Best Food Choices For Busines Meetings: Keep Your Guests Alert, Happy, and Focused

Eat, Drink, And Be Wary

Best Food Choices For Busines Meetings:
Keep Your Guests Alert, Happy, and Focused

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” — George Bernard Shaw

Food is love. It is a powerful way to show that you care. But even love can go wrong. Whether you are setting up the meeting, assigning it to someone else, or hiring a meeting planner, make sure the food choices reflect the depth of caring and attention to detail that your business guests deserve.

This is not just good manners; it's good business. The right food at a business event can make the difference between focused, appreciative, alert participants and angry, bloated, and drowsy ones.

Many factors affect these results. They range from personal nutritional preferences to allergies and religious restrictions. Other factors include how messy a dish is and the time and dexterity required to consume it. Also, certain foods tend to induce sleep more readily than others.

Overall, the choice of food and the manner in which it is presented can say a great deal about your professionalism and attention to detail.

People are always forming and adapting their perceptions of you and your business. Make sure your food choices say the right things about you. The menu is the message!

Hamburgers, for example, send a different signal than lobster tails. So at your next business function, remember to have good EATS!

• Ease of consumption -Avoid messy and difficult-to-eat foods.
• Audience- Be sensitive to your guests and their special needs.
• Timing - When you serve can dictate what you serve.
• Selection- Make sure you offer your guests a variety of menu options.

With these principles in mind, let's take a closer look at the nuts and bolts (or pretzels and bolts if you're allergic) of thorough and thoughtful business catering:

No Muss, No Fuss

Many a slip between the cup and the lip
There is an art to freeing a lobster from its shell. It takes talent to pull away the tiny tidbits of meat that cling to a quail's delicate bones. Pizza and long pastas can also test the dexterity of your guests. Make sure your diners don't need to struggle or acquire new skills to consume their meals. The less effort your guests must put into eating, the more they can focus on the conversation or the business at hand.

Please Pass the Fixodent
Many people have medical conditions that affect their ability to eat certain foods. Dentures are just one example. Other examples include sensitive teeth and temporo-mandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), which can make hard chewing or opening wide excruciating. Dental work (bridges, braces, etc.) can also create problems with sticky foods like gum and taffy. In general, avoid foods that are hard to chew or especially sticky.

Fight Drops that Spot
When foods splash, splatter, and drip on shirts, blouses, and laps, diners get annoyed, embarrassed, and stained. Not only will this make them unhappy, it will also make them less presentable. No one wants the camera to zoom in on the keynote speaker only to reveal a big blotch of barbecue sauce on a white collar. Overdressed salads, soupy sauces, long pasta, BBQ, pizza, foods sitting in broth, and unwieldy giant lettuce leaves are common culprits.

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Food for Healthy Nails

Nails are a protective horn at the end of our most sensitive extremities: fingers and
toes. They can often become injured from accidents or crushing weight such as
heavy walking or running. They can also become infected from bacterial or fungal
infections as well as separated from the nail bed or chipped from harsh weather.
The nails are often a reflection of our overall health or nutritional deficiencies. Some
ways to listen to what your nails are trying to tell you are:

o Iron/Protein/Calcium Deficiency = brittle, concave, ridged, white half moons
o Too much salt = external fibrous growths
o Nervousness / hyper thyroid = separation of the nail bed
o Respiratory Difficulties = bluish discoloration
o Bronchial Difficulties = yellowish discoloration
o Anemia = pale nail beds
o Vitamin A Deficiency = peeling nails
o Zinc Deficiency = poor nail growth
o Vegetable Quality Oils Deficiency = thin, brittle nails
o Consumption Extremes in Diet (especially meats and refined foods) = washboard
ridges

What we eat actually does affect the appearance of these external parts of our
bodies. Start paying attention to your hands (and feet!) and feeding your body right.
The food we put IN the body affects the health of our nails, but that doesn't mean to
completely ignore the food we put ON the body either. Contrary to many fabulously
smart marketing campaigns you don't need to spend a lot of money on chemically
enhanced products to experience strength and beauty on your outside.
Natural oils are an excellent way to treat the external condition of the finger and
toenails. Different oils affect the body differently. A great way to determine what oil
would suit your body best is to examine your heritage and connect to the
predominant oil in that part of the world.
Once you have determined which is best for your particular body's need use some
time in the evening to take a "nail bath" (remember ... the skin is our most
absorbent organ ...)

1. Allow your nails to soak in a small bowl of oil or gently rub the oil into the nails
2. Cover with cotton gloves, cotton socks
3. Sleep

Top Three Oils to Treat Your Nails Right

1. Coconut Oil: one of the few significant plant sources of lauric acid. This medium
chain fatty acid, which is also found in human milk, enhances brain function and the
immune system.
2. Palm Kernel: when unrefined, this high saturation oil is the one of the most stable
of oils providing strength and ultimate saturation to the skin.
3. Olive Oil: the most stable vegetable oil, high in vitamin E, provides support to the
liver and gallbladder (yes, no matter how you take it into the body).
Now, take a minute and think about how those chemically enhanced skin and nail
products are affecting your body ...
To your energy and success, Heather

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Five Classic Rainy Day Recipes

1. Chicken and Biscuits

Photo © John Mitzewich

Is there anything homier than a bowl of chicken and biscuits? The slowly simmer vegetables, tender chicken, and rich gravy, topped with a hot buttermilk biscuit is the definition of comfort food.

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2. French Onion Soup

Photos © John Mitzewich

French onion soup is one of America's most popular "restaurant soups," but with this easy recipe you can make it at home anytime you want. This French onion soup recipe is topped with the traditional Gruyere cheese, but any melting cheese will work.

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3. Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole

Photo © John Mitzewich

This casserole recipe is an American icon. Tuna noodle casserole is a comfort-food classic that is very simple to make, and a very frugal to serve. The crisp breadcrumb crust atop the creamy egg noodles is a combo that is hard to beat!

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4. Country Ham and Split Pea Soup

Photo © John Mitzewich

Split pea soup with diced country ham, is a hearty, soul-warming bowl of delicious goodness. It's also one of the easiest soup recipes there is.

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5. Bowl of Chili

Photo © John Mitzewich

Check out this collection of classic American chili recipes from every region of the country. From the Texas "Bowl of Red" to Cincinnati Skyline Chili.

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Real Taiwanese foods and drinks are now in downtown Vancouver! : Welltea

- Well Tea at BCIT Downtown- 

Well Tea, a famous Taiwanese restaurant/tea house, is now opening their third branch at BCIT downtown on June 11th. There, they have more than 100 different kinds of foods and 150 different kinds of drinks. As one of the Vancouver’s gourmet reporters, Loopp.comwent to this new place to take a look. 

This third branch of Well Tea is located at the center of Downtown, which is very convenient and easy to find for the customers. (In fact, even I could find here without any trouble not as usual!) Their glass-walled exterior has an open atmosphere. Now, let’s go inside and see more details! The interior is very colourful and fashionable; there are about 80 seats, which can be used for many occasions. The sofa booths are comfortable for chat. Small table seats are good for groups. Fashionable stool seats make such a scene for best friends and lovers. Their casher is very functional at the front door. We can order our take away food/ drink here. They use paper boxes and cups instead of plastic or Styrofoam ones. Well Tea is the first Asian restaurant in BC, who started to use those eco-friendly packages. After looking around the interior, I ordered their specialties; I tried their bubble tea first, which realized me to come back soon. It was YAMMY.Well Tea uses the best tea, which they import directly from Taiwan, and makes more than 150 kinds of tea. The green tea and black tea are their original blend. And also, you can taste ethnic and unique Taiwanese tea such as Osmanthus Oolong milk tea and Tieguanyin milk tea. You will feel the Well Tea owner’s mind; “I just want to use the best of the best.” The other stunning feature about the bubble tea here is 6 kinds of toppings for it; Pearls (black tapioca), Coconut jelly, Egg pudding, Tapioca noodle, Kanten (agar), and Grass jelly. They may make you wonder how the texture is like, want to try everything and find out your favourite. Then, I ordered Chicken with three spices which won the Golden Chef Award at Chinese Restaurant Awards 2010 (a contest among Chinese restaurants in Vancouver presented by HSBC). The combination of complex spice and tender chicken was just amazing. You may also want to try Deep fried chicken nuggets, which is the most popular menu at other 2 branches (Richmond restaurant and UBC one). Meanwhile, staff’s favourite is House Special beef noodle which is the traditional Taiwanese dish. At Well Tea, you will be satisfied with their good food/drink, comfortable atmosphere, and good service as I felt. Let’s call up your friends and go eat at Well Tea! Real More~

Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas: Last-Minute Menus & Recipes‎ : Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Mousse with Cointreau and Chocolate Shards by merrill:

Tips:

• Make your mousse first: After melting the chocolate, cool over an ice bath to hustle it along.

• Once the mousse is setting up in the fridge, you can turn your attention toward the scallop dish, and pouring yourself a glass of wine.

• Hint: The lemon creme fraiche drizzle is delicious with the scallops and couscous, but your date won't know if you skip it.

ourbon Chocolate Bread Pudding by student epicure:

Tips:

• Be sure to buy a day-old baguette for the bread pudding (or use whatever stale crusty bread you have at home). In a pinch, cube fresh bread and toast it in the oven to dry it out.

• Get the bread soaking in its bourbony bath while you prep everything else, so you can pop it in the oven when you sit down to eat.

Aunt Mariah's Lemon Sponge Cups by ENunn:

Tips:

• • Be sure to double the mussels recipe for two, and have plenty of great crusty bread on hand for sopping up the broth.
• • The sponge cups are way more forgiving than a souffle -- you can bake them before dinner and they won't deflate (you won't want to fuss with whipping egg whites after dinner, will you?)

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Top 10 Rainy Day Activities with your Kids

Family Movie Night

What's better than cuddling up with your kids, a blanket, and a bowl of snacks for a family movie night? On the next rainy evening, turn the family room into your own personal theater.Find a moviethe whole family will enjoy, settle in, and enjoy the show!

Fort Fun

A tradition all kids participate in while growing up is making forts out of furniture, blankets, and cushions. The next rainy day that comes around, help your kids construct their own super fort in the family room. They'll stay busy all day long with fun, quiet activities to play inside their new imaginary castle.

Break Out the Board Games

Spend some quality family time together with aclassic board game. Whether you are snapping up real estate in Monopoly or resisting the tempting treats in Candy Land, playing board games are a great way to spend a leisurely day at home.

Rain Sticks

Kids can create this fun craft that mimics the rainy day outside. Gather up a paper towel tube, crayons, tinfoil, masking tape, dry rice, and a long pipe cleaner. Have your child color and decorate the paper towel tube. Next, fasten tinfoil to one end with masking tape. Coil the pipe cleaner and fit it into the tube, along with the rice. Secure the other end of the tube with tinfoil and tape. Your child's rain stick is now ready to make soothing rain sounds!

Scavenger Hunt with Your Dog

If you happen to have a furry friend in your family, include him in your rainy day adventures. Hide doggy treats in puppy-friendly places, and see if Fido can sniff out all his hidden surprises. Time his progress and see if he can beat his record on the next rainy-day scavenger hunt.

Kitchen Fun with Kids

As long as the kids are stuck indoors, why not spend the day together making afamily-favorite recipe? Make cooking fun with your "assistant chiefs" by assigning responsibilities. Not only will they feel important and useful, they'll also be proud of their delicious delicacy. Plus, you get to sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor together.

Hide and Seek

Hide and seek is another simple game favored by kids. Since kids are restricted indoors on a rainy day, they can use the whole house for this game, with your permission. Your kids won't be too difficult to find--just follow the giggles to their hiding spot. Play it up a bit and pretend they are impossible to find.

Dance Party

Kids can go stir-crazy when cooped up indoors all day. Help release some of that energy with some energetic music and slick moves. Dancing around the house will bring you and your kids closer while you burn off pent-up energy and get some exercise. This fun, physical activity is sure to lead to a calm evening afterwards.

Read a Book

This is one indoor activity that is educational and fun! Reading with your child will improve her reading skills and build her enthusiasm for books. Cuddle up in a blanket with her favorite book and read together. Take turns reading, or have her read to you to keep her focused and interested.

Charades

Charades is a great family game for a rainy day. To begin, split into two teams and move into separate rooms. Each team should write down words, names, places, books, movies, etc. on pieces of paper. These are then exchanged with the other team's. Teams take turns picking a piece of paper and silently acting out what's on the paper. Each time a player takes a turn, use a stopwatch to track the time. The team with the shortest overall time is the winner. This is a great learning game that can help expand kids' vocabulary and knowledge.

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Foods for healthy menstrual cycles

Many women ask me: "How long do I have to be on this diet?" This is like asking: "How long is a piece of string?" It's a difficult question for me to answer, partly because I would never recommend going back to a poor nutrient deficient diet.
You may in the future be able to enjoy foods on the "to avoid" list, but they would be occasional rather than a regular feature of your diet. It also greatly depends on what your overall health is like. So how long you stay on the diet depends on each individual woman.
As a general guideline, you need to give yourself at least three months on your new diet to allow for any health changes. Give yourself longer, say five or six months, if you are a bit on again/off again with the diet.
No matter how small the changes you've made to your diet, you may have days when you can't do it. This is perfectly normal, so don't beat yourself up for eating inappropriate foods - enjoy eating them, and then continue again the next day with the healthier plan. Do it consciously, plan treats for yourself, rather than furtively react to that "damn diet".
If life without chocolate, for instance, feels unbearable, treat yourself occasionally to a small amount of the best! Consider also buying organic chocolate with unrefined cane sugar - it's delicious. My only word of caution: try not to break the health rules in the few days before and during your period.
[Foods that promote health]
Whole foods and minimally processed foods. Examples of whole foods are brown rice rather than white rice, brown flour rather than white flour. Minimally processed foods include tofu and fermented foods such as miso and yoghurt.
Fresh food. I have a contract with myself not to eat food that's more than a day old. For example, I might make enough dinner so there's some left over for a lunch box the next day, but if I haven't eaten it by then I throw it away. It's important to avoid food that has gone mouldy, particularly if you have allergies. Remember to enjoy foods in season.
Organically and biodynamically produced food. Organically and biodynamically produced food is much tastier and contains more vitamins and minerals than conventionally produced food. Most importantly, it doesn't contain the pesticides, chemical fertilisers, growth hormones, antibiotics and vaccines that regular fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy products contain. Avoid genetically engineered food at all times. Buying certified organic food is one way to ensure you're not eating genetically engineered. food.
The greatest possible variety. You're more likely to get the range of nutrients your body needs if you have a varied diet. You're also less likely to develop an allergy which can occur if you repeatedly eat the same foods.
Vegetables. Most vegies are rich in vitamins and minerals. Particularly good ones for women with menstrual problems are root vegies and the green leafy varieties. Make fresh vegetables the mainstay of your diet.
Whole grains and whole grain cereal. These include brown rice, corn, oats, rye, millet, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth and wheat. Wheat can worsen bloating and gas, a sign that you could be allergic to it. In your quest for menstrual health, I would even go so far as to say that wheat be one of the foods you consider giving up first.
Legumes. These include lentils, kidney beans, azuki beans, chick peas, haricot beans, lima beans, black-eyed beans, black beans, split peas.
Seeds and nuts. Avoid peanuts and peanut butter, as well as pistachios, as they usually contain mould. Unlike meat and fish, beans, nuts and seeds are not complete proteins. However, by coupling them with a grain, you have a complete protein. You don't need to eat them in the same meal to get the benefit of the protein. It's important to store nuts, seeds, and their spreads, in the refrigerator to prevent them from becoming rancid. Eat nuts and seeds within a few weeks of purchase and only buy from shops where there's a high turnover of stock. Avoid stale nuts and seeds at all costs.
Fruits. Enjoy fruits that are seasonal. Fresh fruit is a good source of vitamins and fibre.
Oils. Use only cold-pressed, unrefined oils. Olive (virgin only) and sesame are the best for every day use. Avoid canola oil. Ideally buy oils in brown bottles, to minimise the deteriorating effects of light, and keep them in the refrigerator. Don't even think about buying the de- odourised, sanitised (hydrogenated) versions you find in supermarkets. Hydrogenation creates an immune damaging fat so these oils have no goodness left in them and may even be bad for you.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs). Essential for good health, EFAs are particularly important for women with menstrual problems. We need them for the formation of the "friendly" prostag),landins that help to case cramping. Particularly rich sources of EFAs are flaxseed (linseed), evening primrose, raw goat's milk and the oil in fatty fish. Enjoy fteshly ground linseed sprinkled on you food as an economical and easy way to get these nutrients.
Tofu. Made from soy beans, tofu is a good protein source. Soy beans are a source of plant oestrogens which may help relieve PMS symptoms by competing with your own level of oestrogen when it's too high. Tofu is not fermented, so if you have severe health problems or very poor digestion, avoid eating it.
Shoyu or tamari. These are fermented soya products made from water, salt and soya beans. Use as a salt substitute as it contains much less sodium.
Miso. A fermented soya bean paste, miso contains protein and helps fight fatigue. It's a great aid to digestion - as long as you don't boil the paste - and a good salt substitute.
Tempeh. An Indonesian food, tempch is fermented soya beans (again!). It's very nutritious and an excellent protein product. Although an acquired taste for some people it's worthwhile learning some tasty recipes.
Seaweeds. A powerhouse of minerals, vitamins and amino acids, seaweeds are an excellent source of iodine, calcium and iron in an easily assimilated form. Never mind diamonds being a girl's best ffiend, minerals are - seaweeds are a great way to ensure you get plenty of them! Seaweeds will help prevent damage to tissues from chemicals, heavy metals, and certain types of radioactivity; offset stress, boost stamina, and restore sexual interest (Weed,1989). Types of seaweed include nori, arame, kombu, wakame and Tasmanian float leaf. You can also buy kelp seaweed in tablet and powdered form, using the latter as a salt substitute if you wish.








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