Egg, Butter and Guilt Free Fruit Cake

This is a really simple cake the kids could easily make by themselves (with just a little help from you with preheating the cooker and getting the cake in and out). It's a great recipe to use if you have run out of eggs and butter as can sometimes be the case just before shopping day! The processed bran makes it healthy too.

For a sweeter alternative, try icing the cake with simple butter icing.**

INGREDIENTS

1 CUP MIXED DRIED FRUIT*
1 CUP PROCESSED BRAN CEREAL (ALL-BRAN)
1/2 CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 1/4 CUPS MILK
1 CUP SELF RAISING FLOUR

Place the bran, fruit, sugar and milk into a large mixing bowl and leave to stand for approx 1 hour. The bran expands during this time - this is perfectly normal.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Add the sifted flour to the fruit, bran, milk and sugar mixture and mix in well.

Line and grease 500g (1 lb) loaf tin (or grease with butter and sprinkle just a little flour into tin and swish around until tin is coated in flour).

Put mixture into prepared tin.

Bake for approx 55 to 60 minutes.

Turn out onto a cooling rack.

Slice and serve either spread with butter or on its own.

* The mixed dried fruit can be replaced with the same quantity of sultanas or dried prunes if preferred.

** To make butter icing:

To approx 3/4 cup of sifted icing sugar add 1 teaspoon butter and mix in enough water to make spreadable icing (approx 2 tablespoons).

*** ENJOY! ***

If you are looking for more easy recipe ideas, check out this page at our website http://homeschoolandyoga.bravehost.com/kidsinthekitchen.html.

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Stress Free Life With Healthy Eating Habits and Exercise

Stress Busters: Building a defense against stress

The way we live our lives can have a huge impact on the way that we experience stress. Living a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the stress level in your life and make you more resilient and help you cope with major stressors in your life. Adopting a health lifestyle means that you can concentrate better, have more energy, and increased stamina. Starting with the proper diet and nutrition plan is the best foundation for a health life.

Moderation is the key when eating carbs, protein,and fat. Excess in any area is never a good thing. You are likely to become sick when your body is stressed - your immune system is not working at it's full capacity. Eating a healthy, well balanced diet you will stay healthy even in times of stress. If you eat mostly fast food that is high in fat, sodium, and calories, you will very likely feel more run down and sick during stressful times. Daily vitamins and supplements can be beneficial but are no replacement f or a healthy, balanced diet.

A balanced dietary guideline for a healthy diet is one that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. The FDA food pyramid for the average adult indicate a daily healthy diet consists of at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, rice or pasta, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, dry beans and peas, a variety of fruit (fresh, frozen canned or dried) with limited amounts of canned fruit juices, with most of your fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils, and limiting solid fats like butter, stick margarine, shortening and lard, drinking low or fat free milk (if you can't drink milk make sure to get your calcium from lactose free items), and eating low fat or lean meat and poultry that is baked, broiled, or grilled, and vary your protein choices with more fish, bean, nuts, peas, and seeds.

It's been said time and again that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But did you know a healthy breakfast can help with weight loss? A 1992 study at Vanderbilt University found that women who changed their diet to include breakfast lost 28% more weight over a 12-week period than women who skipped their morning repast. In addition, a full 78% of the 3,000 people enrolled in the National Weight Loss Registry, an ongoing tally of adults who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for more than a year, describe themselves as breakfast eaters.

The U.S. Government's Dietary Reference Intakes recommend that added sugars not exceed 25% of total calories (to ensure sufficient intake of micronutrients). And while there isn't a specific guideline for cereal, it makes sense to aim for a cereal that gets 25% or less of its calories from sugar. (If the cereal contains dried fruit, this could be a pinch higher.It's even more beneficial when you add fresh or dried fruit.

Bottom line: start your day off right with a healthy breakfast, eat a healthy, balanced diet through out the rest of the day and you have the best foundation for defense against stress.

Zach Hunt is a Stress buster in Spokane, WA expert personal trainer and owner of Physzique, a fitness coaching service in Spokane, WA. Go here: Personal Trainer Spokane Washington for more fitness tips.

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Breakfasts That Keep The Household Interested

The verdict has been in for a long time: eating each morning is important for regulating mood, weight management and overall good health. Coming up with breakfasts to inspire you and your brood to eat each day can be a challenge, but there are lots of ways to keep that first meal interesting. Consider food groups then play around with traditional ideas.

Dairy products and substitutes provide simple options. Try creating a parfait in an elegant dessert cup or even a tall mason jar. Build layers by alternating plain yogurt with liquid honey, muesli, granola, fresh, canned or dried fruit. At the end of a hard week, treat yourself with a few pure dark chocolate chips on the top.

Maybe you have heard some controversy over eggs and wonder if their fat content is too high. In fact, the only real problem with eggs is the method used to cook them. Poaching or boiling is best. Substitute regular bread with ciabatta or focaccia bread drizzled with olive oil. Add finely chopped spring onions and basil. Top with your poached egg.

Create a breakfast buffet ready for each morning. Fill containers with different cereals, muesli flakes, dried fruits and nuts. Have children combine a certain amount of your healthy preference with a sprinkle of the cereals they like best but you would rather they not eat a lot of. This could be the compromise that saves you from a fight.

For a breakfast shake to go, you do not need fancy powders. These add bulk if you need it, but if you do not, stick with the stuff in your refrigerator. In a blender combine from a selection of milk, yogurt, juice, fruit, honey, even maple syrup. Add ice on a hot morning and just whip it up for a satisfying drink.

If dairy is a no-no for you, there are plenty of other choices. Soy has been the popular alternative for years, but tastes differ. Now you can find milk substitutes made from hemp, rice and almonds too. The same goes for cheeses and yogurts. Often these come in plain, vanilla or chocolate varieties.

Nuts may not fly at school or work due to allergies among peers, but you can still eat them at home. Nut butters include peanut, hazelnut, cashew and more. Spread on bread or even sliced apple for a solid mixture of carbohydrates, protein and fruit. If the adults in the house are looking to get a dose of iron from their protein, remember not to drink caffeine with the meal but juice instead. Vitamin C helps you to absorb iron while caffeine drains it away.

Let us not forget bagels, English muffins and raisin bread. In the toaster oven place your slice or slices. Top with chopped pineapple, apple, apricot or other fruit of choice. Onto this add sliced or grated cheese, the sort you like best such as cheddar, Swiss or Gouda. If you enjoy pizza, spread some sauce on the bread first. This combination works with wraps too. Fill and fold. Melt and enjoy.

Getting tired of the same old cereal for breakfast? Egg Farmers of Ontario has lots of easy recipes that will liven up your breakfast and start your day off right!

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Kids Spooktacular Veggie Halloween Treats

Halloween is almost here and many parents worry about the amount of junk food that is going to be widely distributed. Candies and other goodies are a normal part of the festivities, but sometimes the sugars and syrupy concoctions are not quite what a parent wants their children to be eating. So what are the alternatives? Believe it or not you can make some veggie Halloween treats that will delight a child and have them coming back to request seconds, and thirds.

If you want to go the pre-packaged route then you should check out the shelves at your nearby health food or organic food stores. You can substitute small packs of dried fruit and granola mixes for the usual packs of candy. Kids enjoy these treats and there are many different varieties available.

Also you will be able to find pretzels, cookies and chips that are made especially to appeal to trick or treating children. The recipes used are healthy enough to suit any discerning parent, and kids will love them. Most stores will let you sample the foods before you buy them so that you can find the types of healthy products that you like best. Chips that are made from tomatoes, sweet potatoes and other veggies are extremely tasty and colorful. If you do not inform your child about the healthy nature of these delicious snacks they will never know the difference.

Maybe you would prefer to make a few treats at home instead of buying them at the store. There are lots of different veggie Halloween ideas that you can use. You might want to dip some dried fruit sections into some melted carob or organic chocolate. If you have a home food dehydrator you can even dry the fruit yourself. Just skewer a small chunk of dried apricot, apple or pineapple with a toothpick and dip it quickly into some of the melted chocolate and then set the fruit pieces on some wax paper to cool and harden. Before the chocolate becomes firm you can sprinkle a bit of freshly grated coconut onto the surface for an added taste blast.

Choose some firm, crisp apples and skewer them with a Popsicle stick through the core. Instead of dipping them in that sticky caramel or red, cinnamon candy coating you can go natural and dip them in some organic honey. Then you can coat them with a layer of crushed graham cookies or granola. You might even want to sprinkle the honey coated apple with some trail mix or coarsely ground pecans. Let your imagination be your guide, and do not forget to let your kids have some input. Their ideas may lead to some surprisingly delicious taste treats.

Prepare a haunted buffet table for Halloween that is simple but absolutely (Spooktacular). The key ingredient is the name that you choose for each food item. A bowl of grapes (peeled is best, but unpeeled will work) can become "ghostly eyeballs". A container of cooked spaghetti that you have sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese can be named "Wriggly Witchy Worms". Even a rather plain platter of cut celery can become a welcome Halloween treat. Just slice the celery into different lengths. Combine 1 cup of peanut butter with 1/3 cup clover honey and 1 cup of raisins in a food processor or blender. Fill the celery crevices with this mixture and arrange the slices on a platter. Then name the dish (Bat Bones) or some other clever title. You will be amazed how tempting these healthy dishes are for guests of all ages. Who can resist veggie Halloween treats that are this much fun to make and eat?

Article by Stanley Lewis for The Kids Window who are celebrating this years Halloween with loads of fun theme based Halloween activities including kids Halloween costumes, Halloween accessories and loads of other fun Halloween ideas.

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Understanding Food Safety of Home Made Jerky

Beef jerky is a snack food known at least since ancient Egyptian times. In early times, humans made beef jerky from animal meat that was too big to eat all at once, such as bear, buffalo, or even whales. North American Indians mixed ground dried meat with dried fruit or suet to make "pemmican". "Biltong" is actually a dried meat made in many African countries. Our word "jerky" came from the Spanish word "charque."

Beef jerky is a product that is a nutrient-dense meat that has been made lightweight removing moisture by drying. A pound of meat or poultry weighs about four ounces after being made into jerky (most manufacturers will add sugar, spices and other items to help to offset this). Due to the fact that moisture is removed down to "safe levels", the product is considered shelf stable. It can be stored without any refrigeration -- making it a handy food for backpackers and others who don't have access to refrigerators.

With commercially manufactured beef jerky products, the process is monitored in federally inspected plants by inspectors of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Products may be cured or uncured, dried, and may be smoked or un-smoked, air or oven dried. At commercial plants, both internal meat temperatures and water activity percentages (among other things) are continuously monitored and validated to regulate processes and assure safe quality products to consumers.

When raw meat or poultry is dehydrated at home, usually in a slightly opened warm oven or a food dehydrator, you should understand that it is possible to make beef jerky which will be stored on the shelf, but that any pathogenic bacteria are likely to survive the dry heat of a warm oven and especially the 130 to 140 °F of a typical inexpensive food dehydrator. This means, if you bought meat that was contaminated or somehow had something within your process that was contaminated that you introduced to the meat, you would have a high probability that your finished product would be contaminated upon completion of the dehydrating process. If meat is not contaminated and you proceed as typical, you won't have any issues.

Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli from homemade beef jerky continue to raise questions about the safety of traditional drying methods for making venison and beef jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline's current recommendation for making beef jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F before starting the dehydrating process. This step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by wet heat. Most dehydrator instructions do not include this step, and a dehydrator will not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F. After heating, maintain a constant dehydrator temperature of 130 to 140 °F during the drying process is important because the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoils, and it must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow.

The risk in dehydrating meat and poultry without first cooking it to a safe temperature is that the dehydrator will not heat the meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F -- temperatures at which bacteria are destroyed -- before it dries. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant. Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated. Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause food borne illness to those consuming the beef jerky. If you must make beef jerky at home, here are some recommendations directly from the USDA for helping to insure your protection:

1) Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after working with meat products.

2) Use clean equipment and utensils.

3) Keep meat and poultry at 40 °F or slightly below; use or freeze ground beef and poultry within 2 days; whole red meats, within 3 to 5 days.

4) Defrost frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.

5) Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Don't re-use marinades. Using a brine will help to keep the meat moist while attempting to reach the 160 °F or 165 °F as described below.

6) Steam or roast meat to 160 °F and poultry to 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer before dehydrating it.

7) Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a temperature of at least 130 to 140 °F throughout the drying process.

There are other special considerations when making homemade beef jerky from venison or other wild game that are also worth noting. Wild game meat is not regulated or reviewed by the USDA prior to processing. Venison can also, in some instances, be heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria, as directly related to the degree of varying with the hunter's skill, wound location, and other factors. While fresh beef is usually rapidly chilled, deer carcasses are typically held at ambient temperatures (whatever the temperature is outside at the time of the kill), potentially allowing bacteria multiplication. Reaching internal meat temperatures of 160 °F with wild game meat is even more important as the risk of contamination is definitely higher.

So what type of "insurance" do you require for your home made beef jerky adventures? It really is up to you.

Tommy Stabosz is the owner of Toxic Tommy, gourmet beef jerky products, in Cleveland, Ohio. Toxic Tommy offers many flavors and varieties of beef jerky, beef smokie sticks, smoked meats, popcorn and candies. Tommy’s passion is to discover the very best family manufactured products and make them available to you for your family and friends to enjoy.

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Holiday Herbs for Fragrance & Decor

"[smells] bear unfaltering, in the tiny and almost impalpable

drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection."
Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past.

Olfactory-triggered nostalgia fills the air at Christmas time. In particular, the aroma of coriander, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and cinnamon open the floodgates to memories of Christmases past.

Decorations like pomanders add beauty to your home during the festive season. Making them is a fun project for the whole family. Children get enthusiastically involved in the hands-on creative activity.
Make a Holiday Pomander

To make a holiday pomander you will need the following:
· 4-6 firm, thin-skinned oranges (lemons and/or limes will also work)
· ½ cup (125ml) of ground cinnamon
· ¼ cup (60ml) of ground cloves
· Approximately 100 grams of whole cloves
· 1 Tbsp. (15ml) of ground allspice
· 1 Tbsp. (15ml) of ground nutmeg
· 1 Tbsp. (15ml) of orrisroot.
The cloves should completely cover the oranges if you're planning to display the pomanders in a bowl. If you want to hang them from the Christmas tree or mantelpiece, leave a half-inch vertical groove around the fruit to accommodate the ribbon. The cloves can be directly inserted into the oranges, but to avoid bruising the
fruit, first piece the skin with a skewer.

The cloves should be close, but not crowded or touching. The fruit will shrink to about 75 per cent of its original size during the curing process. Also, the skin may split if the cloves are too close. Don't leave a half-studded orange to finish the next day as rot may start to set in.

Mix the curing spices, the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and orrisroot in a small bowl. Orrisroot is the ground, dried root of the orris iris. It's commonly used to "fix" or set the fragrance of the other ingredients in pot-pourris and perfumery and has a barely perceptible fragrance of violets. It's readily available in any craft or floral supply store.

Place half the mixture in a large bowl and lay the studded pomanders on top. Pour the rest of the spice mix over the pomanders so that they are completely covered. Add more spice mixture if necessary. Place the pomanders in a dry, dark closet and turn them daily. Depending on the fruit and its size, the curing process will take three to four weeks. When the pomanders are firm, they are cured.

The pomanders are fragrant, spirit-lifting and beautiful, they will also repel moths when hung in your closet or placed in drawers. They will last forever. When their scent wanes, just add a little essential oil of your choice.
Fun and Fragrant Garlands

Garlands are another simple holiday decoration for fragrance and fun. Take pieces of kitchen twine and suspend bunches of fresh, dried herbs and slices of dried fruit such as apples, oranges and lemons. Dried fruit slices can be purchased from your local craft store, but if you prefer to do it yourself, use a dehydrator or slice the fruit thinly, then place them on a rack in a 95 degree C (200F) oven for about six hours.

For the first two or three hours it's best to prop open the oven door just a crack with a wooden spoon to allow the moisture to escape. When drying apples, first dissolve one teaspoon of salt in a quarter cup of lemon juice. Dip the apple slices in this solution and they will retain their natural color after drying.

Suggested herbs for your garland or swag would be sage, thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, but you can use whatever is available. Add small bunches of holly and mistletoe for extra decoration.
Herbal Table Napkins

Herbal table napkin holders make a fragrant and appealing table decoration. Fasten a small herbal bouquet of parsley, rosemary, sage or thyme with an elastic band and tie the bouquet directly to the napkin ring with a ribbon in a bow. The choice of herbs will be determined by what's still thriving in your garden or what's available in the stores. The herbs must be fresh. Dried herbs will just make a mess on your table.

Make this Christmas especially festive and fragrant while involving your children or grandchildren in these creative projects.

Bruce Burnett is a chartered herbalist who has also won four Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold awards for travel journalism. Read more of Bruce Burnett's writing on his websites:

1. [http://www.globalramble.com/]

2. http://www.bruceburnett.ca/

3. http://www.herbalcuisine.com/

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Fruit and Weight Loss

Did you know that grapefruits, melons, berries papayas and peach can actually help you lose weight? Fruit has zero cholesterol, serves as a good source of fiber and reduces blood pressure and the risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Everybody wants a diet plan that lets them eat as much as they want without feeling hunger and reducing weight. The trick is to choose foods with fewer calories per gram weight of the food. The more water and fiber in food, the lower its energy density, and the more it helps you stay full while you reduce your weight.

So eating fruit is good for us and it helps us to loose weight and not feel hungry while dieting. But will any fruit do the job? What about canned fruit or dried fruit? Actually the best choice is fresh fruit, canned and dried fruit contain a much higher amount of calories.

The top fruits for weight loss include grapefruit, melons, berries, papayas and peach. Fruit serves as a great snack substitute instead of cakes, fries and doughnuts. Try berries grapes and apple slices include red and green grapes, pineapple chunks, strawberries, sliced bananas and pears in your daily diet and you will definitely loose your weight while improving your health. And do not forget fruit canned also serve as part of your breakfast lunch or dinner not only as snack substitute, try making a fruity dessert, eat it with yogurt and low-fat granola add fruit to your cereal or oatmeal and you will have a great low calorie meal.

Fruit can be a dieters best choice to reduce weight use it as a meal or a snack and enjoy natures gift for dieters fresh fruit...

More articles and information you can find in -

Diet Today.Net

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