Heeeeey :) Tonight I just wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind as of recently and something I feel that almost anyone can relate to: The Golden Rule (Gabi-style)! So I’m sure everyone knows what The Golden Rule states: “Treat others how you want to be treated” but what exactly does that look like? How can you and I practice this on a daily basis?! Well, I can tell you that as simple as it sounds….it’s a lot harder to practice. From my experiences, one reason it’s hard is because people have their own personal agendas…myself included. Sometimes, we may say “Oh! This person doesn’t look good enough so I’ll bend the rules” or “This person does not have as much money as I do so I can treat him/her any kind of way” and let me just, honestly, say that I have never been one to judge how I treat someone off their looks or how much money they have….I’m more of a personality girl! And while I am not physically attracted to certain people and I’m wealthier than some people (and vice versa!), I’d never use that as an excuse to treat them in a demeaning way. But some people just don’t care how you feel. Some people don’t think about how their actions affect others. As I get older, the more empathetic I become….the less I desire to do wrong for wrong. Even if I’m egged on by someone to snap back or take revenge, something in me doesn’t want too. And that comes with practice. My daddy always told me that “Life is what you make it” so I knew that it wasn’t up to anyone on this world to determine how my life went….it’s not up to anyone to set the pace for my attitude…it’s not up to anyone to dictate how my day will go….I am responsible for ME. and YOU are responsible for YOU. In my younger years, I wasn’t really talkative (I still don’t think I am) but one thing that I did not want was for people to feel intimidated and uncomfortable around me. I wasn’t always like that….after snapping at a few people and seeing how they reacted to me, I was just like “Wow! I don’t want to be this person…I don’t want people to fear me or be uncomfortable around me” and in recent years, that’s what I’ve really been working on. I realize everyone won’t like me, for whatever personal reason they may have, but that won’t determine how I will live my life treating people. I realize I’m going to have some bad days where a little grouchiness may come out :) but I’m going to keep trying because I want to treat people how I want to be treated. I’ve been left out, unappreciated, stepped over, mistreated, maliciously talked about, but I believe that if I continue to follow The Golden Rule and what my daddy told me then I will live my life happily and, most of all, God will be pleased with me. Am I perfect?! Heeeck no! Could I be doing better?! Oh yes! Do I always appreciate people like I should?! No. But we, and as always I do include myself, should really just begin to look outside ourselves. Care about more than your own personal agenda. The world is sooooooo much bigger than just you and your family and your little circle of friends. You never know what someone is going through. I know people in my past didn’t care what I had going on in my personal life….they just did what they had to do to make themselves feel bigger and badder…they were solely concerned about their personal agendas….they stayed within the confinements of their small world! So just challenge yourself….I’m going to challenge myself to follow The Golden Rule! It’s not gonna come easy…trust me, sometimes you’re gonna want to give someone a piece of your mind…tell them how you really feel! Lol but nothing good in life comes easy…besides like brownies or cake or something but that doesn’t really count. So…..The Golden Rule….Don’t just say it, do it!
Hey ya’ll….okay so, it’s confession time: I messed up! Yep….I did…as easy as I thought my 28-day challenge was, I did a crash-and-burn last night hanging out with my friend girls. Let me tell you what happened though. So, one of my friends recently graduated with an associate’s degree (yaaaay! whoop! whoop!) and I came up with the fun idea for us to get together at another friend’s apartment to hang out and talk…all that girl stuff! We set the menu…basic finger foods: meatballs, salad, chips and salsa, fruit, dessert, and beverages. I brought the salad and dessert. So we got there, got started, and everything…I told myself that I would NOT eat any sugar or dairy or anything that I was fasting from but I cracked under pressure! You know how it is when you get with the girls and you’re just having a good ole time and joking about how you needa cut back and get in shape and all that good stuff! The only thing I was supposed to eat was salad… but oh no sir! That did not happen. So yeah I ate some chips and salsa dip (the queso kind…which is dairy) and some of the cookies I had brought (those big soft sugar cookies with the colorful icing and the sprinkles….oh boy!)….and, yes, they were sooooo good….I’m not gonna say how many I ate but it was more than one! #Yikes So here, I am today…a new day…a fresh new start! And, yes, I could beat myself up over it but I’m not. I know that I shouldn’t have put myself in that situation…I could’ve volunteered to bring a fruit or veggie tray but I didn’t. To me, it’s no point in dwelling on it because if I dwell on it then in my head I’m gonna be like “Well since I had those cookies last night then I mightest well give up these next 2 weeks” Oh no! I’m going to give myself credit for how hard I have worked regardless if I broke my challenge. Now that’s not saying that I’m letting myself off the hook as if I don’t care because I do and if I could redo it, then I wouldn’t have eaten those cookies….or that cheese dip! But I did and I can’t redo it. We have got to stop beating ourselves up over what happened in the past: If only I would’ve exercised those 3 months, I could’ve lost this extra weight! If only I had been nicer, we would be in a relationship! If only I had studied more, I could’ve gotten that answer right! But it’s over with and God gives us a new day for a reason. He didn’t give us a new day to find more time to complain but He gave it to us for a new chance. So guess what???? Today, I am giving myself a new chance too :D
Hey ya’ll :) Well guess what??! I conquered week one….yes, this chocolate-eating, bread-loving, Southerner has completed week one…now approximately 3 more weeks to go! Yay! I have not had sugar nor bread nor sweets nor meat nor dairy at all..besides like the natural sugar in fruit (which doesn’t count!). wait…wait! Let me be completely honest…I did have like 5 potato chips! and that ranch dressing w/my salad that one time which may or may not have contained some HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)….darn-it! But every little bit counts and I am not letting myself off the hook with that one but I promise other than that, it’s been cool. A few things that I have been doing is checking the ingredients list on the products that I buy (which I kinda did a little bit anyway) especially if there is any question as to whether or not the product contains sugar ESPECIALLY HFCS! There hasn’t been a really noticeable difference in my body but of course, I’ve heard it takes about 4 weeks for you to really start seeing a difference….I’ve lost 2 lbs :/ uuuuh maybe that counts…..maybe not….I reeeeally don’t know! Aaaaand using the restroom has been easier….I won’t go into details about that one :) But, anywho, all in all, it really has not been that hard…fairly easy actually. I’m thinking about taking out one week…..or maybe like 3 days (a week is doing THEE MOST)….to just do fruits and veggies! Which ain’t too bad…I’ve really been enjoying this challenge overall besides when I went to work today and we had sugar cookies (the ones with all the pink and blue icing…yum), and brownies, and cake and I didn’t get any of it….and I brought the cookies too smh! Shoulda brought some fruit or something hmph :( Anyway enough of my venting….here’s a few things that I did try to spice things up a bit during my challenge:
1) Israeli salad: I used cucumbers and roma tomatoes…the recipe called for green bell peppers too but I waited too late to use it and by that time it was soft (ew!) so I was like “I am NOT going to the store to buy a 79 cent bell pepper”. All I did was cut the cucumbers and tomatoes into little cubes (kinda like blocks of cheese) and put them in a bowl. I then added olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, and salt and it was sooooo tasty! Very surprised, considering that I don’t really like cucumbers………or tomatoes…hmmm..yeah so I don’t even know why I tried this recipe but thank the Lord it worked or I would’ve been wasting money!
2) 5 ingredient soup: reeeeeeally good and reeeeeally easy….this is what you do: get a can of corn, a can of vegetable broth (or chicken broth or whatever kinda broth you prefer), a can of diced tomatoes, a can of refried beans, and a can of black beans (drain and rinse them). Add them together in a pot and boil them until it’s done! Voila! I didn’t season it or anything…once it was hot, I fixed me a big bowl and enjoyed myself :D I think I’m just a soup person anyway so soups are naturally something I enjoy eating!
But those are a few things that I tried this week. I actually made a meal from those two…my soup and salad meal and oh! one more thing….guess what I found?!!! Sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate cake!!!!! God is good….the brand is Amy’s and I found it in the organic section at Kroger….AND it was on sale! Try it out if you get the chance :) Ok, now that is all….I hope that you try some of these recipes on your own time…it’s never too late to eat healthy…er! Peace, Love, and Blessings ya’ll :D
Hey ya’ll….apparently I feel like expressing myself tonight being that this is my second blog of the day…woo yeah :D Basically, I wanted to talk about something other than food and hair (my main obsessions….lol not really!) and that is my accomplishments! Well basically, I recently graduated (5 months ago) and now I’m working at a gym…………
Going off an a tangent here: Let me tell ya’ll that it is such a blessing to have a job in this economy! I have nice co-workers and I get to meet and/or talk to a lot of people on a regular basis…quick testimony: Immediately after I graduated in December, I began my job hunt…applying pretty much any and everywhere: banks, portrait studios, retail stores, you name it! The job that I’m currently working in had an open position so I applied…I prayed about it and told God that this is the job that I wanted as far as part-time work. I went to bed, woke up around 9:30am to a phone call…and guess who it was?! The gym!!! Long story short: I interviewed, waited a few days, and they hired me!
But back to what I began on: For some people, a part-time job at the gym may be a calling or something that they want to do til they retire (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but different strokes for different folks. Today, I was sitting around my (parents’) house, preparing for a morning exercise and a thought came to me: “Gabi, what have you accomplished in life?” “Have you accomplished any of your major goals?” “What are you waiting for?” And I thought about all the years that I’ve spent living in the “what ifs” and “why nots” and the “coulda, woulda, shouldas”! But then to counteract that thought, I realized that it’s not too late…as long as there is breath in my body, it’s never too late to accomplish what I want to accomplish and even as I write this, I’m being encouraged because I know that there is someone out there who feels like me…struggling with “What if I fail?” “What will people think?” “Am I not good enough?”! Well like they say…You never know until you try! I move at a slow pace, I underestimate time, I procrastinate and that’s ok…everyone does it every once in a while but I do not want that to be my character! I do not want to be a procrastinator or someone who can’t motivate myself or someone who accomplishes nothing in life! I refuse to be in the same spot that I am, five years from now. As I look back over my past, I think that I could’ve been a lot farther ahead than what I am today but guess what? At least I have the drive to continue on and the desire to be more than what I am regardless of my present circumstances! And so can you! It is NOT too late…you are NOT too old…you are NOT moving too slowly…if you’re gonna keep thinking about accomplishing something, why not go ahead and start! You can do it! I hope that you are encouraged from this knowing that you can do it if you focus and put your entire heart into it! I’m no superhuman and trust me, if I can accomplish major goals, then anyone can!!
Ingredients for my homemade guac dip
1) Black Bean and Corn Vegetarian Chili
-Sooooo good…It almost tastes like the chili I used to get from Wendy’s (not exaggerating!!!)..I had 2 big helpings for lunch the other day :/…not Wendy’s but my own homemade chili :)
2) Guacamole Dip and Black Tortilla Chips
-Chips were an A+…the guac not so much….I thought it would be similar to spinach and artichoke dip (which I absolutely love) but it wasn’t….it was kinda sour tasting…I guess I could attribute that to the lemon I used though. I probably would not make this again unless I had someone who really loved guacamole.
3) Asian Rice
-I kinda made up this recipe by getting ideas from Japanese restaurants. It’s really simple. All you need is rice (brown or white….I ate brown), carrots, mushrooms, and olive oil. I cooked my rice. Then, I sauteed my mushrooms and carrots in olive oil. And once they were done, I mixed my rice and mushroom/carrot mix together. Season it to your taste of course. It was really good! I probably could’ve eaten more but I had some peanuts and that guac dip as an “appetizer” lol…not really…I was just hungry once I was off work so I grabbed a quick snack! One of my family members was telling me that I needed butter to saute my mushroom/carrot mix but olive oil works just as well and you don’t need a whole lot of it to saute aaaand it’s a lot healthier *insert huge smile here*…plus I can’t eat butter during these 28-days!
Those are just a few of the things I’ve tried these past few days…I am so excited to try more!
My New Fade (05/2012) + Shea butter and coconut oil works wonders on my hair!
Hey ya’ll :) Just wanted to give a brief update on my 28-day challenge…it’s day THREE and I am still hanging in there! It hasn’t been THAT hard actually…funny story: the first day I woke up thinking about Oatmeal Creme Pies ha…I love those things….if I could eat those and chocolate for dessert for the rest of my life, I would. But I tried a new recipe: Black Bean and Corn Chili (meatless of course) and it was deeeelicious! I had 2 servings in one meal…a bit much I know but if you are looking for a delicious mid-day meal then this chili is definitely the way to go…really simple ingredients and a straightforward recipe AAAAND it lasts a few days so you eat lunch for like $1/day! I’ve also been trying green smoothies for breakfast….and snacks lol and they are pretty good…first day, I tried it with celery (bleh) and it was a fail but I’ve added romaine to my other smoothies and cant even taste it! Again…very simple to make just add your favorite fruits and some greens! I wanted to try kale since that’s a common green found in smoothies but Kroger didn’t have it at that time! By the way, Kroger is where I grocery shop pretty much…their fruit and vegetables seems to be fresher than other popular stores (I won’t name names) plus they seem to carry a larger variety..organics and all. Tonight I did have an inkling for chocolate….but I made a fruit salad yesterday so I ate that instead and the craving was gone! Yaaaay….darn you, chocolate craving! As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, I am NOT some extremely healthy eater….I don’t exercise like 5 days a week and drink 8 glasses of water a day and I did not really prepare myself for these 28 days physically (i.e. weaning myself from sweets and breads). However, I have been a vegetarian for over a year so this may have made it easier for me to give up sugars and breads along with meats for these next 25 days! Soooo to sum all that up, I am so far so good. One more thing: I got a new haircut today…a fade (see pics)! Initially I wanted a tapered cut, but it didn’t work out that way and I ended up with a fade all over…it’s cute but in the near future, I’m just going to go for the faded edges! I’m going to leave this fade to some other young lady (or man lol)…but that is all…Peace, Love, and Many Blessings :)
Sooo I told ya’ll I would go into more details about my challenge. Basically for the next couple weeks, I will be eating everything as natural as possible. No meats, sweets, breads, and dairy (well…..maybe a little dairy)! I’ve already found a few recipes and broke them off into categories of soups, salads, snacks, aaaaand…my favorite category…SMOOTHIES! I’ve heard the green smoothies are really great health-wise so I plan on drinking those most (if not all) days of the week. Thanks to my bestie, I now have the power to make smoothies everyday :D (She bought me a blender for Christmas…tehe). I think the key to this 28-day challenge is taking it one day at a time. I know if I’m on day one and telling myself “OMG, Gabi, 27 more days to go” that is going to cause major problems but if I think in terms of “Just get through this day in one piece” then I have a pretty good shot. This challenge is going to take a lot of prayer and patience on my end! and I’m going to try my best to enjoy EVERY….SINGLE….MOMENT as I’ve never done anything like this before. I grew up eating sweets, bread, dairy, all that good stuff….I’ve never had a green smoothie before in my life but I am so excited for this journey! I am excited to try new things and to know how my body really reacts to a natural diet. In fact, I’ve already bought a few things for some new recipes I’m going to try: 1) Black bean and corn veggie chili 2) Sunshine fruit salad 3) Lemon and Olive Oil dressing. There will be plenty of other recipes I plan to try because I don’t want this to be boring, eating the same thing every day! Blah! On another note, I encourage you to give up something this week…it doesn’t have to be 28 days or even 2 days….try giving up meat for a day…or sweets for a week…sodas….I guarantee you it will make your body happy…not just physically but mentally! You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment by even just this small goal! But be praying for me as I take on this challenge as this is a completely different way of life for me. Peace, Love, and Blessings :D
Hey ya’ll :D So just a few updates on me and my life….first of all, let me start off with the whole natural hair! This week has been craaaazy….yesterday, I literally woke up at 7:30 and didn’t stop til 12:30 last night….I’ve barely been at home and when I was at home, I had to go right back out so, in turn, my hair routine suffered significantly. Frustrating! I even slept without my silk scarf last night!!! uuugh (this may have been the first time). I have been using a new daily routine. I bought some Shea Butter and Coconut Oil at Rainbow Coop (a Healthfood store) and have still been using my Olive Oil daily and let me tell ya…shea butter and coconut oil are a pretty good combination…makes my hair soft and curly…however I’m still having problems around my edges. In fact, I think my hair is two different textures: my edges being more kinky and my middle area (what I refer to as the mohawk area) is curly….or at least it looks like it’s two different textures. I guess I won’t be able to tell until my hair grows out a little more! but my mohawk area is definitely a lot curlier and thicker than my edges!! Sooo…so far, my daily routine is water + olive oil (to seal the moisture) and then my shea butter + coconut oil mixture…I usually only use the shea butter and coconut oil no more than twice a day (in the morning and before bed or either or) but the water and olive oil is throughout the day! I co-wash with Aussie moist and Olive Oil about 2-4 times a week and I’m trying to limit myself to shampooing about twice a month! As a creamy crackhead, I would shampoo about once or twice a week though! Oooh yeah…I also tried something else…the ACV and Baking Soda clarification (removes product buildup)..i got the recipe from curlynikki.com I believe! It didn’t work that well on me (but that’s just me)…my scalp had been itching so I tried it…ummm it itches less but still itches…and it’s NOT because I have dandruff!! It’s from product buildup….in fact, I haven’t seen a flake since I’ve been natural…but anywaaay…on to my next topic lol! This one is going to be brief……
Basically, I am preparing myself for a “fast” if that’s what I should call it! Four weeks of unprocessed, unrefined foods….no sugars, no dairy, no meats, no sodas, no sweets…none of that good, All American food! And ya’ll, I am not some extremely healthy eater…I love me some sweets lol! But I will be updating you all on the details and how well that works throughout my unprocessed, unrefined journey :) Peace, love, and blessings!