Photo courtesy of LBA Photography.
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Category Archives: Motivation
STOP & smell the roses.
Life is hectic.
WORK. GYM. COOK. WORK. CALL BACK “SO & SO”. GO ON HOT DATE. ANSWER EMAILS. GYM. CHECK FACEBOOK. COOK. COOK. COOK. GYM. SEND TWEET?
Somewhere in this scramble, we tend to lose ourselves in the madness and our inner wonder woman or superman dulls. So, how do we level up our superpowers & get our groove back? you LIVE.
Last week, an incredible blog post featured on Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Life website showed up in my inbox. It was written by Lissa Rankin M.D. and it listed the 10 Things that she had learned from People who Survived Cancer. Now, I don’t know about you but anyone whose had to face their own mortality and kicked their nemesis’ ass is a super-charged mechanism of kick ass-ery aka a top superhero (we’re talking the Avengers cast). But, the best part about this list is that you don’t have to have a cancer diagnosis to put these 10 principles into practice, EVERYONE can benefit from this action. The only prerequisite is that you have to be brave enough to live now!
Now, I am a full on practitioner of what i preach. So, last week, I went out & did some living with some help from a DILAW BOD & my best friend who was visiting (perhaps a little too much fun as I’ve been battling a cold since monday). But here are the simple ways I chose to LIVE last week & the lessons I learned:
Lesson 1: GET OUT THERE & DO SOMETHING NEW OR UNEXPECTED. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU’LL COME ACROSS…
unless you are at the zoo…then there is a good chance you will come across an elephant…still, i bet you didnt expect me to go there.
Lesson 2: ENJOY A DRINK (in MODERATION) MAYBE SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER TRIED BEFORE…OR ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES.
Lesson 3: FILL YOUR BELLY WITH SOME GOOD GRUB!
FOOD TRUCKS! We went to the food truck gathering at our local park & chowed down. A pleasant surprise for me, a vegan food truck. yum!
Lesson 4: STOP SWEATING THE LITTLE STUFF & JUST SWEAT!
Men like to workout. They also like to support their ladies. Guys, have you checked in on the health of the ladies in your life? Take an example from our BOD & young supporter & do it today.
Lesson 5: MAKE NEW FRIENDS & APPRECIATE THE ODDITIES OF LIFE.
Saturday morning, I woke up to this guy at the window. Not rare in South Florida, but still unusual. We hung out for a good half hour.
Lesson 6: GREEN UP!
Green Juice makes you happy. Happy people don’t go around being moody or mean. Be a happy person.
Lesson 7: APPRECIATE THE ART OF SOMETHING OR SOMEONE ELSE.
I can’t play basketball, but I can take a photograph. So, I appreciate the art of the game played by someone else & do my part to contribute 
Lesson 8: TAKE SOME TIME TO JUST CHILL…
Lesson 9: ENJOY THE STORM.
Even stormy days have something to offer.
Lesson 10: MOST OF ALL, TRY TO BE LESS LIKE THIS…
& MORE LIKE THIS…
xxL
WWW: Wednesday Words of Wisdom.
Bring your FEMININE back with FOOD.
Kris Carr lives one “Crazy Sexy Life”. She is a NYTimes bestselling author, a “wellness warrior” and a cancer warrior.
Nine years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable stage 4 cancer that changed her life forever.
BUT, not in the way you may think.
You know that dream of yours where you head the airport, book a ticket to the first place that comes to mind & just go? Kris made it a reality. Only, she hit the road. Sold everything & left on what she describes as “a deep healing pilgrimage.”
There’s no doubt about it, Kris takes action & Do(es) It Like A Woman to the point where her journey has actually ignited a global wellness revolution–one, like our own, that sponsors many different voices.
Last week, Alison Ottaway (pathlesstrodden.com) acted as a guest blogger on Kris’ website. The title of her of her blog, “Nurturing Your Feminine Side with Food.”
Yep, you heard it–FOOD.
You can read her blog, here.
But, let’s get into this food business.
Very little argument is needed to get me into the kitchen & get me cooking. “Im hungry”, just about does it every time. I am in love with food. In fact, I’d rather spent time with it than most people, seriously. So, it is lucky for my waistline, that more often than not, I enjoy cooking it more than I enjoy eating it. Friends joke that I have a form of backwards anorexia or cookin-exia where the preparation of the food is enough to satisfy me. Yet, to date, it still remains one of my healthiest relationships only rivaled by my one with Gym.
So, when I saw Alison’s blog last week. I stopped and asked my feminine side, “Feminine me, What would you like to eat?”
It answered: Strawberry Banana Bread & Quinoa Mac & Cheese.
Strawberry Banana Bread
Quinoa Mac & Cheese.
Now, I get A LOT of things from my mama. One of those things is that I never take a recipe at face value & neither should you. Make it your own based on what you like. Below are my recipes:
Strawberry Banana Bread: (with gluten-free & vegan suggestions)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon backing soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 bananas (mash one, slice the other into thin slices)
- 1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil)
- 1 egg white beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberries (diced)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a 9×5 inch loaf pan by lining it with foil and coating with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon & stir to combine. Mash 1 banana with a fork and slice the other banana into thin discs. Add the mashed banana to the dry ingredients and stir. Add the oil, beaten egg white, vanilla and stir until just combined. Fold in 3/4 cup of strawberries into the batter & pour the batter into the prepared pan. Top the batter with the rest of the strawberries and the other banana slices by pressing them into the surface of the batter. Bake for 4 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool before removing it from the pan. Slice and serve as is or add butter, cream cheese, jelly, or whatever you want!
To keep gluten free, use gluten free flour.
To keep vegan, replace the egg white with a chia/flax egg, egg replacer, or add extra banana or applesauce.
Quinoa Mac & Cheese:
Serving Size: 8
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
- Veggies of your choice (I chose broccoli, go cruciferous veggies!)
- Generous pinch of salt
- A few grinds of seasoning salt
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- Optional–crushed red pepper, Panko Wheat Bread Crumbs for topping
- May also include: salsa, hot sauce, sour cream or scallions
Directions:
1. Cook to your desire any veggies you would like to use.
2. Soak and cook quinoa.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 13×9 inch dish with cooking spray. Whisk together egg and milk in a large bowl. Fold in the quinoa mixture, veggies, garlic, and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. You can choose to sprinkle more cheese on top at this time or as we did, add a couple of slices of Muenster Cheese (a family favorite) or another cheese of your choice. Top the dish with panko bread crumbs and red pepper flakes & bake for 30-35 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned.
xxL
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