Enjoy Easter Without Ruining Your Diet

Yes, those were the good old days when weight loss pills, crunch exercises and diet plans were unheard of. Nowadays, however, all these things and more are on your mind simply because you want to stay slim and stay healthy.

Well, why avoid chocolates on Easter when you can enjoy them and yet stay in shape? Just remember the following tips on eating chocolates on Easter and you should be alright. And it will be good for your health, too, thanks to the antioxidants present in pure chocolate.

Ask for Small Portions

This is akin to using a smaller plate to trick your mind into thinking that you have eaten big portions and, hence, you avoid overeating. This time, you should ask for your chocolate Easter egg to be in a smaller size, preferably the children's size. You will be tricking your mind into thinking that you have eaten one full-sized egg.

Skip the Egg

If you cannot get your hands on children-sized chocolate eggs, then just skip them altogether. Look through the other chocolate selections and take your pick of the least fattening. Give the chocolates away just so you can avoid the temptation to gorge later on.

Look for Fat-Free Fillings

If you still want your chocolate egg without feeling guilty about it, calorie-wise, then go for the ones with the fat-free fillings. For example, ask for chocolates with the jelly babies filling than more chocolate or more peanut butter. Since jelly babies are virtually fat-free, you can also avoid much of the dreaded extra calories.

Go Plain

Easter egg chocolates come in 2 varieties - the pure chocolate and the milk chocolate. Eat the pure chocolate because it contains more flavonoids, which are antioxidants that are good for your health. Plus, you will enjoy the more intense flavor of pure chocolate and then be encouraged to eat less of it.

Read the Labels

As many weight loss watchers know, it is calories that ultimately count in losing weight. Chocolates have very high calories - 50 grams has 265 calories depending on the ingredients - so reading the nutrition labels is a good idea. This is only true, of course, for chocolate eggs and confections that come from known chocolate manufacturers. If you have been given homemade chocolate goodies, then you can always make a guess using the 50 grams-265 calories as a general rule.

Break It Off

This is similar to asking for child-size portions, which is not possible in all instances. In this case, you can always just break off the chocolate bar or cut the chocolate egg in half. Then, you should place the rest inside the refrigerator for two purposes; it will be out of your reach and it will melt more slowly in your mouth the next time you eat it.

Easter is a time to enjoy chocolates! After all, when taken in moderate quantities, chocolate can be part of a healthy weight loss diet.

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You Can Make a Ukrainian Easter Egg!

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In order to make Ukrainian Easter eggs, do the following:

1. Select your egg. You do not want to cook it, and you want to make sure it is clean and blemish free. Blemishes will make it far more difficult to work with. In addition, you want to make sure that it sits out of the fridge long enough to reach room temperature.

2. Clean the egg, you want to use a water and vinegar solution to make sure your egg is nice and clean before you start working with it. Your design will turn out much better this way. You can also add a teaspoon of vinegar to the dye to make it brighter and show up better.

3. Find a design you like, and using a pencil, you want to draw on the egg lightly and put your design on. You can find designs online, in books, etc., or you can make it yourself. Penciling it in will help you as you get further into the dying process. You can use helpers to make lines straight, and the design perfect.

4. Prepare your kistka, or stylus by holding it over a flame or heating element, and then scoop up beeswax into it and melt it over the candle. This is what you are going to use to create your design. It will act as a wax pencil.

5. Dye your egg progressively from the lightest color to the darkest. Draw with your kistka and wax where you do not want dyed, and then, dip in the dye. The places where the wax is will not dye. Just remember to go lightest to darkest, or it won't work. It is helpful to prepare your dye in advance and set it out that way.

6. Add more wax, and progress to the next darkest color. Keep this up until you have dyed the egg every color you want, and have your design completely waxed over. Leave the egg in each color of dye for about 15 minutes. When you remove it from the dye, do so carefully so as not to smudge the wax. Pat off the dye to dry the egg after each time. By the time you are done, your egg should be fairly well covered in wax, and almost black in color.

7. Heat the wax that is all over your egg by using a hairdryer, or candle. Once it is hot enough, you can wipe it off with a tissue. This will reveal your beautiful design, and can be very surprising!

8. Let the egg dry, it is a lot better if this is done on a stand so that there is no smudging.

9. Go ahead and empty the egg by blowing it out, or using a syringe to suck it out. Just be careful that you do not ruin your egg after doing all of that hard work.

10. Enjoy your beautiful egg and design!

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Team Building Through Simple Games

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The success of any organization lies in the team effort that all the co- workers put in together. A particular goal can never be reached if the people working do not act and think as a unified whole. There can be hundreds of efficient men and women around, but if they are lacking in team spirit, then no goal can ever be achieved. Team effort, hence is the keyword to a successful venture. And that needs to be inculcated. It is done in schools, when the children and young and they have to be taught the importance of team work.

Mine Field: This one of the simplest and the most popular of team building games and can be played by children and adult alike, with the difficulty level rising up according to the age groups. Random objects are strewn around the floor and in other areas of the room. A particular team can have as less as two members, with one member trying to make his or her way across the room blindfolded, with the other member guiding from the sidelines with instructions. If the area is large enough then, two or three teams can compete simultaneously, or one team at a time with a referee keeping the time.

Quizzes, Riddles and Jigsaw Puzzles: They are oldest forms of team games. A huge jigsaw puzzle can be allotted to each team, and the team which completes the fastest gets the prize. Or quizzes on current topics and general knowledge can also be organized, which also provides an excellent opportunity for sharpening your intelligence. An interesting twist can be added in the form of riddles. Riddles are hard to solve and it would require a considerable amount of team effort, with each coming up with their own interpretations and coming up with clues.

Task Completion: For this kind of game, a certain amount of space us required. Objects can be hidden at random locations, like in the manner of an Easter egg hunt, only that each team will be provided with a list, and they only have to pick those items mentioned in the list. So the items can be located in tricky places, and the difficulty level can vary according to the age group or the number of members in a team.

Sometimes even corporate houses, when they are organizing parties and events, put games which require team effort, which provides entertainment, and at the same time, though unconsciously, tells the employees to work in a team.

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When is Easter?

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When is Easter and why does the date always change?

Do you need to know the date of Easter? For the next decade, Easter Sunday will be on the following days: -

04 April 2010
24 April 2011
08 April 2012
31 Mar 2013
20 April 2014
05 April 2015
27 Mar 2016
16 April 2017
01 April 2018
21 April 2019
12 April 2020

Unlike other holidays, Easter falls on a different date each year. It is determined by a traditiion to be the "first Sunday following the Full Moon after the Spring Equinox".

But why is this? The answer is that the date of Easter, as adopted by nearly all of the Western Churches, both Catholic and Protestant has its roots way back in the mists of time - and was borrowed from a pagan festival that had been celebrated for many centuries before the birth of Christ.

The date of Easter is actually determined by observations of the natural cycles of sun and moon. The ancient astronomers, recognizing the regular movements of these heavenly bodies and their effect on the seasons, incorporated these influences into a formula for fixing the date of the pagan Spring Fertility Festival. This important celebration was a feast day that was found more or less universally throughout the ancient world. The date of this event was of the utmost importance to agricultural societies, for it determined the onset of the spring planting season.

There are actually two equinox days in the solar year. Both the spring and autumn equinoxes have equal lengths of days and nights ( Equinox means equal night in Latin). The two equinoxes fall exactly half way between the shortest day of the year at mid-winter (the winter solstice) and the longest day at mid-summer (the summer solstice).

The spring equinox falls on March 20/21 every year, according to the standard (Gregorian) calendar, which itself is based on the yearly solar cycle. The Romans, together with other ancient races, defined the beginning of their year to be the date of the spring (vernal) equinox. However they used a lunar calendar of 28 days, based on the phases of the moon, for their dating. The first day would have been set to coincide with the first full moon, which was, therefore, a fixed date in their calendar. As the average length of a month in the present (sun based) calendar is longer than the lunar calendar month of 28 days, the two calendars are never in synch. Hence the varying date of Easter in our present calendar, which can move up to a maximum of 28 days after the date of the spring equinox on the 20/21st March.

So we see that elements of both the Sun and the Moon (Sol and Luna in Latin) are woven tightly together into the ancient tradition. This was emphasised by mythology where the Sun and Moon were often represented in the pantheon of Gods. The Equinox, itself, was determined by the supposed passage of the Sun God and the role of the balancing influence of the Moon was acknowledged by honoring her in her fullest aspect. The moon's cycle of 28 days was thought to govern the female menstrual cycle and thus had a strong link to fertility. Sunday was the obvious choice for the day of the festival because Sunday was always the day of the Sun in ancient times. Spring, being the time of rebirth and regeneration after the dead period of winter, was a happy and hopeful time, so a fertility celebration to honor their Gods in the hope of good harvests and bountiful livestock fertility in the coming months was most apt to peoples living in harmony with the earth in their primitive farming communities.

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Printable Easter Bingo Cards

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Easter is the Christian religious festival which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It should be noted that in the Christian context, the word "Easter" refers to the season of the Church year beginning on Easter day and lasting either 40 days until Ascension day (the traditional Easter season) or 50 days (modern Easter season).

The date of Easter day itself is calculated used a complex method involving cycles of the moon, and thus falls on different dates each year. This is because Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover festival, and the Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles. The actual date of Easter falls in March or April in Western Christian traditions, and in April or May according to Eastern Christian traditions.

Although still a religious holiday, today Easter is celebrated not only by Christians, but also as a secular holiday. Secular marking of the events may include the sending of greeting cards, the giving and consumption of sweets and candies (including chocolate eggs), and children painting eggs in bright colors. Furthermore, many countries have their own unique tradition associated with the holiday. For example, in the United States of America, eggs are delivered by the Easter bunny (a rabbit) who hides children when they are asleep, whereas in the United Kingdom, eggs are often exchanged as gifts between family members, and spicy buns marked with a cross ("hot cross buns") are eaten.

Easter is usually marked in schools, as well as by families and Christian groups. Apart from religious traditional activities, you can use the occasion as an opportunity to play educational games. These games can provide an opportunity for youngsters to discover the traditions of Easter, as well as providing a lot of fun for people of all age groups.

The ideal games are those which not only educational and fun, but easy to learn and play. One game that fits this model and is affordable too, is bingo. Nearly everyone already knows how to play the game, those few who don't can quickly learn, and it doesn't cost an arm and leg - as you can simply print, the bingo cards from your computer. Of course, if you're going to play bingo at Easter, you want the game to be themed for the occasion - by this I mean you want bingo cards printed with words or phrases relating to Easter rather than numbers - this is no problem however as the computer can print any type of custom bingo cards with equal ease.

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Host The Perfect Easter Brunch

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This sacred and joyous holiday for Christians throughout the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christians, especially those of Eastern and Orthodox faith, Easter is the most important holiday of the year, even over Christmas.

So before I give you the best tips and recipes for your perfect Easter brunch I wanted to share the history of the Easter bunny and where the idea of decorating Easter eggs came from.

It has been said that the colored eggs we decorate and hide in our Easter egg hunts came from Germany. Since the rabbits (a.k.a Easter bunny) and eggs were symbols of immortality, fertility and new life, the Germans used to leave the colored eggs in children's baskets. This custom was brought to America in the late 19th century by German immigrants.

Here are some great Easter decorating tips to get you started:

1. When you looking for Easter decorations keep in mind light pastel colors. These peaceful colors will set the mood for your party.

2. Decorate your home with pastel balloons, streamers and plastic eggs.

3. Don't forget to put out some Easter candy either in baskets or pastel color bowls for your company to snack on.

4. Make sure you tableware match in pastels.

5. Try to find some daffodils or tulips and use these as table decorations. Either tie a pastel-colored ribbon around each flower and place them on each guests plate or pot them and place down the center of each table.

6. For place cards, hard boil a bunch of eggs and decorate each one differently. Once the eggs are dry, use a permanent maker and carefully write each of your guests on a separate egg. That way you can place each egg inside a small basket and set on each plate to let your guests know where they are sitting.

Your Perfect Easter Brunch:

Traditional Easter meals can either have ham or lamb as a main dish. These days, many families favor the salty sweetness of ham. Most ham dishes served on this holiday are honey glazed with sides of candied yams, glazed veggies and potatoes.

Below I have found some great recipes that are easy to follow and absolutely perfect for your Easter brunch. And don't worry, if you are one of those families who prefer lamb over ham I have found some delicious recipes for you as well.

Let's start off with the main course:
Easter Ham

Ingredients

1-7 to 8 lb. fully cooked smoked ham shank
1 C. maple syrup
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. prepared mustard
whole cloves

Directions

Combine syrup, vinegar and mustard. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour about 1/2 C. mixture over ham and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with additional sauce. Remove ham from oven and score fat into diamond shapes. Insert a clove into each diamond. Bake ham an additional 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees. Let ham rest 15 minutes before carving.

Check out Recipe4Living.com for more ideas on Ham recipes for your Easter brunch. Just click on Holiday's on the left column and click on Easter.

Now for a Lamb Recipe:
Honey Glazed Lamb

Ingredients

1 C. Honey

1/2 C. Dry white wine

4 Tbs. Minced fresh mint

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 lbs. Boneless leg of lamb, (2 whole legs)

Directions

Combine honey, wine and mint; mix well. Season cut side of boned lamb with salt and pepper, then spread with honey mixture; roll and tie lamb. Brush outer surface with honey mixture. Roast on rack in shallow baking pan at 325 degrees F 1 to 1-1/2 hours or to 160 degrees F on meat thermometer for medium doneness. Baste every 15 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Check out http://www.Recipe4Living.com for more ideas on Lamb recipes for your Easter brunch. Just click on Holiday's on the left column and click on Easter.

Side dishes are a must and just as important as the main course.

Side Potatoes Dishes
Oven Roast Greek Potatoes

Ingredients

4-5 Medium Potatoes; Cubed

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Butter; Melted

1-2 Tbs. All Purpose Greek Seasoning

Dash Garlic Seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss potatoes with remaining ingredients. Bake in 9x13" casserole dish for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden.
Yield: 4 servings

Sides Asparagus Dishes
Oven Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes cut into chunks

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 tsp. dried rosemary

4 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 bunch fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large baking dish, toss the red potatoes with 1/2 the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and 1/2 the kosher salt. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix in the asparagus, remaining olive oil, and remaining salt. Cover, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil, and continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned. Season with pepper to serve.

Yield: 6 Servings.

Side Glazed Carrot Dishes
Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

6 C. carrots cut into 1" diagonal slices

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 C. orange juice

1/4 C. butter

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Cook carrots on stovetop in a small amount of salted water until tender, drain water. Combine orange juice, nutmeg, brown sugar, cornstarch, and mix until smooth. Pour over carrots and cook for several minutes until mixture thickens. Add butter and toss. Serve hot.

Bread/Rolls
Greek Easter Bread

Ingredients

1 pkg. Dry yeast

1/2 C. Warm water

1/2 C. Boiling water

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 C. Sugar

3 Eggs

1/4 C. Butter; melted

1/2 C. Warm milk

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

5 C. Flour (all-purpose)

1 Egg yolk; beaten

Sesame seeds

5 Eggs; hard-cooked; unshelled -and dyed red

Directions

Soften yeast in warm water and set aside. Combine boiling water and cinnamon; set aside. Combine sugar and eggs; beat well. Add melted butter to egg mixture and beat again. Skim off 1/4 C. clear cinnamon water and add along with yeast and milk to egg mixture, blending well. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough to fit into 2 greased 8 in. round pans; crisscross 2 strips of dough over each loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Brush loaves with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown. Push dyed eggs into bread immediately when loaves are removed from oven.

Now for the best part of the whole meal....Dessert. Have fun and create an eye popping dessert that your whole family will enjoy. Here are some different options to choose from.

Easter Angel Cake
Ingredients

1 pkg. white angel food cake mix

8 oz. frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 C. flaked coconut

6 drops green food color

Jelly beans

Directions

Bake and cool cake as directed on package, remove from pan. Frost with whipped topping. Combine coconut and food color until evenly tinted. Sprinkle over top of cake. Arrange jelly beans on coconut. After serving, refrigerate any remaining cake.

For more Easter side dish recipes and desserts visit http://www.Recipe4Living.com.

Have a wonderful Easter Holiday and keep your eyes open for the Easter bunny. You never know what he might leave you this year.

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Decorated Easter Cookies

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For those of you looking forward to Easter time, the one thing that makes Easter incredibly special are decorated Easter cookies. Just like Christmas cookies have become a staple of Christmas time, so have Easter cookies become a part of Easter tradition. There are many great ways to adorn the Easter season and decorated Easter cookies are just one of them. Here are some tips on putting smiles on the faces of your children or friends this Easter season.

Decorated Easter Cookies Come in Many Shapes and Sizes

Decorated Easter cookies can come in many shapes and sizes and if you can conceptualize it you can truly prepare it. For most people Easter is associated with bunnies, rabbits, chicks, lambs and Easter eggs. For the most part you can usually find most of these shapes and more in the form of cookie cutters.

Cookie cutters are usually easy to purchase at all discount shops, supermarkets, and craft shops. Or you can generally make them yourself- you just need some pliable metal and an idea. If you don't have a cookie cutter, no big deal. In fact a lot of people that are artistically gifted choose to cut their own shapes out of cookie dough by hand, without using any cookie cutter.

Decorated Easter Cookies Start Out with Delectable Cookie Dough

The most essential thing about the embellished Easter cookies that you create is that must taste just as great as they look. No one likes a nasty tasting cookie. For many chefs, a great cookie begins with delicious cookie dough. Yes, you can purchase the dough already pre-made and ready to cut, but for the purists out there, start with a family recipe that is either chocolate chip or of the sugar cookie variety.

Decorate Your Cookie Using the Tools of the Trade

It's easy to adorn your Easter cookies, just make sure you have all the accessories of the trade. They usually include, food coloring, colored icing, sprinkles, delicious candies such as licorice, M& M's, nuts, marshmallows, etc. Once you have gotten the cookie shape, let yourself or your kids use their creative magic to make cutely decorated Easter cookies. You can find food coloring and many cool decorating accessories at your local grocery store. You can even purchase pre-made Easter embellishments to add to your cookies, cakes or Easter eggs.

Presentation is Key

Once your newly designed Easter cookies are finished, make sure to show them off to the rest of the family and even give them away to your coworkers and friends. Savor the Easter spirit by showcasing your delicious and beautiful decorated Easter cookies.

One creative idea is to take some photographs of your adorned Easter cookies and include them in your annual Easter scrapbook, so you can always look back at the delicious and beautifully adorned Easter cookies that you have made.

You can also print the cookie recipe on an attractive recipe card and include a photo of your Easter cookies to give to family and friends. Most everyone appreciates handmade gifts, especially when it's a beloved family recipe.

If you are looking to magnify your gratification of Easter this year, take part in creating wonderfully decorated Easter cookies.

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