There are different reasons why you do not want to eat, ranging from stress to illness. The big problem in most situations is that you end up losing weight without you wanting this. The problem is that there are no foods that are actually going to make you want to eat a lot more. When struggling, what should be done is to change your entire diet, no matter what dining etiquette rules you want to respect. This is why you want to consider the following as your goal is to increase appetite.

Nutrient-Rich Foods

If appetite is small, you want to eat the foods that you enjoy and that pack in various different calories. Sweet treats and fast food will be what is often considered but a much better idea is to consume high-calorie foods that are healthy. That is going to prevent your weight loss as you get the nutrients the body requires. Some of the options that you can consider include avocados, sweet potatoes, dried fruit, bananas, vegetables, corn and peas. If you want extra protein, add cheese, eggs, nuts and hummus. In the grain group you want to consider the whole-grain breads, quinoa and grape nuts.

Eat More Often

Many people today are breakfast skippers because of the lack of time but this is a really bad idea. You want to be sure that you eat your breakfast and then you increase how many meals you eat throughout the day. Even if you initially eat the same amount spread over different meals, eventually you are going to eat more. Try to focus on a substantial breakfast that packs in calories and that you keep the meals small. Eating more often is going to improve intake as the appetite is waning.

Drink Calories If Appetite Is Small

In many situations the calories are going to go down much easier if you choose them as beverages. Some of the great choices are whole milk and 100% fruit juice. Alternatively, you want to consider a high calorie smoothie with fruits. It is much healthier than what you often consider. Just take one smaller banana, mix it with 1 peanut butter tablespoon and some milk. The result is a smoothie of around 300 calories. Other healthy fruit smoothie recipes can be found online. You can also consider buying some nutrition supplement drinks. Most of them have around 350 calories and can be a good source of healthy protein while including minerals and vitamins.

Food Boosters

If you do not have appetite, all calories are important. This is where the calorie boosters can step in to help you out by adding some concentrated calories to your nutrition. Many high-calorie mixes are possible, mainly included gravy, milk powder, nut butter, butter and oil. Veggies can be sauté in quality olive oil and the favorite grains can be tossed in. It is also a good idea to add some butter to bread, veggies and potatoes as a very strong and tasty calorie booster. Even dried nuts and fruits can be very good when added to yogurt and hot cereal.

Not everyone loves to go to coffee shops and spend time waiting for a cup of coffee. In fact, more and more people are taking their love for coffee home. Thanks to home espresso machines, handheld milk frothers and other coffee making tools available on the market, making delicious cups of coffee at home is easier than ever. These next few tips we are about to discuss in this article will help you make even better cups of coffee from the comfort of your kitchen.

Add Layers

There is no need to settle for a less-than-stellar cup of coffee just because you are making one at home. You too can make a cup of coffee that’s as beautiful as it is tasty. Want to create those layered look the next time you make a cup of latte? This next tip will help you get started right away.

Whether you’re adding frothed milk or cream milk to the coffee, place a spoon on top of the coffee and pour the milk onto the spoon. Be as gentle as you can be and you will start seeing the milk gathering in a separate layer.

The spoon acts as a barrier and the milk will gently float on top of your coffee without hassle. Lift the spoon up as you fill the glass too. Once you’re done, you will end up with that beautiful, layered look that you normally get when buying coffee at coffee shops.

Experiment with Flavours

You should never hesitate to experiment with flavours. Coffee has such a distinct natural flavour that it can work really well when combined with other flavours. Browse through catalogues of coffee flavouring syrups and pick up a few bottles you like the most.

Vanilla and caramel are great flavours to begin with. These two flavours work great with hot and iced coffee. They can also be added to anything from an Americano to a cup of cappuccino.

Hazelnut and almond offer a nuttier take to coffee flavours. They are also among the most popular flavours among DIY baristas, simply because they are easy to manage. There are also plenty of recipes to try with these two flavours.

The Right Tools for the Job

At a certain point, your existing coffee making tools will no longer be enough. Don’t worry, because top manufacturers and brands are making home versions of their professional coffee machines and brewing tools available at great prices.

Home coffee making is turning into a hobby for a lot of people, which is why it is now easier to find the right tools for the job. Machines such as Nespresso and Dolce Gusto may work really well when you just want a quick cup of coffee, but more advanced options are available if you’re thinking about stepping up your coffee game.

It is not difficult to make delicious, coffee shop-grade cups of coffee at home. These tips we just discussed in this article will help you go that much further. You’ll love the different coffee recipes you can try with these tips too.

Muffins – A Snack

One such snack is the muffins which is a quick bread product. It can be sweet or savory. It is similar to the American cupcakes both in size and method of cooking.

Muffins are taken for breakfast while other baked products like cake are eaten as dessert. Muffins are now made with different flavors such as apple muffins, chocolate muffins etc.

There are American muffins and English muffins. American muffins are leavened with baking powder of baking soda and are small in size. The English muffins require yeast but the texture is very soft.

What are muffin pans?

To make a muffin one would first require a muffin pan which has specially designed cups to hold the muffin batter. Mostly the muffin pan contains 6- 12 cups and are 2 ½ inches in diameter. Giant muffin pans and miniature muffin pans are also available in the market. The muffin pans are mostly made of aluminum.

How to make and bake muffins?

The main ingredients to make muffins are oil, egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. The dry ingredients are mixed together and egg is beaten uniformly with oil and milk and is added to the dry ingredient. Then the batter is added to the greased muffin cups and baked.

Paper liners are used for easy clean up of muffin cups.

There are tips to bake muffins in dianadesserts.com which is very helpful for a beginner. One could also understand the difference between cupcakes and muffins and the various types of muffins from this website.

One could do many variations with the recipe according to their taste. The flavors could be changed and you can add toppings to get a colorful and crunchy bite.

Chocolate muffins are a favorite among kids. A writer on her weelicios.com explains how her chocolate muffins got sold even before the kids knew what it was. Chocolate in any form plays wonders with kids. It could solve their fight; keep them high on their spirits.

Ingredients for making chocolate muffins

11/2 cup all purpose flour

½ cup sweetened cocoa powder

½ cup granulated white sugar

11/2 cup baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg beaten (can be made with egg too)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F

Grease 12 regular cups of muffin pan

In a bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt

In another bowl beat the egg, milk, oil and then add the dry ingredients and stir till it mixes properly (don’t over stir)

Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full

Bake to 20 mins or until a tooth pick inserted into comes out clean

Muffins are becoming popular because it is very easy to bake a muffin and it could be had with breakfast, lunch or dinner. Kids will enjoy it as a tea time snack too.

The best part is kids will finish it if given in their Tiffin box and it is easy for the mummy to pack it for school.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

Chocolate muffins are made in different style and can be made eggless too for non egg eaters. Author V K Rajagopalan gives a simple idea on making and baking a chocolate muffin.

There is much about turmeric that is worthy of raves – not just for health, but in the kitchen as well. In fact, Marco Polo recorded notes about this spice on his diary while he was in China in 1280 AD, saying “There is also a vegetable which has all the properties of true saffron, as well as the smell and the color, and yet it is not really saffron.” For over 700 years now, turmeric has been substituting saffron, the world’s most expensive spice.

Perhaps the most noteworthy component of turmeric is curcumin, a curcuminoid that is responsible for giving the spice its yellow color.

Like other important herbs and spices (such as tulsi), turmeric is a principal herb in Ayurveda, Indian’s ancient holistic health system.

Today you can find turmeric in the spice aisle of most supermarkets, but know that turmeric powder bought from the grocery does not necessarily come from high-quality organic herbs or manufactured through certified organic methods.

However, a pure, organic turmeric source would be very easy to use in the kitchen and household, with a handful of recipes shared around on the Web to celebrate the taste and effects of this ingredient. Here are three of them.

Broken Thermostat Curry

From AllRecipes.com

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped,
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium yam, peeled and diced
• 7 small red potatoes, cubed
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Procedure:

1. Puree the onion and carrots in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic until fragrant and lightly browned. Pour in the carrot puree, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Pour in diced tomatoes, water, yam, red potatoes, and cauliflower. Season with turmeric, curry powder, cumin, garam masala, cayenne, and red pepper flakes.
4. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.

Authentic Saag Paneer

From AllRecipes.com

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch fenugreek leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• ½ pound paneer, cubed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon, grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook spinach and fenugreek in the boiling water until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Puree until finely chopped, about 5 pulses.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry paneer cubes, stirring constantly until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in the skillet and fry the cumin seeds until lightly toasted and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add onion, and then cook and stir until onion begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir in ginger, garlic, tomato, garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until tomatoes break down and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in spinach and fenugreek, cream, paneer cubes, and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Easy Chicken Korma

From AllRecipes.com

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mango chutney
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 1 two-quart baking dish.
2. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions in oil until soft.
3. Place onion, yogurt, mango chutney, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala into the bowl of a food processor. Process into a smooth sauce. Achieve the consistency of thick cream. Add a bit of water or yogurt to thin it if needed.
4. Spread chicken into prepared baking dish, and pour the onion sauce over the chicken.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the top, and serve.

Sonya Rashad is a food blogger who is also a health and fitness enthusiast. She loves cooking with spices like turmeric not only for their much-celebrated taste, but also their health value.