Organic Non-GMO and Gluten-Free Coconut Flour - Viva Naturals

Organic Non-GMO and Gluten-Free Coconut Flour
4 Pound
Viva Naturals
ASIN B00IDCFXG8

Viva Naturals is a company new to the Canadian Market, but they have been around since 2011 south of the border. Viva Naturals is working towards, is striving to become an all-around health and wellness company. . They have products ranging from nutritional supplements, organic food, and beauty products to essentials oils. They have a goal of helping you with your wellness goals, and now we are fortunate that they are expanding into the Canadian market place. I have the benefit of receiving a number of their products to try at the same time. And have used many of them in combination with each other and separately. I must declare that I have been impressed with each of them. But enough about Viva Naturals as a company and on to reviewing this specific product the Coconut Flour. 

How I tested this product:
Making Chicken Strips
Dusting on Fish
In Tuna cakes
In Sweet Potato Pancakes
In Smoothies
Pancakes

Product Specifics:
Non-GMO
Vegan
Gluten Free
Certified Organic

Pros:
Great taste
Versatile
Added fibre in smoothies
Works great as a wheat flour substitute

Cons:
The reseal feature on the pouch does not work well
Highly addictive so good you will not want to ever be out

To be honest the fact that the package does not reseal is the only drawback I encountered from using this. I love adding it to help thicken smoothies. It has become a staple in my kitchen and I do not see a need to look any further, for a flour substitute, and prior to encountering this product I had tried about a dozen different products and brans and had not settle on anything.

I had the opportunity to try over a dozen products from Viva Naturals. I have been impressed with them all. This coconut flour is an excellent product and I trust this product and the brand! I can think of dozens of other ways I want to try this product and look forward to doing so. As stated these products are now available in Canada currently through the Amazon Marketplace. This is a great products at good prices, looking forward to trying more products as they make their way to the Canadian Market.

Viva Naturals Reviews:
Supplements and Nutritional:
Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16 Ounce
Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 32 Ounce
Organic Ground Flax Seed
Organic Goji Berries
Maca Powder
Coconut Flour: Non-GMO and Gluten-Free
Royal Quinoa Whole Grain
Chia Seeds
Organic Raw Cacao Nibs
Cacao Powder
Krill Oil 1250 milligram
Sweet Almond Oil 16 fl oz
Argon Oil 4oz
Maca Root 500 milligram 
Glutathione 500mg

Vitamin C 1000 milligrams

Essential Oil Difusers:
Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser 300ml, Ash Zen Model
Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser 400ml, Pine Tranquil Model
Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser 400ml, Espresso Tranquil Model

Product Review - Philips Airfryer with Turbostar Healthy Fry, Cook, Bake, Grill HD9622/96

Philips Airfryer with Turbostar 

Healthy Fry, Cook, Bake, Grill with Double-Layer rack, 

HD9622/96

Philips

ASIN B01N0Y5W3V

Some products you are so excited about they might never live up to the expectations. I am not sure if that was the case with the Philips Airfryer or if it was just disappointing. I had been hearing a lot of friends talk about Air Fryers and Instant Pots and was really excited to try this out. But from the day I unpacked it it was a let-down. To start with the documentation in the package said to download the Philips Airfryer application to register and for recipes. The first thing the app does is ask you to select your model. There are almost a dozen models in the application but not this one. Then when you pick a model it reduces the recipes offered to those that can be made in that model. So I had to guess and play and try a few until I found some recipes to try.

So the first week I had it I tried a few different things. Then over the next month a few more, and then it sat on the counter for a few weeks until it was just moved to a shelf in the garage.

How I tested it:

Fries from fresh

Fries from frozen

Sweet Potato fries

Baked stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps

Chicken Wings

Baked Beet and Sweet Potato Chips

Over all the food came out well prepared. But the prep time and cook time was much, much longer than traditional ways I would have prepared the same recipes. And after doing some research based on the energy consumption I doubt it was an energy saver over traditional cooking methods. 

Overall I was underwhelmed! It is a well-constructed product but the time and effort without any energy savings just does not seem with it for me. I liked the double rack especially when doing the stuffed mushrooms or the wings.  So my rating for this product is just meh!

Reviews of Other Philips Products:

Philips S5620/41 Series 5000 Shaver

Philips Airfryer with Turbostar Healthy Fry, Cook, Bake, Grill HD9622/96

Philips HU4805/40 Series 2000 Humidifier

...  

Mitt Brennender Sorge On the Church and the German Reich - Pope Pius XI

Mitt Brennender Sorge:
On the Church and the German Reich
Pope Pius XI
Vatican
ISBN 9781533189479
ASIN B01FG52MX6

First published on March 10th 1937, but bore the date of Sunday March 14th Passion Sunday, this Papal encyclical made waves from the time it was released.  It was smuggled into Germany to be read on that holy Sunday, and unlike most church documents which were written in Latin this one was written in German. It was read from all German pulpits on Psalm Sunday March 21st 1937. I first encountered this book while reading Married Men as Ordained Deacons by Wilhelm Schamoni, a book that was mostly drafter and revised in the concentration camps. And after the events this past week in the United States I think is timely to write the review of this booklet.

This is a very powerful piece of writing, both when it was written and for us today. One of the most powerful sections in this piece is:

"8. Whoever exalts race, or the people, or the State, or a particular form of State, or the depositories of power, or any other fundamental value of the human community - however necessary and honorable be their function in worldly things - whoever raises these notions above their standard value and divinizes them to an idolatrous level, distorts and perverts an order of the world planned and created by God; he is far from the true faith in God and from the concept of life which that faith upholds."

It has been stated that this encyclical condemned pantheistic confusion, neopaganism, and the myth of race and blood, and also that of idolizing of the State. The encyclical also declares "that man as a person possesses rights he holds from God, and which any collectivity must protect against denial, suppression or neglect." It is worth revisiting this book and the message within.

You can read this encyclical on the Vatican website or you can purchase the book or eBook. At the time of his death a two years after publishing this encyclical Pope Pius XI was working on another encyclical , Humani generis unitas (On the Unity of the Human Race), on the Church, anti-Semitism, racism and persecution of Jews. I have only tracked down excerpts from that draft and wish I could find it in its entirety, one except that I strongly belive we need to be reminded of today is:

"131. Those who have placed race illegitimately on a pedestal have rendered mankind a disservice. For they have done nothing to advance the unity to which humanity tends and aspires. One naturally wonders if this end is faithfully pursued by many of the principal advocates of a so-called racial purity or if their aim is not rather to forge a clever slogan to move the masses to very different ends. This suspicion grows when one envisages how many subdivisions of a single race are judged and treated differently by the same men at the same time. It is further increased when it becomes clear that the struggle for racial purity ends by being uniquely the struggle against the Jews. Save for its systematic cruelty, this struggle is no different in true motives and methods from persecutions everywhere carried out against the Jews since antiquity. These persecutions have been censured by the Holy See on more than one occasion, but especially when they have worn the mantle of Christianity."

I believe that the two combined are a much needed message again in 2017. And encourage you to give this encyclical a read, especially in light of recent events and the daily news.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!

Saint Catherine Labouré And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - Marianne Lorraine Trouvé and Cathy Morrison - Encounter the Saints Book 30

Saint Catherine Labouré
And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Encounter the Saints Series Book 30
Marianne Lorraine Trouvé
Cathy Morrison (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819872241

This book is about a saint that I had not encountered before reading the book. The story of this saint and the miraculous medal are amazing. My children could hardly believe the story. We loved this book and the whole series. The Encounter the Saints Series, from Pauline Books and Media, are all wonderful reads. Written for younger readers, they are great reads for anyone who wants to encounter saints in a powerful way. These books are great to read to children, with children or if you just want a good read for yourself. I started reading the series before reading them with my kids and we have now tracked down all 37 book currently available in the series in one format or another, and are working through them all.

The chapters in this book about Saint Catherine Labouré are:
Prologue 
1. Life on the Farm 
2. A New Role
3. A Growing Desire 
4. Following a Dream
5. Rue du Bac
6. The Lady 
7. A Special Mission
8. Back to the Farm
9. The Medal
10. Miracles 
11. Catherine's Secret 
12. Ordinary Life
13. Fire!
14. Another Mission for Father Aladel
15. The War 
16. More Trouble 
17. Into Flight
18. Back to Normal  
19. Some Changes
20. The Final Road 
Prayer
Glossary

Saint Catherine Labouré lived to serve and to work for the lord. Her service in running the gardens, and then the farm as well as her hospice work is exemplary. I was unaware of the story of the medal, its history. After having read a book about Mother Teresa and her affinity for passing out these medals it is nice to know their origin now. 

The author of this work also penned three other book in the series but has written about 25 other books about the Catholic faith. The writing style is direct and to the point but tells the story in a very engaging manner. The illustrator, Cathy Morrison, has illustrated one other book in the series and it was also written by Trouvé. I believe that the illustrations are charcoal or conté sketches. They are full of rich details. And each of the 5 illustrations is a full page illustrated out to a full rectangular image. A number of the other books have sketches that are not complete drawings like these.  

My children really love the last two sections in these books; the prayer and the glossary. The glossary in this volume has 20 definitions ranging from Canonization to vow. The especially enjoyed the definition of: 

"Pilgrimage - a journey to a holy place to venerate a saint or to obtain some spiritual favor. A person making a pilgrimage is called a pilgrim."

For we often go to a statue of Mary outside of our town and spend some time praying as a short pilgrimage together. And as always they really enoued the prayer:

"Saint Catherine, all your life you workedhard. You tried to serve God and love others insimplicity. Even when the Blessed Motherappeared to you and gave you a special mission,you were so humble that many people neverguessed what you had experienced. Your speciallove for the poor moved you to reach out to them,so that they would know how much God lovesthem. Pray for me that I will have a truly humbleheart, grateful for all that God has given me.May I, too, serve God with courage, even whenit seems that no one notices. 

Mary, our Lady of the Miraculous Medal,you asked Saint Catherine to encourage people totrust in your prayers and help. Pray for me andfor all those whom I love. Keep us close to Jesus.O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us whohave recourse to you. Amen."

My oldest commented about the book; and the prayer that the book is an example of doing everything as well as we can, but also in not calling attention to ourselves in the process. And that we should work hard at all we do. And that is a lesson I still need to learn and am happy my children are being exposed to through this book. And all three children loved the story of her faith during the fire, it really has encouraged them to face things that scare them.

My children and I love this series. In fact I have two different books on the go currently with my youngest two. I carry a small pocket oratory that has a miraculous medal and I love knowing more about it through this book. We love this book and the series. 

Currently there are 37 books in this series, including The Saints Pray for Us, and I have read over a third of them. I have read almost half of the series on my own and read about a third of them now with my children.  My oldest who is 11 and I read them to the younger two. My son who is 9 can read them with some help on the more difficult words. This book and the series is geared for readers between the ages of 9 and 12 but in our house they are loved by the 6 year old and this man who is pushing 50. As mentioned this book as mentioned is part of the Encounter the Saints Series; from Pauline Books and Media, and this book is an excellent read as is the entire series!  This family gives them our highest recommendation.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!

Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media:
Blessed James Alberione Media Apostle
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Journey to the Summit
Journeys with Mary Apparitions of Our Lady
Saint André Bessette Miracles in Montreal
Saint Anthony of Padua Fire and Light
Saint Bakhita of Sudan Forever Free
Saint Bernadette Soubirous And Our Lady of Lourdes
Saint Catherine Labouré And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Saint Clare of Assisi A Light for the World
Saint Damien of Molokai Hero of Hawaii
Saint Edith Stein Blessed by the Cross
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Daughter of America
Saint Faustina Kowalska Messenger of Mercy
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Cecchina's Dream
Saint Francis of Assisi Gentle Revolutionary
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla The Gift of Life
Saint Ignatius of Loyola For the Greater Glory of God
Saint Isaac Jogues With Burning Heart
Saint Joan of Arc God's Soldier
Saint John Bosco Champion for the Young
Saint John Neumann Missionary to Immigrants
Saint John Paul II Be Not Afraid
Saint John Vianney A Priest for All People
Saint Juan Diego And Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Courageous Faith
Saint Katharine Drexel The Total Gift
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque And the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Saint Martin de Porres Humble Healer
Saint Maximilian Kolbe Mary's Knight
Saint Paul The Thirteenth Apostle
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Rich in Love
Saint Teresa of Avila Joyful in the Lord
Saint Teresa of Calcutta Missionary of Charity
Saint Teresa of Kalkota Missionary of Charity

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux The Way of Love
Saint Thomas Aquinas Missionary of Truth
Saint Thomas More Courage, Conscience, and the King
Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto: Shepherds of Fatima
The Saints Pray for Us

Saint Julie Billiart The Smiling Saint

...

Saint Teresa of Kolkata Missionary of Charity - Mary Kathleen Glavich and Barbara Kiwak - Encounter the Saints Book 17

Saint Teresa of Kolkata
Missionary of Charity
Encounter the Saints Series Book 17
Mary Kathleen Glavich
Barbara Kiwak (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819890757

This book was originally published in 2003 as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: Missionary of Charity, it was later published as Saint Teresa of Calcutta: Missionary of Charity, and is now republished as Saint Teresa of Kolkata: Missionary of Charity it does not appear that the text was revised much across the three editions. Of the 37 books in the series this is one of 18 that is only available in a physical book. There are no eBook editions available. But it is part of an amazing series of book. This book is an excellent read and the whole Encounter the Saints Series, from Pauline Books and Media, are wonderful reads. They were written for younger readers but are great reads at any age. I started reading these books with my three children, but I keep reading ahead of where I am at with them, I find I cannot put these books down I am now only one book shy of having the whole series. 

The chapters in this book about Saint Teresa of Kolkata are:
1. Happy Years
2. Family of Love
3. Mission Call
4. Leaving Home 
5. A Loreto Sister 
6. Kolkata
7. The Second Call 
8. Toward the Dream
9. Creek Street Home
10. First Missionaries of Charity 
11. The New Motherhouse 
12. Place of the Pure Heart 
13. A Home for Children 
14. City of Peace 
15. Growth 
16. Branching Out 
17. A Family Cross
18. Around the World 
19. Gratitude and Honors
20. Courageous Love
21. Final Sufferings  
22. Saint of the People 
Prayer
Glossary

There are likely few people in the whole who do not know the name of Mother Teresa of Calcutta or Kolkata. But this little volume of 136 pages does an incredible job of giving us a glimpse of her life, her mission and her suffering.  The stories in this book span from when she was 2 years old until her burial. The life that she lived of certitude, steadfastness, and living compassion is an example to all of us. Many both within and outside the Catholic church have had an appreciation for this woman, this saint. This book is a great way to introduce her to the next generation; a generation that did not grow up reading about her in the news, about her accomplishments, and about her continuous service. 

The author of this work also penned one other book in the series but has written many books about the Catholic faith. Her writing style is very engaging and this was one of the best reads so far in the series for my children and me. The illustrator on the other hand, Barbara Kiwak, illustrated 7 book in this series. All of the books in the series we have read to date, have 5 illustrations spread throughout the book. Because of various artists there are very different styles. The illustrations in this book appear to be pencil or charcoal sketches. My children really loved the illustrations in this book. We have only read one of the other books illustrated by Barbara but look forward to encountering more of her artwork. 

As always one of the things my children love the most about this series is the prayers at the end of the book. The prayer to Saint Teresa is:

"Saint Teresa of Kolkata, you bravely answeredGod's call twice and taught the world how to putlove into action. You saw Jesus in the poorest ofthe poor and responded with love. The dying,unwanted children, the lepers and the abandonedall came to know God's love through you. 

Now pray for us, that we too may answerGod's call to do more. Let us trust God to providefor us as we do what he wants. May we follow youradvice to love until it hurts and do it with a smile,beginning with our family and friends. Then wetoo will make our lives something beautiful forGod! Amen."

This book is an incredible read in an amazing series. I think it was a wonderful introduction to Saint Teresa for my children. After reading this book my oldest ask that when I pray for her at the end of each day that I pray that she hear God's call. I do pray that for each of my children and that they become the best version of themselves. This book and this series will help with that by showing them many different ways of following God, of following where he leads, of following his call.   

I loved this book and this series. There are currently 37 books in this series, including The Saints Pray for Us, and I have read over a third of them. I have read book 1 and book 36 and a number in between. The books in this series are written with a target audience of 9-12 year olds, and my 11 year old can read them without any difficulty, and my 9 year old needs help with some words. I believe that anyone who reads these books will have their faith enriched. This book as mentioned is part of the Encounter the Saints Series; from Pauline Books and Media. This is another inspiring book in a wonderful series and I highly recommend both the book and the series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!

Encounter the Saints Series from Pauline Books and Media:
Blessed James Alberione Media Apostle
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Journey to the Summit
Journeys with Mary Apparitions of Our Lady
Saint André Bessette Miracles in Montreal
Saint Anthony of Padua Fire and Light
Saint Bakhita of Sudan Forever Free
Saint Bernadette Soubirous And Our Lady of Lourdes
Saint Catherine Labouré And Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Saint Clare of Assisi A Light for the World
Saint Damien of Molokai Hero of Hawaii
Saint Edith Stein Blessed by the Cross
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Daughter of America
Saint Faustina Kowalska Messenger of Mercy
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Cecchina's Dream
Saint Francis of Assisi Gentle Revolutionary
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla The Gift of Life
Saint Ignatius of Loyola For the Greater Glory of God
Saint Isaac Jogues With Burning Heart
Saint Joan of Arc God's Soldier
Saint John Bosco Champion for the Young
Saint John Neumann Missionary to Immigrants
Saint John Paul II Be Not Afraid
Saint John Vianney A Priest for All People
Saint Juan Diego And Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Courageous Faith
Saint Katharine Drexel The Total Gift
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque And the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Saint Martin de Porres Humble Healer
Saint Maximilian Kolbe Mary's Knight
Saint Paul The Thirteenth Apostle
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina Rich in Love
Saint Teresa of Avila Joyful in the Lord
Saint Teresa of Calcutta Missionary of Charity
Saint Teresa of Kalkota Missionary of Charity

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux The Way of Love
Saint Thomas Aquinas Missionary of Truth
Saint Thomas More Courage, Conscience, and the King
Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto: Shepherds of Fatima
The Saints Pray for Us

Saint Julie Billiart The Smiling Saint

...

What's Next After Exodus 90

Exodus 90 - What's Next After Exodus 90

A 90 Day program for Christian men with a focus on Prayer, Asceticism, and Brotherhood. From Those Catholic Men. And my fraternity is now 90 days in. Here are some reflections after the program.

This was a time to refocus, a time to make gains in the spiritual disciplines and the physical disciplines. For me that means 90 days of:

No television.
No sugar and sweets.
No alcohol.
No meat on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Daily Rosary.
Daily exercise.

As I stated on my Day 90 Report: "After 90 Days our fraternity has decided to stay together. We are still working out what that will look like, especially considering we are a remote fraternity that met over the web and not in person." But that has proven harder said than done. It has been over 2 months since we finished the 90 days. We have not done a good job of sticking together, and some of that is likely that we are a remote fraternity. Rather than meeting face to face we connect over the internet and span a number of time zones. Crossing those time zones has proved a bit of a struggle, especially since I get up at 5am for work. I have managed to keep a number of the disciplines and even become more regimented on a few. I would love to redo the program either locally with some men, or remotely again. I still highly recommend it. But for now it is time to keep praying and working on the disciplines. 

From the Exodus 90 website:

"Exodus 90: The Purpose

The goal of Exodus is to achieve the freedom necessary to fully engage the love of God and the love of neighbor. Exodus is based on a challenging 90-day period of purification, a dying to self, which is supported by a fraternity of like-minded men for greater interior freedom and, eventually, a more purified and selfless love.

Most importantly Exodus is for men who have difficulty finding God and desire to radically unite himself to his Heavenly Father. Exodus is not a program of penance and self-abasement. It is a program for men who seek, together, to strive for more-perfect FREEDOM. This is the cornerstone of the exercise and much will be lost if that is forgotten."

When you register for the Exodus 90 program you get a 30-page manual and 90 days of emails direct to your inbox. Each email has a scripture passage, a meditation, an action list and links to supporting articles.

An special thanks to Dr. Taylor Marshall and Jared Zimmerer who mentioned this program on The Maccabee Society Podcast a number of months back, and who made it through their 90 day journey.

This is my commitment for the next 90 days, discipline and working out for the body, the mind and the spirit!

This is also my second attempt at the Exodus 90 Program. One of the goals of the program is to start together and finish together. Each time a member of the fraternity falls, the whole group restarts at Day 1. The first time I tried to do this by the 6th time we had to restart in under 6 weeks everyone had quite. So I am starting again on Ash Wednesday with a new crew! The 4 of us have each others backs and will see this through to the end.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!

Exodus 90 Articles:
Exodus 90 My Commitment
Exodus 90 My Commitment - Take 2
Exodus 90 at Day 30
Exercise Update
Exodus 90 at Day 60
Exodus 90 at Day 90
What's Next After Exodus 90

Sunday 19th Week of Ordinary Time 2017

Sunday 19th Week of Ordinary Time

Related Posts:
The Colors of the Church Year
The Privilege of Altar Serving
Serving God, Altar Serving and Learning to Listen
Saturday 18th Week or Ordinary Time
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2017
Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2017

...

Note: Link to all posts about St. Agnes Parish.