Food for Thought : March is National Peanut Month

      Peanuts and peanut butter  are one  of America's favorite foods . Americans  consune  an average  of 1.5 billion pounds of peanut butter  and peanut products each year . That is more  than 6 pounds  of peanuts or peanut products  per person . Peanut butter , roasted peanuts  ground into a paste  are a great source  of many vitamins  and nutrients . They have niacin , folate , vitamin E and protein . However  , they do have  caloeirs and fat  , so watching your portion size  is essential . Here are a few tips  to enjoy  peanuts and peanut  butter in a healthy way :
      Look for reduced fat varieties  of your favorite spread , but read the label . They can have just as many  calories . The types  of peanut butter  , smooth , chunky  or  chunchy , do not differ  significantly in nutritional value .
      Spread  peanut butter  on top of your morning  waffles . Top fruits  such as apples  or pears  with peanut butter  for a little  extra protein  for a snack .
      Used  crushed nuts  to coat  chicken or other meats . Mix peanuts  with popcorn  and dried fruits  for a healthy snack  that is a little salty and sweet . 
                                                         Peanut Butter Lover’s Cake

A peanut butter lover’s delight! Everyone will love this one.
Servings: 16          Cook Time: 35 mins         Main Ingredient: peanut butter 
Ingredients
1         can Baker's Joy® Original Non-Stick Baking Spray with Flour 
2        cups all purpose flour 
1/2     teaspoon salt 
1-3/4     cup creamy peanut butter (do not use natural) (divided) 
1       cup unsalted butter (softened) 
1-1/2      cups granulated sugar 
2      large eggs 
2     teaspoons vanilla (divided) 
1     cup whole milk 
1     cup peanut butter chips 
1     cup confectioner's sugar 
1/3   cup heavy cream 

1 .  Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Spray two 8 x 8- baking dishes or pans with Baker's Joy® spray. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Beat 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup peanut butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 5 minutes or until creamy. 
2 .  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Reduce speed to low and alternately add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. 
3 .  Remove can from pans and cool completely. Beat remaining peanut butter and butter until creamy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar and remaining vanilla until smooth. Gradually add heavy cream and continue beating 3 to 5 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy. Place 1 cake layer on serving plate, spread 3/4 cup frosting over top of cake. Place remaining layer on top and frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

A proud grand-poppa                G .

It's all true...honestly

Maxy sez : 9 Bad Habits to Kick When You Have Type 2 Diabetes

 By Denise Mann Reviewed by Pat F. Bass, III, MD, MPH

Living a healthy lifestyle can make a big difference in diabetes control. Put a stop to these wellness saboteurs today.

Eat this, don’t stress about that — you probably know the drill when it comes to type 2 diabetes management. Healthy lifestyle habits can make managing the condition easier and go a long way toward preventing complications later on. Certain bad habits, however, can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels and your health in general.

And while hardened habits can be difficult to break for just about anyone, having diabetes means the stakes are even higher. Here are nine unhealthy tendencies you should try to shed ASAP — and strategies to help you get there.

Skipping meals. “In our society, people skip breakfast and are too busy at work to eat lunch,” says Sethu Reddy, MD, MBA, chief of the Adult Diabetes Section at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. “They get home at 6 p.m. and are starving.” What happens next? An all-out feast that can spike blood sugar and also lead to weight gain.

"Instead of a binge at the end of the day, eat three meals throughout it to help keep your blood sugar levels in the normal range and maintain a healthy weight," says Dr. Reddy. Skipping breakfast, in particular, can negatively affect blood sugar levels for the rest of the day, according to a study in the July 2015 issue of Diabetes Care. Participants with diabetes who skipped breakfast had lunchtime blood sugar levels that were 37 percent higher than when they had eaten breakfast, and their blood sugar levels remained elevated at dinnertime.

Late-night snacking. Eating a heavy snack while watching TV late at night is a double whammy, Reddy says. “You are mindlessly eating, so you may not even realize how many calories you are consuming,” he says. Plus, snacking after your main evening meal, especially on high-carb foods like cookies and chips, can result in high blood sugar levels the next morning.

Not checking your blood sugar. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), keeping tabs on your blood sugar levels — and tracking your results — is your best tool for checking your type 2 diabetes management. Knowing your levels can help you keep your doctor informed so, together, you can assess your condition and make changes to your treatment plan if needed. Remember that there's no one-size-fits-all plan for checking your blood sugar levels. The right routine depends on what works for you, based on what you eat, how much you exercise, the medications you take, and how you feel. Your doctor can help you determine a testing schedule that’s right for you.

Binge drinking. Moderate consumption of alcohol — one drink a day for women and two for men — can be part of a healthy lifestyle for some people. But anything more than that can be risky, especially if you have diabetes, Reddy says. Too much alcohol can lead to weight gain and be toxic to the liver, which is a reservoir for the body’s blood sugar (glucose) stores. Alcohol can also cause low blood sugar for up to 24 hours after drinking. People with diabetes shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach or when their blood sugar is low. “Drinking alcohol with food is better because it is less likely to impair your judgment,” he says. If you’re drinking, he says, you might be less likely to realize your blood sugar is plummeting.

Smoking. Smoking is associated with all sorts of health risks, but it can be especially dangerous if you have diabetes. “People with diabetes are at increased risk for heart disease already; smoking increases this risk even further,” says Arti Bhan, MD, head of endocrinology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. People with diabetes who smoke are more likely than nonsmokers to have trouble with insulin dosing and with controlling the condition, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports. They're also at a higher risk for poor blood flow in the legs and feet, which can lead to infections, ulcers, and possible amputation, as well as blinding eye disease and nerve damage. 

Yo-yo dieting. Fad diets are just that — fads, Dr. Bhan says. And yo-yo dieting can cause you to repeatedly lose and regain weight. “This can be especially dangerous for people with diabetes, as it can affect your blood sugar levels,” Bhan explains. Aim for a healthy, well-balanced diet and discuss any weight-loss goals with a registered dietitian, who will help you meet your goals without sabotaging your health.

Skimping out on exercise. “People who have type 2 diabetes should aim for 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week to reduce insulin resistance (so their insulin works better), improve cardiovascular fitness, and help maintain a normal weight,” Bhan says. The ADA suggests activities such as jogging, brisk walking, biking, swimming, playing tennis, or stair climbing. And strength training matters, too; it makes your body more sensitive to insulin and can lower blood sugar levels. Aim for some type of strength training — such as lifting weights or doing pushups and squats — at least twice a week in addition to aerobic activity, says the ADA. 

Staying seated. We sit a lot — too much, in fact. And all of this downtime raises the risk of complications — even dying — from all types of diseases, including diabetes, according to research published in January 2015 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Exercising once a day doesn’t mitigate this risk, the study showed, but standing and moving around during the day instead of just parking yourself at your desk or on your couch can make a difference.

Sweating the small stuff. When you’re overextended, stress can seem to make everything worse — and that includes your blood sugar. Bhan explains that stress hormones, which the body releases in response to high tension, can alter blood sugar levels directly. Plus, when you're stressed out, you're less likely to take good care of yourself with healthy lifestyle habits like eating a nutritious diet and exercising. Instead, some people try to cope by smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating high-fat comfort foods. Find positive ways to manage life’s ups and downs, whether that's practicing meditation, taking deep breaths, or listening to your favorite music, Bhan suggests.

Why We Wear Our Engagement Rings Where We Do

Just like cutting the cake as a couple, wearing something blue and dressing bridesmaids in matching dresses, slipping an engagement ring on your left hand is a wedding tradition we never think to question. 

But if you have ever wondered what makes the third finger on your left hand any more rock-worthy than the rest, we have answers.

Wearing an engagement rings dates back to 13th Century Rome, when Catholics began the tradition of wearing simple metal bands due to a mandatory waiting period between betrothal and marriage imposed by the then-Pope.

As for why it was put on the left hand, this is supposedly down to a Greek and Roman belief that there’s a special vein, the ‘Vena Amoris,’ (Latin for vein of love) that runs directly from the ring finger to the heart. 

The reason diamond sparklers became mainstream doesn’t have quite as romantic a significance, however. 

Aristocracy have given shiny sparklers as a mark of betrothal as far back as the 1400s, but as for the general present day public, it was actually the result of a marketing stunt dating back to the 1930s by DeBeers. But hey, we’re not complaining. Love that we adopted this as a tradition.

So there you have it - some food for thought next time you flash your engagement ring to all your single friends.

The Biebs was a rotten kid says former neighbors



Justin Bieber has a bit of a reputation for being the less-than-ideal next-door-neighbour, with the star previously being sued for egging the homes of those who live around him.

However, it seems that Justin’s bad habits kicked in before he even got famous, with the star’s childhood neighbour coming forward to reveal that it was absolute hell to live next door to the Canadian superstar during his youth.

Yep, from playing knock-down-ginger to terrorizing local cats, the unnamed neighbour has spoken out about the ordeal of growing up next door to the star - and we reckon it’s definitely too late to say sorry.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, they explained: “There’s nothing good I can say about him. I’m just glad he is gone. He was always throwing pears into our pool. He’d scare our cat. We used to phone other locals when he was out saying, ‘Be careful, Justin is outside’.

"My house was egged three times by that kid. If we went on holiday he’d play games on my lawn. After one winter we found 16 of his ice hockey pucks there.

"He’d play basketball on the lawn and trample on the plants. There was never a sorry. If there was mischief to be had, he’d have it. He’d make our life a misery.”

Eek.

Despite the neighbour claiming that Justin was not an ideal person to live next to, staff at the star’s former secondary school have also spoken out about pre-fame Biebs, and paint quite a different picture.

Pricinpal Martin Ritsma added: “He never graduated but we’re definitely proud if him. When he started to get well known online he turned up at school one day in the limo. The girls were impressed.

"He was a regular kid into his ice hockey and basketball. Since then we’ve been watching his career take off. He went through a bit of a shaky time but he has held it together. Good for him.”

Still, they weren’t the ones having eggs thrown at them, were they?



Food for Thought : Wishing Everyone a Happy Easter

      This weekend many of us  will celebrate  Easter . No matter  what you have plan to have  on your menu , one staple most likely  to be seen on your  table is eggs . They are reasonable price , versatile  and make  a great addition  to your  family's meal plans . Eggs are a natural source of high-quality protein  and many other nutrients  . Containing only 70 calories , eggs can be a great way to help you meet  a variety of nutrient needs.       One egg has about 30 milligrams  of heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids . Also , nutrition research suggests  eggs can play a role in weight management  , muscle strength , healthy pregnancy  , brain function , eye health  and more . here are a few tips  to help you enjoy   eggs this week :
      The color of the shell is simply a color . The color of an egg  is determined  by the bred of hen  that laid the egg . Shell color is not an indicator  of health  , flavor  or  quality .
      Eggs are graded  according  to the United States  Department  of Agriculture  {USDA} guidelines . Grade AA and Grade A indicate  that the eggs  have a thick white , yolks  are free from defects  and eggs have clean shells . These are eggs  you will find  in grocery stores . Lower grade eggs  are usually reserved for industrial use .
      Make  sure you purchase  eggs before  the "sell-by" or "expiration" date on the carton . Once you  get the eggs  home , place them in the coldest part of the refrigerator , not the  door . For best quality , use eggs  within three to five weeks  of  the date you purchase  them .
                                                               Devil Eggs with Bacon 

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes            Makes   24 servings

12       hard-cooked eggs
1/3      cup mayonnaise
3         bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3         tablespoons finely chopped red onion
3         tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/4     teaspoon smoked paprika

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Add the mayonnaise, bacon, onion and relish; mix well. Stuff into egg whites. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with paprika.

Happy Easter 



A proud grand-poppa 

If women ran the world

Turkey pot Pie....From my comfort Food List

Don't want to cook a turkey at Easter? Well this turkey pot pie is a foolproof, pretty simple and nourishing Canadian comfort food for a chilly Easter day. I always buy prepared puff pastry from my supermarket because I am not good with pastries. And I just use canned mushroom soup and Cambell's boxed prepared chicken broth for a base. Easy and hard to mess up even for a novice cook.


Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium large sized orange sweet potato/yam peeled and sliced
1 small red pepper chopped
1  parsnip, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh sage, chopped
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground black pepper
1 can (284 mL) CAMPBELL'S ( or other brand ) Condensed Low Fat Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup (185 mL) Chicken broth (home made, frozen or ready to use packaged)
3 cups (750 mL) cooked turkey, shredded
1/2 cup (125 mL) corn
1/2 cup (125 mL) peas
salt to taste
1 sheet (8 oz/225 g)  packaged, frozen, pre-rolled puff pastry, thawed (about 10-inch/25 cm square)

(I usually throw in half a dozen large sliced mushrooms also but it's optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, sweet potato, parsnip, sage and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.

2. Reduce heat to low. Add soup and broth. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or so, until simmering. Continue to simmer another 5/6 minutes.  Stir in turkey, corn, peas mushrooms and pepper. Scrape into an 8-inch (2 L) square-baking dish.

3. Drape puff pastry over the dish and press gently to adhere. Cut small slits in the center of the pastry to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is bubbling and pastry is golden brown.

Come and get it while it's hot! Happy Easter Everyone!

Ellen DeGeneres' message for Americans who want to move to Canada

With the U.S. election season in full swing, Ellen DeGeneres has some sound advice for anyone considering heading north of the border if the polls don’t go their way.

“So You Want to Move to Canada, Eh?” was inspired by the recent surge in online searches by Americans interested in immigrating to Canada.

The tongue-in-cheek segment, supposedly an “official” message by the people of Canada, responds to the uneasiness some have felt at the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency. 

Trump is now the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, leading some concerned U.S. citizens to look into an escape plan. DeGeneres’ clip features Guy LeBlueBlah, the Secretary for Canada’s highly prestigious “Real Canadian Bureau of Immigration.”

LeBlueBlah notes the many benefits of life in Canada: clean air, our famous niceness and the recent election of Justin Trudeau, who he describes as a “super hot non-bananas Prime Minister.” 

But LeBlueBlah has a firm message for Americans looking to move: “We Canadians say no. Leave us the f**k out of it.”

DeGeneres also offered her own advice to anyone worried about Trump.

“You know what’s easier than moving to Canada is voting. That would be a lot easier,” she said. “Everybody get out and vote.”

Ed Sheeran surprises wedding couple

Is there a nicer guy than Ed Sheeran? When Ed heard that a radio station in Sydney Australia was helping to organize a special wedding for two deserving listeners, Matt and Kya, and that they had chosen one of his songs for their wedding dance he offered to come and surprise them and give them a wedding gift they would never forget. The amazement and joy on the bride’s face is priceless, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd as Ed Sheeran gave a genuine and beautifully flawless acoustic performance.
A little over a month ago, Kyle and Jackie at  KIIS 1065 received an email from Matt explaining that his dream was to surprise the love of his life, and mother of two, with the wedding she was planning but had to postpone indefinitely.
Money had always been tight for the young family from Sydney, with Matt recently unemployed, and after the sudden and very tragic death of Kya’s mother, it looked as though their plans for a small wedding with family and friends may never happen.
Last week, Kyle and Jackie  had the young couple come to the studio under the guise of participating in a new radio segment but then surprised them on air by gifting them with the wedding of their dreams worth $80,000.
 Everything for Matt and Kya’s wedding would be taken care of, from the bride’s gown and make up, to the photos, reception venue, entertainment, and even a honeymoon valued at $10,000. And it all came together seamlessly.

Congratulations to Matt and Kya we hope you both find the happiness you deserve. And Ed Sheeran, well, we just love you!

Good people and happy ending really do exist.



Big sausage pizza



James breaks his silence after 16 years with the words 'Hello Mum'

Voiceless, all his life, a severely disabled 16-year-old is marvelling at being able to speak for the first time after breaking his silence with the words "Hello Mum", using a digital communication aid. James Walker is a rugby fan, likes pop music, lives with his family in Hull and has a girlfriend - Emily.

He has a condition which caused hundreds of daily seizures when he was a child. Known as Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, it left him with a severe learning disability and without the ability to walk or move. Until recently, he also couldn't talk. There was no way to gauge his cognitive ability so his level of intelligence was severely underestimated.
He says it's "funny" after being silent for so long that he can now communicate with friends and family and, as he puts it, "learn something exciting".

Using his eyes as a cursor he has learned to click on words and pictures to build sentences with his computer, a Tobii Eye Gaze. The system has thousands of stock words and phrases stored on it, things James might use daily. He is currently set-up to use about 60 words and hopes to increase this number over time.

A wheelchair user with limited arm movement, James' communication was previously confined to the use of a BIGMack Switch which enabled his parents or teachers to record a single phrase about his day, but offered him no choice of phrase or alarm system.
"I like funny" he says when asked what his favourite type of conversations are and says a further "I like" about making his mum happy when he spoke his first words to her.
Gina Walker had never expected her son to be able to talk. When James's teacher called her into the classroom recently, she didn't know what it was about. She was unaware her son had been learning to use communication software at his special school, the Frederick Holmes School, because they had decided to keep it a secret.
"The first words he said were 'Hello Mum' and it was just so fantastic I cried," she says.
"It's mind-blowing hearing your son speak for the first time, even though it's a computer generated voice.

James can talk by staring at a combination of words and pictures on the screen which is then spoken by a computer generated voice
 

"It made the hairs go up on the back of my neck and it's brilliant being able to have conversations with him."
James's new computer gives him a level of vocabulary he previously didn't have and, for the first time, his thoughts and opinions can be known.
Gina says: "He's now told me he doesn't like my singing, and his personality and sense of humour is coming out."
When dressing him in the mornings, Gina used to show him two choices and go with the one he looked at. "But," she says, "I had no idea if he was looking at it because he liked it or because he thought it was disgusting. Now he'll say 'I don't like it' and I'll have to get him changed again."

Using his new 60 word vocabulary, James gave us a brief interview

What was the worst thing about being unable to talk? Don't like
What is the best thing about talking? Learn something exciting
What did it feel like to speak for the first time? Funny
How did it make you feel to see your mum so happy? I like
What do you like being able to speak to your sister and friends about? I like funny
Does it help with your fits? Yes


"At the moment it's so great to hear his voice that we'll do anything for him," says Gina.  There is presently even relish in the Walker household for sibling arguments now they are possible. "His sister Tash will put some music on the radio or TV and he tells her to turn it off which is great."
James has mastered how to indicate when he is bored at school and, asked if he likes his new communication system, he replies: "I like, I need."
As well as knowing words, the user also has to learn the context of what the words and phrases mean, so the amount someone can use the device depends on their cognitive ability.
Hector Minto from Tobii Dynovox, which developed the system , says: "They've given James core words to get him used to the words and stock phrases for specific situations such as wanting a drink, but the more exposure we can give someone improves their literacy." They will build his vocabulary gradually and make the program more comprehensive.
James's mother says that, now he is able to communicate more effectively, it has also improved his health.
Susceptible to many seizures a day - sometimes with just one or two minutes between them - James did not have the ability to alert his parents or teachers to an on-coming fit.
An operation to install a device which flushes his brain with electricity every three minutes has helped reduce the number of seizures he was having and coincided with James learning to use his new voice.
Gina says he now tells them to either "come help" or "come here" if he feels a seizure is about to happen. "Every seizure is dangerous," she explains, "so if I can stop them from being full blown it's worth it's weight in gold."
Gina says prior to having the device, he would sometimes scratch his neck, which they now understand to be him telling them something was wrong. At the time, however, they weren't aware he had a high enough level of cognitive ability to determine this, and so were unable to interpret it as a call for help.
Now that James has the ability to alert his mum, she can do something about it. She uses a nerve stimulation magnet on him to send mild electrical pulses to calm the irregular brain activity which triggers his seizures.
The computer system brings other kinds of independence too. It enables James to control his bedroom lights and TV amongst other possibilities. Minto says some people now live their lives entirely by using their eyes to control a computer. "They let their carers in and out, they live alone at night, and they run their emails."
Minto claims his company's system is 10 or 20 times faster than that which Prof. Stephen Hawking famously uses. He says the professor communicates one letter at a time.
As her son gets to grips with his new found voice Gina says: "James has never been able to make a choice, ever, and now he's able to."
She says that she wishes her son had been given the device sooner because he has been "trapped for 16 years" She finds it upsetting that many parents don't even know this kind of technology exists.
"I don't think people realize how big a deal communication is. It's been a light bulb moment."
 A boy who was trapped, in silence, inside his own head can now reach out and communicate. I can only imagine what it must be like to be aware of everything around you but be unable to move or speak and to be treated as mentally challenged.


Thanx to the BBC

Maxy sez : 7 Tips for Diabetes Weight Loss

By Diana Rodriguez Reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD

Small Changes Add Up to Big Results
Excess weight isn't just a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes — those extra pounds also make controlling diabetes more difficult once it develops. "Weight management affects diabetes management in many ways," says Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDE, a diabetes educator, registered dietitian nutritionist, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "The additional weight adds to the insulin resistance, making it hard for your body's natural insulin to do its job." On the other hand, losing even a few pounds offers big benefits. For instance, A1C is an important indicator of blood sugar control, and weight loss helps keep A1C levels below 7 — a common target number, according to a study published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy. Making the following changes in the way you eat and move can get you to your diabetes weight-loss goal.

Downsize Your Dinnerware :
According to research published in the Journal of Consumer Research in August 2012, study participants who ate from larger plates often perceived portion sizes as being smaller than they really were, while a smaller plate that was filled up could make people think they were actually eating more than they were. For diabetes weight loss, opt for smaller plates and bowls to help you eat less and feel more satisfied, Sheth says. If you haven't already, it's also good to speak with a diabetes educator or nutritionist who can teach you about portion sizes — a healthy amount of food to eat may be a smaller portion than you realize.

Drink Up Before You Eat Up:
Before you pick up your fork, pick up your water glass. Drinking water before a meal can help with diabetes weight loss by keeping you from overeating. The water will help you feel full more quickly, plus you're hydrating. "This is an easy strategy," Sheth says, "and it also makes you more mindful." Want to feel even more satiated on only a few calories? Start lunch or dinner with a nutritious salad or a bowl of low-sodium, low-fat soup.

Keep a Food Journal :
Writing down what you eat makes it easier to track and control what you're putting into your body. Keeping a food log is especially good for assessing the amount of carbohydrates you're eating, says Jessica Crandall, RDN, CDE, director of Denver Wellness & Nutrition and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. While carbohydrate goals vary from person to person, Crandall says most women should aim for 30 to 45 grams of carbs per meal. For men, it's 45 to 60 grams of carbs. Snacks should have about 15 grams. A nutritionist or diabetes educator can help you understand the number of carbs in different types of food you eat.

Stand Up for Your Health:
You know you need to exercise to lose weight, but keep in mind that finding small ways to be active throughout the day helps burn calories too. Start by simply standing up. A 150-pound person who stands to do one hour of light office work instead of sitting can burn 240 calories, according to the University of Maryland Medical System calorie calculator. "Having a timer set to go off every 30 minutes provides a simple reminder to get up and move," Sheth says. Walk around, do some stretches or crunches, or lift some free weights — every 30 minutes, give your body an activity break.

Skip the TV Dinners:
Grabbing a bite in front of the TV or at your computer may be thwarting your diabetes weight-loss efforts. Eating in front of the tube or with other distractions makes people eat more, while those who eat without distractions eat less later in the day, according to a study published in the April 2013 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study also found that attentive eating may be a good way to attain a healthy weight without the need for strict calorie counting. Eat every meal at a table, and focus on eating. "This allows you to savor the food in front of you," Sheth says.

Walk Off Your Meals :
It's all too easy to let the day get away from you without finding time to exercise, so try tacking a little activity on to the end of each meal. "Add a 10-minute walk after a meal — or all meals — to help incorporate exercise, which is very important for blood sugar control as well as weight loss," Crandall suggests. A study published in the October 2013 issue of Diabetes Care found that people at risk for high blood sugar who walked for 15 minutes after each meal saw greater blood sugar control — more than those who took a 45-minute morning or afternoon stroll.

Don't Deprive Yourself :
The road to diabetes weight loss is not paved with starvation. Sure, you need to watch your calories, but you also shouldn't deprive or starve yourself; that will only make you overeat later on, Crandall says. Strive to eat regular, balanced meals and snacks. "It is important to have carbs, protein, and fats in your diet," Sheth says. "Avoiding a complete food group can cause an imbalance and be counterproductive." Eating too few calories is also problematic. Again, a nutritionist or diabetes educator can help you understand what a good balance of fats, carbs, and proteins in your diet looks like.

Butterflies

The search for Egypt's Queen Nefertiti may be over....Secret Chamber in Tutankhamun's Tomb

Egypt says a search for the resting place of the pharaonic Queen Nefertiti has revealed possible "organic material" inside empty spaces behind two walls in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The antiquities minister said radar scans carried out in November pointed to "different things behind the walls".

A more advanced scan will be conducted later this month to ascertain whether the empty spaces are in fact chambers. A British Egyptologist believes Nefertiti was buried there.

She ruled in the 14th Century BC, and may have been Tutankhamun's mother.

His tomb was discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter.

Mystery design

Announcing the results of November's scans on Thursday, Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said they had revealed the presence of two empty spaces behind two walls of the burial chamber.

"We can say more than 90% that the chambers are there. But I never start the next step until I'm 100%."

"[The scans point to] different things behind the walls, different material that could be metal, could be organic."
He added: "For Egypt it is a very big discovery, could be discovery of the century."

"It is very important for the Egyptian history and for all over the world."

The British Egyptologist Dr Nicholas Reeves believes the remains of Tutankhamun, who died 3,000 years ago aged 19, may have been rushed into an outer chamber of what was originally Nefertiti's tomb.

He posited in early 2015 that Nefertiti may have been buried there too after examining scans of the tomb, near the site of the original Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

Tutankhamun's tomb was the most intact ever discovered in Egypt. Close to 2,000 objects were found inside.

But its layout has been a puzzle for some time - in particular, why it was smaller than those of other pharaohs' tombs.

Dr Reeves believes there are clues in the design of the tomb that indicate it was intended to store the remains of a queen. His theory has yet to be peer-reviewed and leading Egyptologists have urged caution over the conclusion.

Some believe that Nefertiti's mummy was discovered in 1898 and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.     

      Queen Nefertiti's name means "a beautiful woman has come"    

Who was Queen Nefertiti?

• The name Nefertiti means "a beautiful woman has come"
• She was queen of Egypt and wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten during the 14th century BC
• She and her husband established the cult of Aten, the sun god, and promoted a new style of Egyptian artwork
• It is thought the couple married when Nefertiti was about 15 and had six daughters and a son
• Some theories hold that Nefertiti was the mother of King Tutankhamun

Food for Thought : National Artichoke Hearts Day

      Artichoke HeartsMarch 16th is National Artichoke Hearts Day.  According to the California Artichoke Advisory Board, artichokes are a good source of antioxidants, vitamin C, folate and magnesium.  The antioxidants in artichokes are very good for your liver and help promote healthy skin.  Artichokes are also high in fiber, calcium and protein while low in calories.  For all of these reasons, along with being fat free and cholesterol free, artichokes are truly a healthy and delicious food to celebrate!
      The total antioxidant capacity of an artichoke flower head is one of the highest reported for vegetables.
The fleshy base of the artichoke is perhaps the most enjoyably edible part of this oddly-shaped vegetable. 
      You can find artichoke hearts that are packed in vinegar, oil or marinade and canned.
     They make for a great low sodium snack and lend themselves well to other snacks like artichoke dip, as well as a pizza topping.
     Toss them in the skillet for a savory sauté.
     They might just turn into a healthy addiction!
California is known as the artichoke capital of the world.  They supply nearly 100% of North American fresh artichokes.

                                          Chicken and Artichokes in Wine Sauce

Serves 4
2      cups artichoke hearts, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained
2      boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 pound
1-1/2    cups flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2      tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2      tablespoons olive oil, divided
2      cups dry yet mellow white wine, such as Chardonnay
1/2    lemon
Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, to garnish (optional)

1 . Cut the artichoke hearts in half lengthwise. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch to a side. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with about 1 teaspoon salt and a generous quantity of black pepper. Toss the chicken pieces in the flour.

2 . Set a large skillet (at least 12 inches wide) over medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the artichokes. Cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned on each side. Remove the artichokes from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Set aside.

3 . Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet along with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lift the chicken pieces out of the flour and arrange in the skillet. Sauté the chicken pieces for 5 to 7 minutes or until well-browned on both sides. (For best flavor, look for a golden crust to develop, and make sure both sides are browned.) Add the browned artichokes back to the pan.

4 . Pour in the white wine and and stir and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat. The sauce will thicken. Stir well to coat everything with the wine sauce. Stir in a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.


5 . Serve with pasta or couscous. Garnish, if desired, with finely chopped parsley.

A proud grand-poppa                G.

This Is How Horrible It Was to Get Your Period Back in the Day

Look, no one loves getting their period. But if you have to menstruate, it's probably best to do it in the year 2016. There are a million different ways to deal with bleeding: tampons with plastic applicators and tampons with cardboard applicators, maxi pads for heavy days and thin panty-liners for light days, underwear that absorbs your menstrual blood, and period-tracking apps so you're never surprised by Aunt Flo.

But girls didn't always have it so easy. Period Piece is a hilarious new web series that shines a spotlight on how women in different periods of history dealt with their, well, periods.

"While an important goal of the show is to make you laugh, it will hopefully empower and encourage young women to take ownership of their bodies, and to feel proud of what their bodies can do," Period Piece creator Liliana Tandon told Seventeen.com. "And because the episodes are based on historical research, they're informative too!"

There are seven episodes so far, but here are our favorites:
In Colonial America, Cherokee women believed they gained inner strength from their periods.

In Victorian England, women were supposed to be on their most modest, proper behavior at all times - but that didn't stop them from commiserating about cramps.

In the 1920s, drugstores put out boxes for women to deposit payment for pads to save customers the potential awkwardness of interacting with cashiers.

Amazing! Period!

5 Ways to test if your relationship will last

Are there long-range warning signals that a relationship isn’t going to work out - or that a new partner is Mr or Mrs Right?

There’s a surprisingly large amount of proper scientific research into the subject, often based on large-scale observation of real couples.

The key to whether things work out is rarely to do with physical problems, shared interests, or indeed star signs - it’s how couples talk.

Here are a few signs that things are (probably) going to work out.

How often does your partner say, ‘Thank you’?

The key to whether relationships last over the long haul might be the frequency with which your other half says two little words.

Not ‘I love you’, but, ‘Thank you.’

Researchers at the University of Georgia interviewed 468 married people - and found that gratitude was a key ingredient in making marriages work.

‘We found that feeling appreciated and believing that your spouse values you directly influences how you feel about your marriage, how committed you are to it, and your belief that it will last,’ said professor Ted Futris.

Does your partner tend to listen - or dismiss what you say?

Mathematician Hannah Fry observed hundreds of couples, monitoring everything from facial expressions to blood pressure, believes a simple formula dictates whether couples are ‘high risk’.

Fry believes that if couples react negatively to each other all the time - for instance by dismissing or ignoring what the other says, the entire relationship can be poisoned.

Fry says such negative relationships hit a ‘tipping point’. She says, ‘In relationships where both partners consider themselves as happy, bad behaviour is dismissed as unusual.

‘In negative relationships, however, the situation is reversed. Bad behaviour is considered the norm.

‘A husband, for instance, might think his wife’s grumpiness is 'typical’, due to her 'selfishness’ or other negative personality trait.’

Does your partner’s voice often sound strained?

Researchers at the University of Utah believe that there are clues hidden in people’s tone of voice - and that listening to people’s tone is more important than WHAT people say.

The researchers built an algorithm which can predict whether couples will stay together with 80% accuracy - better than human relationship counsellors.

Researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the University of Utah recorded hundreds of conversations from over 100 couples over the course of two years.

The computer programme analyzed couple’s tone of voice using pitch, intensity and ‘jitter’ - which can indicate emotional strain.

They found that analyzing people’s impact on each other could predict whether they would split up - more accurately than human relationship experts.

Does your relationship have a lot of ups and downs?

Couples whose relationships have a lot of dramatic ups and downs are MORE likely to split up even that couples who argue.

Brian Ogolsky from the University of Illinois’s study of 382 couples found that ups and downs are the most accurate predictor of couples splitting up.

Ogolsky says there are four ‘types’ of couple - dramatic couples (34%), whose relationship goes up and down, conflict-ridden couples (12%), who often argue, partner-focused couples (30%), who spend lots of time together and focus on each other, and socially involved couples (19%), with a lot of interactions with family and friends.

Ogolsky found, surprisingly, that conflict-ridden couples AREN’T the most likely to split up - the most likely to split up are dramatic couples

Does your partner put your needs first - or their own?

A study led by Brian Ogolsky from the University of Illinois found four distinct ‘patterns’ in the way couples interacted over a nine-month period.

Ogolsky tracked the progress of 376 couples in their mid-twenties - in terms of their ‘commitment to wed’.

The most likely to wed are ‘partner-focused’ couples - where the two people think of each other’s needs, Ogolsky said.

‘People in these couples had the highest levels of conscientiousness, which suggests that they are very careful and thoughtful about the way they approach their relationship choices.’
 How did your relationship rate? It is surprisingly easy to love someone and be loved but you have to take a risk. You have to put your heart into it, be open and vulnerable. The risk is that you will be hurt, heart broken or rejected.
The world has become a more brutal place than I remember as a young girl. People are more afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves these days or allow themselves to be so vulnerable. I find that quite sad.

More projects .... for craft challenged people on a budget

We all have many old and unused items lying around in our homes or garages waiting to be thrown away. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a great feeling of liberation that comes after shedding old stuff.

However, before you start cleaning your home, we want to show you some incredibly creative 'Do It Yourself' projects that may change your mind. You’ll learn that a lot of useless items can be transformed into wonderful creations.

DIY Spoon Lamp

Cut bottom off plastic bottle

Plastic Spoon Rose

Turn an old Glove into a Chipmunk

Toilet Paper Roll Wall Art

Use craft glue and hair pins to hold until dry

Paint them any color or multi colors.  Make a few garlands and place them in an artistic arrangement on the wall.

Are we having fun yet ??