Christmas in Germany: German holiday traditions, recipes, food, crafts, games, devotions

 Looking for Christmas around the world activities? How about a global hop to Christmas in Germany? Here are German holiday activities. First a little history on Germany. Ancient Germans were druids that worshiped nature. They celebrated Winter Solstice or Saturnalia from which come many Christmas traditions.Then warring Saxon, Hunnic and Teutonic tribes brought their gods of Valhalla. From them come week day names--Thursday (Thor), Friday from his vengeful wife Freya and Wednesday from brother Woden (also known as Loki the trickster). They worshiped the sacred oak, which became a deity because it was so large. Christmas in Germany: German holiday traditions, food, fun to scare off Krampus! | Examiner.com

Christmas diet tips: Holiday recipes to curb sugar cravings, tame sweet tooth

Parents, are you and/or your children trying to lose weight? The holidays are the hardest time, aren't they? Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cookies, holiday baked goods and desserts, Hanukkah treats, Three King Cake--from Halloween to Epiphany, the Christmas season equals sweets. And it's so hard on the poor kids--so many goodies, so little time! So here are Christmas diet tips to curb sugar cravings and holiday recipes for sweet tooth tamers.  Christmas diet tips: Holiday recipes to curb sugar cravings, tame sweet tooth | Examiner.com

Ketogenic diet: High-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet aids fat burn, weight loss

Originally. the ketogenic diet was used only to treat epilepsy. Now, thanks to advocacy from celebrities who've had surprisingly high weight loss with it, the ketogenic diet is in vogue. Medical experts are finding the ketogenic diet--which is essentially a high fat, high-protein, low carb diet--burns fat and aids weight loss. And not just a little weight loss. Results from the ketogenic diet have been dramatic. Following a keto diet is part of how I lost 100 pounds without weight loss surgery or drugs. 

 Some experts question whether ketosis is dangerous for the body. But it may actually be healthy. What's ketosis? It just means the body no longer gets many carbs and so doesn't depend on carbohydrates for energy. Needing fuel to burn, the body seeks out deep tissue fat that is buried in cells, around internal organs and in the belly, thighs, buttocks, hips and under the arms. With 2/3 of the U.S. overweight and 35-percent obese, maybe it's time to rethink some of these less traditional diets, medical advisers say. 

How is weight loss achieved eating a high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet? Well, first of all it forces the body to seek out stored fat for fuel.. This burns fat stuck in fat-prone places. Further, a high-protein diet curbs hunger, fills you up faster and keeps you full longer. Carbohydrates burn off very rapidly and you feel hungry more quickly. And as any dieter will tell you, feeling constantly hungry is the worst part of dieting. Curbing hunger and cravings was how I lost 100 pounds. 

Diets that provide too little nutrients--the fad and crash diets--crash because people can't exist in constant hunger and will eat if food is available. Also, and perhaps most important, interesting and ironic of all: good high-fat diets burn fat in the body. Eating good fats--MUFAS (monounsaturated fatty acids), MCAs (medium chain triglycerides) and essential omega oils, also called CLA, GLA and ALA (conjugated linolenic acids, gamma linolenic acids and alpha linolenic acids)--all aid in breaking down bad fat stored from over consumption of carbohydrates, sugar, saturated fats and transfats. 

The ketogenic high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet reduces lipogenesis (manufacture of fat) and increases lipolysis (fat burning). It also increases gluconeogenesis ( manufacture of blood sugar which has a thermic effect on proteins). The ketogenic diet isn't just a fad celebrity diet, experts are finding. And, though concerns about its safety have been raised, it's actually one of the most researched meals plans for safe and rapid weight loss. The ketogenic diet aids in prevention and treatment of MS, seizures, Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease and even some types of cancers. Doctors recommend that because the ketogenic diet is so specific, it achieves best weight loss under medical supervision. That may be even more true for obese, severely obese and morbidly obese patients. It's a whole new way of eating, that's for sure. Some ketogenic high-protein, high-fat, low-carb foods are: fish, nuts, Greek yogurt, avocados, coconut oil, almonds, nuts, seeds, flax seed, chia seeds and zucchini. High-fat, fiber-rich foods, like nuts and seeds, also help flush fat 

Mediterranean diet stops Alzheimer's: Brain food swaps slow aging, lose weight | Examiner.com

Did you know eating a Mediterranean diet stops Alzheimer's disease and brain shrinkage? The Los Angeles Time reported on Oct. 21 that the brain shrinks in old age (that's why the elderly slow down and suffer memory loss associated with Alzheimer's). But happily, you can slow aging by eating more fish, less meat and other brain food swaps on the Mediterranean diet. Following the Mediterranean diet helps with weight loss, heart health and a bunch of other condition, too. Here are more brain food swaps to slow aging, lose weight and improve health.  Mediterranean diet stops Alzheimer's: Brain food swaps slow aging, lose weight 

A-Z fiber fatty acids food swaps: Cleanse, burn fat, reverse Type 2 diabetes

A study for the University of Finland links obesity to Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (also called insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome). The study says Type 2 diabetes is reversible with diet. I'm proof of that. After I lost 100 pounds, dropped 10 sizes and got my BMI to normal, I also lost pre-diabetes.   A-Z fiber fatty acids food swaps: Cleanse, burn fat, reverse Type 2 diabetes | Examiner.com

Coffee recipes, iced coffee, coffee cake recipes for National Coffee Day

Cafe Ole! Java junkies rejoice because September 29 is your holy day of obligation! Here are coffee recipes for iced coffee, coffee cake and caffeinated treats for National Coffee Day! CNN Money reported that some coffee shops are giving free coffee and even coffee trees! Snag yours from this list of free coffee venues. Enjoy with these recipes! Dieters, you're going to love this: because coffee is high in caffeine it boosts metabolism. That means it burns fat and helps you lose weight. So coffee mugs aloft and say "fill 'er up, please!" Low calorie options are listed for the sweet java treats. Grind your own beans and use two filters for auto drip coffeemakers, to get a better cup 'o joe!

Iced Java-mocha Coffee: In a personal blender, add cold, fresh-brewed Sumatra or espresso coffee. Add Hershey's chocolate syrup (sugarfree for dieters), vanilla ice cream, (or vanilla almond or cashew milk for dieters), non-dairy French vanilla creamer and ice. Blend till smooth and serve with whipped topping and shaved dark chocolate. Make the same drink warmed without ice for chilly fall mornings. This drink goes well with savory snacks. To make alcoholic java-mocha iced coffee, add a shot of Creme de Cacao and a shot of Kahlua in place of creamer.

Toffee Coffee Cake: So who has time to bake on a busy back-to-school September morn? So cheat and use a boxed cake mix: French vanilla works best. Spray two round pans with non-stick coating. Blend butter, sugar, chopped pecans and butterscotch chips. Spread in pan bottom. Make cake according to directions, but substitute cold coffee for water. Split mix in half between two cake pans and bake. Spread one with caramel coconut pecan frosting. Invert the other cake over frosting side so bottom topping is on top. Frost sides of desired, or puff with powdered sugar.

Apple spice coffee cake: For lighter cake, use a spice cake mix. Use coffee for water. Swap Splenda for sugar, flaxseed for eggs and applesauce for oil. Make crumb base by trading butterscotch chips for apple slices and blend with cinnamon, Splenda and walnuts. Substitute that for caramel frosting.

Triple Coffee-Chocolate cake with Coco-Mocha Coffee Fudge Frosting: Choose a dark chocolate cake mix and make with strong, black cold coffee instead of water. Add dark chocolate chips when cake is partially baked. Blend butter, powdered sugar, dark chocolate cocoa powder, vanilla, salt and warm to tepid black coffee. Blend till smooth. Bake cake for one-third of the time. Remove from oven and add dark chocolate chips. Divide frosting in half. With a frosting bag, "pipe" ribbons of fudge frosting through cake mix and finish baking. Frost with remaining frosting. Serve with coffee ice cream, topping, and hot coffee!

Fun coffee add-ins: When you brew coffee, add to grounds basket one of these add-ins: ground cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa, nutmeg, allspice or pure vanilla. Sweeten coffee with caramel, chocolate or maple syrup. For creamer, use any flavored variety, almond milk, coconut or cashew milk. For bacon coffee, add fresh cooked, chopped bacon and a little bacon grease. Sweeten with maple syrup. 

Healthy breakfast recipes, quick school breakfasts for Better Breakfast Month - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

September is Better Breakfast Month. It's also the traditional back-to-school month. Here are healthy breakfast recipes and quick, easy school breakfasts even young kids can make. These breakfasts are low sugar, high fiber and full of protein and good, healthy fats. Many recipes are gluten free or low-glycemic, too.   Healthy breakfast recipes, quick school breakfasts for Better Breakfast Month - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

Peachy-keen recipes for National Peach Month: Nectarine desserts, peach recipes

August is National Peach Month. If you crave summer peach goodness, here are peachy-keen recipes and nectarine desserts to celebrate! These peach recipes are light, healthy and deliciously, decadently diet! These recipes take you from beverage to appetizer to dessert!Peachy-keen recipes for National Peach Month: Nectarine desserts, peach recipes - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

 

Red white and blue desserts, flag cake, patriotic party foods for July 4

 Looking for fun red white and blue desserts and patriotic party foods for 4th of July? Here are recipes for flag cake, RWB party foods and snacks and kid-friendly Independence Day snacks. Red white and blue desserts, flag cake, patriotic party foods for Memorial Day - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

Graduation open house appetizer recipes: Easy, cheap open house hors d'oeurves

Oh, oh! You put off planning that graduation open house until the last minute. Here 25-plus graduation open house appetizer recipes. Use these easy cheap open house hors d'oeuvres and finger foods for weddings, bridal showers, first Communion receptions and other open houses. Don't feel the need to make a full meal. Appetizers, snacks and finger food are much easier and cheaper than full buffets. 

Fresh Fruit Kebabs: Make ahead or let guests DIY. Set out a fruit tray with kebab spears, toothpicks or plastic restaurant cocktail swords. Use a variety of color: green grapes, yellow pineapple chunks, strawberries, blueberries, canned mandarin orange segments. Guest DIY fruit kebabs mean less waste of fruit and saves you work. 

Holiday Hedgehogs. These were a Christmas appetizer staple in the UK and I think they're adorable. You cover a potato in foil and poke appetizers on toothpicks to make the quills. YouTube channel "Dear Old Blighty" shows lots of creativity in making the eyes, nose and mouths. Personal favorite is a pear for the body with a cranberry stick on the stem for the nose. I'd probably use raisins or sliced olives for eyes. Put anything you like on toothpick appetizers. A suggestion would be to go with school colors or a rainbow, with pineapple cubes, mandarin orange slices or cheese, watermelon cubes, green grapes and blueberries. I guess cocktail wieners and cheese were popular too.  I would give the hedgehog a tiny scarf with school colors too! 

Savory hors d'oeuvres: Make a variety of colorful appetizers; here are several popular kinds.

--Spread cream cheese on both sweet and dill pickles. Wrap each pickle in a slice of lunch meat (ham or turkey breast). Slice width-wise.

--Place potato salad in a line along the middle of a slice of luncheon meat. Form meat into a roll. Secure with toothpick. 

--Checkerboard finger sandwiches: Make triple-layer sandwiches of white, wheat and dark pumpernickel bread. Spread filling of choice (see suggestions below) on two slices of bread. (none on outside). Slice sandwich into 1/2 inch sandwich strips. Arrange on platter with alternating colors. Garnish with olives and grape tomato. 

Finger sandwich fillings: 

--cream cheese and jelly

--egg salad and green pepper

--cream cheese and cucumber 

--cream cheese and ham

--cream cheese and tomato

--roast beef, Swiss cheese and spicy brown mustard

--turkey, avocado

--ham and cranberry sauce

--PBJ

 Very veggie tray: set out an assortment of sliced and chopped cucumbers, colored peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, raw green beans, zucchini, summer squash, green onions, carrots and celery. Place salad dressings out for dip. 

"Sushi" sandwiches: Take one slice of deli cheese and one slice of deli meat. Roll them together around a green scallion and cucumber spear and cover with cream cheese. Roll in crushed walnuts and parsley. Slice in rolls.

Pretzel dogs: Spread cream cheese on half of long pretzel rod. Dip in honey mustard. Wrap some with meat and some with cheese. Place in a bowl and guests can grab and munch. 

Pinwheels rollups: Spread spinach or red pepper tortilla with cream cheese, spicy brown mustard or wasabi. Layer two large romaine lettuce leaves, several slices of deli cheese and tomato. Roll tortilla into tight log. Seal opening with cream cheese. Place seam side down and slice into pinwheels. 

Frosted sandwiches: Layer six slices of bread with alternating fillings. Frost with cream cheese colored in school colore, over outside of sandwich stack. Slice vertically through layers and then cut each piece into finger sized pieces. Filing suggestions: egg salad and tuna salad. Ham sandwich spread and chicken salad. Deli ham and deli cheese. 

Serve with iced sun tea and lemonade garnished with raspberries. Just a bit of trivia: I found some of these recipes in my mother's Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, circa 1971. I will spare you the recipes for tomato aspic and molded salads, though. 

Mexican recipes for Cinco de Mayo: Healthy, budget Latino party foods

Cinco de Mayo, May 5 celebrates the victory of Mexican army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It's not the Mexican Independence Day and not celebrated much in Mexico, but it's a favorite Hispanic American holiday. Here are Mexican recipes for Cinco de Mayo. Whip up these healthy, budget 4-ingredient, Latino-inspired foods to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. These Mexican dishes serve hungry folks economically.Mexican recipes for Cinco de Mayo: Healthy, budget Latino party foods - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

 

Egg recipes to use up leftover Easter eggs: Raw and hard-boiled egg recipes

With the Easter holiday blowout over, are you are stuck with several dozen Easter eggs threatening to go bad? Whether raw or hard-cooked, eggs spoil fast. Here are healthy recipes to use up leftover Easter eggs. These recipes cover hard-boiled and raw eggs. Note: don't use eat hard-boiled eggs that sit at room temperature longer than three hours. Throw them out. Even cooked, unrefrigerated eggs cause illness.  

Raw Easter egg use-up recipes.

Easter Brunch Frittata or Omelet: Click here for my gluten-free quiche, frittata and omelet recipes. I've got a lot of helpful vegetarian and glute-free tips. 

Easter Brunch French Toast: This is a great leftover stale bread use-up recipe too. You can use any kind of sweet bread or regular. Whip eggs until smooth and add a little milk, about one per two slices of bread. Blend in one teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Melt ghee or butter in frying pan. Dip bread into egg mixture. Fry on both sides until browned but still tender and moist. Top with cream cheese and fresh or frozen berries and powdered sugar or maple syrup.

Easter Eggy Bread. This is similar to French toast except that you will use regular or savory bread and substitute savory herbs like garlic, oregano, dill, sage and/ore rosemary. Dip bread slices in whipped eggs and milk. Fry in ghee or bacon grease. Top with cheese and melt a bit. Make an Eggy Bread sandwich with bacon, leftover ham or sausage. Add in vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, cilantro, onions if you like. Another great stale bread use-up recipe! 

Hard-boiled Easter egg use-up recipes.

Angel Eggs (otherwise known as deviled eggs and renamed by my children): Peel and rinse eggs. Using a sharp knife slice eggs lengthwise and remove yolk (egg pits, my son Jake called them). Mash yolk, mayonnaise, dill pickle relish and mustard into a smooth paste. Using a melon baller or small scoop, fill egg whites. Garnish with dill and paprika. These make tasty, keto diet high-protein snacks!

Power Tuna Salad; Cook, drain and chill Barilla Protein Plus noodles, any shape. Add avocado mayonnaise (or just avocado), diced hard boiled eggs, finely diced onion and celery, canned tuna, celery salt, pepper, and dill weed. Blend and top with sliced hard cooked eggs, fresh cilantro and smoked paprika. These diet food swaps are high in protein and complex carbs, low in fat and sugar. 

Shrimp Divine: This was my Grandmother's recipe. I don't know where she found it but it was served

at family get-togethers when I was a child. I developed a craving for it. Blend in saucepan over low

heat: 2 jars Kraft Old English cheese spread (in tiny jars in the refrigerated section), one can diced

tomatoes, 1 # 50/60 count or salad shrimp, 4 diced hard-cooked eggs, dash of Worcestershire sauce.

When heated and cooked, pour over rice or chow mien noodles. 

Easter Bunny crafts, edible Easter bunny recipes: homemade rabbit-themed treats

Spring is in the air! Time for Easter bunny, baskets, candy, baby animals and best of all, bunnies! Did I mention bunnies? If you're looking for cute edible Easter bunny crafts to make? Here are three easy, edible, eco-friendly and uber-cute Easter bunny craft projects for ages 2 to 102  Easter Bunny crafts, edible Easter bunny recipes: homemade rabbit-themed treats

Pizza recipes to teach math lessons teach geometry, fractions, decimals, percents for Pi Day - Grand Rapids Holidays | Examiner.com

March 14 is Pi Day. It's not a spelling error for pie day. Pi is a Greek term denoting the mathematical portion 3.14 (or 22/7 in fraction form) used in geometry. That's why it's celebrated on 3/14. And Pi Day 2015 has math nerds especially geeked because it's pi to the 4th place value: 3.1415, reported WBEZ on March 13. Pi Day celebrates geometry and math. Take a bite out of math anxiety with these hands-on pizza "pie" math lessons for Pi Day.  Pizza pie math lessons teach geometry, fractions, decimals, percents for Pi Day

Fat burning oatmeal cleanse recipe, superfood antioxidants melt pounds

Was that New Year's resolution to lose weight? How's that going? Are you still following that diet or did your good intentions go out with the Christmas tree? What you need is a fresh start. Here's a yummy diet oatmeal cleanse recipe that features low calorie, lowfat, omega fatty acids, fat-burning foods, high protein, high fiber, superfood antioxidant goodness. Whew! One little meal sure accomplishes a lot! Purge those post-holiday pounds. I've lost over 100 pounds and I eat this daily. It's packed with protein to keep you going, plus it's super-fast to make in the microwave.  Fat burning oatmeal cleanse recipe, superfood antioxidants melt pounds