GIFTS THAT KEEP ON GIVING

We are sometimes unaware of how much good fortune surrounds us. 

Every now and then it is important to watch where our attention goes,

because it is our attention that control how and what we see in the world.

As a society a lot of our energy is focused on the acquisition of money and

material possessions. All of which can be enormously helpful if held in its

proper balance. But there are many other gifts that once acquired can be

far more valuable and will continue to spread and appreciate in value.

For many people the focus on acquiring financial wealth and material

possessions is overwhelming. our society tends to support and perpetuate 

this longing. Because of this emphasis, many people associate a gift with 

something that is tangible. When we think of someone that is gifted

however, we usually associate that gift with something special and intangible.

It may be that they have a great sense of humor of an inner strength that is 

compelling. The gift may be intangible but can be felt by anyone in their

presence. They may be really sure of themselves, strong in the face of

adversity, or exude warmth that is palpable when in their presence.

Often we are surrounded by older people that lead by example as to how

to see the best in a situation. They show us how to carry ourselves and 

how to treat people with kindness and care. If we are attentive, we will

notice that all around us are gifts just waiting to be acquired. The

interesting thing about these gifts is that once acquired, they continue to 

grow. They can't be bought and no one can take them from us!

Take a moment to look at the important people in your life. What gifts or

attributes do they share? Who in your life is a role model, and what are the

gifts that you would like to embrace? Is it bravery, compassion, insight, trust,

determination, belief, flexibility, poise, generosity or humility? There are so

many gifts just waiting for us. The world is a place filled with divine gifts.

With practice and consciousness, we can cultivate these gifts that are given 

so freely by many people in our life.

ARE YOU CONTAGIOUS ?

We are not always aware of how contagious people can be. This exchange of energy can occur very quickly. We often think that what we are feeling, sensing, or thinking is coming from within us. But often we have just caught what might be described as an energetic flu. This type of contagion is very powerful, especially when it is supported and spread by a lot of people. We are all susceptible to what is in the global ethers.
blewhat is in the global ethers.

We can see this type of energy exchange taking place on an individual, political, and global level. For example: We come in contact with someone who is very irritable and curt. They push past us on line and look at us as though they have a right. They have just ruined our mood and all of a sudden we feel angry. Without being aware, we have picked up something that will not serve us. This type of energy can be spread through many mediums. We are not only susceptible to the things we see, hear, smell, and taste, but we pick up subtle energy as well.

We can also spread joy, trust, hope, and enthusiasm. It is hard not to feel hopeful when we are surrounded by people who are generous and inspirational. Some things are easier to spread than others. When we are conscious, we become far less susceptible. There are many thoughts that are out there that inspire fear. Fear is similar to polyester. It is easy to find and there is a lot of it.

There is a surplus of negativity that is swirling in the airwaves. Similar to a virus, we must take care of ourselves and stay away from any hot spots that prey on our immune system. We have the power to choose  our own thoughts, feelings, and actions, but we must be especially discerning in what we take into our systems. As Michele Bernhardt says, Let us come together in light and spread peace, awareness, unity and abundance.

THE HAPPINESS CREED

Travel your own road to happiness with

THE HAPPINESS CREED

                               

I believe that happiness is my birthright,

as well as my responsibility:

and I commit to claiming it.

I believe that happiness is here and now;

and I commit to awakening to it.

I believe that happiness is a choice;

and I commit to choosing it.

I believe that happiness is a habit;

and I commit to cultivating it.

I believe that happiness is free,

like rainbows, sunshine, and air;

and I commit to reveling in it.

I believe that happiness is always available,

no matter what others are doing;

and I commit to creating it.

I believe that happiness is an inside job,

not dependent on money,

fame, or possessions;

and I commit to living it.

I believe that happiness is

an attitude of gratitude;

and I commit to giving thanks.

I believe that happiness is in action;

and I commit to generating it.

I believe that happiness is contagious;

and I commit to sharing it.

I believe that happiness is a prayer,

uniting me with the universe;

and I commit to offering it.

I believe happiness is my calling-

I Must BE The Happiness

I Wish To See in the World.!

                                                          by BJ Gallagher 

The Fresh Diet Meals Review & Photos of Sunday, April 3, 2011

"IN THE BAG"

In this photo, taken several months ago, I'm in my gardening duds, getting ready for a day's work in the garden. Getting my meals delivered to me from The Fresh Diet has given me so much free time to do the things I love. I've also gone back to lots of art projects that used to be put on the back burner. What I call my "creative juices" used to flow, I just never had much time to act on them. Now I can even go back to creating greeting cards or whatever else I want to paint.

Today is Sunday and it was the last day for me to host the "in the bag" contest for The Fresh Diet. I can say I had a lot of fun hosting. Hopefully I did my duty well enough to encourage you to stay "in the bag", drink enough water and exercise. As far as staying in the bag, The Fresh Diet makes that so easy, delivering delicious gourmet food, and freeing us from shopping and cooking and all that is involved with preparing healthy meals.

I'm very proud of all of you who have taken part. You did very well. Now on Monday, I am giving the reins to Jodi M. Z. Continue your progress to a leaner healthier body. Your family, who love you, will appreciate it and you are being a good example for them.

BREAKFAST

ASPARAGUS TARRAGON SOUFFLE OMELET with GRUYERE CHEESE & ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO was my breakfast today. This breakfast doesn't only look amazing but it was a scrumptious breakfast. The omelet was tender and the asparagus was just cooked to a crunch and so fresh. My own garden couldn't have given me any fresher than this. The gruyere is one of my favorite cheeses. It gave this omelet a sensational flavor.  Cherry tomatoes are so red and always look so inviting and tantalizing, I couldn't wait to pop one in my mouth, bite down to experience the burst of flavor so sublime. This was a wonderful treat.

LUNCH

Lunch was MAPLE GLAZED HAM SALAD with DICED PEARS, TOASTED WALNUTS, DRIED CHERRIES, BABY LETTUCE & RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE. I took my time and enjoyed this salad. I actually toasted the walnuts again. The wonderful aroma filled the kitchen and brought the other members of the household rushing in to see what was cooking, one of which was the family pet. She had her nose up in the air sniffing away! Toasted walnuts are always a good addition to salads, so are plump dried cherries. These were the best, so mouthwatering and sweet. Whenever I eat ham, I'm always reminded of the large family gatherings I would have around my dining table for a holiday meal. This ham was tasty, the greens were fresh and crisp. A few pieces of juicy pear topped the whole delectable salad. It sure was yummy!

SNACK

This was an ORANGE POPPY SEED OAT MUFFIN which I had to choose for my snack because it was oat and I love oat muffins. It was heavenly topped with a piece of mandarin orange and poppy seeds that gave it some crunch. Before devouring this tid-bit, I toasted it. It was super with a cup of hot green tea.

DINNER

Doesn't this look tantalizing! FILET of SOLE with LEMON CAPER SAUCE with BUTTERNUT SQUASH PUREE AND SAUTEED GREEN BEANS. What a wonderful meal! The fish was very moist and tender, topped with capers (today there was one, but usually I get several) and a lemony sauce that was delicious. I sprinkled a little nutmeg on my butternut squash puree. I can never have enough of this delicious side, it's that tasty. I found myself savoring the green beans, they too had a fresh garden taste and were cooked perfectly. Altogether this was quite enjoyable. The dinner smelled so good my westie was actually crying at my feet for my dinner. She had already been fed!

DESSERT

WILD BERRY CHEESE CAKE!! Yum! This one was baked a little longer than usual, but it wasn't dry. It was still creamy enough to make my taste buds sing. The berries were flavorful and the crust so good it was gone before I new it. Goodness!! I should have savored this. Now it's just a memory.

This concludes my week-long show & tell of my FRESH DIET meals. Of course I'll still post photos of my meals on The Fresh Diet Facebook page. You'll always see some of them here as well, along with a few inspirational posts.

See you on The Fresh Diet Facebook. We always have a good time there.

xoxo

Carol

The Fresh Diet Meals Review & Photos of Saturday, April 2, 2011

"In The Bag"

I love this photo because my two best girls are in it and my favorite vine. I do miss the Westie on the left, Nikki, who passed away last October, three weeks before her thirteenth birthday. The one looking right at you is Lily. She loves spending as much time in the garden as I do. I had to put this photo in because it shows the Wisteria vine in full bloom. It was taken last year at this time. It's grows bigger every year. It's in bloom at this moment. Everything is in bloom, filling the yard with a beautiful fragrance. 

Here it is Saturday, the week went by quickly. Sunday will be my last day to host this "in the bag" Fresh Diet Contest. Jodi M. Z. will take the reins on Monday.

Just because it's the weekend, don't take your eye off the prize, and start reaching for the chips and dip, or go looking in the freezer for the ice cream. You were instructed to throw or give all this stuff away. You want to shrink that waistline and slenderize those hips. Most of all, you want to ditch the unhealthy fare and treat your body to wellness. The Fresh Diet will do this for you effortlessly.

BREAKFAST

I was looking forward to this breakfast of CANADIAN BACON & YELLOW PEPPER OMELET with WHOLE WHEAT TOAST. I can never pass this one by. The omelet was tender and the yellow peppers were so fresh and juicy. I just love the taste of peppers, I used to put them in everything! It adds so much flavor. The lean canadian bacon added pizzazz, and who doesn't like bacon! This omelet doesn't only look appealing, it was scrumptious! 

LUNCH  

SMOKED TURKEY SALAD with ARTICHOKE HEARTS, SHREDDED CARROTS, BABY LETTUCE & TART CHERRY VINAIGRETTE was my lunch choice. I'm sincerely addicted to TFD's salads. The greens are always fresh and crisp as are the veggies. The artichokes adds a gourmet flavor. This salad had smoked turkey, which is salty. I would have preferred pieces of roasted turkey instead. I'm not a fan of salt. Regardless, I enjoyed this salad with the tart cherry vinaigrette. I'm a big fan of cherries!

SNACK

This PINEAPPLE  COCONUT MUFFIN was meant to be Sunday's snack. I grabbed the wrong one. Tomorrow I'll have the one meant for today. It was very moist and tender. I love the combination of pineapple and coconut. It had a piece of pineapple on top and coconut flakes inside. I usually cut the muffins in half and grill them but today I tried it heated in the micro instead, for about 10 seconds to warm it up.

 This snack brought me back to memories of ma mère, she always made us muffins every friday morning before sending us to school. As a kid I would slather peanut butter and honey on them, sometimes jam or jelly. We looked forward to fridays.

 I never gained weight as a kid because we had a long walk to school every day. In fact, we walked everywhere we went. When I turned sixteen and worked every summer and on weekends, during the rest of the year, I had a job that was a good 4 miles away that I walked to. I loved going to the library, which was in the middle of downtown, across the Merrimack River.  That was quite a walk including the bridge.

DINNER

I enjoyed this dinner of VEGETARIAN MEATBALLS with ROASTED PUMPKIN and SWEET BABY PEAS. The first thing I did was sprinkle a little pumpkin pie spice to the roasted pumpkin. I love it that way! Reminiscent of you know what. The sweet baby peas were perfect. I had never tried those meatballs before today. I was pleasantly surprised. They were very moist and filled with chopped veggies. I could see corn, carrots, celery, and onion; I'm not sure if I detected seeds too but I thought they were rather tasty and I found them very delightful.

DESSERT

Of course, I never tire of cheese cake and this one was PEAR CHEESE CAKE. It wasn't fluffy like yesterday's but it was smooth and creamy. I think yesterday's was fluffier because of the banana in it. I savored this one.  I tried not to eat it in front of my westie, but I think she has a distinct sharp scent for cheesecake. She found me in the sunroom and just sat there right in front of me and every other bite or so, she did this little funny hop of hers. This, I'm sure in dog language means, "Hey, it's my turn. That bite was mine." When she saw I only had one bite left, she suddenly jumped on me and tried her best to snatch it as it was making it's way to my mouth, the little devil. I was faster! 

She followed me into the kitchen. I know she thought I'd give her my empty plate, so she could get any crumbs I had left...as if! I ended up giving her the empty container. She was busy with that thing for a long time. This is turning into a habit!

Tomorrow is the last day that I'll be on your back, cracking the whip. I'm just teasing again. TFD is so easy to stick to. Just look at all those meal photos on this entire blog and it makes you want to eat your screen. I believe Jim, of The Fresh Diet, said that of one of my photos, once.

Continue to drink at least two quarts of water and do some exercise that are fun to do. Let me know on Sunday if your "in the bag".

See you Sunday, and we'll have a good time then.

xoxo

Carol

The Fresh Diet Meals Review & Photos of Friday, April 1, 2011

"IN THE BAG"

It was another warm and sunny 80 degree day. Great to welcome in April 1st, April Fool's Day! I couldn't help myself, I had to do a little foolin' around. I'm just a tease! I never lost the files or took off with some dude! 

We all had fun on The Fresh Diet Facebook page, even The Fresh Diet pulled off a few good ones. Doctors recommend getting 12 laughs in per day to stay healthy, so I hope that you get your daily dose.

In this photo, I'm hugging my niece's son. It was taken during my first visit back to Massachusetts after moving to California. Uh-huh, that was a few years ago! It's nice to look at old photos of yourself, once in a while, to remind yourself you were once younger.  Hahaha! I'm singing "These Are The Good Old Days" right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDJ_Mz8ftqI

Today's meals from The Fresh Diet were truly super. Salmon was one of the choices for lunch and one of the choices for dinner. I'm such a salmon lover from way back, I had to make it a salmon day!

BREAKFAST

WHOLE WHEAT CINNAMON WAFFLES with FRESH MANGO & MANDARIN ORANGE RICOTTA CHEESE was my breakfast choice. TFD makes delicious waffles and topped with fruit and ricotta really puts a smile on my face. The mango is always a favorite with me. I sometimes envision my self in the tropics eating this fruit. I love the sweet-tart taste and the smooth texture. Ricotta with little bits of mandarin orange is always pleasing to my palette.

LUNCH

This is an amazing burger!! Awesome! Superb! Scrumptious! Magnificent! I could go on and on. It's a SALMON BURGER on WHOLE WHEAT BUN with YELLOW TOMATO, LETTUCE, & DILL AIOLI. Ooh I'm in the zone when I dine on this. The salmon patty is so tender and juicy and the fresh yellow tomato and lettuce just adds to it. The dill aioli just brings this whole gastronomical experience to new heights. I'm looking forward to the next one!

SNACK

I took a break this afternoon and went into the gazebo, in the garden, for this gourmet snack of GRILLED JUMBO SHRIMP with CHERRY TOMATO & COCKTAIL SAUCE.  There are two cherry tomatoes in that glass. The sun is reflecting off the glass blocking the bottom tomato. They were both delicious. Best of all were the succulent shrimp which I dipped in the mouthwatering cocktail sauce. This is always a winner with me. No foolin'.

DINNER

FILLET of SALMON with CHILI PINEAPPLE SAUCE with SAUTEED BABY BOK-CHOY and STEAMED BROCCOLI. Just looking at this dinner makes my mouth water all over again. It's so appealing to the eye. I always choose salmon. I love it!

Salmon is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids decrease risk of arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeats), which can lead to sudden death.  Omega-3 fatty acids also decrease triglyceride levels, slow growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and lower blood pressure (slightly). These are good reasons to choose salmon.

 The Fresh Diet prepares it so well. It's sweet and tender and this sauce is so tasty, full of fresh pineapple and chilies for spice. Délicieux! The broccoli was perfect. Bright green and just cooked to a crunch. I usually like bok-choy stir-fried for just seconds. This one was cooked more and it was soft. It was still good that way. It was a perfect meal to end a busy beautiful day.

DESSERT

My favorite dessert of cheesecake, this one STRAWBERRY BANANA CHEESECAKE, was enjoyed outdoors waiting for the sunset. It was very fluffy and silky smooth. I savored this one and tried to make it last.

It's interesting to see the difference in lighting in these photos, from early morning, noon and afternoon sun and then the early evening light.

Opening Day at the Ballpark, and some of you still stayed "in the bag".  I'm so very proud of you!  Continue "in the bag", drink lots of water and don't forget the exercise. I'll want to hear from you again tomorrow. You are a good example for your children, family and friends. 

I'll see you Saturday on TFD Facebook and we'll have a good time then.

xoxo

Carol