Category: Flavor Blending

Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 24, 2018

I’m a big fan of smoothies. I have at least one, if not two or three, almost every day. I’m always experimenting with flavor combos — had a wonderful chocolate ginger cherry smoothie for breakfast this morning.

The following infographic from Recommended Things offers some interesting flavor combinations. I look forward to trying some out! What about you?

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

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5 Ways to Bake Healthy Christmas Cookies

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date December 15, 2017

Do you ever wish there were healthy Christmas cookies? I don’t know about you, but Christmas time is pretty much cookie time! I’m a total cookie monster and all those delicious varieties of cookies can add up to a lot of sugar and calories. So how do you enjoy your cookies and eat healthier, too?

The obvious idea is to eat fewer cookies. But that isn’t always practical, am I right? Another idea is to make healthy Christmas cookies. So, here are some ideas to make the cookies that you bake healthier, whether they become gluten-free, low-carb, or lower in fat and calories.

Healthy Christmas Cookies Idea #1: Switch to Dark Chocolate

Quite a few Christmas cookies contain chocolate, but that doesn’t mean you need to do without these yummy cookies when you are trying to be healthier. A better way to make healthy Christmas cookies with chocolate is to make the switch to dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate has slightly less fat and calories than milk chocolate. But more important, dark chocolate is good for you. It is filled with antioxidants, and sometimes even doctor-recommended. Add dark chocolate chips to your favorite Christmas cookies to make them a little healthier.

Healthy Christmas Cookies Idea #2: Roll Flatter Sugar Cookie Dough

A super easy way to cut the overall fat and calories per cookie with traditional sugar cut-out cookies is to roll the dough flatter. You are going to reduce the portion sizes but still, have some amazing sugar cookies. It is a simple way to get some cookies that will cut the nutritional facts in half, but by using the exact same sugar recipe your family is used to. It also lets you have more dough to make even more cookies than you are used to making. Of course, this doesn’t give you license to eat more of them. That will defeat your point!

Healthy Christmas Cookies Idea #3: Use Healthy Oils

Another thing that Christmas cookies often have in common is using a lot of fats, such as butter. However, you can easily make them heart healthy by cutting out those fats and instead switching to healthier oils.

Get rid of all the butter, shortening, and vegetable oil in the recipe, and opt for coconut oil or olive oil instead. There are even some substitutions that allow you to use pureed fruit to replace the fats and make them even healthier.

Tips for replacing butter for healthier oils:

Coconut oil — This is pretty much an even exchange, just be sure the coconut oil is the same consistency as the recipe needed for the butter. Cookies made with coconut oil tend to be crunchier.
Olive oil — For every Tablespoon of melted butter, use 2-1/2 teaspoons of olive oil. Remember to use a milder flavored oil and don’t try substituting in recipes that require you to cream the butter and sugar. Coconut oil would be a better option in that case.

Healthy Christmas Cookies Idea #4: Try Adding Some Dates

If you feel that your holiday cookies need to be sweeter, but you want to reduce the amount of sugar being used, you can replace the sweetness with dates. Dates are a type of fruit that tastes a bit nutty, but in general, has a mild flavor. They contain a lot of sweetness, so when you puree them and add them to your cookie recipes, it makes a big difference without adding to the fat or calories of the cookies recipes.

Healthy Christmas Cookies Idea #5: Increase the fiber

If your recipe calls for all-purpose flour, you can replace up to half of it with whole wheat flour. The resulting cookie may have a courser texture and then there may be less volume of dough, but you’ll increase the fiber of the cookie. Other ways to increase the fiber in your cookies include:

Add flaxseed meal to the dry ingredients. A single tablespoon can add 3 grams of fiber to your recipe.
Add ground high-fiber cereals to your recipes, such as oats, wheat germ, and wheat bran.
For moister cookies, replace some of the fat with applesauce.
Add grated apples or zucchini
Add nuts or seeds. In addition to increasing the fiber, they add texture and crunch.
Replace some of the fat with pureed beans, such as garbanzos or white beans

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags Christmas, Cookies, healthy ingredients

Flavor Blending

The Secrets To Pairing Your Food and Drink

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 30, 2017

Food and drink go hand in hand. They’re our sustenance, the things that keep us alive, as well as the main joy of most meals. So when it comes to pairing our food and drinks together, why are we so lazy about what tastes best? We settle for whatever we prefer in each category, without really taking into consideration what can really bring out the flavors in each dish that we are sampling. Pairing your food and drink together is something that can really open your eyes to the true tastes of both dish and beverage.

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Spirits

There are a lot of very different spirits that you can choose from, each being almost synonymous (for some foodies) with their own particular set of dishes. For example, whiskey is traditionally meant to be sipped with beef; the flavors complement each other and offer a perfect match for most dishes.

Different whiskeys from different countries can be set and sampled with the traditional flavors from the nation’s favorite dishes – you can review Kikori Japanese whiskey with a number of meals from Japan to see just how perfect a pairing can be. Take a moment to savor the undertones of the spirit that you are drinking, as most of the time these can be finely tuned even more so with the dish that you are eating.

Wines

There are a whole host of colors and flavors of wine to pick from that can do everything from complement to completely ruin your meal. The general rule is that red wine is meant to be paired with red meat and white with white meat and fish, but if you stick to this then there are so many great combinations that you could be potentially missing out on.

There are websites dedicated to letting you know which up and coming wines are the ones to go for and with which food you are preparing.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

This isn’t so much thinking about what soda you can have with your meal, but instead venturing out into other drinks which may be able to better enhance the food that you are consuming. For those who are going out and eating who aren’t drinking, trying to pair your food and drink together can be a challenge. Alcoholic drinks offer a depth and a myriad of complex flavors which are made up from a strong base; they have often been fermented, taking a while to reach the point where they are the drinks that we know and love.

The majority of non-alcoholic drinks can’t offer this, and so there have been specific creations of drinks that can. Most of these drinks are based on the principle of infusing herbs in with the water that you are drinking that are also included in your meal to bring out the flavors that you want to intensify.

Have a go with your next meal; simply get a glass of iced water and put in some fresh herbs (amount depending on how much flavor you want to bring out) and see if it’s something that suits your palette.

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Tags beverages, drinks, food pairing, spirits, wine

Flavor Blending Healthy Living

Add More Flavor While Keeping Meals Healthy

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 29, 2017
1 Comment on Add More Flavor While Keeping Meals Healthy

People often make the mistake of thinking that to add a little more taste to their food they have to make it more unhealthy. For instance, you add salt to give it a little bite. Or, you add sugar to the sauce to make it a tad sweeter. Well, there are healthy ways to add taste to your food and still get a great healthy meal. Here are some of the best options.

Use Organic Vegetables

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Most people agree that organic vegetables actually taste better and this means that they are the perfect way to add a little more taste to your sauces. Just think about how much better your tomato sauce would taste if you used tomatoes straight from your backyard! Or, how about buying some organic potatoes next time you want some vegetables with your roast dinner. You’ll be amazed by the difference this will make, and while it’s a tad more expensive, it’s definitely worth it.

Rub It In

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If you want to add some taste to your meat, you might want to try using a meat rub. Top chefs have been using Diamond Dales World Famous Spice and Rub to make meat taste delicious. The best part is that products like this have no salt and are completely gluten free. So, it’s the perfect way to treat your taste buds without cheating when you’re on a diet.

A Little Lemon

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How about adding a little lemon juice to your meal? This will give it a delightful, zesty taste that is just perfect for a salad or any dish where you want to be a little more adventurous with the taste. You can even use it to season your meat and lemon juice works particularly well over chicken. I’ve even used it to saute green beans!

Pass The Parsley?

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How about something so simple that will add a lot of flavor to your meals? You can add parsley to anything from a delicious stew to some hardboiled eggs, and you’ll get an extra kick of flavor. If you want an extra tip, don’t mince it as most people tend to. Instead, leave it whole and that way you’ll get a more prominent taste when you give it a chew.

Minty Fresh

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It’s not just great with ice cream. A minty taste can really make your spaghetti taste great because it’s so sweet and fresh. It can also enhance the flavor of chicken soup. There’s also the bonus benefit of making sure you get your daily vitamins. Mint is packed full of vitamin C, making it a wonderfully healthy addition to any meal. And did I mention you can grow it in your home? If you grow it on your kitchen, it will always be on hand when you want to add something new and exciting to your cooking.

Wine And Dine

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Red wine is good for you so I don’t think it’s cheating to say that adding a splash of this to your meals could be considered healthy. It will also give certain meals gorgeous, rich flavors and I think you’ll love the taste it brings to your bolognese. But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself!

I hope you see now that adding a little more taste to a meal doesn’t have to result in an unhealthy dish.

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags flavor

Flavor Blending Special Occasions

Pie Around the Internet

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date March 30, 2017

There is a lot to be said about pie … literally. In researching guest authors and information about pies for Pie-Palooza 2017, I found some really interesting entries. What I present to you today, is a list of five of the more interesting reads about pie.

Pie: It’s gloppy, it’s soggy, it’s un-American.
By Nathan Heller on Slate.com
Heller writes about how unpleasant eating pie can be and shares some thoughts on the history of pie. A very entertaining read!

A Brief History of Pie
By Laura Mayer at Time.com
Definitely brief, but interesting, as well. It also debunks a couple of popular ideas about pies in history.

The Pie Family and All the Cousins: Pies, Tarts, and Everything in Between (or on top of) Pie Crust
By Renee Shelton on PastrySampler.com
A glossary of pies and related desserts.

Memories of Milk Pie
By Diane Stoneback on Morning Call
I’ve never heard of milk pie, but after reading this I certainly would like to try some!

Smells like nostalgia: Why do scents bring back memories?
By Meghan Holohan on NBCNews.com
Go to any candle shop and there will be several pie-related scents available. This article sheds light on why scents trigger memories.

Create Your Own Unique Pie!

Does pie making daunt you? Are you wary of deviating from any pie-recipe you find, for fear that you’ll ruin the flavor of the resulting pie?

It doesn’t have to be that way!

Pie-Palooza 2017 is brought to you by Your Perfect Pie, a cookbook that breaks down pies into easily made component parts so you can unleash your pie-making creativity. Available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. Grab your copy today and start creating your perfect pie!

Miss previous posts? Find links to them here.

Tags Pie-Palooza 2017, pies

Flavor Blending

You Are What You Drink?

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 22, 2017

Are you judged by what you drink? A survey released by Budweiser last fall suggests you are.

The ‘Beerpressions’ Survey — a first-of-its-kind study about how beverage choices influence first impressions and perceptions of approachability — has some interesting results. Some of which, I must say is quite unfortunate for yours truly!

2,000 Americans (ages 21+) were surveyed by Learndipity Data Insights. They were asked to match common bar drinks with the perceived personality traits of the people ordering them, as well as a few other questions. Here are the results by drink choice:

Drink Choice #1: Domestic Beer (Budweiser)
Both women (70%) and men (59%) who drink domestic beer (such as Budweiser) are perceived as more approachable.

Drink Choice #2: Imported Beer
Imported beer also has a positive effect for both women (36%) and men (29%), but not nearly as strong as a domestic beer like Budweiser.

Drink Choice #3: Wine (my beverage of choice)
For wine drinkers, women (23%) and men (18%) have lower overall approachability perception rates.

Drink Choice #4: Margarita (my second choice)
A margarita is the highest-ranking cocktail for approachability (38% for women and 28% for men), but still ranks significantly lower than domestic beer.

The survey also discovered that most Americans believe that you are what you drink. 61% of those surveyed believed that “what a person drinks at a bar gives significant clues about their personality.” In fact, one in three often makes “quick judgments” about strangers based on this information.

Also, in what circumstances someone orders a drink influences their choice. While 20% of those surveyed actively consider how their drink order will be perceived by others while out with friends, nearly twice as many think strategically about their drink choices at a work event (39%) or on dates (34%).

The downside for me is, I don’t like the taste of beer and will never order one. But, I promise, I can be quite approachable … under the right circumstances. Hmmm … maybe I’m not that approachable after all.

Tags alcoholic beverages, beer, Margaritas, wine

Flavor Blending Healthy Living

Weird But Healthy Snacks You Can Make At Home

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 9, 2017

Image thanks to

Are you looking for some new and interesting snacks that are healthy? Taking care of what you eat is really important, but often finding a quick snack which fits into your diet can be a little tough and sometimes, just plain boring. So I have compiled a list of some of the weirdest healthy snacks out there. You can prepare all of these at home yourself and you might even find some you really enjoy!

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Fish Crackling Snacks

Ok, this is a really weird one. Fish crackling is essentially the bones of white fish, seasoned and dehydrated into a really gross looking spiny thing which, when sprinkled with lemon infused sea salt and a fresh twist of lime, can taste unbelievably cool. They aren’t going to hit the spot like pork crackling and they do leave a somewhat gritty taste in your mouth but they are an excellent way of getting vital fish oils into your body and are very low in calories. All you need is a dehydrator and you are on your way. Check out these food dehydrator reviews and remember, you don’t have to make this weird recipe, you could just create some dried fruit snacks! They are healthy too.

Cockle Popcorn Snacks

This is not your usual popcorn and chances are you are not going to be seeing this in any movie theaters in the near future. While you do need to deep fry these little treats, they are packed with zinc and vitamin A, and the actual cockle itself is very low in calories. If you deep fry them in a coat of polenta and serve them up with either a mayo dip or better still, some apple cider vinegar, you’ll have found your new snacking best friend! And, in case you were wondering, cockles are small, edible, saltwater clams.

Macho Pea Snacks

This recipe is stolen from a well-known food outlet, however, it is so delicious that I just had to share it. While sitting in front of the TV nibbling a bowl of peas may sound weird, don’t knock it until you have tried it. Best made with Petit Pois or the smaller, sweeter variety of pea, you cook this vegetable in a rich chicken stock. Once drained you add chili infused butter (you can use coconut oil to make it healthier) and add a healthy bunch of freshly chopped mint and a twist of lemon. Then, dig in! The chili and lemon zing up your taste buds and can actually help to improve your mood. This snack will also give your metabolism a quick boost. Perfect for burning a few extra calories.

There are all kinds of weird snacks with added health benefits if you look a little further. From deep fried crabs to fermented fish and even nibbling on maggots and grubs. While I don’t think these sound very appealing, it just goes to show that if you are a bit more adventurous, you can find a variety of nibbles that you might just enjoy!

Alternatively, stick to sweet potato fries and vegetable crisps, or increase your supply of high cocoa content chocolate.

Bon Appetit!

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags cockles, fish, peas, seafood, snacks, weird food