♡ Brought to you by Darling Niki! ♡

May your world be surrounded in peace, your heart filled with love, and your thoughts a fountain of wisdom.

SELF-LOVE STARTS ON THE INSIDE

Take a few moments to sit or lie down in complete stillness. Put one hand on your lower abdomen and another over your heart. Take a deep breath, a breath that expands your belly and lungs, and hold it. Most people tend to tense up when holding their breath, but its important to drop your shoulders relax and hold it for at least 5-10 seconds. Slowly release your breath through your nose or mouth, and become completely aware of yourself and your body. Feel your heart beating beneath one hand as the other rests on your abdomen, and think about all of the work our bodies must complete every day. 


When there aren't enough nutrients in our food, the body can't digest properly to support it's functions. In order to perform at our best, we must feed ourselves with foods containing a mix of different nutrients. I could go into detail, but I believe that there is plenty of additional information on this in a few of my previous posts. Give your body the TLC that it needs and feed it with foods that help rather than hurt it. That's right party animals: Be nice to your liver, too! Remember: "You are what you eat (and drink)!"

FOOD SENSITIVITIES

Pay attention to your body at all times, and if you think that you ought to take your food sensitivities more seriously, consult your doctor as soon as possible.


Food Sensitivities: 10 Best & Worst Foods for Your Tummy

Achieve a Healthy Digestive System

NOW YOU CAN ENJOY NILDA'S ADOBO, TOO!

Words cannot describe how much I love adobo. My Filipino nanny Nilda used to make it for me all the time when I was growing up, and when she left to go back to the Philippines, my Mom convinced her to share the recipe. There are plenty of versions for this dish in modern cookbooks, but this is the original from someone straight from the Philippines! I probably sound like a spoiled brat when I say "my nanny", but when my family moved to the states, my parents needed extra help with my sister and I, so deal with it. 

I always had adobo with chicken growing up, but I've been more of a pescetarian for a while and the meat version can easily be replaced with tofu or seitan. Keep in mind that this is the "healthier version" of Nilda's recipe, because that's how my Mom and I always do it.


"Nilda's Chicken Adobo"
(Its easy to do the vegetarian/vegan version of this)

Ingredients:
3-5 dark meat chicken legs (chopped in half)
1 quart of chicken stock
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce (Tamarind soy sauce and/or Liquid Aminos are much healthier choices)
4 lemons (halved)

Directions:
1) Rinse the chicken and add it to a large pot of broth uncovered on low heat.
Add the garlic, soy sauce and squeezed lemons. I recommend adding vinegar because it inhibits the growth of bacteria, and adobo leftovers are just as delicious!

2) Keep the temperature on low. After 30 minutes, taste the sauce and add more lemon, soy sauce and/or garlic if needed. You can also add bay leaves and black peppercorns if you'd like.

3) After cooking for an hour (still on low), check the chicken to see if its done.

4) Serve with brown rice, steamed broccoli or corn (I recommend all three). Enjoy!


Like all of my other personal writing and photos, this is property of http://HealthHappinessandHottness.blogspot.com.

'NUTS ABOUT QUINOA'

I love quinoa because its so simple, yet incredibly beneficial to our health. Many assume that quinoa is a grain, but it is actually a seed that has been eaten for over 5,000 years! This gluten-free superfood provides plenty of protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, antioxidants, potassium, iron, amino acids, the list goes on! Many health problems such as diabetes, certain cancers, infections and muscle strains can be cured with quinoa as well. I've been looking forward to creating my own quinoa meal for quite some time, but I haven't cooked a new dish without a step-by-step recipe before. I need to practice my Housewife skills in the kitchen more often, that's for sure!


I decided to put together a recipe of my own to try, and it just so happens that I got the dish right the first time, whew! I apologize for the low-quality photo and lack of proper presentation, but I haven't gotten my hands on a decent digital camera yet. I completely freestyled this, so the measurements are based on what worked for me, and you can add and subtract based on the amount you will be eating. The total amount from this recipe serves about four because I wanted to make extra so that I could store the rest in the fridge to use in other dishes. Quinoa fills you up so that its much easier to consume in smaller portions, which is definitely a plus! Remember: The smaller the serving dishes, the smaller the portions.

'NUTS ABOUT QUINOA'
This tastes so much better than it looks, I promise!


Ingredients:
Remember to keep it organic!
1 cup of quinoa (rinsed)
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1 clove of garlic (sliced or chopped)
5 cherry tomatoes (sliced)
1 zucchini (chopped or grated)
1 sprinkle of kosher salt
2 sprinkles of ground black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 sprinkle of cayenne pepper
Fyi: a "sprinkle" is a bit more than a "pinch", and its best to add it to your hand first to get the right amount.

Directions:
1) Add water, quinoa and a pinch of salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Salt? Yes, it somehow causes the water to boil more quickly and works every time! Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to "low" and cover the pan until the quinoa has soaked up all of the water, which usually takes about 15 minutes. Once ready, turn off the heat and keep the quinoa covered.

2) Heat the olive oil in a skillet at medium heat, then add the walnuts and garlic and stir until you have toasted nuts. Mmmmmmm toasty!

3) Add zucchini, tomatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to the skillet and stir until slightly tender.

4) Remove the saucepan and skillet from the stove and either spoon the quinoa into a bowl followed by "the goodies" or mix it all together beforehand. Due to the fact that I had extra quinoa, I added "the goodies" after spooning some into a bowl and stored the rest in the fridge.

5) Add the fresh thyme and enjoy!


Like all of my other personal writing and photos, this is property of http://HealthHappinessandHottness.blogspot.com.