Veggies

Veggies

 

Hello friends!!! 

I want to know what is your favorite veggie and why?

 

Do you have a special recipe you can put together in 5 minutes with your favorite veggie?

 

Are you growing veggies this summer?

 

Share with us! 

 



Meal Plan 2

~ Meal Plan 2 ~

 

You all know that this savvy mom here loves to plan a meal on the go.  During a recent trip I wondered what would be best to eat our home healthy meal and get on the road later on... traffic would likely to be bad later on... or get on the road, eat on the way, chances are we weren't going to find a place that would fully suit our desire to eat a healthy meal but we would be traffic... hum (think, think, think)... when it came to me I could do both!  So I made my regular dinner and packed it to go!!! GENIUS !  I even packed forks, knives and napkins in a snack size ziplock bag.  I brought a couple extra grocery bags to collect the trash...  It worked out great, which is why I want to share with you friends.  My first "Meal Plan" was such a success, I got so much positive feedback so I am only glad to this this one with you all.

 

Again, its all about family time, making good healthy choices, creating good habits and being good examples to our children. 

 

Please feel free to comment, share, ask questions.  I am always happy to hear from you.

Happy Healthy Eating!!

Ribas with Love

Going back home

I am going back home...

Dear friends, if you were born outside of your current country and you have a trip planned to go back to the place you once called "home" you are well aware of the "pros and cons" of this situation.  I have lived thru this many times and I can never figure out why I get so anxious, so stressed almost to the point where it is not enjoyable to go back (I said almost, didn't I?).  Off course there is a lot of good stuff to look forward to like seeing your family and friends, revisiting your home, schools, etc... but that sick feeling that sits in your gut doesn't seem to want to go away.

I wanted to share this information because I thought I was the only one dealing with this storm in my head until I started talking to friends about it.  I am opening a discussion for this subject ... so feel free to comment on it, ask questions, give us ideas... but most important I want to let you know that you are NOT THE ONLY ONE feeling this way!

What can you do to help yourself?  For me having a specific plan of where I am staying, the things that I want to do, how am I getting around, etc... helps me a lot because we have a certain amount of independence in our current home country and when we loose that sense of independence we can definitely feel anxious.  We have our routines, we know where to go.  We can almost know exactly what to expect from any given day and for most of us that kind of gives us a sense of control and therefore we can "breath".   I also try to remind myself (and since I have done this before) that everything will work out so enjoy the opportunity and the great experience that you are having.   Another trick I do that works for me and I hope it will work for you is to bring a few items that will, even for a second, give you a sense of "home".  Examples are: your favorite tea, that you drink every morning... keep the routine while you are away as much as possible.  The smell of the tea will instantly give you that familiar feel and it makes you feel calm.  Your favorite soap, again the smell of it will bring you a sense of home, familiarity.   A couple snacks you look forward to eating after a long day at home.  Be creative! we are all different so the trick is to find what will give YOU a sense of home.

Please feel free to share some ideas and experiences with us. 

Happy Travel!!!

Ribas with Love

Earth Day

 

~ Happy Earth Day ~

If you change the way you live, you will have better health and be happier.  If your household change the way they live, they will live in harmony and be happier.  If your neighborhood change the way they live, it will create a great environment and people will be happier.  If a whole town change to way they live and work together, they will be a great happy and healthy community.  If the world change the way they live, starting with each one of us, we will not see all the misery and suffering, the hate, the hunger, the anger, the violence, selfishness to name a few.. that we see today. 

Can we run free?

  The other day a good friend of mine asked me; why do you blog? do you think people care? I know it sounded a bit "rude" but I didn't take it that way.  It was a true curiosity of his part since he has known me for years and only recently I started blogging and launched my facebook web page "Ribaswithlove".   After the horrifying explosions at the Boston Marathon for which I along with family and friends were spectators in the Metrowest area I decided to share with you the very reason why I blog!  It is during times like these that ~ the picture becomes clear ~ when you know exactly what matters and what doesn't.  On my very first blog post called "Introduction" I used a beautiful quote from Mother Teresa (I will remind you) "You can do no great things only small things with great love".  This quote answer all questions but I will take you a little further into what this means to me.  I believe the world needs one thing and one thing only.  ~ LOVE ~  Love is the absolute key to save us all from days like yesterday.  If you practice the love that GOD has given us you will be the caring neighbor, the cheerful mother, the giving human, the supporting wife, the friendly driver, the devoting member of our community of our people and our country.  Because LOVE includes all good!  I can't save the world but I CAN HELP BY DOING MY PART!  Even if my part is sharing good thoughts, sharing love, sharing laughs and ideas and helping people feel better because it starts inside of us.  We can't give what we don't have.  If you don't have love and respect for yourself, if you are not taking care of yourself and living a balanced life. You can't give love and respect either.    Start by accepting who you are and loving yourself just the way you are!!  When you are comfortable and ready start showing love for the people around you and as you practice more and more expand your bubble :) I am still learning a lot about being a loving person, by that I mean giving love without expecting anything in return.  Because unfortunately we do set expectations to our relationships that a lot of times aren't met therefore our disappointments and so on..  But how about just giving love ~ if anything it makes you feel good right?    Although the events that took place in our community yesterday were horrifying the LOVE that our community has shown is tremendously touching.  Through support, through prayers, it all translates into LOVE. 

 

May GOD continue to look after the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon explosions.  And let there be healing for the souls of those who caused such tragedy.  We all come and go from and to the same place.  We aren't all loved.  Love changes people.  Love melts all bad and evil.

 

GOD BLESS BOSTON!!

I am proud to be part of you.

 

Ribas with love ~ 

Meal Plan ~

It is important to start your day with a meal plan.  It will save you time and you are less likely to eat junk food.  Make it a part of your morning routine, after a while not only it will become an easy task and your body will THANK YOU!!!  You are what you eat, if you make good healthy choices you will feel better and you will have energy throughout the day.  I know for me it felt like I was always dragging UNTIL I decided to change the way I live!!  YOU CAN TOO!!    For me it is really important to sit down with my family for at least 15 minutes in the morning and have a healthy breakfast, give each other the support and love to start on our daily activities with positive energy.  These items (shown in the pictures) does not include my breakfast or my dinner.  Blueberries, strawberries, dates and kale smoothie, coconut water, probiotic and green tea (along with lots of water ) to keep me hydrated throughout the day.  Egg sandwich for the mid morning hunger .. it always happens doesn't it?? :)  Tuna sandwich and a big beautiful green salad for lunch.  Veggie chips and banana to snack on in between my meal.   So as you see it is very easy to plan you meal and so good for you.  Your body will thank you and send that lovely message to your brain saying: I AM HAPPY!!    Also in addition to eating healthy you will need to exercise.  I confess I don't like going to the gym :( but I do make sure to exercise at home, run or walk outside and follow my yoga videos as often as I can. 

~ Love, hugs and healthy eating ~

Ribas with love

Just be yourself ~

 

 

 Sometimes you try so hard to be a certain way that you end up loosing your own identity.  If a balanced mind is a happy mind than you should allow yourself to have times of doubt, times of fear, times where you question your path for we are continuously learning during our journey of life.   Be thankful for the struggles and even the people that hurt you, believe it or not they are helping you heal your soul therefore they are doing you a favor :)  GOD is always watching us and HE never leave us alone.  HE knows our path even before we got here and HE loves us just they way we are.  We are asked to be loving and kind not to be perfect so allow yourself to question, to get down sometimes, to be fearful at times and remember that is during these times that you can grow spiritually and be a better and stronger person.  Open your mind, meditate, silence your thoughts and ask GOD to guide you.   Your beautiful soul will work its magic and bring back the smile on to your face before you know it.  Understand that nothing is definite. We are limited to what we can see ahead of us so TRUST that there is something bigger guiding us and watching us. Trust your gut too, its the voice of your higher self, your soul speaking to you. There is history and reasons behind what your gut tells you often times hidden behind your unconscious memory and most important JUST BE YOURSELF ~

peace, love and soul healing to all of you,

Ribas with love