Olive oil brownies

We have friends coming tomorrow for a bbq of course and I thought I'd do some brownies of a different kind, without butter! I found this recipe. Also I replaced two of the eggs by a banana. So we shall see!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on at least 2 sides. Oil the foil (not including the overhang).

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl. Melt the chocolate with the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. Let cool slightly. Stir in the sugar and eggs. Add the flour mixture, and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Use the foil overhang to help lift them out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe

Pass the butter please...

Pass The Butter ... Please. I thought that I'd share this comparison between butter and margarine. Let me know which one do you use?

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.


It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavourings....

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.
Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to 5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.


Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years .

And now, for Margarine..

Very High in Trans fatty acids.

Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...

Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT.

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:


* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)




* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow.



Why? Because it is nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Cutting down on red meat?

Do you like your meat or do you prefer vegetables? In our family, it's a bit of both. My hubby and my step-daughter love red meat, I do too but can do without, as I am happy with a plate of couscous or lentils, Imo has just become a vegan after being a vegetarian since she was 13! What about you? What's your diet like? I must say that I will avoid talking about deserts!..

Is this new research I found in the daily telegraph a publicity stunt?
The researchers define a “high-protein” diet as deriving at least 20 per cent of daily calories from protein. They recommend consuming about 0.8g (0.03oz) of protein per kilogram of body weight every day in middle age. It means a person weighing nine stone should eat about 45-50g (1.6-1.7oz) of protein a day. A 300g (10.5oz) steak contains 77g (2.7oz) of protein.

As well as red meat, dairy products high in protein are also dangerous, the researchers said. A 200ml (7fl oz) glass of milk represents 12 per cent of the recommended daily allowance, while a 40g (1.4oz) slice of cheese contains 20 per cent.

Chicken, fish, pulses, vegetables, nuts and grain are healthier sources of protein. However, a chicken breast or salmon fillet still accounts for about 40 per cent of recommended daily protein intake.

“The research shows that a low-protein diet in middle age is useful for preventing cancer and overall mortality,” said Dr Eileen Crimmins, a co-author of the study.

“However, we also propose that at older ages, it may be important to avoid a low-protein diet to allow the maintenance of healthy weight and protection from frailty.”

British experts agreed that cutting down on red meat had been proven to lower the risk of cancer but said a balanced diet was still the best option.

Dr Gunter Kuhnle, a food nutrition scientist at the University of Reading, said: “While this study raises some interesting perspectives on links between protein intake and mortality… It is wrong, and potentially even dangerous, to compare the effects of smoking with the effect of meat and cheese.” 
He claimed that sending out such statements “can damage the effectiveness of important public health messages”, adding: “The smoker thinks: 'why bother quitting smoking if my cheese and ham sandwich is just as bad for me?’ ”

Prof Naveed Saattar, an expert in metabolic medicine at Glasgow University, said the low-protein effect in older people could be due to “survival bias”, where those who have lived longer are already generally healthier.

Protein controls the growth hormone IGF-I, which helps bodies grow but has been linked to cancer susceptibility. Prof Tim Key, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist, said: “Further research is needed to establish whether there is any link between eating a high protein diet and an increased risk of middle aged people dying from cancer.”

Let's chill!

That's it, I am officially on holiday. However when I woke up this morning, it took me a few seconds to realise that I didn't have to get ready for work..even though I don't work on Saturday of course! At work, last week, most people (including I) were counting the number of get up! And after our visit to Alton Towers, a complete success, smiles were on every faces!
We've just had a really nice bbq in good company, Verity and David came to see us for a chat and a lunch all the way from Bolton. Verity and I managed to get a bit of tan until one o'clock, after that it went overcast! So this was even better as we could enjoy the heat without burning..that is if we forget to put some more sun cream lotion! For desert, no chocolate cake, instead, Verity and David very kindly picked up our home-grown raspberries (that is, off our temporary accommodation) and with vanilla ice-cream (the last tab available at the local shop) we had a delicioso desert!
Imogen can't wait to go to her auntie Jacqueline's wedding in Missouri! and we need to load more stuff in the caravane..What are your plans for the summer?
Hope you are having a relaxing week-end! Yours in Christ. N.

Grilling!

Changing your diet

Changing Your Diet To Prevent Uric Acid Crystals

If you notice uric acid crystals in your urine and it’s in the beginning stage, you can alter your diet to ensure the levels don’t rise. Below is a list of foods that are both safe to eat and harmful to your body:
Reduce the amount of protein in the food. Limit or avoid consumption of dairy products, fish, poultry and red meat.
Don’t consume alcohol, bread or any product that contains yeast.
Limit the intake of beans, broccoli, mushrooms or spinach. You should also avoid eating cauliflower, carrots and onions, which are loaded with purine.
Mix water and a tad bit of baking soda together and drink it. This will dissolve any uric acid crystals you have inside your body.
Cherry juice is also helpful for folks who have high levels of uric acid.
Consume fiber-rich foods.
Sip on lime juice and include more citrus fruits in your diet.
Drink lots of water and fruit juices to reduce the uric acid crystals in the body.

Information found in the webdoctor.com

Cutting down on red meats

Some time ago, during the summer holiday, I woke up with the words puric acid in my mind. That day went and I did not talk about it to anybody. The following morning, those two words were still in my mind and this time, I checked them up on the internet as I did not have a clue. I was so surprised at what I found. I thought that I would share this with you... Knowing how to reduce uric acid levels will directly alleviate severe inflammation of joints and the discomfort of gouty arthritis.
Foods high in puric acid that you should not include in a low purine diet are:



Anchovies, baker’s and brewer’s yeast, animal organs, sardines, Boletus mushrooms and gravies—more than 800 milligramsper three ounces.

Researchers now understand that gout occurs as a result of the body being unable to eliminate uric acid, or making too much uric acid. Uric acid forms as a result of break down of puric acid, which can be found in abundance in meats. In people with gout, uric acid forms sharp crystals that collect in the joints and soft tissues (especially the big toe), causing inflammation and excruciating pain. High levels of uric acid can also cause kidney stones.

Foods that have large quantities of purines, in addition to red meats, include certain types of fish like herring and sardines. Alcoholic beverages also increase uric acid in the system.

Gout attacks are brought on by several factors including:
some foods with a high content of protein and purines – such as liver, kidneys, sardines, and anchovies
being overweight
haemorrhages in the gastrointestinal canal
bodily trauma with extensive tissue destruction
major surgery

overconsumption of alcohol, especially beer
conditions in which there's a high rate of cell turnover, eg leukaemia,lymphoma, psoriasis.

Good advice
Cut down on alcohol consumption and also soft drinks containing fructose.
Avoid food that you know can cause attacks – conversely some items may be helpful and protective eg cranberry juice, coffee, dairy products.
Watch your weight (losing weight, if overweight, will help).
The uric acid crystals can be secreted in the urinary system as calculi (stones). Therefore you have to drink plenty of water, preferably 10 to 12 glasses a day, in order to wash out the urinary system and prevent any stones from developing.

Interestingly enough, it appears that 'the alkaline mineral in the green and brown tea (manganite is destroyed by complete fermentation and hence not found in black tea), enlarge the fat digestion, a function which -in cooperation with the coffeine's functions- stops the raising of the puric acid (purine) to prevent gout.' 

Have a blessed Sunday. N.