Irene Pastore

Quick Snack: Rice Mochi

February 15, 2013

WHAT IS MOCHI?

Mochi is a nutritious bake and serve Japanese rice cake, made from rice paste. Mochi is made without additives, colorings, or preservatives.

WHERE CAN YOU BUY IT?

You can buy it in most health food stores, Whole Foods Market, and Asian specialties food stores.

HOW TO PREPARE MOCHI IN THE OVEN

Prepare mochi by cutting it into squares, and bake in a 450 degree oven, for 8 to 10 minutes.

TOP OF THE STOVE MOCHI

If you don’t have an oven, you can bake mochi on top of the stove in a skillet. I recommend a cast iron skillet, so that the mochi bakes slowly on a low light. If the light is too high, the mochi will burn. Add some oil to the skillet, place mochi in the skillet, cover and bake until soft. Takes about 10 minutes.

How to Buy Barley Grains

February 7, 2013

Confused about buying barley in bulk? Do you know the difference between hulled and unhulled? This post will answer your questions about the different types of barley, how to use them, and plenty of recipes for barley-lovers.

THREE TYPES OF BARLEY

Whole Unhulled Barley: The tough inedible outer hull is intact.

Uses: Sprouting, Beer making. Not for cooking.

Whole Hulled Barley: The tough inedible outer hull has been removed. Whole Hulled Barley undergoes minimum processing so that the bran isn’t lost.

Uses: Cooking. Cooking time is longer than Pearled Barley. More nutritions than the pearled variety. Soak the grains before cooking to cut down on cooking time. See Rita Romano’s book Dining In The Raw for soaking times.

Pearled Barley: Not considered a whole grain. After the hull is removed, the barley is polished to remove some or all of the bran. The more pearling, the whiter the color. Barley purchased in the supermarket is usually the pearled variety.

Uses: Cooking. Cooks faster then Whole Hulled Barley. Not as nutritious as Whole Hulled Barley.

BARLEY INFORMATION

WholeGrainsCouncil.org is a website chock full of information about barley, and all types of grains. Read more about barley here. Photographs of barley here.

PLENTY OF BARLEY RECIPES

Barley is a great winter grain. Add it to soups and stews. See lots more recipes at Barley Foods.org.

Eat Well & Stay Healthy!

Sneaking Midnight LaSagne

February 7, 2013

Late night binge eating is now considered an eating disorder by conventional medicine. If you think you’re a binge eater, here’s some advice from the New York Times about late night eating and weight gain. ABC News reports about the reasons you binge eat, and how to stop.

REASONS FOR LATE NIGHT BINGE EATING

Insomnia
Poor nutrition
Depression
Low self-esteem
Anxiety
Skipping breakfast
Eating first meal several hours after awakening.

POOR NUTRITION

If you’re diet consists of mostly processed foods, and sugars, you’re not getting optimum nutrition. Clean up your diet, by consuming whole foods. Cut down or eliminate sweets, and sweetened food. By the way, almost all food is made with added sweeteners, even vegetarian food. Read labels and find out what’s added to your food.

When you consume processed foods your body craves nurishment. You’re going to eat more to satisfy cravings. Instead fill up on whole food, such as brown rice, breads and pasta made from whole grains, not white flour. Salt can also create food cravings – so cut down.

WHAT ARE WHOLE FOODS?

Brown Rice, Whole Hulled Barley
Bread and pasta made from whole grain flour
Fresh raw fruit
Whole vegetables steamed, raw or sautéed

WHAT TO AVOID

Sugar
Foods that are sweetened with sugars
Canned food
Overly cooked food
Frozen food is overcooked. Skip it and eat fresh veggies instead.

Green Superfood Health Drinks

February 6, 2013

You’re in a rush most of the time, and can’t get all the greens you need to stay healthy. Juicing vegetables is time consuming, because you have to haul the produce home, clean the veggies, put them through the juicer, and then clean the juicer, and other utensils.

Drinking your greens in powdered form is an easy solution. Just open the jar, measure a spoonful, add water, stir, and drink.

Green drinks aren’t cheap, but medical bills can make you bankrupt. Wouldn’t you rather eat healthy than wind up sick?

At the bottom of this post is a list of several companies that produce green drinks. You don’t have to buy them because they’re listed here. Do your own research, and find a green drink to your liking. Continue reading “Green Superfood Health Drinks”

Risky Exercise 101

February 3, 2013

FITNESS BALL + DUMBBELLS = ACCIDENT

A common exercise is to sit, or lie down on a fitness ball while holding dumbbells in each hand. Is it a good idea? Not really. Why so? Because if you lose your balance, and fall, you can suffer broken bones in your shoulders, arms or neck.

The fitness ball is designed to enhance your flexibility, core strength, and coördination.

Don’t misuse this great piece of equipment.

Maybe you’re accustomed to using dumbbells while positioned on a fitness ball. Maybe you’ve never lost your balance. There’s always that first time.

Fitness balls can break during your exercise routine.

The first time you lose your balance on a fitness ball, while holding a set of dumbbells, may be the last time you ever try it. After you’ve injured yourself, you won’t do it again.

Exercise Advice You Don’t Need

February 2, 2013

Have you met the gym know-it-all? The one who doles out exercise advice at your gym, or employee fitness center. They’re ready, willing, and able to tell you how you should go about your exercise routine.

Your friend isn't the best source for exercise advice. — *Your friend isn’t the best source for exercise advice.*

Would you allow an amateur photographer take pictures of your wedding? Probably not. Then why allow an amateur to give you fitness advice?

Your friends are not professionally trained to give exercise advice.
Your friends do not know how to assess your abilities.
Your friends are not familiar with the exercise equipment that suits you best.
Your friends don’t have a clue about exercises that are risky, or even dangerous.
Your friends don’t know how to design exercise programs for you, themselves or anyone else.
You’ll wind up with an injury.
You’ll waste your time, and won’t get results.
Your friends do not know how to prevent exercise injuries during training sessions.
Your friends are unqualified.
Your friends can’t help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

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