Today's Flower #2

If you know someone that is feeling down and out because of an illness, send him or her a gorgeous arrangement of flowers and help them to feel better immediately. You will let them know how much you care about them and how much you want them to feel better.

Life long dietary habits

Wondering how to improve a child’s health through his diet? It might be a good idea to start looking into whole grain foods.

Whole grains have been found to be nutritionally superior in giving health benefits than refined grain foods like white rice and white bread.

Food items made from whole grain, such as cereals, bread and even pasta, contain all the healthy parts of the grain. With these parts intact, kids can enjoy all the whole grain benefits together with vitamins and minerals to help improve their health and support their growth and development.

Whole grains contain all three important parts of a grain: Bran, which is rich in fiber, B vitamins, iron, zinc, copper and phytonutrients; Germ, which has vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants and essential fats; and Endosperm, which offers carbohydrates, proteins and small amounts of B vitamins. Together, whole grains deliver a complete nutrient package

By incorporating whole grains into your kid’s diet at an early age, you establish good lifelong dietary habits in your child which lay the foundation for later health.

With all these health benefits, you definitely want your kid to have a whole grain-rich diet every day. You can start increasing his whole grain diet through breakfast cereals that are made with whole grains like Nestlé Koko Krunch, Koko Krunch Duo, Milo, Honey Stars, and Cookie Crisp, which provide all the healthy goodness of whole grains to boost children’s health

Pasta with clam

This healthy variation of clam pasta is a delicious, quick, and easy way to have highly nutritious clams in your diet. It is lighter than some pasta recipes and the abundance of basil adds extra healthy benefits and flavor.

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
¼ lb whole wheat spiral pasta
1 medium sized onion, minced
1 TBS + 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
10 oz can whole clams with juice
1 TBS tomato paste
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
pinch red chili flakes
½ cup chopped fresh basil
6 medium cloves garlic, pressed
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
*optional ½ cup shredded parmesan


Directions:

Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
While water is coming to a boil and pasta is cooking, heat 1 TBS broth over medium heat in a 10-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth for about 4 minutes stirring frequently.
Add tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cook for another 10 minutes on high heat to reduce and intensify sauce. Add clams and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add pressed garlic, chopped basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Remove from heat immediately and toss with cooked, drained pasta.
Serves 4

Serving suggestions: Serve with

Great Antipasto Salad or
Creamy Romaine Salad
Healthy Cooking Tips:

Make sure your clams cook just long enough to heat through. If you purchase chopped clams they will take less time than whole. If they cook too long they will get tough and rubbery. Even though the recipe calls for reducing the sauce 10 minutes, temperature varies in stoves so test the sauce for flavor. If it still tastes a little weak, simmer a little longer before adding clams. Keep in mind the added garlic, olive oil and basil at the end will certainly increase the flavor. To keep the sauce from getting too salty, add at the end. Salt intensifies as it cooks. This way you can control the saltiness. Check pasta often while cooking to make sure it doesn't overcook. If it is done before the sauce, rinse it with very hot water and drain well to freshen it and keep it from sticking right before tossing with the sauce. This is a healthier method than tossing it with a lot of oil to keep it from sticking together.

Today's Flower #1

Execute the feelings of love, ignite love feelings, feelings of passion of love, emotional feelings through flowers.

Sweet tooth substitutes

Remember that the snack choices that you make for your kids tend to stay with them for life. If you familiarize them with healthier options while they are young, they’ll be more likely to stick to these choices and live longer, healthier lives.

It has been said that fruits like bananas and oranges are nature’s original snack—they come pre-wrapped and ready to eat. Get your kids used to fruits to sate their craving for sweets. Berries, in particular, are a powerhouse of nutrition—packed with vitamins and minerals, and also one of the best sources of antioxidants. You can freeze some strawberries or grapes overnight in a plastic bag, and they’ll be a perfect treat to send your kids off with in the morning.

Granola bars are a great alternative to a gooey candy bar. Sweet, crunchy granola bars have more fiber, and far less fat and sugar.

If your kids can’t do without a bar of chocolate, then go ahead and indulge them—not all chocolates are bad. Just make sure to avoid the super-sweet varieties that come with caramel or nougat. Choose dark chocolate—containing at least 70% cocoa solids—which is a good source of antioxidants, particularly flavonoids, the type found in green tea and red wine

Smart snacking

Choosing healthy snacks means shopping smart. Be cautious of the health claims on food packages. Here are some things to watch out for.

Just because something is "all natural" or "pure" doesn't necessarily mean that it's nutritious. For example, "all natural" juice drinks or sodas can be filled with sugar (which is, after all, a natural ingredient) but all that sugar means they'll be high in calories and give you little nutrition.

A granola bar is a good example of a snack that people think is healthy. Although granola bars can be a good source of certain vitamins and nutrients, many also contain a great deal of fat, including a particularly harmful type of fat called trans fat. On average, about 35% of the calories in a regular granola bar come from fat. And there can be a lot of sugar in granola cereals and bars. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package to be sure.

Be skeptical of low-fat food claims, too. If the fat has been eliminated or cut back, the amount of sugar in the food may have increased to keep that food tasting good. Many low-fat foods have nearly as many calories as their full-fat versions.

Whatever claims a food's manufacturer writes on the front of the package, you can judge whether a food is healthy for you by reading the ingredients and the nutrition information on the food label.

Burning Calories

New research tells us that exercising after a meal ignites the food's thermic effect-the food's natural ability to boost metabolism and more calories.

When men take a twenty-minute walk following a meal their metabolic rate rises 29 percent. A brisk walk speeds up the calorie burning effect of the food and burns calories from the exercise also.

Just make sure that when you exercise after eating it's something not too strenuous. A nice brisk walk can actually speed up digestion, but anything more might actually interfere with digestion of your meal

Yogurt with fruit

This recipe is great for breakfast and as a dessert.

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 apple, chopped
½ cup raisins
1 cup seedless grapes
2 bananas, sliced
1 cup berries, whatever is in season
2 cups plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt


Directions:

Mix all the fruit together. Either top with yogurt or mix yogurt and fruit together.