May 28, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     Good day, everyone. I can not believe that May is almost over. We literally only had one & half months of the "old normal"  then Covid-19 started. This was going to be your normal Thoughtful Thursday post but I have to put my two-sense in on something. All I have to say is this: that I am tired of people assuming that people of one race is worse than others. There are good & bad people in all races. I thought that Covid-19 would make people appreciate not just life but each other more. Sadly, that is not the case. 

As a Black female, I deserve the right to live my life just like women of every race. I should be able to go places without feeling as though I have to look over my shoulder every second of everyday. Most of us have enough problems in our lives than to have to worry about being killed for just being us. While I am on my soapbox, I find it highly annoying to see people, be outraged by what happened in Georgia & Minnesota but not care or talk that much about the EMT that got killed sleeping in her own apartment in Kentucky. Also,most people would not give to two craps about either if there were not video footage of the accidents (which people are trying to use to paint the victims as being sketchy, justifying the actions that lead to their deaths).

People that say that they do not receive special or different treatment based on their race are lying or just naive. As a woman, I that I am treated differently in some situations. Having an opinion on race issues is not just a black problem. Many minorities have dealt with some type of racism or even colorism at some point. People need to start speaking their truth instead of 1: Acting like it does not affect them. It affects all of us indirectly. 2: All of a sudden having all this outrage with these situation happening now. These things have always happened. Social Media has just made it more visible. I mean their are reason why there have been more people getting out of prison after being wrongfully convicted. People make their judgments off race, before they know facts. It is one of the many sad facts that some of us have to deal with daily.

Sorry, that was a crazy tangent I went on there. There is a whole more I have to say about people & their post about the situations going on but, I will keep those to myself (or keep them to myself until I go do the podcast). Back to what I was originally posting now. Here are some thoughts that I wanted to share with all of you today:










Peace & Blessings. Have a great weekend!!! I will be back for a start of a new week & month next week. Until then, be careful & stay safe, peeps.

May 27, 2020

Recipe: Baked Chicken with sweet potatoes

     Hard to believe that today is the last Wednesday of May. Since I did not eat out that much from March-the beginning of April (like everyone else), I have been trying to find new recipes. When I went to the store the other day, I bought this seasoning packet below:



I had about two pounds of chicken breast that I used. First I brined the chicken. To brine it, I cut up the chicken, placed it in a bowl of warm water & salt for about 15 minutes. Brining the chicken makes it juicy. After that, I placed it in a greased baking dish.


After placing the chicken in the baking dish, you can brush the chicken with either melted butter or olive oil. I used melted butter. I brushed all the pieces on both sides with butter.


After brushing the chicken, I sprinkled the chicken with the seasoning on both sides. I cooked the chicken at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.


Here is the chicken after it is done. I let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before plating it.


While the chicken was brining, I cut up some sweet potatoes that I had. The smaller white ones are Japanese sweet potatoes. They are pretty much like regular sweet potatoes but they look like regular white potatoes. I placed them on parchment paper, greased the potatoes with butter & placed the potatoes baking sheet. I baked them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 


Here are the potatoes look like once I took them out of the oven. I let these cool for 15 minutes while the chicken cooked.


Once I, took the chicken out I placed the cleaned asparagus in the dish that I baked the chicken with the left over juice from the chicken. I sprinkled them with dash & drizzled a little olive oil on them. I cooked these at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. 


Below is the result of all that I cooked together. The chicken ended up being eaten for 3 meals & the sweet potatoes for 2. I liked the seasoning because all of the spices were in one pouch. It definitely cut back on time searching for all of these in the store.
Next, I am going to try some more recipes with my instant pot that is just hanging out on my counter. If any has some quick recipes I would love to know them. Peace & Blessings, everyone.

May 21, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     Happy Thursday!!! This week, I have fallen of due to being able to finally getting to all my appointments. I had some doctor & a dentist appointment scheduled before the pandemic that got cancelled. Thankfully, I was able to get them all scheduled for the same week (being this week). Plus, I have been writing a bit. There will be more regular post (2-3 times a week) for the next few weeks. Yay!!! Until then, here are some quote/thoughts for this week:











Peace & Blessings, all. Have a great day & Memorial Day weekend!!!

May 14, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     Happy Thursday!!! It is hard to believe that it is mid-May now. This past weekend I was missing sport so I watched an ACL match. Cornhole has started to hold events. It was pretty much the same but with only the competitor, ESPN, & two other people on the floor. My assumption is that is how most other major sport will hold things. Only time will tell. 

I am trying to get better on time management. Shocker, not doing to good at that. I feel like I do not have enough time in my day to do all that I need to do. Anywho, here are some thoughts/quotes for this week:













Everyone enjoy your Thursday & upcoming weekend!

May 12, 2020

Fitness Tuesday recipe: Triple Berry Granola & Yogurt

     Today, I wanted to share a quick & easy breakfast. This can be made the same day or ahead if need be. I called it a triple berry granola & yogurt. The name comes from the triple berry yogurt granola that I used from Sprouts. You can use any granola or yogurt type though. Below, I am going to breakdown the ingredients alone with benefits of that item.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Plain greek yogurt
    • High in protein, can aid in digestion, heart health & weight loss (source)
  • 1/2 cup Triple Berry Granola 
    • May help lower your cholesterol, aid in preventing heart disease & cancer. Oats make it high fiber & iron(source, source)
  • 1 cup Strawberries, sliced
    • Regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, & heart disease. In those with osteoarthritis, it has been shown to help reduce pain & markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Boost immunity, help with brain health. (source, source)
  • 1 tbsp Local Honey
    • Contains pollen, enzymes, & antioxidants. Helps build an immunity to some seasonal allergies. Can help treat ulcers and diarrhea. (source, source)
Usually, I add all the strawberries, granola, & then the honey into the bowl of yogurt. Then, I mix well until blended. 


The I used frozen since that is what I have at the moment. The granola that I used is similar to the frozen triple berry mix that I bought in the store. It has a few blueberries, strawberries, & raspberries in it (just enough to make is a triple mix. Sometimes, I eat this for breakfast or I will eat this as a snack in the afternoon if I am hungry & I do not want a meal. 

Make sure that there is not a lot of added sugar in the granola since you are adding some in form of honey & that from the strawberries. Be careful to not added to much since granola can be high in calories.

I would love to know how everyone else eats their granola. 

Peace & Blessings, everyone!

May 7, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday

     Happy Thursday!!! I have been M.I.A due to trying to read/ finish some of those classes that I signed up for back at the end of last year & beginning of this year. I am in one of those situations where I am frustrated with social media again. Actually, people who are giving out misinformation again have me frustrated again. Here are some quotes & thoughts for today:

This time of year, I always start to see "influencers" giving people misleading information about health & wellness items. I know that I should not be like that but, I think if you have a large following you should be suggesting items that have positive reviews & that you have used besides getting paid to review it. I have all my post ready for next week but I may add some of the people I follow on IG for health & wellness suggestions & advice. Just to warn everyone, most of them at DPT, RDN, & CPT meaning they know their stuff.

Anywho, here are some quotes & thoughts for this week:











Shockingly enough, I have taken a bunch of recipe pictures. Meaning for the month of May, there will be a new recipe up every week after this week. It is a mixture of meals plus snacks. Until then have a great Thursday.

Peace & Blessings, everyone!!!

May 1, 2020

Thoughtful Thursday on Friday

     Happy May 1st & Friday. This is going up on Friday again.... At some point my days & time will get back to normal. Not sure when that will be though. I tried to us this time to be productive & get something done like blogging. I have been doing a little better but I get sidetracked. Trying not to do to many things at once so that I can focus more. Will let you all know how that goes. Until then, here are some thoughts for the first day of May:










Next week, I should be posting three to four times (fingers crossed). Until then, peace & blessings, everyone have a great Friday & weekend.