Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop where you can link up your favorite post of the week. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. You are free to link up to 3 different post or just your main blog. Happy Hopping.

Introduction to Mexican Food

 Introducing a World of Flavor

Corn, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables are staples in the native Mexican diet. In fact, hundreds of years ago meat was quite scarce. It was the Spanish conquistadores who introduced cattle, goats, sheep, chickens and pigs to the Mexican landscape. The introduction of these animals also led to the introduction of cheese-making too.

Today, Mexican food is considered one of the most varied in the world and there are many cooking styles for preparing Mexican foods. Cookbooks are filled with recipes for soups, stews, casseroles, and beautiful fresh salads. Grilling and BBQ also make regular appearances in these cookbooks.

While corn and beans remain the staples, fresh peppers and spices are used liberally to give the cuisine vibrant flavors. In the United States, the spiciness of Mexican food varies depending where you live. In the South and West, a spicier Tex-Mex style is popular. Moving further to the North and East, the spices tend to migrate to the milder side.

Though spiciness plays a role in the robust flavor of Mexican food, the use of fresh traditional ingredients also provides a delicious rainbow of healthy flavors.

The staple ingredients for Mexican cooking:

• Corn
• Beans (Black, Kidney, Pinto)
• Tomatoes and Tomatillos
• Avocados
• Tortillas
• Rice
• Limes and Oranges

Herbs and Spices in Mexican Cooking:

Mexican food is filled with flavor and the most common spice is the chile pepper. Other commonly used herbs and spices include:

• Cilantro
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Garlic
• Cocoa or Mexican Chocolate
• Honey

For more information on healthy eating for your family, subscribe to Fresh Ideas

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. We are very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, we are thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.
This hop is now hosted by Reflexions and World Bloggers Community(a new community for bloggers world wide). 

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

Healthy Habits

 Introducing Your Family to Yellow Foods.

  

Yellow fruits and vegetables come in a range of textures and flavors and contain a variety of beneficial vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. 

 

Yellow is a great color - it's the color of sunshine and sunshine energizes us. Next time you are at the market, ask your child to choose a sunny yellow fruit or vegetable, so they can enjoy the delicious energetic benefits of yellow foods.

Here's more information about some of our favorite "sunshine" yellow foods:

Bananas- This fun and easy to eat fruit contains potassium, vitamins A, B-6, B-12, and C. Bananas provide a quick energy boost for hungry kids of all ages. Keep bananas on the counter for healthy after school snacking. Bananas are great added to smoothies, cereal, yogurt, pancakes, or baked goods. For more ideas on adding bananas to your family meals, check our Food Guide: Bananas.

Pineapples - Juicy, sweet pineapples provide the body with Bromelain, Vitamin A and C, and manganese. Bromelain is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps relieve swelling caused by injury or illness. Serve pineapples fresh, grilled, or add to sauces and salsas. For more ideas on adding pineapple to your family meals, check our Food Guide: Pineapple.

Yellow Peppers -Yellow peppers are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, and B6 niacin, magnesium, copper, folate, potassium and manganese. Add yellow peppers to pasta, stir-fry, and salads. Slice yellow peppers and serve with a side of salad dressing for a crunchy, sweet snack.

Yellow Squash - Yellow squash contains vitamin C, Iron, folate, beta-carotene, and lutein. Slice yellow squash and sauté with olive oil for a nutritious side dish, or add to casseroles for extra goodness.

Corn - Nothing says summer like fresh corn, and watching a young child eat corn on the cob can be a memorable experience! Corn provides the body with beneficial anti-oxidants to help prevent disease and fiber for healthy digestion. Steam, boil or grill corn on the cob, or cut the kernels from the cob and serve as a side dish, or add it to soups, stews, salads and casseroles.

Lemons - Lemons are a good source of vitamin C. Plus, they are a cleansing food. Squeezing a slice of lemon into a glass of water each day can aid digestion problems and remove impurities from the body. Adding a little slice of lemon to your kid's water can be a great way to get them to drink more water. You can also squeeze fresh lemon juice over vegetables, poultry and fish.

Yellow Pears - Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and cancer preventing anti-oxidants, pears are a healthy and delicious choice for snacks and side dishes. Pears also have a low glycemic index, which means they can help control blood sugar levels. Pears provide the body with vitamins A, C, B1, B2, and E, folate, potassium, iron, and fiber.   Slice pears and serve alone, or add to salads and smoothies. 

 For more ideas on healthy family meals, check out and subscribe to Fresh Baby

You and Your Body Weight

Over the years, many people have been fighting/struggling to main a healthy body weight. Overweight and weight loss have become an important issue in our society today. This is an issue that concerns both men and women and people of all ages. I know some big time snackers who would never loose weight because even though they eat healthy foods, they are always nibbling in-between meals and eating late.   If you found yourself in the above situation, I would recommend raspberry ketone capsules a product that uses a natural ingredient found in raspberries, known as Raspberry Ketone. 

 

After so many years of trying to loose  weight, a family friend of ours was introduced to these capsules and she had never been much happier. After some couple of months, everybody around her noticed the magical change. According to her, she still works-out daily and she didn't give up her new healthy eating habit because she thinks the whole package are working together for her.

I think that weight loss takes more than a couple weeks or a couple of months for you to actually see drastic results . It needs to be a life altering change and you need to be extremely disciplined to maintain your new weight. 

 

I'm wishing everybody who is trying to maintain a healthy body weight and a healthy living good luck.

Welcome To Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to Weekend Blog Hop. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. Happy Hopping.

Tips For Preventing Afro Textured Hair Loss (Fashion and Beauty Friday)

Many people, even the young ones are now experiencing lots of hair-losses. Some say their hairs are falling out like crazy and I think this is because of too much chemicals that are found in most hair products we are using. Most of the hair products out there (starting from shampoos) contains some unimaginable chemicals you won't even like to lay your hands on talk-less of pouring them on your hair. 

For somebody like me with an Afro textured hair, I try as much as possible to use more natural products for my hair. What's best is to prevent your hair from falling out in the first place (no matter your hair type). 

Here are a few ways you can do this:

1. Consider changing your hairstyle from time
to time to let your scalp and locks breathe.
Why? Because tight braids, coils, and twists
may loosen hair and cause it to come out.

2. Use wide-tooth combs and brushes whenever
possible. If you use a narrow-tooth comb or
brush, it can yank your hair and pull it out
in clumps.

3. Avoid combing your hair vigorously or too
often. A few strokes of the brush each day
should be enough to stimulate oil production
to protect the hair shaft and scalp and
maintain a nice shine.

4. Do not over-process your hair. If you use
relaxers, and leave them in your hair too
long, you may end up with a chemical burn. If
this happens, your hair may fall out until
your scalp is healed.

Follow these suggestions and you'll prevent
your shiny, healthy hair from becoming
damaged and falling out.