food sectionfood sectionAn individual retirement account, or IRA, is a type retirement savings vehicle that allows workers to save money for retirement on a tax advantaged basis. Money put into a traditional IRA is tax deductible, and account holders do not owe taxes on investment growth in accounts until they withdraw funds during retirement. While the purpose of an IRA is to build wealth for retirement, it is possible to take funds out of a IRA to cover certain expenses, including education costs like tuition, meal plans and housing.
Some people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If this is true, that doesn't mean that you need to eat meat to start your day off well. While meat offers protein and plenty of energy to fuel your day, vegetarian foods can still give you what you need while delivering far less fat and sodium. Make breakfast the most enjoyable and healthy meal of your day with a variety of meatless food ideas that will have you looking forward to the mornings.
Catering special events, whether large or small, is a fun way to bring people together as long as there's sufficient food to go around. Some dishes may be more popular than others, and will need frequent replenishing. To make sure that guests are adequately served, it is best to follow some basic guidelines to ensure that everyone has their fill of food and drinks.
Choosing a vegetarian diet can be a matter of taste or it can be a matter of principle. In either case, two concerns that are often expressed when discussing a vegetarian diet include the lack of variety of meat substitutes that taste good and a lack of requisite nutrients to maintain a healthy body. This is particularly true for vegans because they do not consume eggs or dairy products. Due to the growing popularity and consumer demand for meat substitutes, a wide variety of healthy and flavorful alternatives for every type of meat is available in most stores.
Having a nutritional plan to follow throughout the day helps you stay the course when eating healthy. A plan provides you with a road map to get you through the day while making healthy choices. Without such a plan, you might throw together meals quickly that are not as nutritional as they could be, or worse yet, go out to eat where meals are often inferior in nutritional quality to something made at home.
A party of 45 people can be doable for a single caterer and even a caterer that utilizes a home kitchen. As a caterer, you never want to be embarrassed by running out of food. At the same time, you never want to front the bill for more food than you actually need to serve your guests. Depending on the menu that is planned, the amount of food needed will vary.
A three course meal presents the cook with a thrilling challenge. Preparation is key when preparing a dynamic meal with multiple courses. The first step in creating three culinary masterpieces is choosing a menu. Each course complements and completes the other, as well as adding a flavor all its own.
A meatless salad can be packed with protein and flavor. Raw vegetables contain vitamins and fiber to keep you healthy. But even though salads serve as a healthy option, that doesn't mean they have to lack flavor. Properly prepared vegetables, tossed in a flavorful dressing, offers endless options for meatless salads to serve as a side-dish or a main course. Add protein rich foods such as beans, tofu, cheese and nuts to substitute for meat.
Eating meatless meals more often can be good for your health. People who base their meals on plants tend to consume more vitamins, minerals and fiber with less fat and cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic. You don't need to become a vegetarian to get these health benefits; even eating a few meatless meals per week can improve your diet.
If you and your special someone are looking for a different way to spend your next evening in, try one of these romantic ideas. You might like it so much that it becomes a new tradition. Remember to set the mood with candles, music and some drinks for the ultimate romantic experience.
Creating food combinations has aesthetic value as well as health value. The health value of combining foods properly is to increase the efficiency of the digestive track. Weight gain occurs when food combinations are not healthy. Three main meals are in a day: breakfast, lunch and supper. Each meal time correlates with the body's need for fuel. Breakfast is a time for eating high fructose fruits. Eat high starch foods and vegetables at lunch time because the body has time to burn off the carbohydrates. Supper is when low starch foods and protein consumption is healthiest.
There are a number of reasons you may want to plan your meals for the week ahead. Pre-planning healthy meals can help you keep track of calories and stick to a diet plan. Knowing exactly what you and your family will eat can help save time and stress at meal preparation times. You can also save money and stop wasting food by buying only what is needed to make planned meals.
A four course meal is just a technical term for something that you probably do already when you entertain. The courses consist of an appetizer -- first course, a salad or soup -- second course, an entree and side -- third course, and a dessert -- fourth course. A four course meal is a full meal that generally requires preparation, planning and presentation but if executed properly, will leave guests feeling delighted to have joined you for dinner.
Two-course meals are more elegant than simply putting all of your food items on one plate, and they give your dinner guests time to savor the taste of each dish. For the cook, a two-course meal is simple enough to allow you to focus on the presentation and preparation of the food even when you are in a hurry. Though there are many different foods that can be paired in a two-course setting, there are a few basics that work in almost all situations.
Making wheat-free or gluten-free meals is essential for children with celiac disease. Celiac disease is an allergy to gluten or a wheat allergy that may cause rashes, vomiting or headaches. If you are creating a diet for a child with either condition, you should avoid cooking with wheat, spelt, couscous, semolina, bulgur, rye, triticale, barley, malt and oats. These products may upset the child's digestive system.
Teenagers require different nutrients than adults and younger children because their bodies are developing and changing dramatically. Teens experience the last growth spurt from ages 15 to 18, so providing them with healthy meals is important. This will help them create healthy eating habits. Teens have busy schedules, so creating a meal plan will assist with better nutrition.
Working people can prepare for the week when they set aside a couple hours to prepare a vegetable broth and pans of roasted assorted vegetables. A variety of pastas, fresh and dried, such as four-cheese ravioli and rotini can be alternatives to bread. Preparing dips such as hummus or cream cheese can double as savory spreads.
To most Americans a meal is usually a one or two course affair -- an entree with sides, preceded by a salad or finished with dessert. The idea of sitting around a table for hours and enjoying a long meal is almost unheard of in this day of eat and go. But for some, the idea of sampling many dishes over the evening with their friends and family is an intriguing thought and for someone who likes to cook, planning such a meal can be exciting -- if not a little overwhelming.
Gather information for your catering event for before you plan how much food to prepare. Find out how many people will be eating, the time of day -- since people eat more at dinner than at lunch -- and the season because people eat less on very hot summery days. You need to know if you are catering a formal dinner where five or more courses are being served or a self-serve buffet. Since a stomach holds about 40 ounces, caterers can use this as a guideline to estimate the amount of food to prepare.
You're short on money and you're short on time. That's what passes for normal for a lot of single moms. Feeding your children healthy food within a budget can be a daily struggle, with the cost of groceries compounded with the small amount of time you have in which to cook. Take advantage of some tricks professional chefs use. Never cook food for one meal when you can use the same time and money to create dishes for multiple meals.
Making a meal plan is a great way to keep on track if you are dieting or just trying to stay healthy. It's easier to have everything planned out than to think of something at the last minute. If you are organized and meals are planned it is possible to cook a healthy meal in the family kitchen instead of heading off to a fast food joint. This is also an excellent way to get children on a schedule. They will be less fussy when it comes to meal time because they know what to expect.
Traditional African meals are eaten with the fingers. Use this to throw an entertaining dinner party with your friends. Bright Sahara colors such as gold, orange, sunset red, fuchsia and turquoise are all stunning colors seen in African art and culture along with prints and patterns in black and white. You can purchase woven African table settings that often include a tablecloth, place mats, napkins and plate holders to easily set a matching themed table.
Pricing food for a catering job means balancing affordable prices for the client and setting a price that provides a profit. Food costs can be high, especially for dairy and meat products, so food items with those ingredients should cost more money. Most catering companies give customers a price break for ordering more food because the cost to make more isn't that high and the lower prices are an incentive to the customer to buy more food.
It is always fun to get together with a large group of people, but when you're the one in charge of planning and entertaining, it can be stressful. Preparing a meal for 25 people successfully requires careful decision making and precise planning. Besides the cooking, you need to consider space, where people will sit and table settings. By mapping out a complete meal plan including these items, your meal is sure to be a success that the guests will talk about for years to come.
Learning how to better manage your grocery budget doesn't mean you have to eat less healthfully. In fact, it can mean the opposite. When you follow healthy meal plans you'll spend less money on takeout and dining out. Both are expensive and often mean you're consuming a lot of processed foods, high in calories and trans fats. Keeping track of what you spend on food and making a healthy foods shopping list will also prevent unnecessary spending on unhealthy food items at the grocery store.
Fixing a dinner meal plan is a way to answer the question of what's for dinner---often a week or more in advance. Because life can be busy, thinking about what to cook for dinner can easily be forgotten. Often when that happens, dinner can turn into grabbing fast food or some other pre-made meal. By fixing a meal plan in advance, you can more easily prep your dinner the night before or know exactly what needs to get started when you arrive home after work.
Home economics is the theory and practice of homemaking. By definition, it involves food and cooking, but above and beyond that it also includes aspects of diet, health and resource management.
Choosing a meal plan can sometimes be a challenge. This is especially true if you have some fussy family members. If someone in your family is vegetarian, diabetic or has any allergies this can also complicate meal planning. Nutrition and balanced meals are important factors in choosing the best meal plans.
If you are trying to lose weight, choosing meals that burn fat are essential to your success. Foods low in fat and high in nutrition are typically the kind you should go for. When choosing a meal plan, you don't want to skip meals or starve yourself, as your body needs fuel to feed your metabolism. Simply choose meal plans that are full of foods you like and are easy to stick with over the long term.
Preparing meals at home allows you to control their nutritional value, but planning healthy meals on a budget can seem overwhelming. With a bit of planning, the task becomes much less daunting. Frozen vegetables and common foods bought in bulk can cut your budget and keep a healthy diet on track.
Food delivery systems come in one of two ways. The first way is with a meal-plan system that sends prepared, possibly frozen, meals to a home every week. The second kind of food delivery service is more ingredient oriented. Individuals can order select ingredients just like they would at the grocery store. The items are then sent to the house. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to food delivery systems.
A seven-course meal is a great way to entertain friends while enjoying a variety of small dishes. Seven-course meals generally are formal but you can make the affair as casual as you like. Since you are going to be serving many dishes, don’t invite more people than you can handle. Four to eight people is best for a casual gathering, although you can invite more depending on the dinner’s purpose and ability to serve.
While you can often find meal plans designed by professional dietitians, sometimes you want to create customized meal plans that are just for you. You can design a meal plan to fit in with several dietary lifestyles, such as low carb, vegetarian or low calorie. Whichever plan is chosen, be sure to include nutritious foods and avoid eating junk foods like chips and cookies on a regular basis.
Mediterranean cooking produces some of the tastiest, healthiest and most popular foods in the world. This article will provide information on becoming familiar with the ingredients and techniques used in 14 different cuisines, including Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and the Provencal dishes of southern France.
Eating vegan is beneficial to your health, the environment and the welfare of animals. However, planning meals can be a challenge, especially if you're including non-vegans in your dining plans. Variety, familiarity and advance planning are key to creating an enjoyable dining experience for everyone.
Planning vegetarian meals isn't much different than planning meals around a meat dish. Knowing how to get necessary daily proteins is the main concern in vegetarian cooking, and it doesn't mean eating pounds of tofu. Once you have this repertoire under your belt, you can create a variety of balanced and healthy vegetarian meals
Today we're all trying to figure out how to stretch our food budget, especially if we have a large family. Sometimes it's like learning to cook all over again. Certain foods are just too expensive to cook for a family, but if you use them the right way, you may be able to have them once in a while. The best way to keep the budget to a minimum and the food to maximum is planning the meals ahead of time. Here are a few tips to help you get the most food for your dollar.
The Mediterranean diet embraces a heart-healthy meal plan with traditional Mediterranean-style cooking elements. Medical researchers link the Mediterranean diet to a reduced risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and decreased levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol.
There is something special about a two-course meal that makes having dinner an occasion. But unlike some occasions where much time and effort is made in order to produce a spectacular meal; learning the basics will allow you to cut the time and effort in half and double the enjoyment.
With expert help, diabetics can enjoy delicious food and stay healthy. That expert advice is available through the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA provides meal plans and recipes for every occasion and all the common meals in between, and you'll be surprised at all your choices.
Diabetics must watch their diets, so meal planning is essential to assure that food choices are well balanced. The diabetic can eat many types of food. The key to meal planning is variety and moderation. Diabetics need carbohydrates, protein and fats. They also need to eat at least three meals and possible snacks throughout the day.
Easy dinners for the bachelor include tostadas made from leftover chicken and fresh pasta served with a baguette and a fresh green salad. Cook an easy dinner when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
Bachelors should include fruits and vegetables and other healthy food as part or their regular meals. Eat well when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
When planning meals, bachelors should focus on main dishes such as rotisserie chicken that can be eaten as leftovers with new side dishes on subsequent days. Plan appetizing meals when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
Bachelors can increase the health value of a lunch sandwich by using whole grain bread, tomatoes and spring greens. Prepare an easy lunch when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
By cooking liquid eggs in the microwave and eating them with a muffin, milk and fruit, bachelors can prepare a quick and healthy breakfast every morning. Cook an easy breakfast when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
When bachelors or singles are shopping for food, they should only buy as much fresh produce as they will eat before it goes bad and buy canned goods in single-serving sizes. Learn how to shop for healthy food when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
Bachelors should store leftover food in plastic wrap and remember to seal food containers in order to keep food fresh. Find out how to store food when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
Essential cooking appliances for the bachelor include a microwave oven, toaster and a countertop grill for quick and easy food preparation. Find out which cooking appliances to purchase when living alone with the tips in this free video on bachelor cooking from a professional nutrition counselor.
A catering menu is not the take-out menu from the local pizza and salad place. It's not the menu offered at the restaurant. It is a specially formulated menu of choices, listing food offerings and prices per person, either as a la carte items, or as part of a package. Many caterers and catering venues offer flexible menus that let you choose from column A, B or C. The menu may actually be a pocket folder with separate price and menu sheets for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers or coffee.
Whether you are trying to keep track of what you eat, how much you spend or you just want to put more effort into knowing what you are eating, create a simple two-week meal plan to keep track of your dietary habits. Once created, you can choose to repeat it after two weeks, or come up with a different plan with different dishes for the next two weeks. The meal plan can also serve as a guideline for other family members who might be in charge of making dinner while waiting for others to return home.
It's summertime, and what better way to celebrate than with meals that take advantage of fresh seasonal produce. Fresh and light are the key words to nutritious and enjoyable meals in the summer. Use these tips to plan nutritious and enjoyable summertime meals.
How to plan a meal for your next girl's night out; get some expert tips on making party food and cocktails in this free cooking video.
Elegant family get-togethers or dinner parties with friends are a great way to have fun without a huge entertainment budget. With little extra expense, it is possible to set an elegant table to rival any fancy restaurant. Follow the steps below for ideas to set your own elegant table.
Traveling does not mandate fast food or the extra expense of eating at restaurants. Save money and eat healthy when you cook in an RV, semi-truck, car or boat. You need the right tools and a 12 volt receptacle to cook meals in your vehicle. Read on to learn how to cook while on the go.
Today's working families often find time a rare commodity. Between work, chores and extra-curricular activities, finding time to prepare a sit-down meal every night can be more than difficult. You can rise to the challenge, however, by preparing meals for a whole work week in one single day. Read on to learn how.
When dinner time rolls around, many families are left scrambling trying to figure out what they have in the cabinets to eat. If you learn to create a monthly meal plan, however, you can not only take the guess work out of making healthy meals for your family, you can also save a lot of money in the process. Here's how to start.
Slow cookers let busy families start cooking dinner in the morning, go about their day and enjoy a nutritious dinner when they get home. Use your slow cooker on busy days or anytime you don't feel like cooking when you get home. If you plan ahead, you can have slow cooker meals every day of the week.
You might have the biggest meal plan or the smallest, either way, there's a way to get the most out of it, and by most I mean food.
Whether you're from the South or you've always loved the Southern touch, here's a starting point to get your imagination working on planning a Southern-style Thanksgiving. Basic Thanksgiving planning pointers are included.
It's really a misconception that Thanksgiving is a day to gain pounds and pounds. Turkey is low-fat - and many of the accompanying dishes can be, too.
