Saturday 16 April 2016

It is a fact that convenient foods are designed to be cheap, tasty and non-perishable

Convenient foods have become widely popular especially among working class people, teenage children, people living in hostels, bachelors, sharing rooms etc. Convenience foods are used to shorten the time of meal preparation at home. Some convenient foods can be eaten immediately or after adding some water, heating or thawing. Some popular, easy to prepare convenient foods are: Masala Oats, Corn flakes, canned soup, frozen foods (sausages, ham, bacon etc), bread etc. Other convenience foods are cake mixes, spice mix powder, sauces etc that are pre cooked and sold.

It is a fact that convenient foods are designed to be cheap, tasty and non-perishable but the ingredients added into these packaged products contain added sugars and fats. Trans-fat is typically used as they don’t spoil the food and corn syrup is a cheap way to make the product sweet. Salt can also add awesome flavor very inexpensively to the food. Most of the convenience foods have become very popular because they can be served as a quickie snack or meal.

Of course, if you have had a peanut allergy diagnosis, you need to get antioxidants, protein, vitamins, and other nutrients from other foods. People who are not allergic to peanuts can benefit from eating it because it is also high in monounsaturated fats. Research has shown that these reduce the risk of heart disease. Although peanut butter does contain a substantial amount of fat content, these are monounsaturated fats. Many people who are concerned that they will gain weight if they eat peanut butter find that it does not cause weight gain. Another pro of this food is that it leaves you feeling full and satisfied after eating it.

Peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are popular for children's lunches because kids love their sweet taste, they don't require refrigeration, and they are easy to make. Some schools do not allow children to bring peanut butter sandwiches to school because of the dangerous allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis that can ocur in children with peanut allergies.

But there’s an ingredient in town that mimics the nut butter’s flavor and cuts down its fat

But there’s an ingredient in town that mimics the nut butter’s flavor and cuts down its fat and calorie count by more than half: powdered peanut butter. The product, which might intrigue health-conscious consumers, is made by pressing peanuts to remove their fat and oil content, while maintaining their taste. The process turns the solid peanuts into a kind of peanut dust that, when mixed with liquid, reassembles a butter-like spread.

The standalone stats might make you think that peanut butter’s powdered version is a dieter’s dream. It’s true, products like PB2 whack down the calorie count, but as it loses the fat, the the spread becomes depleted of the mighty health benefits of the acclaimed full-fat peanut butter. It’s seemingly counter-intuitive, but the full-fat spread can actually promote weight loss and satiety, as Prevention reports. Powdered peanut butter can’t necessarily manifest the same benefits.

Still, if you want a lightened-up rendition of your favorite peanut butter dish, powdered versions like PB2 can be a crafty substitution. A note for peanut butter lovers: The product is no match for peanut butter’s thick and oily texture. If you’re the type to eat a spoonful straight from the jar or spread it on celery, apples and the like, stick to the original.

But, the peanut powder can mimic peanut butter flavor in your smoothies without getting clumpy in the blender blades. It can be added to already-creamy bases — like yogurt, cereal and milk and puddings — for a nutty punch. And better yet, peanut flour functions as a white flour substitute in many recipes, which, beyond adding terrific flavor, can transform your favorite cookies into gluten-free versions. Check out these divine PB2 recipes below for some ideas:

While you likely already know that peanut butter cookies aren't exactly nutritional powerhouses

While you likely already know that peanut butter cookies aren't exactly nutritional powerhouses, they still have a place in a balanced diet. The NYU Langone Medical Center notes that your diet can include treats -- including cookies -- as long as you consume them in moderation and get most of your daily calories from healthful foods, including fruits, veggies, grains and lean proteins. Peanut butter cookies have some serious nutritional disadvantages, but they do modestly boost your intake of a few nutrients.

Fitness enthusiasts, healthy foodies, dessert fiends, culinary geniuses. Everyone is obsessed with peanut butter—and we can't blame them. You can eat it plain, throw it into sweet recipes, or use it to take a savory dish to the next level; the options are truly limitless. But beyond its indulgent taste and texture, peanut butter also carries tons of health benefits — so long as your stick to the natural nut butters. While processed PB is filled with sugar and waist-widening oils, the real stuff is made with just two ingredients: salt and peanuts.

Using a hand blender, mix the peanut butter, the butter, and both the types of sugar, in a medium bowl, until they form a creamy mixture. Beat both the eggs properly and add them to the creamy batter. Place this batter aside for a few minutes. Sift the flour, the salt, the baking powder and the baking soda together, in a different bowl and then gently stir them into the batter. Place the bowl of batter in a refrigerator, for at least an hour or so. In the meantime, apply a pat of grease on a few cookie sheets.

After an hour is over, remove the cookie mixture from the refrigerator and using the hands, roll 24 cookie-balls of about 1 inch each. Place these cookie-balls on the cookie/ baking sheets. Then, using a fork, flatten the cookie-balls a bit and make a crisscross pattern on each of them. Bake the cookies in a preheated 375 degrees F oven, for either ten minutes, or, till they turn golden-brown in color. Do not over bake the cookies.