Quote of the week: Are you green and growing-or ripe and rotting? Ray Kroc

Rumination: As we rush(or in some parts of the country, flood) into April, let us take a minute to keep green in our hearts. Green means youth, life, vitality, promise. Green is the colour of prosperity, of new beginnings, of wide and beckoning vistas. How are you keeping green? Are you keeping green? Are you turning grey, not your hair, but your outlook? Perhaps now is the time to take notes on lovely, dancing, green April and:
1. Meditate to bring inner peace.
2. Nourish to bring the body health.
3.Take a class to keep your mind young.
4. Help others to keep your soul fresh.
5. Exercise to bring vitality insider.

Mantra: Green inside, green outside, green all around me, green cover me.
Recipe: Green Envy Avocado Smoothie(good for skin, mind, spirit!)
In a blender, combine:
1 avocado, without skin
2 bananas2 cups oj
1 cup strawberries
1 cup orange sherbert
1 cup strawberry sherbert
2 tspns fish oil or cod liver oil
4 tbspns honey
3 tbspns brewer's yeast
1 cup ice

Exercise:
1. Stand up.
2. Bend forward over desk, kitchen sink etc for support.
3. Lift left leg behind you as far as comfortable.
4. Return to both feet on the floor.
5. Lift right leg behind you as far as comfortable.
6. Return both feet to the floor.
7. Repeat with each leg for a total of 4 repetitions per side.

Salutations: "Green, how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches." Federico Garcia Lorca. Perfectly said...now get up and get green!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit!
Doula AngelitaSan Jose's Community Doula

#MagnificentMondays#9: Power, passion and purpose!

Quote of the Week:Possunt quia posse videnture.

Rumination: They can because they think they can. This is a time of year in which renewal and more light reveal what is inside our minds and hearts. This is a time of projects, workshops, trainings and all sorts of improvements to both home and self. This is the time when our passions have the power to move us with purpose! Harnass this power and start getting behind those self-improvement projects which most speak to you! Show the world that you stand out from the pack as a proud pink panda! If you think it, you will achieve it once you believe it! P3 power!

Mantra: Power, passion, purpose plus perserverance provide plenty.

Recipe: A Sunny Chicken Curry to gladden the Heart!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

salt to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Saute onion until lightly browned.

Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt.

Continue stirring for 2 minutes.

Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve with basmati or jasmine rice.
Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving Calories: 313 Total Fat: 21.7g Cholesterol: 38mg
Nutritional InformationIndian Chicken Curry IIServings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 313
Total Fat: 21.7g Cholesterol: 38mg Sodium: 268mg Total Carbs: 14g Dietary Fiber: 3.8g Protein: 19.1g

Exercise: Gentle stretching
1. Sit on the floor.

2. Stretch legs out in front of you.

3. Gently and slowly reach arms out towards the toes.

4.A stretch of the muscles should be felt.

5. Hold without forcing the position for 15 seconds.

6. Release.

7. Repeat 2 more times.

Salutations: It is the time of year when Mother Earth is preparing to show off a whole new look. Taking a cue from her, we should be doing the same!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita

San Jose's Community Doula
.

#MagnificentMondays#8: P3s. Unite!

Quote of the Week: Hodie mihi, cras tibi.

Rumination: Happy #InternationalWomensDay all you ladies and those who love them! On this day, just for us, it is wonderful to see all the outpouring of love and support for the feminine. It is also sobering to look at the national and world situation and see that not all women are treated with honour and respect.

My heart goes out to those massacred in Nigeria, labouring under the lash of rape and torture in the Sudan, enduring shame and isolation in Cambodia, etc. Where one woman is enslaved, none of us are free. It is also time for us to celebrate those women of all cultures who daily work toward the amelioration of life on this remarkable planet-for both sexes.

Mantra: The goddess within longs to spring forth.

Recipe: Green Goddess Detoxification Soup

Ingredients

Olive Oil,

2 tbsp Garlic,

3 cloves chopped

Onions, raw, .5 cup,

chopped Chicken bouillon,

2 cups Turnips, .5 medium chopped into 1 inch pieces

Zucchini, baby, 1 large in 1 inch slices

1 Sweet potato, chopped into 1 inch pieces

Spinach, fresh, 1 cup

Directions

Saute the garlic & onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potato & turnip cubes, and saute for another 5 minutes.

Add the bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Add the spinach and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Puree in the blender until smooth.
Number of Servings: 4

Exercise: Paint the Sky!*
1. Stand up.

2. Put your hands above your head.

3. Bend your body as far to the left as possible.

4. Then bend your body as far to the right as possible.

5. Repeat for a total of five times.
*with many thanks to DJ Lance!

Salutation: Wake up and shake up your inner goddess, ladies! What this means is that it is time for you to unleash the power within, and to let the world know that the feminine power is a force for goodness, truth and beauty in this world! Don't blend in with the black and white herd,ladies, be proud pink pandas and lead the parade today!

Bis vivit, qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita

San Jose's Community Doula

trident doula/parenting coach

nutrition guide/women's advocate.

#Magnificent Mondays #6: A change will do you good!

Quote of the Week: A change will do you good!

Rumination: Snow again. Rain. Cold. No sun, or little sun. Trudging to work, feeding the kids, no meat on Fridays, what am I going to wear today?...These and other thoughts are automatic, constant and cyclical. In this time of the Christian season of Lent, it almost feels like a time of lying fallow, of tiredness, of a desire for something fresh and new.
The magazine covers are full of the looks for Spring, and I know I am not alone in trying to will Spring along as quickly as possible. In the meantime, hold on, build a bridge and get over it, have a lovely cup of lemon tea, have a nosh and a chat with your friends....this, too, shall pass. My change was to buy some flowers and a can of paint! A change will do you good, and a change is coming if only we remember to hold on for it!

Mantra: A change is coming, coming is my change.

Recipe: Sloppy Joe's
Ingredients:
1 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic
8 oz. turkey breast meat/skinless
6 oz canned red kidney beans
1 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 whole wheat buns
non-stick cooking spray

1. Thoroughly coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray.
2. Pan-fry the onion and garlic 2-3 minutes over low heat.
3. Add turkey and cook an additional three minutes.
4. Add beans to the browned meat, along with seasoning mix and chicken broth.
5. Simmer five minutes until turkey is cooked, about five minutes.
6. Serve on whole-wheat buns or on top of rice.

Exercise:
1. While seated, knees bent: raise and lower left leg ten times. Switch to right leg.
Raise both arms over head and then lower them. Repeat ten times.

Salutation: In this time of betwixt and between, be sure that you are caring for yourself and your health of mind, body and spirit. Fallow is not dead; it is lying in wait, gathering energy, planning, repairing, restoring.

Bis vivit qui bene vivit!
Doula AngelitaSan Jose's Community Doula

#Magnificent Mondays! #5: Live, Learn, Love, Laugh!



Quote of the Week: "Quae nocent docent" School of Hard Knocks

Ruminations: In these times of cold, dark, snow, and uncertainty, there are still lessons that are to be learned from the vicissitudes of life. We are not always on top, we are not always loved, we are not always employed, or in a relationship or living where we want to...but each and every situation has a series of lessons designed to craft us, to strengthen us, to give us fortitude. Bloom where you're planted. It is not an easy lesson;but it is a valuable one if we are to stretch and grow.

Mantra: I bloom where I am planted

Recipe:
Ingredients
1/2 lb. medium-size shrimp 1 tsp. sea salt dissolved in 1/2 cup water 4-6 Thai chilies, cut into thin rounds 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. roasted chili paste (nahm prik pow) 1-2 Tbs. fish sauce (nahm bplah), to taste 1 1/2 - 2 Tbs. lime juice, to taste 1-2 tsp. granulated sugar, to taste 1 stalk lemon grass Fresh shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly crosswise 1-2 Tbs. coarsely chopped cilantro, sawleaf coriander or parsley 3-4 Tbs. coarsely chopped mint leaves 3 cups boiling water A couple of mint sprigs for garnish Preparation
Shell, de-vein and butterfly the shrimp. Soak them in the salted water for 5 to 10 minutes to freshen (this will give the shrimp a more luscious succulent texture). Then rinse thoroughly with plenty of water to remove the salt and drain. Mix the Thai chilies with the roasted chilli paste, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Taste and adjust to the desired hot, sour, sweet and salty combination. The sauce should be intense in all respects. Trim off and discard the woody bottom tip of the lemon grass and 2 to 3 of the loose, fibrous outer layers. Slice stalk from the bottom end into very thin rounds, to yield roughly 3 Tbs. Place in a mixing bowl with the sliced shallots, coarsely chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Blanch the shrimp in boiling water for 20 seconds, or until they turn pink on the outside but are not completely cooked through. Drain. The shrimp will be further cooked by the lime juice in the sauce. Toss the shrimp while still warm with the herbs and the chili-lime sauce. Stir well to coat the shrimp. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with mint sprigs.

Exercise: Take a walk around the block, to the mailbox, around the corner. Clear your head of the cobwebs. Invigorate your lungs and other vital organs. Oxygenate your mind!

Salutation: Remember, this life is all we have. Let's make the best of it!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,
Doula Angelita
#MagnificentMondays!
"a digest that is good for the soul!"

-- Doula AngelitaResurgam BirthingWell8899

Quote of the Week: Who dat? Who dat? Who dat sey dey gonna beat dem Saints?

Rumination: Confidence is a good thing. Knowing who you are, your place in the world, what you want to do, who you would like to be with...these are things that are desirable to the human spirit. Confidence is what we need to feel when doing what needs to be done in the way that it needs to be done. Confidence is walking down the path even when others howl disapproval or try to dissuade us. Confidence is what we have when we reach inside ourselves and walk tall and proud when others deride our steps. The Saints were not always on top. The Saints will not always be on top; all dynasties are short-lived. The Saints of 2009 put their feet onto a pathway with confidence and did not waver from it. The Saints did not lead the game for the first half of the Super Bowl-but they kept their confidence, kept moving forward and stepped into glory.

Mantra: I am glory-bound, glory-bound am I


Recipe: Louisiana Sunburst Salad

Ingredients: 24 oz. mesclun mix
2 oz dried cranberries
2 oz sliced and toasted almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 oz vegetable oil
salt and black pepper to taste
2 oz blue cheese
2 oz ruby port wine
2 oz raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 oz water
5 dashes Tabasco
1. Soak cranberries overnight in the port wine.
2. In a large mixing bowl: oil, sugar,water, vinegar, Tabasco, and cinnamon
3. Whisk all the above until ingredients emulsify.
4. Add mesclun and toss.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve: Place mesclun on plate and add almonds, cranberries and cheese. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.

Exercise: Cat pose, bidalasana, is great to relieve the repetitive body stress of constantly sitting or standing. It is good to shift the body position as well as to get breathing and heart rate regulated.
1. Place yourself on the floor/yoga mat on all fours.2. Palms are flat to the floor. Feet are extended back.3. With your face towards the palms, slowly bend the neck and round the back. Inhale.4. Return to starting position. Exhale.5. If that is too much, then simply inhaling and exhaling slowly within this position for a count of ten will be beneficial.

Salutations: Today is a new day. Today is a new week. Begin on a high note, and keep confidently moving forward to achieve your dreams.

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita
San Jose's Community Doula

#Magnificent Mondays #3: Keep Following Your Star!

Quote of the week: "If you are going through Hell, keep going." Winston Churchill

Rumination: In these times of uncertainty and yes, even despair, it is easy to give in to the darkness that at times threaten to engulf us. However, as this quote shows, the thing to do is to keep going through the bad times until we break through to the light beyond. Just as the Wise Men and shephards saw The Star, which guided them through the darkness and to a beautiful gift, then we too must needs look for and follow The Star that will give us the hope and the courage to keep moving forward. Sometimes this is a talisman; I myself cherish the rosary beads that sailed from Ireland to Jamaica and then ended up in the United States. It reminds me to stay true to my faith, and to my heritage and to seek out that Star which will lead me to the warmth and comfort of better times. May you also find your Star of hope, comfort and strength that will guide you to better times.

Mantra: The Star is the light that banishes darkness.

Recipe!: Tomato Soup

1 tblspn vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/4 cup chopped celery

2(28 oz)cans crushed tomatoes

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 tblspn worcestershire sauce

1 tspn salt

1/2 tspn dried thyme

1/2 tspn ground black pepper

4 drops hot sauce

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat.

2. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender.

3. Add carrot and celery cooking for 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

4. Stir in tomatoes, broth, worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and hot sauce.

5. Reduce heat to low.

6. Cover and simmer 20 minutes stirring frequently.

Serve hot. Grilled cheese is nice with this, or a reuben.

Exercise:

1.Turn your head to the left slowly.

2. Turn your head to the right.

3. Tilt your head so that your left ear touches your left shoulder.

4. Tilt head so that right ear touches right shoulder.

5. Tuck chin to chest.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 for three times total to loosen neck muscles and relieve tension.

Salutation: Remember to follow your Star, get some rest, breathe, exercise and eat well. Keep up your spirits; a fallow field is really preparing for the coming of Spring!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita

a digest that is food for thought!

#Magnificent Mondays! #2: Confucius Says...

Quote of the Week: "If someone else gets it in one try, I will try one hundred times. If someone else gets it in ten tries, I will try one thousand times. " Confucius

Rumination: This quote by the famous Chinese philosopher is one which is becoming more and more dear to me as time passes. Too often we are caught up in what others do or have, how much they earn, how much they spend. As mothers, we become competitive in how fast our children walk and talk, whether they sleep through the night just like someone else's, whether or not they hit the ground running in kindergarten. Learning to go at our own pace doing the very best that we can, and redoubling our efforts to achieve our goals is always a lesson that is worth learning and relearning as we journey through life.

Mantra: :"Unique and unrepeatable diamond am I"

Recipe: Carrot ginger soup! Just the thing to keep you trying for your goals!

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons sweet cream butter

2 peeled and chopped onions

6 cups chicken broth

2 lbs peeled and sliced carrots

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

one cup whipping cream

salt. to taste

white pepper. to taste

sour cream

parsley sprigs


1. Put a pan on medium high heat.
2. Place butter and onions inside of the pan, stirring until onion is limp.
3. Add broth+carrots+ginger to the pan.
4. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to simmering(the carrots will be tender when pierced).
6. Remove from heat.
7. Transfer mixture to a blender.
8. Pulse mixture and then puree to smooth the mixture.
9. Return to the pan and add the sweet cream.
10. Stir over high heat until hot.
11. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and parsley sprigs. Enjoy!

*When blending, be sure to be careful of not filling the blender more than halfway. Also, leave one corner open and cover with a towel.

Exercise: Out of bed, your chair, stop and now:

1. Inhale deeply.
2.Raise arms up above the head.
3. Put arms down by side.
4. Inhale and repeat 3x.
5. Inhale.
6. Now bend the knee and raise the right leg, then the left leg.
7. Repeat 5x.
8. Inhale and done!

Salutations: That's it for this edition, and if you find your enthusiasm flagging for your New Year's resolutions, it is not too late to reset and try again! With this cheerful soup inside of you and brighter days ahead, go for your goal and use your own timetable of ten times or one thousand times to achieve what you want this year!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita

#Magnificent Mondays #1: Moderation and Soup

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Eat and drink to live. Live not to eat and drink; for thus do the beasts." The Talmud

RUMINATION: In honour of the New Year and of the recent celebration of Rosh Hashanah, it is time to evaluate and fine-tune our resolutions. One of these, for many of us, is to be serious and mindful of our health, the health of our bodies, our minds, our spirits.

The Talmud instructs that eating is pleasurable. A small drink brings pleasure and joy to the heart. It is not a crime, nor a sin to enjoy our meals. It is in being moderate that one can truly enjoy and savour the tastes and flavours that go into a good meal. Looking forward to a good meal brings joy and comfort. It should not, however, be the highlight of the day, each and every day, to the exclusion of all else!

When the winds blow cold, the rain and snow pelt down, the skies are a dark and foreboding grey, it ia a time for restorative and nourishing food. It is time for feeling the comfort of a full stomach, and a time to be careful to nourish the body and not simply to sate the appetites. It is time to bring rest and rejuvenation to body, mind and spirit. It is time to be mindful of amelioration and exhilaration of every part. It is time to start, and why not now?

MANTRA: ohm mani padme hum(ohum mahnee pahdmay hooom)
This is not a test of best pronunciation, simply a way to open your mind, heart and spirit to relax, renew, rejuvenate, and refresh. This mantra, a popular one, gets the breath working, and if said aloud in a strong and mighty voice, will orient and focus the mind. Try it; it's free, and it cannot hurt!

RECIPE: Faux chix soup!
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 large, cleaned, peeled and chopped, carrot

1 chopped potato

2 cloves of garlic, minced

5 cups vegetable stock

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

sea salt and black pepper to taste

1.Heat oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add onion.
3. Saute over MEDIUM HEAT until golden.
4. Add celery and carrot pieces to the onion in the saucepan.
5. Saute all ingredients for five minutes.
6. In the saucepan, add broth, garlic, potato, thyme and bay leaves.
7. Bring to a simmer until vegetables are tender; approximately 30 minutes. 8. Remove bay leaves after 30 minutes.
9. Season soup to taste. Serve with warmed bread, homemade croutons, a grilled cheese sandwich...enjoy!

EXERCISE 1-2-3: Out of bed! Right, now:
1. Stand up straight.

2. Inhale deeply to the count of five.

3. Exhale deeply to the count of five.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for a total of three times.

5. Next,

6. Lift arms up, palms facing each other.

7. Calmly lower arms to side. Repeat thrice.

8. Shake arms and hands, one more inhale-exhale, done!

SALUTATION: That's it for this week! Try the recipe and see how good you feel, not to mention the lift that you get from having your home redolent of good-for-you home cooking! Try the exercise and see if you don't have more energy in the morning. Try the mantra, and clear away the daily detritus that builds up inside. Just give it a go, and see what changes can happen when doing small things to improve you!

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Greenest blessings 2010,
Doula Angelita

San Jose's Community Doula

Bis vivit qui bene vivit!