Monday, October 12, 2015

Fresh Fruit with Mascarpone Cheese


I have tried something similar this week-end and I really liked the idea of this paleo sweet recipe, especially for kids and parties. The original recipe had whipped cream, but since it is so hard to find a "clean" variety I decided to replace it with cheese.

Ingredients:
3 pears, cut into bite sizes
1 apple, cut into bite sizes
1/2 cup raisins
1 container with mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (or raw honey)

Directions:
Mix the sugar with the cheese together in a small blender. Set aside for a minute. In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients until all fruit is well covered in cheese mix. Serve.

Note: One can change the ingredients to cranberries instead of raisins and add coconut flakes. The desert can stay in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Other possible ingredients are grapes, cinnamon powder (for decoration) and vanilla.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Romania's children are the happiest in the world

... în România pentru copiii de la şcoala generală din Micherechi


We like to think our children are the happiest they can be, but are they the happiest in the world?
New research completed by Goethe University surveyed 53,000 children between the ages of 10 and 12 to see just how happy they were.
15 countries took part in the survey... and the UK didn't come out on top. Romania did.
The top spot was shortly followed by cheerful kids in Colombia, Israel third and Algeria fourth. The UK came in second from last.
The report surveyed children on their home and family life, money and possessions, friends and relationships, school, their local area and their own self.
Children were given questionnaires and were also asked about psychological wellbeing as well as overall satisfaction.

The researchers concluded overall that generally children were more satisfied with their family and friendships than with other aspects of their lives such as school and their local area.
There were variations between countries. In the three African countries surveyed, school was more prominent among the aspects that children were most satisfied with.
Differences between girls and boys were looked at, and while girls tended to be more positive about their school lives, boys placed more happiness on playing sport and exercising.
The most notable differences in gender were revealed in the children's answers to questions about their view of themselves. In five European countries and South Korea, girls were significantly less satisfied with their appearance and body than boys.
So from happiest to children to least happy children, here are how the countries ranked.
1. Romania
2. Colombia
3. Israel
4. Algeria
5. Turkey
6. Norway
7. Estonia
8. Spain
9. Germany
10. Ethiopia
11. South Africa
12. Nepal
13. Poland
14. United Kingdom
15. South Korea

Monday, October 5, 2015