LITTLE MIRACLES & ALMOND CHOCOLATE CUPS

I hope your week has been going as great as mine. Have you started crossing off the to-dos on your list? Taken time to appreciate the little miracles that are easy to overlook? like, waking up in the morning, breathing, having water to bathe, watching your children get on the school bus, hearing 'I love you' from those who care? I have been consciously living in the now and I tell you that is is the best way to live.

Happiness is realizing and accepting that "I Am", not "I was" or "I will be"--Bernice Angoh

Oh, I forgot to tell you I took up running and yes, I'm addicted. I run most mornings and I wonder how I used to survive without it in the past; apart from the fact that you're filling your lungs with fresh air and improving your circulation, there is a feeling of accomplishment each time you break your own record. I still remember the very first time I was able to run for four miles and still felt like I had more in me to go on. I have actually fallen in love with this cute running store not far from where I live, it is my haven, I want everything from that store. I already got fitted for my running shoes and can't wait to get their super sports bras and skorts. They also have races every Thursday, guess who is signing up for that? I also plan to enter next month's 22 mile race (pray for me), will be sure to take some pictures of me especially before and after the race so I can show you my what-was-I-thinking face, lol.

Guess who turned 2 this weekend? my little man! Can't believe it's only yesterday we were at the hospital waiting for his arrival....Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOO

I think he is so beautiful :-)

We were in church talking about godmothers and I mentioned i couldn't wait to be someone's godmother and someone's bride's maid and my daughter, Nina, 9, turns and holds my hands, looks me deep in the eye and said "Mama, you can be my godmother, I want you to be my godmother. Now you have one less thing to worry about," as I started to respond she goes "And while we're on the subject, I would like you to be my bride's maid when I get married mama. see, now you don't have to worry about any of that." yeah, it brought tears to my eyes, my sweet baby...those are my little miracles and they make life worth living. I hope you see the little miracles that surround you everyday...

Here's what I read recently; Steve Harvey is funny and the book is an easy read. Very interesting read and mostly accurate. I have some things that turned me off about the book though but i will keep those to myself, if you're interested grab a copy and you may get some valuable advice from it. I give the book 4 stars.


CHOCOLATE ALMOND CUPS:

Raw-vegan delicious hmmmm

Ingredients for crust:

1 cup almond flour
6-8 mejdhool dates
pinch of salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor with an 'S' blade and blend until it starts to be doughy and sticky. Place mixture into a muffin cups and press into cups and set aside.

Ingredients for Chocolate filling:

1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp organic maple syrup
1 tbsp chopped hazelnuts

Place all ingredients into a food processor with an 'S' blade and blend until smooth. Pour chocolate filling into almond cups and place in the fridge for about 2-4 minutes until filling is firm or hard. Enjoy!

ALWAYS STRIVE TO BE HAPPY!

REMEMBER TO EAT AND DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

32 Years Young and Hopefully Growing Younger

Last weekend I celebrated my 32nd birthday, my actual birthday was march 1st but my aunt, Monica, organized one for me and my cousin, Dora. Should I just warn you that I was spoiled rotten? Well, there, you have been warned...I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

A choconana-appricot cake I made for Dora, YUMMY

Aunty Monica, our gracious hostess

Dora and aunty Monica

The buffet table

Ms. Sharon Arrey and I

Me in my little black dress I got from Dora

Ice cream cake

Me and baby Ricky( in the background)

The other birthday girl, Dora

My  6 month old Chubb-chub and I

Ricky and aunty Flo

Ricky and aunty Flo

My Nina, me, Tresor and Dora

Cutting the cake

Okay, so you see it was a big deal. Had so much fun. I can't thank aunty Monica, Dora, Adel and David enough. I did try a little bit of  almost everything. I was very conscious of what went into my mouth though. I had more vegetables than anyone else I think. It was well worth it as it acted as a great laxative for me the next day (sorry, but just had to add that). When I got up the morning after and felt flu-ish, I knew exactly why: it was the ice cream cake! My body knows exactly what it wants; dairy and I don't get along too well. So for the next three days I did a little cleanse, carrot juice fast, and I was back to myself again.

The reason I brought that up is to point out that if you treat your body well, it will actually 'talk' back to you and let you know if it agrees with the things you eat or not. I absolutely love the FYR lifestyle and I hope you decide to join the ride. Several people are taking the FYR 90-Day Superstar Challenge and I can't wait to start getting the success stories. In April, I have a handful of people starting as well, so if you have been waiting here's your chance. Summer is still several months away for all those who want to join the swimsuit challenge.

In the coming weeks FYR will be announcing its first Male Spokesperson. I hope you follow us (click on 'follow') to stay updated. On our next post we'll be talking about sources of Iron and eating red meat won't be one of them. 

I will leave you with a great little recipe to help boost your immune system and help fight against cancer. The secret is an ingredient called lycopene found in tomatoes which helps to prevent blood lymphocytes from  damage. I love tomatoes, especially raw, you can eat it in your salads or juice them, you can also add it to your smoothies. Fresh organic tomatoes are ideal. So if you're one of those people who won't try anything new, just think of the benefits of this great drink. I hope that's enough for you to try it...love yourself a little differently, it might as well begin with a glass of tomato juice.

Tomato Juice

Ingredients:

2 big ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tsp cayenne pepper ( I love cayenne, the more the better)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp agave nectar (optional)

Method:

Juice the celery and tomato in a juicer. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. YUMMY-DELICIOUSO-Tritious :)

EAT AND DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU"LL THANK ME LATER!