Knut the Bear and Other Weekend News.

Sad little story on Saturday, Knut, the polar bear beloved of Berliners, died at 4 years old watched by dozens of spectators. That day he played with other bears, took a swim, had a spasm and died. Obviously they will be trying to find out what caused his death. The bear had been brought up by keepers because he was rejected by his mother when he was born. There are more pictures and details here http://tinyurl.com/5vtwpxz I will be interested to see what an autopsy discovers. You kinda don’t think of animals having heart attacks do you?

I was reading, this weekend, about statins which are given to lower the risks of heart attacks caused by high cholesterol. The article also mentioned Metformin which is the diabetes drug I take, and said it did a good job as well (so why am  I on both). I have recently heard Metformin described as a cancer fighting medication too, sounds like it is a good pill to be taking if it really does have all these properties. It was the Canadians who discovered its cancer fighting properties so Canada can pat its back for this at least.

Having been reading about the bombing of Libya and the fact that countries like Russia and China are against it, I have now started worrying about the possibility of the war escalating. The Pentagon claims the Libyan launch sites are now disabled, in which case, I hope the bombing will stop.

I have just this minute heard of another earthquake in Afghanistan, no details yet though.

For my friends who need gluten free recipes, here is another I found in WebMD. They look and sound delicious.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

If you don't care for nuts in your pumpkin muffins, use chopped or dried cranberries, raisins, or even chocolate chips.

Ingredients and Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup organic coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Add in:
1 and 1/3 cups packed organic light brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned organic pumpkin is fine)
1/3 cup light olive oil
2 free range organic eggs, beaten, or Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water for vegan
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Now add in:
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk or coconut milk

Beat the batter to incorporate the ingredients. If it needs a little more liquid, add up to 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk until it is a smooth consistency.

Stir in by hand:
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts (or raisins, if you prefer)

Spoon the batter into twelve muffin cups, filling them close to the top. Smooth the tops using a wet teaspoon. Add a pecan half to each muffin top, if you like.

Bake in a preheated oven till domed and golden. The muffins should feel firm yet springy to a light touch. If a wooden pick inserted into the center emerges clean- these babies are done. Cool on a wire rack. Remove the muffins from the pan after five minutes, and allow them to continue cooling on a wire rack. This helps keep their bottoms from getting soggy. Wrap and freeze leftover muffins in freezer bags for easy on-the-go treats

Total Servings: 12

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 291
Carbohydrates: 34.3 g
Cholesterol: 31 mg
Fat: 11.6 g
Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
Fiber: 2.5 g
Sodium: 201 mg
Protein: 5.1 g

Have a great day