Recipes

Your body deserves to be nourished. What you choose to eat is an important component of self-care.

Regular meals only make up one portion of your daily calorie intake. Snacking can stave off hunger at those times in between meals. A snack mid-morning and in the afternoon keeps your metabolism working the way it should. Therefore, you should consider healthy options that taste good while giving your body quality fuel.

Here are seven healthy snack options that you should include in your diet.

Find Your Favorite Yogurt

Consider yogurt as a go-to snack every day. It is a good source of vitamins and calcium, giving you a better alternative than taking supplements. Also, yogurt contains probiotics, supplying the body with a healthy source of bacteria that can improve digestion.

Yogurt also contains protein which can build up your muscles. Go with Greek yogurt for a higher source of protein while also cutting back on carbohydrates and sugar. Add fresh fruit to jazz up your favorite flavors.

Grab the Popcorn

You can’t go wrong with popcorn when you want to feel full. Always choose plain popcorn of the microwave variety or air pop it from kernels. Skip the butter to keep down the calorie count. You can eat as many as four cups in a serving.

Break out the salsa to spice it up or add seasoning. A little chili powder or sea salt will make it pop.

Pop the popcorn ahead of time and divvy it up in snack bags for something to grab on the go.

When you eat popcorn an hour before dinner, it will help you to avoid overeating during your meal. Plain popcorn is also a great alternative for an evening snack when trying to avoid sweets.

Go with Granola

Granola is a top pick for health enthusiasts. It’s a blend of rolled oats that is enhanced with honey and nuts. Granola with dried fruit such as apples, raspberries, or blueberries, offer you tasty alternatives.

Toss a third of a cup in a container or bag. When you feel like munching, it has a high enough fiber content to satisfy you. It also contains protein. In addition, a quality brand of granola can benefit your heart health by lowering your cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Break Out the Hummus

Hummus is a popular spread that originated in the Middle East. It’s made from a blend of chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, and tahini. It’s a great substitute for a dip when you’re looking for something bursting with flavor.

Steer clear of the excess calories that come from chips or crackers. Pair your top pick in hummus with a medley of fresh-cut vegetables to make them pop.

Don’t Forget the Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a rich source of amino acids, protein, and fatty acids. However, it is high in calories and both types of fat.

Limit your serving size to two tablespoons. Break it up with one tablespoon early in the day and one later on.

Smear it on apples to get more fiber in your diet. You can also choose bananas or crunchy vegetables. It will make you feel so satisfied you won’t want to splurge on an unhealthy alternative.

Pop an Egg

Eggs had a bad rap in the past due to their cholesterol content. The tides have turned as researchers find the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Eggs contain amino acids, nutrients, and vitamins, and are high in protein.

How eggs are prepared is important. They’re best when hardboiled or cooked without butter. Try a hardboiled egg when hunger pangs hit. It will fill the gap until the next meal.

Experiment with Avocado

Avocado is a plus if you are looking for a healthy source of fat and fiber. You can eat it all by itself if you enjoy the taste.

It’s also good when mashed on toast. Add a scrambled egg or tomatoes to a multi-grain bread to give your body more of a boost.

Conclusion

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring. The next time you want a snack, change it up. Instead of grabbing a piece of fruit or some chopped-up vegetables, try something different every day. You might like what the scale has to say the next time you weigh yourself. There’s a good chance you’ll have better results at your next checkup as well.

To read more on topics like this, check out the Recipes category

If you’re on the hunt for a new bakery to visit with friends in order to treat yourself, continue reading to discover a helpful guide to finding your next favorite bakery. As there’s no reason to visit duds before you find a bakery san luis obispo.

Tips on finding a great bakery:

Search for unbiased reviews on local bakeries:

It’s well worth searching for Yelp reviews and Google reviews on local bakeries in your area, in order to find bakeries that have a great reputation and have managed to build a following for themselves. Make sure to take a look at the available photos in order to see what the pastries and cakes look like at each bakery as well as how inviting the premises of each bakery looks. As great bakeries are kept clean and inviting and are well taken care of.

Walk past local bakeries to see which bakeries are popular:

You should also be able to tell whether or not a bakery offers delicious fare by how crowded it is. If you walk past a bakery at a peak time and it’s empty, there is probably a good reason why it’s empty. As an example, it may feature stale food, overpriced food or may offer terrible customer service. However, if you find a line forming outside a bakery early in the morning, there’s a high chance that it serves exemplary food and is well worth visiting.

Visit bakeries which are known for having a speciality:

If you want to treat yourself to something special, you can’t go wrong choosing to visit a bakery which has a speciality. As an example, you may want to visit an ag bakery which is known for producing decadent eclairs. Alternatively, you may want to visit a bakery slo which sells fun, themed cupcakes. The choice is up to you.

Consider visiting a European style bakery:

If you love the idea of tasting some of the most delicious pastries in the country, you may want to seek out European style bakeries. Such as European bakeries in arroyo grande ca. As the ingredients which are used at European pastries are often imported from France or Italy. You may be surprised to learn that the flour which is used in French baking is different to the flour produced in the United States and that French flour is ideal for creating French pastries such as eclairs.

Start reading a local food blog:

Another way to discover new gems is to start reading local food blogs which feature reviews on new bakeries which you may not have heard of before. As a bonus, you’ll also be able to avoid spending money at bakeries which serve less than average food.

Visit bakeries which only serve fresh fare:

Only visit bakeries which bake fresh goods on a daily basis. As there’s nothing worse than eating a hard pastry or cake which has been sitting in a bakery cabinet for several days in a row.

So what are you waiting for? If you’re searching for your next favorite bakery, it’s a great idea to use the tips listed above in order to help you find a new bakery to visit.

If you’re a keen baker or are simply a connoisseur of cakes and pastries such as eclairs, you’ve come to the right place. Simply continue reading in order to discover a few handy tips on creating mouth watering, delicious cakes and eclairs. Some of which may help you take your baking game to the next level!

Cakes and eclairs cooking tips:

When baking cakes always use the tin size specified in your chosen recipe:

Always ensure to use the tin size specified in cake recipes in order to ensure that your cake comes out perfectly cooked. It’s a great idea to purchase cake tins in a variety of sizes, so that you’ll always have the right sized cake tin on hand to bake your favorite cakes.

Use a French star tip to pipe cream into your chocolate eclair cases:

In order to take the presentation of your chocolate eclairs to the next level, experiment with using a French star tip to pipe cream into your chocolate eclair cases. Instead of using a cream pipe which offers a regular circle tip. Especially as eclairs prepared with a French star tip are more likely to cook through evenly. Better yet, you’ll avoid cracking your eclair’s dough by using a star tip pipe to fill your eclairs. This is a particularly great idea if you want to bake eclairs that look like the fancy eclairs that you can purchase at an eclair bakery.

Bake your eclairs until they are puffy and golden:

If you’re unsure of how to know when your eclairs are ready to eat, simply bake your eclairs until they are puffy and golden.

Use regular sugar instead of brown sugar:

Most eclair recipes call for plain granulated sugar. So don’t feel the need the need to use fancy brown sugar in your eclairs.

Use a digital scale to measure all of your baking ingredients:

Whether you’re baking a cake or an eclair, it’s well worth purchasing a digital scale which will allow you to quickly and accurately measure your baking ingredients. Which will ensure that your cakes and eclairs have the perfect consistency.

Learn how to make the perfect choux pastry in order to create mouth watering eclairs:

One of the secrets to create the perfect eclair is to perfect the art of preparing choux pastry. If you’ve never made your own choux pastry from scratch it is comprised of milk, sugar, water, salt, butter, eggs and flour. Alternatively if you don’t want to prepare your own choux pastry from scratch, you also have the option of searching for eclair pastry near me. In order to find ready made eclair pastries that will make your mouth water. If you’re lucky you may even find an eclair café near you.

So if you love eating pastries, cakes and eclairs and have always wanted to know how to create the perfect eclair, it’s a great idea to follow the tips which are listed above. Especially if you’re interested in preparing home made eclairs for the first time!

If you’re not a natural in the kitchen but are passionate about cooking and want to increase your cooking skills, you’ve come to the right place. Simply continue reading to discover a few basic cooking tips which will increase your skill as a home cook.

Cooking Tips 101:

Opt to use fresh, local ingredients:

If you choose to use fresh, local ingredients your recipes will turn out a lot better. So it’s a great idea to search for seasonal recipes which boast ingredients which are in abundance, during each season. For example, the best time to prepare bruschetta in during summer when tomatoes are ripe, full of flavor and readily available. If possible, avoid purchasing ingredients which are imported from other countries.

Always use luke warm water to activate your yeast:

If you require fresh yeast for a recipe such as a bread recipe, be sure to use luke warm water to activate your yeast. As water which is too hot can actually kill your yeast and can prevent your bread from rising properly.

Always make sure to slice beef against the grain:

If you want your cuts of beef to be tender and succulent be sure to get into the habit of slicing your beef against the grain. If in doubt, simply slice your beef perpendicular to the muscle fibers in your beef.

Don’t ignore instructions to chill specific ingredients:

If a particular recipe tells you to chill certain ingredients, be sure to place them in your fridge over night. So that when you start cooking they are the right temperature for your recipe.

Use an ice cream scoop when you bake cupcakes or cookies:

One way to create evenly sized cupcakes and cookies is to use a basic ice cream scoop to scoop out your cookie dough or cupcake mixture. If you’re sicking of trying to use spoons to create perfectly sized cupcakes and cookies, you’ll love implementing this simple yet effective tip.

Crack your eggs on a flat surface:

While you may have been taught to crack your eggs on the side of a bowl, as a child, it’s a better idea to crack your eggs on a flat surface. As when you crack eggs on flat surfaces, you get fewer cracked shells that can end up in your mixture.

Preheat your oven:

You may have wondered why most recipes instruct you to preheat your oven, the answer is that if you place your food into an oven which is still heating, your food is likely to be badly burnt and inedible. So do yourself a huge favor and listen to the instructions to preheat your oven. Ideally you should preheat your oven before you start cooking in order to give your oven 15-20 minutes to heat up properly.

Throw out herbs and spices that are over 2 years old:

While many herbs and spices don’t have expiry dates, after 2 years herbs and spices lose their flavor and aroma. If in doubt, simply sniff your spices. If you can no longer smell a distinct aroma, throw them out.

So if you’re not a natural in the kitchen, there’s no need to become discouraged. Instead work on increasing your skills as a home cook by following all of the simple yet effective tips which are listed above!

If you’d love to take your baking to the next level and plan on wowing your friends and family members, simply continue reading to discover a handy guide to baking. As you may find a few baking tips which will instantly improve the quality of your home baking.

Baking Tips 101:

Ensure to take your eggs and butter out of your fridge several hours before you start baking:

In order to ensure that your eggs will be light and fluffy and that your butter will be beautifully creamed, it’s important to remember to take your eggs and your butter out of your fridge, several hours in advance. As an added bonus, you should find it easier to cut your butter if it has been sitting at room temperature for a few hours.

Purchase a glass mixing bowl:

It’s a great idea to purchase a handy glass mixing bowl, which will allow you to carefully measure out flour, milk or water. As well as purchasing a mixing bowl, ensure to purchase a set of accurate mixing cups and spoons which you’ll use each time that you bake.

Always use your oven’s middle rack:

If you place your baking trays in the middle rack inside your oven, the hot air in your oven will be able to circulate evenly around your trays. So if you want to ensure that your baking is cooked through properly, it’s well worth getting into the habit of always using your oven’s middle rack.

Don’t be tempted to open your oven door early:

If you routinely open your oven in order to check on the progress of your baking, your baking may flop and fall in on itself due to the rapid change of temperature. For this reason, you should never open your oven door early.

Set a timer on your smart watch:

Instead of relying on an old school timer, if you own a smart watch simply ask Siri or Alexa to set a timer for you. As you won’t forget about the cookies that you have baking in your oven if you get an alert on your smart watch that your baking is ready.

Purchase a metal skewer to check if your baking is cooked through properly:

Once you take your baking out of your oven, simply use a metal skewer to poke a hole through the center of your muffins, cupcakes or cake. If you take out your metal skewer and it’s still wet or has dough attached to it, your baking is not cooked through properly and should be placed back into your oven. However if your skewer comes out clean, your baking is cooked properly. If you don’t want to purchase a metal skewer, you also have the option of using a toothpick instead.

Always weigh each of your ingredients:

While you may be tempted to use rough guesses, if you want your recipe to work out, it’s a far better idea to weigh each of your ingredients. You may even want to purchase a digital scale, if you love baking and plan on baking on a regular basis.

So if are keen to take your home baking to the next level and would love to improve the quality of your muffins, cupcakes, cookies, cakes and slices, it’s well worth trying out all of the tips listed above!