30 Days Self Rededication

Hey guys,

Im am embarking on a 30 day self-rededication journey. It's easy for us to get busy and prioritize things over ourselves. It is, however, important to maintain balance and focus on being the best you that is possible. Remember a better you, means that you can better accomplish everything else in your life. 

During this challenge. I'll be refocusing on the areas of:

Health
Goals: - More energy - Better sense of well-being

Fitness
Goals: - Workout 30 minutes a day (includes aerobics, weight training, stretching or yoga)

Hair Care
Goals: - Wear a protective hairstyle for 30 days - moisturize hair daily

Faith
Goals: - Meditation 15 minutes daily - Read a scripture daily

Me time
Goals: - Get a facial once per week - get nails done once per week - Take myself to a movie

Join me with your own goals for this 30 day challenge. What are your goals for this challenge?

Till next time

Breakfast Fruit Medly

This is a really simple breakfast. It packs a nutritional punch and tastes great. 

Here's what you'll need:
- 3-4 strawberries
- 1 medium banana
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 medium pear
- 1/4 cup of mixed nuts and seeds (I used a mix of soy nuts, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and raisins
- sprinkle of chia seeds


Thinly slice strawberries, banana, and pear. Add blueberries and nuts. I personally add a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter. Sprinkle chia seeds on top. Chia seeds are very nutritionally dense, and pack one of the highest % by volume of plant protein on earth. Plus, it ads a nice crunch to your fruit medly. This is sure to give you the energy you need to start your day without making you feel sluggish or heavy. Give this a try, and I'm sure you'll love it! 


Till next time, 
Healthy living

Grilled Salmon Salad w/ Lemon Thyme Dressing

Salad Ingredients:

1/4 cup black olives

1 medium carrot shredded

1 large egg hard boiled

1/2 medium onion chopped

3 medium white mushrooms sliced

3 cups italian salad blend

5 ounce grilled salmon

Dressing Ingredients:

Juice of 1 medium lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

thyme to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

This salad has a healthy balance of slow carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins and minerals

This recipe makes 2 servings. Pan sear your salmon. Add a touch of salt and pepper to taste. Prepare vegetables and boiled egg. Layer your salad. To make the dressing squeeze the juice of 1 medium room temperature lemon. slowly add 2 tbsp olive oil while whisking. Add thyme, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste while continuing to whisk. This will enable the mixture to emulsify as a dressing. Once you taste homemade dressing, you will think twice about buying the chemical laden, sugar and salt laden supermarket varieties. When you get the hang of it, try different variations of salad dressings. Lightly dress your salad and enjoy!!!

To your health and happiness

Fresh baked whole wheat bread from scratch!!!

Fresh baked whole wheat bread from scratch!!!

What's the benefit to making your own whole wheat bread? A. it's extremely nutrient dense B. You know exactly what you are putting into your body. No additives, preservatives, and unnecessary chemicals. Afterall, we are what we eat. And if it's easy to make wholesome foods at home, why wouldn't we? 

This recipe is very easy. 

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (not bread flour not white flour not unbleached, WHOLE WHEAT). Sifted

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil (yes this is necessary, please dont attempt this recipe without or you'll get a dry loaf)

1 packet of dry yeast

1/4 cup dry milk

1 1/4 teaspoons of salt

1  cup warm water

1/4 cup orange juice

Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm water (not hot or cold) with half of your honey. let stand 10 minutes until bubbling. Now your yeast is active

Sift flour into large bowl. Sifting really makes the difference here folks

add salt and dry milk and mix all the dry ingredients with a fork or large spoon

add yeast mixture

add remainder of honey

add 1/4 cup vegetable oil

add remainder of liquid

Knead dough for about 8 minutes or until smooth

place in a warm bowl and coat with a small amount of oil

cover with a warm towel for 2 hours to let rise

after the initial rise, place in a loaf pan and cover with warm towel for a second 2 hour rise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cover pan with alluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncovering for the final 5 minutes. 

place on cooling rack immediately to prevent overcooking. 

Rub melted butter on top of crust for softness

Let cool for 10 minutes. 

And ENJOY!

I must admit its not a quick recipe, but most of the work is just waiting. You can do other things with your time while waiting. Actual work time is only about 10 minutes. 

Cheap, healthy, and tasty!!!

Healthy Breakfast Frittata

Hey guys,
today I woke up and decided to make a delicious and nutritious veggie frittata. What is a frittata, you might ask. It's basically an egg pie. You start by adding a tad bit olive oil to lubricate a nonstick oven pan. Whisk 8 eggs until yolks and whites are combined. Add 1 cup of brocolli florets and diced onion. Save a few slices of onion for the top of your frittata. Mix well. Add 1/8 cup diced avocado, salt, onion powder and pepper, being careful not to mash the avocado pieces. Pour into your pan. Top with onion slices and scallions. Bake for around 10-20 mins. Really it depends on your oven. Check after 10 minutes and every couple of minutes until eggs are just firm throughout, but kind of loose in the very center. Add cheddar cheese on top with  fresh thyme. Let cheese melt. Do not overcook your precious frittata. Top with your favorite condiments and you're all there. Serve warm.


For my recipe, I used:

1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup densely packed spinach
8 eggs
1/4 onion
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon scallions
fresh thyme
salt , onion powder, and pepper to taste. 

Keep in mind that frittatas are made with whatever left over veggies or ground meat, or sausage you have on hand. After you try this recipe, feel free to mix it up with whatever veggies you like. Try adding kale, potatoes, ham, breakfast sausage, etc. 
Happy and Healthy living folks!

Morning Green Smooth - Start Your Day the Healthy Way

This nutrition packed green smoothie is a great way to start your day. I've included banana, mango, spinach, orange and yogurt in my smoothie. Give it a try, and you'll be full of energy. It's great knowing that you are taking care of yourself - and in a delicious way. Try adding a 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil for some healthy fat. In this recipe I used 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup frozen mango, 2/3 of an orange, 3 cups raw organic spinach, 3 tablespoons plain lowfat yogurt. I've included the nutritional information for this smoothie. But feel free to edit this recipe using whatever fruit you have on hand. For the veggies, spinach, kale, and broccoli are mild in flavor enough for green smoothie beginners. 


Healthy living folks!

Nutritional information: 

240 Calories

Vitamin A 110%

Calcium 33%

Vitamin C 150%

Iron 19.5%

Grocery Haul

Hey folks. I'm checking in with a grocery haul for this week. Remember, eat to live, dont live to eat.

Grocery haul for this week is from Trader joes grocery store. 

Fruit: pineapple, mango, cherry tomatoes, limes, bananas, dried cranberries

Veggies: Kale, Brocolli slaw, baby spinach, carrots, peas

Nuts: Raw cashews, Raw pecans

Grains: Whole wheat mini pitas, pretzel thins 

Spices: cinnamon

Homemade Chicken Stock!!!

Hey guys,
Today I made some homemade chicken stock. Last night, I roasted a chicken for dinner, and decided to make a stock using the bones. I prefer this over the store bought versions because a. you know exactly what is in it b. no preservatives c. You control the amount of salt you put in it. This is a great way to get rid of some veggies before they spoil, and also a way to use every part of the chicken you cooked.

Ingredients in my chicken stock:

- Chicken bones left over from a roasted chicken. (you can use left over bones from any chicken dish you have made
- spanish onions
- scallions
- Lemon (that i used while roasting the chicken
- Red pepper
- And a few sprigs of fresh time
- Salt and pepper to taste

Get creative folks. You can use any of your scrap veggies with the chicken bones. Try adding red pepper flakes or spicy peppers if you want a bit of a kick. Happy healthy living!