TAKE IT FROM ME FOLKS!

Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible– all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you.

Perhaps like this!?
If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think. Take a manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. As we all know, a balanced diet must contain carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, mineral salts and fibre. It must contain these things in the correct proportions.

BALANCE DIET- We heared it always but means eating certain things in moderation, namely saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, refined sugar, salt and alcohol. The goal is to take in nutrients you need for health at the recommended levels. Getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs, and for supporting normal growth and development. It also includes a physical exercise has a major role in achieving long healthy life.

 

SPAETZLE with BEEF GOULASH SAUCE

SPAETZLE a kind of fresh pasta from the South of Germany), with beef goulash as a sauce is our lunch for today. Since my two kids love Goulash very much, so I used spaetzle (noodle) too. Not the traditional one from Hungarian but this is very easy way using Knorr Goulash Base. Really my quick version of it which I wanted to share to everybody. So here is my recipe for this…

You can also use ground or minced beef meat instead of meat, just like picture above. Procedure is just the same.
The amount of fat that remains once the ground beef has been cooked depends on preparation methods. A study published in the “Journal of the American Dietetic Association” concluded that draining the fat from cooked ground beef, as well as running it under water, significantly reduced the fat content without impairing overall nutritional value.

And this is my ground meat goulash!
An alternative instead of beef meat, you can use pork or beef according to your preferences.

YOU NEED…….

* 250 g Spaetzle, cooked in boiling water for about 12 to 14 minutes with salt
* 300 g beef meat for stewing without fat
* 1 pack of Knorr Goulash Base
* some water for mixing Goulash Base
* 1 big Onion, peeled and chopped roughly
* some vegetable oil
* some water for cooking beef meat

HOW TO…….

 

BIKING WITH MY 2 KIDS

Today, with our hectic schedule and busy lifestyle, home cooked meals have been replaced by burgers, pizzas, fries and all kinds of unhealthy fast foods. Many families are trying to correct their eating habits for providing a balanced meal with the help of meal planning. Though meal planning can be a challenging task, it does not have to be so.

So, coming back home this was our dinner which I prepared. Fried chicken wings and cucumber salad with red onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Yes pressed garlic and for dressing just salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
If you are interested in providing your family with a balanced diet, then preparing healthy meal plans for families is the perfect solution. But that does not mean that you must have boring food everyday, as healthy meal planning is all about providing a meal that is balanced and healthy, without compromising on the taste.

Riding a bike is fun, safe and good for you!<<<BIKING- It concerns the wheel driving as ideal progressive movement means in the everyday life – from at home to the Praterallel and to the sports field, which keeps beside the contribution to environmental protection above all also fit and healthy, makes fun and still represents ideal leisure activities. For us then in perfect weather on this day!

This was our snack brake, taking a short ride on the bike will give an appetite!
We ate it with ketchup and mustard and bun (Semmel, an Austrian bun).
Klobása is the Czech and Slovak word for sausage. In English, these words refer to a particular genre of sausage, common to all Eastern European countries but with substantial regional variations.
In the Slavic languages, these are the generic words for all types of sausage, local or foreign. The terms entered English simultaneously from different sources, which accounts for the different spellings. Usage varies between cultural groups, but overall there is a distinction between American and Canadian usage.

In the United States, the form kielbasa is more often used and comes from the Polish kiełbasa “sausage”, perhaps a derivation from the Turkic kül bastï “grilled cutlet”.

In addition to kielbasa, Canadians also use the word kubasa, a corruption of the Ukrainian kovbasa, and Albertans even abbreviate it as kubie to refer to the sausage eaten on a hot dog bun.

On our way home, I discovered this heap of bear leek or broad- leaved garlic (Allium ursinum) is a wild relative of chives native to Europe and Asia. Allium ursinum, ramsons, grow in deciduous woodlands with moist soils, preferring slightly acidic conditions. They flower before deciduous trees leaf in the spring, filling the air with their characteristic garlic-like scent. The stem is triangular in shape and the leaves are similar to those of the lily of the valley. Unlike the related crow garlic and field garlic, the flower-head contains no bulbils, only flowers.

Ramsons leaves are edible; they can be used as salad, spice, boiled as a vegetable, in soup, or as an ingredient for pesto in lieu of basil. I use to cook it as sou, the so-called “Bärlauch cream soup”.

 

PALM SUNDAY 2012

When is Palm Sunday 20112?
Palm Sunday, the final Sunday before Easter Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week. Christian churches distribute palms on Palm Sunday to commemorate Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, when palm branches were placed in His path, before His arrest and Crucifixion on Good Friday. Filipinos here in Vienna joined the worldwide celebration of Palm Sunday, a Christian feast that marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

This was my lunch today Beef meat with Broccoli.
After attending the holy Sunday mass we went straight ahead at MILLENNIUM CITY to have lunch and at the same time to celebrate my friend’s 62th Birthday (ate Nina). I was wondering if we could start a list of all the restaurants that give free meals to people on their birthdays. But I don’t think so…..
She brought “Pansit” and the rest she ordered from different consignor inside Millennium City!

“Pansit” (Pancit) which she cooked at home and brought it all the way at Millennium City.

Didi’s lunch (my daughter), Crispy Canard also with Broccoli and Radish-Carrots Salad.

Mercy’s lunch, Crispy Chicken with Baby Mais, Broccoli and also with Radish-Carrots Salad.
Almost everything she got it from consignor “KYOTO”!
After lunch we had our coffee with sliced cake.
I consider myself very fortunate to have good friends here on earth… I think I am blessed when it comes to that area of life. I may not be wealthy when it comes to finances but when it comes to love ones and friends, I guess I am a Millionaire.

Palm Sunday is an important celebration in the Christian calendar. It is a moveable feast that is always held on the Sunday prior to Easter. The event marks Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem shortly before his trial and crucifixion. The day is usually associated with worshippers carrying blessed palm leaves or a substitute. A palm frond denotes victory. There are many different and interesting Palm Sunday customs around the world.

PHOTO COURTESY OF Tin-tin Avinante (Leah Avinante)

It is a real family day in Jordan with church services being well attended. People make crosses out of palm leaves and children take palm fronds and olive braches to church. The service starts with a procession. Later the priest uses a branch to sprinkle parishioners with holy water. Almost the same as what Father Ron did today at St. Johann Kapistran at Forsthausgasse, 20th District of Vienna.

 

CHINA CENTER AT NASCHMARKT (CHINA ZENTRUM AM NASCHMARKT)

Chinatown in Vienna? The China center and Chinese supermarkets at the Naschmarkt who dared itself already once into the restaurant, we my family and I so with my daughter’s school friends in the China center, at the edge of the Naschmarkts, the impression will have perhaps won the straight national borders behind itself to have left and in the country of the smile have landed. Which does not come from approximate, because not only Europeanized Asian kitchen is offered here, but also autentische traditional kitchen. In contrast to the majority Asian restaurants in Vienna are many guests of the restaurant Zhong Xin of Chinese origin, why there is also a bill of fare in Mandarin.

Today hubby and we decided to have our lunch in this restaurant. I got my seafood soup with 3 pieces of small siopao annd hubby as usual his all time favorite and love of cripy canard with bamboo sprouts and its famous garlic sauce which fits at all. And of course not to forget the savoury sour soup. With my “BUNSO” (doggie) that completes our luch date today…wink!

There are so many dishes within Chinese cooking that it is difficult to narrow them down.
According to Chinese Superstitions, many people also abstain from eating meat on the first day of Chinese New Year … Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all … given little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune.

 

TWO DIFFERENT DINNER

Yes two different dinner last night! Meal planning is just not that easy, especially with my kiddos!
Pasta (spaghetti) for the kids and Sinigang na bangus with rice for us(hub and I). I am not a mighty meat fun when it comes to food, but my 2 kids ang hubby YES. We almost see to it that almost request from the 2 kids could be suffused in way that they will enjoy their food. There’s a variety and the most important thing is that we have all of the ingredients for all of them. This has worked really well for me. I don’t plan lunches or breakfasts. Most weekends I do something like baked, toast, or cereals with yoghurt or milk but during the week we eat simple things like fruit, a cup of tea with milk or coffee and brunch from leftover. If we don’t have leftovers then no brunch. Didi (my daughter) takes her lunch to school sometimes and I just keep a variety of easy lunch stuff to make hers. It’s usually simple stuff like fruits and veggies, cheese or yogurt, nuts or crackers, hummus and a sandwich or a wrap. A huge part of our grocery budget goes to veggies, pasta fish, meat and fruits.

So this was our dinner last night “Bangus Sinigang”. I love my sinigang with lots of viggies. Did you know that you can eat a lot and still lose weight? It sounds too good to be true, right? YES, and that’s veggies!
Adding a lot of vegetables and fruits to your diet will help you, they keep you feeling full for longer than processed food so you won’t even feel the need to eat loads.

WHY PASTA? It’s versatile: tomatoey or creamy sauces can create the base to all kinds of different dishes. Dried pasta has a long-shelf life and often makes the most of other storecupboard ingredients like tinned tomatoes, olives, anchovies, chorizo or frozen peas. Pasta’s cheap even with recent price rises, quick, easy to make in bulk and a crowd-pleaser that kids generally love, so perfect for time-pressed parents but not me. While pasta (spaghetti) with ground meat, onion, chopped garlic, sieved tomatoes, italian herbs, salt and pepper to taste was kids dinner last night.

Cook the spaghetti al dente in boiling water with a little salt and vegetable oil. Saute 1 chopped onion with 1 finely chopped garlic clove until the onion is soft. Add 250 grams minced beef and fry the minced beef brown and loose. Stir a few minutes. Add 500 ml sieved tomatoes. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with spaghetti and if you like add grated cheese on top. Enjoy!

 

WHAT SHOULD WE EAT FOR BRUNCH?

Part elaborate breakfast and part hearty lunch, brunch is a wonderfully informal way to gather family and friends on a weekend morning. We have it today eventhough it’s only Wenesday and not weekend!
Hubs at home and my son too. We got up late while our daughter early in the morning already in her school. Brunch can be tricky—you may find yourself thinking, “Is this breakfast or is this lunch? Might as well eat both!”

From a hearty egg dish with bellpeppers, these easy healthy recipes are sure to please the entire family. I served it with brown bread, but hubs ate it with his rice…lol… Take it from me Folks…wink!
For sure the next eating session today will be dinner time, in between we gonna have coffee and something like biscuit roulade which I have in my mind since I got up today.

I just use 3 bell peppers (yellow, green and red, cored and cut into cubes). One onion of medium sized (peeled and cut into cubes), 6 pcs. beaten eggs, salt and pepper for seasoning and I used Becel Omega 3 vegetable oil. Topped with sliced frankfurter.

Becel Omega-3 vegetable oil is a special composition from sunflower, canola (rape) and linseed oil – which selected carefully for oils. The vegetable oil contains valuable several times insatiated Omega-3 and Omega-6-fatty acids, however no hardened fats. Becel Omega-3 vegetable oil is ideally suitable for a heart-healthy nutrition.

 

TODAY’s QUICK LUNCH AND YESTERDAY’s DINNER

It’s time for a little midday magic! Forget that same-old lunch I keep serving and try something new. My recipes make it easy with hundreds of fast, fresh and tasty lunches the whole family will love. Today I’m alone with my 2kids. Coming back home from University of Technology the 2 kids were so hungry, no wonder because they don’t have breakfast today.

I just boiled cured boston butt in salted water until tender. Then sliced it. Served with mashed potatoes and sliced pickled cucumber from glass which I got from Supermarket. Boston butt is a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg. For mashed potatoes recipe check old entry.

Using Maggi Gourmet product for my sauce that makes it so juicy and tasty. Simply add 1 pouch of this to 3/8 Liter of hot water and stir constantly while cooking/ medium heat/ don’t cover for 2 minutes. Then pour over sliced boston butt, so that was today’s lunch!

While this one above was yesterday’s dinner. Pan-fried pork belly with pickled cabbage and cucumber of course with rice too. We are Pinoy remember…wink!

Most people had been conditioned to think that cooking food without oil doesn’t taste good. In reality, food cooked without oil can taste just as good or even better. In fact, many five star or high class restaurants cook their food with little or no oil.
Use water instead of oil to cook your food. Cook at lower temperatures to prevent the water from evaporating too quickly, this will also prevent the food from sticking to the pan. Using a non-stick pan will also help prevent stickiness.

As you could see, I pan-fried the pork belly without any oil. I just add a little liquid. You won’t get the crispy browning as you would with fat in the pan. One way to deal with it is to use non stick pan. The water cooks away and then the tiny bit of oil from itself (pork belly) brown the food.

I don’t invest a lot in teflon pans because, no matter how careful you are, the surface develops tiny scratches. I find that my better cookware (caphalon stainless steel) doesn’t stick as long as you get the pan hot enough. But for things like eggs, I have a couple of inexpensive Teffal teflon pans. When the non stick surface wears out, I replace them.

It pays to invest in a few silicon spatulas for stirring or wooden spoon. They are easier on the surface than wooden or plastic spoons. In this way you are cuting the high calories you could get from oil, and butter and with the calories wasted on fat in a pan because butter and oil can be so high.

 

BREAKFAST AT VIENNA’S ANKER

“Unless a tree has borne blossoms in spring, you will vainly look for fruit on it in autumn.” — Hare Charles

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”
– Anne Bradstreet

“An optimist is the human personification of spring.”
– Susan J. Bissonette

GOOD MORNING WORLD!
Say hello to SPRING weather! Time to enjoy your breakfast or lunch outside!
Once spring time approaches, I love to have my breakfast outside. “nice place, especially during spring time……have a seat outside on the terrasse and just enjoy good food”. This was taken while my daughter and I having our first breafast in this season outside at Anker.

Breakfast at Anker is for us so rich and dainty. Dauhgter and I we had this so called VIENNA BREAKFAST, which includes 2 pcs. of croissants, caffe llate, butter and marmalade. My dauhgter got “Kornspitz”!

Reading books and magazine always includes in my daily routine. If I don’t get to it on day time I see to it that I get before going to bed. But today so perfectly!
Enjoying the silence while reading my magazine, after a healthy breakfast from Anker.
Managing schedule so important for me that I can live free outlines a straightforward, step-by-step approach to controlling schedule and ensuring the important things don’t fall through the cracks. It helps me accomplish not only what’s on my to-do list today, but what’s on my to-do list for life. One is I’m sure giving time for myself to seat down and get through to my magazine or any book that I use to read aside from Bible. These help changing my life. Seriously! It’s been years since life has felt so peaceful.

 

YESTERDAY’s DINNER

We came back home around 6 pm from our General Assembly yesterday a little bit tired and hungry. Hubs decided to prepare our dinner. We still have baked dessert from my baking but nobody wants to eat it alone without having soup. This is not something new, actually we often have soup for dinner either with bread or any baked dessert.

So Hubs cooked Chicken-Rice Noodle Soup. What he found in refrigerator and cupboard that’s all he used for this soup!
He raided the leftovers of chicken breast (cut into flakes), added some carrots (cut into a little bit fine stripes), 1 red onion (peeled and sliced), half cloves garlic (peeled and crushed), some chopped parsley, 1 chicken broth cube, 3 tbsp. dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp. vegetable oil, 300g rice noodle, some salt and 1 liter water for the soup. This yields 4 person!
I use to have my soup with a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Why, I don’t know but it gives me this satisfying taste of a soup if there’s a little hot in it. My daughter loves it too. Sometimes she buy this hot-chili sauce from chinese shop the green which is very hot while the brown one is with garlic.

And these are the rest from my baked dessert which we brought to MS-HFC General Assembly yesterday afternoon. A sort of Almond Nuts Cake. I adapted from an old recipe, also with other kind of nuts is suitable to use. If you are asking for Recipe check it out from another entry…My amateur baking:-)