Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Healthier Drink


Many nutritious drinks include Smoothies that
very mainstream.

Smoothies are drinks that are basically made from mixing fruits with liquids, with some flavor and nutrient enhancers added. There is no established rule as to what kind of fruits or additives to combine and you can invent you own recipe to suit your taste and nutritional needs. However, there are ingredients that are used by many, a preferred ingredient. One of these is yogurt, as many people like to enjoy a glass of smoothie yogurt mix.

Yogurt has been a health food for centuries. Our forefathers learned of its benefits long ago and even without the use of technology they have learned the technique of fermenting milk. Today, yogurt is made by introducing specific bacteria into milk. These bacteria act on the milk, consuming the natural sugars in it and excrete lactic acid. The acid causes the milk to curdle and gives it its sour taste. It is also the presence of the acid that inhibits growth of bad bacteria. Yogurt is nutritious because it contains protein, calcium, riboflavin and, vitamins B6 and B12. Although these nutrients are also found it milk, some consider yogurt to be healthier because people who are lactose-intolerant can consume it. The beneficial bacteria found in it aids in digestion and cures diarrhea.

Smoothie yogurt mixes combine the health benefits of yogurt and fruits. The addition of the dairy product significantly increases the absorption of vitamins and minerals since the smoothie will be easily digested. In addition, yogurt improves the bioavailability of other nutrients that are mixed with it, especially calcium and B-vitamins. Hence, if the fruits contain these nutrients, the body can obtain more benefits from them.

A sample recipe of a simple but nutritious smoothie yogurt mix has one cup of mango slices, one cup of yogurt, sweetener and ice cubes. These are mixed together in a blender until smooth and can be enjoyed after minimal preparation. This drink contains only 180 calories and provides thirty percent of a person's daily calcium needs. Aside from the nutrients provided by the yogurt, the mango also contributes its share of the good stuff. It has fiber and contains the vitamins A, C and E, which fight free radicals that cause cellular damage. The minerals potassium, iron and selenium are found in mangoes. With such an easy-to-make and non-fattening drink, a person can help his body fight disease, look and feel younger, have a healthier heart, have clearer skin, have better circulation and become more active. All these come from the substances found in both the fruit and yogurt.

A smoothie yogurt mix is the perfect combination that provides the needed health benefits that most people lack. Fortunately, this mixture tastes great too; and making this drink a daily habit will not be a problem at all.

An Easy-To-Make Mango Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients
  • 1 large mango (diced and chilled)
  • 1 banana (sliced and chilled)
  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • ice cubes
Steps:
  1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

  2. Pour into tall glasses and serve. (Garnish with orange slices if preferred)

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Soya pudding Chocolate


Chocolate pudding

Ingredients

1 liter soy milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
100 g corn starch
150 g dark chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or too taste

Servings: 6

Recipe directions

This chocolate pudding recipe gives a very thick pudding which will keep its form when turned out of the mould. If you like a more liquid pudding use 60 g corn starch instead of 100 g.

Add the corn starch to about 200 ml soy milk and mix to get a smooth slurry.

In the meantime bring the remaining 800 ml soy milk to boil. Add the sugar. When boiling slowly add the starch mixture, while stirring constantly. Continue to boil for a minute. Remove from heat, add the chocolate and salt and stir until the chocolate is dissolved.
Moisten the inside of a pudding mould with water. This step insures that the pudding will come out of the mould smoothly. Poor the chocolate pudding in the mould and let it cool down. Turn the pudding out of the mould on a serving plate.
Serve the chocolate pudding as such or with some brown sugar.

Chocolate facts

Everybody likes chocolate because of its melt-in-the-mouth consistency. Some people even crave chocolate as it contains some chemicals, such as anandamide and phenylethylamine, which creates a soothing effect on the brain. Eating chocolate releases endorphins, which act as pain reliever, in our brain. Chocolate does not cause acne. Dark chocolate is more healthier than milk chocolate.
These are some levels of nutrients in 100 g dark chocolate: 5.3 g protein, 397 mg potassium, 63 mg calcium and 3.2 mg iron. Chocolate also contains some vitamins and large amounts of antioxidant polyphenols, which can help to prevent oxidative damage to our cells and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer.


Thursday, September 10, 2009

How to "Ethically" Spy on Your Competitor's Every Move

re you trying hard to keep an edge on your competitors, but they always seem to be one step ahead of you? You may be exposing yourself, and not even know it. The great news is that your competitors are probably doing the same thing.

For example, if you take one of the freelance type websites, you can see what others (and possibly your competitors) are up to just by going to Google.com and typing in "site:freelancewebsitenamegoeshere.com "keyword phrase"" (without the beginning and ending quotes). You will see all the projects that have that particular keyword phrase in the description, just at that site. You can then run that same query on the next freelance site you're monitoring.

There are several sites that you should monitor on an ongoing basis, including scriptlance DOT com, elance DOT com, and rentacoder DOT com, but there are actually a few others that can provide you with a tremendous amount of informaton.

There are also other ways in Google, where you can go, if you know your competitors website, and type in queries similar to that, basically, constraining it to one of these outsourcing sites.

So, "site:scriptlance.com" will constrain the search in Google to that one site and then, in quotation marks, type in their website URL, like competitorwebsite.com. Example: site:scriptlance.com "competitorwebsite..com." You will find all the projects that your competitors are putting out there. If you have any competitors in the industry, which I imagine every single one of us do, this is a great way to have insight into what is going on at their sites, what they have on horizon, and what they are building so you can counteract that, or address that, on your own site.

Conversely, you always want to protect your intellectual capital, and you want to protect any projects that you are currently doing for competitive reasons. There are many ways that you can put a project out there for bid, but protect your information where it won't be indexed in Google, Bing, Yahoo!, or any of the major search engines. If you don't do that you are opening yourself up to the same spying.

If you've not considered Outsourcing time-consuming tasks and special projects, its something that you should take note of. Finding reliable outsourced providers can decrease your fixed costs and free up your employees to allow more time to focus on more important, revenue-generating tasks such as marketing and promotion.

Outsourcing can provide a huge opportunity whereby you can find the very best providers, for a given task or project, and you'll typically pay much less than you would if hiring a local part-time employee. Best of all you don't have to worry about all the ongoing expenses that typically come with a traditional employee. Outsourced providers can be paid on a one-time basis for exactly the work that they complete. Its really a great way to manage the cash flow of your business and you'll get exactly what you want.

Remove yourself from the day-to-day operations of your small business, website, or eCommerce store and outsource today!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Personal Brand Loyalty

Branding your business is the first thing your to create.

Personal brand loyalty is similar to product brand loyalty in that we choose to believe the message with emotional expectations of performance. This performance then leads into trust which is where the loyalty begins. However, when it comes to personal brand loyalty the dynamic changes a bit.

When marketing a product, the expectations come from interaction with the product - it is tangible. Whereas with a personal brand the expectations are based upon the service that you provide for them. For some products there is no way of knowing how long the consumer interacts with it, if they are using it properly and their level like and dislike on a regular basis. Yes, social media has changed this where there are forums for people to discuss how they are feeling about a product but with a personal brand the consumer has an opportunity to reach out to you directly and tell you what they are feeling and they are provided with an immediate response.

How does personal brand loyalty work on a larger scale? Take celebrities. If someone you like is starring in a movie or a television show you most likely will tune in to see how they do and what the movie or show is about. What about in professional sports? Players generally do not get to choose which team they play on. A player that you have been loyal to is traded to a team that you have long despised. Do you remain loyal to that player and watch them on the new team or abandon them because they are no longer on "your team." What happens when a player does not perform to our expectations. We hear this all the time where a player is a scrub, stinks, gets booed, etc. As a professional player we as consumers and fans expect them to be get a hit every at bat, catch every ball that comes to them, nail every field goal kick.

Their promise to us is that they will perform but to whose expectations? If they have a bad game the fans start in about their performance. They know they botched a catch, struck out 3 times in 4 at bats. How about when a new player comes over to our team? Do we buy into them or wait for their performance to determine? This is not very different from when we encounter a new brand. Will we buy it and try it and wait pass judgment after we use it or just decide to not buy it and stick with what we know has performed.

When we effectively market ourselves and deliver consumers will set expectations of you. Think about certain bloggers that you read everyday. You have an expectation that they will deliver a blog each day that you will enjoy. Seminars - certain speakers can fill a room in a minute even if no-one in the room has ever heard them speak before. They have effectively marketed themselves and have delivered because if they do not, you abandon and move on to someone else.

As a small business owner a big part of your marketing strategy whether traditional or social, needs to include your own personal brand. If people trust you they are more apt to try your product and provide valuable feedback.


Friday, September 4, 2009

How to manage your business

The important thing to survive your small business is how to manage it smartly.

Managing your small business can be a headache and a great source of stress in your daily life, especially if you are not managing it properly. However, when you are faced with all of the day-to-day issues that arise in a small business, you may feel you do not have time to devote to proper business management.

Instead of trying to figure it all out on your own, you will need to consider the advice below. By taking this advice, you will be able to streamline your business and manage it properly. You can manage your small business in the best way possible. It will just take a little work and a great deal of forethought.

1. Do not try to run everything yourself. While you may be afraid of trusting someone else with any part of your business, the best thing to do is to find ways to place some responsibility on others. If you try to handle every aspect of your business, you will quickly become overwhelmed, and you will begin to miss things.

Start handing out responsibility in small amounts to your most trustworthy employees. If you take small steps, you will not be putting too much pressure on either you or your employees.

2. Despite the fact that you are very busy, you will need to know how every part of your business works. While it is vital that you do not handle everything on your own, you still do not want to become lax.

If you put all of the responsibility on a certain employee and then do not keep tabs on things, you could find yourself in a bad situation should something happen to that employee. Instead, dole out responsibility, but always know what is going on with your company. It is your business, after all.

3. Know that the customer is always the most important part of your business. While you need to make sure your company is working properly and you have the right amount of cash flow, none of it will matter if you begin neglecting your customers.

Always be available to your customers, even when you are busy. If you make sure your customers know that they are valued, you will be able to keep them coming back, and they will even refer your business to their friends and acquaintances.

You can properly manage your small business with simple steps. You will quickly see a difference in the flow of your company by taking these steps, and you will be able to sleep better at night knowing the company is managed properly.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Making soyabean milk

As a mobile hawker ,everyday I sell soyabean milk at Bazar but never make it by my own.

I love the texture of smoothness of 'TouFu Fa' with the sweetness of palm sugar syrup. It's delicious and light, great for breakfast or supper.

This got me thinking, how about making my own 'TouFu Fa'? That'll be nice. So I beg my heart out to get the below recipe from a friend who owns a Chinese restaurant.

Ingredients to prepare:

3 cups soybeans, soak for at least 6 hours.

a bunch pandan leaves

3 tbsp tapioca/corn flour

1 tbsp gymsum powder (calcium sulphate)

Syrup:

300g palm sugar

a bunch pandan leaves

Instruction to make 'TouFu Fa':

Separate soaked soybean into 3 batches, add equal amount of water and grind till fine. Squeeze out all liquid with a piece of muslin cloth into a measuring jar, mix in more water to the paste if necessary to make total 2 litters milk.

To make soybean milk, the exactly amount of water added is not so important. Put the milk in a large pot filling just about 1/3, add some pandan leaves. Remove foam when necessarily and bring to boil for just a few minutes. It tends to foam and overflow, so make sure the fire is low and you're there watching the cooking process! The milk is not ready. (proceed to making syrup, serve hot with syrup or leave in fridge to cool)

To make soybean curd. Put starch and gypsum powder into a measuring jar and mix with a cup of water, pour in 1 1/2 litters of hot soybean milk and let stand for 10 minutes to set. set the remaining milk aside.

To make syrup, simply melt palm sugar with a little water and a bunch of pandan leaves, filter into a bowl.

To serve, simply scoop bean curd into a bowl, add a little syrup (you could add a little soybean milk in it too). Best eaten hot.

Soyabean Benefits

What foods that have various health benefits for ours for serving menu.

There are a number of foods that have various health benefits. These foods not only give essential nutrition to your body but also prevent you from several diseases. Soyabean is one among them. This article will emphasize on the benefits of soyabean and how to prepare soyabean salad.

Soya, the complete plant protein, soyabean, belongs to the legume family and is a native of East Asia. It has been an important source of protein in the Eastern countries for thousand of years. Scientists and researchers concur that soya protein is complete. For many years we believed that complete protein (with all essential amino acids) came only from egg and milk. Now research shows that soya protein is as good as milk and egg protein.

Epidemiological studies indicate that incidence of chronic diseases like coronary artery disease is much lower in the Japanese population because they consume more than 50 grams of soyabean a day. There is increasing evidence that consuming protein regularly may help to lower cholesterol by binding bile acids. The isoflavones (antioxidants) present in soya is believed to reduce cancer cell activity. Unlike animal protein, soya protein decreases calcium excretion from the body and therefore may help in controlling osteoporosis.

Soyabean is high in fiber and has a low glycaemic index which helps in better control of blood sugar levels. Soya has more fat and protein compared to other pulses like Bengal gram, black gram and green gram and ahs fewer carbohydrates than these pulses. Soya contains a good amount of vitamins, mineral and fiber. How to eat soyabeans? - is the main question. Here is a recipe one can try:

Soyabean salad ingredients

Soyabean soaked overnight - 225 grams,
green gram sprouts - 100 grams,
shredded spring onions - ½ bunch,
olive oil - 1 tablespoon,
lemon juice - 2 tablespoons,
clove garlic crushed - 1
and salt, pepper to taste

Method: Drain soyabean. Add fresh water to cover and cook till soyabean is tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Blend oil, lemon juice and garlic together and pour over warm beans. Toss and leave aside to cool. Mix with salt and pepper. Just before serving mix in the sprouts and spring onions. Hope I have covered the major healthy benefits of soyabean. Always eat healthy for healthy life.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Waste Oil Disposal For Restaurants

Waste vegetable oil is a natural byproduct of cooking and presents an interesting problem for any restaurant owner. Just what does one do with the gallons, sometimes even barrels, worth of used vegetable oil accrued on a daily basis through the everyday workings of the restaurant? Fortunately there are several options, some of which can even be profitable to the restaurant owner.

The most common means of disposing of the large quantities of oil generated by a restaurant is the use of a waste oil disposal service. Depending on the area the restaurant is operating in, there may be several options in this. In areas where there is not a ready demand for used oil a restaurateur may find it necessary to pay to have cooking oil removed.

Locating a suitable disposal service is often as simple as turning to the local yellow pages. Cooking oil removal services are often listed under the heading "Oil - Used and Waste". It is a simple matter of doing a bit of research and calling around to see which service offers the best price and works with the restaurant's schedule. Often times refineries offer a waste cooking oil removal service at lower cost than independent operations.

In some areas, where there is an applicable use and facilities that utilize waste oil, a restaurateur may even find that he can make money off of his restaurant's oil. Many removal services are willing to pay for oil that they then resell. Waste oil is used by rendering plants where it is recycled into high energy fat used in animal feeds. Used cooking oils can also be treated and turned into biofuel replacements or traditional fossil fuels in industrial environments. Removal services in areas with access to such facilities are often willing to pay a restaurant owner a fraction of the price they are able to get per barrel of waste oil.

Another option that is growing rapidly in popularity comes from private individuals who have adopted the growing trend of using waste oil as fuel for automotive use. In the current rise of environmental consciousness, more and more individuals are exploring the use of greener and more cost efficient fuels. In the wake of this movement there has been a rise in the conversion of diesel engines to run on waste oil. The process is safe and relatively inexpensive and has a great appeal to those seeking to lessen their carbon footprint or to lessen the burden on their wallet from exorbitant traditional fuel prices. These individuals are more than willing to take waste oil off of a restaurant owners hands, solving the problem of waste removal for the owner and giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he too is playing a role in protecting the environment.

Waste oil is a normal and unavoidable aspect of restaurant operation, so it benefits the owner to survey the options available for its disposal before the grill is even fired for the first time. As demonstrated above, there are numerous options available to the owner, some of which can even prove beneficial to the business. It pays to do the research and find out what is accessible.

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