Baked Pasta with Chili Tomato Chicken Sauce

 

This is very similar to baked pasta with Bolognese sauce, but here chicken is used instead of minced meat and black olives and some herbs are added.

Ingredients
1 pack Penne, or spiral or any medium shaped pasta
¾ Chicken, whole or 4 chicken breasts, boiled
1 Green Pepper ,large size, diced
1 Onion, medium size, chopped
4-5 Tomatoes, medium size, diced
½ cup Black Olives, sliced
1 Garlic Clove, crushed
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Chili Powder, according to taste
1 tsp Oregano, dried and crushed
1 tsp Thyme, dried and crushed
2/3 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
Directions
1. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Take out strips of chicken flesh using your fingers or cut into strips. Boil pasta and drain.
2. Meanwhile, prepare sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and stir until yellow.
3. Add garlic and green pepper and pepper becomes soft (2-3 minutes). Add chili powder and stir. Add tomatoes with their juice, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pasta, chicken and olives and stir well.
5. Brush a baking dish with oil. Move components of pan into baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top.
6. Heat oven to 180-200 C. Put baking dish in oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately in the same dish.

 

Overcoming Stomach bloating with Yoga

 

Sugar alcohols are the primary reason for bloated lower stomach. The same can be said for carbonated beverages in general. The extra air in the drinks can contribute to extra air in the stomach, which causes an enlarged abdomen. Food allergies are another common culprit for bloating and indigestion, which can make your lower abdominal region "pouch" out.

Once you have analyzed the cause of stomach bloating the task lies ahead is of finding ways to overcome it. Yoga can to some extent offer you solution to the problem of stomach bloating.

Check out the exercises indicated and practice them regularly to overcome stomach bloating.

Back Stretch
Lie on your back and place your hands beneath your hips. Ease your hips and legs upward until your feet end up over your head. It's OK if your feet don't touch the floor as long as you're still getting a good stretch. Take long, deep breaths and hold the pose for 10 seconds. Move your head around while you're breathing to avoid neck cramping. Repeat 2-3 times. This position often releases some trapped air, which can be an instant relief when you're trying to reduce bloating.

Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)
To start with, lie flat on the floor. The arms should rest along the sides, palms downwards. Exhale once, bend the knees, and bring them up towards the chin till the thighs press the stomach. Breathe normally. Now, exhale and supporting the buttocks with the hands, raise the trunk till it becomes perpendicular to the floor. Now, your body will be supported by the back of the head, the neck, the shoulders and the backs of the arms up to the elbows. To push the trunk into the vertical position, you will need to gradually move the hands towards the waist. The head continues to rest on the floor, so that the trunk also becomes perpendicular to the head. Once it is correctly perpendicular, the chin will touch the chest. Now, raise the legs and make them vertical, in line with the trunk, with the toes pointing upwards. Breathe evenly, calmly and easily. Stay in the pose for a few minutes and feel the good it is doing you. To release the pose, gently move the legs downwards, release the hands and let the body become flat again. You may also bring the legs down so that the knees approach the ears, and then gradually bring the legs down. Be gentle on your body. Never apply excessive stress. To start with, practice the initial position, drawing the knees towards the chin.
Release the pose gently.

 

High Salt Consumption Elevates Blood Pressure and Healthcare Costs

 

An applicant's overall general health has a direct bearing on their ability to find high quality health insurance online or from any source. As a nation, Americans are fat, out of shape, and sick. These facts, coupled with the high cost of healthcare in the U.S. makes insurers wary of risks in potential insurance clients who do not lead a healthy lifestyle.
Making the decision to clean up your health "act" is not just an issue of calorie counting, portion control, and getting up off the couch. The first and third leading causes of death in the U.S. are heart disease and stroke. Americans have access to clear, definitive information that link these conditions to their dietary choices. We eat a diet heavy in processed food filled with levels of added salt. Sodium consumption at these levels contributes to countless cases of hypertension that can and do morph into actual cardiovascular disease. Cut out the salt, cut out the problem.
Change Your Diet, Change Your Life
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proven conclusively that when dietary salt levels are reduced, blood pressure begins to come down in the vast majority of people within days. Over weeks, and with appropriate maintenance, levels usually normalize completely.
The human body does require some amount of salt on a daily basis for normal functioning, but only about 180 to 500 mg. The average American, however, eats more than 3600 mg of salt a day. The American Heart Association recommends less than 1500 mg, which translates to about a teaspoon -- for the whole day.

 

Sweet corn and Cashew soup

 

By: May Rostom

A nice soup recipe to warm your stomach up during eftar. This recipe is fortified with vitamins to keep you healthy.

Ingredients:
• 3 ½ cups of yellow corn kernels
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• ½ cup of raw cashews
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions:
• In a blender, mix only 2 ½ cups of kernel with water, cashews, olive oil, garlic, salt, and clove.
• Puree into a smooth mixture
• Garnish with the remaining cup of kernel and add pepper to taste
SERVES 4
PREP TIME 15 minutes
*preferably served cold

 

How To… Be More Confident: A Reminder From A College Girl

There are a million reasons to love yourself, and as college girls we know that loving ourselves is the key to exuding that killer confidence that turns heads, drops jaws, and magnetically draws others to us inexplicably. So as a college girl, I would like to take a second to remind you of all of the beautiful things that make you You. And the confidence part? Well, that’s up to you!



Love what makes you different

I’ve never understood why little insecurities have to be labeled as worthy of hiding or as something to be ashamed of, instead of being celebrated as a quality that adds to the story of who we are.

So you feel too short or too tall? Who cares. You’re the exact height that you need to be. Some of us have long legs, some short, some of us can find that perfect joke for the perfect moment while other of us communicate in subtle and introverted ways. And that’s great. Whether it’s a physical insecurity or a deeper one, celebrate your differences – they’re what make you stand apart. Loving yourself fully means loving those parts of you too.

How To… Kill Time At Your Internship

o it’s internship season, and while some are bust bustling around and earning valuable work experience, others are, well… stapling. Either way, killing time at the office doesn’t have to be unproductive. Whether on your break or in between meetings or assignments, you can still take back your own time.



Plan your budget

Getting your monthly budgeting done at work is one of the most productive choices you can make. You were already being productive at work, so it will be much easier to get into the mental zone to tackle your budget since you’re always working and have calculators and spread sheets around. Plus, if you’re really trying to kill time it will look like you’re working so you are less likely to get caught taking you-time!



Plan your weekend

Get a jump start on the weekend, and motivation to get through the rest of the work week, by looking forward to the weekend and planning something fun for yourself. Look up movies, great deals, new restaurants, whatever catches your fancy.

How To.. Cook A Mediterranean Wrap, Perfect For Work Lunches

Think about the best part of your long day at your internship or job. No, not leaving. Lunch! Taking a good lunch break is a great way to step away from the hectic parts of your day and revitalize yourself with a healthy home-made meal. Wraps are a great choice because they are easy to store, in a bag or plastic container, they’re not messy to eat and they’re also healthier than what most cafeterias offer.



What you need
1 pound chicken tenders
1 tomato, medium-sized, chopped
1 cup of chopped cucumber
1 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of chopped mint
4 spinach or sun-dried tomato wraps, about 10 inches each
1/3 cup of couscous, whole-wheat for a healthier option
1/4 cup of lemon juice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper, ground