Hike to the Griffith Observatory

Entrance at Fern Dell Road.

Raw collard wrap with cashew sour cream

These are really easy if you have a good food processor.

Cashew Sour Cream
1 c cashews, soaked +1/3 c cashews, raw
1 c water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Soak cashews in water for 2-4 hours.  Mix everything in food processor and blend until thick and smooth, adding more raw cashews to thicken if it is watery.

Simple Salsa
1/4 red onion
20 grape tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Dice onion and tomatoes and mix with spices.  Let sit in fridge for a couple hours to mix flavors.

Collard Greens

Use 2 large leaves for each wrap.  Cut stems off-only the part where there are no leaves, and shave the thick part of the stem down so it is roughly the same thickness as the leaf, check out this website for visuals.  Place leaves in a bowl, heat some water to warm (not hot!) and pour it over the greens.  Let it sit for about 5-10 mins, just to soften them up a little.

Filling

For the filling you can be really creative, but I like to julienne yellow squash, zucchini, red bell pepper and carrots with avocado and hulled sunflower seeds.

Place your leaves head to foot, so opposite stalks are aligned (check above website for visuals).  Spread some cashew sour cream, add veggies, add avocado, spread some salsa on top and sprinkle sunflower seeds.  Wrap like you would a tortilla, folding bottoms up and pulling sides over to close.

I served these with a side of cooked mushrooms & green onion.

How to deal with annoying people

I love this, a 9 years old with asperger's talks about ways to deal with annoying people.

I really have a hard time dealing with ignorant and annoying people.. It affects my mood and sometimes can affect my whole day.  In the spirit of change, this is one of the things I am working on.  I've realized that happiness comes from within and is not dependent upon the current situation.  You shouldn't depend on others for your happiness and if something someone else does can bring you down, it just means you're not in balance with your self.
I've learned to look at every situation from all points of view, not just mine.  Looking at a situation from a different perspective will disarm you and you will be able to realize that you have your reasons why you think you are right and they have theirs.  No one is wrong, you just have different perspectives which is great.  Imagine a world where we all thought the same...  we would have one tv station, one song playing over and over on the radio, 5,000 artist drawing the same picture..
Difficult situations provide room for growth.  When you know what you don't want, you know what you do want and can attract it into your life.  You attract what you are focused upon, so if you sit around for hours replaying the bad situation in your head, you will soon attract more of the like.  Learn to let it go and use that situation as fuel to attract more of what you want.
Learning to be happy in any situation will make you a stronger person and you will eventually not be put into these situations anymore because you will be so in-tune with your self you will attract good situations like a magnet.

Little Manhattan

Some movies are life changing.  This was one for me.  A story about first love with the most adorable cast and an amazing message.

Live your dreams

Focus on what you want and it has to come

You will notice that those who speak most of prosperity, have it. Those who speak most of health, have it. Those who speak most of sickness, have it. Those who speak most of poverty, have it. It is Law. It can be no other way...The way you feel is your point of attraction, and so, the Law of Attraction is most understood when you see yourself as a magnet getting more and more of the way you feel. When you feel lonely, you attract more loneliness. When you feel poor, you attract more poverty. When you feel sick, you attract more sickness. When you feel unhappy, you attract more unhappiness. When you feel healthy and vital and alive and prosperous—you attract more of all of those things.

--- Abraham

From "The Law of Attraction, The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham" # 334

Only when we are no longer afraid...

I came across an article titled, "Embrace fear and find your center" from one of my favorite websites, tiny buddha.  It's a perfect story of learning to let go of control and start living your life.  Remember that every failure is just an opportunity to give up or try again.

Thomas Edison said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."  He should know, he made over 1,000 lightbulbs until he invented one that worked.  When asked about his failures, he said, "I have not failed 1,000 times.  I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."  Imagine if he would have gave up after the first 5 tries...

You only live once

Love this!

Learn to say "So what! It doesn't matter!"

Photo by flickr.com/kkanouse

Todays service at the Hollywood Temple was truly inspirational and spot on.  I've never been big on religion in general, but the Self-Realization Fellowship is a place to come and meet some wonderful people, meditate and listen to some positive messages- no matter what your religious background or beliefs.

Todays topic at service was "God's Vital Laws of Health and Well-Being".  The topic of Karma was touched with an emphasis on eating right - cutting meat out of your diet and not overeating.  I loved this as I have realized first hand the past week that eating right can really change your life drastically.  He told a story of when he was little, he HATED broccoli, and his mom would serve it with every meal.  So for a while he would sit there and miserably eat it until one day he looked around and saw everyone else enjoying it and thought to himself, "If they like it maybe I can like it".  So he ate the broccoli saying to himself "MMM this is good! I love this!".  He still hated it.. So the next day he did the same thing.  At the end of that meal he still didn't like it but thought to himself, "I can kind of see why someone would like this".  The next day he did the same thing, and by the end of that meal, he loved it!  Just goes to show you that happiness comes from within and is not dependent on your outside situation.

Another good lesson was learning to say "So what! It doesn't matter!"  How many times have you gone through life feeling bad for yourself because someone didn't understand you or you didn't get something you wanted.  Learn to say "SO WHAT!" instead of sitting around feeling bad for yourself.  Brush it off and move on!  You will miss so many amazing opportunities if you are focusing on the negative instead of reaching for the positive.

Jim Rohn- Setting Goals

Simple shakes/smoothies

These are some shakes I've been making a lot for snacks or before/after workouts;

Almond milk- 

From Everything Raw Food Recipe Book

1 cup raw almonds (soaked 8-12 hours or overnight)

3 cups water

Pulp from 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Soak the almonds in the water for 8 to 12 hours.  (Do not drain!)  Blend almonds, soak water, and vanilla together in a food processor or blender (until the rattling noise stops), about 1-2 minutes.

Put a nut milk bag in a bowl and strain through the bag to separate the milk and pulp.  Discard the pulp (or dehydrate to make almond flour). Refrigerate milk in an airtight container until ready to use.  Can be kept for up to 3 days.

*Substitute any nut, seed or grain in place of almonds.
Make your own nut bag: cut cheesecloth 8 inches by 14 inches, fold in half so 14 inches becomes 7 inches.  Sew a side seam on both sides with 1/2 inch seam allowance and the smallest stitch length you can do.  I made the seams on the outside so I wouldn't have to worry about pulp getting stuck in it.

Frozen banana shakes-

1 frozen banana blended with nut milk to desired smoothie consistency.  No need for sweeteners!  So good!

Coconut milk shake-

1 frozen banana 

1 carrot, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp coconut flakes

Dash of cinnamon 

Blend with coconut milk to desired smoothie consistency.

Blueberry smoothie-

1 frozen banana

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 c strawberries

1 cup water

Ready for a serious change

I feel completely brand new, like my mind has been washed of all negativity, self doubt & laziness.  Just last week, it was as if my soul was screaming at me to make a change but I didn't know how or what was wrong.

I've been vegan for 8 or 9 years now and my diet consists mostly of soy, vegetables, and grains.  Most of my creative effort in the kitchen goes into baking, so I was eating big bowls of rice and fried veggies with 3 or 4 chocolate chip cookies (okay, maybe more..) every night.  Mixed in was lots of soymilk and banana smoothies, oatmeal and french fries.  Not exactly healthy..  I was so young when I made the switch to a vegan diet and noone around me really supported my decision.  I was searching the internet for comfort food recipes and bad habits developed fast; lots of frying and sugary sweets.  I always considered myself healthy based on the fact that I was vegan and it never occurred to me that I needed a serious change until I researched the Whole30 diet, thanks to Mary Beth. 

Since cutting grains, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and legumes (especially soy) from my diet, I have more energy, motivation and a healthy glow.  I have become so much more creative with my meals; roasted broccoli, tomato and garlic with nut hummus in boiled cabbage leaves, cauliflower rice with broiled mushrooms, carrots, broccoli ad tomatoes.  A feeling of balance has returned to me and my life is more stable and in line with who I really am, which brings me so much joy and appreciation for everything around me.  Conscious changes have spiraled into my everyday activities from waking up early to start my day with yoga, to how I react to a negative comment, to what I brush my teeth with (now baking soda).  I'm sticking with these changes after the 30 days is over, maybe adding some raw cheesecake here and there :)  It's amazing how one decision can affect your entire life.  

don't forget to play

Jay-Z

Wow, amazing.  "So many people are afraid of failure, but what I've learned is that failure is a great teacher, and if you're open to it every mistake has a lesson to offer." -Oprah

Act without expectation

Will Smith

Will Smith is one of the most brilliant people you can learn from.

Whole30

Today is day 7 of the Whole30 lifestyle/diet.  One successful week with no grains, legumes, alcohol, caffeine, potatoes anddddd sugar.  I am already vegan and have eliminated processed foods from my diet a long time ago, but sugar... ah sugar.  That's what I crave the most.  I'm a huge baker and always make sure to have some cookie/cupcake on hand.  You can have sweets on this diet if you use the right ingredients, but realizing I'm pretty addicted, I decided to go the whole month without to give my body a break.

This is not a diet for me, it's a lifestyle shift.  Feeling totally out of balance lately, this change couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  It's opened my eyes to a whole new world.  I've learned to be more creative, more positive, to try new things and to create discipline in my life.  I feel absolutely amazing, strong, and like my mind has been washed of negativity and fear.  

Thanks to Mary Beth for introducing me to such a positive change.

xoxo

Difficulties come when you don't pay attention to life's whisper. Life always whispers to you first, but if you ignore the whisper, sooner or later you'll get a scream.  Oprah Winfrey