Category Archives: Virtues

Feb12

Activate Your Blue Chakra

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Activate Your Blue Chakra

Activate Your Blue Energy

Hear

Body: Listen to the ‘Sol’ note (do, re, me, fa, sol, la, ti, do) with a tuning fork or online tuner (here’s one).

Mind: Listen intently to the sounds in a busy area until you hear one that sounds “blue” to you.

Spirit: Listen to music in which the violin (or fiddle!) is the predominant instrument.

Touch

Body: Touch the fabrics at a craft store with your eyes closed. Try to sense the blue fabrics before looking at them.

Mind: Imagine the feel of blue. Is it smooth or coarse? Does it tickle or hug or something else? What does blue feel like?

Spirit: Play outside with a bouncy ball on a clear blue day!
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Taste

Body: Lovingly prepare a blue food such as blueberry pie. Relish its taste as it fills you.

Mind: Imagine tasting anything blue – well, maybe not your Blue Heeler, but you get the idea. What does it taste like?

Spirit: Catch a snowflake on your tongue on a crisp winter day. Read the rest of this entry →

Feb11

Vindaloo

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Vindaloo

Ingredients

garlic

  • 1 tsp cardamom seeds
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 4 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tsp ginger, fresh, minced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp mustard powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-1/4 cups vinegar, malt or wine
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 lb lean beef or chicken, cubed
  • 4-6 tbsp mustard oil or ghee
  • 2 whole onions, chopped
  • 4 whole bay leaves

Read the rest of this entry →

Feb10

Four Parts to Fitness

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Four Parts to Fitness

There are four parts of any great exercise routine. You’ve got to strengthen your heart, lift weights for your muscles, be flexible and relax! Easy, right?

Cardiovascular Fitness

active fitnessCardiovascular exercise, otherwise known as aerobics, is anything that raises your heart rate.  I am not talking about the latest thriller at your local movie theater, but some sort of physical exercise that gets your heart pumping.

So, how do you get your heart pumping?  Maybe you walk with exercise videos, on a treadmill, outdoors, or accumulated walking steps throughout the day.  You might even do some crazy and wild high impact exercise video, run around your neighborhood, dance naked or cycle up steep hills.

If you like the “group” type of exercises, your local recreation center, YMCA or YWCA most likely has very affordable group aerobic classes.  The point here is, there is an ample assortment of ways to get your heart pumping, and fat melting off of your body. Read the rest of this entry →

Feb10

Blackened Chicken In Cajun Sauce

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Blackened Chicken In Cajun Sauce

Ingredients

4 Servings

garlic1 1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth (low sodium, no fat)

1 whole tomato, seeded and minced

1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (choose from oregano, basil, tarragon, or marjoram)

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz penne pasta Read the rest of this entry →

Feb9

10 Proven Ways to Create a Healthy Meal Plan

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10 Proven Ways to Create a Healthy Meal Plan

responsible meal planningWhat’s for dinner?

Many Americans struggle with this question daily and end up going to the grocery store or the drive-thru at 5:00 P.M. to pick up something quick.

What’s the solution?

A healthy MEAL PLAN!!

A recent survey stated that 75% of American adults know they need to change the way they prepare their foods. But only half actually improve their eating habits.

Here are the 3 reasons why:

  • Don’t want to change the way the food is prepared.
  • Don’t want to change the way the food tastes.
  • Don’t know how to make proper substitutions.

Planning healthy meals doesn’t have to be difficult. It just takes a little time and creativity. With that in mind. . .

Here are 10 ideas for putting together a healthy meal plan: Read the rest of this entry →

Feb8

Spiritual Meal Preparation

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Spiritual Meal Preparation

healthy meal prepWith so many recipes available to us on the Internet, sometimes I forget that it is not the recipe that is important to meal-time, but the love that goes into preparing that meal.

My family can tell when I “throw something together!” Not by the taste of the recipe, but by the way I present it to them. The presentation is a direct result of how much love, or how much of myself, I put into the food. When I carefully measure, blend and stir, somehow the energy of the food is different and better than when I am not so careful.

How do you stir the pot?

How do you prepare the food for yourself and your family? Many times, I feel the heat at meal time to throw something together quickly and with the least possible trouble. However, with just a bit more concentration, I could infuse love and goodness into my family’s food.

It is important to treasure the moments you spend preparing a meal for yourself or loved ones. Make meal preparation enjoyable by planning what you will eat beforehand so that you can make the most of meal prep time.

Here are some mindful ways for you to make your meal preparation and family meal times more meaningful from start to finish:

bulletTake time to inspect fresh produce and meat. Is it ripe and beautiful? Is the meat truly fresh, or is it enhanced with color?  Choose fresh foods with care.

bulletWhen preparing a meal, handle foods with love. Think about the nutritious qualities of each food and how it will benefit you.

bulletAs you chop and slice, try to make the pieces of equal sizes so they are pleasing to the eye and easy to chew.

bulletAs you mix and cook, stir the foods carefully. Think about how much you love the ones who will eat this food (even if it is only for you!).

bulletStir the food in your pot clock-wise for better health and a happier family dinner time.

bulletMake eating time special. Play soft music, mention the nutritive values of the foods you’ve prepared, and be grateful from the inside out – you’ve spent quality time with your food!

Taking time to think about what you are preparing has the added benefit of priming your subconscious mind to believe that you are taking care of your body. Over time, you will begin choosing healthier foods naturally.