Have you ever wondered exactly what is gluten? It refers to a family of proteins known as prolamins (primarily glutenin and gliadin) that constitute the storage protein in the starchy endosperm of many cereal grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. Wheat and other cereals are made into flour, containing various proteins, one of which is glutenin, otherwise known as gluten. Viewed alone, gluten is a tough, elastic, grayish substance resembling chewing gum which works as a leavening agent, when the flour is kneaded. These types of grains make up a large portion of the modern American diet. Probably because of their palatability, ease of cultivation, and use in a…
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A Refrigerator Make Over
With recent events, it may be more difficult than ever to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A cluttered refrigerator tends to make it harder to spot those healthy ingredients, meals, and snacks. Plan a refrigerator make-over this weekend. When you stock it with smart, delicious choices, living a healthy lifestyle becomes that much easier. Take these first three steps to a refrigerator make-over 1.What to toss out… A messy refrigerator can create overwhelm when you go to the refrigerator for a snack. Get rid of old condiments and anything that has been sitting in your fridge that you know you are not going to use. You will also want to get…
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How To Create a Healthy Habit of Meal Planning
Strategic meal planning is a healthy habit which can also save you money. Have you integrated any of the healthy habits from last week’s blog post? If so, your 2020 is off to a great start! If not…you really should consider adopting at least two of those habits; especially the water consumption concept. This week, we are going to focus more on specific meal planning for better health. Brainstorming Your Meal Plan Sitting down and taking time to plan your meals is a crucial step towards better health. Decide which day you can do your food shopping and make a list based on the meals you plan for the week.…
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Growing and Cooking Onions
Growing and cooking onions are treasured around the world for their pungent flavor and versatility in many dishes. Onion Characteristics There are two main classifications of onion – green onions, aka scallions, and dry onions, which are mature onions with a juicy flesh covered with dry, papery skin. There are dozens of dry onion varieties – way too many to go into for this post; however, we will concentrate on the stronger flavored, globe onion, which is what I used for the smothered pork steak recipe below. Globe onions can be yellow, red or white and range from 1-inch diameter, up to 4-inches. Rich in flavor and mildly pungent, these…
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Creating a Dinner Party Strategy
My hubby and I are getting settled into our dream house and after three months, we decided to host our very first dinner party, which means creating a dinner party strategy. He has a rather large family, spread out between several states; therefore, all of us only gather twice or so, each year. Because Christmas is so crazy, this clan celebrates Christmas in January. Creating Your Dinner Party Strategy In the past, hosting a large party would totally stress me out for weeks! However, for this event, I was gonna make sure things were different. I want to share with you a few things which made my life, so much…
