Pasta Nutritional?

Today we are still talking about pasta because who knows you might not know. A lot of athletes and scientist/nutritionists/doctors know. But, what about you?


Did you know that pasta is Italian for dough? Ok maybe not quite this type to the left, but it would be if it was boiled. It has the important factors... flour, eggs, and water.


Pasta is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, which means it's not just a complex carbohydrate food.



You can get as much energy from it as you would in a "pure" protein like steak, but with little or no fat. So you can eat pasta and go run a mile. That's so cool!



There are 8 amino acids that are required to make up a complete protein and pasta has 6 of those. To make it complete just add a small amount of meat, fish, cheese, pulses or eggs! And did you notice? Most of those ingredients are in traditional pastas anyway!



Pasta with egg is the nutrient winner, however wholewheat pasta has the highest percentage of vitamins and fibre.



Pasta is inexpensive (when cooked by you), quick and easy to cook, and very versatile. Which is so nice in this economy and world today.



The key to healthy eating lies in eating pasta as the Italians do, with a small amount of ingredients. Hmmm... I'm not sure if I like that, lol.



In Italy, it is traditional for pasta to be served as a first course, before the main course of fish or meat. Usually, there's only a small spoonful of sauce and a light sprinkling of grated cheese.



Heart disease is the lowest in Italy, compared to the rest of the civilized world. Doctors, nutritionists and scientists agree that the Italian diet plays a large role in this. Just think... Italian cooking includes extra virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh or canned tomatoes, olives, onions, parsley, and fresh peppers. Plus loads of fresh fish, veggies, fruit, and pulses. That's why the little red heart is stamped on packages of pasta.

However, you must be careful when thinking about colored pastas. Make sure they don't include artificial colorings! Because that part kills the all natural and healthy pasta pitch. ;)



So, think healthy the next time you see a plate of pasta. Remember it's only healthy if you keep it healthy, because every healthy food can become unhealthy with the things you add.



Pasta it's nutritious and delicious!
Jeeks



For more info see The Pasta Bible by Feni Wright.

It's lunch time! What's to drink?

Ok, so this week I thought we'd focus on Food and not so much on jewels! Don't worry they will return. And because this 'Did you know ?' post shows up around lunch time, the focus will be on pasta and wine. Yes! Food! I promise you it tasted better than it looks. It was my first try!



With my meals, I'm more of a loose tea drinker and I may cook with wine from time to time. The closest I get to drinking wine is... grape juice. But I'm such a fact freak! And I like to learn things that are useful and even those that aren't.

So, if you were planning on cooking or just eating pasta, What wine should you choose?

There's no real rule for eating and drinking except for DON'T DRIVE!!! LOL. Oh! And WAIT till you're 21 or over if you're in the US! I just couldn't resist.

If you know which region your pasta dish comes from, choose your wine from that region. If a red or white wine is used in cooking the sauce, serve the rest of it during the meal. If you'd like a list to follow then look to the ingredients of the sauce. Who new?

Got fish or shellfish?
Choose Vernaccia, Veridcchio, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Orvieto Secco, Est, and Ciro (white).

How about meat, poultry or game? Oh my!
Red meat
Valtellina, Valpolicella, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Ciro (red), Chianti, and Barolo.
Poultry
Valtellina, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Castel del Monte, Bardolino, and Barbaresco.
Rich meat
Vatellina, Soave, Pinot Grigio, and Lambrusco.
Game
Valtellina, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Ciro, Chianti, and Barolo.
Pork
Soave, Pinot Grigio, and Lambrusco.
Meat lasagna
Soave, Pinot Grigio, and Barbera.

Is it spicy?!
Pick Soave, Pinot Grigo, and Frascati.

As you can see, Soave (light) and Pinot Grigio (fresh) are both good with any sauce or dish. Both are white and dry. The first is from Veneto and the second from FriuliVenezia. Vernaccia is rich, nutty and red and from the island of Sardinia. It sounds so romantic... Sardinia :). Verdicchio is crisp, dry, and white from Marche (Central Italy). Valellina is red from Lombardy. Valpolicella is red with a bitter aftertaste...from Veneto. Orvieto Secco is white and dry from its name sake in Umbria. Named after a place can't beat that! Lambrusco is red and from Emilia-Romagna. Frascati is crisp, fruity, dry and white from its name sake. Ooh! Another one! Est is clean, dry and white from the Lazio region. Ciro is fresh, zingy white or full-bodied red from Calabria. Chianti is famous and red from Tuscany. Mmm...Tuscany. Castel del Monte is red or rose from Puglia. Barolo is red from Piedmont. Bardolina is fresh, light, red from Veneto. Barbera is red from Piedmont. Barbaresco is red and complex from Piedmont.Wasn't there an elephant named BarBar? Or was it Barber? Anyways, wow! There are many from Piedmont in this "list"!

So yeah. That's pretty much it for now. Whether your dish is creamy like Alfredo or meaty like Lasagne, choose the drink or sauce additive with what you now know. Ok I'm hungry...

Who wants pasta!
Jeeks

Jet

Did you know...

Jet is coal that has become petrified over time. Which means, it's made up of Carbon (C). It is said that jet...

• can be used to alleviate arthritis and inflammation of the joints.



• is helpful in the treatment of bronchitis, colds, and headaches.



• should never be cleansed or charged by water or sun.



• is found in the USA, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and the former Soviet Union.



• has a structure similar to wood.



• is similar to anthracite (hard coal) and vulcanite (hardened rubber) which have been used to imitate it. So Watch Out!

Well, gotta jet!
Jeeks

OMG I'm in another treasury!

Treasury 2! Yes! If you'd like to see it it's here:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=13089

It expires around 8:21 today! I didn't even know!

I couldn't make a comment because there were already too many, but thank you so much KisforCalligraphy!

Better yet let me show you! Warning: it's a little wild!

Thanks lots!
Jeeks

Jade

Next up on our segment of DID YOU KNOW is...........JADE! (:>0)

The English word jade is derived from the Spanish term piedra de ijada (aka loin stone). It has been used and sought after in China since 5000 B.C. because it was harder and more resistant than any other stone at that time. Jade has been thought to be 1 stone. However, jade is actually 2 stones, not 1! Well, what do you know...lol. It is a combination of Jadeite and Nephrite. The difference, you ask? Jadeite has aluminum (Al) in it's chemical composition. Nephrite has magnesium (Mg). Jadeite is rarer, thus more valuable than Nephrite.
Jade has been known to have a beneficial effect on all glandular functions, it lowers fever and it has a detoxifying effect on the body by stimulating the kidneys.

Jadeite	Jade	Nephrite
NaAlSi2O6	Chemistry	Ca2(Mg,Fe)5(OH)2(Si4O11)2
pure jade= white with impurities= green, red, yellow, pink, white, violet, orange, blue-green and brown	Colors	green, creamy white, beige, yellow, blue, black and often contains veins of color
axes, knives, weapons, ornamentation, carvings, and jewelry	Uses	jewelry, carvings, bowls, vases, symbolic ornaments, axes, knives and weapons

*Impurities include : Calcium(Ca), Iron(Fe), Magnesium(Mg), and Manganese(Mn).

BEWARE!: When Jade is sold under names such as New Jade, Korean Jade, Stygian Jade, Pagoda stone, Mexican Jade, and Indian Jade, it is likely to be a fake! Also make sure the jade hasn't been dyed. If it has, it was initially poor quality jade.

Whew! That was fun!

Never jaded
Jeeks

Guess what?! I'm in my 1st Treasury on Etsy

Hey! I've been absent over the weekend doing all sorts of things like cleaning and getting the car brakes fixed...it was so much fun! lol. Anyways, I was placed in a tresury on etsy. If you want to see click here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=13208. Be sure to check out all the artists featured. The treasury I'm in was made by jrdnart and it's called UNKNOWN ETSY ARTISTSTWICE. It looks a little like this-->

Oh yeah, see if you can find me. :>)

If you didn't know, the Treasury on etsy allows sellers and buyers to create a list of favorite items (made by others) to be shown. Once made it is shared with anyone who finds them. If a list reaches a magic viewed number or clicked on number it will hit the front page of etsy. The list itself only last 1-3 days.

(This list ends on Tuesday!)

So, click on people, click on. lol.
Jeeks

Did You Know: Silver, Copper & Gold

Ok, so at my full time job I have this white board that I place cool facts on almost everyday. I started it because I don't like redundancy or the relentless repetition of a "normal work day". So, I decided to learn new facts everyday and to share that knowledge with my coworkers because I love to learn new things and i like it when others around me do too. It's kind of funny :-). When I first started my did you know board, people sometimes forgot it was there. But now, many of my coworkers will remind me to change the facts when I forget, lol (...a little shout out to Robert ;-P). It's great to have someone to remind you sometimes...

So, today you can join in on the fun. Plus, if you have fact you'd like to share, place them in the comment section. Or if you'd like to hear some facts about a particular subject, just let me know. I enjoy the chase for facts. For today the knowledge may seem useless, but tomorrow you'll be practicing its usage. Also, if you think my facts are wrong or out dated, don't grumble about it, comment about it!

Silver, Copper, & Gold...Oh my!

“Silence is golden; speech is silver.” ~ An American Proverb
So let's talk silver, shall we?
In Chemistry we learn that silver has the symbol Ag on the periodic table. The name silver comes from the Anglo-Saxan word seolfor. The symbol Ag came from the Latin word argentum. Silver has 47 protons ans 61 neutrons. It is the highest conductor of electricity and heat out of all the elements. It has a melting point of 961.93 degrees Celsius. And it tarnishes when when exposed to hydrogen (which is in the air). Silver is used as a precious metal, in coinage, jewelry, tableware, photography, dental alloys, and in the form of Silver fulminate it is an explosive. Sterling Silver is 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper.
Silver can be easily cleaned with a polishing cloth or other methods, but be careful if there are stones or gems on the piece. Porous gems normally do not like chemicals. also if you are going to use an abrasive cleaning method, remember silver is a relatively soft metal...so be gentle.

"Copper is like the sand of the sea or the clay of the earth... warm, strong, and always calm." ~Jeeks
Copper has the symbol Cu, which came from the Latin word cuprum. Copper has 29 protons and 35 neutrons. It's a good conductor of electricity and heat. it has a melting point of 1084.62 °C and it's a harder metal than silver and gold. Copper is sensitive to moisture in the air which can change the color of copper or oxidize it. The products in the darker color are copper sulfate, copper oxide, or copper cloride. Copper can be protected from moisture by using lacquer. Lacquer can be removed by using acetone (or finger nail polish), alcohol, lacquer thinner, fine grade steel wool, or by boiling 2 gallons of water w/ 1 cup of washing soda in it. If you'd rather have copper in its natural state. Non treated copper can be cleaned with a little lemon juice and salt or by using a polishing cloth. Copper has many applications:

Bacteria will not grow on a copper surface because it is biostatic. Thus copper doorknobs are used by hospitals to reduce the transfer of disease.

Copper is essential in all plants and animals. Copper is carried mostly in the bloodstream on a plasma protein called ceruloplasmin.

Copper is used in making money, jewelry, building structures and many other applications.

Some people use copper to alleviate the cramp-like pains of menstration.

It can prevent wear and tear and calcification of the joints.

“Make new friends but keep the old ones; one is silver and the other's gold”~ Proverb
Lets talk about old friend Gold.
Gold is an element with the symbol Au which was derived from its Latin name Aurum. It has 79 protons and 118 neutrons. Heat, moisture, oxygen, and most corrosive agents have very little chemical effect on gold. Gold has a melting point of 1064.18 °C. Today, at least 15% of annual gold consumption is recycled each year. Gold has been used as a component in electronics, to make jewelry, as an addition to deserts, to adorn Elvis' 3 cars, in coffee filters, in coinage, etc.

Well, that's all folks...at least for now.

Jeeks