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Homemade Biscuits For Your Dog

If your dog is as special to you as mine are to me, consider the healthiness of what you put in their tummies. Why not make your four legged friend as healthy as you strive to be? Why should we pay so much attention to what we eat and the skin care products we use on ourselves when our furry friends are sitting right there with us every day, depending on us to do the best thing for them.

There are many products out there that can keep our pets healthy, feeling good and happy. Homemade dog treats are one of many. Some of my dog's favorite flavors are beef, chicken, riblets and cheese. Look for all natural ingredients and stay away from the added chemicals. You won't believe the difference it will make with your dog's health and happiness.

When it comes to dinner time food, you will want to pick one that has no additives for color or flavor. There are dry formulas available that are packaged with a foil liner in the bag that allows the dry food to stay fresher and longer, which does don't have any of the extra fillers or preservatives. Your pet will love the taste of real food! This special food is also available in cans for a softer palate.

All natural products can make your pet feel good at bath time, as well. If your furry friend, whether it be a dog or cat, has special skin conditions, you will find shampoo, conditioner and gel's to sooth the savage beast and stop dry, itchy skin.

Check out Molly's Bark-ery with your furry friend at your side and see what tickles your fancy! We have an entire line of healthy products to choose from. Our goal is to make your pet's life as happy and healthy as we can.

Delicious and Easy Vegetarian Recipes

I once had a fantastic friend who would have done anything for me.

The sort of person who, if you admired her clothing would want to give it to you.

One night we attended a dinner party in her very tiny flat. The room was so tiny that we were almost sitting against the walls with all rooms in close proximity. We had not met some of the people before and would have preferred to make a good impression.

I had the misfortune to be going through a phase of not wanting to drink anything other than fruit juice. Very silly. Being the very thoughtful person that she was she had prepared me a large glass of the most delicious pure plum juice..... here read - prune - same family. Then followed a large dinner of beans, and vegetarian food in abundance.

It was not long before it took effect.

Have you ever felt so bloated and full of wind that you dare not move a muscle without embarrassing yourself and everyone in sight? Even worse, the bathroom in full earshot of the rest of the dinner guests, half of which we had not met before. I tried in vain to contain this new threat to my demeanor and eventually excused myself so I could go out on the balcony "to get some air".

More like get rid of some air.

Unbelievably, everyone arose too and trudged with me out to the balcony.

I was almost desperate by this time and the cramps were extremely severe and I decided I was either going to explode or visit the bathroom. Safe now you would think with everyone on the balcony. Wrong! They all followed me inside again. Deciding that embarrassment was the lesser evil than exploding, I gingerly went in and closed the door and leaning against the wall I tried to stifle the sound of the ever increasing wind shift before venturing in the direction of the plumbing.

Wind like you would find a severe gale or extremely efficient wind tunnel.

You guessed it.

The stifling did not work and the thin walls seemed to act as an echo chamber.

Depth sounder had a whole new meaning and those people we had never met before suddenly knew more of me than I wanted right at that moment. I could hardly crawl out of that bathroom for embarrassment

That was the beginning of my quest for a different focus to my vegetarian food, for quick, easy vegetarian recipes that would allow me to entertain with ease and feel at ease too.

I am no longer totally vegetarian and love to cook all types of food and recipes can taste even better for some creative additions. My recipe collection of easy vegetarian recipes has evolved over time with some very boring meals in the beginning to some truly luscious and scrumptious food that was mouthwatering and memorable.

Simple, quick and easy vegetarian recipes can often add years to your life and dollars to your purse.

Some recipes are from my mother who would often cook "meatless" meals before sit was trendy as we could not afford meat and when asked the recipe she would look puzzled and say it was just out of her head.

Ideas and favorite recipes for fast meals and delicious finales

Makes everything taste delicious and is very quick and very easy to do. You may want to make a double lot and keep in the fridge covered. This is uncooked. Quantities depend on how many people you want to serve so add more or less than recipe)

Cut 4 Tree tomatoes in half scoop out the flesh and chop up finely Add either 1 spring onion, scallions or a small amount of chopped onions or shallots Add brown sugar around a desert spoon full and half a squeezed lime

Mix everything together and leave aside to absorb the flavors.

This salsa is delicious on vegetable patties, fritters, quiche, mashed potatoes and steak for those who are not vegetarian. This recipe can also be made with either tomatoes or peppers and taste delicious too.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

A quick and easy to make delicious and yummy sauce to serve with raw vegetables, grilled vegetable patties, vegetarian Satay sticks, mashed potato or make thinner as a salad dressing or thicker as a dip.

To make Half a cup crunchy peanut butter - 1 Tablespoon sesame seed, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, Juice of 1 lemon, 1 cup of water or coconut milk. Method Combine the ingredients in a pot and stir over moderate heat until dipping consistency. Thin with extra water if you require or leave thicker as a dip. Delicious and real easy.

Potato Patties

This is so simple its almost a joke to put it in here with these easy vegetarian recipes

Grate several large potatoes, squeeze out some of the liquid or it will go squelchy. Cut up one onion & chop or grate and add spring onions,shallots, or chives Add parsley, and any other herbs you have around Drop in 2 eggs (organic naturally) and mix everything together Add salt and pepper Drop spoonfuls onto a hot pan and cook. This is delicious with the salsa above and to make even more delicious add feta cheese, either in the mix or sprinkle some on top.

My latest piece-de-resistance is a stunningly simple chocolate sauce that makes any food taste like the latest chef's invention.

After you have cooked your patties or fritters, add a little stock to the pan, melt a small amount of butter, or margarine although butter will give a better flavor. Add about two rows of dark chocolate over a low heat. Stir this slowly and add wine if you wish (is optional) and Chili gives it a bite and depth. Also optional as not everyone likes Chili Serve. Mint is a good addition. This sauce takes an ordinary meal into a gourmet delight. Just make sure you only make the amount you need at the time or it is ultra easy to scoff the lot.

Luscious Endings to finish your vegetarian banquet

Quick Pineapple dessert

Take yogurt, - one serving each person, and a can of crushed pineapple Whip it all up and put in the freezer to set. Serve with fresh yogurt and if you feel decadent grate some chocolate on top or garnish with frozen grapes.

Quick and easy Blackcurrant yogurt dessert

Best in tall dessert cups or glasses as this looks appealing. Layer yogurt, sliced peaches and more yogurt Drizzle over blackcurrant syrup and top with a few peaches Serve with a wafer biscuit or ginger nut biscuit.

Enjoy

Biscuits Add Flavour in Our Life

Humans enjoy eating. Bakery products are liked by all. Biscuits are one of our favourite food stuffs. A biscuit is actually a baked food product and the term has been applied differently in North America and other Commonwealth Nations for different edible items. In United States biscuits are related to small, soft and leavened bread which resembles scone. In Common wealth English nations biscuits are actually somewhat hard, flavoured, often hard products, sweet in taste often known as cookies or cracker in case of cheese biscuits. Modern day confusion in the English Language about the word biscuit is based on its etymology.

The word biscuit is believed to have originated from Middle French word biscuit which is made up of two words, bis (twice) and coquere (to cook). This is because biscuits are first baked and then allowed to dry in ovens. The term was then adopted in the English Language in the 14th century during the middle ages. Presently the whole world uses the term biscuit for hard, sweet, flavoured, crisp bread except in United States where it denotes a soft bread product baked only once. In modern Italian usage the term biscotto is used for biscuits. Biscuits have solved the problem of man in being easily manageable and transportable so can be carried to long distances while travelling without any problem. The introduction of baking of processed cereals, making of flour has resulted in the production of a number of edible food item and biscuits are one of them. Egyptian sailors carried a soft loaf of millet, Romans also used biscuits during their travel.

Many physicians suggest that majority of medicinal problems arise due to digestion so consumption of at least one biscuit in a day can keep the individual healthy without any problem of digestion. Presently biscuits are softer and very fine flour is used in their preparation. For making then soft they are dipped in brine or coffee. They are baked hard so that they can be used even after a long time and can be easily transported from one place to other during journey. Old World biscuits were hard, dry and unsweetened. They were cheap and were allowed to cook for prolonged periods. With the combination of Muslim invasion in Spain and then the crusades developing spice trade the cooking techniques of Arabia spread into Northern Europe. By the mediaeval times biscuits were prepared from the sweetened, spiced paste of breadcrumbs and then baked. The paste was sweet in taste as it was loaded with sugar.

Biscuits that are consumed today are actually sweet, small, 2 inches in diameter and flat. Sweet biscuits are liked as snacks and are made up of wheat flour or oats, sweetened with honey or sugar. Different varieties may contain chocolate, fruits, nuts or jams as fillings. In Britain digestive biscuits and tea highly flavoured in the tea time. Crackers are plain biscuits usually consumed with cheese. Some biscuits are flavoured with poppy seed, onion seeds and olives.

Biscuits constitute a very important part of our life as they are good sources of fibers as well as nutrients but must be consumed within a limit.

How to Save Calories and Choose Healthy Alternatives

Do you know how many calories are in the foods and drinks you consume every day?

Do you know how many calories a good-sized snack, meal or treat should contain so as not to be excessive?

It's ok, most people don't. And the people who think they do are often surprised by the true numbers.

In this post, we'll take a look at some common meals, snacks and drinks and reveal exactly how many calories they contain and the healthier alternatives you might like to swap them for.

(This post is not about specific brands of products, but offers the calorie amount an average product of that type contains, so it's applicable to you regardless of where you live or where you shop.)

First of all, a rough calorie guide:

  • 500 calories is enough for a decent-sized meal
  • 400 calories should be about the size of your meals if you eat little and often
  • 300 calories is a good-sized snack
  • 200 calories is a small snack
  • 100 calories is a quick, very small nibble

500 Calories - A Meal

500 calories is definitely generous enough to provide you with a hearty, filling meal. It is, for example, about the number of calories in a typical roast dinner complete with roast beef, steamed vegetables and roast potatoes, and even gravy. However, it's easy to go over this amount - a typical chicken tikka masala with pilau rice contains 860 calories, and that's before adding in any poppadums or naan breads. And once you've eaten that 500 calorie meal, it's easy to eat the same amount again when reaching for dessert - a medium bag of sweet popcorn and a tin of cola contain almost 550 calories, and a typical cheese and biscuit board contains around another 500 calories. If you're a drinker, be aware that a typical can of beer and small bag of salted peanuts also adds up to another 500 calories.

How can you make these options healthier? Well, when you enjoy your pint, resist the peanuts - that'll save you over 300 calories. Try popping the popcorn at home and adding spices instead of sugary toppings. If you're a cheese and biscuit lover, choose a lower-calorie main meal to limit the total caloric intake. And when choosing a curry, go for a tandoori option that will typically provide you with around 300 calories, and plain rice.

400 Calories - Small Meal

400 calories can buy you some pretty delicious meals, including prawn and vegetable stir-fries, and grilled salmon with a jacket potato and salad. Tasty, right? But, 400 calories can also be used up on 2 slices of garlic bread, an 80g slice of chocolate cake, and a large fries from those popular fast food places.

What can you do? Eat less garlic bread.. sorry to be harsh, but it's normally accompanying a meal that's already way too high in calories, so try replacing it with a salad. On a brighter note, you can save 100 calories by having oven chips instead of fast food ones.

300 Calories - Decent Snack

300 calories can get you a very decent-sized snack, even a jacket potato with baked beans, pasta with a tomato sauce, or a grilled chicken salad. Filling, yeah? But, 300 calories can also disappear when you eat an avocado, a butter croissant, or a single pork sausage. Wow.

So, what can you do? Just eat half an avocado - don't avoid them as they're really healthy as well as being pretty high in calories - to save 140 calories, go for the small croissant to save 100 calories, and grill your sausage (or switch it for grilled bacon).

200 Calories - Small Snack

Even at 200 calories you can enjoy a nice bowl of stir-fried vegetables, filling enough for anyone as a small snack I'd say... but you can also use up 200 calories on a glass of cola, a single tablespoon of butter, a pint of weak lager or 8 Brazil nuts.

The good news? Brazil nuts are high in iron, zinc and selenium so just eat a couple rather than avoiding them completely. And try switching to low-fat fromage frais instead of butter. Your cola can be switched to pure orange juice, which will save an incredible 165 calories.

100 Calories - Grazing

100 calories can be invested in a bowl of vegetable soup, a couple of pieces of fruit, a bowl of steamed broccoli, or a small handful of roasted almonds. However, it can also be used up before you realise by eating just 2 squares of milk chocolate, drinking a non-fat cappuccino or enjoying a 125ml glass of dry white wine.

What to do? Save the chocolate for an occasional treat, and try the same with the cappuccino - if you stopped either of these daily habits you would lose 10lbs in a year. How much do you really like your chocolate and coffee? As for the wine, remember that lower alcohol contents mean lower calories.

Everything should be enjoyed in moderation, of course, so try not to deprive yourself of foods or drinks you really enjoy completely.

Instead, be aware of the calories they contain, and choose whether you think they're really worth that price when there are other, healthier alternatives available.