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5 Delicious Ways to Serve Pineapple

While the dispute about whether pineapples make a suitable pizza topping continues, the fruit remains to be a favorite among many people. As a matter of fact, the tangy-flavored pineapple has been incorporated in different meals. What started out as an experiment in the kitchen turned into something great; as the inclusion of pineapple as an ingredient has garnered a large following over the years. It is notably an adventure of its own.

Whether summer’s fast approaching or long over, there are different ways to prepare and serve pineapple no matter the season!

Grilled pineapple
Simply grilling pieces of the fruit already makes a great snack for the family. This is perfect to serve if you’re planning an outdoor picnic. If you’re feeling fancy, you can also serve it as a dessert along with a serving of sorbet or even as an entrée with a serving of scrumptious steak. The versatile taste of pineapple is perfect in satiating every taste and palate.

Upside-down cake
Pineapples on a cake? Why not. This sweet dish is considered a classic. Well loved by many, it is made best with fresh pineapple slices but if you’re on-the-go, canned pineapples will do the trick. You can search for classic upside-down cake recipes on the internet as a guide – but don’t forget to include pineapple slices, though!

Pineapple casserole
Another dessert idea, a pineapple casserole is a sweet, offbeat dish that will warm you up on cold nights! This is perfect if you want to taste some tropical zing even if it’s the middle of the chilly season. There is also no need to worry over ingredients. You may even find them in your pantry; such as cheese, butter, sugar, pineapple slices, and cracker crumbs.

Polynesian chicken
If rotisserie chicken is growing bland on your taste buds, time to kick it up a notch! Serve your nest chicken meal with a zesty pineapple dressing on the side. Tossing in some fresh slices of the tropical fruit is enough to make your dish sing. To complement the dish, serve rice and a tropical cocktail of your own choosing.

Pineapple jam
This is a delicious jam to pair with your loaf. Fruit jams make a nutritious spread on your traditional sandwiches. Make your mornings great by serving pineapple jam – which perfectly preserves the tropical pineapple flavor for the long weeks ahead. This is easy to prepare especially if you’re on the morning rush.

The Best Foods for Vegetarians

Being a vegetarian is struggling at first but if we master it, no meat can tempt us. There are a lot of vegetarians here in Singapore. We need to respect their food choices especially if they want to be healthy. Kudos to them! The least thing that they can do is share how it changed their lives.

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However, there are Singaporeans who do not consider healthy eating or healthy food choices. The good news though is that the government is encouraging everybody to exercise (with their programs or subsidies). We just need to accept the offer and do our best to improve our lifestyle.

If in this case we want to start living healthy by eating the right kind of foods, we have to start with vegetables. Vegetables are not at all bad. In fact, with little creativity, vegetables can be more delectable than meat. If we want to build muscle and tone up, we have to eat protein packed meals before our workout.

Here are some foods veggies can indulge in before and after workout:

  • Quinoa meal: Quinoa is commended for its nutritional content. It is contains lots of protein that can encourage growth and repair. We can mix 1 cup of Quinoa with 2 cups of water. After boiling, we leave it to simmer and add vegetables (like tomatoes, kale, broccoli and peppers). If we want to get more protein, we can add chucks of baked tofu. That’ll give us all the energy for our workouts.
  • Bulgur salad: Bulgur is not that popular but its nutritional content should not be ignored. Bulgur is an excellent source of protein at only 112 calories/cup. Like Quinoa, it is easy to prepare too! Again, if we want, we can add chucks of baked tofu. We can also add avocado. Avocados are excellent source of electrolytes that can improve muscle function.

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  • Sweet potatoes and black beans: Sweet potatoes contain the vitamins we need which can improve metabolism and mineral absorption. We only need to bake our potato for at least thirty to forty five minutes at 200°C. When it is ready, we can add black beans as it is an excellent source of protein too!
  • Spinach omelettes: When we hear spinach, we think of Popeye and his muscles. There is some truth to Popeye’s muscles whenever he eats spinach. After workout, we need to consume at least twenty grams of protein for recovery and growth. Spinach can help us.

Preparing these foods is easy if we put our hearts into it. All tasks are difficult but with the right attitude, we will live healthy and longer. For more recipes, we can search further or simply ask our dieticians or nutritionists directly.

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Eat Without the Guilt

5 Healthy Carbs You Can Eat While Still Losing Weight

Close your eyes and don’t think of anything but carbohydrates. Odds are, you are picturing mounds of bagels, a bowl of pasta and a tower of cupcakes. Now, think of healthy carbs and you’ll certainly picture out a dish of bland oatmeal. Well, guess what? Oatmeal isn’t the only healthy carb that you can eat without feeling any guilt. To help you get your daily carb fixes, we’ve listed down five of the healthiest carbs that you can chow down without worrying on the pounds.

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1.       Baked Sweet Potatoes. Since it’s loaded with calcium, carotene, potassium, and vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes are definitely the type of healthy carb that you’d enjoy. One baked version of this starchy veggie has 24 grams of carbs and about six grams of fibre, which most bad carbs don’t have. Other than that, some researches also showed that sweet potatoes might help in reducing cholesterol levels, thereby reducing your risk of acquiring heart diseases.

2.       Beans. Other than being a good and healthy source of carbohydrates, beans are also rich in fibre, antioxidants and minerals like calcium, folate, iron and zinc. So go ahead and start adding the lima, pinto, kidney or black beans into your dietary dishes.

3.       Strawberries. When it comes to looking for healthy amount of carbs in fruits, things might get a bit complicated. Although they’re known to be healthy, it still doesn’t hide the fact that most fruits have a high carbohydrate content, especially sugars like fructose and glucose. Of course, eating fruits is still preferable than indulging on a blueberry muffin, but you may want to consider having just a cup of strawberries that’s only loaded with eight grams of carbs than a cup of grapes that’s filled with 26 grams.

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4.       Popcorn. You might get all elated about this, but movie popcorn doesn’t count in this one. What we’re talking about is air-popped popcorn. This is one of the healthiest and guilt-free alternative for your favourite movie snack as a 2.5 cup serving of it only contains 13 grams of carbs and three grams of fibre. If it seems to be too bland for you, just sprinkle on some cumin, garlic pepper or other spices that you love.

5.       Wine. Although it’s low-carb by nature, this doesn’t mean that you should already guzzle the stuff with abandon. A five ounce glass of wine is only loaded with zero to four carbs max, which is why drinking a glass of wine from time to time certainly won’t mess with your dieting, carb-wise.

Not all carbs out there are set to ruin your diet and fitness goals. All that you’ve got to do is find the right food and the right amount of carb that can satisfy your carb cravings without messing up the numbers on the scale.

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Dishes to Impress: 6 Simple Recipes to Impress You...

Whether you’re preparing for your family, colleagues, or a date, you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to whip up a good dinner. We searched online to provide you with six simple dishes, each promises sophistication to your table. Create any of these recipes to show off your cooking skills—minus the hassle.

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1.       Roasted Duck With Plum Sauce

Duck is an uncommon choice for a meal, and will definitely impress your guests (unless they are vegetarian). The best thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t require much time to cook. After all, it’s the bonding time that matters, not the complexity of the dishes you serve.

2.       Slow-Cooked Lamb In Jammy Red Wine Sauce

Wow your dinner guests with this beautifully tender, slow-cooked lamb, smothered in jammy red wine sauce, a sauce made with ripe and intensely flavoured fruits and red wine. Serve with hot rice or steamed couscous for a complete meal.

3.       Hazelnut Butter Grilled Scallops

If you have never tried cooking scallops before, don’t fret—they don’t need much cooking at all. A little frying and grilling on each side, and they are good to go. The hazelnuts and fresh herbs add simple but great flavours to the dish.

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4.       Lime, Chilli, and Ginger Salmon

The spicy, citrusy flavour of this dish is sure to amaze your friends, family, or your date, without exerting much effort on your part. Letting the salmon marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking is the secret to this incredibly moist and flavourful dish.

5.       Pork Tenderloin With Honey-Mustard Sauce

Succulent pork tenderloin meets tangy honey-mustard sauce in this dish. This appetizing and protein-packed pork recipe is pan-seared to golden brown and then baked to perfection. Sauce made from white wine, honey, Dijon mustard, and an assortment of herbs brings delight to this savoury gourmet goodness.

6.       Pasta With  Vodka Sauce and Sausage

This comforting dish offers savoury essence of tangy tomatoes and spicy sausages, along with rich and creamy sauce. Adding a little vodka to it lends a wonderful complexity and a bit of kick to its flavour. This is a quick-to-make dish and can make delightful use of some leftovers.

These carefully chosen, easy-to-prepare meals boast lots of fabulous flavours that will surely awe your guests. So next time you invite friends over for dinner, consider some of these meals and see how good of a chef you are for them  for serving these easy-peasy home-cooked recipes.

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How to Prepare Cupcakes

Your child is fond of any cupcake. She always asks for it. You thought about making it yourself but you do not know how. Fret not because there are a lot of resources (including this one) that you can refer to. If you want, you can make many so you can share it with your husband and your son. Making cupcake is an excellent bonding moment.

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The next time your daughter asks for it, you should know how to prepare it. You can invite her to join you in the process so she will know. It will usually take ten minutes to prepare it and another twenty minutes to bake it. This recipe will make at least twelve cupcakes. Here’s the process:

  • Use best ingredients: The good news is that you can find the best ingredients here in Singapore. Remember that quality ingredients can really make a difference. You need 110 grams of softened butter, caster sugar and plain flour. You also need 2 teaspoons of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Assuming that you will make plain buttercream cupcakes, you have to prepare your icing too. You need 140 grams of softened butter, 280 grams of sugar icing, 1-2 tablespoon of milk and food colouring.

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  • Method: You have to preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F. After the oven, you need to prepare your batter. First, you have to beat the butter and sugar using a bowl until they become fluffy and pale. After that, you should sift the salt, baking powder and the flour. The next would be beating the eggs plus the vanilla. Your batter is ready; you can scoop it unto the paper cases and put it in the oven. Bake it for about 20 minutes. For the icing, just beat the butter, sugar icing and milk at a time.
  • Serving: After taking out the cupcakes from the oven, let it cool down for a few minutes before icing it. Your cupcake can now be served.

If you want to see before actually doing it, you can refer to video instructions or better yet go to a baking school. There are many baking schools here in Singapore that you can go to. Do not hesitate because baking is not only for the young people. Even mothers (or grandmothers) can learn baking in schools. It is not too late to try.

So, what are you waiting for? The important thing is you and your daughter enjoyed the process. No matter the taste, your kid (and your husband) will appreciate it because you made them.

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Nutritional Contents of the “King of Fruits”

Durian is fondly known as the “king of fruits” noting its thorny exterior which resembles the crown. Here in Singapore, the recently concluded Durian Mobilisation event was attended by more than 350 fans on July 27, 2014.

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The event was organized by Singapore Kindness Movement and Dr Leslie Tay, a popular food blogger. Two varieties of durian were served during that day – D24 and Mao Shan Wang. You consume durian without thinking of its nutritional contents. You have to be familiar of its nutritional contents. Here are some:

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  • Rich in minerals and vitamins: Durians are rich in minerals and vitamins. It is an excellent source of riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin and thiamine among others. Apart from that, durians also contain amino acids.
  • Replenish energy: Durians are comprised of simple sugars (like sucrose and fructose). If you eat it, it will surely replenish your energy which will eventually invigorate the body.
  • Rich in fibre: If you have problems with constipation, durian is the answer. Durian can act as a laxative for it contains dietary fibre.

The next time you are presented with durian, you know its nutritional contents. Durian is something that you should share. There are a lot of durians here in Singapore that you can purchase so do not worry. You have to be careful though. Too much of durian can cause discomfort. You only have to consume what you can eat if you do not want any complications.

If you really love durian, you only need to look for products where durian is added. Apart from that, restaurants here offer different dishes with durian flavour. Life is tastier with durian around.

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