Nov 12, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

      I don't know about anyone else but this year has flown by. I'm still trying to process that it's November & still feels like Summer outside. Then again, I do live in the Southeast where we really only have 3 seasons at this point so not sure what I was expecting. The weather has been at crazy as this whole year in general. With the weather being the way it is, I finally broke down & bought a humidifier for the house. I have started to sleep better since I've started using it.

Other than that, I have gotten some more practicing more reiki & space cleaning for friends around me. It's been going okay so far. Going to eventually do a rebranding to try to fit all that into my blog & social media. Speaking of the blog, today I'm still using quotes from Billy Chapata's last book that I read. Here are some thoughts for this week:









Peace & blessings, all. Have a great Thursday!!!

Nov 11, 2020

Recipe: Oatmeal Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

     Hello all.  So, I was going to post the recipe in October but, life happened.  This year has flown & month have flown by. At this point, my sense of time is super crazy. Anywho, I have been wanting/trying to find an essay oatmeal cookie recipe that is not super hard. This recipe that I'm sharing is from Preppy Kitchen's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I did added some sea salt caramel to the cookies along with the chocolate chips.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda 
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
  • 2/3 cup light-brown sugar 
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats 
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips 
  • 1 cup sea salt caramel pieces


I pre-heated the oven to 375. While the oven was pre-heating, I put the oats in my mini food processor. I did this so that the oats would have more of a flour texture.


Mix flour & baking soda together in bowl. Sit aside.


Add soften butter, brown sugar, & granulated sugar in mixer. Mix until blended together.
 

Add egg, vanilla, & salt to butter/sugar mixture. 


Mix ingredients together until smooth/blended well.


To the sugar. butter mixture, fold in the chocolate chips, oatmeal, & sea salt caramel pieces. Place dough in fridge for 1-2 hours. Doing this will make the dough easier to form into balls.


After I formed them into balls, I baked them at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes. Once done, I did let them cool for about 5 minutes. One suggestion to make sure that they don't end up over-cooked is to literally bake them for the 8 to 10 minutes. If you even cook them a minute or two over, they potentially will be hard. 

Well, that's all for today. Peace & Blessings, all!!












Nov 5, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

          Happy first Thursday of November. I've been busy going on job interviews & finishing some of my courses. My goal is to try to blog at three times a week for the rest of the year. We'll see if that happens though. Other than that, I've been trying to cook more at home again. Also, I've been making a dent in the tower of books that I bought at the end of last year/beginning of this year. Until then here are some thoughts for this Thursday.





                       Peace & Blessings, all. Have a great Thursdcay!!!
 

Oct 29, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     So life happened & I've been busy still trying to find a job. I've been feeling unmotivated to blog lately for some reason. There a tons of unfinished post that I started writing & have left them just like they are, unfinished.... Anywho short & to the points, here are some thoughts for this week (that I actually had done for two weeks but haven't gotten around to posting them):










      I'll get back in the swing eventually. I only have a little under two months left in 2020. This year has mess for me but hey, tomorrow is always another day. Peace & blessing all. Have a great Thursday!!!

Oct 15, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     Long time, not write. Not going to lie, I've been feeling no desire/ lacking motivation to post anything the last few weeks. I've been spending my time, trying to clean out my emails, baking, cooking, & trying to get back into a regular exercise routine after my sinus infection that I had. Other than that, I'm going to try to post at least 3 times a week. So this week, I'll be post on Thursday & Friday. Who knows, what 3 days I'll be posting (Thursday will always be one of the days). 

Now back to the business. I finished that last book. The quotes for the month of October will be coming from Billy Chapata's book Chameleon Aura. Here are the quotes/thoughts for this week:












Tomorrow, I'm posting a cookie recipe that I found. Until then, peace & blessing everyone.









 

Sep 24, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

      Happy Thursday. I can't believe that not only is it Fall but this is the last Thursday of the month. That means that next week will not only be October but there will be three months left in 2020. I know that most of us are ready for 2021 to come sooner than later with the way this year has been going. I've been busy trying to finish all these course. Yes, I'm still watching all the courses I bought. I think I bought like 15-20 that I bought between last December & now so I've finally made a dent in them. Plus, I officially started to learn a new language. I can understand what people are saying to me pretty well but actually speaking it is a different story. Other than that, just the usual of trying to find a job still, figuring out my health stuff little by little, & trying to get enough sleep. 

Anywho, here are some thoughts/quotes for today. I finally finishes Flawers so his next book is where many of the quotes from October are going to come from.









     
Going to try to post regularly again. I guess I have to post on social media too... Social media is still getting on my nerves still so we'll see if that happens sometime before September ends. Until next time, Peace & Blessings, all!!!


Sep 15, 2020

Fitness Tuesday: Herb Pharm Supplements


       Happy Tuesday!! I had to take off sometime because in all honesty, social media has been getting on my nerves lately. I think it's a variety of things causing the discontent with it. I have a love/hate relationship with the influencer & social media fields in general but, that's life. Anywho, for the last two years, I have been taking supplements outside of all the other medication that I take. I've tried a few different brands but found that Herb Pharm is one of the better ones for liquid herbal extracts. These are the few that I have been using on a regular basis:

Ginger

Ginger helps with your cardio health plus with increasing brain function. I sometimes put ginger in warm water with lemon in the morning. I like the liquid better because it does not leave a grainy texture from not dissolving like powder ginger. Their extract comes from the rhizome of Certified Organic plants. The ginger is harvested when fully mature, shade-dried, then extracted. They use sliced Ginger, as opposed to powdered, which helps it retain its pungent aroma. It is suggested to add 1 full squeeze of the dropper bulb to 2 oz. of water or juice, 2 to 5 times per day. Best taken between meals.

Relaxing Sleep

-Relaxing Sleep features valerian  along with passionflower prepared from the flowering herb, that consist of the leaf, flower & stem. They suggest that you add 1 full squeeze of the dropper bulb to 2 oz. of water or juice, 1 hour before bed and again at bedtime. May be taken up to 4 times per day for general relaxation.* Best taken between meals.

Milk Thistle

Milk thistle helps with improving your liver function. Their milk thistle comes from dried whole seeds. They use a double-extraction process which creates a more concentrated extract. It is then extracted in small batches with Certified Organic cane alcohol for potency. It is suggested to add 1 full squeeze of the dropper bulb to 2 oz. of water or juice, 2 to 4 times per day. Best taken between meals.

Ashwagandha

 Ashwagandha can help with endurance & in lowering blood sugar levels. The plant's root is harvested at the peak of readiness, & shade-dried to retain its full color & aroma, then is thoroughly extracted. The herb is revered in Ayurvedic traditions. It is suggested to add 1 full squeeze of the dropper bulb to 2 oz. of water or juice, 2 or 3 times per day. Best taken between meals.

Turmeric

Tumeric aids in alleviating swelling & inflammation. The whole Turmeric fingers or sliced rhizome is imported from its native regions. They mill whole or sliced rhizomes at the last moment before extraction. The herb has a long history in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Herbalism.
It is suggested that you add 1 full squeeze of the dropper bulb to 2 oz. of water or juice, 2 to 5 times per day. Best taken between meals.

I actually have an essential oil & herbal book with different recipes. In the future, I may post a few of the recipes that I've tried from the book. If anyone else out there takes any herbal supplements from other companies, I would love to know about them & why you like them. Until next time, Peace & Blessings all. 

Aug 27, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

   Not sure about anyone else but this has been a weird week. I've been still feeling blah because of my sinus issues. On top of that I've been trying to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night which has been a complete bust. I'm suppose to talk to my doctor again to see what could be causing it. That't the story of my life at this point. Besides that, I've officially got my Reiki & Chakra healing certifications. I'm working on the distance healing certification now. I should have that done by the end of this week. Enough of me rambling, here are some thought from Billy Chapata today:










     Tomorrow, I may post a recipe. If not, I think I'm going to go back to post on Monday. Not sure yet but who knows what will happen in a few hours. Until then, Peace & Blessing, everyone!!

Aug 25, 2020

Fitness Tuesday: Benefits of Napping

     Last week, was a rough one for me. I haven't been sleeping well lately. Part of it is the mattress that I sleep on & the other part is my sinus issue. My dentist told me that some people with sinus problems, sometimes their undereye/ side area hurts. For the last couple of days, that's what has been going on with me. Plus, I just felt blah & didn't feeling like posting anything.


One thing that I'd did more of last week was napping. I know there are people who dislike naps, but this girl isn't one of those people. That's one thing I miss about being a kid: having to take naps during the day. I've always been a big nap person. I usually take a 20-30 minute nap if I take one during the day. Personally, if a take one longer than that, I consider that sleep. Below are benefits, how to nap, & why you should nap from the Mayo Clinic & Sleep.org that any adult can get from taking a nap:

A person should consider taking naps, if they experience:
-Unexpected sleepiness-Fatigue-Sleep loss -Lacking energy
Naps should be limited to 10 to 20 minutes. 20-minute is called stage two nap. This type of nap can enhance motor skills and attention. Napping after 3 p.m. can interfere with nighttime sleep. The optimal hours for napping is between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Blood sugar and energy starts to dip after lunchtime. Napping in a dark room will help falling to sleep faster. Avoid drinking coffee, cokes or anything else with caffeine in the afternoon or evening. Drinking caffeine late in the day can negatively affect your sleep.

Some benefits of napping include:

-Reduced fatigue
-Increased alertness
-Improved mood
-Improved performance
-Quicker reaction time 
-Improved memory

When I finally start working for someone else again, I might take naps during lunch. I use to do that at some of my other jobs that I've had in the past. It gave me the energy to get through the rest of the day. Naps should be a must for companies. That's just my opinion though.

Peace & Blessings!

Aug 13, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     Happy Thursday! This is kinda late but better late than never. I was in the process of trying to order a Bid Day gift for someone going through recruitment at Alabama right now. So, people send flowers & other things along with the Bid Day gifts that they get from the sorority that they join plus people who want to send flowers & such. I know that I'm extra but Bama recruitment is a whole different level of extra. She gets her bid on Sunday so, we'll see where she end up going (fingers crossed, it'll be ADPI). 

Anywho, the quotes for this week are from Billy Chapta's book, Flawers. All the quotes for most of August are going to be from his books. Here are some quotes/thoughts for today:










Tomorrow, I'm posting one of my go-to easy chicken dinner recipes. It's from one of my favorite Southern Living cooks, that I still haven't found from the move almost 3 years ago. I think I shared it a long time ago, but that was years ago so I'm glad to be able to share it again. Peace & Blessings, all!

Aug 12, 2020

Best & worst foods for helping with Sleep

 

   During Covid, I haven't been sleeping as well as I was before. It could be from the mattress, being unemployed, or the stress of everything going on. I usually go to be around 12/12:30 am. I've been trying to get my diet back to normal since it's been crazy, which could be contributing to my lack of sleep. Nearly 70 million Americans are sleep deprived. Since, I'm sure I'm not the only person with sleep & diet problems right now, I wanted to share some of the best & worst foods to eat before bed. All of the information for this is a combination of list from Nutritious life, Cooking LightHealth.com & Eat This, Not That.

Foods to help with better Sleep

Almonds, Walnuts, & Cashews: contain magnesium, which acts like a natural sedative; a small deficiency in magnesium can lead to trouble in the sleep department. 
Apricots: full of vitamin C which can help relieve stress, shown to help your body recover faster from stress.
Asparagus: high in folate; folate has been linked to helping with anxiety & mood.

Bananas: a source of  melatonin (a sleep hormone) that helps to decrease the time it takes to fall asleep, increases sleepiness and may also increase the amount of time you spend asleep. & potassium, which helps normalize heartbeat. 
Cheese: a good source of tryptophan (particularly swiss or cheddar), an amino acid that encourages the release of melatonin.
Nutmeg: improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels; home remedy for cramps and anxiety. 
Tart cherries: loaded with anthocyanins, an antioxidant that lowers inflammation, as well as cholesterol and triglyceride levels; natural source of melatonin.
Oatmeal: contains tryptophan; converts to the sleep controlling hormone, serotonin; one cup provides you with 60 mg of magnesium. 

Some other foods that help with better sleep include: Lentils, Spinach, Legumes, Salmon, & Milk, 


Foods to avoid before bed

High fat foods: unhealthy fats and refined carbs have caused disturbances in the sleep/wake cycle; stimulates the production of acid in the stomach, causing heartburn; disrupt body’s natural circadian rhythms, making you sleeper during the day.
Coffee: contains caffeine is a central nervous stimulant; skip later in the day;
Dark chocolatecontains theobromine, another stimulant that can increase heart rate and sleeplessness; chocolate dark has more than white & milk chocolate; eating a whole bar of chocolate before bed could keep you up due to the caffeine.

Alcohol: causes the quality of sleep through the night to be worse & can cause one to feel groggy; metabolizes quickly in your system, causing you to wake up multiple times during the night; makes snoring worse. 

Spicy Foods: can trigger heartburn; can interrupt sleep by increasing core temperature (core temperature naturally decreases closer to bedtime). 

I've been drinking Calm & using supplement called Relaxing Sleep from Herb Pharm that has helped some. I'll probably share my bedtime routine at some point. Next week,  I'll be sharing some of the other Herb Pharm supplements that I take throughout my day & the benefits of them. Until next time, Peace & Blessings, all.

Aug 7, 2020

Recipe: Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl

     For some reason lately, I've been craving cauliflower rice bowls. I usually go get one at Zoe's but everytime I got ready to go get one, something happens. So, I decided to make one at home. I did a mixture of quinoa & cauliflower rice instead of just the rice by itself. I've been trying to eat better again since I can go to the gym some again. Here is how I made my Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowl:

For the base, I used this Success quinoa & a bag of frozen savory garlic cauliflower rice. I boiled the quinoa on the stove for 10 minutes. I cooked the cauliflower rice for 6 minutes in the microwave.

This is what it looked like after I mixed the two together. I did add some brown rice that I had left over too on this day when I made it for lunch & black chia seeds. Other than that, every other time I made it without the brown. 

For the chicken, I used the seasoning that I've been using on all my chicken lately. I bought this at Wal-Mart. They have other flavors as well like Lemon & Oregano.

I usually brine my chicken for 15 minutes but I didn't have time on this day. Before I sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken, I used butter (unsalted, of course but you can use olive also) to cover both sides of the chicken tenders. Once the seasoning was added, I cooked the chicken at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. 

While the chicken was cooking, I diced a small tomato & added to the rice/quinoa mixture.

I diced up a few slices of cucumber, adding them to one side of the bowl.

I then added 1/2  cup of feta cheese to the rice. 


In the middle of the bowl, I added some tzatziki dip I bought at the store.

Once the chicken was done & cooled for 5-6 minutes, I cut up 3 tenders & added that to the last open spot on the bowl. The above is the end result. You can also make this vegetarian by substituting some of the above items. That is it for this week. I think, I finally have gotten down a posting schedule that I like so we'll see how that turns out.

Peace & Blessings. Have a great weekend, all!!