LOVE,LOVE,LOVE

Look at who you really are, the authentic, true you. If no one else accepts you for who you truly are, at least you accept yourself. That is all you need, because, in the end, you are born alone and will die alone. There is no need to try to improve yourself to other people, but improve for yourself. We frustrate ourselves when we try to prove to others that we are deserving of their attention, love, kindness and respect. This is when we start compromising and adapting to our illusory patterns of ourselves. Instead simply say, This is who I am. Like me and respect me because I know myself. I honor myself and everyone else.

-Gary Null-





Powerful words and so true. Have you ever tried to be somebody else just because someone didn't accept the real you. Ever tried to change because you feel like you didn't quiet fit in?!
You know what, screw them, screw other people. Who actually says what is right or wrong?
Why are people so hung up on the typical American dream. Go to college, make money, get married, buy a big house. two cars and live happily ever after... Don't we all wanna live that dream? Not really!
People are more depressed than ever, 1 out of 10 Americans shows signs of depression. More than 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce, more than 42 percent of people are obese in this country and all over the western civilization.

What would you do if you had no fear and would just follow your heart. What if you would really listen to your inner voice and what it tells you, without any doubts or the little voice in your head telling you that you can't do it.
Maybe your goal is not to get rich and get married.!
Maybe you want to just be you and see where life takes you and live in the moment.
Why do people always wait for tomorrow or later until they can lose weight, go travel, find love or whatever else they think would make their lives perfect.How much time do we really waste just waiting for a better life.

Your life is now, you live now and you are perfect exactly as you are, right now.
We should constantly try to improve ourselves, just be a nice girl or a nice guy, treat people with respect and love, because at the end of the day, we are all equal, we are all the same. Just because you are richer or more beautiful doesn't make you anything special.
Your heart and your soul is what counts. That is who you are!!

Stop comparing yourself to the life of the rich, famous or people that seem to have it all. Because you know what, most of the time, they don't have it all. What goes on behind closed doors is sometimes far worse than you would have ever thought. You know when someone is truly happy and when someone is just pretending.

Wake up, we really do only live once, just in case nobody ever told you yet, your house, car, clothes, shoes and jewelry won't make you a happy person. And it doesn't define you neither.
I mean why do we all waste our times on jobs and in relationships that we can't stand. Because it is convenient, because it pays the bills. Really!? Pretty bad, isn't it. When you are 90 and you are in your rocking chair, what do you want to look back on! Do you really wanna have regrets.

So sad that in today's world we rather work to pay off a big mortgage, three cars and spend money on junk foods instead of spending time with our kids or just truly living. Who needs all that material crap!!! Ever shopped at thrift stores, they are pretty awesome and support a good cause 2.

For the people that still don't believe that it does matter what you eat. Do you really think that eating chemicals won't affect you. Do you think eating foods that have ingredients like bleach, wash detergent and many other scary additives won't have an affect on your mood. Are you not worth it to eat the best possible foods?! I think you are. enjoy your chocolate, but let it a good one not one that taste like it has been on the shelf for the last 5 years( Hershey's yuck!!).

It all comes back to loving yourself. If you truly, blissfully and honestly love yourself everything else will fall into place. You won't deal with people that treat you like crap. When you love you, you will give love to other people. When you love you, you will treat your body like it is your temple and not a garbage disposal, because you know you are worth it. You will go for your dreams, you will travel, open up your business, start a non-profit organisation, lose weight, exercise or leave the full of shit relationship you wasted to much time on already. You will always be a better mom, friend, wife, sister or daughter if you love yourself. The same goes for the guys by the way!!

Love doesn't need binge eating, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee or drugs to thrive. It just needs nurturing and acceptance. Your acceptance!





Love Tips


1.Begin your day with love (not technology). Remind yourself of your worthiness before getting out of bed. Breathe in love and breathe out love. Enfold yourself in light. Saturate your being in love.

 2. Take time to relax( meditate) and journal. Spend time focusing inward daily. Begin with 5 minutes of breathing and 5 minutes of journaling each morning. 

3. Talk yourself happy. Use affirmations to train your mind to become more positive Put a wrist band on your right wrist. When you’re participating in self-abuse of any form, move the band to your left wrist.

4. Get emotionally honest. Let of go of numbing your feelings. Shopping, eating, and drinking are examples of avoiding discomfort, sadness, and pain. Mindfully breathe your way through your feelings and emotions.

5. Expand your interests. Try something new. Learn a language. Go places you’ve never been. Do things you haven’t done before. You have a right to an awesome life.

6. Enjoy life enhancing activities. Find exercise you like. Discover real, healthy foods that are good for you. Turn off technology for a day and spend time doing things that make you feel alive.

7. Become willing to surrender. Breathe, relax, and let go. You can never see the whole picture. You don’t know what anything is for. Stop fighting against yourself by thinking and desiring people and events in your life should be different. God has a plan, just be excited and enjoy the journey.

8. Work on personal and spiritual development. Be willing to surrender and grow. Life is a journey. We are here to learn and love on a deeper level. Take penguin steps and life becomes difficult. One step at a time is enough to proceed forward.

9. Own your potential. Love yourself enough to believe in the limitless opportunities available to you. Take action and create a beautiful life for yourself.

10. Be patient with yourself. Let go of urgency and fear. Relax and transform striving into thriving. Trust in yourself, do good work, and the Universe will reward you.

11. Live in appreciation. Train your mind to be grateful. Appreciate your talents, beauty, and brilliance. Love your imperfect perfect self.

12. Be guided by your intuition. All answers come from within. Look for signs and pay attention to your gut feelings. You’ll hear two inner voices when you need to make a decision. The quiet voice is your higher self; the loud voice is your ego. Always go with the quieter voice.

13. Do what honors and respects you. Don’t participate in activities that bring you down. Don’t allow toxic people in your life. Love everyone, but be discerning on who you allow into your life.

14. Let the past go. Suffering comes from living in the pain of the past or the fear of the future. Put your attention on the present moment and be at peace.

15. Forgive yourself. Learn from your mistakes and go forward. The past is done and you can't change it. Move on.

16. Discover the power of fun. Self-love requires time to relax, play, and create face-to-face interaction with others. Our fast-paced world creates a goal setting, competitive craziness that doesn’t leave room for play. So go play and be a kid again. Who cares what other people think.

17. Be real. Speak up and speak out. Allow yourself to be seen, known, and heard. Get comfortable with intimacy. 

18. Focus on the positive. Go to your heart and dwell on and praise yourself for what you get right in all areas.

19. Become aware of self neglect and rejection. Become conscious of your choices. Ask yourself several times throughout the day, “Does this choice honor me?”

20. Imagine what your life would look like if you believed in your worth. Dedicate your life to loving you. Make it your main event.

21. Seek professional help. Self-rejection and neglect is painful. You deserve to be happy. You have a right to be accepted and loved. If necessary, seek help from a support group, counselor, or coach. It’s the best investment you can make.


Love and Cookies

Jennifer

Curry Sweet Potato Skins

I am in love with this recipe. The curry sauce is from Trader Joe's but you can also make your own if you prefer. I don't like sweet potatoes the traditional way, with sugar, butter and cinnamon, so this savory dish is right up my alley and sweet potatoes have amazing health benefits like:


1.  They are high in vitamin B6.  Vitamin B6 helps reduce the chemical homocysteine in our bodies.  Homocysteine has been linked with degenerative diseases, including the prevention of heart attacks.

2. They are a good source of vitamin C.  While most people know that vitamin C is important to help ward off cold and flu viruses, few people are aware that this crucial vitamin plays an important role in bone and tooth formation, digestion, and blood cell formation. It helps accelerate wound healing, produces collagen which helps maintain skin’s youthful elasticity, and is essen­tial to helping us cope with stress. It even appears to help protect our body against toxins that may be linked to cancer.

3.  They contain Vitamin D which is critical for immune system and overall health at this time of year.  Both a vitamin and a hormone, vitamin D is primarily made in our bodies as a result of getting adequate sunlight. You may have heard about seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, as it is also called), which is linked to inadequate sunlight and therefore a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays an important role in our energy levels, moods, and helps to build healthy bones, heart, nerves, skin, and teeth, and it supports the thyroid gland.

4.  Sweet potatoes contain iron. Most people are aware that we need the mineral iron to have adequate energy, but iron plays other important roles in our body, including red and white blood cell production, resistance to stress, proper im­mune functioning, and the metabolizing of protein, among other things.

5.  Sweet potatoes are a good source of mag­nesium, which is the relaxation and anti-stress mineral. Magnesium is necessary for healthy artery, blood, bone, heart, muscle, and nerve function, yet experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of the popula­tion in North America may be deficient in this important mineral.

Recipe

Curry Sweet Potato Skins

2 large sweet potatoes

1/2 cup peas

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/8 cup onions or less, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 jar Trader Joe's Curry Simmer Sauce

Preheat oven to 375

Bake sweet potatoes in oven for about 45min or until soft.

Set aside to cool.

Saute onions for about 4 min, add tomatoes, bell peppers and peas.

Add curry sauce to mixture and let simmer for about 3-4min. Remove from heat

After sweet potatoes have cooled down, scoop out the inner sweet potato, leaving nothing but the skin.

Mash sweet potatoes in a bowl and  add curry mixture.

Fill potato skins with mixture and put back in oven for about 15-20 min.

Serve hot.

Love and Cookies

Jennifer

Just Live a Little...

Happy Fall, I guess Summer is officially over.

I gotta say, I never paid so much attention to the beautiful colors of fall, the changing leaves and trees are sparkling in the sunshine and right now the weather in Chicago is perfect. I don't even mind the fall and that comes from a girl who loves 90 degree weather.

It is weird how many things changed for me in a year, last year around this time I was at a totally different stage in my life. 2012 is the first year I really realized what I want, what I love, who I am and that I actually have dreams that I can achieve.

Everything really happens for a reason! You gotta take life as it is and always be the best you can be, never make excuses and never have any regrets. You learn from your mistakes, just be better, a little better every day.


So when I say you gotta live a little, it is specific towards everyone who beat themselves up over stupid things that don't matter. Life is really to short, we are all getting older and time goes by so fast, we have to stop waisting our time with bullshit.
So what is bullshit?!

A bad relationship, a partner that doesn't treat you how you deserve to be treated.
A friend that is only there when he or she needs something, that is constantly complaining or always brings you in bad situations. Can't stand the drama anymore. Whatever the bullshit is in your life, get rid of it or change it!

Food can be bullshit too, especially if it has control over your life. You know how I am all about eating healthy and my vegan diet will never change. I believe that a plant based diet can save a lot of lives, it saves the animals, the planet and it makes you feel amazing.
But I am done being super restrictive on the way I eat. If I am out with friends and I wanna have a bite of some chocolate dessert, I will go for it, even if it contains dairy. And if there is a cookie that is full of sugar and maybe even egg I will still eat it sometimes.
Why?! Because it keeps me sane.
I have been fighting with this for a long time, and I am tired of beating myself up, if I eat something that is not vegan or perfectly healthy I will still be fine. Life is so short and it no fun if we get obsessed with the way we eat.

Yeah I might never have a six pack or I might never be a 100 % raw vegan nor vegan, but you know what  I don't care anymore, because it works for me. I would love the world to be vegan, but it is not and will never be, at least not in my lifetime. So as of right now, I still live in the real world, where we are surrounded by meat, dairy and eggs, sugar and lots of processed foods. Instead of me going crazy I just have a bite and that's that!

I will never go back to the way I used to eat, there is no way I could ever eat a SAD diet again, it is a big part of my life, it is what I do and who I am. It is one of my core believes, but I have friends and family that don't believe in the way I eat, but I love them more than anything. It is really hard for me to connect with some "Vegans". Don't get me wrong, I think it is amazing everything vegans do, just for the animals sake, but you know what though- I am not a hippie and I love fashion and make-up, traveling, movies and motorcycles, I love to dance all night long and get tipsy every once in a while.
Because you just gotta live a little! I can't change who I am and what I like, because of the way I eat.
My lifestyle alone won't keep me healthy-my happiness combined with beautiful plant foods will.

Just do whatever works for you, whatever diet, whatever lifestyle, your relationship, your life!
But be completely honest with yourself, listen to your thoughts and to your body. How does it make you feel, do you feel healthy, happy, at peace? Don't listen to anyone but yourself, take advice from trusted sources, I sure did and I will be forever thankful!

Our society has stupid standard on lifestyle and happiness, jobs, money, cars and houses. It doesn't matter what you do, who your with or not with, how old, small, big, rich or poor you are,all that matters is that YOU ARE HAPPY!!!
If you don't have your happiness, you have nothing.
Health is part of it, friends are, family is and love is. Money will never make you happy. Whatever makes you happy, find it and never let it go!!!

Love and Cookies

Jennifer