Recipe:Paleo Watermelon Cake

Are you looking for a refreshing and healthy treat that doesn't involve baking? Or a cake for someone who can't tolerate eating gluten or other baked goods? Well here it is my friends! A watermelon cake. Yes, it is really made with a watermelon (seedless), and it is very easy to put together. This is the same way my grandma made us watermelon cake during the summer, but she used imitation whipped cream.

All you need to make this cake is a large seedless watermelon, some sliced almonds or toasted coconut, two cans of full-fat coconut milk, and your favorite fresh fruits. You may want to purchase an extra can of coconut milk in case one does not separate (it doesn't happen often but it can happen!).

Slicing the watermelon into the shape of a cake creates the base, and the whipped coconut cream creates the frosting. The nuts or toasted coconut and fresh fruit add a beautiful and delicious decoration. You can also try using edible flowers for the top, which I sometimes find at my local farmers market. For those of you that have asked, yes you can use a thick yogurt or whipped cream instead of coconut milk if you use dairy products (it must be VERY thick or it will not adhere well to the watermelon). I have been told by many people that it works great!

This is best when served within a few hours of assembly, but I have left this in the fridge overnight and nothing budged, so you can prepare it ahead of time if you need to. The watermelon I used had just turned ripe, but an overly ripe watermelon will probably release more liquid and will not last as long. Don't forget to pat the watermelon dry with the paper towels before adding the coconut whipped cream to help it adhere. Enjoy! Servings 6-8

Ingredients:
- 1 large seedless watermelon
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk (left in fridge for 6 hours or more)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. raw honey
- 1 cup sliced raw almonds or shredded coconut
- Seasonal fresh fruit (for topping)

 
Equipment:
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- Hand Mixer
- Paper Towels
- Can opener
- Medium sized skillet
- Stirring spoon

Directions:
TO MAKE THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1. Make sure to place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This will cause the cream to separate from the milk. The cream will be at the top of the can.
2. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the cream into a medium sized bowl. Hint: I always open the can from the bottom and pour the milk out into a separate container before scraping out the cream. You can use the saved milk for smoothies and other recipes.
3. Add the vanilla and raw honey to the mixture. Whip the cream with a hand mixer on medium speed and work your way up to high speed until the cream is fluffy. Place the bowl of whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE TOASTED ALMONDS OR COCONUT:
1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot.
2. Add the sliced almonds or shredded coconut and toss in the pan until they are toasted and turn a light brown color. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE
1. Remove the top and bottom from the watermelon and remove the rind from the middle section. You should be left with a cake-shaped piece of watermelon. Cut the watermelon "cake" into the number of wedges/slices you want. I recommend 6-8 slices depending on the size of the watermelon. (See below for a visual on how to cut the watermelon!). NOTE: You can leave the watermelon intact if you plan on traveling with it or do not want to cut it. Slicing a cake ahead of time just makes it much easier to dip the edges into the icing and then into anything else you want to adhere to the icing, such as the almonds or toasted coconut.
2. Pat the outside of the watermelon dry with paper towels (this is important because it will help the coconut whipped cream adhere better).
3. Dip the outside edge of each slice into the coconut whipped cream and then into the toasted almonds or coconut, and reassemble the wedges into the cake shape on a serving platter. Top with more whipped coconut cream and your favorite fresh fruit (I used blackberries, strawberries and kiwi). Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Recipe/photos by Paleo-cupboard.

Source: paleocupboard.com

Secret of Victory

TEXT: ISAIAH 7:1-9

Key verse: “... Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands...” (Isaiah 7:4).

The hallmark of a great leader lies neither in the size of his material possession nor military prowess. Instead, a great leader is recognised by the ability to keep his head when others are losing theirs.

Ahaz had the privilege of leading the Jews in continuation of the dynasty of David. But he led them astray. The result of this sin was that they became an easy prey for their foes. Their worst enemies were Syria and Ephraim. They formed a formidable alliance for a final onslaught against Judah’s capital, Jerusalem. This frightened Ahaz and his people. Estranged from God, they did not remember to ask Him for help. Yet, God sent Isaiah to meet Ahaz with a message of hope.

Isaiah encouraged Ahaz and His people against fear and panic. He assured them that their security was hinged on faith in God. He told them that the plot by their enemies to over-run Jerusalem would not materialise. Isaiah brought this message to relieve the distressed Ahaz for his father, David’s sake. There was a literal assurance that in spite of the prevailing calamity, they would not be utterly destroyed.


Most times when men are faced with trouble, they do not see its main essence of entrusting their lives to God in faith. Instead, they resort to self-help and even lean on their fellowmen. They forget that though the enemy may loom large, God is larger. Trials and troubles should steer our hearts towards God. Although sin builds a wedge between man and God, holiness of life and faith in God guarantee our victory. He will save all who run to Him. The secret of victory is to seek repose in God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Sin blinds the eye to its best interests. 

DO YOU STILL HAVE THE WORD "IMPOSSIBLE" IN YOUR DICTIONARY?

When I realised how much God has empowered me to accomplish here on earth, I instantly deleted the word impossible from the dictionary of my mind.
Walt Disney, the man who changed the face of the entertainment more than any other single person was widely regarded as the impossible thinker. He was the one that said, "it's kind of fun doing the impossible" He was such a strong impossibility thinker that if he told his men that they were going to do something and all of them got excited about it and said "yes let's go for it, we can do it," he will change his mind and decide on something else. If he shared an idea with them and they complained and said is not possible, there is no way we can do that, he would get excited and tell them, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. 

And he will apply himself, drive his people to work, encourage them until the impossibility is done.
There is nothing that makes life very interesting than stretching out and doing things that you have never done before. Stop complaining that things are not moving, go out there, learn new things and the impossible will be possible. The Wright brothers flew right through the smoke screen of impossibility. They refused to believe that it is impossible to fly. What is it before you today that look impossible, pregnancy, job, business etc: get excited, that is what your God specializes in doing. From this day, delete the word "IMPOSSIBLE" from your dictionary of the mind and dare to proceed in the mist of life challenges. Keep soaring and be blessed.

Enjoy this song and dance All Things Are Possible: -By Centered Kids Company from The Centre School of Dance see the video below.

Study Shows: Kids' obesity risk starts before school age

Those efforts to fight obesity in schools? Think younger. A new study finds that much of a child's "weight fate" is set by age 5, and that nearly half of kids who became obese by the eighth grade were already overweight when they started kindergarten.

The prevalence of weight problems has long been known — about a third of U.S. kids are overweight or obese. But surprisingly little is known about which kids will develop obesity, and at what age.

Researchers think there may be a window of opportunity to prevent it, and "we keep pushing our critical window earlier and earlier on," said Solveig Cunningham, a scientist at Emory University. "A lot of the risk of obesity seems to be set, to some extent, really early in life."

She led the new study, which was published in this week's New England Journal of Medicine and paid for by the federal government.

It tracked a nationwide sample of more than 7,700 children through grade school. When they started kindergarten, 12 percent were obese and 15 percent were overweight. By eighth grade, 21 percent were obese and 17 percent were overweight.

Besides how common obesity was at various ages, researchers focused on the 6,807 children who were not obese when the study started, at kindergarten entry. Here are some things they found: WHO BECAME OBESE: Between ages 5 and 14, nearly 12 percent of children developed obesity — 10 percent of girls and nearly 14 percent of boys.

Nearly half of kids who started kindergarten overweight became obese teens. Overweight 5-year-olds were four times as likely as normal-weight children to become obese (32 percent versus 8 percent).

GRADE LEVELS: Most of the shift occurred in the younger grades. During the kindergarten year, about 5 percent of kids who had not been obese at the start became that way by the end. The greatest increase in the prevalence of obesity was between first and third grades; it changed little from ages 11 to 14.

RACE: From kindergarten through eighth grade, the prevalence of obesity increased by 65 percent among whites, 50 percent among Hispanics, almost 120 percent among blacks and more than 40 percent among others — Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans and mixed-race children.

By eighth grade, 17 percent of black children had become obese, compared to 14 percent of Hispanics and 10 percent of whites and children of other races.

INCOME: Obesity was least common among children from the wealthiest families and most prevalent among kids in the next-to-lowest income category. The highest rate of children developing obesity during the study years was among middle-income families.

BIRTHWEIGHT: At all ages, obesity was more common among children who weighed a lot at birth — roughly 9 pounds or more. About 36 percent of kids who became obese during grade school had been large at birth.

The study's findings do not mean that it's too late for schools to act, but their best tactic may be to focus on kids who are overweight and try to encourage exercise and healthy eating, Cunningham said.

The work also shows the need for parents, doctors, preschools and even day care centers to be involved, said Dr. Stephen Daniels, a University of Colorado pediatrician and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.

Parents who are concerned about a child's weight should talk with their child's doctor, because it may be hard to tell what is normal at various ages and appearances can be misleading. In children, obesity and overweight are defined by how a child ranks on growth charts that compare them to other kids the same age and gender. Kids at or above the 85th percentile are considered overweight, and obese at the 95th percentile or above.

No child should be placed on a diet without a doctor's advice, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises. To help keep kids healthy, balance the calories a child gets from food and beverages with how much exercise he or she gets to allow enough for normal growth — some weight gain is normal, the CDC says.

"You can change your fate by things that you do early in life," with more exercise and eating a healthy diet, Daniels said. "Once it occurs, obesity is really hard to treat. So the idea is we should really work hard to prevent it."

Source: news.yahoo.com

Secret Ingredient for Super-Healthy Cookies

Brrr! It's cold out-and the Arctic Vortex isn't exactly helping our skin. What's more, the cold also makes us crave sweets, which can get in the way of our attempts to make better food choices. But here's a healthy and incredibly enjoyable way you can both protect your skin and satisfy your sweet tooth: this gluten-free and vegan oatmeal, prune and raisin cookie recipe.

It's Prunetastic
Dried plums, with their wide array of phenolic compounds (plant nutrients that contribute to the flavor and color of produce and have potential health benefits), are rich in antioxidants. In fact, dried plums have one of the highest levels of antioxidant capacity, with more antioxidants per weight than many other foods. These antioxidants can help protect skin cells from damaging free radicals that form from outdoor exposure, which may help to guard against premature aging and wrinkle formation. Just five dried plums contain 3 grams of fiber and 30 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin K, along with potassium and vitamin A.

Eat Less and Feel Full
The oatmeal in this recipe provides a good source of dietary fiber-a key player in weight loss and long-term weight maintenance. A number of studies have shown an inverse association between fiber intake and body weight. This association is likely explained by fiber's ability to promote satiety and feelings of fullness.

Unlike store-bought cookies, there's no added sugar or empty calories. Instead, these cookies are fabulously sweet because all of the sweet goodness comes from the natural plant sugars found in the prunes, raisins and bananas. You can easily freeze bananas that are getting over ripe and then you'll always have them on hand to make these cookies. To make it easier, peel the bananas first and then freeze them in a plastic re-sealable bag for easy removal.

This is also a great recipe to make with your family, especially with children. Kids love to smash things, and the first step when making these cookies is to mash the bananas and then just fold in the remaining ingredients. Your family will love helping, and you'll love knowing that these cookies are not manufactured and are good for you.

Gluten-Free, Vegan Oatmeal, Prune and Raisin Cookies Recipe

Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients:
3 bananas, ripe
½ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
¼ cup pecans, toasted, chopped
¼ cup prunes, dried, pitted, no sugar added, chopped
1 cup yellow raisins
2 cups oatmeal, plain, old-fashioned whole oats

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with hand masher, combine and mix in canola oil, vanilla, walnuts, pecans, prunes and raisins. Add oatmeal and mix all ingredients together until well mixed. Using a 1-ounce scoop, measure and drop mixture onto parchment-covered cookie sheet. Slightly push down mixture with fingers to lightly flatten. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Remove, let cool and serve. 

- by JimPerko C.E.C.

WORTH READING: COFFEE ON THE WALL

I sat with my friend in a well-known coffee shop in a neighboring town of Venice, Italy, the city of lights and water.

As we enjoyed our coffee, a man entered and sat at an empty table beside us. He called the waiter and placed his order saying, “Two cups of coffee, one of them there on the wall.”

We heard this order with rather interest and observed that he was served with one cup of coffee but he paid for two.

When he left, the waiter put a piece of paper on the wall saying “A Cup of Coffee”.

While we were still there, two other men entered and ordered three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. They had two cups of coffee but paid for three and left. This time also, the waiter did the same; he put a piece of paper on the wall saying, “A Cup of Coffee”.

It was something unique and perplexing for us. We finished our coffee, paid the bill and left.

After a few days, we had a chance to go to this coffee shop again. While we were enjoying our coffee, a man poorly dressed entered. As he seated himself, he looked at the wall and said, “One cup of coffee from the wall.”

The waiter served coffee to this man with the customary respect and dignity. The man had his coffee and left without paying.

We were amazed to watch all this, as the waiter took off a piece of paper from the wall and threw it in the trash bin.

 
Now it was no surprise for us – the matter was very clear. The great respect for the needy shown by the inhabitants of this town made our eyes well up in tears.

Ponder upon the need of what this man wanted. He enters the coffee shop without having to lower his self-esteem… he has no need to ask for a free cup of coffee… without asking or knowing about the one who is giving this cup of coffee to him… he only looked at the wall, placed an order for himself, enjoyed his coffee and left.

A truly beautiful thought. Probably the most beautiful wall you may ever see anywhere!

Prayer: Lord Jesus lead me to where my help is needed.

-By Chanchani

Four Job Interview Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Job interviews can be stressful, especially if you’re nervous about making mistakes that could sabotage your chance of getting the job. Fortunately, many errors are easy to avoid with a little preparation. Here are four of the most common ones and some tips for steering clear of them.

1. Getting Too Personal
One common error is revealing too much personal information during the interview, says Anastasia Kurylo of Fortified Communication Consulting. “I have conducted interviews in which candidates inundate me with their personal life story,” she says. “Voluntarily revealing this much personal information can make an interviewer uncomfortable and raise legitimate concerns about how confidential the candidate will be with company information.”

Takeaway: When answering interview questions, it’s best to stick to work-related answers.

 

  2. Not Picking Up on Cues
Another common mistake is not following the interviewer’s lead in the conversation. Kurylo says she once had a student who wore a business suit to the interview for a fun and casual job. The interviewer made several comments about it, questioning the candidate’s understanding of the company culture.

“The candidate assumed she’d blown the interview the moment she put on the suit,” Kurylo says. “The interview had been blown by the candidate not providing a good response about her choice of clothing. The interviewer repeatedly told her how much she loved the candidate’s credentials and experience.”

Instead, the candidate could have laughed off her clothing choice and blamed it on advice that went against her own judgment; something she wouldn’t do again. “Then the interviewer -- who clearly wanted to hire her -- would have had more to latch onto in order to excuse the poor clothing choice. If she had persevered rather than given up in the interview, they might have been laughing about the suit over a business lunch weeks later.”

Takeaway: When the interviewer gives you an opportunity to course-correct, take it.

3. Not Doing Your Homework
Many candidates continue to make the mistake of not researching the company before the interview. “Hiring managers want to know that interviewees are interested in their open positions, not simply that the interviewees want a job, any job,” says Cheryl Palmer, owner of Call to Career. Candidates who can speak knowledgeably about the company and how they can contribute to the organization’s success show that they’ve done their homework and have a high interest in the business.

Takeaway: Take advantage of any resources (online and offline) you can get your hands on to learn about the company’s mission and culture.

4. Not Taking Initiative
Stu Coleman, partner and senior general manager at Winter Wyman, says another common mistake is taking too passive of a role. “It’s important to determine, for both parties, if what each has to bring to the equation is a benefit to the other,” he says. Candidates need to interview the company, as well. “You have to be respectful and professional, but don’t forget to be real. This is a big decision, one that hopefully you will live with for years, so make sure it is as good for you as you are for them.”

Takeaway: Come with your own list of questions about the company’s strategy and culture.

Culled from:career-services.monster.com