Chef Foundation

There must be a sale. Either that or there has been a major colonic breakthrough on the news that I’ve missed by being stuck in the gym for the past week. I’ve had at least a dozen juicing recipes emails from my readers regarding colon cleansing, asking about or touting its’ benefits, or inquiring as to how it can help them to lead a healthier life.

What is a colon cleanse? Well it’s really simple. Since the colon is essential to your well being – for the elimination of toxins and your bodies waste products – it is a bodily function that gets a lot of wear and tear (not literally of course). The smaller intestine is situated below the stomach and liver and is the major part of our digestive tract. Now this statistic may just blow you away, but did you know that the total surface of the gastrointestinal system is about six thousand square feet? Yep, I am not joking.

So one would think that a set of organs so massive would need some sort of regular cleaning to work at optimum capacity, and one would, of course, be right. When we are overloaded with toxins, our glandular and immune systems are suppressed, which lowers our normal temperature and our craving for water. Bad bacteria thrive in the intestines and produce ammonia, which lowers the pH. The lower pH in the colon or intestinal tract creates an environment for parasites. I could go on, but is that really necessary? You should be running to my handy and helpful juices and links already since I mentioned the words “parasite” and “intestine” in the same sentence.

As an FYI, here’s some reasons why juicing recipes can help ease any persistent nightmares about aliens growing inside your stomach.

* Carrots can help an inflamed colon.

* the skin of apple contains pectin, which help remove noxious substances from the system. Pectin helps to prevent protein matter in the intestines from spoiling.

* The juice of a lemon is a natural antiseptic, it will help destroy harmful bacteria.

* Celery has been known to help in diseases of the kidneys, pancreas, liver and gallbladder.

* Cucumbers contain Erepsin, an enzyme that helps to digest protein.

* Honey is just a great super food and contains many nutrients that help your digestive tract in many ways.

So, as opposed to inundating you with all the things that can be wrong inside your digestive engine, here’s a juicing recipe to help you cleanse your colon using the properties of the items involved. Alternately (or additionally, depending on how ambitious you are) you’ll find a great colon cleansing 7 day kit here and a colon cleansing treatment here. Both come highly recommended.
Colon Cleansing “Power Juice” Recipe

* 1 green apple

* 1 medium size carrot

* 5 slices of cucumber

* 1 stalk of celery (optional)

* 1 big glass of cold water

* 1 tbsp of honey or 1 tsp of muscovado sugar

* A juice from one lemon if you want a sour flavor or 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar.

Instructions:

Mix the apple (the greener, the better), stalk of celery, carrot, five slices of cucumber, lemon juice and honey or sugar in your juicer (or a blender) with ice cold water. Puree into a shake.

Drink immediately before it oxidizes.

You may also consider a colonic irrigation, or visit one of the many spas that caters to colon cleansing. All in all, it is extremely important to keep your intestines healthy. Although the subject of your colon may conjure up all sorts of embarrassing problems or potential compromising situations, the methods you can use to maintain a healthy digestive tract are really not that intrusive, and the benefits are great and many. So run off now, make that juicing recipe, and give your colon a break.

One of the reasons low carb dieting is so popular is that it allows you to eat a wide variety of tasty meals, snacks and desserts. There’s no need to feel deprived. You can continue to eat many of your everyday favorites simply by substituting low carb ingredients for high carb ones. Here are some tips for making delicious foods with less carbohydrates.

You don’t need to give up baked goods such as cakes, cookies and muffins. Just use ground almonds (almond flour) when baking instead of wheat flour. Almonds are about 20 percent carbohydrate, whereas wheat flour is over 75 percent carbohydrate. Almonds have long been used in traditional home baking and produce a dense, moist sponge. They can be substituted for flour in most baked recipes that incorporate eggs.

Sugar is definitely forbidden on a low carbohydrate diet. Luckily, there are many sugar substitute products to choose from. Artificial sweetener in tablet form is great for tea or coffee, but can also be used to sweeten cold drinks or desserts. Just dissolve in a tiny amount of hot water. Granulated sweeteners are available which can directly replace sugar in any recipe.

Crepes make an appetizing substitute for sandwiches. They can be filled with ham, cheese, tuna or practically anything you would serve on bread. Four large eggs and 100 grams of cream cheese will make four very low carb crepes. Put the cheese in a bowl and beat until soft with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and beat to create a smooth batter. Cook in a little olive oil over medium heat.

Sauces, gravies and soups can be thickened without flour or corn starch by adding heavy cream or thick yogurt. It’s easy to make a low carb cheese sauce for vegetables, fish or eggs. Put about two tablespoons of cream into a sauce pan. Warm over low heat and gradually stir in grated cheese until the sauce is thick and smooth.

Mashed potatoes are off limits to low carb dieters, but cauliflower puree makes a surprisingly good substitute. Cut a head of cauliflower into florets and boil until tender. Transfer to a small-holed colander. Press the cauliflower with the back of a spoon to drain it and mash it simultaneously. Mix with butter and seasoning.

If you are looking for a fantastic birthday cake recipe, you may want to consider something a little different. Not only will your guests be impressed, but your party will be special!

The following recipe is different, although not too off the wall. It’s still classified as “chocolate cake” perfect for any cake lover. It’s absolutely fantastic for a change from normal, often dry birthday cake. Making your birthday party and cake extra special!

Chocolate Cake Recipe:
SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE & FROSTING

–CAKE:–

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 c. water
3/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. shortening
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

–FROSTING:–

1/3 c. butter
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 c. sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla

Cake Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch oblong pan. Measure all cake ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes.

Frosting Directions: Mix butter and chocolate thoroughly. Blend in sugar. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Enjoy the cake and the birthday party!

If you enjoy making frozen-style desserts for your family, I think you will enjoy this easy to make Ambrosia Cream Squares recipe.

This recipe is done in a 4 layer technique. Please read the entire list of ingredients needed before beginning the recipe. Once it has been completed, you will need to place it into the freezer for 2 to 4 hours before serving. If desired, you can garnish the top of it with some fresh pineapple slices or cherries.

Layer 1 Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together the above ingredients in the order that they are given. Press the dough into the bottom of an 8 x 8″ square baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, remove and set aside to cool.

Layer 2 Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg, well-beaten

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the melted butter, beaten egg and confectioner’s sugar together until creamy. Spread this mixture onto the cooled first layer in the baking dish.

Layer 3 Ingredient:

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapples

Drain all of the juice from the pineapples. Spread the crushed pineapples over top of the second layer of ingredients in the baking dish.

Layer 4 Ingredients:

1 package of Dream Whip

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the package of dream whip, vanilla extract and confectioner’s sugar until creamy and smooth. Lightly spread this mixture on top of the third layer in the baking dish.

Cover the dish and place into the freezer. Once the dessert is firm, remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Cut into squares before serving.

Any Mediterranean diet cookbook or recipes are usually tasty, exotic and scrumptious in flavor but more often it is renowned for its excellent health benefits. Whether you are simply trying to lose weight or improve your nutrition and health, these few recipes from my Mediterranean cookbook will suit your needs.

In the Mediterranean diet:

- Butter is most often replaced by the use of extra virgin olive oil,

- There are no synthetically produced fats.

- Processed foods are not an option

- Red meat and dairy products are consumed in moderation.

- Cheese is most often feta, parmesan, goat’s cheese etc.

Here are some of the popular Mediterranean diet recipes:-

1. GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD

Basic Ingredients:-

- 10 – 12 large shrimp.

Shrimp is a Mediterranean shellfish that can be identified with prawns. Shrimps are mainly found in sea water.

- Two to three zucchini as per your requirements.

Zucchini is an Italian summer vegetable – available almost everywhere.

- One cluster of asparagus.
Asparagus is a type of vegetable, good for most meals particularly the little shoots.

- Two cups of salad assortments including endive, radicchio and butter lettuce
Endive is one of the variants of the winter folio type of vegetable chicory that is brought into use while cooking or can also be eaten as a salad. Radicchio is a leafy vegetable that has white-streaked crimson foliage or leaves.

Butter Lettuce is a mild yearly plant usually developed as a leafy vegetable. However, any dark leafed lettuce will do

- One Avocado

Avocado is a tree and also the crop of the tree that is categorized in the blossoming plant species of Lauraceous and it can be identified with berry.

- Two cups of newly sliced basil leave (a kind of herbal leaf).

- Beaker full of extra virgin olive oil.

- One cup of lime juice without any additions.

- One spoon of mustard that is a thick yellow paste having a spiky flavor.

- Two teaspoons of powdered garlic.

- A mug full of red mauve tart that has a sour taste.

GUIDELINES TO MAKE GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD

Make a mixture of olive oil, lime juice, pesto, chopped fresh garlic and red vinegar. Then preserve the shrimp in 1

The HCG diet is known for its strict dieting habits. When I started the diet I thought “Hey, this isn’t so bad.” But then of course several days into the program you realize that you are eating the same thing every day and you are getting sick of it. Luckily I found some ways to mix up the foods.

1. Get a schedule set on what you eat on certain days.

This is the first method I tried. It helped a bit knowing that I was not going to have chicken for lunch and dinner for 3 days straight. I started with chicken for lunch and fish for dinner. I would then do sirloin for lunch and chicken for dinner. I continued a pattern much similar to this one for about a week and found it somewhat effective but not as much as I wanted.

2. Experiment with different foods.

Of course this is HCG diet foods. Don’t rush out and get a pizza and throw some chicken on it and call it experimenting. What I mean by this is find a list of ingredients you can eat and start mixing and matching. One of the ideas I came up with was using the miracle noodles and shrimp. I used approved salsa for the sauce instead of anything like spaghetti sauce or alfredo.

3. Find a recipe guide online.

There are several guides on the internet that are for people like you and me that take all the guess work and structured eating plans out of the picture. I am a pretty busy person between work and home life that I don’t have time to sit down and write out a schedule or experiment too much with what I’m eating. I found an HCG diet recipes guide online that gave me ideas that I had never even thought of. The recipes were delicious and I never got tired of what I was eating.