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Try These Tasty Alternatives to Cow’s Milk

February 3, 2015 by

There are a number of reasons to give up regular dairy milk, from food allergies to personal diet choices. If you’ve decided to take the plunge into dairy-free milk substitutes, these simple and tasty alternatives to cow’s milk will make the transition easy.

  1. Soy milk. This is one of the most popular milk alternatives, and it’s been around for quite some time. Soy milk is made with filtered water, whole soy beans, and thickeners that give it the same thick, creamy consistency as regular milk, and they also make it easy to bake with. Most brands of soy milk even contain the same amount of protein, Vitamin D, and calcium as cow’s milk.
  2. Almond milk. If you want to cut out milk in order to reduce your calorie intake, almond milk is a great alternative choice. This nutty mix of filtered water and ground almonds has only around 60 calories per cup, but it offers the same thickness and consistency as dairy milk.
  3. Rice milk. Rice milk has a more neutral flavor than many other milk substitutes, and it’s a bit thinner. However, it contains the same amount of calcium and Vitamin D as cow’s milk, and it offers a light, sweet flavor that’s mild and pleasant.

Meet the Milk Substitutes [Cooking Light]
Non-Dairy Alternatives to Cow’s Milk [SparkPeople]
5 Delicious Milk Substitutes [FitSugar]

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What Are Aerobic Exercises?

January 6, 2015 by

Does walking count as an aerobic exercise? Is playing golf an aerobic workout? These are common questions, and many people don’t understand what qualifies an activity as an aerobic exercise. If you want to learn more about aerobics, these informative facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can help:

  • Aerobic activity, or “cardio”, is any activity that increases your heart rate and makes you breathe faster. Aerobic activity isn’t just reserved for working out – biking, dancing and even walking up the stairs are all aerobic activities.
  • The intensity is how hard your aerobic activity is. Aerobic activity is grouped into light, moderate or vigorous intensities, and light intensity activities usually don’t count toward fitness guidelines.
  • Moderate-intensity activities include things like walking quickly or playing tennis..
  • Vigorous-intensity activities include running, swimming laps or playing basketball.
  • If you haven’t worked out regularly or have taken time off from working out, don’t start out with vigorous-intensity activity. Begin with moderate-intensity activities and work your way up to avoid injury and build stamina.

Visit the CDC's website to learn more about aerobic exercises.

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3 Quick and Healthy Pasta Recipes to Serve Tonight

December 2, 2014 by

Pasta is a comfort food that’s perfect for just about any occasion, but it is often packed full of calories and carbohydrates. If you’re on a diet but still crave spaghetti, lasagna, rice noodles, or any number of other delicious pastas, you might just love these quick and easy pasta recipes:

Mediterranean Pork Penne
This is certainly not your mama’s pasta dish, but it’s a welcome, unique addition to your usual pasta recipes. Using whole-wheat penne makes it a bit healthier, while stir-fry pork strips add a ton of beneficial protein to this complex and well-seasoned dish.

Bowtie Pasta With Chicken, Broccoli and Feta
Even children will love this simple, cheesy pasta dinner, and it’s a great way to get picky eaters to get a full serving of vegetables. Grilled chicken is a lean source of protein, and a full serving will leaving you feeling full without ruining your healthy diet.

Pasta Primavera
This Italian cuisine classic is jam packed with a variety of nutritious vegetables, and it takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Whole-wheat spaghetti and low-sodium tomatoes make this recipe an even healthier take on the beloved original. At just over 300 calories, this is a pasta dish that won’t make you feel guilty about indulging.

For more healthy, nutritious pasta recipes, visit the NIH website here.

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Breeze Through Thanksgiving Day With These Helpful Planning Tips

November 4, 2014 by

This year it’s your turn to host your family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and you’re likely having more than a few anxious feelings. Fret not, because with these helpful cheats and tricks from around the web, you can pull off a flawless Thanksgiving without breaking a sweat.

Martha Stewart’s Thanksgiving Planner [marthastewart.com]
By taking a few tips from the Queen of Hosting herself, you can execute a Thanksgiving dinner that’s both well-organized and beautifully decorated. This elaborate checklist includes tasks that you should do throughout the entire month of November to prepare for the big dinner so that once it arrives, you’ll feel more than prepared.

PopSugar’s Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet [popsugar.com]
This colorful and aesthetically pleasing cheat sheet also offers a full task list from two weeks before all the way to Thanksgiving Day. From planning a menu to making the cranberry sauce, you won’t miss a beat with by following these simple steps.

AllRecipes’ Thanksgiving Planner [allrecipes.com]
This four-week plan for Thanksgiving prep will help to ensure that you have enough food for all of your guests, the right ingredients for each dish and even a fully-charged camera to capture the whole thing on film.

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Sample These Acorn Squash Recipes This Fall

October 7, 2014 by

Acorn squash is a type of winter squash with a unique dark green rind, longitudinal ridges and a yellowish-orange inside that tastes sweet and mild. This squash is so versatile that even the most novice home chef can easily prepare it in a variety of different ways. Here are just three ways to try your hand at serving acorn squash this fall.

Baked Acorn Squash [allrecipes.com]
To really get a good idea of how acorn squash tastes, you should first prepare it all by itself. This simple recipe involves baking a halved acorn squash with just a bit of butter and brown sugar to create a healthy side dish or even a unique dessert.

Acorn Squash Soup with Kale [marthastewart.com]
With a hearty texture and autumnal flavors, this soup is perfect for those chilly fall evenings. Pureeing the acorn squash is one of the best ways to prepare it for use in a soup, while adding crispy bacon and finely chopped kale adds a darker, smokier flavor that contrasts the sweetness of the squash.

Spinach and Acorn Squash Ravioli [myrecipes.com]
Acorn squash makes a wonderful filling for pasta, and in this creative recipe it’s blended with creamy ricotta cheese and chopped spinach for added flavor. Plus, using wonton wrappers instead of the usual pasta dough saves on calories, and it’s much easier than rolling out that dough by hand.

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In a Pinch? Memorize These Common Cooking Substitutes

September 3, 2014 by

If you want to try out a new recipe but you don’t have time to run out to the grocery store, don’t sweat it. These helpful ingredient substitutions will show you how to use an item that you have on hand in place of one that you don’t, and they just may save your entire dish.

  1. Beef or Chicken Broth. Though it is easier to use a pre-packaged broth, there are ways around it. Simply mix one bullion cube with one cup of boiling water to create a simple broth, or blend one tablespoon of soy sauce with enough water to equal one cup.
  2. Brown Sugar. For sweeter dishes, substitute one cup of white sugar plus 1/4 cup of molasses in place of one cup of standard brown sugar, but be sure to decrease the liquid in the rest of the recipe by 1/4 up. 1 1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar will also work.
  3. Buttermilk. Instead of less-common buttermilk, mix one tablespoon of vinegar with enough regular milk to equal one cup.
  4. Honey. 1 1/4 cup of white sugar plus 1/3 cup of water is an equal substitution for one cup of regular honey. You can also use one cup of corn syrup.

Common Ingredients Substitutions [All Recipes]
Cooking: Ingredient Substitutions [UNL Food]
Baking Ingredient Substitution Table [Joy of Baking]

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Three Useful Apps for Tennis Fans

August 5, 2014 by

You love tennis, but unfortunately you can’t spend every day on the court. If you want to get a daily dose of tennis even when you’re on the go, there are a number of smartphone apps for tennis fanatics just like yourself. Here are a few of the best.

Tennis Channel
Browse an entire channel dedicated to your favorite sport no matter where you are with the Tennis Channel app. The sleek, easy to navigate layout makes it simple to browse through news from competitions like the Masters, as well as scores, blogs, and player profiles to keep you even more connected to the latest tennis happenings. Tennis Channel even offers HD videos of full matches from your favorite players around the world.

Tennis Channel Everywhere
Tennis Channel Everywhere enables fans to watch both live and past videos from the Tennis Channel right from any iPhone or iPad device. Keep up with current tennis matches airing on the popular television channel with the live feature, or browse through the high quality video archives to catch up on the highlights from matches you may have missed.

World Tennis News
If you prefer to read your tennis news rather than watch all of the highlights, World Tennis News is the app for you. This attractive app rounds up news and results from all across the competitive tennis circuit and compiles them into a neatly organized database that’s constantly updated.

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Deliciously Unique Uses for Fresh Parsley

July 8, 2014 by

Fresh parsley is a very versatile herb, and it’s also one of the most common in any at-home herb garden. If you love the bright, fresh taste of parsley but you’re growing tired of your usual recipes, all it takes is a bit of inspiration to come up with brand new dishes. Here are three unique uses for parsley.

Parsley Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce
Instead of the traditional Italian ravioli, why not spice things up with the decadent flavors of brown butter, ricotta cheese, and parsley. These homemade raviolis are made using won ton wrappers instead of pasta, and the robust taste of flat-leaf parsley really shines against the creamy flavor of the brown butter sauce.

Cucumber, Onion and Parsley Salad with Feta Cheese
This fast and easy salad is perfect for a quick lunch at home. The cucumber and onion make a crisp, crunchy base, while the lemon juice and olive oil blend to create a healthy dressing. Sprinkle some fresh parsley and crumbled feta cheese across the top before serving.

Chimichurri
This Argentinean sauce is similar to traditional pesto, but the addition of chili pepper gives it a bit of added spice. Fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, and olive oil create a lovely deep green color throughout the oil-based sauce. Argentineans use chimichurri as everything from a steak marinade to a pasta sauce.

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Greet a Snack Attack With These 5 Creative Popcorn Recipes

June 3, 2014 by

The typical movie theater buttered popcorn is delicious, but sometimes you just want a little something extra from your popcorn. These creative recipes will show you a variety of surprising toppings to spice up your snack, from sweet to savory and every flavor in between.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Popcorn [Swanky]
It may seem strange, but the sweet flavors from everyone’s favorite childhood lunch sandwich work just as well as a topping on your evening snack. Peanut butter and jelly popcorn takes only a few simple ingredients, and it even uses white chocolate for an extra boost of sweetness.

Nutted Popcorn [Real Simple]
Popcorn and nuts are both popular snacks, and this fun recipe combines the two into one filling bowl. Pecans, almonds, and pumpkin seeds stick to each popcorn kernel with a light, cinnamon flavored syrup, much like the kettle corn at county fairs and baseball games.

Samoa Popcorn [Babble]
Achieve the taste of the beloved Girl Scout cookie by drizzling toasted coconut, caramel, and chocolate over your salted popcorn.

Spicy Nutella Popcorn [Healthy Jalapeno]
Nutella is everyone’s favorite sweet spread, and adding spicy ancho chile powder takes this popcorn from a common snack to a gourmet treat.

Bacon and Cheese Popcorn [Popcorn.org]
Bacon is an increasingly popular addition to many dishes, and it works just as well on popcorn. In just five minutes and with a few simple ingredients, you can enjoy this bacon and cheese popcorn snack.

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Question of the Day: What Causes the Seasons?

May 6, 2014 by

We look forward to the warmth of summer, and we’re always surprised when the first snowfall hits, but what actually causes the Earth’s changing seasons? There are a number of different forces at work to make the leaves fall and the spring flowers bloom. Here are some facts about how the seasons change.

It’s not because the Earth is closer to the sun in the summer.
While this is a common belief, it’s simply not true. The Earth’s orbit is not perfectly circular and yes, the Earth is closer to the sun at certain times of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, however, it’s actually winter when the Earth is closest to the sun, and vice-versa.

Earth’s tilted axis causes the seasons to change.
Earth has an imaginary pole that slices down its center, and it marks where the axis hits. The planet spins around this pole, but its uneven tilt causes different parts of the Earth to feel the sun’s direct rays at different times of the year.

The seasons aren’t the same all around the world.
While most of us in America associate December with winter and July with summer, the Earth’s tilted axis means seasons differ all around the world. In December, it’s summer for everyone south of the equator because the sun shines directly on the Southern Hemisphere at that time.

What Causes the Seasons? [NASA]

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