), it would work the same for you too. SUSSY STRAWBERRIES Ingredients - 2 cups fresh strawberries - 3 tablespoons sugar - 3 tablespoons lemon juice - 2 tablespoons orange liqueur Directions Cut the strawberries into quarters and sprinkle them with sugar. Leave for a couple of minutes before sprinkling with lemon juice and orange liqueur. Substitute the orange liqueur with orange juice for kids. For a special taste: add some fresh spearmint. The marinated strawberries will taste best at room temperature I enjoy those chocolate dipped strawberries very much but I always have to pull back my cravings as they are costly. Of course I can go for those buffets where I can have unlimited servings of those mouth-watering sweeties, but again price is the consideration. So I found another super-simple recipe which is great for everyone to use. CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES RECIPES Ingredients (Serves 12) - 12 fresh strawberries with stems- 6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips Directions Only use the biggest and most flawless strawberries, otherwise your chocalote covered strawberries will not look perfect. Rinse and thoroughly drain strawberries. Leave the stem. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Put chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Put bowl into mircowave for 30 seconds, take out and stir. Repeat until the chocolate chips have completely melted. Alternatively, you may melt the chocolate chips in a pot held over a small stove fire. Beware not to overheat the pot and burnt the melted chocolate. After the chips had melted, remove from fire. Hold stem and carefully dip strawberries, one at a time, into melted chocolate to coat. Allow any excess chocolate to drain back into bowl, then place strawberry on baking sheet. Cool for at least 30 minutes and serve immediately. You may keep them in the refrigerater for a few days, but it's best to eat them right away.  One day, my sister asked me this question about strawberries: Why were the little strawberries upset? Are you able to guess the answer ? Well, it is…….Because they were in a JAM! |
