Heather's Apple-Zucchini Muffins

The first time I heard about this kind of muffins was on Heather's blog. So I thought I'd give her recipe a try and see what happens. Well..here they are and , beleive me they are delicious! Please be lenient, that was the first time I've ever baked apple-zucchini muffins but they are soooo tasty! Here's Heather's recipe:

Apple Zucchini MuffinsAdapted from Easy Gluten Free Baking from Elizabeth Barbone1 cup white rice flour1/2 cup of sweet rice flour1/4 of cornstarch1 tablespoon of baking powder* Please note that if you are using a mix, or if you are making these using regular flour, this is where you will pick up from 6 Tbs butter (vegan works fine with this recipe) 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup of applesauce, OR 1 egg 3/4 cup of milk (almond, coconut or rice can be substituted) If you are using large fruit like cranberries, blueberries or raspberries, you will use 3/4 cupIf using grated veggies or fruit like apple or zucchini, you will use 1 to 1/2 cups.For the apple zucchini muffins I added in 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmegPreheat over to 350Whisk together dry ingredientsIn a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar for one minuteAdd egg or applesauceBlend wellAdd half of the dry ingredients and mix until dough formsAdd milkAdd spices of choiceIn a small bowl, coat fruit with the cornstarch and fold into batter along with 1/2 cup of oats if desiredSpoon batter into muffin tins and either freeze or bake for 15-20 minutesFor frozen muffins, the cooking time may be a bit longerRemove and cool.

Future Perfect

Our vision for the future might hold one of these two possibilities. We could be dreaming about some enjoyment that hopefully lies ahead, or worried about some looming hardship. Often the enjoyment in our lives is put on hold, we just need more time and money. We just have to work a little harder. Too many things can go wrong with this and we may not be able to do it later for various reasons. If we put off our enjoyment of life until later, it may take longer than we think, or it may never happen the way that we envisioned it.

We should not throw away our precious todays in anticipation of good times, not when we can have days of enjoyment and satisfaction now. Perhaps it's time for an examination of our style of life and our wants and needs, now and for the future. It is good to imagine a happy future and make plans for it but we should not put off the happiness we can have today. So why not live each day as if the future plans may not materialise.

"We are never living, but only hoping to live; and, looking forward always to being happy, it is inevitable that we never are so." - Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Worrying over something that is going to happen will make our lives stressful and less happy. After examining an upcoming difficult or seemingly disastrous situation, if there is something that can be done to improve on it, do it. If not, and the event cannot or should not be avoided, then accept the fact and start thinking about something else. Worrying about it will not only be a total waste of time but it will increase anxiety, and things will seem even worse than they really are. "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." Buddha (BC)

I believe that we are the architects of our own future.You have the choice to choose your career, the country you live in, the friends you hang out with, how you go through life (half empty or half full), even the food you eat tonight and the music you listen to. I know that is not entirely true because there are people who do not have these choices, but in my opinion, as long as you have your health and your freedom, then you have all these choices available to you, even if it requires some time and work to get the means to be able to make the choice . Every choice you make right now has an impact on your future and the future of many others. Whether you want to accept this or not, it is true.

The thing with choices is that you will never know if a choice leads to success or failure until after the time. Even if the choice has the best chance of future success (like going to college to get a degree), success is not guaranteed. There is no sense in worrying about the outcome of a choice. Once you are able to accept this, then you are more free to make a choice and have the attitude of “I made this choice, and I am going to do everything as best as I can, and things will turn out the way they do”But…if you don’t know what you want, where your passions lie, then how can you make the right choices for yourself?

We all aspire to a happier life and certainly a happier future. To achieve this, we need to think positive, make choices and sometimes take risks.

Modern Technology

Technology has always been an important part of life since the 19th century industrial revolution. Through the years these advances grew until we got to the most important piece of technology in today's society, the computer. Computers are present in every area of our lives. They help save lives in the medical field, they have connected the world turning it into a global village.Our economy depends on computers, cash registers, banks, the stock market. These are things that people in the past could not even dream of. Five years ago, I couldn't even imagine using my mobile phone like a computer or having an ipod instead of a walkman or having an interactive whiteboard in my classroom! The advances of modern technology have definitely transformed my life a lot, mostly in a positive way. To what extent has modern technology affected your lives in , let's say the last 10 years?