Super Simple Recipes & a Bargain

Apple Kiwi Smoothie

This is a super easy, tasty smoothie.
2 bananas
1 apple, peeled or not
1 peeled kiwi
handful of kale and romaine lettuce
1 ½ cups of water
Blend!

Sensational Simple Salsa

2 medium diced tomatoes
1/3 bunch chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
3 diced green onions
1-2 tablespoons diced yellow onion
Ground cumin, sea salt, to taste
Mix all ingredients together

These are fifty-three apples I got at my local farmer's stand for $5.75. These are seconds. They may be spotted, and not in the best condition, but they taste wonderful. I've been juicing, making smoothies, baking apple cobblers and apple crisps. Always ask about seconds at your farmer's markets and your grocery stores.

And here's another super easy recipe. I got this from The Garden Diet e-book. They said it was better than candy, so I gave it a try. There's no picture because it 's not much to look at, but damn it's good.

Sensuous Candy
1 very ripe banana
1 very ripe avocado
1 very ripe mango
Cut them all up. Mix in a bowl. Eat!
This is SO tasty. The flavors together are fantastic.

And this is a gift basket of organic fruit, tea, and soap from a client who I did an intuitive reading for. She was sweet to do this. People have been really nice to me lately and I truly appreciate the good vibes being sent my way.

I've doing something everyday this month that I got from the Mocha Angels. This is a part of the message:

I bring healing into my life this month. Each and every day, I take baby steps toward the life that I really want. I write my regrets and fears...that takes away their power. Then I tell those same regrets and fears how grateful I am for them because they show me the type of life I DO NOT want. Seeing all of this on paper makes it very clear.

Each morning, I ask God, "What baby steps can I take today to manifest the life that I truly desire?" I release how I receive my answers, but I trust that I will receive them, then I act. By the end of the month, because of my thoughts and actions, my life will have changed for the better.

I've been saying that sentence everyday, and I do feel different. I've started doing yoga before I get out of bed. I started watching The Secret, again, everyday. I've been doing this affirmation from Louise Hay everyday too. It goes like this:

Stand in front of a mirror. Say several times, “I deserve to be (or “to have” or “to feel”) ____________________ and I accept it now.”

See how you feel. If you have any resistance feelings in your body, add: “I remove the patterns in my consciousness that keep me from my highest good. I deserve to be (or “to have” or “to feel”) ____________________ and I accept it now.”

See how this works for you and let me know it goes!

Love,

Althea

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Super Simple Recipes & a Bargain

Wigmore Home Study Program and Inspiration

Dr. Ann Wigmore (1909-1994)

Good news! I earned a partial scholarship toward purchasing the Ann Wigmore Home Study Program. I have the other half, but the money is allocated for utility bills. (Need to keep the water and electricity on. :-) I need to manifest the money above and beyond the bills I am paying. I know I can do it, so send me good energy to do so. If you don't know who this Godmother of the American Raw Food Movement is, click here for information.

Here's a couple of easy, simple recipes:

Raw Oatmeal

Oatmeal:
Soak 1 cup of oatmeal (quick cooking type is fine) for 30 minutes. Pour the water off. Add 1 cut up banana, apple, ¼ cup raisins, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix well. Add maple syrup and non-dairy milk if you'd like. -- adapted from The Joy of Living Live by Zakhah.

Apple-Banana Smoothie

Smoothie:
2 bananas
1 cut up apple, no need to peel
1 cup of water
Blend.
Enjoy!

Deepak Chopra

Just wanted to share a couple of inspirational links. This one is from The Chopra Institute.

http://chopra.com/namaste/intention

It's about how to set intentions and how to make them come true.

Tyler Perry

And this one is from Tyler Perry, who is now the first African-American to own a major film studio. I swear I cried when I read this.

http://tylerperry.com/specialMessage/2008-10-07.html

He is SO inspirational. From being abused and molested as a child, to homeless in Atlanta, to now being on track to becoming a billionaire and one of the most influential men of his time. It's just beautiful. Enjoy reading.

Love,

Althea

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Wigmore Home Study Program and Inspiration

(Mostly) Raw on The Cheap

Kale Salad

All is well
Everything is working out for my highest good
Out of this situation only good can come
I am safe
--Louise Hay

Sometimes you have to get knocked on your behind in order to be awakened. I think that's what happened when my sister-in-law got physical with me. I don't like to call it a fight because I never hit her; I defended myself. But I don't want to downplay its significance either. So I'll stick with "physical" or "altercation." That incident showed me how off-track I have been.

Life is supposed to be abundant in all areas: relationships, money, and health. I hadn't been raw because of financial reasons, and that frustrated me. It bites to know what can help me but not being able to afford it. So I came up with this idea of (Mostly) Raw On The Cheap. I can know a person can be (mostly) raw without breaking the bank. I say "mostly" because sometimes things will come out of a can. Not always. But sometimes canned can substitute for fresh. I promise the raw food police will not come after you :-).

I am on a mission. I own a lot of books. But what I did was go through the mounds of recipes I printed from the Internet. I put them in two categories: simple and not simple. Simple can be as easy as one ingredient to seven. But my definition of simplicity is the ease of ingredients and how long the dish takes to prepare.

The revelation came right after the first 84-days of my cleanse based on Queen Afua's Heal Thyself. This first phase did not go the way I expected, but a cleanse of sorts has happened.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, some of this stuff might be repeats. But as I share the recipes, I'll be linking to them on the right side of my blog, so they will always be around.

Kale Salad -- Adapted from The Joy of Living Live by Zakhah
The winner of winners. Your salad will disappear at every potluck.
1 bunch of kale greens
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons liquid aminos or 4 tablespoons soy sauce (not raw)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Wash the greens. Put them in a tupperware bowl that has a top. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top the kale first. Add the garlic cloves, aminos or soy sauce, lemon juice squeezed straight from the lemon (watch those seeds), and olive oil. Put the top on your tupperware bowl. Shake like crazy. The success of this dish comes in all of the kale being coated evenly. Sometimes the yeast gets gloopy. So shake, do not stir or mix. Shake. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Mexicavo Salad

Mexicavo Salad -- Adapted from Incredibly Delicious by Gentle World Publications

Dressing:
1/4 cup raw (or not) apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
sea salt or liquid aminos to taste
1 clove garlic
dash of black pepper
1 teaspoon Spike seasoning
Blend all ingredients in a blender

Salad:
4 ears of corn or 1 can of corn
4 diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sweet onion
Romaine lettuce
Cubed avocados
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Pour the dressing over the first four ingredients. Add the avocados and cilantro afterward becuase they get soggy otherwise. Awesome, awesome salad. The dressing is thebomb.com!!!

My new vision board

I did a vision board in 2006. This is the newest one. I took a picture of it while it sat on my kitchen table. It wasn't 100% finished, but here's the gist of it: me and my family, our friends, yoga, Michael Baisden (I want to be on his radio show), Cathy Hughes, owner of Radio One, Inc, bestelling, legendary books, a 2009 Saturn, the house we want to purchase, and salads and gardens. All of these things represent my values and intentions. I wrote my values first, then an intention list, then did the board. Your values and intentions should line up. The board is a visual representation of those two things. Email me your vision boards when you finish them!

Love,

Althea

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(Mostly) Raw on The Cheap

Phoenix Rising

(Very Long Post...just letting ya'll know :-)

Universal Gratitude Symbol

I've gotten quite a few emails and phone calls since my last post. “What happened?” What's going on?” First, thank you to my friends and family who were worried about me. Second, let me tell you all what happened.

Two Wednesdays ago, my husband and I decided not to send his sister “Sally” to her medical day program for four days. She had been screaming at the other clients (some of these folks can't even walk, let alone defend themselves against her), stealing food off people's plates, stuffing paper down toilets and overflowing them. Totally unacceptable behavior. On Thursday, I told Sally that she would not be going to “school” (that's what she calls it). I told her twice but she didn't believe me. When the bus came, as she was coming down the stairs, I stood in front of the open door and repeated, “You are not going to school today.”

She reared back like an elephant (all one hundred thirty pounds of her), came flying down those stairs, and started punching me and fighting me. That part is a blur. Next thing I know, she pushes me, and I fall on my left arm, and I'm laying sideways on the floor. It was a hard fall. I lay there for a moment in shock, also knowing that I had to go outside. Sally was banging on the bus door screaming, “OPEN THIS DOOR!” repeatedly. The bus driver is shooing her away. Her mother still had to get on the bus.


I drag myself outside to the foot of the driveway. When I get to Sally, fists start flying again. I had to get behind her, put my arms around her waist and physically pull her back away from the bus so her mom could get on. (Her mom just stood there doing and saying nothing the entire time.) I remember saying in Sally's ear, “You are not getting on that bus” until she calmed down. She walked into the house in front of me. I was behind her holding my arm that hurt like sin.


I was angry that day. I had to take Sally with me and the kids to my yoga class because I didn't want her in the house alone after that incident. Imagine having to cook for someone who just abused you. Then, I guess this is the next stage of grief, I was depressed. I felt like a complete loser. Why? Because I couldn't help thinking, “how did my life get to this point?” Sally knew what she was doing, even though in her mind, it wasn't personal. That's not the point. I had a bruise the size of Canada on my arm and the muscles alongside my spine were in spasm for a week. I need a chiropractor, but can't afford one. (I wish you were here Janet). Thankfully, I've bartered Reiki and massage therapy which has helped.

This happened to me by a family member I have been caretaker to for four years. In my house. Laying on that floor was a light bulb moment for me. No one has put their hands on me since I was twenty-two. A then-boyfriend was showing all the signs of abuse, so I left him. I didn't wait to get hit. I rolled out like my behind was on fire. In this case, I realized that I have not been using all the gifts God has given to me to lead a better life.

Oh, and before I get to the aha-moment, Sally and her mom are leaving. This situation has gone on long enough. The both have social workers, and a friend of mine gave me a contact person who can help get them in assisted living or group home. They are special needs adults who need the appropriate care. I'm all for taking care of family, but not the point of physical and emotional fatigue. Too many people have said to me, "Everytime I talk to you, you are sick." That's true. It's too much.

The aha-moment: I've been looking outside myself for answers to raise up out of this mess. Back in 2004 and 2005, very much like Neale Donald Walsch received Conversations with God, and Ekhart Tolle received The Power of Now, I received the Mocha Angel messages. I have a 365 day book of Mocha Angel messages that is done. Done. Ready to published. I realized over that difficult weekend with Sally, that I had been afraid to truly go public with that book.

The Ladies of The View

I've been afraid of what people would think of me. I was afraid that I would be called crazy. The very day I realized this, Bill Maher was on The View promoting his new movie. When Sherri Shepard asked him, “Why don't you just talk to God and see what he thinks about religion?” Maher asked Shepard if she talked to God. She said, “Yes.” “Does He answer back?” Maher asked. “Of course,” she said. “Then you need to be in Bellvue,” Maher basically called her crazy. You can watch the exchange here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCrPWWqNl1I&feature=bz302
It's at the end, so feel free scroll toward the end of the video.

I should know better. That is the gift my mother-in-law, “Mattie” has given me. I know what mental illness looks like. She's had schizophrenia for at least forty-five years, if not longer. I've talked with the psychiatrists, therapists, social workers, physicians, and know that her brain does not work properly. If Bill Maher ever called me crazy, I'd talk back to him like his was my red-headed stepchild. It's not funny. To call someone crazy because of her faith is offensive.

The other thing I would say to someone interviewing me is that I'm not that wise. When I read these messages I get, I'm like “Wow.” This stuff if beautiful. This isn't coming from me. It's coming from beyond me. This is the message from three days ago:

I trust in the Lord for all my days. Truth is my name. Magnificence is my destiny. I manifest the life that I want by proclaiming it in the NOW.

I remain in a space of gratitude today. I am grateful for everything. Every single thing. Good and bad are perceptions. What is initially horrible can turn out to be the greatest blessing of my life. I pay attention to how I feel and what I am thinking. When I notice that I am feeling out of sorts, I do something to feel better. God has given me the ability to change my mind at any moment, and I am grateful for that gift.

I am gratitude today.

Love,

The Mocha Angels

That's not me. That's from something that is loving, compassionate, benevolent, awesome, and beautiful. It's extraordinary, really. My friend Eleanor Justice, whose done Reiki on me (her website is www.reikisimple.com) said something that will stay with me. When I said that I hadn't appreciated this gift, these Angels, she said, “Think of it like giving one of your children the biggest, best gift that not only has he asked for, but that he's waited on his entire life. You give it to him and he rebuffs it. He asks, 'where's my other gift?' How would you feel?”

I said, “I'd feel terrible. I'd feel like he was ungrateful. I went through all this work to get him the gift he wanted and he rejected it.”

“So how do you think your Angels feel?” she said.

That stopped me in my tracks. Eleanor also said, “You will get people who will question your sanity, but they probably wouldn't read the book anyway. You know what you've got is real. Just go for it and you'll probably help a lot of people.”

So what I have done is channel the Daily Mocha Angel messages everyday for my yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mochaangels/ without missing a day. And I've focused on the affirmation for the day. I did a new vision board for my life.

I've committed to doing workshop called Don't Die with Your Destiny Still in You for Spiritual Essence Yoga in Upper Marlboro, MD on November 15. I've committed to using what I've gotten from angels to create a better life for myself and my family. Period. Regardless of what other people think, my life is in my hands and I take responsibility for everything that I have created in it to this point.

Picture of my dream house with our pictures in it

Good does come from bad, if you let it. Even when I don't feel my best, like now, because I have not been raw, at all (not due to emotional eating, but financial pressures), I remain in gratitude. I say “THANK YOU” for everything. EVERYTHING. I'm now focused on my good, not the stuff I don't care for in my life.

I've gone back to my beginner's mind I had in 1997-1998. My first marriage was crumbling. I was working part-time, but I needed a full-time job so I could move out and afford an apartment on my own. I interviewed for a job at NetChannel, based on a newspaper ad. I enjoyed my interview, and knew I wanted to work there. Every morning, I would get dressed as if I had that job, and drove there every day as if that was my job. I did get hired. A few months later, my boss Eric, told me that they'd only interviewed me as a courtesy. They had decided the day before to hire someone else. Then I came in and knocked their socks off.

I didn't know anything about The Law of Attraction. I didn't have an angelic connection. I just knew I wanted that job. I acted like it was mine, and it was. After I left my husband, I read One Day My Soul Just Opened Up by Iyanla Vanzant and I affirmed my wonderful debt-free future. Eighteen months later, I was completely out of debt.

Since then, I've gained a lot, but I've lost my way as well. Sally knocking me down on my behind woke me up. I know how to change my life. I've done it before and I can do it again. This time, it's for good.

Each challenge is there to guide you toward the desire of your heart
Each problem, seen from the positive side, always turns into a blessing
Each sorrow leads to your joy
Each doubt—to your knowing
Each lack—to your abundance
Each debt—to your freedom
Each feeling of hopelessness—to your power
Each cry of pain—to your comfort
Each act of anger—to your love
And each journey through the darkness—into the light

--From The Intenders Bridge - Step 75 - The Marriage of Mind and Matter

"By your thought shall you be fulfilled"


Thank you for reading.

Love,

Althea

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Phoenix Rising