What's the difference?

I was wondering what the difference between jams, jellies, butters, preserves, etc. were so I looked it up and thought I'd share!

Jam is a thick mixture of fruit, pectin, and sugar that is boiled gently but quickly until the fruit is soft and has an organic shape, yet is still thick enough that it spreads easily and can form a blob. In addition to being a spread, jams are also good for fillings.

Jelly is made from sugar, pectin, acid, and fruit juice and is a clear spread that is firm enough to hold its shape. Jellies can also be made from ingredients other than fruit, such as herbs, tea, wine, liqueurs, flowers, and vegetables.

Fruit butter is a smooth and creamy spread that is created by slow-cooking fruit and sugar until it reaches the right consistency; these types of spreads are not always translucent and are often opaque. Fruit butters are best used as a spread and a filling.

Preserves are spreads that have chunks of fruit surrounded by jelly.

Conserves are made with dried fruits and nuts and are cooked. They have a very thick and chunky texture. Conserves work very well as a spread and as a condiment for meats and cheeses.

Marmalade is a citrus spread made from the peel and pulp of the fruit. Marmalades are cooked for a long time and have no pectin, and are used as spreads and glazes.

So what's a gelée? It's just the French word for "jelly."

Announcement

So it's been a really long time since I have posted! I will try to be better in the future. In the meantime, the lack of posts probably have lost all my readers. However, if you do still read this, then you will be the first to know that I am pregnant! ...and sick :( So this post is dedicated to all those who suffer from morning sickness and I am giving you the foods that make me less sick and ones to stay away from and hopefully keep your head out of the toilet!

#1 Blueberry eggo waffles (unless you drink to much milk with them). I have eaten them about 4-5 days a week for breakfast for the last month and a half..

#2 Grilled cheese sandwiches. I'd say I eat one of these for lunch about 4-5 days a week.

#3. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I usually end up eating these after I have thrown up because they seem to settle my stomach. Maybe I should try eating them before.

#4 Popsicle twin pops. I can't seem to get enough of these-I eat at least 1 a day, if not 2 or 3 a day. Cold things make my tummy feel better.

#5 Superpretzel frozen pretzels. These are good-they are like the big fat fluffy pretzels that you get at like fairs or whatever. They even come with their own salt packets. Just enough blandness to keep your stomach calm, but still taste good.

#6 Fresh fruit. Nectarines, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries are the best in my opinion.

#7 Plain toast with butter. On the days I don't eat waffles, this is what I have...pretty boring huh.

Things NOT to eat:

#1 Anything fried

#2 Ranch dressing

#3 Mexican food

#4 Tomato sauce, v-8, or anything tomato-too acidic

#5 Milk or ice cream. I know, sad, but milk products don't work well in my tummy right now.

#6 Chocolate..even sadder

#7 Diet coke or any diet drink. The fake sugar after taste seems to be heightened and makes me sick.

So, there ya go, hope it helps!

Know your fats

You hear people say that you should be eating "good fats" and staying away from "bad fats" ...but do you actually know why or what...or how?

All fats have the same amount of calories, but they vary in their chemical compositions and effects on health.

The good:
Polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, omega 3 fatty acids.
These fats help to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). These fats are found mainly in fish, nuts, seeds and oils from plants. Examples of foods that contain these good fats: salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, almonds and liquid vegetables oils like soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive, and sunflower.

The bad:
Saturated fats.
Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol; they raise the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants. Foods from animals include beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, butter, cream, milk, cheeses and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk. All of these foods also contain dietary cholesterol. Foods from plants that contain saturated fat include coconut, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils), and cocoa butter.

The ugly:
Trans-fats and hydrogenated fats.
Trans fats are invented as scientists began to "hydrogenate" liquid oils so that they can withstand better in food production process and provide a better shelf life. As a result of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids are formed. Trans fatty acids are found in many commercially packaged foods, commercially fried food such as french fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn, crackers, chips and as well as in vegetable shortening and hard stick margarine.

So the moral of the story is: eat all fat in moderation, but eat more of poly/mono unsaturated fats, eat less of saturated fats, try to stay away from trans/hydrogenated fats, and we'll all be ok. :)

the science of shedding a pound

The *average person needs approximately 2000 calories a day to sustain body weight--this is why you see on most food labels that all the health information says "based on a 2000 calorie per day diet". (Meaning, if you were to sit and rest for 1 day, your body would burn 2000 calories on it's own, so therefore, eating 2000 calories a day would even it out and maintain your weight)....in theory of course.

The average pound of body fat equates to approximately 3500 calories.
So if you deficit your daily calories by 500 to 1500 calories a day, and burn 500 calories through exercise you would be losing a total of 7,000 calories per week, which equals a loss of 2 pounds per week. (Maybe this will help you understand why losing more than 2 pounds per week is said to be unhealthy. Anymore then 2 would cause you to eat to little and/or exercise too much.)

Losing weight slowly is the key. You always hear that you want to implement a "lifestyle change" instead of just a plain old diet. Well, it's true! Everyone knows--especially us moms, that there are days where you have to do what you have to do, whether it be skipping the gym one day, or stopping at McDonald's another day (for the sake of the kids, of course). Implementing a healthier diet and smaller portions day-to-day will keep the weight off (or lose it), and then when the time comes to go out to a restaurant, go to a party, or PMS... it will not matter as much in the scheme of things.

*2000 calories is just an estimation, everybody's bodies burn calories at a different rate.

good to know!

I was browsing some fitness information and came across this place that calculates the average amount of calories burned during certain activities...here some that I thought might be beneficial for you to know!

housework-60 minutes = 180 calories
sex- 60 minutes = 270 calories
shopping- 60 minutes = 150 calories
stroll in the park (walking 2mph) 60 minutes = 168 calories
chasing after 2 year old (walking 5mph) 60 minutes = 498 calories
gardening (it's that time of year!) 60 minutes = 345 calories
brushing teeth- 10 minutes = 28 calories
laundry/folding clothes- 60 minutes= 144 calories
making dinner (as long as you don't eat it while you cook it) 60 minutes= 147 calories
playing cards- 60 minutes = 117 calories