Sharing Recipes--Chocolate Chip Muffins

I found this old favourite as I was rummaging through my recipe books. These quick and easy-to-make muffins will delight everyone.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 cup chocolate chips

Procedure

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Grease the muffin tins with butter or margarine.
  

• Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

• Add the chocolate chips

• In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, and butter.

• Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture.

• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

If Students Wrote the Bible...

Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, He would have put it off until the night before and pull an all-nighter.

The Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning--cold.

The Ten Commandments would actually be only five--double-spaced and written in a large font.

To limit reselling, a new edition would be published every two years.

Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't cafeteria food.

Paul's letter to the Romans would become Paul's email to abuse@romans.gov.

Reason Cain killed Abel: they were roommates.

Reason why Moses and followers walked in the desert for 40 years: they didn't want to ask directions and look like freshmen.

Source: Inspirational Jokes

Keeping Your Identity

According to a recent edition of CAA Magazine, almost 1.7 million Canadians were victimized by identity theft in 2008.

The best defense against having your identity stolen is to be aware of the risks.

Consider the following tips:

• Limit the number of credit cards and personal identification documents that you carry.

• Do not let your cards out of your sight. If possible, avoid giving your credit card to restaurant servers or gas-station attendants.

• Make photocopies of any ID you carry and keep them at home.

• Protect your computer by using up-to-date software and check that your firewall is always on.

• Use a low-limit credit card for online purchases.

If you are a victim...

• Report your suspicions to www.phonebusters.com or call 1-888-495-8501.

• Notify your bank and contact Canada's two credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.
  

A Low Glycemic Diet

After hearing about Nia Vardalos' successful weight loss, I decided to learn more about low glycemic diets.

This diet has Canadian roots! Over 20 years, Dr. David Jenkins, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto developed the glycemic index. This index measures the speed at which carbohydrates break down in our digestive system and turn into glucose, the body's main source of energy.

A food that is digested and absorbed quickly has a high GI value. For example, a fast-food lunch of double cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke gives a short-term high, but we start feeling tired, sluggish, and hungry by mid-afternoon.

Low GI foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasta, beans and low-fat dairy products take longer to digest, deliver a steady supply of sugar to our bloodstream and leave us feeling fuller for a longer time. As a result, we consume less food and fewer calories, without going hungry.

In his book, The G.I. Clinic, Rick Gallop provides an easy-to-follow colour coded system. He has done all the calculations and measurements and sorted food according to the colours of the traffic light.

Red-Light Foods are to be avoided. With GI values greater than 70, they make it impossible to lose weight.

Yellow-Light Foods are mid-range GI foods that should be treated with caution. They should be avoided if you are trying to lose weight. If you have reached your ideal weight, you can occasionally indulge. They have GI values between 55 and 70.

Green-Light Foods are low GI, low in fat and lower in calories. With GI values less than 55, these are the foods that will allow you to lose weight.

Multitasking Or Not?

What is your definition of multitasking?

Many of us think it means bouncing from one project to another and doing three things at one time. What is really happening is that each time we start a new task, we stop the old one. We are not doing three things at one time; we are multifocusing. As we start and stop, we lose both focus and time.

Multifocusing our way through life ensures that we will always feel pressured and stressed. The work on each task is so fragmented that we lack the deep pleasure that comes with a job well done. We don't have the satisfaction of completing one task to help motivate us to do the next. And, the probability of errors will increase.

What should we be doing?

When something is important and deserves our full attention and concentration, we should put everything else aside and focus exclusively on it. For example, we should not be typing an important email while listening to an important phone call.

There are some tasks that require little concentration. And, in these cases, smart multitasking will save both time and energy. We can easily...

• Plan a grocery list while loading the dishwasher.
• Make a phone call while printing a report.
• Pay bills while doing the laundry.
• Exercise while listening to talking books.

A Bit of Humour

A man was driving down the street in a lather because he had an important meeting and couldn't find a parking space.

Looking up to heaven, he said, "Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking space, I promise to give up swearing and go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life.

Miraculously, a spot opened right in front of the building.

The man looked up and said, "Never mind. I found one."

Source: Readers' Digest, August 2009

Dieting on a Budget

I like to hear about successful weight loss stories, but I often shake my head when I learn that costly meal plans and/or intense exercise regimens are involved.

It was refreshing to read about Nia Vardalos' weight loss story. Nia gained international acclaim when her movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" became a hit. Since that time, she has has faced a number of personal and health challenges. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and her doctor informed her that she also had issues with blood sugar. He insisted that she lose weight.

Over the course of a year, Nia lost 40 pounds and got healthier following a sensible regimen.

• Stay away from diet foods, they are filled with salt and sugar.
  

• Eliminate all artificial sweeteners. Nia has her morning coffee with half and half and a teaspoon sugar.

• Do not use margarine; use small amounts of butter instead.
  

• Cut out diet sodas and all soft drinks.

• Keep a daily journal and log all your food intake.

• Eat low-glycemic foods and healthy snacks.

• Walk each day. Nia's main exercise was taking her dog Manny for long walks.

Source: Interview with Mary Shomon