Tired of feeling guilty after eating pizza? Skip the extra calories and guilt of take-out and delivery pizza and make an easy-to-prepare homemade version with your Black & Decker food processor! It may sound like it would take up too much time and not worth the effort, but with just a little patience, your appliance will do most of the work for you. So take the time to make healthy homemade pizza that will please your entire family and follow these step-by-step tips.

#1 Make the dough.

The easiest way to make fast pizza dough in the food processor is to first bloom the yeast in warm water. Never use hot or scalding water over 115°F as this can kill the yeast instead. While the yeast is blooming, add the flour and flavorings in the food processor and pulse to combine, using the included dough blade. On low speed, drizzle in the yeast and water and let it run to combine. It is that easy!

#2 Process ingredients.

Don’t result to buying pre-prepped ingredients and cheese for your pizza. You’ll pay a premium on these ingredients since the extra labor is added into the cost. Instead, buy all of your ingredients whole and shred, dice, or chop in your food processor. Buy onions, peppers and whole mozzarella and slice with the slicing blade. Make sure the cheese is very cold so that it doesn’t stick to the blades instead of slice. Any leftover ingredients you make can also be stored away in plastic containers and used throughout the week for salads and other pizzas.

#3 Make your own sauce.

Since you made your own dough and sliced your own fresh ingredients, why not also make your own sauce too? Sure, jarred sauces are easy, but they also cost more and are loaded with unhealthy ingredients like sugar and mystery “spices.” Making your own pizza sauce can be easy with your food processor. You can prepare a pesto pizza with spinach pesto sauce that helps incorporate healthy greens into your diet. Or, make your own tomato sauce in the processor by pulsing fresh tomatoes, Italian herb blend and some olive oil until your desired consistency is achieved.

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Whether used for wine, as a snack, for juice or in alcoholic drinks, grapes are a nutritious and delicious fruit enjoyed by many. Grapes are recently known for its super fruit health claims of antioxidant polyphenols that may help reduce the risk of heart disease.[1] Benefiting from this juicy and sweet fruit that’s low in fat and high in vitamin C and K[2] is easy with Black & Decker. Simply follow these tips for adding the super flavor of grapes to your healthy lifestyle.

#1 Skip the ice.

Grapes are fabulous when they are frozen. Instead of getting rock hard and tasteless, they take on a sweet semi-frozen state. The outsides get crunchy, while the insides pop with flavor. Simply freeze grapes in a plastic baggie in the freezer and use as ice in blended drinks made with your Black & Decker blender. Kids will love grape slushies made with frozen grapes and grape juice—and you will too thanks to its nutritious qualities!

#2 Add flavor to baked goods.

Next time you’re preparing your favorite baked goods, add grapes to your recipe. Substitute blueberries for small seedless red grapes in recipes like muffins, pancakes and quick breads for a juicy pop of flavor and boost of nutrition. Mix everything up on low speed with your Black & Decker hand mixer so that the grapes do not rip open and cause a mess in your batter. For fast and effortless cooking without using a lot of energy, bake your quick breads in your Black & Decker convection toaster oven.

#3 Make homemade jam.

If your kids love peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, but you don’t quite feel the same way because of all that sugar, make your own! With your Black & Decker bread maker, you can make homemade and fresh jams with the jam setting. You can control the sugar and still provide a delicious (and nutritious) treat for your kids. To prepare, simply add grapes, sugar, and an acid like lemon juice to the bread pan, select the jam setting and let the bread maker do the rest of the work for you.

[2] http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1920/2

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Widely known for its commercially bottled version, pomegranates have risen in culinary popularity because of its unique sweet and sour ruby red juice and antioxidant health benefit claims^[1]. Pomegranates have juice that’s extracted from its arils, or seeds, and are sold whole, de-seeded, or juiced and bottled. It’s high in nutrients, and is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin B5^[2]. In this post we’ll show you how pomegranates, both its juice and seeds, can be incorporated into your healthy lifestyle with the help of Black & Decker appliances.

#1 Make any drink delicious.

Because pomegranates are both sweet and sour, it can be paired with nearly anything and taste delicious. Its juice is slightly thick and syrupy and would be perfect in a sophisticated version of blended frozen margaritas. Or add about a ¼ of a cup in your breakfast smoothie for an extra boost of energy in the morning. Do you need something new to surprise the kids? Try putting some pomegranate juice in their chocolate or vanilla milkshakes for added nutrition and flavor.

#2 Create impressive starters.

Adding pomegranates to your healthy soups and salads provide a unique and inspiring touch. Use your food processor to quickly shred some cabbage, carrot and broccoli for an interesting twist on coleslaw. Use your blender to dress it with a vinaigrette made from olive oil and pomegranate juice, then sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on top. Then with the same appliance, blend a creamy low-fat bean and lentil soup and serve with a drizzle of pomegranate juice.

#3 Add a flavor-boost to meats.

If you’re looking for an alternative to plain chicken breast, try marinating it in some pomegranate juice. Put some oil, pomegranate juice, salt and pepper in a large plastic baggie and place the chicken inside. Seal it shut, and then massage the marinade into the meat. After letting it rest, broil the chicken in your Black & Decker countertop toaster oven for a quick, easy and tasty meal.

[2] http://www.ehow.com/facts_5049955_vitamins-pomegranates.html

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It seems there’s a new yogurt shop everywhere you look. Part of yogurt’s popularity isn’t just taste, but also health benefits. Yogurt contains probiotics, which are live microorganisms called “friendly bacteria” that may help with digestive health.[1] We make it easy to integrate yogurt into your healthy lifestyle.

#1 Liven up your breakfast.

Smoothies are a great way to get that nutrition and energy boost you need in the morning. For a creamy mouth-feel to all your morning smoothies, add yogurt. Use your Black & Decker Cyclone® 10-Speed Blender to prepare a tropical island smoothie, or a smoothie we call “breakfast in a glass.” Or, just add ¼ to ½ a cup of plain yogurt after adding milk to any smoothie of your preference.

#2 Go exotic.

Impress your family and friends with a delicious mango lassi, a popular Indian and Pakistani drink made from yogurt, water and mango. If you’ve been to an Indian restaurant, you’ve seen lassi on the menu. But you don’t have to go to a restaurant to make one. Simply add 1 cup of plain yogurt, ½ cup of water and 1 cup chopped fresh mango, in order, to your Black & Decker Cyclone® and blend for 1 minute.

#3 Make healthy creamy soups.

Use yogurt instead of tomato juice in your next gazpacho. A nutritional cold raw vegetable soup, gazpacho is deliciously refreshing in hot weather months. Prepare a yogurt-based one with your Black & Decker PowerPro® Wide-Mouth Food Processor. You’ll appreciate the creamy consistency you’ll get from the yogurt.

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Spring has finally sprung and as we usher in warmer weather, it’s also a great time look to changing the family meal plan to match the season.

In winter it’s easy to get loaded down with a bunch of heavier, filling dishes to shake off the winter chill; but as spring comes, those heavy meals just end up weighing you down and killing the energy you need to tackle your busy spring schedule.

So what makes for a great spring meal plan? You want to focus on lighter dishes that give you plenty of nutrients without slowing you down with a lot of creams and heavy additives. Black & Decker has the perfect solution with family-size food steamers. (more…)

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Did you know February is National Grapefruit Month? Grapefruit is a breakfast favorite, because it’s a fat, sodium and cholesterol free way to start your day, with a healthy boost of vitamins A and C. You get energy, immune protection and great taste.

With all the great benefits of grapefruit, why not start some of your February mornings off right with a little freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with breakfast? (more…)

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