Illaqueen's Corner

Comforting Homemade Foods and Weeknight Dinners Foodie Pics

2025-10-24T13:40:00.000-07:00

Baked Apple Cake

2020-11-24T10:22:00.001-08:00

Smores Treats Sinful Midnight Snack

2018-03-06T10:02:00.003-08:00

Smores Treats. Do I need to finish this post to catch your attention? Yes, once in awhile I have a "cheat day" or night, so it was. Is that a way to stay mentally healthy, to allow a little leeway for one's self and eat something perhaps....... we shall say, out of the guidelines of health? You could substitute vegan butter, or other ingredients to modify the recipe. I since have started in on more vegan desserts but when I made this tasty treat sometime ago now, I might have just tried it out to say I did.

Although I did not have the REAL Golden Grahams cereal in the house, I put this together with generic ingredients, that I had on hand from the baking cupboard. Use what we got instead of buying more, more, more is my usual motto, and if this can be a cheap treat then all the better. Who knows if this would be better with using brand name products, but it does look nicer cut into squares so regardless of how you make it keep that in mind when serving. We did that after and for now here's a foodie pic of my version!

Get the recipe here:
Golden Graham Smores from Betty Crocker

Spicy Barley Summer Salad

2017-09-19T14:21:00.001-07:00

Rinse and cook some barley as per package instructions, and let that chill for an hour or more. I just put it in the big bowl and let it cool off, then saran it and put in the fridge. I don't get to cleaning and chopping the veggies for the rest of this salad until later, maybe I did some dishes in the meantime or went and got the Feta cheese (if I didn't have any in the fridge), something like that and treat this like a Greek salad.

So you will need the red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers (spicy if you like) and washing and adding all the things you would use to make that. I also add celery and jalapeno's and if this salad is JUST for me, I would add one hot bomb habanero pepper chopped finely. Put it in the big bowl.

You could use Greek dressing, but I use my own homemade dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic, grated garlic, honey, pepper and cumin. You can sub in anything you like or leave out anything you don't. Taste test, as you might want more or less of something. Add a bit of the dressing and stir to see if you like how it tasted, again you might want more or less depending on your preference.

No salt is needed because the Feta cheese you will be using -( again just like a Greek salad) is salty enough. Another thing that I add is fresh chopped up cilantro, which is not in your standard Greek but it's good and gives you plenty of heavy metal detoxifying herbal help! Plus this is great for vegetarians. This salad lasts a few days too. :)

Mix and enjoy!!!

Tasty Broccoli Raab & Tofu Vegetarian Noodles

2017-03-06T23:20:00.002-08:00

Healthy Food

2017-02-28T17:48:00.001-08:00

Vegetarian & Asian Inspired Cooking

2016-06-24T18:47:00.002-07:00

West Coast Salmon Dinner with Sugar Agave Glaze- PICTURE THIS

2015-12-17T13:16:00.004-08:00

Taco Salad Night

2015-12-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of a taco salad I made. It was very good, but I don't have a personal recipe or anything. It was simply a taco salad from allrecipes.com . It called for a whole bottle of french dressing and chili kidney beans, cooked hamburger, tomatoes, tortilla chips etc. etc and all those kind of things. So I recommend to trying out a home made taco salad, except find one without the french dressing sauce as that kind of was strange. It does make a lot. If I could find something else instead of French dressing to use for the sauce instead I would. That is my preference though, as I don't particularly like eating store bought or a lot of dressing on my salad. I will try making a taco salad with simply leftover chili. Bon Appetite!

Salsa Canning Party

2015-03-14T02:45:00.001-07:00

Ask me for my salsa recipes if you are interested. Leave me a comment below! I am getting to be a bit of a veteran at canning salsa. This past fall 2014, I was fully pregnant so I made a half batch; 6 jars instead of a full case of 12 jars as I usually do.

It was seeming like a lot of work, and so I copped out and with the remaining tomatoes I made a fresh tomato sauce for dinner one night. It all seemed the same to use it and eat fresh, rather than take the time to make and can sauce or salsa.... and leave the store bought jars of sauce alone in the pantry for the winter. :) I saved myself a lot of work and there is still 2 jars left so I am satisfied we almost made it through the winter and ate healthy salsa all the while.

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless Steel Cookware

2014-10-25T00:47:00.002-07:00

I have been busy as ever lately working on cleaning up clutter around the house and selling items on Kijiji.ca So far I have sold out on just about all my listings over the past couple months!

So, I thought I would share a little secret...... although I have donated many things to Goodwill and Women In Need Society in my time, or given to friends and enjoy sharing- I find I am recouping some money by selling things on Kijiji also. This is a good thing too considering I really could use the money lately. Some have said they don't care about recouping their money on such things, or claim it to be a waste of time. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It happened to be that I put myself in desperate need of a pots and pans, and despite seeing some sets I liked, I had kept holding off. I didn't want non-stick sets any longer, since it has been proven to affect health in a negative way. Did you know that the chemical in Teflon, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been linked to cancer, possibly elevated cholesterol, thyroid disease and reduced fertility in people. I personally think it's led to some detriment in my own personal health as well. I had high cholesterol and wonder about the health of my thyroid since I am on medication for it. PFOA has even been detected in public water supplies- so a water filter is essential now a days.

Now, I totally am a bargain hunter, I won't just buy the first solution out there. I literally couldn't find a good deal though. I wanted for the longest time and even hunted for a deal on Kijiji or second hand stores and places, scoured the Internet and nothing that was acceptable or priced realistically was to be found.

So I kept working on turning around extra good condition household pictures and decor items to money, and of course I start with the things that I didn't want anymore. A couple hundred dollars later and at the same time a great deal appeared. A really well priced stainless steel cookware set from Cuisinart!!! It was on sale at BedBathandBeyond.ca but I couldn't locate stock in stores and ended up buying it online, while paying the extra shipping charge of $17.75.... but still a great deal after everything and it was delivered with no problems to my door. It was an end of the season or "open box sale" type deal on the Cuisinart Chef's Classic similar to this set; below in the video- 11 pieces and stainless steel.

I had shared this deal before on my personal pages, but I thought I would share one last time before it's discontinued completely,... or perhaps you can find one second hand for saving more money. I certainly would have bought it for less if I could have. My review will be coming soon!

Back to Nature

2014-10-25T00:35:00.002-07:00

I had found wild Plantain and Chamomile upon a summer's walk in the city's urban park, called Fish Creek Park here in Calgary, Alberta. I had found quite a bit growing all over actually but I only took what I needed and picked a handful of each and brought it home to clean. I washed it really well, blended it up and made a great facial mask with the natural and wild herbs.

I am telling you this facial works crazy good. My skin was more refreshed and soft afterwards than it has ever been from any commercial store-bought facial or even some professional salon ones. I kind of winged it though, but seen both herbs can be used for helping the skin. Plantain is useful for irritated skin and Chamomile is also good for its calming properties. Plantain can be used to stop the itch from bug bites,by boiling the leaves in some water and then cooling the mixture, and using the leaves to sop up the water, and place it on the bug bite.

Knowing that, I just wanted to collect some anyways, but then I found the Chamomile.... and I got to thinking.........uh oh. :) Yes, I as I did have some wild herbal knowledge and I recently took Applied Botany, but am by no means trained at combining herbs..... I thought I might formulate a DIY facial mask. This really is my own personal blend and I tested this only on myself, when it was fresh and then I bottled the rest in small recycled glass and sterilized containers. I put those jars in the freezer to use at another time. I hope the consistency remains the same and the mixture's efficacy is held up in a frozen environment.

Now I usually don't like to read a recipe that is drawn out or long, on blos or website alike, super wordy and I'm out. So just to TRY to make this easy here are the quick steps: I used my new blender (Oster) and chopped up the herbs finely. I added some other ingredients such as alkaline water and rosewater. I used what I had on hand and that would help to make the herbal ingredients bind or be absorbed into the skin. That's the short end of it.

So, mostly I eyeballed it, so meaning if the mixture didn't seem like it could be smoothed onto my face just yet, I whipped it in the blender a little more or added a touch more liquid(s). The end product smelled quite nice and is a little creamy. I think I could find another way to whip it better, but I was truly impressed with my finished product. Not only did it smell good, but it really hydrated my skin, and I plan to use it in the winter when my skin is dry and irritated. I hope it gives me a refreshed spa facial when I need it most!

So, I recommend you consult the experts if you have no prior knowledge to herbs or plants and if you are new to using something you never have in your life, you may or may not be allergic. This is somewhat of a disclaimer just in case and you are on your own if you make ANYTHING even with a partial idea you got from here, and then stuff goes wrong. Also/perhaps you could write me a line back letting me know if you made something that works, and what you did! Not all wild herbs are the same so always do a patch test on your particular type of skin too. DIY facial masks can be a great and inexpensive alternative to chemical-laden store bought ones. Enjoy!

UPDATE: If you found this post, and got this far in reading then you may be interested to know a quick update as of December 2015. You will see that is over a year later since my original post, so you will know I stuck to using this "home-made DIY" product afterwards. I did end up taking out a small bottle or container from the freezer and un-thawed it, and used it on my face when I needed some skin therapy and brightening. It did not keep the same consistency and was runnier after it thawed out. So that said, it was a little more difficult to keep on my face and also seemed it didn't work as well. I am not sure if it would change if it was sealed somehow or kept preserved another way. I still did see good results, just not as miraculous as when this formula is fresh. Yay to you if you did try a DIY home facial!

Vegetarian Pizza Night

2014-10-16T00:21:00.001-07:00

Ordering pizza is most likely every one's favorite when it comes to pizza night. Not only are you getting away with not doing all the work, there are virtually no dishes and it's yummy!

However, it can be expensive when feeding your family and it is not as nutritious to eat process meats, let alone you are not sure of the kitchen cooking habits of the chef at a restaurant. I would like to introduce a vegetarian version of pizza with cheese, that is super delicious and pretty healthy.
You might even have it on the table faster than the pizza delivery guy, unless he already has a hot standing pizza ready for you every time you want your favorite.

I sometimes cheat to save time and energy by making tea biscuit dough pizza crust, so it can be a little crispier. If you want any of your own favorite pizza doughs, and are not bothered at investing a little more time, perhaps you can go ahead and improvise your favorite one.

Otherwise, it is just standard biscuit dough, that takes maybe 15 minutes to make with no rising time, such as standard pizza doughs require. You just spread out onto a pizza pan covered with parchment paper. Pre-bake this to be a light golden brown but not over done, so that the crust isn't too crispy and still can be baked again with your favorite toppings. About 10-12 minutes should do it, but I also eyeball to make sure it's just barely lightly cooked. Just keep an eye on it and pull it out before it is crispy, as you will have to add the rest of the vegetable pizza ingredients and bake it for another approximate 10 minutes.

A couple of biscuit dough pizza crusts later and you be the judge of what you want to add. On my first just add your best tomato pizza sauce and add your favorite vegetables such as tomatoes, grated carrots, sliced onions, roasted eggplant slices, chopped kale and some shredded garlic. Then on the top layer add crumbled goat cheese, and sprinkle with pepper. Bake it for 15- 18 minutes.

Depending on your oven, keep an eye on it and see if it bakes any sooner, because vegetables don't take long to cook and you don't want them to be mush, and the eggplant slices are pre-baked so they don't take long and only require a simmer together. This one is a super delicious Lacto Ovo Vegetarian pizza! Read on for the tea biscuit recipe and another tasty and more iron-packed Sante Fe Bean Chicken (vegan strips) version of pizza to bake!

For the next version you will need some marble cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Add other types of your favorite cheese as well. Prepare the cheese by grating.

Wash, slightly scrub and slice mushrooms of your preference. Here are white and brown button mushrooms I prepared. I love quite a few on my pizza.

Saute Yves Veggie cuisine vegan chicken strips; made of soy protein or any of your favorite vegan "mock" or replacement meats. Go ahead and use real meats if you are not vegetarian, it's up to you but this is a really healthy meatless idea, as Yves even has mock shrimp meat. I have yet to try that one but here is a link to the website to view the varieties of Yves Veggie. I added chopped onions to the pan and season with some pizza seasoning and pepper. This takes just long enough to saute the onions and warm up the vegan chicken according to the package, approximately 5- 8 minutes.

Add Mexican chili beans or add a medley of beans and add chili seasoning to taste. Add the sliced mushrooms. Simmer and saute until the flavors meddle together.

Everything should be smelling wonderful so far. :)

Using a prepared pizza crust; here is a biscuit crust one that I have been prepared by baking it for about 10-12 minutes. I forgot to line my pan with parchment liner paper this time.

Spread your favorite pizza sauce on top of the baked biscuit pizza crust. Spread toward the edges.

Add shredded kale leaves all over on top of the pizza sauce, and you guessed it keep assembling ingredients you would like on the pizza, the next is the Sante Fe chicken and bean mix.

I also added more roasted eggplant slices on this version, as I love eggplants baked on my vegetarian pizzas. You could leave it off of this one if you want, but to make those slices just clean and slice an eggplant before hand. Line a pan with parchment paper and layer the eggplant slices in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and spices such as Italian seasoning and pepper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 350*F, or until they are looking cooked. I pre-make these because I like them finished before I have to bake the biscuit pizza dough. Then I end up eating some as well and they are ready later for pizza assembly. I think the eggplant makes up a lot of delicious flavor. Top with grated cheese!

Bake and about 10 minutes later............. pull the pizza pan or pizza stone out with oven mitts on and get ready to enjoy! Again, line your pan with parchment paper for easy clean up, but if not it's "without papers".

Grind some fresh cracked pepper and garnish with fresh cilantro on top. Add some avocado as well as a side or if fancy slices on top. Pair with your favorite organic wine and some good television! Bon appetite. :)

TEA BISCUIT PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

2 cups all-purpose flour / 1 cup of whole wheat and 1 cup of all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 400*F (205*C). Grease a baking sheet. Combine flour, baking powder, salt. Mix.
Cut in shortening into flour mixture, until it's a fine crumb texture. Stir in milk with a fork. Make a soft dough. Knead about 8-10 times, then roll out into a 1/2" thick dough on a flour cutting board.
Instead of cutting into round biscuits with a cookie cutter, roll it out into a perfect size for a pizza! Bake 10-12 minutes on a pan, otherwise if you were making biscuits you would bake for 12-15 minutes. Again, keep an eye on the crust when pre-baking for pizza so it doesn't get brown. I hope it works for you and is super quick!

2014 Fall Farmer's Market Haul~!

2014-09-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

My favorite time of the year is fall and I make an effort to get to the market so I can start canning salsa, cooking and nesting as it gets colder out. I don't want to be running around all winter trying to get great produce and paying an arm and leg either, plus I love to taste all the seasonal goodies!
So this year I will be trying a few different pickling recipes and perhaps some relishes, and I would share more with others if we could get together and do some canning together. But that is another story, many people think it's easier to buy cans of food from the store, however I can vouch that it is more expensive and not healthy! If you are not keen on canning in jars, you can also freeze foods and salsa too. I was doing both, until I thought about just eating fresh produce as much as I can in the summer and canning for the winter.

So in my definition of an epic weekend, it's spent getting most of the things I wanted on my grocery list at the Farmer's Market or at least getting the bulk of it done. It's viewing all the fresh things they have down there and also sampling new food. I get hungry just thinking about it again!

Do I have a favorite market, one that I think is better than the rest where I live? Yes, most certainly, although you will find different vendors at each Farmer's Market, and I do like to switch it up, but I think the Crossroads Farmer's Market is the best for produce and eating. I had not went in the longest while and it's a great place to start, as they have a huge produce area of local and fresh vegetables and fruits this time of year.

I actually fulfilled everything that I wanted along with extras! You can check out many great salsa recipes online to get started on what and to see how much tomatoes and produce you will need. I have it down pat though, and I know what to purchase. A case of field tomatoes is where I start for salsa making (about 48 in a double layer case) and I try to find ones that are not ripe just yet to buy myself time to get the project started.Then I seen there were some delicious Roma tomatoes to go back for if I want to make tomato sauce; separate from my salsa making project.

I pick up 2 mixed bags of peppers, one spicy or small type peppers and the other multi-color or greens peppers. I add some extra jalapenos in a bag to make sure I have enough heat for some of the varieties of salsa I like. Onions and cilantro are also things I purchase, but not always at the market, and if I cannot find or don't feel like weaving in and out of the crowd for those simple things that you can find easily another day. I like to use it fresh when you are getting ready to can, so it's easy to find at your local grocery store although organic might be an issue. Cilantro is also best fresh as it can spoil very quickly, just like any other herb of its kind. Or you can opt to leave it out of the canned salsa and add dried cilantro or parsley, or add it in fresh every time when you are eating it later on in the winter.

I look out for organic produce of course, but if I cannot find it local is better than nothing. This year I didn't get either though, as I noted the tomatoes in flats were from California. Since I have been eating local tomatoes all summer I guess my salsa tomatoes can be from California. To be honest, these ones are not the most tasty, as I have robbed ripe ones for salad.

From there, you can get creative and purchase a couple cobs of corn to add to a type of salsa, or perhaps some peaches or squash and make some different types. I also add in carrots for a garden style salsa. Sweet salsa is good on many things too or to present as a gift to someone. They may like it on their various cooking dishes.

Another thing to purchase at the Farmer's Markets is local, raw and unpasterized honey. Although the price has increased it was still well worth it in my opinion. I purchase a pail and it usually lasts me all winter and then a little longer.

Although, I am not listing any of my recipes for salsa today, I thought you might find the abundant colors of my Farmer's Market Haul appealing and inspiring. You can also nab a couple of each item tonight and instead of canning you can make a tasty and healthy salad or salsa for dinner!

Cherry~ Cherry ~ Deliciousness!

2014-08-25T17:05:00.002-07:00

Pick up yourself a cherry pitter and you can make this delicious smoothie with ease! Here's one from Happy Healthy Vegan!

Don't Pay Full Price on Anything Anymore!

2014-08-22T16:15:00.002-07:00

Follow this link: Deals Galore!

Wild Saskatoon Berry Jam ~ Yummo!

2014-08-13T11:33:00.002-07:00

I am back to recommend this lovely Saskatoon Berry Jam with wild harvested Saskatoon berries. It is absolutely my new favorite jam, and is great on toast or pancakes. One might try this jam, instead of store-bought processed and chemical laden jams that include citric acid and dimethylpolysiloxane. Pheuf, what a long word, and this ingredient apparently prevents foaming but it cannot be good for you.
Note there are simple ingredients in this Saskatoon jam; 3 to be exact: berries, sugar, and pectin. I ordered this small jar of jam from Bovine Bubbles & Hogwash Ltd. on Etsy, when it was on sale last year, when it was listed. I had stored it in my pantry until this summer. It was $4.88 USD, which was $5.05 CDN. Shipping costs were combined with another item I had purchased. In total shipping was $10.75, but that is why I ordered another item to make it worth it.
Although the jar is small, not a huge jar to keep in your fridge, it can add variety to what you already have and you will find the flavor is lovely and natural. I especially like that the berries are Saskatoon berries which are my favorite and you can be assured they have no pesticides and non-GMO. Since they are wild berries, you will be getting a bit more nutrition than industrial grown strawberry crops and you get to keep the cute mason type jam jar.
I recommend you checking the shop Bovine Bubbles & Hogwash Ltd. and see what Cara has to offer. She has other delightful products like soaps and bubbles too!

Be Your Own # 1 Fan

2014-01-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

LISTEN TO THIS: The Strangest Secret

Numerology

2013-09-22T00:57:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I just want to post that I am going to be learning all about numerology: definition. It's not considered mathematics however, I think that my current upgrading of my math skills led me to numerology, due to Pythagoras and the golden ratio: wikipedia. There is a lot to be learned, and some of it will be from the internet as an information source, but also from vintage and new books.

It's actually exciting to me and I don't think there' s anything wrong with learning about it.
I won't necessarily know what to do with it, but I am more into the study of information and also the study of where information leads me to learn more.

Actually, there is a direct correlation in life with numbers, again the golden ratio, but there is much more such to know like repetitive numbers. There is more symbolism and subliminal aspects that we are not all aware of.

I had attempted to play some lottery numbers from a website that recommends lucky numbers, from the basics of astrology and numerology. So for that day, and although it didn't pan out that day, I just had a funny feeling that it something would happen.

So, that's all for now. I haven't been around and wanted to update you on what you may see here in the future. Stay tuned!!

Dream Perspective

2013-08-03T04:28:00.001-07:00

Hey~ I was just awoke out of a vegetarian pizza coma; dozed off after a long and difficult week, thinking of the yummy eggplants on the pizza, and zzzzzz........ I was dreaming about being a comedian.... the audience was killing themselves laughing, my jokes were hilarious!.......then my dream morphed into me being a Swag Magician~ I was like Kazaam, your wish is my command! The dopest stuff was just appearing as soon as people asked me for it, even when they had more than enough I would make the next coolest thing appear. Some people only seemed they cared about what they could get, more, and more, because they were greedily asking or hovering around me....and unfortunately, they were not happy anyways. The smiles were not authentic........was awoken by the neighbor singing, reloaded, the next Lady Gaga perhaps.... ;)

Any thoughts on what this kind of dream would mean? I have my ideas..... and the dream is not far from the truth. I have been very generous to people throughout life, with belongings, money, time, love, prayers, good nature, and much more! I come from a family of generous souls, some more than others, but I learned to do the same in my own ways. My Grandma was especially this way, she would never let anyone go hungry, and she would help others and make them feel at home, no matter who they were. She had real class, although so humble. I love her and I think she was a wonderful and important role model for me.

However, I know that people have taken total advantage of me, and left me after they get what they want.... at times it has cost me greatly, and other times I definitely had questioned their motives. Do you become guarded? Do you stop loving? Do you give less? Do you compensate for the ones who stole it, and stop giving altogether?
No matter how good a smile magician you are, some people don't come to the show for the smiles. They would like a little more than you intended, and perhaps I shall ponder on this some more..., here's an interesting and related topic link:Stop Being a People Pleaser
Have a great long weekend!

Heart & Smart

2013-07-14T17:22:00.003-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying the summer so far! Well, as per my last post there is no Giveaway Contest. Boo! Well, it's postponed until we have participants! Oh boy, I could not be more excited to know where I stand though. I am here to educate as many people as I can about eating healthy and kicking bad habits.

I thought I would start with myself. I have been on a mainly vegetarian diet for the past 5 months. I am now really starting to feel the full effects.... some days are better than others. For energy and optimum health I do recommend juicing, and it has been said by some to sell the TV if you cannot afford a juicer. A good point to that, since if your health is not good and if it keeps getting worse, then you know if you don't make good changes, you won't be here on earth to enjoy your TV anyways...... see that body is your home and your soul fulfillment is your nourishment, or at least it can fulfill many hungers, we think are for food or other things. When you know you have already had large portions of dinner, dessert and drinks, smokes, etc. What's next? Well, this is where we start, for clarity and purpose in life, make small commitments to yourself that you can keep, depending on what level you are operating from. Now, that level comes from LOVE! Your mind, heart and soul can generate love, if you got a big heart, the love you feel for yourself can definitely be deeper or more intense and thus the more you love yourself, and not from a place of ego, the better your decisions will be for yourself and others....... (more below).

I am not one to preach. I have indulged in a bit of ice cream and chips...... then when I find out by reading a random article or research, that some things are worse for you than you know. If nothing else, I feel like there has to be a limit to what you are choosing to be self-abusive with. I do recommend everyone who smokes cigarettes made by the big companies to make you sick, should stop. It's a trap and it should make you very angry to know that you are not just smoking tobacco and that people designed them to keep you smoking.... those things are laced with chemicals to keep you hooked and on edge. Before you know it your level of smoking needs to be more fulfilled with more smokes, and then you NEED a smoke all day long. It's a parasite sucking the vitality out of you. Don't smoke your vitality away, and if I could quit, so can you!

It's not easy and I know from experience, but even at your level, keep it on a leash. I recommend eating vegetables and fruits, more living foods will help you to move past wanting to smoke for they give you different feelings that your mind and body will translate. When you choose meat and heavy foods that are not good for you, you are creating an environment to keep that habit going, at least that is how I felt. Giving our bodies what we need, we find we are very resilient. It would be ideal to put that cigarette out in mid smoke, or toss the entire pack into the garbage, but I know that is not usually the case. What I recommend is try quitting some extent of it, that you can manage to do, right now. In this moment. So, cravings will subside and come and go, again in different levels depending on how you are allowing yourself to feel. It's your level that you are at, no one else's. No one else can give you motivation that you require, not will know how you are feeling. If you are finding yourself weak, and you just want one, which we should know if never the case, one is never enough.... perhaps I do recommend you try nicotine aids and patches, or there are herbal cigarettes that are nasty and shouldn't be inhaled. Once you find out that it's not even worth lighting up, you will find directly inside yourself that you never did NEED them. It is the belief that you are the one who is control although there is science behind the fact that the more you smoke the more nicotine receptors you create that need to stay full. That means the urge to smoke cigarettes comes directly from the receptors in your brain that like the feeling of the nicotine.... again I know there are thousands of chemicals, some of which are not told to the public, but you get the point. You either are expanding the amount of receptors with the amount you consume or lessening, but once is never enough. At first you may relapse and have a smoke or a puff off of your friends...... it didn't solve anything did it? It didn't stop you tantrums or tears, or attitude to be calm, no, not really.

Hey, you are not alone, many people find it the most difficult things to conquer because we have to flex the brain, but with each cigarette you are not getting any smarter. Then that is the story, but your story can be you kicked it because you are able to arc the Universe in such a way that it is not a focus point to you anymore. Yes! Tools can be used, many things can be of support. Join clubs or do things that keep you from being idle... Idle hands, I forget the rest.... but you get it, walk, play board games.... bored games, or cards. Start choosing positive and pure air for your lungs and heart, and breathe deeply and exhale. Some one is going to say something to get you aggravated if you choose to be, and someone might not even appreciate that you are strong minded and have stayed away from smoking,perhaps they smoke right in front of you.... don't get mad, just relief yourself from that situation and move towards a better focus for yourself.

Someone I know had a heart attack this past week, and let's not beat around here, she does smoke and eats the standard North American poor diet. Poor in nutrition, but not price.
Maybe nothing will make you feel good, but if you stay in this moment with Love, then your next moment before you even realize will be have lived with Love. Then the best food possible for your precious body will all make sense.

Some foods that are super for the Heart health, are tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, legumes like onions and garlic, purple cabbage, greens, asparagus, colorful fruits. Basically the whole foods and vegetarian diet, with fish oils, nuts, or essential oils and look into more vegetables. I recommend the tomatoes and garlic especially, perhaps ginger and spicy peppers. The tomatoes have chambers just like the heart, and here are some more beneficial foods listed on Web MD, check it out and I encourage you to start reading about health and fitness, even if it's not what you are doing right now. You might find yourself actually interested and it becomes a journey! Good Luck!

No Comments

2013-06-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I finally had a moment to check back in, and see if anyone posted any comments. Please read my last post to this blog- there were no comments about the word 'FREE'. Unfortunately, that was step 1 to the contest and I didn't get any response. :( So, I am thinking I don't have an audience for a Giveaway Contest!!

I will postpone this contest until into mid-summer, and see if there is a way to bring an audience to my contest....... after all I don't wish to be playing it all by myself. Check back again in some time.

2013 FREE POST & Giveaway Information

2013-05-27T14:12:00.003-07:00

Hello Everyone,

It's just about mid-year of 2013, and I was thinking of doing something REALLY fun for my blogs!
I think it will give me more motivation to be back here, because fun is my middle name, no matter how busy my schedule is!

                            How about some giveaways or contests?? I have some great ideas~!

   Let me know what you think about the word ~ FREE ~ below in the comments area!

Yes, that's the word. There are words built around the word "free", like freedom. The Holy Bible includes this word in scripture. Writers, artists and singers like Frank Zappa, have sang or wrote about free, and even a band was named Free! It can be found everywhere!

Post about the word "FREE". It's free to post ~what it means to you, where you have read something about free that meant something to you, what have you been given for free in your lifetime, or whatever you like!
*Please keep it PG, and use your own good judgement and discretion towards the topic and language used when posting! Thanks.

Anyone who subscribes to IAJLGOM's (I am Just Like Garfield on Mondays") or Illaqueen's Corner and comes back regularly in the month of June will be rewarded, because we will be posting what the contest is and how to win!! I will be announcing our Facebook Page too!

Also, I will choose 2 lucky 'NEW' subbies, who ever subscribes to both blogs: that is subscribers to IAJLGOM'S & Illaqueen's Corner will to be advance winners in future promotions!
Win + future prizes for your future self.

Have a wonderful week!!

Farmer's Market Day Haul!

2013-05-11T16:50:00.003-07:00

I am sure glad I made it to the local Farmer's Market today, since it was beautiful outside and because I found some great produce! Not only do I get a little too excited about it, ( I know) but it's also awesome because I meet people there and exchange recipes or ideas on how to eat healthier! They had plenty of cut fruits to sample, and the beefsteak tomatoes were so plentiful and large. I purchased a case for a super deal! The photos may not do them justice, they are probably 2 lbs. each and and I paid $1.12 per tomato! They are from a local area, RedCliff and Medicine Hat- so they label these tomatoes as RedHat's.

It's also nice to share with my neighbor, and I stop by on the way home, and give her a little something from my haul. She is an elderly lady and I just look out for her, although she would prefer whisky, I make sure she has some fresh, local produce. When my garden gets going I always share as much as I can afford to and take her tomatoes to ripen. I had made a clipping of one of my houseplants, that does well in the shade, and because she doesn't have much sunlight in her apartment it should do perfectly!

Sometimes, well most years, the weather seems to work against me, but I manage to grow enough tomatoes organically, that I make the most epic salsas and we eat everything fresh in the summertime! I have canned my own pickles and salsa, so it lasts us all winter, but last year we just ate everything.

Of course, there are some things I cannot find local, like pineapples, mangoes and avocados. Those mainly come from Mexico and are available all year round. I don't think I mentioned my avocado project, of which I have been attempting for 2 years to grow a healthy and successful tree. It worked once, and then my cat dug the plant up while I was at work. He was bored, so he needed something to do since he had murdered his cat grass just as fast as I could grow it. The cat nip was another addiction he had, but he would only eat the organic stuff so it was a healthy addiction! :)

I will be back in a couple weeks, detailing my new "sprouting" project, where I will be sprouting mung beans and sunflower seeds..... in a jar or a sprouting machine. I am still working on composting.
Actually, I did grow some squash seeds, and the seeds came out of a squash from the grocery store so I don't think they would have produced any fruit. What I do, is grow the sprouts and leaves a little bit and cut them, and prepare them to add into my huge salads or even in an omelet. I did snap a picture of what it looks like for you! Until next time, here is my produce I picked up and ...............Live It Up~!

And time to eat~! I add a fresh ginger & garlic vinaigrette!

Bearing Fruit

2013-04-19T19:55:00.004-07:00

Hello!

I have a quick post for you today, I will be eating at least, 1 full platter of fruit per week; yes the amount you see below and more for juicing! It's been almost 4 weeks, since I have totally started eating "whole foods", but I stepped up the amount of fruits I will be eating, and juicing since last week.
Most of the fruit and vegetables I ate in week 1 were organic, but some was not. I wondered which types of fruits and vegetables, absorbs the most pesticides, and so in my search, I did come across a list. That link is provided below, it will help you determine what is and isn't safe to buy since these days good produce is hard to find at times and organic is not always available or an option.
My friend graciously treated me to lunch at a sushi bar today, so it was a cheat day, but not really since sushi, tofu and some of the vegetables used can be healthy. We also had a healthy portion of edamame beans. Shout out to Kinjo Sushi!

Week 1 (See fruit bowl):

Week 2:

Which Fruits & Vegetables You Should Be Buying Organic