Table Talk

How to Pick the Freshest Produce (Infographic)

January 8, 2019 By Joi Sigers

While I have often tried to focus on healthy eating on Get Cooking, I am really revitalizing my focus. Why? Because I’m revitalizing my focus on healthy eating in my own life and want only the best for you and your family as well!

Don’t worry, I have no intention of completely cutting out desserts and even less intention of completely cutting out carbs (they’d have to pull my potatoes out of my cold dead hands… whoever they are). But cutting back on less than healthy foods while increasing healthy foods only makes sense.

I’m lucky – I’ve always been a fiend for fruits and vegetables. Especially vegetables. I’m not sure if it’s because my parents always had gardens while I was growing up or if I simply enjoy the taste of just about every vegetable imaginable. Probably a little of both.

Below is a very useful infographic from Pounds to Pocket that’ll help you determine when a fruit or vegetable is the freshest.. as in ripe for the taking!

How to Pick Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in the Store

Infographic Created by Pounds to Pocket: https://www.poundstopocket.co.uk/pound-place/how-to-pick-fresh-ripe-fruits-and-vegetables/

Adorable Pig Wall Hanging from Kirkland’s – Too Cute!

October 12, 2018 By Joi Sigers

See my buddy above? FrankenPig? I’m totally in love with him and don’t mind you knowing it. My youngest daughter and son-in-law gave me this adorable wall hanging a few weeks ago… a “just because we love you and we’re awesome people” gift. They know how much I’m obsessed with both pigs and this time of year – so they thought of me when they saw it.

At least that’s why I assume they thought of me. Hmmm….

Anyway, I know I have a lot of fellow pig lovers and collectors that visit the food blog, so I wanted to show him to you. They bought it at Kirkland’s here in Owensboro, but your local Kirkland’s may have one too.

I checked Kirkland’s website and couldn’t find him BUT they have a ton of other pig lovelies. Just enter pig in the search box and prepare to say, “So long!” to your money.

Or is that just me?

Review: Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks

July 21, 2018 By Joi Sigers

Some people are “snackers” and some aren’t. Some love to pass through the kitchen and grab a handful of something crunchy and salty (or soft and sweet) before heading to the den for some quality time with the TV.

Personally, I can’t imagine not being a snacker. Seriously… don’t the non-snackers know what they’re missing?!

I’m not just a snacker, I’m a snacker’s snacker. Top in the business. Funny thing is, I don’t eat a lot at one sitting or swipe a lot in one passing…. but I enjoy the heck out of what I do nibble on.

I came across something exciting in Target last week – come to think of it, I always come across something exciting in Target…. like in evry aisle, to be precise. This time, I happened to be in the potato chip and popcorn aisle (of course I was). A bag of Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks caught my eye. If you have to eat gluten-free, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say the magic words, gluten-free, jump out from a mile away.

It’s like the verbal equivalent of Popeye’s spinach.

Naturally, a bag went straight into my cart – right between a gorgeous new set of bright kitchen towels (personal obsession) and cat food (another obsession… cats, not the food).

I may or may not have sampled them before I even got out of the parking lot. The first thing I noticed was how similar they look and feel (and smell… Heavenly!) to regular pretzel sticks. Anyone who doesn’t have to eat gluten-free may not realize this, but finding legitimate substitutions for the “real deal” is tough, tough, tough. Like most gluten-free bread.

I’ve had other gluten-free pretzels and pretzel sticks that, while tasty, looked more like cookies and tasted more like hard bread. Snyder’s of Hanover has hit the nail on the head with these gluten-free pretzels. They’re excellent.

While I’m excited to have these beauties for snacking, I’m even more excited to have them for other reasons. Each holiday (and often on birthdays), I make chocolate-covered pretzels and pretzel sticks. The gluten-free varieties have never played quite as well as the regular pretzels I remember from my salty past. Since these look, feel, and taste like the real McCoy, I can’t wait to take them for a dip in chocolate and white chocolate.

I also look forward to using them in Chex Mix for the holdiasy,I’m also over the moon excited about an old favorite, Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Again, other gluten-free pretzels on the market just don’t lend themselves to this type of dish. Snyder’s of Hanover’s Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks will be perfect and I CANNOT wait to make this favorite from the past a favorite of the present again.

Check your favorite store for a bag – you’re going to love them as much as I do. They’re also available on Amazon (in various sizes AND flavors) – easiest way to shop known to man or womankind!

Fellow Pig Collectors, Your Kitchen Will Love This!

February 16, 2018 By Joi Sigers

Amazon

As someone who is both obsessed with and a collector of pigs, I feature a lot of pigs on the food blog. What’s funny is, I hear from SO many of you who feel just as strongly about them as I do. They’re whimsical, fun, and impossibly cute… what’s not to love, right?!

The adorable Pig Paper Towel Holder, pictured above, is pretty much a MUST HAVE as far as I’m concerned. Not only is she a beauty, she serves a very useful function – she give that ever-present and ever-wandering roll of paper towels an attractive place to call home.

Click here for a closer look.

The Keto Reset Diet by Mark Sisson (Review)

January 4, 2018 By Joi Sigers

The Keto Reset Diet

Earlier my husband and I were talking about New Years Resolutions and how they relate to making powerful decisions about healthy eating. These diet resolutions get a really bad rap simply because most people don’t stick with them. I think one of the THREE reasons is they’re looking for a quick fix rather than a lasting plan.

Big difference.

The second reason, in my opinion, people don’t stick with a lasting plan is they don’t choose one that allows for delicious food. Let’s face it, many of us are bona fide foodies (I’m raising my hand, here, and it has a fork in it) and we simply will NOT go down a road that doesn’t include good food. Period.

Third reason? This one may not seem as obvious, but I believe it’s because we don’t have a why. The how can be easy enough…. Cut out chips (How? don’t buy them.) Cut out sugar (How? Stop eating living your life like your Cookie Monster’s cousin.) Cut out diet soft drinks. (How? Put down the Diet Dr. Pepper and walk away.)

We know the hows. We’ve memorized the hows! What we need to know is WHY.

WHY should we turn our kitchen upside down?
WHY should we make a change that will not only effect us but most of the people in our family?
WHY should we change our eating out habits and, ultimately, leave places we’ve eaten at for over half our life by the wayside?
WHY should we go totally against the grain… against the familiar… against what feels comfortable?

The Ketogenic (Keto) Diet

You have, undoubtedly, heard of the Keto Diet. I recently published an article on Get Cooking titled, “What is the Ketogenic Diet and How Do You Get Started On It?” After reading this book review, you might want to check out this particular article for more information.

One of the most-trusted sources, online and off, for all things “Keto” is Mark Sisson. His blog (Mark’s Daily Apple) is as popular as it is informative. Fortunately he has written a wonderful book, The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism in 21 Days and Burn Fat Forever, meaning you can have access to the information and recipes at any given time. More importantly… you’ll have access to what you need most of all – they WHY.

Mark Sisson—author of the mega-bestseller The Primal Blueprint—unveils his groundbreaking ketogenic diet plan that resets your metabolism in 21 days so you can burn fat forever.

Mounting scientific research is confirming that eating a ketogenic diet could represent one of the greatest nutritional breakthroughs of our time—and that it might be the healthiest and most effective weight loss strategy ever. Going “keto” by eating high fat, low-to-moderate protein and low-carb foods enables you to break free from the disastrous effects of carbohydrate dependency by resetting your metabolism and promoting metabolic flexibility—where your body learns to burns fat instead of sugar for energy, even when you go off plan.

Unlike many other ketogenic programs that require challenging restrictions and deprivation or offer misinformation, Mark Sisson, bestselling author of The Primal Blueprint and publisher of the #1 paleo blog MarksDailyApple.com, presents a unique two-step, scientifically validated approach for going keto the right way. He first reveals the real secret to rapid and sustained weight loss, which is in becoming “fat-adapted” before entering full nutritional ketosis. This process allows your body to learn to burn fat more efficiently, resulting in increased and sustained weight loss over the long-term. It takes as little as 21-days to reprogram your metabolism to burn fat for fuel, by ditching processed grains, sugars, and refined vegetable oils in favor of nutrient-dense, high fat, primal/paleo foods–and you’ll see immediate results. Next, you’ll fine-tune with Intermittent Fasting and then foray into full ketogenic eating for a further weight loss boost and improved health.

With The Keto Reset Diet, you can eat to total satisfaction by enjoying rich, high-satiety foods, and even weather occasional slip-ups. You’ll use keto as a lifelong tool to stay trim, healthy, energetic, and free from the disastrous health conditions caused by the typical American diet. With step-by-step guidance, daily meal plans and a recipe section with over 100 delicious keto-friendly recipes, this is the definitive guide to help the keto-beginner or the experienced health enthusiast understand the what, why, and how to succeed with ketogenic eating. Read More….

As we were looking at above, in order to make a healthy change to our eating, we need…

A lasting plan rather than a quick fix.
Food and meals our taste buds will approve of as much as our brain does.
The all-important WHY.

In The Keto Reset Diet, Mark Sisson doesn’t just address each of these bullet points, he courts them and proposes – and you’re the one with the happily ever after!

Key Chapters and Sections of the Book

Chapter 1 “The Keto Diet 101 – What, WHY, and How”

Chapter 3 “The Health, Performance, and Disease Protection Benefits of Keto”

Chapter 5 “Ditch Toxic Foods and Replace with Nutrient-Dense Foods”

Chapter 7 “Live a Keto-Friendly Lifestyle”

Going Keto: Strategies and Recipes

Recipes Include…

Pizza Bites
Sweet Pepper Nacho Bites
Marinated Eggs
Turmeric Balls
Vanilla Protein Fudge
Parmesan Crisps
Lime Bars
Creamed Spinach
Next Level Baked Avocados
Caesar Salad with Anchovies and Pancetta
And many more delicious and healthy recipes.

If you are looking to improve your health (whether you want to lose weight or not), the Keto Diet is a fascinating road to take. The popularity of the diet, itself, lets us know that MANY people are having great success with it.

In full disclosure, I do not adhere strictly to the Keto Diet or any diet, for that matter. Rather, I incorporate the following diets together:

Mediterranean Diet
Paleo Diet
Ketogenic Diet
Bulletproof Diet

By researching and exploring each of these four diets, I’ve found a healthier way of eating and living and, quite frankly, I feel better than I ever have. I buy each book that addresses these diets and am constantly learning and arming myself with information.

I couldn’t recommend strongly enough that you do the same. We’re only as healthy as we eat – I hope that 2018 will be the year you don’t just read or believe these words but will fully live them out.

The Keto Reset Diet is an excellent addition to your own healthy-eating arsenal.

The Keto Reset Diet

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.

Sous Vide Turkey – The Way to Get a Perfectly Moist Turkey Every Time

November 15, 2017 By Joi Sigers

If you’ve been paying attention to food trends lately, you’ve very likely heard of sous-vide, even if you’re not completely sure what it is. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to try the sous vide cooking method.

That’s because undeniably, poultry is where sous-vide shines. Unlike red meat, which can be eaten with a gradient of done-ness so the outside is gray and the inside is pink, with poultry, you need to cook it through. With a larger cut, like turkey breast, it’s impossible to cook the inside without overcooking the outside. Sous vide allows the entire piece of turkey to cook at the same time, so it’s completely, perfectly done. It‘s amazingly flavorful and never, ever dry!

Don’t let the name intimidate you. Sous-vide (soo-veed) means ‘under vacuum,’ a reference to the way food is packed before you cook it using this method. The equipment used to cook the food is called an immersion circulator, so you’d properly say, “I’m cooking this delicious turkey sous-vide,” not “I’m cooking this delicious turkey in the sous-vide.” But I digress. Why are people going crazy for sous-vide cooking? And should you jump on the bandwagon?

The premise behind sous-vide is actually simple. In traditional cooking methods such as dry heat (baking, roasting, broiling, frying, searing) or moist heat (boiling, braising, poaching, simmering), the goal is to get the center of the food cooked to the temperature that you want it to be.

Unlike grilling, here’s how sous-vide works:

Season your food (or even add a marinade or sauce) and place it in the bag you’ll be cooking in. You can invest in a vacuum sealer or just use Ziploc® bags (Brand name bags seems to leak less).

To vacuum seal with a zip top bag, place the item in the bag, then keep the zip top open and lower the bag into the water immersion circulator. Allow the water to press the bag closed, and lower it in until just below the zipper, so all the air is now pressed out. Then, zip the top and remove the bag from the water bath.

Bring the water in the circulator to the temperature that you want your food to be, and then place the bag back in the water bath with the immersion circulator. Cook it for a predetermined time, then remove from the bag and pat dry. The sous-vide cooker circulates water around the pot. The circulation prevents hot and cool spots from forming in the water to ensure even temperature throughout your food. Your food never overcooks. It’s just how you like it, every time.

Note that there are several types and brands of precision immersion cookers ranging in price from about $119 – $169. Many can be controlled remotely via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Kosher.com will review several brands, prices and other accessories in future episodes.

If you already own an immersion circulator or plan to purchase one in time for Turkey day, try this great recipe from Michal Frischman for Kosher.com.

Sous Vide Lemon Herb Turkey

SOUS VIDE LEMON HERB TURKEY

1 2-pound (1-kilogram) boneless, skinless turkey breast, sometimes known as turkey London broil (see note)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspooon salt
2 tablespoons flour

Mix the honey, lemon juice, herbs, salt, and pepper. Place the turkey in a heavy-duty ziplock bag or in a vacuum sealer bag. Add marinade to the bag. For a ziplock, submerge the bag in a bowl of water until just below the opening of the bag so the air is squeezed out, then seal the bag. For a vacuum sealer, set the machine to wet seal.

Place the turkey in a sous-vide set to 143°F (62°C). Cook for four hours or up to eight hours.

When ready to serve, heat oil and flour in a small saucepan. Stir well and cook for one minute. Add the juices from inside the turkey bag and whisk until no clumps remain. Slice the turkey thinly and serve with gravy on the side.

Note: You can follow the same time and temperature for any size turkey you would like to use.

Variation: To cook in the oven, keep the skin on and bone in. Bake at 375°F (180°C) for about an hour or until the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (70°C). Remove and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes

About Kosher.com
Kosher.com is the premier site for kosher cooking and conversation and the place to go for all things kosher food. Less than a year old but a rising star on the kosher food scene, it has thousands of top-quality kosher recipes, articles, tips, and entertaining shows. The site is the ultimate platform for the most diverse collection of kosher recipes.

Check out the kosher.com ongoing cooking series, where they will address choosing the right times and temperatures in sous-vide cooking for a range of different foods, and much more.

You can also rely on recipes for sous-vide at www.kosher.com, at many other online resources, and on the app your immersion circulator is linked to. Over time, you will likely want to experiment and come up with recipes on your own.

Stay tuned for the entire sous-vide series only at Kosher.com. They will have you cooking like a professional chef in no time!

And, you won’t want to miss this Sous Vide Video (http://www.kosher.com/shows/video/155/two-easy-ways-to-start-cooking-next-level-ribeye) – Watch Chef Gabe on Episode 6 of ‘Under the Hood’, only on Kosher.com. Chef Gabe takes two cuts of ribeye to the next level with his seasoning and cooking techniques. Watch as he sous vides then sears the eye of the ribeye, or Spencer Steak, and then perfectly sears a ribeye crescent. These two ribeye ideas are sure to make your next steak a winner.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

September 12, 2017 By Joi Sigers

It’s officially here….. PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!!! I’ll let you in on a little secret, I couldn’t be happier. I love all the months of the year, mind you, but there’s just something about September 1 – January 1 that floats all my boats.

The recipe below is from Explore Cuisine (so you know it’s a knock-out). Have you tried their gluten-free pasta? It’s healthy, affordable, and best of all, crazy delicious. Explore Cuisine will, hopefully, become steadily available in more grocery stores – until then, you can find it easily on Amazon. It’s just fantastic.

Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 55 mins
Total time: 1 hour 40 mins
Serves: 3-4 servings

For the Cashew Cream:

½ cup raw cashews
1 cup water boiling water
1 clove garlic
2 tsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp salt
6 sheets Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagne
2 cups prepared tomato sauce
1 t0 2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste, optional)

For The Filling:

15oz canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ to ½ tsp salt (to taste)
⅛ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the cashew cream (this can be prepared ahead of time), soak the cashews in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the soaking water
Combine the soaked cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and the ½ cup of reserved soaking water in a high power blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the lasagna sheets and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep them from sticking together
While the pasta cooks, prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside until ready to use
Once the pasta sheets are cooked, drain them and run them under cold water (if any of the sheet are stuck together, separate them carefully). Set them aside
Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the prepared tomato sauce and red pepper flakes (if using) and pour on the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish. Spoon about half of the cashew cream over the sauce
To prepare the cannelloni, place about a tablespoon and a half of filling on each pasta sheet and carefully roll each one. Arrange them on the baking dish, over the tomato sauce and cashew cream. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes
Drizzle with the remaining cashew cream before serving. Serve warm

Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Green Lentil (No Boil!) Noodles

September 6, 2017 By Joi Sigers

Gluten-Free Lasagna with Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Noodles

Gluten-free lasagna just got easier and healthier – and if you love lasagna like Garfield the cat and I do, this is the kind of good news you’ve been waiting for.

Explore Cuisine makes a wonderful line of gluten-free pastas that will change your entire pasta game. They’re delicious – dare I say far more delicious than they sound like they’d be. I mean, let’s be serious, even those of us who love vegetables to distraction would be a little skeptical about Green Lentil Lasagna Noodles. I know I was! When I first used them to make lasagna, I was half-tempted to make one with traditional gluten-free noodles too, you know… just – in – case.

I didn’t take this crazy precautionary step and it turns out I didn’t need to. These noodles have a really wonderful, understated flavor that couldn’t work more beautifully with tomato sauces if it had to.

Not only are these noodles gluten-free and delicious, they don’t have to be boiled before building your lasagna. I am so over the process of handling limp HOT lasagna noodles, so that’s a dream come true for me and my hands.

{Continued Below…}

Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna on Amazon

About Explore Cuisine:

Explore Cuisine products are vegan, organic, gluten-free, and kosher, ensuring your health and igniting your taste buds! For example, our delicious bean pastas contain nearly 20-25 grams of protein per serving and are low in carbs and sodium while simultaneously containing a high fiber content. With Explore Cuisine, you’ll experience the incomparable taste of pasta with all the benefits of nutritious beans! Read More…

There is a wonderful recipe for Vegetable Lasagna on Explore Cuisine’s blog – just click the link to check it out. It’s out of this world – fresh and delicious.

The first lasagna I made with these noodles was, however, my “go to” lasagna I’ve been making for 112 years. The recipe is below and, thanks to these no-boil noodles, it couldn’t be easier.

A Few Notes:

If you use a pasta sauce that already contains garlic – leave the garlic out of the recipe. The same is true of one with bell peppers, or onions.
You can add a small (drained) can of sliced mushrooms in with the onion and bell pepper.
I like my lasagna extra saucy, but if you prefer your lasagna a little more “traditional,” only use one jar of pasta sauce instead of 1-1/2.
Always check pasta sauce for the gluten-free label. Some actually are not gluten-free. Always, always check.

Easy Gluten-Free Green Lentil Lasagna

Ingredients

2 Packages Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna
2 lbs Ground Chuck
1/2 Cup Finely-Chopped Bell Pepper
1 Cup Finely-Chopped Sweet Onion
3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
1 TBS Kosher Salt
1 TBS Oregano
1 TBS Basil
1-2 28 oz Jars Prego or Ragu Pasta Sauce (I usually use 1-1/2)
2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 Pint Ricotta Cheese
16 oz. Cottage Cheese (small curd)
8 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet cook ground beef until brown.
Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and saute until onions are transparent.
Add the salt.
Stir in pasta sauce and heat on medium low for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and the two slightly beaten eggs.
Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan or dish.
Layer with the uncooked Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagna noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce.
Continue layering until all ingredients are used, reserving 1/2 cup of the mozzarella.
Cover pan with aluminum foil.
Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, and top with remaining half cup of mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 15 more minutes.
Remove from oven, and allow lasagna to stand 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.

5 Fabulous food ideas for a fantastic 40th birthday celebration

September 5, 2017 By Joi Sigers

by Dakota Murphey

Your 40^th birthday is the perfect excuse to show off to everyone that you can throw an epic birthday celebration. There’s so much to plan for, including the venue, music, decorations and invitations, to name but a few of the important party-planning essentials.

Catering is another important consideration. Whether you choose to focus on the partying and throw in nibbles and hors d’oeuvres, or revolve your whole event around a fantastical dining experience, food will have to make an appearance at some point (especially if there’s alcohol involved). A boozy party without food will degenerate very quickly, and inevitably that’s when things can go awry. Having a food plan will definitely help to keep party drinking under control.

In any case, if you love your food, then why not share your passion with guests at your 40^th birthday celebration. Dakota Murphey shares 5 fabulous food ideas to make your 40^th the best foodie celebration ever.

A Bombay-themed event with food to match

If you are serious about throwing a wow-factor party, how about doing something a little bit different? A lavish Bombay themed 40^th will make a big bold statement and give your guests a Bollywood experience they’ll never forget. For a truly authentic Bombay-themed birthday bash, posh Indian food is a must. Wow your guests with an Indian tasting menu. If you are just providing snacks rather than a full on meal, Indian finger foods are a yummy alternative to straightforward canapés.

A mighty Michelin-starred experience

If you’ve decided a full-on party isn’t for you, why not make your whole 40^th event a fabulous fine dining experience. It’s your chance to go to that Michelin-starred restaurant you’ve always dreamed of. If you’ve been unable to justify the price tag that goes with it, your 40^th is the perfect excuse to splash out. Besides, think of the money you’ll be saving by not throwing an extravagant party!

Pick the venue, refine your guest list to your closest friends and family, and you’ll pull off an evening of sophisticated dining for an impressive 40^th celebration. Be sure to make your reservations well in advance. Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Berkshire, for example, has a waiting list of 3 months.

A posh tea party

If you are considering a 40^th party at home, but don’t want to turn it into a mammoth event, laying on a posh tea party is a fabulous compromise. A magnificent Alice in Wonderland tea party couldn’t be a more apt theme for an eccentric and magnificent celebration. Create an enchanting display of special treats to wow your guests and take them to dessert heaven. Start off with English tea, extraordinary cakes and a jolly good gossip. Finish with bubbles and giggles. Even the maddest hatter will be impressed. You could even ask guests to dress up in Alice-in-Wonderland theme, and lay on a game of croquet in the garden.

A cool and quirky supper club

Supper clubs were all the rage a while back. Don’t think they’ve gone quiet. Those that raved about them in the beginning are only keeping schtum because spaces are limited! Pop-up restaurants and supper clubs are being curated by some really exciting chefs across the whole of the UK. Look out for pop-up foodie events with fantastical themes in your local area. They make a great back-drop for a 40^th birthday celebration. You’ll need to do your research – supper clubs have a somewhat hush-hush existence. Or hook up with a chef and host your own!

The whole hog BBQ

If you are renowned for hosting great BBQs, then it seems fitting on your 40^th to go the whole hog (literally). If you’re looking to give your guests some good honest tucker to soak up the beer (or cider, spirits and wine), nothing does that better than a hog roast bap topped off with homemade apple sauce.

You can hire the equipment, order the hog and do the whole thing yourself, or get a catering company to take care of it all for you. If you are hiring a venue, check with them first if they will allow you to organise outside caterers and if they offer the facility for an outside space for the rotisserie. And don’t offend your vegetarian guests, cater separately for them too.

Have a fabulous, foodie-loaded fortieth!

What Is the Ketogenic Diet and How Do You Get Started On It?

July 31, 2017 By Joi Sigers

This is a guest post by Louise Hendon, co-host of The Keto Summit and author of The Essential Keto Cookbook

The Ketogenic diet has been making waves lately.

In fact, you’ve probably seen the name being mentioned by various health-and-wellness bloggers on the internet. But what is it, exactly? And how is it different from all the other diets out there?

We’ll run through what the ketogenic diet is, what foods you can eat on the keto diet, how the diet benefits your health and some beginner’s tips for getting started.

What Is the Ketogenic Diet?

It’s a diet that changes your body’s metabolic state – instead of mainly burning glucose, you’ll be mainly burning fat instead.

That’s because the ketogenic diet limits your carbohydrate intake which means there’s simply less glucose available for your cells to use as fuel. And as a result, your body is forced to start burning up your stored fat.

This metabolic state is called nutritional ketosis and it has all sorts of health benefits (more on those later).

Keto Diet foods: What can you eat?

You’ll be eating a moderate amount of protein, lots of fats, and very few carbohydrates.

Healthy foods to eat include:

Non-starchy vegetables (so leafy greens like spinach and kale)
Meats, organ meats, fish and shellfish
Nuts and seeds (in moderate amounts)
Healthy fats like ghee, coconut oil and olive oil
Herbs and spices, like cinnamon or paprika: Joi has a great article on their health benefits

And the foods to avoid are:

Starchy vegetables like potatoes and squashes
All legumes, aka lentils, beans, and soy
All grains, such as wheat, oats and rice
Vegetable and seed oils
Processed foods, meaning chips, crackers, cookies etc.

If you’d like a more extensive list of what foods you should be eating and avoiding, feel free to check out our list of Keto diet friendly foods.

How does Keto benefit your health?

There are many health benefits to the keto diet, and we’ve rounded up just a few below:

It stabilizes your energy levels by balancing out your blood sugar levels. When you’re not consuming carbs, your energy no longer spikes and dips – you feel more alert and don’t have to deal with brain fog or the dreaded “mid-afternoon slump.”
It can help you beat your sugar addiction because you’ll be going cold turkey on all the sweet treats you’re addicted to. Plus, another benefit of having stabilized your blood sugar levels is you avoid the blood sugar crashes that trigger cravings in the first place.
It decreases your hunger levels naturally and researchers have shown that a low-carb diet leads to lowered food intake because it influences the hormones which control hunger. This then helps with weight loss and combating overeating.
It’s great for weight loss, and just by scanning through some of the many success stories on the web you’ll be able to see how effective the keto diet is for losing weight!
It could be used as a therapeutic treatment for a wide range of diseases. It’s already being used to treat epilepsy, and research is being done to see if it can help reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, PCOS, and cancer.