Ingredients

-1 tablespoon olive oil
-6 ounces lean ground turkey
-3 tablespoon diced red onion
-1 small carrot, peeled and diced
-1 tablespoon curry powder
-1/4 cup frozen peas
-2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
-1 large egg, beaten
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add turkey and saute, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and carrot and continue to cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add 1/2 cup water, and cook until mixture is almost dry, about 4-5 minutes. Toss in the frozen peas and stir until warmed. Remove mixture to a bowl and cool completely.

Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Unfold the puff pastry and cut along the seam to make 3 equal pieces. Cut each long strip in half to make 6 rectangles. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry for a total of 12.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Lay 6 rectangles on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the edges with the beaten egg. Divide the filling between the 6 rectangles. Top each with an evenly sized piece of puffed pastry, press the edges to seal, then use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges.

Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly around the edges.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 pounds in all), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 apple, preferably Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
1/2 pound vermicelli

Directions

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Stir in the curry powder and then the chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir in the cubed chicken, cover the pan, and remove it from the heat. Let the chicken steam in the hot broth until almost done, about 5 minutes. Add the apple, tomatoes, coconut milk, salt and the cilantro, if using. Simmer gently until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the vermicelli until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the curry sauce.

Ingredients

1/2 cup low-fat or full-fat plain yogurt
1 cup frozen mango chunks
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste to check the level of sweetness, adding more sugar if necessary.

Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Tip: Feel free to use fresh mangoes when they are in season.

Ingredients

-1 banana
-1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
-1 cup milk
-1 cup crushed ice

Directions

In a blender, combine banana, chocolate syrup, milk and crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Ingredients

-4 oz 60% baking chocolate
-1/4 cup boiling water
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2-cup sugar
-2 cups milk
-2 cups cream
-Pinch of salt
-1/4 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
-3 egg yolks, whisked
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

      

      

Melt chocolate in a double boiler (you can use a makeshift double boiler by placing a metal bowl over a small saucepan of boiling water, just don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). When melted, transfer to a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, turn heat to medium low and add the boiling water, cocoa powder and half of the sugar. Whisk vigorously until there are no lumps. Remove from heat.

      

Add the milk, 1 cup of the cream, remaining sugar, instant coffee (if using), and the salt to the chocolate base, and whisk vigorously until fully incorporated, then use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. When the chocolate base is smooth, turn heat to medium high, stirring occasionally, wait until the base starts to steam. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Once the chocolate base has heated to point of being steamy, temper the eggs by slowly pouring some of the hot base into the eggs while whisking the eggs vigorously to prevent them from cooking. Once you've incorporated about half of the base with the eggs, pour the egg mixture back into the pan with the rest of the chocolate base and stir to combine.

      

Turn heat to medium, and heat the base until it reaches 170°F. At this point the base will have thickened slightly and will just be getting steamy again. Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining cup of cold cream, to prevent further cooking. Pour the chocolate base through a mesh strainer in to a bowl to strain out any solids or curds, and place bowl in an ice bath to speed up the chilling. Stir in the vanilla.

Chill ice cream base for several hours, preferably overnight, until completely chilled. (To speed up this process you can put the ice cream base, still in its bowl in the ice bath, in the freezer for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes.) Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you like soft ice cream, eat immediately. Otherwise put it in the freezer for a couple hours to firm up. Note that the ice cream may be quite hard when you first take it out of the freezer, so you may want to let it sit for a few minutes to soften before trying to scoop.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Tomatoes Grape, Organic
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup uncooked spinach pasta
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, with liquid

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.
Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Fast foods often contain too many calories and too little nutrition. If fast food is a regular component of your diet, you might find yourself struggling with weight problems and ill health.

Effects of Fast Food on the Body

Food is fuel for your body and has a direct impact on how you feel as well as on your overall health. Fast food refers to food that can be served quickly. In many cases, that means food that is highly processed and contains large amounts of carbohydrates, added sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt (sodium). These foods generally contain a high number of calories but offer little or no nutritional value.

A  study published  showed that children and adolescents take in more calories in fast food and other restaurants than at home. Eating out added between 160 and 310 extra calories a day. According to the National Institutes of Health, some fast food meals give you a whole day’s worth of calories. That can really pack on the pounds . Being overweight is a risk factor for a variety of chronic health problems.

When fast food frequently replaces nutritious foods in your diet, it can lead to poor nutrition and poor health.

Digestive and Cardiovascular Systems

Many fast foods and drinks are loaded with carbohydrates and, consequently, a lot of calories. Your digestive system breaks carbs down into sugar (glucose), which it then releases into your bloodstream. Your pancreas responds by releasing insulin, which is needed to transport sugar to cells throughout your body. As the sugar is absorbed, your blood sugar levels drop. When blood sugar gets low, your pancreas releases another hormone called glucagon. Glucagon tells the liver to start making use of stored sugars. When everything is working in sync, blood sugar levels stay within a normal range.
When you take in high amounts of carbs, it causes a spike in your blood sugar. That can alter the normal insulin response. Frequent spikes in blood sugar may be a contributing factor in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Added sugars have no nutritional value but are high in calories. According to the American Heart Association, most Americans take in twice as many sugars as is recommended for optimal health. All those extra calories add up to extra weight, a contributing factor in heart disease.
Trans fats, often found in fast food, are known to raise LDL cholesterol levels. That’s the undesirable kind of cholesterol. It can also lower HDL cholesterol. That’s the good cholesterol. Trans fats may also increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Too much sodium helps to retain water, so it can cause general bloating and puffiness. Sodium can contribute to high blood pressure or enlarged heart muscle. If you have congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, or kidney disease, too much salt can contribute to a dangerous build-up of fluid. According to the American Heart Association, children who have a high-sodium diet are at twice the risk for developing high blood pressure than children on a low-sodium diet. Excess sodium may also increase risk for kidney stones, kidney disease, and stomach cancer.
High cholesterol and high blood pressure are among the top risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Respiratory System

Obesity is associated with an increase in respiratory problems, and treating those ailments may be more complicated. Even without diagnosed medical conditions, obesity may cause episodes of shortness of breath or wheezing with little exertion. Obesity may play a role in the development of sleep apnea and asthma.
A study published in the journal Thorax suggests that children who eat fast food at least three times a week are at increased risk of asthma and rhinitis (congested, drippy nose).

Central Nervous System

There are many types of headache and many things that can cause them. Some dietary triggers that can be found in fast food include salt, processed meats, nitrates, and MSG.
A study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition showed that eating commercial baked goods (doughnuts, croissants, cake) and fast food (pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs) may be linked to depression. People who eat fast food are 51 percent more likely to develop depression than those who eat little to no fast food. It was also found that the more fast food they consumed, the more likely study participants were to develop depression.

Skin and Bones

Chocolate and greasy foods, often blamed for acne, are not the real culprits. It’s carbs . According to the Mayo Clinic, because foods that are high in carbohydrates increase blood sugar levels, they may also trigger acne.
The Thorax study showed a higher risk of eczema (inflamed, irritated patches of skin) among children with a diet high in fast food.
When you consume foods high in carbs and sugar, bacteria residing in your mouth produce acids. Those acids are hard on your teeth. In fact, they can destroy tooth enamel, a contributing factor in dental cavities. When the enamel of your tooth is lost, it can’t be replaced. Poor oral health has also been linked to other health problems.
Excess sodium may also increase your risk of developing osteoporosis (thin, fragile bones).