Paleo and raw vegan people — you can eat delicious chocolaty and nutty desserts!

I’ve been making these nut balls for 4 months and LOVE them!

My friends and family keep asking me for the recipe, so here it is. 

There are no grains (flour), sugar, or bad oils in these nuggets. 

They’re made with mostly organic nuts and seeds, and it has cacao (CHOCOLATE!) and stevia (for sweetness). 

They’re only 160 calories each, and they fill you up!

It’s a diabetic’s ideal dessert!

Raw Vegan Nut Balls (Makes 30)

Ingredients:

2 cups almonds

1 cup cashews

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/3 cup flax and hemp seed blend

1/3 cup raw cacao powder

1/3 cup stevia

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup flax seed oil

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup almond milk

Directions:

1.  Put all dry ingredients and seasonings into a food processor. Pulse it a few times until all ingredients are mixed but not pulverized. Leave some nut chunks to offer texture to the nutballs. 

2.  Add the oils and milk to make the mixture sticky.  Add more coconut oil or almond milk to create the consistency needed to make 1″ or 1 1/2″ balls.

3.  Spray a cookie sheet with oil to keep the nut balls from sticking.

4.  With wet hands, roll your nut balls and place on cookie sheet.

5.  Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for an hour to set. 

6.  Best when eaten chilled.  Can be frozen and served later.

Creative options:

1.  Roll nutballs in shredded coconut flakes

2.  Place a raspberry or blackberry in the center of the nut ball

3.  Place a raspberry, blackberry or blueberry  on top of the nut ball

Did you know that every time you take the SAT, you can list up to 4 colleges to send those scores to for FREE? 

If you were too frazzled (can’t blame you for that) to select the 4 colleges on the test date, you still have time to order them.

The College Board gives you 9 days to choose the 4 colleges that will receive the free scores; on the 10th day after the test, you’ll have to pay for all additional SAT score reports to be sent out.

Kinda like a free lunch! Just go to your My SAT at collegeboard.org.

I recommend that high school students take the SAT or ACT no more than three times.

Here are four tips for your three tries:

1] Don’t take it any earlier than your junior year unless you are a strong test taker and you are confident that you can earn a high score. You don’t want to have a really low score on your transcript or record sheet — it will only hurt your application.

2] ONLY take the SAT or ACT after you have completed several practice tests and have demonstrated that your scores are where you would like them to be. 

3] Students who take advanced sciences (AP or Honors) should take the SAT II in June of the same year so they’ll be most prepared to do well. Remember, that you can’t take the SAT and the SAT II on the same day.  

4] Check out the dates for the SAT and ACT and sign up now.  Double check your sports and family calendars to make sure you’re free on those dates. 

Most colleges will accept SAT and ACT tests taken until December of your senior year for regular admission.  Early Action and Early Decision applications will require an earlier test date (check with each college to be sure). 

Whether you’re interviewing for a job or to get into a top college, you NEED to stand out among your competition. 

Check out Business Insider’s 15-Step Guide to Acing Any Job Interview.

Like a good Boy Scout, BE PREPARED!  

Do your homework, make a good first impression, show off what you’ve done and who you are. 

Now go get ’em!

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I read this interesting article about happiness — something I think we all aspire to achieve — about a Harvard professor’s research that found that success doesn’t bring happiness, but happiness brings success.  So all of you who chase the promotion, raise, relationship, or ideal weight to be happy… according to Shawn Achor, you’ve got it all backwards. Say what?

He found 4 simple things you can do to be happy NOW, and success will follow suit. I think he’s on to something.  Check these out:

#1: See problems as challenges, not threats
You really can’t stop problems from arising, right? So if a problem is a threat to you, you’ll become defensive and probably focus on future doom and gloom. Is this resonating with you? If so, this will increase your stress-related symptoms. Something you don’t want to do.  But on the other hand, if you consider your problems as challenges instead of  threats, you could use your creative juices to find solutions by actively engaging in innovative ways to solve the problems. In the process, you’ll be happier because you’re engaged in fixing the problem — not wallowing in it, and as a result, you’ll be more successful.

#2:  Seek social connections to increase academic achievement
Contrary to popular belief, students who isolate themselves in libraries or dorm rooms to deal with stressful academic environments (midterms or finals), actually perform worse than their counterparts. Yup. They are more likely to burn out, drop out, or transfer to a different school.  So instead of becoming a miserable hermit during finals, increase your social activity in the middle of stress. Having this social interaction is the greatest predictor of happiness. If you want to reduce stress, increase productivity, and get that A or promotion, then don’t just seek social support, provide it to others. According to Wharton professor Adam Grant, people who provide social support get some of the greatest benefits.

#3: Send a “Thank You” email every morning
By writing and sending a 2-minute email or text praising or thanking someone will increase your social connection, and therefore increase your happiness. This improves teamwork, office or team morale, and of course, increases success. Reach out to a different person every day for 21 days and you’ll be amazed by the responses you’ll receive from everyone.  What goes around,  comes around!

#4: Organize your 20-second rule
If numbers 1 through 3 make sense to you, the biggest obstacle you’re probably facing is motivation to do them. Right? So they came up with #4 to give you the “activation energy” to do them.  By setting yourself up to get started on all of the above AHEAD OF TIME, you’ll be more likely to do them. Right? You know your biggest hurdles, so outsmart yourself!  If you don’t think you’ll write those emails every morning, open your email the night before and start the email: “Hey David, Just wanted to …”. Leave that up on your screen so when you arrive in the morning, it’ll be the first thing you do — after your first cup of coffee, of course! Just set yourself up to do the things by outsmarting yourself.

Even if you’re predisposed to suffer from depression because it’s genetic, this study suggests that changing your mindset and habits can actually make you happier and more successful.  So incorporate these 4 tips into your daily routine by making them good habits. This Harvard professor believes that doing these things to make you happy might trump genetics. And all of this without drugs or years of therapy!

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This article in Psychology Today, Why French Kids Don’t Have ADHD, by Marilyn Wedge, PhD caught my attention last weekend.

She discusses how French families structure their children’s lives compared to American parents, which is certain to cause a stir here… I am curious about how the American diet may have a profound influence on our children’s behavior and attention span.

While I’ve seen Ritalin and Adderall positively change children’s behaviors and focus, I’m interested to learn more about what the French feed their children and if in fact, their diets are instrumental in their low ADHD numbers.  I would imagine that croissants are generally better for you than a bag of Cheezey Doodles SnakTreatz(TM)…

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The craziest thing just happened – one of my 3rd graders from 34 YEARS AGO just called out of the blue to thank me for something I’d almost forgotten.  

You see, a long, long time ago (in a school not very far away), I gave a 9-year old girl named Annabelle her first diary.  I wrote a little note inside the cover saying that I’d started writing a diary when I was 9 as well.  

That 9-year old little girl is now 45, and was going through some old boxes when she found that diary – and all the others she’d kept after that very first one.  A brief moment of my time so long ago led to a wonderful chance to reconnect after all these years.  

These are the moments that educators treasure!

The California UC and CSU applications are now available for high school seniors who are applying as freshmen or community college students applying as transfer students. Both deadlines are Nov 30th – no exceptions!

California State University (CSU) Applications
www.csumentor.edu

Applications are easy to complete — takes about 3 hours.  Just request an unofficial transcript from our high school guidance counselor so you can enter in all of your classes and grades from 10th and 11th grades.  Once you complete the application, you just need to complete the first page of each CSU campus you plan to apply to.  It’s that easy. You can even submit your ACT scores to just one campus and they’ll be available to all of the CSU colleges.

University of California (UC) Applications:

admission.universityofcalifornia.edu

The UC applications are also pretty simple to complete. Like the CSU applications, refer to your transcript to make sure you’re entering the course and grade information correctly.  There are no letters of recommendation (Berkeley may request one from you). You’ll need to write 2 essays that total 1000 words.  As long as they are at least 500 words each, you’re good to go.

Start these essays now so you’ll have plenty of time to edit them. Here are the prompts:

Prompt #1: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

Prompt #2: Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

Avoid last-minute crises by submitting your applications at least a week  early.  The majority of applicants submit their applications on Nov 29th to the 30th when the online systems run slower and often crash. THIS IS BAD NEWS IF YOU’VE PROCRASTINATED.  I’ve had many students knocking on my door at midnight — in tears — because they couldn’t hit the “Submit” button for whatever reason. NO FUN. Besides, if you submit them BEFORE Thanksgiving, you’ll be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and the 4-day weekend!  And also avoid crying. 

If you’re applying to the arts or music programs, you’ll need to prepare portfolios for the specific departments. 

Don’t rely on the college application form to get the details about each college’s requirements because they’re tricky to navigate. Instead, go directly to the college website and do the research. 

Once you get to the actual department that you’re planning to apply to, check out the requirements for their applications.  If you can’t find the information, call the department to be sure that you don’t need to put together a portfolio.  You don’t want any surprises the night the application is due!

The art portfolio usually consists of 10-20 pieces  that you submit via a slideshow on their online application form. Never submit original work. Take photographs using a high-resolution camera.

Theater and dance portfolios usually require video footage of specific monologues or dance movements. You can upload the videos or send DVDs. Check with each college directly to be sure that you completely understand their requirements.

These portfolios are submitted to the individual departments.  Some will also require interviews or auditions. All of the above is in ADDITION to the regular college applications.  You’ll still need to submit the application, write the personal statements and essays, get the letters of recommendation, and submit your transcripts and SAT/ACT scores. 

Start early. Regular admission deadlines start as early as November 30th! Get organized so you don’t get stressed out!

After the Industrial Revolution, the nuclear family became prevalent as couples left their extended families to follow their work or their dreams.  Moving away from their families allowed them to get a fresh start on life, but it also removed a support system stretching back several generations. With travel getting easier as time goes by, the entire concept of the “nuclear family” is fracturing, and something more temporary has taken its place.

These disconnected families are finding it difficult to manage all of the responsibilities associated with raising children and caring for their parents. With financial woes and the uncertain world economy, the extended family or multi-generational family structure is beginning to make a lot of sense again. After all, wouldn’t it be nice to have your parents help you take care of the children? If you hire help, they can help your children and your parents, too.  And, your kids could benefit from growing up with your parents — something that many families today really miss out on.  

The “Sandwich Generation” (those who are taking care of parents AND children at the same time) are facing big decisions today as they consider their financial future. The first priority is funds to raise the children, then pay for college.  If that alone isn’t scary, add on the cost of eldercare and assisted living for parents and the bill could EASILY exceed earned income. Yikes!

If what I’ve just described sounds like you,  that means that you’ll probably have to work for the rest of your life, because how else are you going to support everyone? Forget your retirement!

So what are your REAL options?

#1: Student Loans
Yup.  Do the math. If you can’t afford to retire and your parents don’t have pensions or trust funds, you’ve got some pretty big bills coming your way. You’ve got to get your head out of the sand (or clouds) and start making smart choices.  Maybe you can split the college tuition with your kids. Lots of parents are doing just that. It’s really not a bad idea because when the kids are footing the bill or even just contributing towards it, I’ll bet they’ll take their college experiences more seriously and possibly graduate sooner (hence, reducing the overall cost).

#2: Live at Home While Going to College
I know this isn’t a popular idea, especially with the kids who want the “college experience” and if you really need a break from the teen years. But having your kids live at home could save you $50,000 over 4 years for each child. Yes, you’ll still have to yell at them to clean up their room, but $50k can buy a lot of nice things.  Like wine.  Or trips to Bermuda.  Just saying…

#3: Parents Move in With You
This is a perilous proposition on a lot of fronts.  What if you don’t like your in-laws or your parents?  What if they don’t like you?  Ok, that’d never happen, because YOU ARE AWESOME, but still – hypothetically, it could happen.  Having them move in with you could be a really bad idea, and I get that. But, what if they build a “Granny unit” on your property (aka Accessory Dwelling Unit) so they have their privacy — and you have yours! — so you’re not forking out $75,000 per year, per person! That’s even more than college tuition. When they’re gone, your college-aged kids could live there or you can rent it out for some extra cash. 

#4: Everyone Moves into a Larger Place
If your current home is too small to include college kids and/or grandparents, consider upgrading to a larger home. Whether you rent or own, this could work for you.  Find just what you need and everyone contributes towards the rent or mortgage. It will still be considerably less expensive than paying for dorms, assisted care, AND your current rent or mortgage.