Category Archives: Food and Drink

Organic Eating on a Budget – 5 Tips to Save Big Money at the Grocery Store

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With 4 children at home and a small food budget, I know how difficult organic eating on a budget canbe. When I first started buying organic, I was disgusted at how much more expensive organic foods were. I struggled to stay within my budget while still providing the healthiest food choices for my family.

Over the years I discovered a few good ways to save money on organic foods. If you are struggling to stick to your grocery budget when you buy organic foods, I hope you find them helpful.

  • Base your menu around recipes that use whole foods. By sticking to a diet of lean meat, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits you will be acting in the best interest of your health. Even with choosing organic varieties, you will save money by skipping the processed junk.
  • Eat meatless meals a few nights a week. Organic meat is expensive. My philosophy is it is better to eat a smaller amount of high quality organic, pastured meat than regular meals consisting of cheaper meat from animals raised on factory farms. Meatless meals based around legumes and grains are an inexpensive alternative a few nights a week.
  • Prioritize your organic choices. If you are dealing with a small food budget, start with foods on the dirty dozen list. These are the list of twelve foods that are most contaminated by pesticides. The current dirty dozen list includes apples, pears, lettuce, dark leafy greens, cherries, grapes, bell peppers, celery, peaches, potatoes, nectarines, and strawberries.
  • Seek out coupons on organic brands you use regularly. Check the websites of your favorite organic food companies as they often offer printable coupons for organic foods.
  • Start an organic garden and grow your own vegetables and fruits. Even if you have to garden in containers, growing your own organic vegetables can make a huge dent in your food budget. Start with high-yield vegetables like tomatoes or bell peppers. Some varieties will keep producing all season long. Also consider growing herbs they require little maintenance. You can even grow them on a sunny windowsill during the winter.
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The Explanation on Food Industry Technologies Applications

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Technology is used in food production because many industrial applications need the use of high technology machine to help in increasing the productivity level of food processing. Machinery is used in many different applications such as in agricultural area where the need of machinery is very high to help in harvesting the plantations and processing the harvested vegetables and fruits. Biotechnology also plays important role in increasing the productivity of plants and in making the plants healthy.

We should not forget the importance of computer technology in food industry. This is the central force of food industry where every single data is stored on the computer. The application of this unit is needed to support the company and to know every single detail of the company productivity and more.

When we talk about food industry, we should also include the food processing discussion. This is the techniques and methods which are used to make harvested foods to be ready for human consumption. We can only choose the clean and high quality harvested foods to be processed using all of the machinery in the factory. There are many ways of the fruits of vegetables to be processed.

1. Batch production
This is the method which is used for processing product that does not have clear size. Commonly the factory involves the demands of the consumers who are willing to buy the products.

2. One off production
This is the method which is used when costumers what to have special order. They have their own specification of the food products. The example of this kind of production is the wedding cake, birthday cake, and more.

3. Mass production
This kind of production is usually applied to the mass-produced foods like chocolate bars, canned foods, ready meals and others which are identical products.

4. Just in time
This is the method which is commonly used in sandwich bars and more. All of the products are ready to be chosen by the customers. The products are made fresh in front of them. This is the common method that you can see in many places.

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Is Almond Milk More Expensive Than Cow’s (Dairy) Milk?

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I drink almond milk regularly. Three of the four people in my family enjoy it. If you have read other articles I have written on the subject, you know that I have tried dairy, soy and rice milk prior to settling on almond milk as my preference. I was motivated mostly by my desire to avoid the nasal congestion that I often experienced with dairy products.

The issue of cost often surfaces with non-dairy beverage substitutes. The retail price of substitutes is usually higher than dairy products. Recently, in a local grocery store, the price was $2.94 for a half-gallon of refrigerated Silk almond milk. Fortunately, after a previous purchase of refrigerated Almond Breeze almond milk, I received a coupon for $1.00 toward my next purchase of Silk’s brand. I gave my coupon to the cashier and, low and behold, the coupon doubled. Instead of having $1.00 off, I received $2.00 off Silk’s brand! My final price was $.94 for the half-gallon. That is less than what I pay for a half-gallon of cow’s milk (my husband’s preference). Clearly, in this example almond milk was not expensive at all.

Coupon offerings from Silk and Almond Breeze manufacturers happen regularly–at least for now. I do not necessarily pay $.94 per half-gallon every time. Yet, the two companies are clearly battling for sales. Apparently, in 2008 Blue Diamond tested their almond non-dairy product on a segment of the Hispanic population, who were known to be lactose intolerant (CHAKER, 2011). The product was received with open arms. Blue Diamond later launched their product in 2009. Silk introduced their product in 2010.

With the stiff competition between the two brands creating an affordable environment for consumers, almond milk is more expensive than cow’s milk sometimes but not all of the time. When there are no sales promotions and I have to fork over $3.00 per half-gallon, I still make a purchase because I like the health benefits. However, I may opt to buy less.

When I go to the store, I look to see which brand is on sale or has a coupon dispenser nearby. I also pay attention when I check out because sometimes coupons print along with the receipt. Although I prefer the taste of Almond Breeze Original, I usually get whatever is on sale because the products taste so similar. As for cost, I can only say to watch for price changes and special offers. They can help improve the price significantly.

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Planning Balanced Meals – What You Probably Don’t Know

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Any weight loss program easily falters when the whole family isn’t involved. This is especially true when the family member who cooks the food is used to preparing delicious concoctions without regard to serving sizes or the number of calories his or her buttered steak laid on the table has. When the aroma begins the waft into all the rooms of the house, it’s going to take one really strong iron-willed individual to resist the urge to dive in.

However, family meals don’t have to be a torture for one member who is on a serious diet to shed the fat off. It can be a great time for every member to be healthier even if not everyone is trying to lose weight. Preparing healthy meals can benefit ever member of the family by increasing overall energy levels and strengthening the immune systems.

First off, if you’re the cook in the family, you must learn other methods of cooking than frying. Roasting, baking, grilling, broiling, boiling and steaming are healthy ways of cooking food. Meat, when roasted, baked or grilled, is better than when it is fried. Choose the lean meat portions and always cut off any excess fat. Chicken, too, must be cooked in healthier ways and while fried chicken patties and chicken fingers are delicious, they don’t have a place in the table of a family seeking to eat a healthy meal. Chicken skin must also be removed since it contains a high amount of cholesterol. Where turkey is concerned, you can save on calories by cooking the stuffing separately so that fat from the turkey does not “join” the stuffing. Of course, going easy on the butter helps in lessening the calorie count, too.

Instead of casseroles or the usual macaroni-and-cheese on the dinner table, why don’t your try serving steamed vegetables? If this seems too bland for your taste, you can sauté them in a little butter and sprinkle with herbs and spices. If no one in your family is allergic to soy, you can try to learn how to prepare soy-based recipes to substitute for meat. Moreover, if the kids want a pasta dinner, make the sauce from fresh tomatoes as much as possible. In the mornings, try to limit bacon or hotdogs from the menu and replace them with eggs and lean meat alternatives.

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The Features Of a Rice Cooker

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Among the many household appliances used today rice cookers are considered very important. It is however well known that cooking of rice is an easy matter and the time factor for cooking is also not significant.

There are many variations of rice preparation and the cooking has to suit every one of them. Therefore it becomes a matter of concern. Cleaning of the cooker and its parts may look bothersome.

Therefore the cooker you buy should help you in cooking the rice to suit the different types of preparation, you have in mind. The cleaning process should also be simple. The best way is to go for a noted brand of rice cooker.

The branded cooker can cook the rice as per your requirements. They can cook any type of rice you will be using. The other aspect of rice cooker use is that cooking of meat, vegetables and other items can also be done.

Soups, stews and other preparations can also be made using the branded rice cooker. The cookers have very attractive designs and slim to look at. You will not have any problem while handling it.

Cleaning is made easy by its very design. The rice is cooked in a separate bowl kept inside the cooker. This bowl is removable. Therefore and cleaning is a simple matter.

Apart from the attractive features mentioned the branded cooker is also priced very reasonably. Affordability is one more attractive feature of the branded cooker. Even ordinary families can buy a rice cooker.

Rice cookers are available in different sizes, to suit your requirements regarding the quantity of rice to be cooked. They are available in sizes suitable for large families where the quantity of rice to be cooked is huge. Small cookers for single persons who will be cooking only a small quantity of rice are also in the market.

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