WILL YOU COME OVER FOR TEA?

This Christmas I got a beautiful gift from my father and mother in-law. So permit me to brag about this wonderful woman (my mother in-law) for a second. I feel blessed that we are so close and that she knows what I like. She is one of the sweetest people I know, so soft spoken (like me) and loves, loves pink. Anyway, she and Nina had been holding on to this surprise for a while but nothing prepared me for the uniqueness of this gift and yes, it's all organic too: (and oh, the pretty pink antique tea set is a gift from her as well)

THIS TEA BLOOMS!

Flowering teas is what they are, different flowers, different colors, awww, too cute,  it starts off as a very small bud and then slowly expands to almost fill the glass jar, how cool is that? The perk of having a mother in-law who loves you and knows what you like :)

My beautiful tea set all so PINK!

Just had to drop a cinnamon stick in there!

BEAUTIFUL

I feel like a princess every time I drink from this set

My little Ninashka, modeling the tea set and tea for mommy :)

Well, thanks for joining me for tea today. Hope we do this again soon.  Here are a few smoothies we've been enjoying for breakfast.

I made some ALMOND MILK yesterday

THIS BLENDER WAS ALSO A GIFT FROM my mother in-law, thanks 'Mema'

Freshly made almond milk

Ingredients:

2 cups almonds, soaked overnight and then rinsed
4 -5 cups of water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dates

Liquefy in a high speed blender and pass through a nut mesh bag or a cheese cloth if you don't have a nut milk bag. Save any left over almond chaff for later to use in pies and biscuits.

BLUEBERRY MOUNTAIN:

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen blueberries
2 bananas
1/2 cup almond milk

BLACKBERRY SMOOTHIE:

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen blackberries
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp coconut oil

Here's a photo my daughter took of me while I was working out. It came out blurred. I decided to make use of it and love the outcome.

Till next time, remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU"LL THANK ME LATER!

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO UNLEASH THE ENERGY WITHIN

Yesterday I had to cook food for everyone else in the house and something different for me. It is pretty amazing how rejuvenated and alive one feels on a raw or mostly raw food diet. I wake up feeling like I can carry the world, ALL THIS ENERGY! what a difference. I am still mourning my food processor but I will live for the next few days until I can get a new one :)

My two angels having fun

My mornings starts the same, exercise (with my 8 year old trainer, if you think I'm joking come and get a session with her). Eventhough my thighs were sore from her 'Froggies' I still managed to push through and we had a blast. I do add my own exercises in between but I let her have the upper hand (she feels like a pro). Our juice was quite delicious....

SWEET-VEGGIE Juice

Ingredients:

4 carrots
1 cup red seedless grapes
1 whole lemon
2 red delicious apples
3 HUGE handfuls of spinach leaves

Juice and enjoy!

I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge and I had always wanted to make a mock rice, so I used this opportunity to do just that.

Not- rice and nut-sauce

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, (lightly steamed) you can eat it raw but I wanted to steam mine a little
2 Tbsp green onions, chopped
1 heaping Tbsp almond butter
1Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp water
Juice of half a lemon
dash of black pepper
dash of paprika (optional)
dash of salt (optional)

Directions:

Mix first two ingredients and set aside
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl until it makes a smooth paste. Pour Nut sauce over cauliflower and mix. This was surprisingly quite satisfying and delicious and also very filling. I definitely will make it again. Feel free to make different variations of this and experiment with another nut, say cashews?

For Supper I had a huge bowl of spinach salad, love my spinach, can you tell?

Simple Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups of spinach leaves
1/3 cup of walnuts
A handful of dried cranberries or raisins

Dressing:

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp dried mustard
1 garlic clove, minced

Mix all ingredients well in a bowl, pour on salad and toss. Enjoy!

Okay I made this beautiful veggie juice the other day look what I found after I was done juicing...

Is that pretty or what? what lovely colors...I love beets :) This is what it looked like after I was done:

Looks like blood huh? no worries, no vampires any where close

Here is what I made for everyone else..and yes, they all loved it.

Baked salmon on a bed of raspberry vinegretted (if that's a word) white asparagus and some rice. I may share  the recipe one of these days.

Okay, gotta go, have a great day and remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

Every Disappointment Shows You a New Turn To Take

Happy New Year Everyone and hope your year is going great so far. Mine was going good until my favorite kitchen appliance broke up with me. My 2-in-1 Cuisinart food processor of 8 years finally kicked the bucket! And right when Nina and I were about to make a Raw Vegan Mango Cheesecake. We hadn't even gotten to the cheesecake (cashew and co) part yet and the food processor gave up right in the middle of us making the crust, well, the crust was almost done too. Either way I had to use my my back-up blender to come up with something different for dessert. But first here is how my day went:

My 8 year old Personal Trainer, Nina

I decided to let my daughter be my personal trainer for the morning and she almost killed me, seriously, an 8 year old made me work so hard that I almost cried, I am not joking when I say this, I was aching all over when we were done and the morning after. SHE IS GOOD!!! hahahahahahaha I have to give her that. We've made an agreement for her to coach me in the mornings, also gives us time to spend quality time together, have fun and all while exercising, not a bad deal huh? Then we made a vegetable juice for breakfast, well, for me mostly, the kids decided to do their usual banana/strawberry smoothie:

GOOD morning Vegetable Juice

2 Lbs bag of organic carrots
1 lemon, seeds removed
3-4 Granny Smith apples, cored
2 handfuls spinach leaves

Run all ingredients through a juicer and enjoy. I had a glass of this deliciousness at around 11 am and another around 4pm.

For Lunch I decided to go for a tasty Nori-wrap

Tasty Vegetable Wrap

4 nori sheets (or lettuce leaves)
1 big parsnips (some people call them white/albino carrots), grated
2-3 Tbsp agave nectar
2 small avocados (Haas), thinly sliced
1/4 cup Braggs Apple cider vinegar
3-4 big carrots, julienned
1 medium jicama, thinly sliced

Directions:

Soak julienned carrots in Braggs apple cider vinegar and set aside
Sprinkle a dash of salt and paprika on sliced jicama and set aside
Double nori sheets, lay on a flat surface. With fingers, lightly smear water all over the sheets (don't have to do this is you are using lettuce leaves)
Start vertically adding ingredients to roll in nori sheets; parsnips, drizzle of agave over length of parsnips, carrots, jicama and lastly avocado.
Roll tightly and use water to seal ends of nori sheet.

This was very delicious and quite satisfying.

For dinner we were going to make a mango cheesecake but disappointment turned into a sweet surprise when our food processor broke down ( Can't do without a food processor, have to get one really soon because I make most of my raw foods and desserts with it)

The- mango- thingy- that -was- meant- to- be- a- mango- cheesecake- but- couldn't

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup almond meal (ground almond)
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dates
pinch of salt

Put in food processor with an 'S' blade and blend till it starts to stick together and form and dough. Press half of the dough 5' pan and set aside. * Since my food processor broke halfway my walnuts were coarse which really gave it a crunchy feel, yummmy!!!*

Mango pudding:

3 cups frozen mango
1 cup coconut flakes, (dry)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp water

Add all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend till smooth and creamy. Pour a layer of mango pudding over crust and then sprinkle the rest of the dough over first mango layer. Top with the remainder of mango pudding, cover with an aluminium foil and freeze for about 1 hour. I just couldn't wait so I got mine out sooner and it was semi-firm but still wildly delicious.

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

10 QUICK WEIGHT LOSS TIPS FOR 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

I can't believe how fast the past year went by. I hope you are proud of all you accomplished when you look back, if not don't give up, as long as you believe, are ready to work at it, you will be successful. Here are a few weight loss tips to aid you this year:

1. DRINK MORE WATER: 

-It makes you fuller faster

-Increases your metabolic rate

-Helps flush out toxins from your body

2. LIGHT BREAKFAST:

- Fruits and vegetable juices are great for breakfast, takes very little time to digest but keeps you energized and satiated.

Anti-oxidant galore YUM

3. SAY NO TO SUGAR & REDUCE SALT INTAKE

-Use fruits, dates, organic maple syrup, honey, stevia or agave to sweeten

-If you crave salt, use dulse flakes, braggs amino acids, or dried celery flakes, you can also eat strawberries or mangoes, they have enough sodium to soothe your cravings.
-Himalayan salt is the best quality salt I know and use, unlike regular table salt whose minerals have been bleached out, himalayan salt still has all its elements.

Raw vegan apple pie

4. AVOID DAIRY PRODUCTS (if you must then buy organic)

-Collard greens, broccoli, almonds are all great sources of calcium

-Have big salads with your meals
-http://www.notmilk.com/
-Get the facts on MILK...click here!

Veggie casserole

5. DETOX

-Excess weight is caused by excessive waste in the body and calories the body can't use

-Do a juice fast or the FYR 21-Day detox (ebooks available at top right hand corner of this site)

FYR 'Fire'

6. EXERCISE before you eat breakfast:

-Forces the body to burn fat as opposed to the body burning sugars from what you just ate

Doing jumping jacks with resistance bands

7. AVOID ALL 'WHITE' FOODS and foods that contain them

- White sugar, rice, breads etc

-Substitute that side of potato or rice with some steamed or raw vegetables instead

8. TRY NOT TO EAT AFTER 8PM OR EAT AT LEAST 3-4 HOURS BEFORE YOU GO TO BED

-Teas or water is fine

9. EAT AS MUCH RAW FOODS AS POSSIBLE

-One of the quickest and safest ways to lose weight is to eat more raw foods.

-You could do raw until dinner and then have some cooked food

-Raw-vegan foods include fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts

-Raw food contains live enzymes which are denatured by heat when we cook food

-Live enzymes help cleanse the body and get rid of waste

-Eating 70-80% raw will yield tons of benefits to your health, you only need to try it for a few days to know what I mean

Delicious spinach and banana smoothie

10. KEEP YOUR STRESS DOWN

-Please refer to my blog entry titled 'Stress, the silent killer'

-Most people respond to stress by overeating

LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MORE SUCCESS STORIES THIS YEAR.

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS from FYR

Good Mommies Have Santa Over for Tea?

(Thoughts of a deep-thinking mommy)

Am I a bad mother because I feel somewhat disgusted at the number of presents I see underneath the Christmas tree? Whose birthday is it anyway? Are those gifts for the one whose birthday we’re celebrating? Will these have to be topped the following year? What gifts do we bring to Him this year? Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that they receive such love and attention anytime, I'm just a worrier, a deep-thinking mommy a I mentioned earlier.

Does it make me too self-righteous for wanting to give more than receive? How many people out there who won’t have a single gift this Christmas? Better yet, the little child who will receive one book or one toy or even just a hug from his/her mommy and have such joy in receiving….but over there another child receives hundreds of gifts but is not happy because maybe mommy and daddy or Santa forgot one thing from the list.

The helter-skelter back home in Cameroon when Christmas was nearing had nothing to do with gifts or presents--even though we sometimes got a new pair of shoe or dress. It was just an infectious season of happiness, more like Thanksgiving over here—gathering around a table to share a meal (rice, stew, chicken, chin-chin, chocolate) to enjoy those things that we usually don’t get to enjoy all year round like candy and cake.

Am I a bad mother for wishing I hadn’t fallen into the fairytale of Santa with my children? For wanting my children to know from the onset where their gifts really came from-- for not wanting the stress of buying for Santa as well? For wanting my daughter to know that one or two gifts is more than enough and means much more than truck load of gifts. But I am on my toes with my children everyday to build in them empathy, character and the joy of giving and thinking of others, sometimes even before ourselves. 

We live in a country which preaches SELF-SELF-SELF but I want that acronym changed for my children: S. selflessness, E. empathy, L. love & F. faith. I will fight with all I’ve got to teach them what is right and what I know deep in my heart that is true: that Jesus Christ is Lord…because I know and I thank God everyday that I have ears that hear (sometimes) hahahaha and that my eyes are opened a bit to ‘see’, that amidst all the distractions the SPIRIT within never ceases to call out and if we just quiet down some, we just might hear…

These are my thoughts this season, as I grow older some more is revealed to me.

So many people (including myself) tend to go with the flow “Oh, it’s harmless fun” “Oh, we think it’s okay to celebrate both sides, the Christian and the Un-Christian”. I will never boast to be so morally fit as to say I have no speck in my eye, but I strive to be more like Christ (it’s not always easy but I will not give up). He is the example I choose to follow and hopefully my children and my children’s children will choose the same path.  There is a RIGHT and a WRONG, a HOT and a COLD, a NO and a YES and though I sometimes join the ‘luke-warmers’, I do so knowingly.

I guess what I am trying to leave with anyone interested is that 2012 is another year to make things happen. Leave the anger, failures, resentments, bad habits and all that is ugly behind you and enter the new year all shinny and new. Think a little deeper, choose a little more wisely, love a little longer and harder, pray a little more feverently, listen a little more actively, talk a little less, give more freely, hope a little stronger, smile a little broader, walk a little slower, take time to make time for the things that matter, get a journal, dare to start that little business you’ve always wanted to start, be kind to a stranger, love like a mother, hug like a father, eat like a king/queen aha! This is where we talk about FYR. Are you going to carry your procrastinations from last year into the New Year? Or are you going to buy your eBook and attempt to do what you planned at the beginning of last year? Time does fly by doesn’t it? 

Enjoy time with your family all year round, give gifts all year round, say ‘I love you’ all year round, hold on to the beauty inside of you, make your own decisions, make wiser decisions…. And please if you see me at the store or on the street “No, I’m not offended by your ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting. I like to keep the ‘CHRIST’ in Christmas.”

p/s Before I begin to read any of your thoughts, I want you to know I am not judging anyone, my convictions won't just let me be, so I am always thinking  and searching and learning and relearning and un-programming but above all GROWING and striving to be the BEST version of me there could ever be...

Once in royal Davids city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby,
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little Child.

We have so many BIG SURPRISES from FYR in 2012, JUST YOU WAIT and SEE!!!

Can you tell my daughter and I ( (c) Nikotaphotography ) had a blast taking these pictures? We love colors and all things ARTSY.

May the blessings of God be upon us all this Christmas, May He bring us Peace and Joy as we face this daunting world together. May we Grow and Give and Glow: 3G Mom-ly...

COMING SOON: 3G MOMS

The picture below is some of the gifts my beloved daughter bought for me using some of her savings. She is a giver, always making things for people, always thinking of others and not just during holidays, she does it all year round. I love that most about her, such a thoughtful little one, and she's mine :)

☻ just ♫ call ♫ to ♫ say ☻ ♥ U ♫

Give if your heart compels you to. Here is Nina's WATER4LIFE Fundraiser site: Nina's WATER4LIFE

EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH. YOU'LL THANK ME LATER...

**SPICY** GINGER DRINK

It is starting to get really cold out there and I was thinking about what I would drink if I caught a cold when I remembered my Mom's honey and lemon remedy. I was out of lemons but I did have ginger and I decided to make myself a ginger drink to boost my immune system before anything happens :)

The ginger root is a very medicinal plant that has been used for decades to treat all kinds of ailments. Here are a few benefits of the ginger root:

-Immune system booster
-Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects
-Soothes menstrual cramps, migraines and nausea
-Aids in digestion and soothes an upset stomach
-Lowers cholesterol

As for me I ALWAYS use GINGER & GARLIC in almost every food I prepare, I love the flavor and of course their health benefits too.

Our ***SPICY*** Ginger Drink

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh ginger root, skin removed (If you don't like it too spicy you may want to reduce your measurements to 1/2 a cup or 1/4 cup of ginger root)
6-7 cups of water, divided
1/3 cup honey

Directions:

First, place the ginger root and 2 cups of water into a high speed blender and blend until liquefied.
Then pour content from the blender into a medium size pot.
Add 4-5 cups of water into the pot, cover and bring to a boil.
Next, using a sieve, carefully pour boiled mixture (You may also want to let it cool down some to avoid getting burned) from pot into another container in order to catch all the chaff from the ginger root.
Finally, add 1/3 cup of honey into your ginger drink and mix.
You may also add a dash of cinnamon to your individual glass before drinking.
Enjoy it warm or cold
Save the rest in a bottle with a lid and store in the refrigerator.


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

ALMOST THANKSGIVING!

I haven't blogged for a little while but you must know I have been super busy. As usual I always have more than one project  going on at the same time. Recently I've been busy with the 3G MOMS. Have I told you about the 3G MOMS? Well, you're in for a treat so why spoil it now?


I have been doing my hair, yup, I do my own braids and I'm getting better with practice. See? My daughter calls them Rock N' Roll Twists, others call it City Twists. It is a very trendy hairdo that people pay $300 to have done at an exclusive location here in Atlanta, BUT I HAVE BEEN STUDYING IT FOR MONTHS AND FINALLY CRACKED THE CODE! So I am mighty proud of myself :)

Now let's talk about food. My little Wonder aka Nina and I have been experimenting on breakfast smoothies all week and came up with some pretty delicious stuff.  Even my 14 month old son loves it, when he hears the blender he runs to the kitchen screaming "Banana, banana!" it is the cutest thing I ever heard :)

"Mommy, this is the best and most fun part of my morning!" 

Our Raspberry Explode:

3 ripe bananas
2 cups of Soy milk (vanilla-flavored) *You can also use Almond milk if you want*
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp Lacuma powder
5-6 frozen raspberries *You may use your favorite frozen fruit*

Directions:

Blend the first four ingredients until smooth and then pour about 3/4 of it into a glass. Next, add the frozen raspberries and blend until smooth. Pour the rest of the smoothie from the blender into the glass. Be creative with your designs and let the kids do theirs, they come up with the best designs and ideas. This is a great way to enjoy a healthy breakfast. Have fun!


Our Meatless Meatballs:

I was in the mood for some meatballs today and remembered I had some meatless meatballs in the fridge. I also had some cabbage which I'd blanched, squeezed and then stored in the freezer. This was my lunch. The pictures above show just the meatballs before I added my cabbage. Hope you like it if you do try it.

Ingredients:

1.5 large yellow onions, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cm fresh ginger root, minced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 tsp onion powder and garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 dried oregano
2-3 Tbsp curry (I love curry)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 vegan vegetable bouillons (or salt to taste)
9oz Veggie Patch Meatless Meatballs (You can find this in the organic section of your local grocery store)

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onions, fresh garlic and fresh ginger. Once the onions become lightly translucent add the rest of the ingredients except the meatballs. Let cook for about 3 minutes covered and then add your meatballs. Cook for another 5 minutes on low heat. (If you decide to add spinach or cabbage, add about 2 cups of either at the same time you add your meatless meatballs and let cook together). Serve with pasta or eat as is. I enjoyed mine very much. Next time I will add some pepper to kick it up a notch. I like spicy food :)


Hope you're preparing for THANKSGIVING. What are you cooking this year?  In my house we always have an International-style Thanksgiving and this year will be no different. I will be making a large pot of eru (my favorite traditional meal from Cameroon)...thinking about it makes me smile already :):):)


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