You want it-you get it

Been thinking a lot about how to attract more money into my life and become financially independent and usually I focus on all the obstacles and then I wonder why what I want doesn't come.  If you are focused on the "reality" or what you don't have, you bring more of what you don't have.  Abraham Hicks always says, focus on what feels good and it will come, its the law (of attraction that is...)  So instead of seeing the small amount of money I have and all the possessions I want that I don't have I am giving my attention to thoughts that make me feel good.. like where I picture myself in 5 years;

Living in Hawaii 10 steps from the most beautiful beach you'll ever see.  I have huge backyard organic garden and all my favorite fruits and vegetables are a simple pluck away.  It's 530am, I'm laying on a day-bed in the backyard reading Walden for the hundredth time and drinking a cup of freshly ground coffee.  The breeze is warm and the sun is starting to peak out of the horizon.  I can smell the homemade bread baking in the oven, it's almost time for breakfast; toast with avocado and tomato and a fruit salad on the side, all from the garden, of course.  

There is a very Zen quality to my home, from the decorations and furniture to the overall atmosphere.  There is my room, a guest room, an office, a sewing/art room, a library and the usual living, dining and kitchen areas.  The main rooms have large balconies and panoramic views of the ocean.  Although there is a library, there are books strewed throughout the house along with fruits and flowers.  

I start my days early so I can fit in all I enjoy; Work-overseeing my businesses and creating new ones.  Learning new things daily-whether it be classes I've always wanted to take, a trip to the library to research something new, or reading a book about finance.  Pleasure-creating art, hanging out with friends, going out to eat, taking naps.  Exercise (also pleasure)- running, hiking, surfing and trying new things like kite surfing, exploring a new area of town on foot.  Cooking/baking-trying a new recipe, cooking everything from scratch, preserving fruits and veggies for later use, making jams, breads and spices.  Meditation/Yoga- at least once a day to clear the mind and get in touch with my inner being.  Blissful sleep-I don't need much, but a couple hours of restful sleep to prepare for the day ahead while practicing lucid dreaming, never waste a second of the day :) 

I am able to have these things and the opportunity to make my own schedule because I am financially independent and the money is flowing to me.  I am a powerful magnet to my desires.

I believe in the law of attraction-you want it you get it- as long as you keep your focus on it.  When you focus on what feels good to you it has to come.  I love to write in great detail what I want my life to be, or rather what I know it will be and what I can't wait to enjoy!  I know one day I will be living my dream and it brings me the happiest feeling so I know I'm focusing in the right direction.  

What's with the egg, you ask?  This morning I went for a run and was focusing exactly on this thought and my eye caught on a little pink easter egg sitting by itself on the sidewalk, with nothing else but a one dollar bill inside.  I take this as a good omen of the money to come if I keep my attention on what I want, instead of what I don't have.

What are your dreams and goals?  Write them in as much detail as possible and envision yourself living this dream daily.  This is a good first step towards your goals.  After you know what you want, decide how you'll get there.  Write out a step by step plan, in as much detail as possible, and STICK WITH IT.  You only have to decide, and then follow through and you can have anything you want.

Mixed berry ice cream

I made this for breakfast this morning, it's so easy.  I used a cup frozen sliced bananas, a cup mixed berries (mine were raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and cherries) and about 2 tsp water.   Just blended it all in the food processor and you're done!  No sweetener or anything artificial needed.  You can switch berries out for any fruit and if it's hard to blend, add more water one teaspoon at a time!

Frozen fruit is so good to snack on straight out of the bag, I just figured this out.  I never really thought about it but I tried it the other day and I was amazed.  Sounds silly, but you probably will be too.  The flavors are so much more....pronounced.  My favorites are pineapple chunks and raspberries.

Blueberry muffins

You might recognize this post from the other week, since then we worked on the recipe a little to make it better and here are the results.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

mine made 12 big muffins and 22 small!  This recipe goes a long way!

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour or oat or all purpose

1/3 cup raw agave nectar +more for the tops of muffins

1/4 cup flax whisked in 2/3 cup water and let sit for 5 minutes (or egg replacer for 4 eggs.  Check out this for some ideas.)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted over low heat

1TBSP vanilla (optional, I ran out and they were still good!)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 325 F

Mix dry in large mixing bowl: flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt.

Mix wet in medium mixing bowl: whisk eggs and let sit, then add agave, coconut oil and vanilla.

Pour wet mixture over dry, stir together with a large mixing spoon, then gently fold in blueberries.

Fill big silicone muffin cups 1/2 full with batter, small ones 3/4 full.

For extra sweetness, after you fill the muffin cups, drizzle agave on the tops straight from the bottle.

Bake 15 minutes, or until brown on top and toothpick comes out clean.  (Mine took 25 minutes and then I turned the heat down to 250 and cooked 10 more minutes to cook the middles some more.  You can tell if the middles are done or not by carefully-they will be hot!!- flipping a muffin over and out of the silicone and looking at the bottom, if they are NOT done, there with be a darker ring in the middle bottom of the muffin.  Also, if the muffin falls apart, the middle is not done.  Alternatively, break one open and if it's really gooey then cook it some more on 250 degrees but keep in mind the middle will look moist until it is completely cooled, don't confuse moist with gooey.  It shouldn't take more than 40 minutes total in the oven!)  

These are extra amazing the next day, make them at night and eat for breakfast with black coffee.  (I like the big ones best!)

Cabbage rolls with the best rice ever

Not kidding, best rice you'll ever have.  The rolls were equally amazing.  I was totally psyched about this one because I made it all from scratch using nothing but my own ideas.. who knew that was possible?

Serves 2

First things first, the rice.  

I have dreams about this rice...  Seriously, it's the perfect middle eastern type of dish that everyone will enjoy.  Would go perfect with any meal! 

1 cup jasmine rice

1 1/2 - 2 cups water, enough to cover rice and go 1/2 inch above.  Trick- put your finger in the pan pointing straight down and resting on top of the rice.  If the water line comes up to that first crease in your finger above your nail, you're good)

1/3 cup raisins (or more :)

1 heaping tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp coconut oil

Mix everything in a saucepan or rice pan and bring to a boil, let boil 3-4 minutes and mix, mix, mix.  Turn heat to low and just when it settles down mix again then let simmer until done, don't touch or mix it after this!  The only exception is grabbing some rice from the outer edges to taste test to see if it's done.  The smell alone will make you want to gobble it down right away, uncooked rice and all.

 Stir fried veggies

2 chopped garlic cloves

1/3 cup chopped onions

1 portabella mushroom, chopped, or 1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 of a green, red and yellow bell pepper, chopped in large chunks

1/2 cup lentil sprouts

2 TBSP coconut oil

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 TBSP coconut oil over low heat and add onions and garlic.  Let this slowwwwlllyyy cook until browning, 6-10 mins.  Add mushroom and cook 4 minutes.  Add the last TBSP coconut oil and bell peppers.  Once the bell peppers get soft, about 5 mins, turn up the heat to medium and toss in the sprouts and cook 3-4 minutes just to heat and maybe brown a little, adding more coconut oil if needed.   Add salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin and garlic and toss to combine. 

You can totally stop here and eat the veggies and rice together without cabbage...  I was tempted to do this because both dishes are amazing but I'm so happy I followed through with a cabbage roll, it was NOT disappointing!

Cashew pesto

I've never had pesto but my sister insist I made it so lets just stick with it..

3/4 cup raw cashews

1 TBSP garlic powder or 1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup parsley, just the leaves-not the stems

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

drizzle agave

1/4 cup water +more if needed to reach creamy consistency

Blend everything in a food processor until creamy.  If too thick, add a tiny bit water.

Put it all together

Steam the cabbage;  I used savoy cabbage and the leaves are rather small but I wanted to try something new.  Heat about 2 cups water to a boil and place a colander (strainer) on top of the pot and pop in the first 4 leaves of savoy cabbage from the head (they're the biggest, obviously.  If using regular cabbage, 4 medium leaves will do.)  Prop a large frying pan on top of the colander to use as a lid to keep the steam in.  Be careful when making your own steamer, I've had mine fall a couple times and it's not fun.  Also, the colander handles will become very hot so use mitts if handling!

After 5 minutes, your cabbage should be fairly soft.  You just want it soft enough to fold without breaking so 5 minutes should be perfect.  Take the leaves out with tongs (they're hot!) and set on a plate to cool.  When cool enough to handle, pat dry with a clean towel and slice the hard core down and off the leaves.  You don't want to cut it all the way off because you'll be left with a hole, just shave it off with a sharp knife.

Spoon some pesto on the leaf.  You only need a little to fill these or you might end up over stuffing and having a hard time trying to close the rolls without everything falling out.

Spoon some veggies and a little more pesto on top.

Wrapping- pull the bottom and top of the roll up first and hold tight while you fold the sides over, one at a time.

Flip it over on a plate (or bowl if yours are falling apart :p ), spoon some pesto and serve with a big side of the best rice you'll ever make..

Babycakes bakery- literally stopped traffic..

Walking traffic at least... 

Went to Babycakes on Larchmont Blvd the other day and had the best coffee cake donut (go get it now!), a wonderbun and as always, a cup of amazing coffee.  The bakery is pretty small so we decided to sit outside and I swear, every single person walking by, stopped and stared.  Half of them actually stopped and backtracked into the shop to get something for themselves.  It was the best breakfast and I can totally see why people stopped.

Babycakes is vegan, soy free and mostly gluten free.  They have a couple cookbooks- you should check out on their website or the bookstore.  The Babycakes in downtown LA serves the wonderbuns with brownie in the middle and it's to die for.

Abraham Speaks: Finding My Core Beliefs

Baked portabella mushroom casserole

This was so easy and so good.  Basically, I just chopped the stem and scooped out the inside of the portabella mushroom and tossed it in a casserole dish with lots of red bell peppers and whatever I had in the fridge and made this casserole from before and baked it 10 mins to firm it up a little.  After 10 minutes, I scooped some into raw portabella mushrooms brushed with olive oil and baked 20-30 mins or so until the casserole was done and the mushroom was baked through.  Serve with a tomato and onion salad, drizzle of balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs and green onions.