One of my favourites consists of strawberries (fresh or frozen), pineapples, almond milk, plain yoghurt and a tiny bit of oatmeal. Combine all the ingredients and blend them to a consistency similar to that of a milkshake. The photo below was taken during my very first attempt at making a smoothie. I ended up having to make a second batch since everyone at my house wanted their own (it tasted that good).

Although I used very few ingredients, smoothies can be made with just about any fruit or vegetable. These two websites have the best guides when it comes to making smoothies:

How to Make a Smoothie and The Ultimate Green Smoothie Formula.

I’m working on adding greens and vegetables to my smoothies, in order to make them even more nutritious. I must admit, my body feels much better since I began having smoothies for breakfast.

Since it was my first time trying this out, I only made a small batch, and as a result, I did not measure out any ingredients. I simply put in whatever I thought would work. The ingredients are:

• Raw cocoa butter (although any other butter such as shae butter or mango butter can be used)
• Coconut oil
• Almond Oil
• Peppermint oil (optional)

Keep in mind that any combination of oils and butters can work, according to your preference.

Instructions:

• Since cocoa butter is in a solid state, it needs to be melted before the other oils can be added. I did this by placing the cocoa butter in a bowl, then placing the bowl in some hot water.

• Once the butter is completely melted (a few minutes), mix in the other oils, and set the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes so it could solidify a bit.

• When the mixture is between liquid and solid state, remove it from the freezer and begin to whip it with a hand mixer, food processor or a whisk.

• Whisk it until it’s nice and fluffy, then you’re done!

My finished product looked like this:

I like how it turned out, although I will try this again when my stash runs out to see how I can improve this recipe.

Scientists have suggested that, with a little willpower, it takes roughly 30 days for a person to form a new habit.  As with mastering anything new, the act of starting and getting beyond the preliminary stage where everything feels awkward is 80% of the battle.  This is precisely why it’s important to make small, positive changes every day over the course of at least a 30 day period.

Let go of one relationship that constantly hurts you. – Keep people in your life who truly love you, motivate you, encourage you, enhance you, and make you happy.  If you know people who do none of these things, let them go and make room for new positive relationships.  Over the next 30 days, if relevant to your situation, gradually let go of one person in your life who has been continuously hurting you and holding you back.

Spend 10 minutes every evening reflecting on what went well.– For the next 30 days spend 10 minutes every evening pondering the small successes that occurred during the course of the day.  This process of positive reflection will remind you of all the tiny blessings in your life, and help you to celebrate your personal growth.

Get uncomfortable and face a fear every day. – With a strategy of continuous small steps into uncomfortable territory we are often able to sidestep the biggest barrier to positive change:  Fear.  Sometimes we’re afraid we’ll fail.  Sometimes we’re subconsciously afraid we’ll succeed and then we’d have to deal with all the disruption (growth) and change that follows success.  And other times it’s our fear of rejection or simply our fear of looking like a fool.  The best way to defeat fear is to stare it down.  Connect to your fear, feel it in your body, realize it and steadily address it. Greet it by name if you have to: “Welcome, fear.”  Fear can be a guiding friend if you learn how to swallow it, and listen to it only when it serves its true purpose of warning you when you are in danger.  Spend an hour every day for the next 30 day’s addressing a fear that is holding you back.

Every morning, watch or read something that inspires you. – Sometimes all you need is a little pep talk.  For the next 30 days, before you eat breakfast, or leave the house, watch a motivational video or read something (quotation, blog post, short story, etc.) that inspires you.

Pay attention and enjoy your life as it happens. – When I watched the Academy Awards a few months ago I realized that most of the speeches actors and actresses make when they accept an award go something like this:  “This means so much so me.  My whole life has been leading up to this moment.”  But the truth is, our whole lives have been leading up to every moment.  Think about that for a second.  Every single thing you’ve gone through in life, every high, every low and everything in between, it has led you to this moment right now.  Ask yourself this:  How much of life are you actually living?  If you’re like most people, the answer is likely:  “Not enough.”  The key is to concentrate on a little less on doing and a little more on being.  Remember, right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.  Right now is life.  Spend the next 30 days living in the now, for real.

Mark and Angel Hack Life.

Source: Positive Thoughts

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DIY Lip/Facial Scrub

INGREDIENTS:

• brown sugar – ideal for exfoliating the skin
• olive oil – helps to moisturize the skin
• honey – a natural antibacterial, and also assists in locking in the moisture

Sometimes I leave the honey out, if it isn’t readily available.

STEPS:

1). Mix 3 table spoons of equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and brown sugar.

2). Mix one table-spoon of honey into your scrub and mix well. You can add more until your mixture becomes gooey and slightly sticky. Adjust the amount of each ingredient you use, until the mixture comes to the desired consistency.

3). Apply this mixture to you clean and damp face and lips. Gently (and I mean GENTLY) scrub for 1-2 minutes, being sure to concentrate on the rough areas of the skin.

4). Wash the scrub off with warm water and immediately follow with a moisturizer to lock in all the moisture.

Enjoy your soft, “kissable” face and lips. It’s that simple! I usually do this once a week, for best results.

Anyway, this morning something happened which made me very thankful for the not so fulfilling job of mine. While in the kitchen preparing lunch, someone came into the yard and shouted “good morning” several times. That “someone” was a young man who was passing around the neighborhood selling farine and cassava. My heart sank. Here I was complaining about my job, when this young man from Dennery (half an hour away from my house) was walking door to door carrying a huge basket of cassava and farine on his head. Not to mention, my area has quite a few hills and it was probably almost 80 degrees outside.

I was amazed because not many young people would be willing to do this, as the process of making farine and cassava is a tedious one, and walking around different communities to sell it seems like a difficult task as well. I spoke to my mom about it, and she said it reminded her of her school days when she had to walk to Vieux Fort with a basket of ground provisions on her head, which she had to sell before she went to school. I guess life has its way of reminding us of how lucky we are, compared to others. So, even if I am not too thrilled with my job, I need to realize how lucky I am, and today’s encounter was just what I needed.