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Learn how to pair wine and food at home. This article will cover the basics of pairing, plus some tips for matching different varietals with your favorite meal!

Pairing The Right Wine With Your Meal

Dedicated wine lovers with good taste have followed a certain protocol when picking the right wine with meals for over 5,000 years. These arrangements consisted of specific wines addressing individual food choices-red wine with meat or game, and white wine with seafood and poultry-while keeping in mind that wines were chosen to accent the five major food tastes: spiciness, saltiness, bitterness, sourness, and sweetness. Linking food with the right wine is a fine art which requires certain knowledge of different taste sensations.

The Etiquette Of Wines

The serving of wine at a meal has been one of the most enduring forms of etiquette throughout human civilization, enhanced with the chosen wines originating from the same area as the main dishes or local recipes. Wines such as Cabernet, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir are all quality wines which enhance specific dishes.

For example, there is nothing better than serving white Beaujolais or even Pinot Noir with a mouthwatering Salmon Tuna and Swordfish steak, while a lighter red wine can also be used to bring out its delicious flavor. For those who prefer a more robust flavor, a buttery Chardonnay wine enhances a Barnaise sauce on top of any red steak of their choice, cooked to perfection.

Poured in correct logical progression, if more than one wine is served at a meal, protocol requires that the wines are served from light to dark while sweet dessert or heavy wines follow last. When the meals are served, the appetizers or smaller light courses, such as soups, can be served at the beginning with a light white wine.

Following this, a red wine is served with a heavy red meat dish while a white wine or champagne is served with a main course of poultry, fish, or lamb. The after-dinner dessert wines of Eiswein, Beerenauslese, Moscato d’Asti, or Champagne Doux are used with sweet desserts that compliment their sweet tastes, while brandy and dry sherry are considered better with treacle or ice cream.

Vegetarian Diets And Wines

With so many individuals becoming health conscious in today’s world, a simple white wine can easily do a vegetarian diet justice. Most vegetarian meals are made from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes, requiring a white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Meanwhile, heavy-tasting vegetable casserole recipes -Vegetarian Casserole or Spinach Lasagna – do best with a Merlot or Chardonnay. Strong tasting onions, leeks or green peppers dishes are brought to the surface in specific dishes with a Dry Rose or Sparkling Wine, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Muscadet.

The heavier Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz have a tendency to overpower vegetables, with protein-free vegetables tasting bitter and metallic with most red wines. However, light red wines such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Tuscan Chianti can be served with vegetarian protein dishes like bean dishes, enchiladas or a meatless Italian pasta casserole served with lots of vegetables and spices.

The Rules Of Simplicity

To develop a satisfying relationship between wines and foods, a good rule of thumb is that a very strong tasting wine should never be served with a delicate entre, instead chosen to complement each other.

Think of the phrase, “Simple wines with complex foods…complex wines with simple foods” with personal likes and dislikes always taking precedence over protocol. As always, a good wine will always take care of itself in any meal.

Sick of eating the same thing every day? This guide will show you how to cook a week’s worth of meals in one day, so you’ll never be bored again.

How To Prepare A Weeks Worth Of Meals In One Day

Eating healthy meals is important for you and your family. But, there is so little time between arriving home from work and sending the kids off to bed. Should you use an hour preparing a healthy meal or spend that time chatting about your day? Likely, it’s preferable to use that time to be with family. Preparing meals in advance is an easy way to “create” more time during the week to spend doing something fun instead of rushing to prepare a meal.

It’s easy to create a menu for an entire week and cook all of the meals in one day. Taking two or three hours on a weekend day to plan will allow you to quickly heat and serve delicious, healthy meals during the week. Interested? Below are some tips:

Prepare only 3 or 4 meals per week. Leftovers are a wonderful invention. Take advantage of them as often as possible, especially since it will allow you to spend less time in the kitchen. Have just enough “new” dishes to ensure that no dinner will be served two days in a row.

Invest in a slow cooker. Also called crock pots, these fantastic time savers are inexpensive and can turn five or six ingredients into a yummy meal. Cook anything from soup to chili to barbecue to ziti. Even place frozen meat inside. You can cheat a little bit by cooking one recipe in the crock pot and preparing and storing the ingredients for another meal on the same day.

Then, in the morning, just put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and you’ll have another meal by dinner time. In addition, you may be able to freeze a portion of the food you make. For instance, if you make four pounds of barbecue and there are only three of you in the family, it’s possible to freeze half and still have more than enough for two meals.

Make casseroles. Big ones that are cooked in 9 x 13 dishes. Think lasagna or chicken divan. Most of the casseroles that you ate as a child can be made with healthier ingredients (think onions and zucchini instead of ground beef in that lasagna). And, they can be packed with enough meat and vegetables to serve as an entire meal. Just add wheat rolls!

Use the grill. If your family enjoys pork tenderloin or London broil, grill one for dinner that day and save the rest for another night during the week. Or, make lots of kebobs. They store well in the refrigerator for a few days and can be made with both meat and vegetables, making a complete meal. The second time around, have a different side dish and it will be a completely different meal. Extra meat is also good on salad. Later in the week, cut up the leftover meat and add to a dinner-sized salad (with a boiled egg if extra protein is needed) for a quick and healthy meal.

Institute soup and sandwich night. Heat up the soup and have every person make a sandwich. A yummy classic dinner in less than 15 minutes. It’s great for nights when you need to be back out the door at 7:00 or after a late meeting or late football practice.

Invite friends! Make a date to have dinner with friends once a week. Have everyone bring whatever is left in the fridge from the week for a big potluck.

Remember to keep the makings for salad, frozen vegetables, and other staples like pasta sauce and beans for quick additions to meals during the week. Serving a main dish with different sides is like serving an entirely different meal.

Looking for meal planning advice? These tips can help make your process easier, more efficient, and—most importantly—less stressful.

Simple Meal Planning Advice

Looking to shed a few pounds? Deciding how to best eat one’s daily allotment of calories can be tricky, though once decided, consistency yields the best results. There are several scenarios for dividing up the daily bread: one to two large meals (the skipping meals philosophy), three reasonable meals and two small snacks, and six small meals are three options dieters face.

Skipping meals is never recommended when trying to lose weight. The body adores being fed often. If not fed often, the body will shift its calorie burning capacity (metabolism) down. Thus, what is eaten at 1-2 large meals is more likely to be turned into fat. Plan on eating often so that your body learns to expect food at certain times-this keeps your body from feeling as if it is “being starved” and your metabolism will burn calories at a faster rate.

How often is often enough? Metabolism research reports that eating every 3-4 hours is the best way to burn calories efficiently. This research also tells us that the best way to get one’s metabolism going is by eating breakfast, preferably within one hour of rising. If you combine these two postulates of metabolism research, you have the start of your daily allotment plan.

Are you a morning eater? If so, plan on eating a good sized breakfast (300-500 calories). Make sure that you include a high quality protein source. Great examples are: eggs, nut butters, low-fat cheese, low-fat milk or yogurt. Skip high fat protein sources like bacon, sausage and breakfast sandwiches made with extra fat.

Is eating anything within one hour of rising a foreign concept to you? Start small with the breakfast idea, gradually adding more calories to your meals/snacks as the day goes on. Perhaps for you, a small breakfast, a mid-morning snack and a moderate lunch would be the way to go. Could you handle a piece of toast with peanut butter, just to get things going? A piece of cheese toast? It doesn’t have to be much-it just needs to “break the fast” to get your calorie burning pathways churning.

Once you have determined the best breakfast plan, look at the rest of your day. Do you need a mid-morning snack to keep you from over indulging at lunch? These are very important considerations for meal and calorie planning. If a 200 calorie snack keeps your urges under control, then plan for such a snack. Get used to having pieces of portable fruit, like bananas, apples, pears and oranges and healthy granola bars at the ready. Anticipate hunger spots in your day, and feed yourself at these times. Again, feeding your body often and consistently burns calories efficiently.

The same line of thinking applies for afternoon. The “three o’clock hungries” can lead to a high calorie, large dinner if not stopped. Putting off hunger only leads to over eating, so anticipate and plan. Experts advise that your dinner be smaller than your breakfast and lunch, as our dinner calories tend to be the ones we take to bed with us. Beware of this. Eat smaller dinners, or divide your evening calories into a small meal and a healthy snack. Feeding your body through the day will make it easier to eat reasonably at night.

Feed your body often with proper fuel. Reward your hard working body with gifts of healthy foods every 3-4 hours, and watch how it responds to you. You will discover energy you didn’t know you had, clarity of thought at times when you are used to being blurry, and fewer pounds to carry around. Enjoy!

Are you a student who is tired of taking the same meals every day? Here are some quick healthy meal ideas that will change your life!

Quick Easy Meals For Students Chicken Vegetables With Pasta

A one-dish meal of chicken, vegetables and pasta in tomato sauce – a quick, easy-to-make meal that is satisfying, healthy and economical.

Students and bachelors ideally seek dishes that are tasty, quick to make and economical. This dish takes only 15 to 20 minutes to cook and could not be easier. Low-fat, low-sodium and ready in moments – ideal for a satisfying meal when you are short of time. Make enough for two at the same time and have some ready in the fridge to reheat when you are especially short of time.

The picture shows the dish prepared with fresh vegetables (baby carrots, zucchini and a stalk of celery cut into thin strips) but a very quick version can be prepared using canned mixed vegetables and ready cooked pasta. The recipes for both versions are given below.

Chicken & Vegetables with Pasta – with Canned Mixed Vegetables

For two people:

 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
 8oz of chicken breast sliced or cut into ¾” cubes
 1 14oz can of no salt added mixed vegetables
 1 6oz can of no salt added tomato paste
 12oz of water
 ¼ teaspoon of basil or mixed herbs
 ½ tsp of onion powder
 ½ tsp of garlic powder
 Black pepper
 7-8oz of cooked pasta

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan.
2. Brown the chicken lightly on all sides.
3. Add the mixed vegetables and the tomato paste. Refill the tomato can with water and add it to the dish. Repeat.
4. Sprinkle on the herbs and the onion and garlic powder. Add pepper to taste.
5. Stir until the sauce is blended and leave over a LOW heat to infuse for 10 minutes.
6. Add the cooked pasta. Mix together well until heated thoroughly and serve or store in a container in the fridge to be reheated in the microwave at a later date.
7. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Without the Parmesan, the above dish contains 100mg of cholesterol and 150mg of sodium per serving (2). 2 tsp (1oz / 5g) of Parmesan contains approx. 100mg of sodium and 5mg of cholesterol.

Note

If you have no cooked pasta available, the pasta can be cooked in the same pan as the rest of the ingredients. After browning the chicken and blending in the tomato paste and water, add the pasta and 12oz of low-sodium chicken stock (or a further 12oz of water and half a chicken bouillon cube: this will add around 200mg more of sodium to each serving but still be well within the recommended daily intake). Bring the dish to the boil and then simmer for approx. 15 minutes until the pasta is still chewy but not tough. Add the vegetables and cook for 2-3 moments to heat through.

Chicken & Vegetables with Pasta – with Fresh Vegetables

For two people:

 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
 8oz of chicken breast sliced or cut into ¾” cubes
 1 stalk of celery, cut into 2” lengths and then lengthways into narrow strips
 6oz of baby carrots
 6oz of zucchini (courgettes), sliced
 1 6oz can of no salt added tomato paste
 12oz of water
 7-8oz of dry pasta
 12oz of low-sodium chicken stock or 12oz of water plus ½ chicken bouillon cube
 ¼ teaspoon of basil or mixed herbs
 ½ tsp of onion powder
 ½ tsp of garlic powder
 Black pepper

1. Brown the chicken lightly on all sides.
2. Add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring the vegetables constantly. Add the 6oz of tomato sauce and 12 oz of water. Blend in the herbs, onion and garlic powder and season with pepper.
3. Add the dry pasta and the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer the dish for 15 minutes until the pasta and the vegetables are cooked.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Craving Italian food but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen? These recipes are simple, delicious, and healthy – perfect for any night of the week!

Quick And Healthy Italian Meals

When the weather outside is frightening and the family needs something delightful, a home cooked meal can be a fast, healthy alternative to pizza or fast food.

The three meals presented here are favorites that can be adapted when fresh ingredients are available or when canned or frozen goods are the only option. These dishes have been stretched to feed twenty, and prepared for one.

Beyond the basic ingredients, there are no hard and fast requirements for special herbs or flavors, so these ideas can be modified, based on what’s in the pantry. And levels of flavor can be built to please even the pickiest palate!

Faster E Fagioli: The “Fagioli”, are beans which can be cooked ahead of time in the crock pot. Canned cooked beans can be used, but they will not have the rich flavor that slow cooked, dried beans take on.

Pasta e Fagioli is a popular Italian bean soup that is so easy to do when cooked beans are on hand. Cannelli beans are the traditional variety, but red, pink, pinto, or navy beans are just fine as substitutes.

Pantry items: Cooked beans, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, lean smoked meat, macaroni, garlic, onion, Italian Parsley and other Italian herbs that are available.

Half of the beans are mashed, then mixed with the whole beans. Add chicken stock until the desired thinness is reached, and the canned tomatoes. Add cooked, diced lean smoked pork or smoked turkey. Cook 3-4 cups of macaroni and add to the soup. Viola! Pasta e Fagioli! Serve with steam-in-the-bag veggies and crusty french bread with your favorite healthy butter spread for the best in fast and healthy dinners!

Other vegetables and herbs can be added to Pasta e Fagioli: Celery, any color of bell pepper, and roasted garlic instead of fresh.

Bay leaf (make sure to never leave the leaf or pieces of the leaf in the soup. Bay leaf does not break down and can cut the esophagus and digestive tract.)

Whole Rosemary sprigs, chopped Oregano, Basil, and Italian Parsely are excellent herb choices that will add even more flavor and nutrition.

Lemon Chicken Nuggets: A saute pan with a metal handle that can brown and saute on the stove top, then pop right into the oven to finish the dish is the best thing to have for whipping up fast dinners. And cleanup is easy with one pan.

Pantry items: chicken breasts, canola or olive oil, paprika, chopped onion, minced garlic, chicken stock, sliced mushrooms, herbs, lemon juice and zest, Italian parsley and basil.

The breasts are cut into fillets that are about 3/4 inch thick, then cut into nuggets. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and paprika. Brown in oil, then remove and set aside. Brown the sliced mushrooms, then add chopped onion, minced garlic, chicken stock, Italian parsley and basil. Top with chicken, sprinkle on lemon zest, and pop into a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with choice of potatoes, and green beans cooked with turkey bacon and onion.

Lemon Thyme is a wonderful herb for this dish. It gives a true lemon flavor without the acid, and it grows easily. White wine also adds a fresh and lively flavor.

Double Bump Spaghetti Sauce: This sauce is a rich, chunky gem of a sauce! Fresh meat and veggies are added to prepared sauce to create a delightful home cooked meal that does not require a lot of simmering.

Pantry: Jar spaghetti sauce, lean ground beef and/or lean ground pork. Diced bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, fresh chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, spaghetti, fresh basil and oregano, parmesan cheese.

Saute diced bell pepper, mushrooms, onion and garlic. Add the meat, chopped basil and oregano. Add the prepared spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. Serve with salad, steamed spinach with a dash of lemon and a pinch of lemon zest, and garlic bread. This recipe freezes well if any is left over.

Check out these quick and easy one pot meals that will help you stay on track with your nutrition goals.

Quick And Nutritious One Pot Meals

With busy lives, we need quick, yet nutritious meals. If they can be made in one-pot while using leftovers for the next day’s meal, it is even better. What follows is a meal plan for a work week, and it is geared for 2 to 4 servings. Why not divide up food preparation among family members, making it a family project, while at the same time teaching children how to cook.

On Sunday you parboiled chicken in some water seasoned with chicken broth before grilling it outdoors. Save and refrigerate the water. Remove pork sausage from freezer on Sunday evening and defrost in refrigerator.

Monday A 10-minute meal is pork sausage. Cut sausage into half inch slices; chop up small onion, half a green pepper and half a sweet red pepper (for color). Spray fry pan with vegetable oil then add vegetables and sausage with a half cup of water.

Frequently turn ingredients until meat is totally browned and veggies are not quite soft (about 5 minutes on medium-high heat). Place one cup cold water into microwave and heat for 3 minutes. Pour water into fry pan along with one cup of minute rice. Stir for one minute. Cover and let stand while you set table. Dinner is ready.

Tuesday Take broth water from Sunday’s meal and put into crockpot. Chop into bite sized pieces any leftover chicken. Also chop one half small onion, remaining one-half green pepper, remaining one-half sweet red pepper and put into broth water along with chicken pieces. Add vegetables of your choice: cup of broccoli or cauliflower, or cup of frozen peas or corn.

Microwave enough cold water to fill crockpot to just over three-quarters full and add to crockpot. Add 1 teaspoon Montreal Seasoning (or teaspoon salt and teaspoon pepper), 1 teaspoon parsley flakes; teaspoon garlic; teaspoon oregano. Let cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. During last hour of cooking, add half bag of noodles (4 oz.) and stir. If necessary, add more heated water to ensure soup consistency. Meal is ready.

Wednesday In a greased casserole dish, break six eggs and beat; add one cup shredded cheese, one cup cut-up broccoli florets, one-half small onion, one can cream of mushroom soup, one cup milk, teaspoon dry mustard (or 1 teaspoon processed mustard). Mix well. Sprinkle with cup breadcrumbs mixed with cup cheddar cheese. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

Thursday Soak corn on cob (enough for 2 to 4 people and add two extra ears) for 15 minutes completely submersed in cold water. Meanwhile, heat outdoor grill. Wash and chop into bite-sized pieces 6 medium to large potatoes. Place potatoes, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon parsley flakes and cup cheddar cheese onto large piece of aluminum foil and tightly seal.

At end of 15 minutes, place potatoes mixture onto grill. Remove corn on cob from water, shaking out excess water and place onto grill. Begin grilling enough steaks to feed up to 4 people and add 2 extra steaks. Carefully turn wrapped foil over after 10 minutes. Turn corn every five minutes. Grill steak to your liking. Corn will be ready-to-eat when husks look burnt. Save extra potatoes, corn and steak for tomorrow’s meal.

Friday Place into crock pot food from last night: potatoes, steak cut into bite-sized pieces, corn after you cut it off core. To this mixture add two large cans of tomatoes, couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce one-half chopped onion and one cup frozen peas. Cook on high for 3 hours.

These recipes are nutritious and children should enjoy them. Please feel free to alter vegetables and spices to the liking of your family and guests. Bon appetite.

If you’re feeling like your meals are getting a bit mundane, here are some simple ways to spice up your food.

Simple Ways To Spice Up A Meal

As anyone who attended or currently attends college knows, well rounded meals don’t always come around very often. But it doesn’t all have to be Easy Mac and microwave dinners. There are a number of simple ways to turn easy, ordinary dishes into a meal that looks a little more impressive.

Ramen Noodles That Rock

Ramen noodles are a mainstay of the college student’s diet. Dirt cheap and easy to make, its a meal almost everyone has had at some point. But ramen can be taken beyond the cooked noodles and flavor packet that comes with it. Ramen is pretty versatile, and adding something as simple as chili powder can bring it lots of added taste. Foods like chicken, broccoli, and hamburger meat can be used to create plenty of variety. There are a number of different recipes to try.

Mac and Cheese and More

Along with ramen, mac and cheese is another meal that college students will be familiar with. And also like ramen, it is easy to add a little extra to the dish. Warming up hot dogs and cutting them up to mix in with the pasta is a simple start. Adding veggies like broccoli or mushrooms are another possibility.

Grilled Cheese With Fixings

Almost everyone knows how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Bread and cheese, grilled over the stove. But there is no reason to stop there. Before putting the sandwich on the stove, add a slice of tomato, or strips of chicken breasts or bacon. Trying different kinds of cheeses can also add to the variety, as well as mixing and matching for a multi-cheese sandwich. These small additions can help make the simple meal a much more satisfying dish.

Spaghetti and Cheesy Meatballs

Spaghetti is a pretty simple dish to make, and it’ simple to add a little extra as well. Buying ground beef to make your own meatballs can be a cheaper alternative, and it also allows for more creativity with the dish. While rolling the meat into balls, cut up pieces of string cheese sticks and roll the meatballs around them. When cooked, the meatballs will now have a gooey cheesy center.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Any grocery store sells instant mashed potatoes, where you just add water and butter to the mix and zap it in the microwave. Once they are done, however, they can easily be turned into a hardier side dish. Sprinkle some shredded cheese and bacon bits into the potatoes and stir,and withing seconds the ordinary mashed potatoes become loaded with flavor.

Easy S’mores

What is a meal without dessert? Fortunately, there is an easy way to make cool junk food too. By taking a pack of fudge stripped Keebler cookies and marshmallows, you can make smores right in your own kitchen! Simply place a marshmallow between two of the fudge stripped cookies and place it in the microwave for no more than ten seconds. Voila, a simple and easy way to make smores

These are just a few ways to liven up ordinary meals. All it takes is a little imagination to turn everyday dishes into more satisfying and tasty meals. The sky (or the kitchen cabinet) is the limit.

If you want a fast, easy, and economical dinner solution, look no further than this quick and healthy chicken pasta soup!

Soups Are the Perfect Way to Save Money and Use Up Ingredients in the Kitchen

There is nothing like soup. Easy to make, economical to serve and tastes even better the next day. One of the best things about soup is the ability to serve it on day one, then change it up for a second day meal that has completely new style.

Cost Saving Meals

The bigger the family, the greater the need for cost saving meals. Soups is an economical choice for a tight budget. Because it is in “liquid” form, it is simple to stretch by adding additional broth or water. Another cost saving measure is to add additional vegetables for more bulk. Families these days are tying to be economical and soup helps reach this goal.

Healthy Eating

If made in certain ways, soup can be a very healthy meal and help with a healthy eating goal. Those recipes with large amounts of cream or cheese should be eaten only occasionally as they are high in fat and calories. But tomato or broth based soups, or those who use cream and cheese as a flavoring make soup a healthy food.

Quick and Healthy Chicken Pasta Soup

The jury is out on its medicinal value, but there is no doubting its popularity. This recipe is made with macaroni as a departure from the everyday noodle.

6 servings

 8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (or 4 cups broth and 4 cups water)
 2-3 lb of chicken pieces – save time by purchasing a rotisserie chicken and skipping the first step
 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
 2 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
 1 cup sliced mushrooms
 4 ounces dried macaroni
 1 teaspoon dried italian oregano
 1 teaspoon salt
 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Bring the chicken broth and water if using to a boil in a large pot. Carefully add the chicken pieces and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat; cover partially and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Cool the chicken until it can be touched. Remove the skin and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cool the broth and let the fat rise to the top. Spoon it off and discard. ** Alternately purchases skinless chicken still on the bone.
2. Return broth to simmer. Add onion, carrots, mushrooms, oregano and pasta. Simmer until vegetables soften and pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook Once Eat Twice for an Economical Choice

Soup tastes great off the stove. But the secret is it tastes even better the next day. Serve it day one with a side of salad and bread then warm it up the next and pour it over pasta. Make it with a toasty cheese sandwich one night and use it as a side for a basic chicken breast the next.

Fast and Healthy

Being creative with healthy soups can can keep a family smiling and eating healthy all winter long. There are many other foods that are quick to make and healthy to feed your family. Other great meals that are both quick and healthy are chicken, seafood, pasta and beans.