Healthier doesn't mean healthy.

According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast, 75 percent of women and 66 percent of men say they’re trying to eat healthier at restaurants than they did two years ago. Keeping with the trend, more quick-service restaurants are rolling out so-called nutritious options as more consumers demand them. The chains are also reducing serving sizes, calories, and fat, and offering more whole grains and veggies. 

Even so, we discovered many dishes marketed as healthier choices are still packed with more sugar, sodium, and calories than you might think. Take a look on the next slides. If you do decide to indulge, try to eat fresh, unprocessed whole foods the rest of the day to help offset your splurge.

Cure for Hangovers from Around

Hangovers are caused by several factors. First, the body has to metabolize the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages: ethanol. This process requires cellular energy, distracting the body from normal activities like making glucose for the brain. Even after all the ethanol is metabolized, the by-products of this process can cause additional problems. Likewise, other substances in certain alcoholic beverages can make a hangover worse. Lastly, ethanol is a diuretic and can lead to dehydration.

Smooth Smoothie

A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients. They have a milkshake-like consistency that is thicker than slush drinks. They can also contain milk, yogurt or ice cream.

Smoothies are often marketed to health-conscious people, and some restaurants offer add-ins such as soy milk, whey powder, green tea, herbal supplements, or nutritional supplement mixes.

Smoothies became widely available in the United States in the late 1960s when ice cream vendors and health food stores began selling them.

By the 1990s and 2000s, smoothies became available at mainstream cafés and coffee shops and in pre-bottled versions at supermarkets all over the world.

Pear for Perfection

Pears are consumed fresh, canned, as juice, and dried. The juice can also be used in jellies and jams, usually in combination with other fruits or berries. Fermented pear juice is called perry or pear cider.

Pears ripen at room temperature. They will ripen faster if placed next to bananas in a fruit bowl. Refrigeration will slow further ripening. Pear Bureau Northwest offers tips on ripening and judging ripeness: Although the skin on Bartlett pears changes from green to yellow as they ripen, most varieties show little color change as they ripen. Because pears ripen from the inside out, the best way to judge ripeness is to "Check the Neck": apply gentle thumb pressure to the neck or stem end of the pear. If it yields to gentle pressure, then the pear is ripe, sweet, and juicy. If it is firm, leave the pear at room temperature and Check the Neck daily for ripeness.

Jamming Deliciously

"It is as healthy to enjoy sentiment as to enjoy jam."
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Jam sandwiches are thought to have originated at around the 19th century in the United Kingdom. In Scotland they are known as pieces and jam or jelly pieces. The jam sandwich was an affordable food which was a major part of the diets of the lower/working-class people of cities such as London and Glasgow.

One plausible reason for this was that the ingredients that the jam sandwiches were made from cost little to manufacture and due to taxes being lifted on sugar in 1880, it became widely available as a cheap foodstuff.

Today, jam sandwiches are mainly consumed by children. Shops do not often sell individual jam sandwiches.

Rustic Fall Fruit Tart Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Servings:  8

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup (1/2 of 250-g tub) Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread

4 fresh plums (9-1/2 oz./264 g), thinly sliced

2 nectarines, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/3 cup apricot jam

Steps

 - USE pulsing action to process flour, butter and cream cheese spread in food processor until mixture is well blended and starts to pull away from side of container. Shape into ball; wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled.

 - HEAT oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch circle. Place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Combine fruit, sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Arrange fruit decoratively over crust to within 2 inches of edge; fold over edge to partially cover fruit.

 - BAKE 30 min. or until golden brown. Spread fruit with jam. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Bell Pepperness

Bell peppers belong to the nightshade family of plants, along with chili pepper, cayenne pepper, eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes. Their scientific name is Capsicum annuum. This scientific name, however, is used to refer not only to bell peppers, but also to wax peppers, cayenne peppers, chili peppers, and jalapeno peppers.

While we are most accustomed to seeing green bell peppers in the supermarket, these delicious vegetables actually come in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, orange, red, purple, brown and black. The green bell peppers you purchase in the food market may actually be immature, non-ripe versions of these other color varieties. Not all bell peppers start off green, however, nor do green bell peppers always mature into other basic colors.

Polenta-Stuffed Peppers

Preparation Time: 30 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

·        4 tablespoons butter

·        1 onion, finely chopped

·        1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped

fresh rosemary (or 3/4 teaspoon dried

 rosemary, crumbled)

·        Coarse salt and ground pepper

·        1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

·        1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed

·        1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

·        4 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise through stem, ribs and seeds removed

Directions

1.      1. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Cook onion, stirring often, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; bring to a boil.

2.      2. Whisking constantly, gradually add cornmeal, whisking until incorporated before adding more. Reduce to a simmer; cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in corn, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and half the cheese until melted.

3.      3. Place peppers in a large baking dish; fill with polenta mixture. Cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 days.

4.      4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup water in bottom of baking dish. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5.      5. Return to oven; bake, uncovered, until cheese is golden and peppers are very tender, about 30 minutes more. Serve immediately.

V Viola! Enjoy!

5 Minute Shortcake

Shortcake is typically made with flour, sugar, baking powder or soda, salt, butter, milk or cream, and sometimes eggs. The dry ingredients are blended, and then the butter is cut in until the mixture resembles cornmeal. The liquid ingredients are then mixed in just until moistened, resulting in a shortened dough. The dough is then dropped in spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, rolled and cut like baking powder biscuits, or poured into a cake pan, depending on how wet the dough is and the baker's preferences. Then it is baked at a relatively high temperature until set.

The most famous dessert made with shortcake is strawberry shortcake. Sliced strawberries are mixed with sugar and allowed to sit an hour or so, until the strawberries have surrendered a great deal of their juices. The shortcakes are split and the bottoms are covered with a layer of strawberries, juice, and whipped cream, typically flavored with sugar and vanilla. The top is replaced, and more strawberries and whipped cream are added onto the top.

Quick Biscuit Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

10 mins only

Ingredients

  20 ripened strawberries

  1/4 cup granulated sugar

  1 tube biscuit dough (store bought, any brand will work)

  1 cup heavy cream

  1 tsp. vanilla extract

  2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Slice store bought biscuit dough into 1/2-inch rounds. 

  2. Place rounds on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place sheet in preheated oven for approximately 6 minutes, until golden brown.

  3. While biscuits are baking, roughly chop strawberries and toss with granulated sugar. Set aside.

  4. Put cold heavy cream, vanilla extract and confectioners sugar in a mixing bowl set over ice and whisk for 3 to 4 minutes, until desired whipped cream consistency. Do not over-mix, or whipped cream will turn to a butter-like consistency.

  5. Place cooked biscuit slices on plate and top with sugared strawberries and whipped cream.

Viola! Enjoy!