Anti-Inflammatory Recipes Archives - Page 12 of 18

Are You Out of Balance? Kapha Awareness (Part 3)

Kapha awareness can help you with choosing longevity boosting foods and activities.

Pita bread has a lower glycemic index (helps anti-inflammatory) than many breads if you’re not willing to give up your bread… bread can still be a good thing! Easy pita bread recipe below. 🍴

If you’ve been spending time doing CARDIO for health and maybe Kapha awareness, listen up! These 100 year olds don’t rely on treadmills, but natural daily terrain and these life-giving activities that are shared in the “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” documentary movie.

In hot months, we are far away from Kapha season, but good to always have Kapha awareness that can hit us anytime of year.

Natural Kapha season is in the coldest months of the year (winter thru early spring) and we normally bundle up and eat more to keep us warm. It’s part of our natural evolution that falls after Vata autumn season… (you can learn about imbalances with Vata anxiety vs nervous feelings in last week’s Part 2 in this Ayurvedic series).

In Kapha awareness season that’s what this week’s article is about, we also naturally gravitate toward warm comfort foods as we know the cool light foods are Pitta Season that can cause Pitta mind body inflammation.

And if we’re having a Kapha body heavy season outside of natural Kapha season, that can put us out of balance and add more stress on our body keeping score. We know we’re Kapha imbalanced if we’re overeating or run toward processed or fatty foods more than usual.

In the Western world and especially America where I live, junk food is affordable, convenient food. Our societal environments aren’t supporting our longevity.

The opposite and healthiest populations with the largest number of Centenarians are in Loma Linda USA and the other Blue Zones (founded by Dan Buettner and described in his Netflix documentary, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones).

But most areas in the U.S. or the world don’t live those naturally active lifestyles with built-in healthy eating strategies.

In most areas in metropolitan America and where I live, buying and preparing healthy foods takes more time and effort than the convenient, processed food options that are in your face on the road.

These are a couple key takeaways as to why you should care:

For one, eating those less healthy options, add up to weight gain and accumulating a less healthy body that’s keeping score; and are linked to and can lead to chronic inflammations down the road as statistics show.

But another point is that it’s not always just a body issue… it’s a mind and body challenge because the mind is what influences us (the choice makers) most as to what to put in the body. There’s a mind-body connection and on the more surface level it starts with our thoughts. That’s what I learned in Ayurveda.

💡And the aftermaths are in the mind-body connection (internal language). The thoughts, feelings, emotions, daily actions and reactions (in insecurities and fears) show up as symptoms on the body. The strange and uncomfortable body ailments we find on bodies are snowballed by our past thoughts and trauma we’ve endured.

A simple example is why a pimple shows up when you have stress. They start from our thoughts that show up on the face or body the next day or even sooner. And this same explanation is why someone with PTSD thoughts (aware or not) holds onto extra pounds.

…This connect-the-dots could be a revelation for some and one big reason why I’m so passionate about restoring imbalances for healthy reasons and daily happiness. 💕

And it’s not any of our faults, as more than 90% of our day is run on the subconscious mind level. We have the job to connect-the-dots in self-awareness and knowledge.

Sometimes this can be coming from a hormone imbalance where we don’t know when to stop eating. And a rule like eating to 80% of feeling full won’t help in those cases.

…But as decision makers for our actions and desires, we can set our own controls in place that don’t require excessive hardwork (like calorie counting or hours of exercise).

And those ways are not smart either because that’s not how our natural minds and bodies most efficiently work.

…If we tell ourselves, we can’t eat something, then our minds have a field day with us and we just want the eye-candy food even more (the “no ___” translates into energy toward the devil food cake or easy-greasy foods).

…And our bodies don’t want depletion of calories, it wants dense-nutrition.

And I can attest to this as I tried to live on pasta and low-fat cookies in my 20s… how did that work? 👎 …and what happened on the scale? 📈 …and like many of us who tried diets, it ended up like a yo-yo effect 🪀

Plus, restricted to changes in no longer being able to eat certain types or quantities of foods for the same quality of life we had is an uphill climb. That means we have to learn new habits if we don’t want to sacrifice our body’s health or how we look.

Finding better habits that work for us is the ticket to success in maintaining a consistent weight you’re happy with. And some may think, DUH, I’ve been trying that but it hasn’t been easy.

Finding a new perspective from your past is one of the ways out. For example, some want to live longer to see their grandkids grow up, and others value feeling or looking better and eating healthy is one of the strategies.

For me, I want to respect my body as the only one I got. And while weight gain isn’t my Vata issue, putting a hard stop on snacking all day and closing the kitchen is.

I can use this analogy… when I started drinking coffee in the morning, I found that my 2 cups habit led to an eventual bottomless mug.

And I’m a home baker who doesn’t naturally measure. But I naturally keep track of time, so I used that easy tracking.

…One day, instead of counting cups I decided to use a coffee clock as a more effective tool. 🕛

And anywhere you are in the world, you’re on a world clock. And that clock has a time. So I use 12 noon as my morning quitting time. And allow myself a light latte dessert drink after lunch.

And in that example, I’ve created a habit stack onto my lunch time. And a habit stick that works year-round.

Maybe you have the same dilemma with coffee o’clock around the clock, or its food o’clock all day and all night. I know that too as I would snack from the time I woke up… I mean, I had to put food in my belly so the coffee had a non-acidic soft place to land.

…And then I continued snacking in the late morning until late at night, and sometimes skipping dinner but still snacking. Mind you, my snacks are healthy nuts, popcorn, and nutritional foods 90% of the time. But snacking is snacking.

Eating something and whenever you want is putting your body to work.

And I did this every day 365 times a year, like most of us have been trained to do since we were young.

Until I did this one thing… I quit eating after lunch on 1-2 days a week. And again I used time as a tracker. And I learned that this was healthy.

And not what I was previously told needed to happen which was to snack every 4-5 hours I was awake. And not doing that, gave my body a well-deserved break from digesting

And after I did that for more than 6 months (8 months to date), my body got adjusted to this new way that’s metabolically good for the body and all its running parts.

I ending up eating less food. And I started seeing some tone to my torso. Hmm… not bad. But for me the best part is the simplifying my life part not having to think about eating good foods all the time.

…I started out my career in hotel catering and worked professionally with foods for a decade, so that’s always been HUGE for me. I’m passionate about foods.

But not having to prepare home meals all the time or find a snack substitution is liberating. Food is joy in my book, and taking a break for a day makes me appreciate the foods even more.

And, I use that non-eating time to be productive… and unlike a snack break commercial interrupt, get more things done besides stuffing my face. 😊

And as intermittent fasting is trending, research is demystifying that it’s healthy. Your body loves a good healthy trend. When our bodies carry too much weight it’s a heavy burden that can upset organ functions along our GI tract, heart, and pancreas creating insulin as a helper.

I shared my starting intermittent fasting journey earlier in 2023 that’s part of my weekly routine. No more uncomfortable what is that? stomach feeling. And we know the gut is responsible for over 90% of our happy hormones.

I allow my body to detox longer than through a night of sleep. And you can too if you’re a natural Vata, Pitta, or Kapha body.

And if you’re finding yourself holding onto extra pounds you’d like to shed off and have tried all the diets that brought you back to Square-One (or similar to my weight cycling diet experience, weighing higher months later), then IF is something you want to embrace as your last-stop try.

I’ve put together my free ultimate IF guide, that has all the info. to get started all-in-one-place that you can check out for FREE.

And in free-ing Kapha awareness and celebrating our healthy Kaphas that make us lovely human beings, we can be aware of our Kapha mind imbalances that rob our peaceful moods.

We can get out of balance with our lazy moods that we can’t shake off easily. This can start from anything including overeating, being bored, discouraged, or wanting a more exciting, creative life.

…Or another sign is we act clingy or needy (and we have Kapha awareness on this since close ones have told us nicely to backoff).

…Or we start to accumulate things (opposite of minimalist) and they show up in our lives and we notice when we consciously pay attention in Kapha awareness.

And all these daily actions (or inactions) let us know that we have an opportunity to change our Kapha mind imbalances that affect our daily perspectives and outlook.

And Kapha awareness is the first step to get you out (and Ayurvedic awareness for any of the mind-body imbalances), so you can daily make healthy choices that help to restore your balances.

…Cleanup and prevention positively impacts your upcoming seasons and life, so you want to nip-imbalances-in-the-bud. 🌹

Here is a super simple recipe that you can bake in your apartment oven and/or during warm months where you want to keep the oven low.

Easy Pita Bread

Pita is a great accompaniment for meals. The same ingredients used in general bread making is used in pita bread making. The technique slightly varies that gives the desired hollow pita pocket.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

flour of choice (e.g. wheat and plain flour)
water
instant yeast
salt

Instructions

Mix ingredients and form a bread dough. Knead for a few minutes by hand is fine. Set in a covered bowl to proof rise. Then punch down dough.
Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick or as thin as you can without holes. This is different that most bread methods because you're uniformly flattening the dough.
Cut out your pitas. For mini-pitas, you can use a drinking glass to cut out. And then pickup and move pita with small cake decorating spatula to baking sheet. Alternatively, you can roll out dough on the baking sheet "as is" and pull up the dough scraps that won't be used (and you'll be left with the cut outs).
Bake on 350°F oven (good for apartment ovens) and keeping heat energy low. Then bake until puffed up and golden browned, depending on size.

Kapha Tiredness – How to Restore

Kapha tiredness is an accurate way to describe seasons when you’re feeling lazy and sleepy.

Morning coffee and walk for Kapha tiredness energy. — A morning coffee and walk in the park can be a good way to wake up tired Kapha energy.

These are some common life situations that make us tired…

✔️Taking care of everyone and their demands

✔️Getting up early for routine work

✔️Staying up late to get more done

✔️Allergy congestion and headaches

✔️Burden from a stressful or emotional situation

✔️Colder seasons

These all put our bodies on overdrive where more rest is needed. And if we’re not giving that to our bodies, then we’re outta balance. Our tired Ayurvedic Kapha runs the show (when Vata and Pitta are still in the background).

We all have Kapha tiredness traits in us and some of us are born Kapha dominant.

In those tired Kapha heavy seasons, whether we sleep 5 hours or 9 hours, we’re tired (and maybe walking around like human zombies).

Because overall we’re not getting enough sleep. And Kapha metabolism may slow down.

These are a few easy, but effective habits to help your body push through (and not cut corners when you’re called for more):

…Having cold brew coffee ready to go while the fresh warm coffee is brewing makes life easier. ☕️ There are many healthy caffeine sources for energy other than coffee.

I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was over 35. Other caffeine sources can be black tea, green tea, and matcha tea.

And there are many other healthy energy sources besides beverages such as:

…Have savory leftovers to tie us over for an energy-giving meal. 🌯. Energy foods include prebiotic pickle juice that’s fermented, eggs with B-vitamins, and pasta.

…Do jumping jacks or running in place to get your heart beat up and blood flowing for instant brain energy.

You could add a spice kick like cloves or cinnamon, or punchy flavors like lime, onion, or cilantro to your meals.

I remember myths (we used to refer to as rumors) that you can’t catch up on sleep. But actually, you can!

And if your body gets a dose, your Kapha tiredness can grow. That’s a sign that you’re depleted.

And if you’re never tired, that can also be a waving flag to pay attention to…

Because this life is meant to have work burdens and unpredictability for our best life of meaning.

Short-term stressors give us growth and can wake us up temporaily. But if we’ve been tired over a season, then for our good we need to do something about it to prevent burnout.

One thing we can try first is to gain more appreciation for what we have so we change our perspective and outlook.

We can also try new things. Failing at many things means we’re trying, and trying is leading us to purpose.

Without purpose, that can lead us to more stuck tiredness and weariness.

If you’ve ever watched the animals in the wild either live or on film footage, every moment is a form of work for them. They sleep out of necessity, but they are always on guard if not hunting.

…Or just surviving the natural that’s getting harder with climate change.

Finding shade in hot temps and shelter in cold seasons is a challenge.

They live nomadic lives that are very different than the house cats and dogs around us, that still have those primitive instincts but to a much lesser degree.

Today’s household pets are kinda like us modern peeps compared to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. 🐯

And what we can learn from wild animals is that: they do it anyway.

They are motivated to stay alive and keep their young alive. They do it tired and for survival.

Laziness would be a luxury.

And in our daily human modern lives, it’s complex because we aren’t often faced with li-gers to deal with.

But our minds are and make it complex. Beneath our rational mind, if the ego intercepts at any moment, then we’re driven down a lesser path.

And for those who don’t even know that they’re being intercepted daily is the biggest danger of all. Those are the male lions of today and the pride in us.

Usually, it’s muddled in modern fear. In those moments for any of us, we all have a choice to either live in denial (stands for “Don’t Even kNow I Am Lying”)… or flip the switch back to healthy thinking.

I’ve written many articles and posts on healthy thinking. And that comes from learning from my own suffering from unhealthy thinking and ego attacks.

Similarly, anyone unaware that they’re under daily attack is the most dangerous to themselves and others especially without a plan

In my case, I moved away from the prideful environment I lived in and gained awareness. It was the same area that had tiring demands and a faster-paced life.

So, if you’re tired or busy, you’re more likely to be unaware.

Changing your environment (work, moving, etc.) could also be your remedy and just what you need too for Kapha tiredness.

When you’re younger you don’t have those choices, but now you do.

Like, when I was a child, they commonly used smelling salt to keep us on our toes and from fainting in body-shocking situations. It worked. As we got older and went through more experiences, our body systems learned to adapt better.

Getting more experiences keeps us growing and helps us from growing tired and the Kapha tiredness in you.

To grow less tired, find something that you can use your gift and talents with. At home, that could be dancing, singing, yoga, or gardening.

Or working on a project like muddling coffee beans or dips, decorating, or painting. It doesn’t have to require much, just change your tired feelings.

And from there, when you’re wrapped up in the moment, then you can think of other wake-up opportunities. Because when you’re alive, that impacts everything you do in the season.

So I have a quick question for you…

Do you remember the last time you were excited about possibilities? You know that feeling where you felt lit up and endorphins awakened your senses.

You probably had strong desires to pursue and stay up late because of the hope in possibilities.

…And if that was too long ago to remember, then you especially want to get going with something new…

Because one day, your biological age will catch up to you. And you’ll realize you aren’t the same age or person you were in your younger adult years (and even a decade ago).

And that could lead to thoughts of regret if you didn’t pursue all that you wanted in those unrepeatable years.

The way to ensure that doesn’t happen is to make every day count.

I know when I worked in the “rat race” that was not how I felt. I did a job, went home, and then did the same work the next day. I was lucky I didn’t spend my time all in one place so I could grow quicker and have more stressor experiences.

Those times and experiences helped me to get to today, the only time that matters.

Tomorrow is the next most important.

And this is for everyone. Your experiences do the same for you (looking different in each of us)!

And especially if you feel stuck, one thing you can do almost immediately is volunteer or try a new activity.

Volunteer experiences were introduced to us as teenagers.

Everywhere on this planet there’s help needed… I was a volunteer candy striper in a local hospital.

And while I was not cut out for the work, I learned to be dedicated and give back my time.

We always have something we can offer even when we don’t have the gifts and talents.

And it’s always a learning opportunity that stimulates our minds as we’re growing and excited about new possibilities. This helps our Kapha tiredness and breaking out of a slump.

Most volunteer general tasks are easy enough to do that even most young teenagers can do. For adults, it can be a welcomed break to do something easy and can open up more doors.

The most valuable is when you do it for a cause or purpose outside of you, then you’re growing and making an impact that awakens our souls.

It’s healthy to think of volunteering not as work, but an opportunity to serve. It’s providing more than what we’re giving. But we won’t know what that “more” is until we raise our hand to participate. ✋

These days you can find volunteer opportunities online or in-person and this can be what sets you apart from the rest. And you gain gratitude for your good fortunes.

You always see friendly volunteer faces that are glad to see you. And that happiness is infectious. You’ll also develop more positive skills and learn sides of yourself that you didn’t know before.

…And that can help you get out of any tired season. 🤗

Coconut Carrot Cake Recipe – Gluten-Free and Healthy

Coconut carrot cake flavors make a super moist dessert with the healthy and gluten-free ingredients below.

It’s a spring and Easter celebration must to add to your food table.

This moist carrot cake is delicious and made with coconut oil, that’ll make it super moist. And you can keep the taste with coconut, theme by using coconut flour. Or use almond flour that’s also a gluten-free flour good for cakes and desserts.

And if coconut or almond tastes are your vibes, you can use the matching milk tastes. You can make your own coconut milk so easily.

And in one fell swoop, combine batter in a bowl that you hand mix to make this deliciously moist coconut carrot cake. Add currants, nuts, or coconut into batter as desired.

Also, instead of adding sweet to the batter of this cake, the sweetness can be added at the end in this recipe. That way it can be made to individual sweet tastes, and kept low-sugar.

For a food table, you could make a special milk glaze, or serve your individual carrot cakes or slices with maple syrup. Add to a cup or gravy boat, and let each person glaze their own cake.

That would make for a great brunch party experience. 🍽️

If you make more carrot cakes, they will take the same amount of time so you can make several individual carrot cakes or one large carrot cake at a time.🥕🥮

When in the oven, sometimes the beige cake exterior looks baked and the inside is still moist. But the fully baked carrot cake will come out clean, with a simple toothpick test.

Let it cool and then add a light glaze to give it a finished look. You could add mandarin oranges or shredded coconut to cake top if desired. That’s so spring and pretty for bunny season. 🐇

You can also try a gluten-free cake and learn lessons on how to work with coconut flour for cakes. And more low-sugar dessert recipes, waffle iron and brunch ideas, and healthy smoothies and drinks to pair with.

Coconut Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free)

This recipe is for an individual carrot cake, but for a one pan/layer cake multiply by 3, and for a two layer cake, multiply by 6.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

2/3 cup milk (coconut or almond recommended)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 large egg
1/3 cup gluten-free coconut flour (or almond flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
honey or syrup for sweet glaze
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

Instructions

Mix dry and wet ingredients. The coconut flour will absorb the milk more than a gluten flour. You will end up with a batter that looks like creamy mashed potatoes (instead of a more liquid batter).
Bake at 350°F/180°C for at least 45 minutes depending on size of your baking vessel and amount of liquid. This recipe could be baked in a variety of baking pans: e.g. deep dish glass pan, oven-safe ceramic pan, or a bundt pan. When a toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is baked done.
Add a glaze. Zhugh with nuts and mandarin oranges (optional).

Work Freedom to Creativity

Work freedom is possible if that’s what you want. Keep in mind that you are in control of your ship and the experiences you are gaining today will be part of what you need in the future especially if it’s a creative one.

If you could have more work freedom in your life, what would that look like?

I describe freedoms below that I think would make all the difference in the world in work life balance, time flexibility, and to unleash creativity in your life if that’s what you want. 🌎

That’s what I wanted.

…And if that’s what you want, you deserve in this life, so your work future is worth fighting for!

Each of our personal desired versions of work freedom is different.

For me, like many of us, it’s not having a boss. And, being able to create my own schedule deciding when I’ll show up. In 2019, I started my humble self-employed journey after I left my last corporate job and office life.

As far as I’m concerned, I retired from my corporate career for good. Before that, I reported to many bosses with the exception of a few years in between when I dabbled on my own doing consulting work where I felt most empowered.

Some workplaces and bosses were good enough for a little while, and others, well… let’s just say they aren’t for everyone. 😉

And some left me Ayurvedically depleted.

All of us who have worked know what that’s like for at least part of our careers where we may have stuck it out as a stepping stone to climb the ladder 🪜 or as a bridge to our next venture.

…Or to take a different turn. I’ve done all of the above to eventually move toward my better work freedom.

I know that not having the pieces fit together in the dozen or so roles from my first, second, or even third corporate career helped me realize that’s what I wanted!

Every pivot made me more intentional about what I wanted my work life to look like.

And not having a mentor but instead becoming one, helped me realize I didn’t want to work for anybody EVER again.

I started out in corporate hospitality and working with catering management, so foodie likes is up my alley. And then I went into other office management fields.

blueberry dutch baby pancakes. — Dutch baby pancake recipe below. 👇

But I had to take that windy journey in the corporate work world to confidently know that, and what I’m capable of…

And to also know that you can be excelling at your job that looks good on paper, but not be fulfilled.

Looking back, I realize those experiences made me the person I am today who’s resilient and not gonna settle for less than what the whole life has to best offer in every season (God willing!). No experience goes wasted.

And in my last corporate job, I had this whisper that could’ve been a billboard sign because it was that loud to me as by then I was used to following whispers that others often miss or ignore.

In my mind I heard, I would not get this time back. And from that point on a cascade of work problems followed where I knew I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The only way UP was OUT. And then I got my time freedom back. Once again I felt cage-free to pursue new opportunities.

And I know I’m not alone in how I feel here because even the conservative peers I’ve talked to in their mid-careers who left jobs prematurely before they thought they would, said they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders when they gave their notice.

Feeling good was a sign that a right decision was made. And every time I gave my notice, that’s how I felt.

But that satisfying feeling fades into now what? that gradually replaces excitement.

This is where people differ. Some would run from misery to insecurity and others would stick it out and stand firm for security.

And you know where you stand on that.

In the years I started in the workforce, workers didn’t leave jobs as they do for mental health and happiness reasons that are recognized these days.

Our younger workers today value health over stability and moving away from discomfort and into promising ideas and possibilities.

The workforce generations today have amped up the employers’ game where bosses can’t get away with the same toxic behavior or red tape antics they used to without a backlash or being caught on camera.

And I think that’s great that our society is moving away from that type of dysfunctional workplace.

So #1 is creating work freedom away from the wrong kind of bossing.

And #2 is freedom from stress or anxiety.

As someone who valued work-life balance in her 20s, I also believe reducing stress is underrated and needs more stressing these days.

Having lived through stressful work situations, I know enduring stress can be the cause of so many health problems and arising mystery ailments.

I think stress reduction is even more important than sleep because if you’re tired, your body crashes. With stress, it could go on quietly for years without visible detection and a remedy.

Our bodies do their best to try to daily whisper to us in headaches, our skin, and even our bathroom life. 🚽

But if we ignore the signs for too long, the wear-and-tears become loud. And in those anxious-filled stressful seasons, we aren’t running optimally as our self-care and immunity defenses go down.

Not to mention our creativity isn’t reachable.

…And creativity I believe is where our happiness is. It’s the passion we can control, that gives us freedom.

When we can birth new ideas or re-create old ones for new life, our body cells are happier and that radiates through our daily life, outlook, and how we feel about ourselves.

Don’t you beam from to ear-to-ear when you’ve contributed and acknowledged (or have been recognized by someone) that those new ideas came from you?

That uplifting feeling creates space for opportunity and opens doors for hope, more achievement, and possibilities that we all aspire to in our lives.

But most workers never get to that sweet spot.

I know I didn’t because of all the work constraints and limitations…

And the answer isn’t to quit your job necessarily. The answer is to add more playtime in the quality free time, doing the creative things that light you up and you’re passionate about. And maybe those activities become your next season.

A few hours could be an enjoyable weekend afternoon. And then let those happy feelings and memories carry you through the tough week ahead if that’s what you face.

And then look forward to the next free future playtime afternoon.

And if you find that you’re skipping off from work to do more of that, then maybe that’s a sign.

Because having been on both sides, I now know that not doing daily work that inspires you gets old.

The new could be: if today were your last day (not at work, but your LAST DAY), would you be happy?

…And if the answer is no, then coming up with a plan to do more of those passionate things or to discover more of what you want to do is going to help get you to your happiest place.

Explore creativity and develop your gifts, talents, and abilities. Remember, you won’t get this time back. And this season will end.

Not all plans come to fruition, but you’ll never know something better or your highest achieving potential self if you don’t try.

Take some risks and do projects that you want to do more of or explore to see what you like at both work and in your personal time.

With a more enriched life, you can dream new and better dreams and start heading in the new re-routed direction that becomes your NEW LIFE.

And eventually, if you keep pacing slowly, inching toward what you figure out you like, you’ll be doing more of what you want and not what was old in the past.

Like a butterfly that struggles to get out of the chrysalis, the creatures that we are, in determination successfully make it out.

Believe that in yourself.

That’s so liberating! 🦋

In the humble beginnings, like most, you pay the price of being inexperienced, and then the price is paid and life gets better with experiences.

And Life is unlimited. And you see it as abundant.

And once you get a taste of the potential and the genie is let out of the bottle, you know you’ll never go back to the old, lesser ways.

OK, and finally…

# 3. Mind freedom is another freedom worth gaining when you have work freedom. It’s another one that slips under the radar (and can cause stress).

But, with mind awareness, we know we can change our happiness from the inside out.

For whatever life and work freedom you’re yearning for most, mind freedom is something to create space for in yourself first to be successful.

It grows when you make mindset shifts from old ways, beliefs, and attitudes, and rewrite daily thoughts and doubts.

Because so easily, what is within our potential reach can easily fade if the mind isn’t daily reset, in-check, and our motivations (our why) isn’t prioritized.

So often our busy situations and demanding lives can get in the way and make us tired and lazy. And that’s how we get stuck while our clocks keep running.

So having your why and what defines your work freedom can keep you moving toward your north star. 🧭

And keep you from going back to the old thinking ways that are meant to stay in the past that got you to where you are today.

Keep pressing forward in your life and let that forward motion become your guide in life to greater freedom and happiness.

…That includes a passionate, purposeful life of creativity if you want that, where you get to express your human you-niqueness and contributions where work is joy.

Crispy Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancakes

Course Breakfast

Cuisine dutch

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk of choice
1 pinch of salt
1-2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup blueberries
blueberry juice (for glaze)

Instructions

Blend the ingredients (except the butter). You can use a Magic Bullet that makes smoothie drinks if you have one.
Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Coat the pan with butter and pour in batter.
Bake in oven at 350°F/180°C until the pancakes are crispy.
For syrup: add maple syrup and a little blueberry juice to make a jammy blueberry syrup. Zhugh with blueberries.

Notes

I find frozen wild blueberries work very well for this recipes and other breakfast-y pancakes. They are uniform in size and give the right amount of juice.

Happiness Is a Journey Today

Happiness is empowered. And it’s a journey…

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. – Alfred D. Souza

Happiness can start with whole wheat beignets. — Dreamy healthy baked whole wheat beignets. ☁️ Recipe below.

On this Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), I’m remembering my past visit to New Orleans around Mardi Gras celebrations. And these days I’m celebrating how I live life so differently. And in one big way, is how I view happiness. You too?

And one smaller way is how I eat and bake healthy… as proof, here are some healthy whole wheat beignets with a light dusting of powdered sugar compared to those heavy-handed sugar days.

But since those trying earlier years, I’ve come to know that happiness comes from a different deeper lens in the thoughts today. And happiness is in your ability to control, changing arising and spinning dysfunctional ego mind thoughts from the past.

In the daily moments, happiness is searching for and magnifying past happy experiences. For me, that’s recalling birthday parties and cakes. And I have even more photos as evidence (but I’ll spare you those this time). 😉

And the happy, good memories are not usually what the mind actually serve up in the messy thoughts that a busy day can bring. That’s anything but happiness. So for happiness, it’s good to be mindful of these specific thoughts:

Past thoughts. Consciously be aware of re-framing the bad memories and negative repeated tapes that interruptingly come up in the day. And these thoughts crowd out the happy ones. So it’s often necessary to rewrite your present thoughts of the past so you can keep them in the past…

Because your today’s happiness depends on that…

And your happiness depends on what version of thoughts you want to magnify today.

The mind often likes to serve up what we didn’t get that others got. And in those past dysfunctional areas dwelling in the present, keeps us playing small in our lives. Even decades later.

Like, I remember a few daily childhood situations where I wasn’t put first by others. Because that’s what the brain does in the present moment. The brain doesn’t pull up memories like all the years of having celebrational cake for birthdays and throwing fun birthday parties.

So to better get out of that fast (think fast!), we can either think of better past memories. Or we can focus on the present… And in this moment…well, I’m writing but you’re doing what you’re doing. So having a good standby conscious thought ready to replace the bad thoughts is what you want.

And that’s why as a reminder, gratitude is so important. Because you can always be thankful and replace negative thoughts with appreciation, and that can be the maze out of the fuzzy mind on any given day.

Or putting love on yourself: “I am loved.” That’s a post-it note worth keeping around! 💌

Remember to focus on what helps you out completely, not what soothes the same hurts time and time again like a band-aid.

Heal the hurt and then rewrite what is served up. Healing is found in the re-write thoughts and not the re-living of the same past storyline that happened many decades ago. You already suffered once from the situation, which was more than enough.

And today, it’s not physically hurting you unless you allow your thoughts to keep going there in the same way.

Present thoughts. In this moment and today, you can apply wisdom knowing what’s up vs. what’s down (right or wrong as best you know). And every day there’s an opportunity for wrong to creep in.

So it’s good to be objective. See the what-is truth behind your thoughts and operate from that perspective… Not what it could be or what you think it could be. And you’re NOT the bad person for saying “no!” Think the opposite. You’re the foolish person saying “yes” to something you don’t agree with out of guilt or feeling selfish. The ego brain loves that beating up yourself-stuff.

And always saying yes or letting guilty feelings take over are costing happiness, unproductive time, and emotional energy.

If you think you’re being selfish, that’s all twisted information anyway because when you’re *really* acting selfish, you don’t give another thought to it!

And there are other areas that go under the radar where we did act selfish without us having a conscience. So then we know our brains aren’t always helping us!

…So don’t buy into every thought you have.

…Stop the madness! Go with your gut-feeling thoughts and check in with your heart that guides in whispers. Is what you’re thinking and feeling, loving? … and to you?

And that again takes knowing what your right and wrongs are, so you do have to noodle them out some.

Sometimes noodling takes up mind space or sleep, but they’re worth the short time because you don’t want to be caught deer in the headlights without knowing your thoughts and how to respond in certain life situations. So you save time in the long-run.

You do want your boundaries honored, especially with others.

Others will try to cross over your boundaries. And don’t let that bother you. We’re all imperfect (and some of us try more than others). All you can count on is yourself.

For others who cause ripples, love the person but hate the action that they’re responsible for. And give tougher love more often when needed. If someone in your daily life today is not carrying their weight or responsibility, then let their actions catch up with their words.

And more importantly, don’t be part of their actions and antics. That would just be okay-ing their dysfunctions and now yours. 🤨

And for the future thoughts… Uncertainty is certain for everyone, so be happy today.

Worry is optional. Use worry to prepare and write out potential answers and solutions. Noodle out. And then forget about it.

Other than that, worry produces nothing.

And anxiety is the same. …I get it. I’m a Vata. The anxious symptoms are not something you can control the onset of. And you try to manage best each time in life’s sticky situations and triggers. But use those opportunities to rewrite how you handle your anxious symptoms.

We first developed anxiety and panic in our childhood pasts where we first felt anxieties about out of our control situations (like 90% of the time). And if not careful they become wound thoughts.

And if you’re primarily a Pitta, you’re not off the hook either 😊…maybe you deal with anger issues still; and Kaphas, hang onto clinging issues.

And since we have earth, wind, and fire in us (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), we can express any of those counterproductive ways at any time.

So don’t let your ego think you have it better or worse than anyone else. Rewrite those “better than others” thoughts as practice. That’s another sour ego mind trick.

Our happiness is in our wisdom (and maybe knowledge applied from above). It’s in what we do today in our thoughts and redesign how we want to think and be.

And if you want to operate in more daily wisdom, I can’t think of a better source than seeking Biblical wisdom (like that in Psalms/Proverbs and in the New Testament). If you weren’t taught along the way like so many of us, you have this resource that is reliable and relevant.

And even better, develop the fruits of the spirit that include kindness, goodness, patience, self-control, peace, joy, and love. And love yourself first. That could be your guiding mantra this week 💚💛💜

Did you know you could listen to these snack blog posts in usually under 10 minutes?

Easy Healthy Baked Beignets

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, new orleans

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

whole wheat flour
milk of choice
neutral oil
instant yeast
pinch of salt
powdered sugar

Instructions

Mix ingredients.
Form baking dough (more like bread than cake)
Bake until golden to deep brown.
Let cool and dust a little powdered sugar on tops.