Enjoy the Benefits of Green Tea with this Green Tea Smoothie Recipe

Studies have shown that green tea helps to build your immune system with its antioxidants, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, reduces the risk of getting various types of cancer and Alzheimers, and all the while it promotes oral health and increases metabolism.

Smoothies are an easy way to enjoy the benefits of green tea, plus fruits for vitamins, antioxidents and fiber. Smoothies are nutritious, easy to make and provide a healthy meal-on-the-go. If you don’t have time for breakfast, make it the evening before and take it along. Here’s a simple, vitamin-filled smoothie recipe which allows you to add the health benefits of green tea to your daily diet.

Begin with two cups of green tea, made with four tea bags so it’s nice and strong.

Pour the green tea into a blender and add any or all of the following:

banana-source of potassium and fiber
four ounces of yogurt, flavor of your choice-great source of probiotics
a handful of nutritious blueberries or strawberries
tablespoon of soy vanilla powder for protein
a dash of cinnamon for your cholesterol and blood sugar

This smoothie is packed with antioxidants, protein, vitamins and minerals and makes a quick meal. If you’d like to add some fiber, throw in a couple of tablespoons of oatmeal.

Blend until all ingredients are smooth.

Don’t limit yourself to these ingredients either. Other possible ingredients are:

orange juice-Great source of vitamin C
mango, kiwi or other fruit or berries-source of vitamins and antioxidants
a spoonful of honey
peanut butter for protein

Let your imagination run wild!

Children love smoothies. It’s a wonderful way to give them a healthy meal or snack and can replace sugar-packed sodas and fruit juice.

For more healthy recipes, weight loss tips and healthy living tips, to go http://Path2HealthyLiving.com.

© Copyright 2006 by Joan Jones

Joan Jones is an award winning freelance journalist who writes feature articles on home and garden, health and nutrition.

[tags]green tea, green tea recipe, healthy recipe[/tags]

Easy Holiday Quick Bread Recipes

Quick breads are a quick, easy accompaniment to any holiday meal.

For the best-tasting holiday quick breads, here are some helpful hints:

- Only grease the bottoms of the loaf pans or the sides of the bread will pull away from the sides of the baking pan.

- Bake in the center of the center rack of the oven.

- When adding liquids to the dry ingredients, stir only until dry ingredients are moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

- Quick breads can be made ahead and frozen from 1 to 2 months.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

2 eggs, beaten slightly
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup chopped cranberries
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and pumpkin, mixing well. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the batter and add the pumpkin. Stir in cranberries. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour.

Cranberry Bread

2 cups flour
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup cranberries, sliced
1 cup sugar
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
Juice and rind of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add water to orange juice to make 3/4 cup liquid. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

5 cups flour
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 large can pumpkin
2 cups nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together vegetable oil, sugar, and eggs. In another bowl, mix together flour and baking soda. Add flour and pumpkin alternately to the egg mixture. Add nuts. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour.

Apple Bread

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups oil
2 apples, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well blended. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake for about 1 hour.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

[tags]holidays, Christmas, baking, quick breads[/tags]

Easy Dinner Recipes Roast Chicken and Roasted Root Vegetables

Easy dinner recipes make life so much easier for us.

As much as we want to make healthy food choices for ourselves and our families, busy lives sometimes makes it difficult. With a few easy dinner recipes in your recipe box it’s a cinch.

This is a complete meal that bakes in the oven at the same time. With just a little bit of preparation time you can pop the whole meal in the oven and go off to spend your time doing things other than stirring and watching. Come back in a bit and dinner’s done. Couldn’t be easier or more delicious.

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken, about 3lbs
butter
salt and pepper
1 whole bulb of garlic (optional), with the outside papery
layers removed

Preheat the oven to 375

3 Barbecue Chicken Recipes for Crockpots

Barbecue chicken is a popular dish, and there are probably millions of crockpot recipes out there. The purpose of this article is to only give you three crockpot recipes tat are only for barbecue chicken.

Scan through each one and decide which one sounds the best to you. Or, you can try all three out at different times to see which your family likes the best!

Recipe #1

1 Chicken, cut up and skin removed
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Delicious!

Recipe #2

4-6 pieces chicken (I use boneless breasts)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. mesquite seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce over all.

Cook slowly on low in crockpot about 4-6 hours. Serve with baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw.

Recipe #3

1 frying chicken cut up or quartered
1 can condensed tomato soup
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup vinegar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme

Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine all other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover tightly and cook at “low” for 6-8 hours. Makes 4 servings.

Good luck with finding your favorite!

About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of two, and owner of http://www.Idea-Queen.com . For more quick and easy recipes, visit:
http://www.idea-queen.com/recipes-for-mom.html

[tags]barbecue, chicken, recipes, crockpot, easy, mom, slowcooker, meal, planning, family[/tags]

Diabetic Dessert Recipes – Are You Craving Something Sweet To Eat

Ok, let’s clear something up right from the start. Just because you’re a Diabetic it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the foods everybody else eats. You just need to be a little more selective that’s all.

There’s a common believe that being a Diabetic means you shouldn’t consume any sugar. It most cases this simply isn’t true and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t treat yourself every once and a while. Having said that, you should obviously seek medical advice regarding your diet and the severity of your Diabetes before drastically changing the foods you consume.

If you suffer with Type 2 Diabetes then fundamentally your weight and lifestyle play a huge part in being able to treat your condition. You’ve probably been told already to start shedding the pounds by following a low fat, low sugar diet and of course to exercise more regularly. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the similar foods namely the desserts or snacks we all enjoy occasionally.

Take a look at these delicious Diabetic recipes below:

DIABETIC COOKIES

1/2 c. Sugar Twin
1 stick margarine
1 egg
1 c. applesauce
1 c. All-Bran
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 3/4 c. flour

Mix well and drop by teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees
For 10 minutes.

DIABETIC FUDGE CAKE

1 sq. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 c. butter
2 tbsp. artificial liquid sweetener
2 tbsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 c. cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. walnuts

Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan over low heat. Remove from
heat. Add sweetener, vanilla and eggs. Stir until well blended. Add
flour, salt, soda and mix well. Fold in chopped nuts and then pour into
a lightly floured and greased 9 inch square pan. Level batter and bake
at 325 degrees 20-25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled.

Living with Diabetes doesn’t have to rule your life and especially what you eat. You obviously need to watch what you consume and monitor your condition carefully. However, there are still plenty of fantastic recipes available that everybody can enjoy.

Go on, why not treat yourself today!

For more fantastic diabetic recipes including diabetic recipes snack bars why not visit us at symptoms of diabetes for free information on diabetes.

[tags]Diabetic Dessert Recipes, Diabetic Snacks, Diabetic Recipes, Low Sugar Desserts, Diabetic Food[/tags]

Extra Nutty Nut ‘n Raisin Bread (Easy Recipe!)

This nut bread goes great with a cup of coffee or tea or a
glass of milk. The canola oil, walnuts, sunflower seeds and
flaxseed make it a heart-healthy choice. Plus — it’s an easy
recipe!

1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseed
1 cup raisins

Measure out the milk and add the 1/4 cup lemon juice. Set
aside. Measure the remaining ingredients into a large
mixing bowl. Add the milk. Using an electric mixer, stir on
slow speed for 2 minutes and then on high speed for 2 to 3
minutes. Add chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseed
and raisins. Stir on low speed until nuts and raisins are
blended in.

Divide the batter between 2 regular-sized greased loaf
pans. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.

Allow nut bread to cool for 10 minutes before removing from
the pans.

*******************

LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books, “Christmas in
Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)” — “Give Me
a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam” and “Cream of the
Crop (More True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm).” You are
invited to read sample chapters, order books and to sign up
for the FREE! newsletter from Rural Route 2

http://ruralroute2.com

[tags]nut bread, easy recipe, bread, flaxseed[/tags]

Restaurants’ Secret Recipes

Have you ever went into Applebee’s or Starbucks and said “MMMM that taste really good, I wonder how they made it?” Well, you’re in luck. I stumble on a really nice e-cookbook that has some of the top restaurant’s recipes in it. The e-cookbook is called Copycat Cookbook.

This is got to be one of the best e-cookbooks out there. You get 332 recipes from some top notch restaurants. Here are some of the top name restaurants names you get recipes from; Applebee’s, Starbucks, Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s and Red Lobster just to name a few.

You also get Copycat Cookbook #2 for free for a limited time. In Copycat Cookbook #2, you get 424 recipes from other top named restaurants, like Ben & Jerry’s, Bob Evens, Cheesecake Factory, KFC and Olive Garden just to name a few.

You will also get 3 bonus cookbooks, Crock Pot Cookbook which has 702 recipes, Holiday Cookbook which has 640 recipes, and Cookie Cookbook which has 225 recipes. This right here made my day. I learned how to make some really great tasting cookies and made my family happy over the Holidays. For more information of this product please visit my site– Copycat Cookbook Review

Ernest has been an internet marketer for a little over 1 year.

[tags]Cookbooks, Tips on cooking, Meat, Cooking meat, Cooking ham, recipes, Cookies, cookie recipes[/tags]

Chicken Recipe

These days you can go for more than a couple of days without reading an article, watching a television show or see a commercial related to the huge global problem of overweight. It is a fact that more and more people are becoming obese and the main causes are poor exercise habits and the wrong diet.

One of the problems with people’s diets is that it contains a lot of fat (and of the unhealthy kind). If people would try to focus a little more on some low fat foods like chicken the problem would at least be reduced somewhat.

For that reason I’ll give you a few of my favorite recipes to try at home and if you like it then you are free to pass them on to friends and family that might need to loose a few pounds. An idea could be to invite them all over for dinner and if they like what you have cooked for them they might ask for the recipe them selves.

I would like to give you the recipe for a Low-Fat Chicken Rice Casserole that I find really tasteful and it is easy to do.

First you heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan you blend flour, salt and pepper. Then you stir in broth and milk. You need to keep stirring constantly while cooking over low heat, until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Then you bring it to boil and you stir for another 1 minute. Finally you stir in the remaining ingredients.

When finished you pour it into an NON-greased baking dish (10×6x1.5″), or a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Both will work perfectly.

Then you bake it all uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes. Before serving it you can sprinkle with snipped parsley.

The ingredients you need: 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour, 1 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/8 tsp Pepper, 1 Cup Nonfat chicken broth, 1 1/2 Cups Skim milk, 1 1/2 Cups Cooked Rice (White or Wild), 2 Cups Chicken breasts without skin (cooked), 4 Ounces Mushrooms and 1/3 Cup Chopped green bell pepper.

This recipe is with a serving size of 4 so if you are inviting more the 3 guests over for chicken, you will need to multiply the ingredients needed so there will be enough for everyone.

In the spring of 2006 the website http://www.mychickenrecipes.com was launched. It is mainly focused on providing an extensive list of free and easy chicken recipes for you to cook at home.

[tags]chicken, recipe, recipes, receipes, fat, fat free, overweight[/tags]

Healthy Fruit Smoothie Recipe

Who doesn’t love a fruit smoothie? How about a healthy one that has a taste that cannot be beat? You can stop your search today because this smoothie recipe has it all.

This healthy fruit smoothie recipe is chopped full of wholesome fruit pieces and the sweet taste of honey. Blend one up today.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flavored fat free yogurt

Leftover Turkey Recipes and Ideas

Our favorite part of turkey is the leftovers. We always cook too much on purpose because we love the recipes with the
leftovers. We are sure everyone has there favorites; we just hope that we can add some new ideas to your turkey leftovers possibilites.

You start with a perfectly cooked turkey. We think fresh and organic is the best, simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
and stuffed with an onion to help with the gravy flavors. After the main meal, slice what you want for sandwiches; then
take the remainder and cover it with water and simmer on low a good while: until the meat falls off the bone. Separate the
meat and broth discarding the rest. Chill the meat and broth. After it chills, defat and you have the basis for all of the
ideas below.

My husband’s absolute favorite turkey leftover is turkey pot pie. Other ideas are turkey noodle soup, turkey rice soup,
turkey hash, turkey gumbo, turkey and dumplings, turkey divan, turkey pozole, turkey fricassee, turkey tetrazzini and turkey vegetable soup. What is turkey hash, you ask? It is one of the comfort foods from my childhood, served by my mother and my grandma. You take lots of the shredded turkey, with an equal amount of broth. Thicken with a roux (several T butter, melted, add
flour and whisk until browned and add to the meat and broth, off heat whisking to remove any lumps) or for a fat free
version, put 1/4 cup flour in a jar, add 3/4 cup hot water. Put lid on jar and shake well until well combined. Add to meat and
broth. Cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. My favorite way to serve is over toast. It’s like a soul warming
turkey and gravy to die for. You can also serve it over noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.

Did you know about a common breakfast in China called Congee (or jook). It is a porridge of broth and rice, cooked until the
rice pretty much falls apart. It is served with condiments (chopped scallions, meat, whatever) and dim sum. When in
Hong Kong, we found this to be the most comforting breakfast we have ever eaten. We had the Chinese breakfast every
morning even though we had a choice of American Style or Chinese. It just seems so right to me. So below, we are going
to give you our version of congee, made with turkey and turkey stock. You can try it for lunch or as an appetizer for dinner; however, we would highly recommend you try it for breakfast on a cold winter day. We think you will love it.

To make congee, use raw rice, not leftover rice. You should use about 1 cup rice to 3 quarts liquid. It should be the
consistency of a thin porridge. Bring liquid to a simmer. Add rice. Simmer 30 minutes, uncovered. Cover and simmer
several hours. This will serve 6-8 and can be frozen and reheated.

We’ll add more turkey recipes next time, if we get enough requests. If not, we’ll start with something new! Enjoy!

Peggy Bloodworth left a job as a sales VP in a high tech company entertaining clients around the world for a personal chef and catering business where she is chef for swank party givers in Research Triangle Park, NC with her business partner, Diane Kiser. More party ideas, recipes, menus and pictures can be found on her website swank website. She maintains a large garden and vineyard. Menus are well
researched, recipes are mostly original and the ingredients are fresh, organic and frequently from her garden.

[tags]leftover turkey recipes, turkey soup, turkey pot pie, turkey sandwich, congee, jook[/tags]