Monthly Archives: July 2012
Many Benefits Of Coconut Oil
By: Alicia French
IS THIS TRENDY FAT HEALTHY
OR HYPE?
We vote “healthy” — and there are several reasons that back us up. Coconut oil offers a variety of benefits whether used in cooking or as a beauty treatment. You’ll want to be sure you get in on this trend for the sake of your health.
Like any food, quality is important if you want the greatest benefits. When shopping for coconut oil, you should look for organic, cold-pressed, extra-virgin oil. The process by which coconut oil is made can greatly impact both its health benefits and its taste. Avoid products that were heat-processed, hydrogenated, bleached, deodorized, refined or include preservatives or additives.
Not all fats are considered equal
We’ve been trained to steer clear of saturated fats, and coconut oil is high in saturated fat. But before you write off this nutritional powerhouse as just another fatty food, you should know that the saturated fat in coconut oil has actually been shown to help people lose weight. Coconut is a natural oil and the fat is inherent in the fruit itself, not artificially created as in margarine or hydrogenated oils.
Perfect for cooking
Just about every other oil available breaks down during high heat, and some studies have linked the use of highly heated oils to health problems, even including cancer. Frying with most oils destroys the antioxidants and oxidizes the oil, creating toxic compounds. Coconut oil can withstand high heat and is one of the most stable oils you can use, meaning it won’t break down as soon as the heat goes up. Coconut oil can also be used in place of butter when baking for a healthier or vegan option. The oil will give your food a slight coconut flavor.
A natural beauty product
Coconut oil can act as an antioxidant for your skin as well and can be used in place of lotion or even lip balm. Women can use it to remove eye makeup and men can use it in place of shaving cream. Using coconut oil on your face may even help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Since it is completely natural and chemical-free, it is ideal for people with sensitive skin.
Health benefits
Unlike many fats, coconut oil has been shown to actually slim people down when they consume it. The reason is that coconut oil actually boosts your metabolism and helps your body burn calories more efficiently. In addition, most other fats are stored by your body, while the fat in coconut oil is less likely to be stored and more likely to be burned for energy.
Other reported health benefits include:
- Faster cell regeneration
- Improved immune function
- Improved energy level
- Heart health advantages
- Improved thyroid function
- Stabilized blood sugar in diabetics
- Improved calcium and magnesium absorption, leading to better bone health
Thanks to the versatility of coconut oil, adding it to your shopping list might just save you money. However the financial benefits are just a bonus, on top of all the beneficial effects this super-food can have on your health.
More on coconut oil
Cuckoo for coconut oil
Coconut oil: 12 Inexpensive beauty products to make at home
Beauty DIY: Make a coconut oil hair mask
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So just how HOT is it? Apparently dashboard oven hot.
Click on link to watch video: Tennessee Woman Bakes Cookies In Car
I know that we have all heard the expression, “It is so HOT I can fry an egg outside.” Well to one Tennessee woman she literally took that expression and ran with it. All the way to her car to bake cookies that is. YES I said cookies. And YES I said in her car. Now call me crazy but is this safe? In my eyes the Chef this just breaks all the health code violations. I can see if you were doing a science project of some sort but she was making these cookies as a delicious treat and took the liberty of eating one on TV. True her car probably smelt good after it was all said and done but No Thanks! I would rather bake mine in the kitchen.
The Impromptu “Stay-In” Date Night
You see I am a well thought out person. I love to plan and to have every little detail organized. But tonight it didn’t happen that way. For starters I was drained. I felt as if I was hit with a Mack truck or had a serious case of jet lag. So in true lazy fashion I talked myself out of cooking dinner and opt’d for the good ole take out. Asking my husband gingerly, “Sweetie you want pizza tonight?” His reply was “YES!” of course. Like I knew it would be because this house LOVES pizza. So now the un-plan was in motion. We ordered the pizza & made a salad while we wait. Once the pizza arrived we fixed our plates and sat down to a very nice dinner. Afterwards we cleaned the kitchen and settled in to watch a movie that I had pre-recorded on the DVR. And you want to know the best part of it all, Sweetie stayed awake. Usually he tends to get the i-tis and I have to stop it and plan to watch it at a later time. But NOPE not today. We watch the complete movie in its entirety. This was a great impromptu “Stay-In” date night. And to think it wasn’t even planned. It’s times we share like this that are just Priceless. Just simply Priceless.
“I have found the one whom my soul LOVES …” Song of Solomon 3:4
Looking Back
READ: Genesis 48:8-16
God . . . has fed me all my life long to this day. —Genesis 48:15
George Matheson, best known for the hymn, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” wrote another song titled “Ignored Blessings,” in which he looks back to “the road gone by.” It was by looking back he could see that his heavenly Father had led him all the way.
God has an itinerary for each of us, a “course” that we must run (see Acts 20:24 and 2 Tim. 4:7). Our route is charted in the councils of heaven and rooted in the sovereign purposes of God.
Yet our choices are not irrelevant. We make decisions every day, large and small, some of which have life-altering consequences. The question—aside from the confounding mystery of God’s sovereignty and human choice—is this: How can we discern the course to be run?
The answer is clearer to me now that I’m older and have more of the past to look back on. By looking back, I see that God has led me all the way. I can truthfully say, “God has been my shepherd all my life to this day” (Gen. 48:15 NIV). Though clouds surround the present and I do not know what the future may hold, I have the assurance that the Shepherd will show me the way. My task is to follow Him in love and obedience, and trust each step to Him. —David Roper
O Father of light and leading,
From the top of each rising hill
Let me cast my eye on the road gone by
To mark the steps of Thy will. —Matheson
We can trust our all-knowing God for the unknown future.
Copyright © 2012, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA. – To read more stories of Our Daily Bread visit www.odb.org.
Key Lime Cake
Being that I live in the land where Key Lime Pie is the official state pie I am a happy camper. It is my favorite pie after all. I mean they have Key Lime everything here. Key Lime Popsicles, Key Lime Ice Cream, Key Lime Cookies, Key Lime Cheesecake,Key Lime Pie On A Stick dipped in chocolate. If it’s Key Lime they have it. So last year my husband said he wanted a Key Lime Cake for his birthday. I was like REALLY! A KEY LIME CAKE. So to not disappoint my Sweetie I began my quest to find a baker that made this specialty. And as the saying goes, “As easy as pie” I found one. So his birthday came and we got the cake. Let me just say the cake left a lot to be desired and I should have went with the idea of baking it myself. So out of total disappointment the Chef in me kicked in and I decided to Google for recipes. I thought the search was going to be hard but to my surprise there were loads of recipes for Key Lime Cake. I picked one out that I really loved and decided to give it a try. Boy am I glad that I did. This cake is moist and sweet and tart all rolled up in a pretty bright green package. Warning: Pucker Up! This cake has a real citrus kick.
INGREDIENTS
CAKE
1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
3/4 cup orange juice
GLAZE
1/2 cup key lime juice
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
FROSTING
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine cake mix, gelatin mix, oil, eggs and orange juice. Pour into three 8 inch cake pans. Bake according to instructions on box. While the cake is still hot, mix the key lime juice and confectioners’ sugar together. Pierce the cakes with a fork and pour the glaze all over the cakes on the cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool completely, then frost.
To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and confectioners sugar. Mix well and spread over cooled cakes. Eat & Enjoy.
* CHEF’S TIP: If you do not have Real Key Limes or Real Key Lime Juice in your area just substitute it for Regular Lime juice. Happy Baking!
Strawberry Shortcake
I myself have never been a big fruity type pie person. However I do like them, I just don’t LOVE them like I LOVE chocolate. So when I was shopping in the market one day I was at a lost at what dessert I was going to fix for Sunday dinner. I wanted and craved something different. Something more than the ordinary. So I left the store and went home and Google away until I came upon a recipe I was intrigued by. It was something simple but yet classic. The good ole Strawberry Shortcake. This was perfect because strawberries were in season and I knew that this was going to be a good change. Besides any recipe that has cream cheese and powdered sugar in it has to be good. With a little re-mixing I made this recipe a true Porter House Original. Try it today, You’ll be glad that you did.
INGREDIENTS
Yellow Cake Mix
Eggs
Buttermilk
Oil or Butter (Depends on Cake Mix)
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
8 oz. Cream Cheese (soften)
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1 container of Strawberries
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Mix the first five ingredients and bake cake according to box instructions (Note: I use a 9 x 13 pan)
2. Let cake cool completely … While the cake is cooling make the topping …
3. Blend soften cream cheese with powdered sugar … After the cream cheese/sugar is combined; Fold in cool whip … After everything is combined frost mixture on cooled cake ..
4. Next step is to wash & cut strawberries … Sprinkle evenly over entire cake …
5. Eat and enjoy … refrigerate any leftovers ..
*CHEF’S TIP : If strawberries are not your thing (BYOC – Be Your Own Chef) and use whatever fruit you like. Happy Baking!
Patriotic Strawberries
Patriotic Strawberries
Ingredients
1 pint fresh strawberries (approx 12 oz)
4-oz white chocolate
Blue sanding sugar or sprinkles
Instructions
1. Line a baking sheet or cutting board with wax paper or parchment paper.
2. Chop up the chocolate roughly with a knife if it is in block form. In a medium-sized, microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Heat it in 45 or 60-second intervals, stirring between each time to ensure that the chocolate is melting evenly and not burning. Meanwhile, place blue sanding sugar into a small bowl and set it aside.
When chocolate is smooth, dip the berries 3/4 of the way into the chocolate, dip the tips into the blue sprinkles, and place on wax paper.
3. Berries can set at room temperature if you live somewhere cool, otherwise refrigerate them until ready to serve to allow the chocolate to set up.
*Chef’s Tip: Store the berries in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them, as white chocolate is a little more heat-sensitive than other chocolates. The berries are best eaten within a day or two of being made.
Source: www.BakingBites.com
The Gift Of Today
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NIV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Osteen
Sometimes, our days can be so full and busy that we forget how precious and fragile our time on earth really is. It can be so easy to allow little things to creep in and steal our peace and joy. Maybe something didn’t go your way, or someone said something upsetting. Even traffic can cause us to get our focus off if we let it. But, we have to remember that each day is a gift. If we choose to focus on what’s wrong, we’ll miss out on the beauty that each day has to offer.
I encourage you today; don’t let the precious moments of life pass you by. Don’t wait for holidays and birthdays to show people that you care. Remember, each day is unique and irreplaceable, a gift from heaven above. You have been given time that can be invested or wasted; hours that can be used or misused. That’s why the psalmist prayed to God, “Teach us to number our days.” He was saying, “Teach us to value every moment we’ve been given so we can live a life pleasing to You.”
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of today. I choose to focus on the blessing of each moment instead of allowing the little things to steal my joy. Keep me close to You always as I submit every area of my heart and mind to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen
© 2012 Joel Osteen Ministries
I Am Lady Fab 