This Summer You Must Try Homemade Sea Moss + Fruit Popsicles!

Freshly made Sea Moss gel

Sea Moss is the latest “trendy’ mucilaginous food to have social media in a frenzy.  Other well known mucilaginous foods are okra, aloe, fenugreek seeds, and flax seeds. Although, it was recently made popular by the late great Dr Sebi. Sea Moss has actually been used for years in the Caribbean islands and along Atlantic and Ireland coastlines. It is known to contain 92 of the 102 important minerals the body needs. The other 10 minerals can be acquired by adding burdock root.

Sea Moss has a wide range of benefits to support optimal health. Some of the more popular benefits are:

1. Boosts Energy
2. Aids in immune and digestive health
3. May improve fertility
4. Rids the body of excess mucus
5. Supports healthy iron levels
6. Improves recovery time post surgery
7. Antibacterial/Antimicrobial
8. Promotes collagen production
9. Protects from radiation

As always, it’s best to do your own research. I have personally been making my own sea moss gel for at least the last year. I use it on my skin as a face mask to help with firmness and brightness and I also use it as an addition to smoothies and soups to make it thicker and of course more nutritious.

To Make Sea Moss Gel:

1. Wash 6oz of authentic fresh sea moss thoroughly, preferably with distilled/alkaline water to get rid of impurities
2. Soak overnight with lemon or lime slices
3. Place in blender with 32 oz of distilled/alkaline water preferably
4. Blend until smooth and add to mason jar
5. Place in refrigerator overnight and it will turn into a jelly like substance
6. Now add to smoothies, soups, or POPSICLES

We made more than 6oz of sea moss because we needed enough for popsicles, face masks, hair masks and of course the regular addition to meals/smoothies

With COVID-19 in full effect, I am doing my best to keep the whole family healthy. Be sure to check out my recent blog post on an immune boosting recipe for Fire Cider. As a nurse and a mom, I am always thinking of creative ways to get nutrients into my children who have a very low food preference range, especially my Ava.

What I know for sure is my children love fruit—all kinds of fruit. But, what do they love even more than fruit? Fruity popsicles! So,  with the hot and humid weather down here in Florida, I thought sea moss would be a great addition to popsicles! Plus, for those parents who have a difficult time getting their child to tolerate the consistency of the sea moss gel, I found that adding it to a frozen popsicle is pretty much impossible to detect.

How to Make Seamoss + Fruit Popsicles:

1. Choose your fruits: We chose mangoes, pineapple, blueberries, kiwi. Fresh fruit is always BEST, but if you only have frozen use what you have.
2. We had 6 popsicle molds so I placed about a cup of each fruit into separate bowls to create layers for the popsicles.
3. Add each bowl of fruit separately to the blender, adding a spoonful of sea moss each time (No sugar or water added but if you MUST have sugar added its best to add fresh Dates or date syrup)
4. After each fruit is blended, add to popsicle molds creating layers with the different fruits.
5. We placed ours in the freezer for 6 hours and upon removal we rinsed the molds under warm water for 20 seconds.
6. ENJOY!

Watch the full Sea Moss + Fruit Popsicle demonstration video on Youtube and then try it for yourself! I promise that you will be surprised by the results!

Check Out Our Demonstration Video For How To Make This Delicious Dessert!

The Popsicles Turned Out Great & The Kids Didn’t Even Detect The Taste Of The Sea Moss Gel

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Homemade Fire Cider – Immune Boosting Recipe

How to make Fire Cider – An immune friendly herbal health drink with key ingredients such as fresh herbs, peppers and citrus fruits to support your immune health.

I first heard about Fire Cider about 2 years ago, and if I’m being honest, I never tried the recipe because it looked like “too much work”. In order for the fire cider to reach its greatest potential it should be fermented and infused for about 4 weeks and I just did not want to wait. However, with Quarantine in full effect since March, I’ve had nothing but time and opportunity to finally try this “homeopathic recipe”.

This drink is known as an herbal vinegar which has been around for centuries. Our ancestors have used herbs and natural foods as a source of healing throughout the ages but the actual phrase “Fire Cider” was first coined by an herbalist, Rosemary Gladstar in the late 1970’s. Many variations have been created since then and this recipe I’m sharing now is my own version I’ve created and I am hopeful you will enjoy it’s healing properties.

Now, at first glance this blend of ingredients may sound intimidating and quite distasteful. The strong and potent smell of horseradish root, jalapeño pepper, onion and garlic will surely clear up any looming sinus issues. If you love a spicy and tangy flavor then this is just right for you. But, if your palate is more reserved for the sweeter side, then once the citrus and raw honey is added it will allow this drink to become more palatable and actually quite enjoyable.

 

In my opinion, its best served warm. I give my children a teaspoon every morning followed by orange juice and I suggest about a tablespoon for adults. I also add this concoction to homemade soups and I even blend it with my egg mixture for my fried green tomatoes to give them an extra kick.

I’ve read some articles where some people prefer to replace vinegar with Fire Cider in their salad dressing but I personally haven’t tried that yet and I also heard its great as a hangover cure.

Aside from the variety of flavors this immune boosting drink provides it also offers tons of health benefits:

1. Horesradish Root known to be effective against the flu and many other upper respiratory conditions more commonly relieving sinus congestion and headaches
2. Ginger relieves respiratory disorders, cough, digestion and nausea
3. Garlic superfood known to build the immune system as it can be antibacterial and antiviral
4. Jalepeno peppers are an antioxidant rich in Vitamins A & C
5. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar washes toxins from the body and are a good source of Vitamin C
6. Aloe Vera is a soothing herb that slows inflammatory response and purifies the body
7. Onions are an anti-inflammatory agent which is critical in alleviatiating cold symptoms
8. Raw Honey anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and rich in antioxidants
9. Turmeric highly anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and has anti-cancer benefits
10. Oranges and Lemons Greatly packed with Vitamin C treating colds/flu

**I prefer to use Aloe Vera Leaf but if it’s too much work feel free to use 1 cup of store bought Aloe Vera juice

My family has been using this herbal remedy since mid March and as a Registered Nurse, I have been in several hospitals with COVID positive patients and so far I am still healthy…THANK GOD!

My son also has really bad allergy flare ups and since introducing this drink to his daily supplement routine we have not been relying on his Zyrtec as much as we used to!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you plan to try it or have tried it please leave me a comment and let me know your results.

                                           

My Testimony: From Divorced To A Restored Marriage

 

“Pride kills relationships before they can bear the fruit of their purpose”

 

If it’s one thing 2019 taught me, it was to absolutely, positively, Never Say Never. I spent most of 2018 and the early part of 2019 telling myself that I was not interested in another serious relationship after the divorce. I constantly said, “I don’t want that responsibility”, “I don’t want to have to care about anyone else’s feelings or opinions”. I mean I was seriously dragging this whole self care thing to the extreme. During this time, I had a lot of fun and I learned a lot by myself but I also made some mistakes in addition to some intentional bad choices. It was as if I was self sabotaging under the pretense of self love. Towards the end of 2018, I began to meet with a therapist and every session I found myself saying this same mantra: “I just don’t want that pressure”. Unbeknownst to me, my proclamations were nothing more than me avoiding a lifelong problem: POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

 

Throughout my life, I’ve avoided the mastery of positive self expression. I constantly struggled to reveal my true feelings, thoughts and emotions in every relationship: friends, family and romantically. In a joking manner, I always say I don’t argue because I’m either going to swing or disappear. Although, it’s not a joke. I truly suffered from a serious problem that prohibited any true growth or healing in many relationships. I still have a lot of the same friends from childhood but there has been less than a handful of friendships plus countless romantic relationships that have ended all because I simply had no desire to communicate. This could have been due to pride, fear, lack of vulnerability, not meant to be or just plain ignorance but at the sign of any shady, weird, or gray behavior (I’m a black or white type of girl) I would completely shut down. I never tried to figure out why, or how I could make it better, or if it’s even accurate. Unfortunately, I carried this same mentality into my marriage and he was the same way hence the demise of our relationship.

 

For a little over a year I had no communication w/ my ex husband outside of schedule arrangements. He had moved on with his personal life and I did too. It wasn’t until we finally reached a point where we were able to sit down and actually have a conversation that we realized we both needed to face our mess and ultimately resolve our deficiency in the communication department. Over the next few months, we uncovered and revealed everything which made space for each of us to effectively share our perspectives. After everything we’ve experienced, I never in a million years imagined that we would reach the point where we would or could even consider remarriage. After all, I was finally at peace with what I assumed to be my fate and to be honest it took a lot of convincing for me to consider the possibility. I was so resistant and hesitant at first and with GOOD reason. Nevertheless, God had other plans in mind. I am a believer in Christ and throughout my life I’ve read the New Testament describing many miracles of restoration. I mean, I even wrote about my experience with preparing for restoration here. So, I know first hand of what God can do when it comes to making dead and forgotten things come to life. However, I didn’t have the foresight to believe it could happen to me. We live in such a prominent cancel culture, willing to cancel and dismiss any and everything at any sign of fault, error and mistake that I didn’t realize our marriage could be one of Christ’s many miracles.

 

Almost three years ago God gave me the vision to move to Tampa, FL with my family in which I shared our story here and we almost let God’s plan and our entire purpose go unfulfilled. I am here to assure you and reassure myself that we’ve failed so many tests on our journey, we attempted to do things our own way and even settled for mediocre when we were destined for greater. What felt like and even appeared to be progress externally was nothing but a sinking hole internally unable to be made whole until we committed to accomplish what we were destined to achieve. This journey was much needed. We both needed time apart to voyage out on our own self discovery and commit to self work free of dependence. Our decision to fulfill the dream God gave us years ago will change the trajectory of our future and significantly impact the legacy designed for our children’s children. This time we’re choosing to do it again and not stop until God tells us “Well Done”.

 

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5 Ways I Conquered My Transition Year

Its been a year since I published my last post and as I sit here reflecting on the peaks and valleys of 2018, I can’t help but to sit in complete awe and gratitude. What the enemy intended for evil, God truly used for good. Towards the end of 2017, I was battling with myself and this idea of Rest; I wrote about surrendering and waiting in my last two posts: you can check them out here and here. I struggled immensely with stewing in the land of the unknown. The idea of not being in control ate at me like an incurable skin infection. When I didn’t know my next move I felt on edge. Not to mention, my intuition about my “marriage” (full of poorly disguised repetitive behaviors) was as accurate as a dart in the center of the dart board. I felt pressured. Not like the pressure we feel when there is a deadline for an important project due. No! I felt pressured as if I was physically being pressed down by the weight of my current circumstances mounted with the fears of my undiscovered purpose. The more I fought to succumb to stillness the more I began to feel constricted and minimized. What was supposed to be my resting period felt like pure torture. I felt isolated and in times of isolation we can let the enemy tell us how things are going to play out or we could fight back and tell the enemy how God is going to work things out for us. The paradox of that dreary moment in my life was–rest does not always equate to leisure. For me, at that time, my rest was for shredding and mere strength building.

I was enduring numerous trials that I will not specify for the sake of avoiding oversharing and any pity parties. However, I will acknowledge that particular period of full out war– internally and externally allowed for my strength to be renewed like never before. I went onto the battlefield as I knew my days of rest were over and it was time to take action. I fasted from social media, meat and processed foods several days a week & this included making a lot of meals and baked goods from scratch. I learned about some family history on ancestry.com and I learned that my great great great great great grandfather served in the Revolutionary War. I listened to motivational podcasts and read through The Old Testament of the Bible. Naturally, I thought to myself, Welp I’m doing all of these great things to improve myself my life is definitely going to turn around for the better soon. I’d like to insert some exciting news here but it was the second week of February when the decision was made to finally divorce. Some people would lose faith and even question the authenticity of God’s love, like, how could God put me in such a terrible predicament when I’m doing the work to be a “better person”. Honestly, I was relieved. I finally had an answer for why I needed rest and why God specifically told me to move away from my comfort zone. God needed me isolated so I can solely depend on him to reveal just how great he is at restoration.

Due to my circumstance many people expected me to be sad, angry and hurt. So many people were hesitant to speak to me and it seemed as if others were eagerly anticipating me to cry while some set back and just watched my every move to see when I would break. However, while I was on the battlefield, I was reminded that the most precious things on earth–new life, olive oil and diamonds also derive from extreme labor and compression. I signed the divorce papers with a smile and without hesitation in March. Immediately after signing, the transition into my season of receiving everything God prepared for me while I rested seemed to flow effortlessly. The way life began to unfold for me could have only been hand crafted by God himself. My self improvement, my new relationships, and my new lifestyle were all apart of God’s divine plan. I don’t receive a penny in any financial support but God made a way for me to provide every need and every want for myself & children. I’ve also been extremely blessed to have my amazing family fly down to step in and help with my children. What initially appeared to be life going in reverse eventually evolved into a year catapulted at lightening speed ahead. Check out the top 5 ways I made it through what some would perceive as a difficult year:

1. I  did a personal inventory. I asked myself the hard questions. I challenged myself to rid my mind of old thinking patterns. I read more books this year and not only did I read the books I actually incorporated my readings into my daily routine. One of the books that helped me the most was “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. This book allowed me to assume less and view life from a different perspective. I slowly found myself typing less paragraphs and more “ok” texts. Since I was no longer taking other’s choices personally I was harboring fewer ill feelings and therefore bitterness and resentment had limited room for growth. I am still not perfect in this area but I am much better than I was before so for that small accomplishment I raise a glass!
2. I let it go. Literally, everything that I was holding on to I let go. I let go of my ideas of how things should be, I let go of the weight of other people’s opinions, I let go of my ego, I let go of the need to always prove myself, I let go of old memories. Although, I bought most of the things in my old apartment I wanted nothing to do with anything that reminded me of my past. I bought everything brand new and moved into a newly built home that has a pond in the backyard with palm trees and resort style pool in a beautiful neighborhood! If you know me then you know at this very time 2 years ago I was house hunting in Buffalo, NY and I wasn’t able to find anything I loved which essentially led to me relocating down to Tampa, Fl June 2017 (Further proof that delayed doesn’t mean denied).
3. I amped up the fun! I started doing fun activities at home such as dance parties, painting on the lanai with the kids or taking daily walks to our neighborhood playground. I signed up for events in my local community and received updates weekly via email. I took my children to Disney 3 times this year. I also took them on a road trip to Atlanta and to Buffalo via plane twice by myself. Thank God they’re good travelers! I needed some adult fun as well, so thanks to my good friends and family, I went to dinner often, 3 concerts (The Carters, Chris Brown and Bas), I went to two comedy shows, the movies regularly, Karaoke, Paint Night, Bowling, Trap Music Museum, Paintball, and enjoyed nights out on the town.
4. I made self care apart of my lifestyle I never practiced self care prior to this year, but now that I make a conscious effort to care for myself, I am much more relaxed and genuinely happy. Too often we give to everyone else first and we’re left feeling depleted. Now, I give to myself first even if its as simple as me taking off from work twice a month to practice mindfulness or driving in silence to navigate my emotions. Before this year, I wouldn’t pay for anything I could do myself. Now my time is more important to me than money spent so I set up a self care spending account where I auto deposit money each pay period to pay for convenience such as routine hair, facial and pedicure appts or anything else I want to do for myself. I say no and mean no and I am doing better with communicating my concerns and  desires instead of holding them in. I value my peace and I don’t entertain anything long enough for it to cause discontentment in my heart. I go to yoga classes and make fresh vegetable and fruit smoothies. I bask in himalayan salt and essential oil infused baths and I’ve also converted to using natural home cleaning products. Health is Wealth.
5. I sought God and not man. I never made a statement regarding all of the transitions I endured this year. I could’ve called old friends and some family members to tell my side of the story but truth be told, I was so happy to be free I didn’t care if people knew the truth or believed a lie. I knew I matured in the spirit because the old me would’ve been quick to prove the facts with screenshots and audio recordings but this time around, I wasn’t eager to seek worldly validation. The only advice I wanted to seek was God’s alone. I felt more connected to God this year as I held onto his unchanging hand, trusting him to provide provision, guidance and strength. My invitation for God to invade my life has allowed me to end this broken year completely whole.

So for any woman or man who’s year started off dark, crazy, wild, terrible or whatever you want to call it–don’t give up on the whole year. You don’t have to wait until the next year to conquer your transition out of your comfort zone.  Instead, give your year, really your daily life to God and he will surely turn it around for his good every time and trade you beauty for your ashes 💞

 

Get Snatched: Understanding the latest obsession from postpartum moms

It’s my first month back to work after a three-month maternity leave, and I am constantly greeted with, “Oh wow, You look great.” Yes it’s a compliment I guess, but what if I didn’t look great … then what? And why is that the first thing that comes to mind?

I was blessed to have a healthy pregnancy with a safe natural delivery. I was even fortunate enough to have avoided the dreaded stretch marks and cellulite. But, the low-key obsession with pregnancy and weight loss was still a problem for me.

Although, I am at my “goal weight,” I am nowhere near my pre-baby flat stomach. I still feel as if I have a few inches I should lose. Gaining 35 pounds over nine months and only losing 20 pounds so far, it is a daily struggle as I have a mini presidential debate with my thoughts on whether I should indulge in my favorite Talenti ice cream or if I should eat an apple or two.

I make a conscious effort to not pout when my 2-year-old slaps the flat on my stomach and giggles, but instead appreciate the moments when my husband lovingly stares at me and tells me I “look beautiful” and my body is “perfect.”

I have not focused on dieting or exercising for the last three months or even while I was pregnant. In fact, I did the complete opposite; I ate takeout a majority of my pregnancy and scarfed down whatever was available post-delivery. Plus, I am breastfeeding, so nursing mothers need double the calories.

I attempted to enjoy my pregnancy and FMLA of 12 weeks by simply doing nothing besides adjusting to my new role as a mommy of two under 2. But, it wasn’t until I was up late at night breastfeeding and scrolling my timeline full of socialites who have snapped back faster than the average person, when I realized this has become a scary obsession.

It seems as if right after delivery so many social media celebrities are posting pictures eating a colorful salad, sipping detox tea in workout gear exposing the infamous “stomach selfie.” Why does the primary objective post delivery seem to be who can bounce back to pre pregnancy weight the fastest? In reality, the goals should be who got to sleep three hours in a row? Who didn’t soak through their pad and destroy their panties? Or who didn’t spill a whole bottle of pumped milk today and get peed on at the same time?

When I was younger, I remember new moms wearing frumpy clothing for at least the first two to three months after giving birth, but now Millennial women are in lace and spandex within weeks. Many women aren’t even giving their bodies enough time to heal before they’re racing to a gym, disregarding the doctors six-week orders.

We should be spending those first few months smiling with gratitude as we bathe our little ones, holding and nurturing them during every crying episode, singing off key lullabies as we rock them to sleep. Let’s not lose sight of the beautiful accomplishment of bringing life into the world. We should simply be enjoying the moments with our infants who will soon be crawling and destroying our house within a blink of an eye.

Yes that A, B or C list celebrity may have lost their pregnancy weight super fast, but she also may have a team to watch the baby at the gym while she works out. Who knows? But for those without that luxury, remove the comparisons. Focus on your growing baby, eat healthy without starving, don’t touch your gym bag without medical clearance and forget about adorning the snatched crown until YOU actually FEEL ready.  Click here to see article feature on Elite Daily.

Why I let my deceased friends and family rest in peace…literally.

One thing that is guaranteed on the day that we’re born is the day that we’ll die. I guess this philosophy is the reason why I’ve always accepted the devastating news of death. I definitely feel sorrow for loved ones left behind to mourn but I almost never shed a tear and yell out “Why God?”for the dearly departed.

Over the years, I have lost grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, multiple friends and associates. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties when I experienced my first premonition. I was on the phone with a friend when it felt like my heart literally dropped. I paused mid conversation and said “Something bad happened”. I couldn’t describe my feelings I just knew I felt a loss. Later that day I found out a former classmate of my sister’s passed away and within a few days a high school friend of mine was also laid to rest.

Years have passed before I felt that feeling again in 2013. The indescribable haunts me in the middle of the night. It causes me to toss and turn with my mind racing wondering who’s next as I feel my heart dropping yet again. Only to find out it’s another friend, then an uncle and later a former co worker. The death of someone dear to me has always followed these intuitive gut wrenching & heart dropping experiences.

Since I was a child my family has followed a long standing tradition of avoiding all black at funerals. We usually wear bright colors and instead of focusing on the reason of death, we celebrate all of the good memories shared together by laughing while passing around old photo albums.

After every funeral, I peacefully say my goodbyes. I let their body lie and their soul fly. No I will not visit their gravesite every Sunday. No I will probably not celebrate the anniversary of their birth or death every year. No I will not hold onto their prized possessions. I rest assured knowing that they have roamed this earth for the allotted God given time and their death is simply their que to move on.

I understand that this logic is not as easy for some to digest. My ability to remove emotions from the fact that life must always have a beginning and end allows me to  love my deceased friends and family in life and death. Resting in peace should be observed literally and it should not just be a slogan phrase we use loosely when we don’t know what else to say at a time of loss. This idea alone leaves the fallen room to pass on to the next level gracefully as we cherish the good times in a flash instead of firmly holding on to what has already come to pass.