Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Dip

I am getting so much better at tackling my 2012 kitchen bucket list!! This week I made a go at meatloaf, last night it was roasted red pepper dip and tonight it is ribs. The possibilities you can have when you conquer procrastination!!

Here is the recipe for the girls’ night roasted red pepper and white bean dip. This recipe was adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Dip

1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar of fire roasted red peppers, drained
1 tbsp minced garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used parsley b/c that’s all I had)
dash of crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp each of cayenne pepper and cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, chop up the garlic, beans and roasted red peppers until smooth. Add the lemon juice, fresh rosemary and spices. Puree. Put in a bowl. If necessary, add more seasonings. Serve with pita chips/slices, vegetables, or Triscuits. You may also use as a spread on sandwiches, wraps or burger. Keep in refrigerator for one week.

Clear the “Junk” From Your Day

Do you ever have days that start off splendidly? You think how could this day get any better?! You have a great big smile, are ready to conquer the world and feel you have to try to stop from squealing when you talk (that’s how I get anyway!). You go along like this all morning…then something happens and you hit a wall.

When you are vibrating at a high frequency like this, people are drawn to you like a magnet. The longer they are attached to your energy, the sooner your energy is SUCKED. And you sit there thinking what the heck just happened? I am going to fill you in on a little secret on how to get your energy back!

Cut the Cords

As we connect with people through the day – whether in conversation or thought – our energies also connect. You can say we are “linked” to each other. Every conversation, experience and thought has invested energy. If we do not consciously “cut those cords”, these conversations or experiences that happened hours ago could still be consuming our energy.

When you are emotionally exhausted or maxed out, take the time to lovingly “cut the cords” of people or experiences that are clouding your thoughts. Cut the energy attachment of your workplace, relationships and anyone else we interacted with during the day. When cut energy connections, you are not breaking the love or joy in your relationship, you are just cleansing your energy. This visualization and action gives you freedom, allowing you to expand yourself and possibilities. Make a practice of cleansing your energy daily, as an accumulation will cause disease. Positive energy, positive being.

It is amazing the “junk” you pick up during the day. Tomorrow on your way home from work (or into work), pay attention to the thoughts you are having. Chances are they are negative thoughts about others or yourself and stress about the things you need to do. Pay attention to what is weighing on your mind the most – a person or situation – and free yourself from the energy by cutting the cords.

Let go of the junk and just be. Sit in silence. Take a rest. Forgive and Release.

 

Take the Shield Away from Your Heart

“Love wasn’t put in your heart to stay. Love isn’t love until you give it away.” – The Prospering Power of Love, by Catherine Ponder

This is the quote I read before going into my meditation class tonight. They say by opening your heart, you are opening up the possibilities. Close your heart and you will not see the light of your path.

Change Your Way of Thinking

The book “The Prospering Power of Love” was recommended by my meditation teacher as he said it changed his whole life, being and way of thinking. The same is said in the first couple pages of the book. “I have studied it often and given away more copies than I can remember. When I started applying the ideas it contains, first I changed. Then my life changed. I am happy to report that my life has vastly improved over the years.”

This book gives you positive affirmations of love to shift the energy in your life. When you open the book, the first message that you connect with is the one you need to help shift your energy. There are affirmations in here to help mend the negativity in your relationship, friendships, and work environment.

Take the Shield Away from Your Heart

Going back to the quote “Love isn’t love until you give it away” – in my meditation practice tonight I received a complete message that helped explain this saying. Why do we love and what prevents us from loving.

I saw those that were hurt or unsure, carried a shield over their heart in an attempt to protect it from hurt. Rather than letting their light shine, they were hiding in darkness. This did not benefit them in anyway accept for the belief that they were safe from heartache again. But in truth when they let their shield down and their light to shine, they received my light in return. By giving and sharing light, they did not get shadowed with darkness as their suspected, by radiated with more light.

By sharing their light of love with others, they were able to help others open their hearts and also take their shield down. Others that they touched with their light, also felt safe to shine. Once you shine, you don’t worry about dark clouds that lie ahead. You don’t think about the storms in your past. You are in the present moment. You are walking your well-light path. Open to possibilities and in your true being.

In fact when you experience “heartbreak” in life, you feel hurt because you have connected with another on a soul level. “Your heart is a window to your soul”. The soul or physical heart does not get harmed with loss. In fact, the ego is the one that is harmed by a loss. When you experience loss, you immediately go in a state of fear. But the only way to heal that hurt and overcome that fear is to get out of your mind and “being yourself” again by opening up.

Love is…

“Begin realizing now that love is first within you and can be released through your thoughts, feelings, words and actions. As you begin developing love from within outward, you no longer feel at the mercy of people, situations and conditions. You become master of the world and free from hurt, fear, disappointment, and disillusionment. Love will begin to radiate outwardly into every part of your world, to attract to you the right people, situations, and conditions that will add to your success and happiness.”

“You will soon realize that instead on you being at the mercy of the world, the world responds to your thoughts and feelings; and that when your thoughts and feelings generate love, the world about you will happily respond in a most wonderful way!” – Catherine Ponders, The Prospering Power of Love

Love is joy.
Love is sharing and caring.
Opening your heart to feel peace and happiness.
Giving thanks for those things you appreciate in life.
Being a friend.
Doing good with no expectations.

As you take the shield away from your heart, you able to do good for others and yourself. Set your intention to love and see what joy will come to your life.

Spicy Italian Meatloaf

My presumption was that making meatloaf was a lot like meatballs…you add the eggs and crackers for stickiness. In my searches I found some recipes with milk and others with a mile long ingredient list…what is up with that?! Milk really? I took all the resources across the web and made up my own meatloaf recipe taking a little bit of this and that from all the sources I searched.

The meatloaf is in the oven now..I’ll give you the update to let you know if it tastes like “grandma’s meatloaf”.

Here’s the Recipe for Jen’s Spicy Italian Meatloaf (including my go-to ingredients…tomatoes, garlic and italian herbs)

2 lbs ground beef
1 package of stuffing mix (soaked in water)
1 egg
1 can tomato paste
3 tbsp garlic
couple shots of hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 375F. Add all your ingredients into a mixing bowl, except the stuffing mix. Place your stuffing mix in a shallow dish and cover in water. (Soaked breadcrumbs is supposed to help moisten the meatloaf.) Then drain all the excess water and mix with the remaining ingredients. Give your meatloaf a good mix with your hands and place in a meatloaf pan. Cover with tinfoil and place in the middle rack. Allow to cook for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for another 20 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Portobello Mushroom Burgers (in the oven)

I have somewhat been neglecting my 2012 kitchen creation bucket list. Looking for quick and healthy ideas for supper tonight, I went back to the list. How great to cheer up this rainy day than portobello mushroom burgers! I’m not dedicated enough to flip these babies on the BBQ so I’m grilling the burgers in the oven.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers (in the oven)

4 portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt/pepper

Toppings:

roasted red pepper
avocado
lettuce

Cooking Instructions:

1. Rinse mushroom caps, remove the stems and place face up in a shallow dish
2. In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dried parsley, garlic, salt and pepper
3. Pour the mixture over the caps and let sit for 15 minutes
4. Preheat oven at 450F
5. Meanwhile chop up your red pepper to be laid on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil
6. Add the mushroom caps and place the cookie sheet in the top/middle rack
7. Bake for 10 minutes, flip the “burgers” and grill for another 5-7 minutes

Once the burgers are cooked, let them set to soak up the flavour. Cut up your avocado, lettuce and whatever else you would like to add to your burger. Get creative to suit your taste buds.

Quick Tuesday night dinner with a mouthful of flavour and freshness!

Connect to Your Soul’s Wisdom Through Meditation

I have signed up for my first meditation class!!! After attending my first class last week, I can’t help but express the feelings of total bliss you receive from meditation with everyone I talk to. The presumption that I had about meditation before experiencing it was that you need to sit cross-legged and go to a total space of blankness. The purpose of meditation is to connect to your higher self with the intention of bringing light and healing to yourself so you can share with others.

I learned that last night that everyone has a different way of connecting with their higher self. Some stay connected with their breath, some focus on light while others start an internal dialogue to get the answers they need. But the first step for all is to let go of the ego and the mind to open the heart. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Breathing in fresh ideas and breathing out stale thoughts. Imagine your breath is cleansing every cell in your body. Feel the light venture through your body and surrounding you. When you get this feeling, you have opened your heart to allow your spirit to come closer. Now take the time to visualize your spirit blending with your personality. Bringing more light into your being. This is where you will find wisdom from your soul to help light the path of your journey.

Everyone has different experiences meditating. Some feel they are connecting with those that have passed while others receive signs/signals to guide them to their next step in their path. The meditations I experience are a whole mix of signs, feelings and messages. Last night I could feel my grandma with her hand on the chest to help me open my heart. I had the visualization of my future children being held by me, ken and our parents. I had the strong desire to “throw” good energy in the air to allow this healing light to be shed upon my friends, family and those that hurt me.  I received the message that we can all connect to our spirits wisdom at anytime but we just need to come into awareness that our being is right there waiting for us to ask for connection.  I also received the message that my “soul’s purpose” is to spread joy and love to others, one day at a time.

To get a better understanding of the positive benefits of meditation, visit Chapters to pick up the book “Soul Love” by Sanayma Roman. There are some great messages in here to help you with your practice.

The 7-week meditation course that I am starting is by Reza Shadman. You can find more information about his meditation teachings at http://www.healandlove.com/. He is an amazing man with lots of wisdom to share with us. If you have been thinking about joining a meditation practice, do it. You feel absolutely amazing with a strong understanding of what you were put on this earth to do. You will feel empowerment, “healed” and the ability to do anything.  

I will keep you updated on my journey.

Best Tools for the Wedding Planning Bride

Playing around with “One True Media“, a YouTube video creation app, to create a short video for a pre-wedding tribute. There are 10 different video editing apps that integrate with Facebook to grab your photos – fun to give it a try!

If you are getting married, here are few great tools I have found useful for the wedding planning bride:

• Pinterest: Explore thousands of photos posted by other brides and wedding planners to get create ideas for your big day. Create your own board to keep track of your own ideas for your own wedding. Pinterest acts as a great canvas to visually see how everything will look like together.
• The Knot: This website is AWESOME!! As a member, you get a countdown until the day to your wedding with a checklist of tasks you should complete each month. Their user interface is so easy to use to stay organized. Plus there are thousands of decorating and planning ideas online. The Knot also allows you to create your own wedding website. Add your registery, photos, event announcements, and venue details. This is the place to be!
• Wishpot: Rather than registering for one store, with wishpot you can register for items or services anywhere you want. Find the link to the product or service you desire and “add to wishpot”. This is especially great for couples that are asking for money, gift certificates or big ticket items.
• Zazzle.ca: This is where you can get custom stationary – thank you cards, wedding invitations, save the dates etc. – for GREAT prices! This is by far the simplest and cheapest way to order your invitations. There are tens of thousands of designs to choose from or choose to edit an existing template. I ordered my wine labels, invitations and thank you cards from here. The shipping is quick and they often have promotions to save on the shipping costs.

If you have any questions about how to use any of these websites, shoot me a line…I’d be happy to help! Happy Wedding Planning!

Participate in Ottawa Yoga Day

Amnesty International will be hosting their annual Yoga Day to support human rights on April 28th, 2012 at All Saints Anglican Church in Ottawa. Join hundreds of Ottawa yogis and yoga beginners as they lay down their mats to support women’s rights in Iran.

18 hours of Yoga – do you think you are up for it?! Register for one class or the whole day.

For more information on the event visit: http://www.yogaday.ca.

Please share with your friends and contacts that you think would be interested. Spread the love by writing your own blog post to promote Yoga Day.

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Feeling Like You Need Better Focus or Organization in Your Life?

Do you sometimes feel that there is just so much going on that you are getting lost in the shuffle?! Maybe you wish you had a week long break to get on track again or can’t wait until Friday to escape the rat race for two days?

Well if you are ever feeling like that…don’t go on Twitter! Wow, ever millisecond there is a new post on your home feed.  “Check out this post”, “This is the latest news on this technology”, “Wow big news you must read”, and “Did you hear..”. When you feel like you are “lost in the shuffle”, the last thing you want to see is more and more people creating and sharing.

Everyone has dreams and ideas of what they would like to do “when they grow up”. I know I’d like to be a business owner or partner of some sort. I can see that in my future. I am unclear about what type of business I will manage…but it will come. Something involving events, connecting people and inspiring others.

What are your dreams?

Write them down!

I’ve found the best way to slow down your world and get organized is to purchase post it notes! Write down what you would like to accomplish and post your stickies in one spot. Personally I find this works better than writing in a journal or on scrap pieces of paper because they get lost! And then you are again back to a scramble to find what you wrote to stay on track.

So do you feel like you need better focus and organization in your life?

1. Take your time
2. Have faith in yourself and your ability to handle your task at hand
3. Ask questions “what does it take for me to become more organized in my daily life”. Leave the question to the universe and shut up your internal chatter to let the answer manifest
4. Take some time for yourself! Do meditation, listen to peaceful music, go for a walk, take a bubble bath, have a glass of wine, read a book or just sit quiet
5. Actually knock some things off your list

When you feel like you have lost focus or organization in your life, don’t watch what other people are doing! Shut down and focus on yourself. They are doing their thing right now and you will do yours in time. Everyone has their own unique skills, you will come into your power when you are using yours to your maximum capacity.

Be good to yourself

Classic Surprise Spread

Crowd-pleasing appetizer or pot luck item to bring. My mom has made is hundreds of times but this is my first attempt. What a better time to try then for a super bowl party?! Sour cream, cream cheese and salsa…Winner!

Surprise Spread Recipe

8 oz light cream cheese, softened (I bought the container one)

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup light mayo

1 cup salsa

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and mayo. Spread over a 12″ pizza pan, pie dish or serving platter. Layer salsa, then mozzarella cheese.

Serve with the scoop chips for best scooping action