Grenadilla – the “Sugar Fruit”

While most of us are familiar with the Australian and African native Passion fruit, its South American cousin Sweet Grenadilla is not a typical addition to the average person’s fruit bowl. Passion fruit is commonly recognized by its bright yellow and wrinkly skin and grows as large as a grapefruit.

In contrast, the Grenadilla’s outer shell is hard, shiny, and orange and typically remains the size of a plum. Inside the outer shell is a soft white padding that protects the seeds, which are black and surrounded by a transparent pulp.

Both the jelly-like pulp and seeds are edible and have a very sweet taste, which is what gave it the nickname “Sugar Fruit” among South Americans. When ripe, the outer shell is bright orange and remains firm and you can store the fruit at room temperature for about one week.

The main nutrients found in Grenadilla are: Calcium, Fiber, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Vitamin A, C and K. The fruit is highly recommended for pregnant women as it facilitates the production of maternal milk. Since the fruit is low in calories and high in fiber, it is a great healthy alternative for making desserts.

Grenadilla can be eaten straight from the fruit, as a topping for yogurt and ice cream, as a filling in pies and for making marmalade and jellies. It is very versatile and the flavor compliments many different dishes. The juice is very light and is even the first fruit juice given to infants after milk (about an ounce around mid-morning). To make juice place the pulp into a sieve and press down with a spoon to release the juice concentrated around the seeds.

Carambola – Star Fruit

Named for its unique shape, Star Fruit has become an increasingly popular import to North America. Star fruit starts green and then ripens to a bright yellow colour. They are ripe once there is either yellow-green or completely yellow with a tiniest bit of brown on the points of the star. If they are fully yellow and have brown spots, then they are overripe and may be blander in taste and somewhat soggy in texture.

A ripe starfruit will be similar in texture to a grape with a high water/juice content. The riper the starfruit, the sweeter the flavour. A ripe starfruit picked straight from the tree has often been likened to pears for sugar content. Ripening the starfruit off of the tree cuts off their sugar absorption and gives them more of a tart, citrus flavour.

The entire starfruit is edible, including the waxy looking skin and the seeds. Most prefer to eat star fruit plain, but it also mixes well into both fruit and leafy green salads, as well as makes a great accompaniment for poultry or seafood dishes. Dirt does tend to hide in the crevices of the star shape, so make sure to wash it thoroughly before slicing and eating.

As a caution, the fruit does contain a neurotoxin that damaged kidneys are unable to filter, so those taking medication for their kidneys or who are undergoing dialysis should check with their physician before consuming the fruit.

Wind Turbines vs Hurricanes

 
Scientists have recently discovered an interesting fact about wind turbines. Not only can they create energy for us by harnessing the power of the wind, they also reduce wind speeds by up to 50%. Testing has shown that placing a large array of wind turbines along the most common paths of hurricanes would minimize damage by reducing both wind speeds and storm surges before they hit the coast.

Irish Potato Farls

In honour of St. Patrick's Day

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients

4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and halved

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon melted butter

Directions

In a pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer on medium-high heat until the center of the potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Drain, return potatoes to pot and allow to completely dry out over remaining heat. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. 

Place warm mashed potato in medium bowl. Stir in flour, salt and melted butter. Mix lightly until dough forms. 

On a well floured surface, knead the dough lightly. The dough will be sticky. Use a floured rolling pin to flatten into a 9 inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into quarters using a floured knife.  

Sprinkle a little flour into the base of the skillet and cook the farls for 3 minutes on each side or until evenly browned. Season with a little salt and serve straight away.

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, a healthy and sweet cookie treat.

Adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients



1/2 cup butter  
3/4 cup white sugar  
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda  
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup granola 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla, mix well, then stir in the shredded zucchini. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, stir into the zucchini mixture. Finally, stir in the oats, granola and chocolate chips. 

Drop dough from a teaspoon onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies will stay soft and moist because of the zucchini.

3 - Minute Green Smoothie

by Diana Cheng














INGREDIENTS
 

Banana              2 medium

Celery                  3 stalks

Strawberries      7 pieces

Water                  2 glasses

Ice                        5 cubes

DIRECTIONS
 

1. Put all washed ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Enjoy!

Here is a simple Green Smoothie recipe that is not even green!

The trick is to use Celery which is alkalizing and full of fibre. Even the pickiest child who hates anything that even looks remotely green will drink this one. It is creamy, sweet and very refreshing!

I have served this smoothie to over 60 kids at a kids’ camp and they all loved it! If you feel adventurous or enjoy fresh herbs, add a few sprigs of mint or basil for the extra flavour and potency.

What I Want Vs What I Really Want

Whatever goals you set for yourselves, you need to want it not just with your thoughts, but with your whole being. For example, say you consciously want to lose 20 lb; however, you subconsciously believe that changing your eating habits will ruin your happiness. Then you will be torn apart by this misalignment! In the end, your subconscious mind has the upper hand, as it controls 95% of human behaviour. This explains why only 8% of the people succeed in achieving their New Year Resolution.

As an Energy Healer, my goal is not only to resolve pain/illnesses, but also help people find their happiness. One tool I offer my clients is called the Happiness Session, which helps them synchronize what they want consciously with their whole being. This way, their subconscious mind is helping them achieve their goal rather than resisting it. While what brings Happiness is unique to each person, following are the most common areas that my clients have identified:

1. Spending time with friends and family (including pets)
2. Seeing loved ones happy
3. Health (Losing Weight, Eating Better, Exercising, Resolving Pain and Illnesses)
4. Meaningful connection with other people (and with God), such as helping those in need
5. Having fun (Travel, Hobbies, Sports, Nature)
6. Success

Interestingly, money has not been identified as a source of happiness for most; although it is recognized as a tool to achieving the other happiness areas.

When your happiness picture has conflicting items in it, it becomes very hard to achieve any of them. For example, you enjoy spending time with friends while having a big meal at your favourite restaurant, but you also want to lose weight. You end up either focussing on only one of the two, or struggling to keep both going. However, when your whole being is aligned with your happiness goals at the big picture level, you will find it natural and effortless to do both and you will come up with creative ways of achieving your goals that you never thought of before. In this example, my client found that by having 3-minute organic green smoothies during the day, she gets all her nutrition needs while at work and also finds that her appetite is well under control. Now at meal times, she does not feel like over-eating and she can enjoy going out with her friends without ordering a big unhealthy meal.

If you feel stuck in getting to what you want and enjoying everything that life has to offer, then why not find out what happiness means to you? After all, you are most creative when you are happy.

___________________________________________________

Diana is a Certified Quantum-Touch® Practitioner.  She uses energy healing to help people to "say good-bye to pain and say hello to happiness".  Her special interest is healing for head injuries.  She is currently documenting effectiveness of energy healing for people who have suffered concussion.  You can contact her at diana_cheng@telus.net, or visit her website at www.Good-Bye-pain.com