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