MyHealthierMe

BANANA ALMOND SNACKS RECIPE

2012-08-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

So simple yet so divine! :)

All you need to do is chop up the banana and dollop each one with raw almond butter and raw pollen honey; a pinch of cinnamon is excellent!! A raisin on top is another idea; be creative :)

Kids love little shaped fun food things !!

CHECK OUT THE RECIPE VIDEO:

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Peace & Love :)

DANDELIONS & NETTLES & HERBS OH MY!!

2012-08-22T05:29:00.003-07:00

STINGING NETTLES in my very own Back Yard!!

Woohoo they tasted great!! We blended them with apple juice to make a smoothie but strained with a nutmilk bag first. They assisted my body in the detox process and oi! not fun.. but that's the road I want to be on. Detoxification here we go! :D

NETTLES IN MY BACKYARD VIDEO:

For more information on Detoxification check out this YouTube channel:
Dr. Robert Morse N.D.

DANDELIONS & NETTLES & HERBS OH MY!!

We found some more nettles!! Thank you universe :)

There is a very small patch of nettles in our backyard, which after topping, need time to regrow. So instead of doing without we have been delivered a new patch! This new patch was found on a local walking trail/park area. And from what we could see, they're everywhere!!

FORAGING STINGING NETTLES ON A WALKING TRAIL VIDEO:

People walk right past them everyday on the trail, and from what we could see, no one had taken even one! It's crazy to think they eat their poor diet and then come out to walk for exercise, to lose weight, and get healthy; all the while right there in front of them are these perfect plants that provide sooo much!! It amazes me; completely unaware!! As was I not too long ago.

The earth provides! Take advantage man! LOL!!

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Peace & Love :)

Green Juice Smoothie

2012-08-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

Want GREEN JUICE ?

No Juicer !?

Blend it! Make it a Smoothie instead!

Without a juicer or a vita-mix, it's hard to get good fresh juice. We have a very old blender, but we've adapted!! Hopefully we'll get our new juicer soon!! There's no excuse - just eat your fruit!

Check out this video for a simple Smoothie even kids love!

To get Spinach in our 3 year old we simply mix it with Organic Apple Juice (no sugar or water added), and a bit of distilled water to tame the flavour for kids. It works! She drinks it all up.

We tried carrots... it didn't work (too much pulp); need a juicer for that! But other whole fruits work great! (berries, oranges, apples, bananas, melon, etc) Add frozen fruit to make it more like a slushie! :) Enjoy!

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Peace & Love :)

DETOX - GOING RAW

2012-08-02T08:07:00.004-07:00

Well!! Things are changing fast in our household for sure! It's been only a few months (April 2010) and we're going raw! We had our first stinging nettle smoothie a few days ago and it was very yummy!!! (used apple juice, spinach, nettles, and a bit of water). It started our bodies on a little detox!

We've only had a little bit of cooked foods the last few weeks, and after cooking up some beans that have been in the cupboard (that no one wanted to eat lol), we got sick!! We'd had barely any cooked food in weeks and it hit hard. I threw up and hubby had bowel issues; thankfully our little one (the healthiest person in our family) didn't get sick. :) Then to top it all off, I ate too many nuts watching a movie (wasn't paying attention to my food!!!! tsk tsk), my gallbladder didn't let me forget and I was in pain all day :( Never again! Watch your fat intake!

Your fat intake should be lower than your veg/leaf & fruit/berry intake.
Eat MOSTLY fruits, melons, and berries.
Eat healthy fats (avocado, coconut, nuts & seeds, etc).
Avoid heated fats and anything hydrogenated!
Eat MOSTLY raw foods.

So I'm feeling better, I actually took this video yesterday (APRIL 2010), I'm almost back to "normal" whatever that is LOL! I'm watching what I eat more carefully while I detox! We've decided to do away - all together - with cooked food!!! At least for now (an unknown amount of time) - in order to detoxify our bodies.

YES!! That's right! We're going raw!! :)

Aside from needing a juicer; still, and now we've added a dehydrator to that list. Also, we made some Rejuvelac and that was another thing that boosted the detox. Fun fun lol!

Now we need a colonic!! I'd say that's a must when you finally go raw (my opinion is what's the point if you're still eating, what I call "crap") LOL! So I've looked into it and there's a place not to far from here woohoo!! Just gotta save up $60 first.

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Peace & Love :)

Transitional Tips ~ Vegetarian Vegan

2012-08-02T08:06:00.004-07:00

plus a Cookie Recipe!! (see below)

The only way to change your diet drastically, without causing a major upheaval in your life, is to take things one step at a time.

Get used to the idea of change.
Accept that you will no longer be eating certain foods.
Be excited about the opportunity to try new foods!

I noticed that some new products I tried for the first time, were not very palatable but after trying a few different recipes and spicing things up a bit (eg. garlic, onion, cayenne, salt)... than you can really make it taste good!

The hardest part, for people that don't do much food prep themselves, will be in the fact that you'll have to start. Making it yourself is fun! Not to mention that you'll actually know what's in it!!

It's my goal to go RAW, so food prep won't really be all that difficult once we get there. Though I do very much enjoy cooking, so we're likely to do some "gourmet raw recipes" for a while.

So start off by eliminating something, preferably a meat or dairy product, and then add something new (preferably fruits or veggies)!! Continue to do this until you've got most of the harmful foods out of your diet for good. Getting to that point took me a year of "getting used to the idea of change".. once I was open to change, it really happened very fast!! Within a few months.

The things that opened me to change the most, with regards to eliminating foods, was watching movies, videos and blogs, etc. where I was informed about the dangers and horrors of producing and consuming these foods. Knowing that they were actually harmful, and harming... that's when I think it clicked. Then I was really ready to give them up.

All I know is what I've learned. ~ All I can share with you, is what I know.

I hope it's somewhat helpful. :)

MyHealthierMe Recipe:
CHOCOLATE VEGAN OAT CHIP COOKIES

3/4 cup Nut or Seed Butter (eg. macadamia, cashew, tahini, sunflower)

1/4 cup Coconut Oil (or EV Olive Oil)

1/4 cup Blackstrap Molasses

1 1/4 cup Cane Sugar (or other sweetener)

1 Banana; mashed

4 Tbsp Apple sauce

1/2 tsp Vanilla bean

4 to 6 Tbsp Cacao Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Cloves

1 tsp Baking Soda

Sea Salt, a dash

1 cup Gluten-Free Flour

2 1/2 cups GMO free Oats

Optional: Raisins, or Chocolate pieces (dairy-free)

Directions: Using an electric mixer, blend Butter, Oil, Molasses, and Sugar; until well combined. Add Banana, Apple sauce, and Vanilla; blend. Add Cacao powder, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Baking soda, and Salt; blend. Add Flour, blend. Ensure all ingredients are blended together, scrape sides of bowl. Stir in Oats; and optional ingredients.

Cookies always turn out better when you chill the dough for an hour.
Spoon onto cookie sheet. Yields about 3 dozen.
Bake 325º - 350ºC for 8 for chewy and 10 mins for firmer cookies.

* NOTE: Do not over bake unless you like hard cookies. Under baking produces chewy cookies.*

Enjoy!

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Peace & Love :)

LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT GUILT

2012-07-20T10:09:00.004-07:00

NO EXCUSES!

When we make excuses for ourselves, we're failing but not learning a lesson from it. Failure is normal, how you deal with it is where the difference lies. Guilt is not healthy.

Instead of making excuses we should accept our failures as learning experiences; taking something from them. Leaving it on a positive note helps you to not "feel bad" about something you can't avoid.

Don't set yourself up for failure either! Know your weaknesses and improve on them so that they become the person you were; not the person you are.

Diets don't work!

Healthy lifestyles work.

That's why we always fail at fad diets; they come and go. Instead of not letting yourself eat something because someone told you it's bad for you, find out WHY it's bad for you; so that you can not eat it with a purpose.

Blank reasoning will lead you to failure; if you have no real reason not to eat something, you'll eat it anyway. There are always other options, but you have to find them.

Eating meat, for example, isn't necessary. But just because you don't know any alternatives doesn't make it ok to keep eating it. Find out, learn!

I watched a movie called "Food INC"... it shows you what the animals go through; another reason eating meat from mono-farms is bad (pollution is another).

Will power isn't something you get nor something you have. It's a belief or disbelief in something, which causes you to cast something off, or stand up for it. Will takes place when you have faith in something.

Great song: Right Where I Belong
http://www.youtu.be/PxMthqsG5VQ
so beautiful :)

So if your food vice is sugar - cast it off; by knowing why it's bad for you. Then you won't want to eat it, knowing the true meaning behind why it's bad for you in the first place. Not just something unknown that you attempt to struggle with. Try healthier alternatives to sugar (like cane sugar, date sugar, or the stevia plant). Get what you want - enjoy your will - while making better choices; healthy choices.

Make your dreams an intention. "I will do it." Believe it will happen.

WILL it into being!

Check out The Life Regenerator (aka: DTM) for some totally awesome motivation, information, and recipes.

Dan the Man is my new favorite youtube channel :)
www.youtube.com/liferegenerator
He has his own website as well where you can buy his awesome DVDs :)
www.regenerateyourlife.org

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Peace & Love :)

HEALTH IS IN YOUR HANDS - DON'T DROP IT!

2012-07-19T07:07:00.003-07:00

YOU CAN'T BUY A NEW BODY

It really is up to you - your health - only you have the power to change your health.
No one can force you to take pills, no one can force you to eat certain foods.
It's all up to you.

Your Health Is In Your Hands! Don't drop it!

Take it seriously. It must last you a lifetime!
Your body is not a pair of shoes you can toss out if worn.

I think it's imperative that each individual know about their body, how it works, and how it reacts. When you ask questions about your body, you find answers, imagine that! ;)

Don't depend on someone else to care... only you can care enough to make the difference. Medical doctors are only interested in treating symptoms. They put a band-aid on illness, rather than discovering the source, and remedying it.

Food can heal - your body can heal.
When healthy, your body can heal itself.
It is amazing! Give it a chance :)

ALKALIZE BABY !! :D

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Peace & Love :)

HEALTH - GETTING STARTED

2012-07-17T13:44:00.001-07:00

MyHealthierMe is a progression. One day I hope to be able to say I'm "MyHealthYMe," but today, I am still trying and learning.

The struggle of health is not an easy road to travel. You only know what you see. You only know what you believe is real. What you eat matters... that is real. Anyone that tells you any different has yet to discover the truth.

The reality of food is an illusion. Society is just one point of view. What is your point of view? Only you can decide what you know, what you believe to be real. So what I'm saying... you create your points of view, you decide what you believe.

Believe that REAL food can heal you. Believe that REAL food is what your body needs.

What is REAL food?

Organic Fruits & Vegetables, Nuts & Seeds, Superfoods, Herbs... these are all REAL food. This is where we'll start, for now. If you do your best every day to get as much real food into your body as you can, I promise, your body will thank you. You will feel alive.

Packaged food is a curse. Money makers. I think of food in a package as someone's product. The someone being the individual reaping the most rewards from it's sales (not you). Real food grows. FREE!! You benefit even more when you grow it yourself (you have control over what goes in the soil).

YourHealthierYou starts with the CHOICES you make. You can't make good choices without educated experiences and willingness to change.

Start by not buying foods that are packaged, boxed, bagged, canned, frozen, etc. They are acidic to your body and that is the last thing you want. Any step down the right path is better than no step at all.

Eliminate meat from your diet. If that seems impossible to you at this point in time (I understand, I was there), then I recommend that you reduce the amount of meat you eat drastically. I'd cut out red meat and stick to chicken and turkey; organic only. Meat can't help you. There are plenty of plant based foods that can replace the meat in your diet. I'll probably get to that in more detail soon. But for now, know that it's acidic to your body.

What's all this acidity talk? What's pH balance? Keep your eyes open for a video about that soon!
If you just can't wait... you can always look it up! ;)

Everything you have in your kitchen could probably be upgraded. If you love apples, upgrade to organic. If you love crackers, upgrade to spelt or rice (or better yet, make your own).

I'll eventually post a few recipes that helped me transition from "meat-dairy-product-eater" to the almost all the way vegan that I am today.

I love to cook and I love to eat! :)

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Peace & Love :)

2012-07-15T18:26:00.005-07:00

Diets Don't Work ~ Alkalinity Works

What is "healthy" ??? How do you know?

The only way to know anything is to learn it!

From birth and into my teens I thought I knew what healthy was; which was only what I was told. At the time, I didn't think I'd ever be "overweight" and never could have predicted my future. At age 17 I was about 5'10" and weighed around 175lbs (looked and felt "healthy").

Come my early 20's I was gaining weight. Mostly due to poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Eating out and ordering in was wreaking havoc on my body. I figured if I ate right sometimes that the times I ate "junk food" wouldn't make that big of a difference. I was wrong!

EVERYTHING you put in your body matters!

I hit 200lbs in my mid 20's and was going through some major life changes; and gaining more and more weight. I was eating "healthy" sometimes, but I was also eating poorly most of the time.

The next 10 years of my life were spent dieting. I followed a list of diets in my pursuit to be "healthier" only to find out that diets just make the whole situation worse. I gained. I lost. I plateaued. I gained. I hit my heaviest: 280lbs! It was a roller coaster of uncertainty!

Then more life changes and the drama that this world creates rocked my boat. I plummeted and for a short time I accepted my "fatness" and began a phase of accepting myself the way I was, and at the time thought, the way I'd always be. That's about the time I met a new friend (which I didn't know, would be my life partner one day). :)

He changed my life, I changed his; we made sense. I was happy and not about my weight. Accepting of me the way I was, my husband encouraged whatever I chose to strive for. I think this was right around the time I ended my "fat acceptance period."

I was going to be turning 30 and I was looking back at 10 years of weight and health issues that were not resolving but only building up. What to do? I had no idea! But I planned on figuring it out!

I started eating "better" and yet I was still not truly healthy in my choices. It began with portion control. Then with the food choices I made; which I thought were, good at the time, but still not what I'd call healthy today. Simply an improvement! Which is how it works for some of us. We take steps until we reach a stage of enlightenment.

Then we decided to try for a baby and my idea of healthy changed yet again as I learned about how my body works and pregnancy topics arose. It wasn't about me anymore. I started taking a folic acid supplement and cut out a lot of "junk food"... again looking back I didn't do the right thing... but it was simply "better". But that's better than no change at all!

Once we conceived my diet changed even more! And not long into the pregnancy I started having health problems (gallbladder was the first problem to arise). So on and so forth life went on and I learned more and more about health. We'll get into all this in the videos I'm sure (just wanted to provide a bit of background).

My healthier me wanted to know how to be even more healthier! So I get online and I read, and I read, and I read and read. I watch other people talk about their issues, struggles, and what did and didn't work for them.

You start cooking more, you find great sources for recipes. You ask yourself: "Am I doing the right thing?" I'm not there yet. But I'm moving in the right direction :)

There's a lot of good books, about health and wellness, etc. Read them! Read and read. Never stop learning, and always be planning your next step. Never stop. Never give up. Keep moving :)

How I started was that I eliminated most packaged foods and began cooking a lot. When our daughter was about 1 I cut out red meat and a few foods I was finding were not good for me (eg. I cut out cheddar cheese and stuck to mozzarella and goat), etc. Small steps towards where I am today.

Then I cut out meat all together. Then I cut out dairy all together. I'm now 100% vegetarian, and about 80-90% vegan. I'm still learning about what products to avoid etc.

One day I hope to go raw!! Step by step :)
My biggest goal today is to start juicing!!!
We need a juicer!! We'd love the new Samson!!

I hope someone out there that is struggling the way I have for so long, can take something I say, to help them to achieve health without it taking a life time as it has taken me.

I'm losing weight and feeling healthier every day :) I want to thank all the YouTubers out there that helped me get to where I am today. Bless you :) For the light you shine in the darkness that is this confusing world.

And to those of you that are unhealthy... You can do it too!!! Believe.

THIS WAS MY VERY 1ST YOUTUBE VIDEO!!

The first step is any step in the right direction!

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Peace & Love :)

MOVIE

2011-01-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

ZEITGEIST III

I watched the third Zeitgeist movie today! It was very good!

I loved the part where Jacques Fresco say: "This shit's gotta go!!"

This is a must see and I do recommend it and all the other movies as well.

I've included the links below. I think everyone should watch and share!

It makes a lot of really good points about world issues!

If you haven't seen the other movies they can be found on this YouTube Channel:
TZM Official Channel <-- CLICK HERE

You can also visit the website The Zeitgeist Movement for more information.

Daily Menu (Jan.27/2011)

- Water (throughout the day).

- Royal Jelly Honey, Pine Pollen, Maca, Vanilla, Cacao.
- Chocolate Milk Shake (rice milk/soy milk/maple syrup/maca/peanut butter/vanilla/nutmeg/
chlorella/Himalayan salt/cacao.
- Guacamole (avocado/lemon juice/Himalayan salt/onion/garlic/cumin/spinach/tomato/chlorella)
with corn Tortilla chips.
- Salad (romaine/iceberg/onion/garlic/Himalayan salt/tomato/sauerkraut/flax oil/chlorella/hemp seeds/peas/raisins.
** end **

NOTE: most, if not all, items are organic

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Peace & Love :)

MEDITATION

2011-01-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

HOW TO MEDITATE

There is no right or wrong way to meditate; though I'm sure many would disagree. I personally don't think you need anything special -- no mat or outfit or music will make any difference if you aren't in the right space/focus. There is nothing you need to think about or "see"; or not "see". Simply get comfortable (not so much that you fall asleep - though that wouldn't be "bad") -- but sleeping would mean you didn't meditate; you slept instead LOL! Sleeping is good, but not the point of meditation ;)

WHAT DO I DO?

When I first started meditating I thought I needed to clear my mind and be totally blank. Perhaps I figured the point of meditation was to disappear and be a statue; I've discovered that's not exactly how it works. I found that stillness is good but not necessarily in the physical sense, and clearing your mind is good but not in the manner I supposed.

THE MIND 

The mind is like your own personal computer. However, we sadly seem to be acting like computers; with our little hand held devices. Similar to the manner in which we extend our focus to the modern machines, we don't allow our "personal computer brain" a moment in the off position. Everyone is holding some little machine! Cell phones, iPADs, Blackberry, PC, Mac, PSP, gidgit, gadget, radiation -- focus is always in the on position; brain (computer) always running. So meditation would appear as though you should just shut off, but I think it's more of a reboot -- a clearing, a reset, a pause.  

HOW TO TRY & SUCCEED

Straining to clear your mind is really the opposite of clearing your mind -- you're only making it work more; like emptying the recycle bin on your computer (you're giving it a task, not allowing stillness). Reboot yourself instead. The deeper into meditation you go the harder your boot. LOL! That sounds totally strange considering I'm talking about meditation but I hope it helps make the picture clear.

So your sitting relaxed, and your eyes are closed; a good way to begin. While I begin meditation I focus on my breathing (in through the nose - deeply - into my lower stomach - filling it up - *not my upper chest*). I breathe using only my nose; in and out. If I'm really distracted or preoccupied I'll silently count my breathing (eg. 7 counts in, hold, 7 counts out, hold; repeat *you need not count 7 exactly-do what feels comfortable). This helps my mind let go of the distractions by giving it a mind-task; it loves when you give it something to do! Ego feels important and so it shuts up! LOL!

Then when I'm not agitated or uptight anymore, after a bit of breathing (if necessary, as sometimes I am relaxed to begin with). This is where your mind gets bored and your ego steps up and looks for something to do (it's a little pest!) -- think, worry, debate, consider, analyze, organize -- ego needs to be needed. You can't meditate with your ego, letting it go is the point, it's the noise in your mind (the silence is the quiet ego). Now it's important to anyone that doesn't have any idea what I mean by "ego" to know that the ego does not want to be quieted and will do anything to stop you from shutting it down, including random immature feats of attention getting.

HOW TO QUIET THE EGO

Shut it down. Pay it no attention. Watch it. Converse not with it. Do not answer it. Ignore it, if necessary. My little method or trick is to simply say: "Not right now. Step aside please. I do not need you." Allow yourself permission to do it later. If you forget; who cares! Don't create problems. Simply push everything aside and clear a path to silence. Be still. Just BE. It's ok to listen to the noise around you, observe the cars or the wind or the water; whatever it may be. But do not think about it, just "see" it; observe it; think not about it. Then ask it to step aside. Your 'computer' (your mind) is now off and you still exist; you are not your mind. You sit at the computer, you are the operator. You have control.

NOW WHAT?

Now just relax! Be still, peace, silence, serenity. Enjoy the moment. Breathe deeply -- low stomach; not up chest. I personally have some music, if you can call it that, which I sometimes play in the background; but sometimes it is quiet - no music. There is this one chakra balancing cd I have that really helps bring a stillness into me; I "ohm" while I'm listening to it; matching the tones/frequencies that are circulating as the cd progresses. Time is irrelevant - do it for as long as you want (2 mins, 10 mins, an hour), whatever you want. It's all up to you, it's your time, your space, your light shining, your moment of connection with One. Feel the love :)

Daily Menu (Jan.26/2011)

- Water (throughout the day).

- Green Juice (romaine/spinach/celery/parsley/apple/pear)
with adya clarity and chlorella.

- Guacamole (avocado/lemon juice/Himalayan salt/onion/garlic/cumin/spinach/tomato/chlorella)
   with corn Tortilla chips.
-Chocolate Milk Shake (rice milk/soy milk/maple syrup/maca/peanut butter/vanilla/nutmeg/
   chlorella/Himalayan salt/cacao.
-Snack (tomato/spinach/onion)
   with a couple corn tortilla chips.

** end **

NOTE: most, if not all, items are organic

Here's a video I made the other day -- making a green juice -- I had a very similar juice this morning. So yummy!

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Peace & Love :)

There's Only 1 Way to Start a Blog

2011-01-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

"Post Something!!" So here I go... I'm posting!

*sings* Here I go a posting, a posting, a posting, oh here I go a posting, a posting we will go LOL!! hhherrrmm ...ya okay! So you're learning that I'm a bit quirky ;) ...weird? ya I'm not "normal" hahah! Anyways!

What is this Blog about?

Well I have a YouTube Channel: MyHealthierMe (www.youtube.com/myhealthierme) where I started a "vlog" about my journey. This led me here to my first blog post - I wonder if most people start out on a blog, and then after start a vlog; does that mean I'm backward? lol

Here's a video I did to show "BEFORE & AFTER" photos:

Ok! So I plan to post recipes, health information and advice from various sources, sources and resources regarding health and wellness, spiritual stuff, and uhmmm ... can't think of anything else but there will be more. I also plan to post the occasional daily menu of what I've eaten, this probably won't be a daily thing. Here is what I've eaten today:

NOTE that most if not all things I eat are organic. I make it a rule to only eat organic corn/soy/potato/peanuts and a few others I can't think of right now. If it's a GMO product I don't buy it 'non-organic'.

Daily Menu (Jan.25/2011)

- Water (throughout the day).

- Glass of Apple/Grape Juice.

- Chocolate Milk Shake (rice milk/organic soy milk/cacao/royal jelly honey/maca/chlorella/nutmeg/vanilla/organic peanut butter/ice).

- Dip (onion/tomato/spinach/parsley/chlorella/lemon juice/Himalayan salt)

with Organic Tortilla (Corn) Chips.

- Salad (romaine/spinach/iceberg/peas/avocado/onion/garlic/Himalayan salt/sauerkraut/raisins/celery/cumin/tomato).

** end **

Lessons of Late (these will be lessons I've learned lately)

* Today I learned that the ego is simply hilarious and must not be taken seriously. For ego is the mind and the mind is not aware (it's a computer).

** A child does not understand the inner workings of society as you may, yet a child understands with deeper clarity the inner workings of love. Children teach us to hold the love. Society teaches us to fear. Turn off the television and BE in reality. Live! Love.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Forget about it!" -Donnie Brasco

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Peace & Love :)

p.s. Here's an old picture I found of a really pretty salad!! I did a video making it but ran out of memory on the card!! It was YUMMY! :D