HEALTHY JOLLOF RICE

JOLLOF RICE is a national dish in Nigeria. It is cooked, eaten throughout the length and breath of the country. In days gone bye it used to be cooked and served during periods of festivities like Christmas, or at parties. Nowadays it has become an every day dish. This Jollof Rice is healthy as I am using Brown rice/Ofada rice as against the long grain rice. Olive oil as against the normal vegetable oil and organic tin tomatoes paste.

Ingredients:

2 cups Ofada rice (Ofada rice is Nigerian brown rice)
1 small can organic tomatoes paste
5 medium size fresh tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
I big onion
Low calorie chicken broth (optional)
2 chicken bouillon
1 table spoon curry powder
1 tea spoon dry thyme
1 tea spoon black pepper
6 table spoon Olive oil
1/2 park sweet corn (optional)
1/2 park sweet green peas (optional)
1 table spoon salt to taste
Water

DIRECTION:

Wash the fresh tomatoes, bell pepper and cut up half of the onion, clean and place all in a blender. Process until smooth.
Dice the other half onion
Pour 6 table spoon of olive oil into a 9 once cooking pot, place the pot on the burner set to medium heat. Allow to heat up for about a minute
Add salt, curry powder, thyme, black pepper and the diced 1/2 onion
Allow to cook for about 2 minutes stirring continuously until the onions is transparent
Pour in the processed fresh tomatoes, bell pepper and onion, and tomatoes paste
Add 1 cup of water or chicken broth. Allow stew or source to cook for about 45 minutes
Wash rice in water, drain and set aside. When the stew is sweet to taste, add the rice and more water/broth to cook. After 30 minutes add the sweet corn and peas. continue to stir to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. After another 30 minutes taste the rice. if it is soft, then your Jollof Rice is ready.You can serve with salad of the day and baked salmon or baked chicken breast.
Remember to set cooker to medium heat throughout.

This dish serves six persons.

* White rice is a whole grain that has been polished to the level that its only the easily digestible starch that is left. Eating this white rice frequently and in large quantities can raise blood glucose significantly. If you love to eat rice switch to Brown rice or Ofada rice.

AGING GRACEFULLY

Yes, this is a very needed topic. If you desire to age gracefully you must be prepared for change in some areas of your life. Probably some of us already know that it is good to exercise, eat right, get at least six hours of sleep every night, refrain from smoking and don't drink heavily.

Growing old is an accomplishment. Do not get bugged down about aging. If you start thinking about it, it can drive you crazy. As you should know there is nothing you can do about it, the clock is going to tick away.

If you are lucky to be older, you have survived a lot of the threats to your physical and psychological integrity that have affected other people who are no longer around. The people who do the best with aging aren't thinking that much about getting older. They do not focus on what's not working. If you sit around mulling over the meaning of existence and how time is running out, you are not going to age gracefully..

Accept the inevitable changes of aging, rather than seeing them as crises. If you live to be 90 years old, you are probably not going to be living alone in a big house, wash your car, clean your house and drive yourself to church on Sunday. If you know that ahead of time, it's easier to manage it. People who think rigidly do not know that to age gracefully, one has to anticipate the changes that are inevitable.

Continue to find things that are important to you. That can include spiritual pursuits, travels, hobbies, new social groups, lifelong learning.

It has been studied at the University  of Cambridge and proved in the UK that people with ages of 45 and 79 in the 1990s who followed the steps below added 14 years to their life span.

THE FOUR BEHAVIORS:

1. No smoking
2. Performing regular exercise
3. Drinking moderate amount of alcohol
4. Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

BENEFITS OF TUNA FISH

The many benefits of Tuna Fish listed below are as a result of  the abondant Vitamins, Minerals, and Organic compands found in this delicious Fish. These nutrients include Antioxidants and Protein without much saturated fat or sodium. Tuna Fish is also packed with high levels of Selenium and large amounts of Phosphorous, Iron, Magnesium and Potasium.

Tuna fish is super food and beneficial in many platforms.

Tuna Fish may reduce cardiovascular ailments.

Lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels.

Helps in weight loss efforts.

Tuna Fish boost the immune system.

It increases energy.

Maintain the healthy skin.

Increases red blood cell count.

May protect against kidney diseases.

Reduce general inflammation.

Helps to improve blood circulation and metabolism in the body.

VEGETABLE SOUP (EFO RIRO - YORUBA)

This is a delicious vegetable soup very popular in Southwest Nigeria among the Yoruba tribe.

INGREDIETS

Shoko  - Celosia Argentia (A leafy vegetables very popular in Southwest Nigeria)
Stock Fish
Assorted Meat 1 kg
6 Peppers (Tatashe or Bell pepper)
6 Fresh Tomatoes
1 large Onions
1 cup ground cray fish
1/2 handful of iru (locust beans)
2 medium size smoked fish
4 tbsp of Palm oil
2 knoor cubes
Water
Salt to taste

DIRECTION

Wash up the Shoko thoroughly, making sure there are no sand residue.
Boil a pot of water, soak the Shoko in the boiled water, cover and set aside.
Wash pepper, tomatoes and half of the onion. Combine all three in a blender and process, set aside.
Wash the meat thoroughly with water, boil in about 2 cups of water seasoning with  1/4 of the onion, salt and a cube of knoor. Allow to cook until tender and soft.
If the stock fish is had boil separately until soft.
Wash up the smoked fish and set aside. De bone if necessary.
Place a pot on fire, add 4 table spoon of Palm oil, remaining 1/4 onion chopped up, and a dash of salt.
(When you put the onions, salt and Palm oil in a hot pot at the same time, it prevents bleaching of the Palm oil by the heat. The niutrients in the palm oil is in the red color).
Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, while turning it to prevent it from being burnt.
Add the processed pepper, tomatoes and onions. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Add the pre boiled meat and stock fish, smoked fish, cray fish and iru. Stir all together and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain water from the soaked Shoko, press on chopped board to remove extral water and cut up with kitchen knife. Add to the simmering source, turn the vegetables into the source and allow to cook under low heat for 3-5 minutes. Add required salt to taste. Bravo! Your delicious vegetable soup is ready.
Enjoy this soup with Rice (brown rice/Ofada rice) Amala, Semolina or Pounded yam.
Remember small potions is the key.

This soup serves 8 people.

Please note that if you are cooking this soup with Spinach, you do not have to soak the vegetables in hot water. Just wash the Spinach thoroughly and add to the simmering source.

LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR AND LOOSE WEIGHT WITH THESE FOODS

Lower your Blood Sugar, Loose Weight and Reduce your Waist Line, by eating the following foods.

BEANS:  Beans is one of those foods that our bodies digest slowly because it is packed with protein and fiber. Foods high in fiber slows digestion, which in turn prevents spiking of our blood sugar thereby may prevent onset of type 2 diabetes.
Eating beans regularly may decrease the risk of Heart Disease, Coloreectal Cancer, and helps with weight management. Beans helps you feel full so you eat less.

WHOLE  GRAINS: They digest more slowly than refined or processed grains and are packed with nutrients, including Protein, Fiber, B vitamins, Antioxidants, and Minerals (iron, zinc, copper and magnesium). Regular consumption of WHOLE GRAINS has been shown to reduce the risk of Heart Disease, type 2 Diabetes, Obesity and some forms of Cancer.

FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES: Most Fruits and Vegetables are high in Fiber and low in calestorol due to their high water contents, there by helping to reduce your weight and keep Blood Sugar under control.

LOW-FAT DAIRY: This is another source of lean Protein.

NUTS: Next time you desire or crave potatoe chips please grab a handful of nuts instead, unsalted Groundnuts, Almond etc. They are loaded, with Fiber and healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

FISH: Fish is ideal and meets your need for lean meat. It also contains healthy Omega-3 fatty acids that is good for your heart.

Finally keep moving. Exercise is fuel for your heart.

HEALTHY NIGERIAN-SPINACH SOUP

This soup can be made with any vegetable of choice. You can replace spinach with any of the following vegetables:
Pumpkin leaves (Telfairia occidentalis) 
Scenting leaves (Ocimum gratissimum)
Okazi (Gnetum africanum)

Ingredients 

1 lb chicken breast (Fish or beef can be used)
1 bunch of Spinach
1 Medium size Onion
3 table spoon Olive Oil
1 cup of shrimps or/and cray fish (sun dried shrimps)
1 bell pepper
2 medium size fresh tomatoes
Salt to taste

Direction 

Pick and wash the spinach under running water, making sure there are no sand residue. 
Clean and cut up the onion
Wash shrimps or cray fish where available 
Wash pepper and tomatoes
Combine  all the above in a blender, add a cup of water and process until very smooth. Pour into a pot, cut up the chicken breast and add to the pot, if using fish like tilapia, clean and cut it up, beef can be used also. Add the olive oil. In this soup we are using chicken breast. Allow to cook over medium heat for 45 minutes if only shrimps or fish are used. If chicken and beef are used, allow to cook until meat is tender and cooked. Add salt to taste. This soup is healthy and very delicious. It can be enjoyed by  it self or served with brown rice, ofada rice, boiled or baked sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes.