Coconut Crusted Tilapia

Coconut crusted tilapia is a favorite in our house. Here is the recipe I use:

1 cup coconut flakes, finely chopped
2 tbs flour
1 tbs creole seasoning
4 (approx 4 oz) tilapia fillets
4 egg whites
1/2 cup olive oil
cornstarch

Mix coconut, flour & creole seasoning. Dip fish in cornstarch, then egg whites then coconut mixture. Pack coconut mixture to fish. Fry in olive oil until golden brown & fish is cooked through.

Serve with mango salsa (you can google & make your own but costco has a yummy one that is already made)

Wheat Berries

For a family luncheon I was planning to make chicken salad. My Grandmother is allergic to rice so I was looking for something else to add to my salad mixture to add texture and to stretch it further for a large group. In the process I discovered a great new food to add to meals. Well technically since it has been around since, well forever I didn't discover it. But it has recently been brought to my attention. Wheat berries. Wheat berries are simply the whole kernel of wheat. If you have wheat in your food storage you have an endless supply of this great food and it is inexpensive. I always thought the only ways to eat it were to grind it into flour, sprout it and eat wheat sprouts or grow wheat grass and juice it. But cooking the berries is super easy and then you can add them to all kinds of meals or eat them plain. I added it to chicken salad, my turkey curry soup and ate some plain. The hubby added some to his yogurt for breakfast. They have chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor, very yummy. It would be great to add to meatloaf, hamburger patties, soups, stews, the possibilities are endless. Use it in place of rice in any recipe. They are also packed full of protein, fiber and iron. There have been many studies done showing the benefits of whole grains in our diets including lowering risks of type 2 diabetes and cardio vascular disease and the fiber increases digestive health. Here is the recipe I used to make wheat berries. You can also google "wheat berries" and find many more ideas on using them.

This recipe came from the book "I Dare You to Eat It" by Liesa Card

4 cup raw whole wheat
10 cup water
1 tbs salt

oil a large (4 quart or larger) slow cooker and fill with wheat, water & salt. Cover and cook on low all night, 8-10 hours. Cooked wheat may be bagged and stored in refrigerator for at least a week or in the freezer for months. A sandwich bag hold 2 cups.

* When I used this recipe I halved it and took about an hour off the cooking time. Next time I will just freeze individual portions to through in my recipes.

Once you have a small supply of cooked wheat berries prepared, try experimenting with adding a cup to your favorite soups, chicken salad, or casseroles. When combined with regular rice it makes a very simple but healthy pilaf. They work great in taco meat too. my using 1/2 wheat 1/2 meat it saves $$ and the family can hardly tell the difference.

Turkey Curry Soup

I borrowed this recipe from http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/4beachbabies/79995/ I wanted to make something with the ground turkey in my freezer and I was craving curry so I googled turkey curry soup and found this yummy recipe. It is now one of our favorites. It is easy to make and easy to make a lot of. I know I joke about my "good friend" google. But I have to say that it is one of the things I am grateful for. It can be such a great tool to help me in so many different ways.... enjoy the soup :)



Turkey Curry soup (This doubles well)
1/2 C butter
2 med. onions
4T flour
2t curry
6C chicken broth (use homemade, canned or boullion whatever you have)
2C potatoes (cut all veggies in small pieces, they cook faster)
1C carrots
1C celery
4T parsley
1t sage
4C turkey ( I use 1 pound of ground turkey cook it before adding to soup)
3C 1/2 & 1/2
1 Package frozen spinach (I use fresh and just tear it and throw as much in as you want it shrinks down fast)

Melt butter and saute onions until translucent slowly add flour and curry stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add 6 Cups of broth and all veggies, parsley, and sage. Bring to a boil and take down to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Add Spinach and turkey. When the spinach melts add the cream and re heat.

"Flower Power"

Today my parents sent me flowers and it got me thinking... I love flowers. I love to watch them bloom in the spring and enjoy their wonderful fragrances. I love to see the trees bloom and sing "Pop corn popping on the apricot tree" with my kids. I enjoy hiking in the mountains smelling the earthy woods and fresh pine scent, especially after a rain storm when everything is crisp and clean. I like to see the aspen trees "quaking and shivering" in the breeze. Oh I can't wait until spring to enjoy the beauties of the outdoor world! In the winter when it is gloomy and gray I can't pass up the urge to occasionally buy a mix of fresh flowers to add some color and beauty to our home for even a short time. Sometimes my sweetheart will bring them home to me :) I also recognize that there is more to my love of flowers than just their prettiness. Flowers and plants have healing properties. From biblical times until today plants have been used for healing. I know that when I spend time with Heavenly Father's creations I feel better. Just being in the great outdoors improves my health both physically and emotionally and I feel more grounded and connected to my Heavenly Father ~ my spirituality is on better ground.

I also love flower essences. In the early 1800's there was an English doctor by the name of Edward Bach. Dr Bach had a general practice, he was a surgeon, a pathologist, a bacteriologist and he studied vaccines and homeopathy. He was very successful with his medical practice but he was unhappy with the medical model of treating disease and ignoring the patients with the disease. So he left his practice and went in search of a better system which he believed existed in nature. His belief was that if you could treat an individual's feelings and personality and bring them into balance then it freed up the bodies own ability to heal itself and happiness and health would be restored in the body. He spent years studying plants and their effects on human emotions. Isolating which plant essence did what. In the end he came up with 38 plants that he believed could balance emotions and created the original flower essences . (There are more now as more research has been done but Dr Bach believed that these 38 addresses all emotional states) and promote healing and well being.

My first experience with flower essences took place many years ago. At the time I had never even heard of them. I was consulting with my local homeopath and he recommended that I take the flower essence of mustard. Just a few drops in my water. Wow did it make a difference! Here is the indications for mustard: "Those who are liable to times of gloom or even despair, as though a cold dark cloud overshadowed them and hid the light and the joy of life. It may not be possible to give any reason or explanation for such attacks. Under these conditions it is almost impossible to appear happy or cheerful." - Dr. Edward Bach I felt like I had came out of the gloom into the sunshine and there was happiness in the world again. Impressed by how effective a few drops of a flower preparation could have on me I started studying flower essences. I took Dr Bach's course and learned a great deal about the flower's and their properties. Here are a few examples of flowers and when they would be indicated:

Apen is taken when "Vague unknown fears, for which there can be given no explanation, no reason. It is a terror that something awful is going to happen even though it is unclear what exactly. These vague inexplicable fears may haunt by night or day. Sufferers may often be afraid to tell their trouble to others." - Dr. Edward Bach Think of an apen tree how the leaves kind of look like they are shaking and quivering in the breeze...

Mimulus also for fear but distinctly different is taken for "Fear of worldly things, illness, pain, accidents, poverty, of dark, of being alone, of misfortune. The fears of everyday life. These people quietly and secretly bear their dread; they do not freely speak of it to others." - Dr. Edward Bach The fear is of something very specific like the dog next door is going to attack them. To read about the 38 original Bach Flowers and how to use them go to http://www.bachflower.com/38_Essences.htm the official Bach site and look around. There is also a North American Flower Society with flowers indigenous to this part of the world. I am excited to share flower essences. They can be helpful in so many ways as we journey through this life. They are safe, non toxic, do not react with medications and can be taken by pregnant and nursing women and by children I even give them to my pets as I humanize them and see imbalances in them. I am grateful for the world Heavenly Father created for us and for the hidden helps all around us if we just look for them!

Here's the Scoop

picture from milkinmamas.org

OK Momma's here's the scoop. When I decided to donate milk I did two things. First I asked my good friend google about it. It is a great resource and usually leads me to good information. The other thing I did was call the NICU at a local hospital. I talked to the lactation specialist and she gave me the phone number for the milk bank that supplies their precious little ones with donor milk.

There are several different labs across the country you can donate to. The Mother's Milk Bank is in Colorado. They are the ones that supply the local hospital here (at least IMC) I contacted them. They take milk that has been frozen for less than 5 months and they retire their donors when mommy's baby turns one. I wanted to donate to them because they help my local community. To get more information on them and what their guidelines to donate are go to http://www.rockymountainhospitalforchildren.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=114

I also had a lot of milk stored (triple bagged at the bottom of my deep freezer, which is ideal) from before the 5 month mark. When I had my last baby I would pump and freeze my extra milk just in case my milk supply did not last so my baby would have a reserve. He is approaching the one year mark and will not need all this stored milk. With the first labs cut off date I did not want to just through this milk out so I found Milkin Mama's. They are located in California. They take milk up to a year old and will continue to take milk as long as you are nursing your own child. Their web address is http://milkinmamas.org/

Both labs have very similar guidelines; they both require doctor certification of your health & the baby you are nursing. They both have health forms to fill out & blood draws to be done. At first this seemed like a lot but it really only took a few minutes of my time and a trip to the lab for a blood draw. Milkin Mamas will actually send a phlebotomist to your house. They send you a cooler to ship the milk in and you overnight it to their lab frozen. I really like that they are thorough with their donor screening. If I had a sick baby who needed milk I would want to know that all precautions possible were taken to insure the safety of the milk they would receive.

The milk given to both of these labs goes to preemies & sick babies. As I googled I learned that there are also other uses for mommy milk. They are finding that liver transplant patients recover & heal better when given breast milk. I didn't look to far into it because I wanted my milk to go to the precious little babies who are in the greatest need. There are also websites where you can donate to individuals in need. You can look into it. I felt these were the best choices for me. Now is also a great time to donate because the labs are experiencing a shortage in part because of the flu season and the added strain of H1N1. Hope this helps...

Can You Say Moo?

I can and I am "udderly" excited (please pardon the pun) for my new stint at giving of myself. I recently learned of the need of milk donors for human milk banks. Sometimes babies are born too early, so early that their little bodies can not tolerate anything but mommy's milk. Other babies are allergic to formula and are in need of breast milk. Breast milk contains antibodies to protect babies immature immune systems and other goodness that science has yet to mimic. Ideally mommy supplies their babies with this precious life sustain elixir but what happens when mommy is unable. That is where donation helps. Milk banks exist to save tiny lives.

So health survey's, medical release forms to allow my doctor & pediatrician to attest to the health of myself & the infant I am nursing and a few vials of blood later (must be sure they are giving good milk to these fragile babies) I am officially now a donor! I am so excited to be helping these tiny babies. The Bank I chose to donate to supplies local NICU's and my milk will go to preemies.

The biggest reason I am posting this post is not too brag or put a spotlight on myself. For that purpose I would rather not say anything at all. It is to spotlight a great need. I know I have lots of Milking Mommy friends out there most probably aren't even aware that this is a possibility. With my other babies I ended up "dumping" expressed milk. What a waste when it could have been saving lives! If it is something you want to look into let me know and I will get you the information on what is required.

Law of Attraction

I 100% believe that we get in our lives what we attract. We cant choose every situation in life but we can choose how we react to them. A friend sent me the following information & I wanted to share it:) Have a great day!

Alchemy - Turning Fear into Love (Part 1)
Jim Self
a message from Jim Self
Sunday, 15 March, 2009 (posted 16 March, 2009)
1185 views, 1 comment - login or register to comment

Archangel Metatron describes alchemy as “Changing the frequency of thought, altering the harmonics of matter, and applying the elements of love to create a desired result.” Alchemy is more than just a process of transmuting base metals into gold… alchemy is the way to transmute fear into love. This is a way of living life with awareness and intention, returning us to a conscious relationship with Creator.

In this two-part series, let's explore Metatron's description of alchemy. In earlier articles we talked about the third and fourth dimensions and how we are living in both simultaneously. We established that 3-D is dense and rigidly structured, whereas 4-D is lighter and more flexible. Identifying the different aspects of each will allow you have a clearer understanding of where you are in your process so you can choose how to experience yourself and your reality. This is easy once you become aware of how thoughts and emotions work and what they create together.
Changing the frequency of thought

Thoughts are electrical and emotions are magnetic. When a thought is coupled with an emotion the combined energies become charged electro-magnetically, amplified and set in motion. If your reaction (emotion) to a thought is strong, the charge behind it increases. If your reaction is negative it may result in an angry outburst (discharge of emotion) or you may react by becoming offended, allowing that emotional energy to build inside of you.

Your beliefs color your thoughts and experiences and affect your emotions. This determines how you react to situations. Let’s imagine that you’re wearing a new outfit and someone says it looks funny on you. How would you respond? In 3-D (the dimension of extremes) you’d instantly react. The thought hits your emotional body and wham, you’re insulted. Even if the person only meant that it looked like a ‘fun outfit’, you’ve already coupled the thought with an emotion which generated a knee-jerk reaction. Now in a 4-D space, if somebody says “That outfit looks funny,” you’d simply pass over the word “funny”, attaching no judgment to it. You would respond rather than react or overreact. There is no victim or victimizer in 4-D consciousness. Feeling less-than or better-than are strictly third-dimensional attitudes and externalizations.

We are beginning to understand that the dimensions we operate in are subject to universal laws. The Law of Attraction is the law of cause and effect. This means that what you put out is what you get back. The universe is always reflecting or mirroring your vibration and your vibration is all about the way you feeeel. What you believe, think and feel, and what the Law of Attraction brings to you are always a match because like attracts like. If you don’t like what you’ve been attracting, then notice what thought or emotion you can change within you. A new perspective will help you shift your vibration. So reach for that higher feeling even if it is just a small increment above what you are currently experiencing.

Changing how you feel changes everything. If you choose to think higher thoughts and feel lighter emotions you will raise your vibration significantly and you will not find yourself gravitating back into old repetitive behaviors and thoughts of “I’m not okay.” When you interrupt a long-standing pattern (break the circuit) the energy flows backward and forward along the time-line changing the energy all the way back to the first time it happened. The energy is reset to the present-time, allowing you the room to move freely again outside the emotional box.

The Shift and it’s massive waves of light are assisting us to clear out our baggage (old structures and rigid patterns) and release all thoughts and emotions that simply have no value. And it is occurring very rapidly. So, learn to laugh at yourself and if you hear someone say, “Gee, that looks funny on you,” laugh and step up your energy a little to a happier place where you might say, “Yeah, I feeel fun when I wear it.”

When you change the frequency of thought - you begin to apply the tools of alchemy and transform fear into love. Next month we will explore the final two aspects of alchemy.



Turning Fear into Love, Part 2
Jim Self
a message from Jim Self
Wednesday, 15 April, 2009 (posted 16 April, 2009)
797 views, no comments - login or register to comment
“Alchemy is accomplished by changing the frequency of thought, altering the harmonics of matter, and applying the elements of love to create a desired result.” -- Archangel Metatron. “Alchemy is accomplished by changing the frequency of thought, altering the harmonics of matter, and applying the elements of love to create a desired result.” -- Archangel Metatron.

In Part 1, we explored the first aspect of Alchemy, “Changing the frequency of thought”, noting that alchemy is a way of life, not just the application of "magic". Let’s now look at the second part of Archangel Metatron’s definition of Alchemy.

Altering the harmonics of matter
Doing this is not complicated and in order to be successful it is absolutely essential to understand and master the combined result of thought and emotion, as we have already explored in Part 1. You must be able to observe without reacting, and allow your feelings to be at a higher vibration and have more fluidity.

Thought-forms are one small step removed from matter. Once dense enough, they materialize. If you are continuously holding negative thoughts of “Ain’t it awful”, they will become dense and soon drop into matter and show up in the world of form, many times as physical illness or emotional-mental imbalance. Therefore, changing those thought-forms is the first step in altering the harmonics of matter.

Changing the harmonics of matter requires changing the frequencies of thought. Start with that real ugly thought-form “I’m not okay” and simply let it begin to neutralize by not putting your attention and feelings into it. This is a huge step, particularly at this point of the Shift. Please refer to the previous article, "How to Enjoy the Shift" to learn the tool of the grounding cord. Asking "Where in my space do I hold the energy of "I'm not okay", noticing where the energy lies, then, draining it down the grounding cord will begin to change the harmonics of matter. You!

Applying the Elements of Love
According to Archangel Metatron there are only three vibrations of love in 3-D. The entire Cosmos—of which our universe is one tiny part—is composed of the frequencies of love, but here in the third dimension we use only three small frequencies out of that huge array:

1. The first frequency of love is the love you feel for your partner or your child. There’s nothing else like it on this plane. This vibration of love is a very fixed emotion.
2. The second frequency is agape or platonic love. It’s the kind of love you feel toward your best friend. You would do anything for that person. It’s not intimate and not conditional. This is a simple but important frequency.
3. The third frequency in 3-D is that of childlike wonderment and delight. It is the kind of love you feel when watching a child playing with a puppy. They’re in a grand state of total excitement, joy and laughter and you can enjoy that grand feeling right along with them. In that moment you experience your love for humanity.

In the third dimension we have access to only those three vibrations. However, when we step into the fourth dimension we experience two more frequencies of love:

1. The first is the feeling you get when you see awe-inspiring beauty such as the magnificent 25 hundred foot waterfall in Yosemite National Park or witnessing the glory of a sunrise or sunset. There are many variations within that frequency of love.
2. The second frequency of love involves the majesty and grandeur you knew as a Being before you came into this third-dimensional human body and had to separate from your higher self.

Part of the 3-D experiment was to experience yourself in the lower, denser frequencies so that when you return Home, the contrast would give you an even grander appreciation of all of the higher vibrations of love available. As you bumped around in 3-D and went deeper into fear and pain, you created a protective wall around your heart. You protected that grander part of yourself and hid your Internal Smile. By cutting yourself off from who you truly are, you lost your internal guidance system.

As you play and practice with these three aspects of alchemy you will create your desired result. You become aware of the way of life you used to live. You begin to trust and open your heart again. You become aware of that Internal Smile that resides within you. A huge awareness comes to you and you start to rediscover the connection with All That Is. You experience compassion, co-creation and cooperation. You begin to find alignment and your Internal Smile begins to take over your life. You begin to re-wire yourself and re-awaken. You reclaim that bigger, grander part of who you are.

That’s where true magic of alchemy lies.
Jim Self is an author, international speaker, and teacher of the Tools for Mastering Alchemy. This work is in co-creation with Archangels, Ascended Masters and Teachers of Light. Free DVD and Free Tele-Classes. Jim is presenting Free in-person classes and the weekend seminar, Creating the Personal Power Field around North America. www.MasteringAlchemy.com or 775-851-8950.
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