Taste Lebanon - A Culinary Journey Across Lebanon

Dirty Kitchen Secrets, in collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism, is organizing the 2nd edition of Taste Lebanon - a culinary journey across Lebanon for all the foodies out there who would love to combine tourism with food appreciation.

It will take place from April 28th till May 6th 2011.

Now what I found interesting is that this tour will be very personalized where people will be invited to Lebanese homes across the country to learn the authentic cooking techniques. 

The 7-day tour will include some of these activities, depending on seasonal variation:

• Fish your own - boat trip
• Harvest your own - with a short discussion on local farming
• Demonstration on Arabic bread and Saj bread, sujuk and basterma (Armenian sausage and cured meat), Kebbe making, Baklawa and/or halewet el jebn (Lebanese sweets)
• Kitchen workshop on Lebanese mezza (delicious range of appetizers)
• Visits to old and new souks
• Dairy farm visit
• Visit to a butcher and a bakery in order to watch the process of making the Lebanese sfiha (miniature minced lamb pies)
• Visit oil groves and olive oil pressing
• Visit a vineyard with wine tasting
• Visit an Arak distillery (Lebanon's national alcoholic drink - similar to ouzo and pastis)
• Visit wild Zaatar (thyme) fields
• Demonstration of how to make Moune like Kkshek, bulgur, awarma. etc. (traditional Lebanese food storage techniques)

Amazing and exhaustive list of foods you always see in Lebanese delicious recipes, yet you never know their origins. So it's a great way to visit Lebanon and get more acquainted with our yummy food! More details for costs, hotel, meals, detailed schedule, terms and conditions, etc. please check Dirty Kitchen Secrets (DKS).

You can also check the DKS blog for many creative recipes!

The Oscars ... & Weight Loss!

Watching the Oscars!
Great dresses, of course, which you can check live on the amazing fashion blog: The T Project!

But I can't get over Jennifer's Hudson's transition, she has lost 80 pounds or around 36 kilograms and she's looking good!


WAY TO GO Weight Watchers! 

PS: Oh and if you are a huge movies' fan,like me, I am sure you will love Anis Tabet's Let's Talk About Movies blog!

The before...

And the after...

Healthy Kids Snacks Ad in Beirut - Gone Wrong!

So I received an e-mail couple of days ago entitled: "*Company's Name* Beirut - Healthy Kids Snack". Intriguing, I said. Finally, some promotion for healthy snacks in my country for once!

Boy was I wrong! Unfortunately, all I got was what you see below.

• So in their Ad, which is not shown above since I had to crop it out - their phone number was all over the poster, they said "Toss out the junk food and start making snack time fun again!"
  >> I'm sorry to say but what they are promoting FOR KIDS is what everyone calls junk food: Food high in refined carbohydrates, low in fiber, prepared with ghee/butter, high in sugar, high in trans and saturated fats!
  
• They continued to market "When kids need that little something to get them through the day, this the collection to turn to"
  >> Wow! I mean whatever happened to the "common" ways of fueling your body with a bowl of skimmed milk, plain cornflakes and some fresh/dried fruits?
  
• Now "All our products are freshly baked without preservatives and made with the best ingredients" Yummy! Best ingredients! I love those... but what are they again? Probably the best sugar or butter in the world? Yum-Yum!
  
• Well from the huge variety given, you can only see one "your healthy cookies" description as a caption for the oat cookies -probably because these are the only ones with some fibers! So maybe- maybeee, these might be healthy, depending on how they are prepared.

Either way, I suggest that home-made cookies, plain cakes, cheesecakes, brownies and muffins should be taken in moderation for both adults and kids.

So next time it's SNACK TIME and "kids need that little something to get them through the day" 
>> Go for a cup of strawberries, a banana, a fruit salad, dried fruits, freshly squeezed juices, vegetable sticks, whole wheat toast with home made marmalade, multi-cereal kaak with a cup of skimmed milk, a handful mix of unsalted nuts, a cup of skimmed milk with plain cornflakes, a cup of plain skimmed yogurt with some mint and cucumbers, freshly made fruit smoothies, a cup of hot chocolate made with unsweetened cocoa! You can also mix "moderation with healthy" - a cup of milk with cookies, fruit dipped in dark chocolate or whole wheat pancakes with honey/marmalade/chocolate paste and fruit slices.

This way you will incorporate healthy eating in your kids' lifestyle, establish a healthy and clear idea of what healthy and unhealthy is, decrease any risk of childhood obesity and earlier onset of diseases, decrease dental caries risk, make sure they are getting enough vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and fibers and above all "making their snack time fun"!

BANANAAA!

Well, I'm a huge movies fan. I came across this last month after I saw the lovely Despicable me movie. However, I find that this short movie fits perfectly in my blog. Just let it buffer and check it out! I personally think we should all act this way around fruits: take them as snacks to work, school, university, wherever. They are trans/saturated fat/cholesterol/refined sugar- free and this way you will increase your intake of various minerals, vitamins and fibers!
Just so that you know, bananas contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and manganese in addition to lots of fiber! Check these Top 10 ways to enjoy Bananas!

BANANAAAA... papple?

(Oh and "papples" have other kinds of minerals and vitamins, so variation of fruits in your diet will give you new and different health benefits every time!)

Elmo Teams Up With "Superfoods"

No wonder that the media has a huge effect on kids’ choices of food preferences: they always have sparkling lollipops and colorful characters advertising a chocolate.

But starting December 8^th, in just few days, the Sesame Workshop, associated with Sesame Street which we have all watched at some point of our lives, is rolling out FOUR new muppets!

·        A banana

·        A low fat cheese

·         A whole wheat bun

·        A stalk of broccoli

So as you see, each member represents a group food!

This is all as a part of a national initiative to support families who don’t have access to nutritious food thus alleviating food insecurity.

These new muppets, given the name “Superfoods”, will start off their “career” in a clip that aims to emphasize the importance of healthy snacks, eating breakfast and dining together as a family and sharing a meal together. It also shows Elmo trying new foods more than once to see if he loves them.

The exact scenario goes likes this: “The Super Foods help out by providing healthy tips, suggesting Elmo tries some of his kiwi to see if he'll like it or helping the Bear Family see that a meal together is the best way to get together. Although Super Grover finds them a nuisance, they end up helping him gain some super strength by eating some breakfast.”

Now since the show reaches around 17 million kids in the country, teaching smart budgeting skills in order to adapt a healthy and balanced lifestyle is a wonderful and effective idea.

You can read more on Health Land and Muppet Wikia.

Judge Orders McDonald's to Pay $17,500 to Worker Who Gained 30 kg!

A Brazilian court ruled during the last week of October that McDonald's must pay a former franchise manager $17,500 because he gained 65 pounds (that is around 30 kg) while working there for 12 years.

The 32-year-old man said he felt forced to sample the  food each day to ensure quality standards remained high, because McDonald's hired "mystery clients" to randomly visit restaurants and report on the food, service and cleanliness.

The man also said the company offered free lunches to employees, adding to his caloric intake while on the job. His identity was not released.

The ruling was signed Tuesday by Judge Joao Ghisleni Filho in Porto Alegre.

Ghisleni said McDonald's could appeal the case, and the Brazilian headquarters of the chain said in an e-mailed statement Thursday it was weighing its legal options.

McDonald's also noted that it offers healthier food choices.

"The chain offers a large variety of options and balanced menus to cater (to) the daily dietary needs of its employees," the company said in the statement.

Brought to you from: http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/10/29/mcdonalds-to-pay-17-500-for-making-worker-fat/