How is it possible that our country just had a national debate about health care and yet so little of it centered around what we eat? Our diets are one of the most essential parts of our overall health and well-being. Eating right and exercising is preventative medicine in its purest form.

When you prepare your own meals it is much easier to eat healthy because you can see exactly what you are putting into your food. Does a recipe seem to call for too much oil or cheese? Cut it down, substitute it with something else, or consider making a different meal. Here are a few healthy and delicious recipes that you can make with a food processor.

Breakfast Fruit Smoothie

Starting your day off with a delicious fruit smoothie is a great way to get around the habit of grabbing a coffee and a donut on the way to work. You will also be amazed at how little prep time it takes. If you have time to turn on the coffee pot, you have time to fix yourself a delicious and healthy smoothie.

1 banana
½ cup frozen (or fresh) mixed berries
¼ cup frozen (or fresh) pineapple bits
½ cup orange juice
2 heaping tablespoons low fat yogurt

Simply blend this all up in a blender like the Wolfgang Puck Stainless Steel Immersion Blender and serve right away. The best thing about smoothies is how flexible and open to interpretation the recipes are. You can use a little papaya instead of the pineapple or use fresh squeezed oranges instead of the orange juice. The only limit to what you can do is your imagination.

Muhammara

The Middle Eastern chickpea spread hummus is a staple of food processor cuisine. So much so that you might want to mix things up a bit every now and then.

Muhammara is a tradional Syrian hot pepper dip that uses breadcrumbs and walnuts instead of chickpeas. This recipe is a little bit less spicy than normal and it goes just as well with raw vegetables or pita bread as hummus does.

3 roasted red peppers (jarred or roasted on the stove top then pealed and seeded)
2/3 cup homemade breadcrumbs (mashed up oyster crackers works great)
1 cup walnuts, toasted
4 big cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt to taste

To prepare, just put everything in a fair-sized food processor like the Hamilton Beach 500-watt 14-cup food processor and puree until smooth. Start by just adding a little bit of salt and then adding more as needed. Muhammara is fun to make when you sort of season as you go, tasting your way to the finish line.

If you want a spicier dish, you can substitute the ground pepper flakes for a chopped up jalapeno pepper. This dish is also best when you let it sit overnight to allow the flavors to blend.

Kale Salad with Chipotle Avocado Dressing

This recipe requires no cooking so the kale itself maintains all of its essential nutrients. By massaging in the salt, however, the kale will wilt and take on a cooked texture. The dressing for this is so delicious you will be looking for all kinds of other places to use it! This recipe feeds at least four people so invite over some friends!

4 heads of kale (again, this will look like a lot but it will wilt down a lot with the salt)
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 cup hulled hemp seeds

Dressing
3 avocados, peeled and with center removed
2 chipotle peppers
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
¼ cup lemon juice

Start by removing the stems from the kale. Wash it well and then tear it into bite-sized pieces. Put it in a bowl and begin to massage half the salt right into the kale. Massage until the kale starts to wilt and begins to have a cooked texture. If it is being stubborn you can use more salt, but the less you use the healthier the meal. Just keep massaging!

When it takes on a good texture you can mix in the onions, tomatoes, and hemp seeds.

Now it is time to make the dressing. All you do is dump the dressing ingredients into a food processor like the Black and Decker 10-cup 500-watt Food Processor and puree. If you are concerned with the amount of fat from the olive oil you can use more lemon juice and less EVOO.

Remember that it isn’t always what you cook, it is the act of cooking itself that is important. When you go out to a restaurant you are only choosing what to pick off the menu. When you cook from scratch you are making literally dozens of food choices about what you are putting in your body. These choices will add up to a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Michelle Love is a freelance writer who writes about furniture and kitchen products used for home improvement such as food processors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Love

The best reason to do this online is that it is 9 times out of 10, free. All of those companies that you bought your appliances and storage supplies from have an engineering staff with detailed instructions on how to use there product and what you need to install there product. All you need to do is leave a message at there site with a hot request about the best way to “XYZ” there product and they will get back with you in no time with good advice.

Not only will the information be free but the shear magnitude you will find will blow you away. Don’t forget you will be getting this from people that have unmatched experience with there product. All you will have to do will be type your request into your search engine and hit the button and let it go. Soon you will have to make a decision on just how much content is enough and how much is to much. As well as detailed instruction you usually will find either pictures that take you step-by-step through the process or there will be a video that will show you what is important and what is not.

There are many web sites that will have the instructions that you want, either in PDF format or video. Your friendly home improvement store should have a web site that will have many projects that will be described so you can do the work yourself or make a decision hire some help with some of the more technical chores of the job. They will also have much of the pro’s and con’s of how many products go together and will be able to help you with the decision on buying some of the articles that you know that you will have.

Don’t forget to make your search direct and concise so you will get the best results. So here you go. It’s up to you to do the hunting and up to the people that have put the work in before you get there to be ready to teach you what you need to do the job and get it done right.

And so why don’t you start your search at our web site which is called Kitchen Appliance Packages, and from there you can find many places that will lead you in the right direction.

That’s http://kitchenappliancepackages.org/ for more ideas than you have questions for.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Bensinger

After decades of neglect, the environment is starting to receive the attention it deserves, and with good reason. As a result, some homeowners are choosing to implement green designs into their kitchens, especially since the kitchen can use a lot of energy through appliances that constantly run and water that regularly drips.

Here are several tips for each category in your kitchen so that you can choose a green decorating scheme based on your needs and budget.

Green Appliances and Water Saving Technology

Energy Star appliances are getting a lot of attention, and with today’s range of options and price ranges, upgrading your older appliances for more energy efficient options is viable. Energy Star appliances use anywhere from 10 to 50 percent less energy.

Don’t overlook your kitchen faucet as a potential source of water-conservation. Especially if your budget doesn’t include new appliances, consider choosing a kitchen faucet with an aerator. You’ll have the same water pressure with less volume. A recirculation pump will keep your hot water in your tap, meaning no running the water for up to a minute waiting for hot water.

Big-Ticket Items Going Green

Cabinets and countertops are seminal components that affect the look of your kitchen. If you are considering the possibility of refacing your current cabinets, one popular option is choosing a hardwood that wasn’t finished with urea-formaldehyde, which emits harmful gasses. You can also choose green materials such as wheatboard that is finished with nontoxic products.

Recycled quartz countertops are the most popular green option, and are engineered by DuPont, CaesarStone, Silestone, Zodiaq and IceStone. These recycled quartz countertops are antimicrobial, mold and heat resistant. They offer a wide range of color options with good color depth and a hint of sparkle that will complement any kitchen.

Green Underfoot

If you are considering updating your kitchen flooring, before you go the laminate flooring route, do some research into green options such as cork flooring, linoleum and bamboo or reclaimed hardwood. Bamboo is popular because it’s easily renewable and has been improved to be more durable as well as to stand up better to moisture. Cork is environmentally friendly and you’ll have a many options for color, just make sure you like the texture and look before committing.

Because linoleum is made from linseed oil, rosin and wood flour, it’s durable and environmentally friendly to produce. If you are set on tile, consider purchasing recycled tile that was well preserved, perhaps a terra cotta for a warm, rustic look.

Don’t Throw That Away!

Whether you are updating your entire kitchen or just several items, don’t overlook how you dispose of the items you’re replacing. After all, throwing your current appliances into the landfill won’t justify buying Energy Star appliances. Instead, either sell or donate your used appliances (if in working condition). This way, someone else will reuse them and this will prevent them from clogging a landfill. The same goes for replacing cabinets and even countertops. If you’re taking down your cabinets, take pictures first and try and sell the lot or donate to your local home improvement charity that will reuse your materials, such as Habitat for Humanity. This way, you’ll have done your part for the environment.

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