I’ve been making spanakopita for years. The crusty filo dough is the perfect delivery system for this Greek spinach and cheese mixture. You can also ditch the filo and warm up the spinach and cheese mixture into rolled zucchini strips, eggplant or use as a side dish to any meal. spanakopita
Ingredients
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 10oz package of chopped spinach
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped fine
1/2 sauteed onion in olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp dill
2 tbsp olive oil
1 package filo dough (found in frozen dessert section at your grocery store)
Directions
Mix all ingredients except the filo dough and the olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp of salt over mixture. Fold a filo dough sheet in half length wise. Put a couple tablespoons of the mixture at the top of the filo dough about 1.5 inches from the top. Fold the mixture in the filo dough into triangles as shown in the pictures above. Brush olive oil all over your filo triangle and put on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
An alternative would be to put filo dough at the bottom of a 8″x8″ square pan and at the top, brushing olive oil over each filo dough sheet. Bake for 40 minutes 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Need angel guidance or health & fitness advice? I do psychic readings and can help you. Check out my Reading page on the navigation bar above or click the link.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook. Stir in garlic in the hot oil until onion is just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts; cook and stir until sprouts are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cole slaw mix.
Mix in balsamic vinegar, butter, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder into Brussels sprouts and cabbage mixture. Stir until the sauce has covered the cabbage and brussel sprouts.
Dice and slice all ingredients except the spinach, hummus, and goat cheese. Place everything in a bowl, offering hummus on the side. Hummus is a great pairing with this dish as well as the referenced raspberry dressing above. Enjoy!
When I first started running back in 1995 I didn’t really know that there were a few things to watch out for so you didn’t hurt yourself. I hurt my knee when I was 16 and never really knew why until I picked it up again in recent years. For those trying to lose weight or become more fit, here are the few things I’ve learned over the years:
Stretch: Stretch before and after you run. Sit on the ground, tuck one leg under so your foot touches your other thigh and touch your toes on the leg that is outstretched (or try your best). Do this for the other side. Second, make a butterfly shape with your legs by touching your feet together and stretch your hands past your feet. Third, lift your leg behind you holding on to your ankle. Forth, stretch both legs out and touch your ankles or feet. Do each of these for at least 15 seconds.
Find the right shoe for you. Look at the bottom of your current shoes. Where is the wear, on the inside or outside of the shoe? I found out I was supinated, which is when you wear out the outside of your tennis shoes and I ended up having pain on the outside of my legs around the ankles and shins after I exercised. Once you figure out if you are pronated, neutral or supinated, get the right shoe for you so you’ll have less pain. This has helped me significantly whether I’m walking, using the elliptical or running.
Posture: Swing your arms front and back, not cross them in front of you. Keep your arms bent at a comfortable, loose L shape. Also, have loose shoulders so you don’t have shoulder pain. Keep your head up and level, not strained, looking out to the horizon so your don’t have neck pain. Great free video to illustrate this whole process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRkeBVMQSgg
Balance your weight: This might be difficult for those of you that dominate on one side of the body. I found my right side would hurt after running (hips, knee, shoulder and back). My right side would do much of the pulling and get most of the impact and this was happening automatically. My left side would feel perfectly fine and light as a cloud. Actively think about balancing the two sides, emphasizing the non-dominant side. Actively think that your non-dominant side has to pull its own weight.
Practice makes perfect, you might have to pay attention to your posture and balancing for a while before it becomes automatic. When you stretch and balance everything out you’ll experience less pain and actually have more endurance because your dominant side isn’t doing all the work anymore. My knee, back, shoulders, neck and hips don’t hurt anymore after running, so it is possible to correct for these common issues. Happy running!
Need more holistic weight loss advice? I’m a psychic medium, go to my readings page for more information and sign up for a reading with your archangels and guides.
1. Play! Actually I am quite serious. As an entrepreneur I have a lot of ideas. I can also work enough to the point where I hit a brick wall and I find that my mind goes in the circles. At that point I’ve lost the enthusiasm and the energy to move forward. I find that if I take just 30 minutes or more a day and schedule that time to actually play that it can help me recover significantly. Then I have more energy than when I started the day. I think we lost play when we were nudged by society or family to start to act like an adult, but I think it is something that shouldn’t be lost. I think it is many of my clients’ missing key to happiness! There are psychological articles that back this up as well. Playing actually helps wake up your system and gives you the energy and enthusiasm you need to keep going. It can also help with any thoughts in your head that may be slowing you down such as “life is work”, “life is not fun”, “I work all the time”, etc.
2. Affirmations.” I am enthusiastic about life and filled with energy and enthusiasm.” Say 3x out loud. Try other affirmations as well as doing a good chakra alignment and healing for yourself with the intention of increasing your energy and enthusiasm.
3. Visualize red and orange. The colors of the root and sacral chakras. By visualizing these colors often times you can get an energy boost and it may signal your spiritual healers to heal those areas for you as well. A good grounding can help clear any brain fog you may have when you use all of the four elements at the same time with the intention of grounding. Increased mental clarity can help you move forward in your day and feel better overall.
4. Exercise. Get the blood pumping. I found that a number of things that help circulation also help my mood. Also if you get some sun that’s going to help with vitamin D production which is also a mood booster.
5. Supplements. Make sure any supplements you take do not have adverse effects to any prescriptions by consulting your doctor first. I take a number of supplements to help me with energy and mood. Some of the ones that help with mood are 5-HTP, GABA, Acteyl L Carntine, L-Tyrosine, vitamin D, Maca root, Kava, omega 3 fatty acids and other brain boosting combinations. Some that are great for energy like B vitamins and Hawthorn Extract. Try one at a time and go from there. Ask your local vitamin store what is best for you or do some research online based on what you’ve noticed about yourself.
Other tips:
Update your Feng Shui. If you want to learn how, go to my more detailed blog here. Sometimes when the energy isn’t quite right in our home we will know it energetically through the feeling of energetic blocks. There can be multiple reasons why you feel fatigued, confused or blocked but if everything else is alright this is another option.
Do some empathic cleanup if you think you are clairsentient. Follow the link for my article on this.
Clean the energy of your home using sage and sweetgrass. My article on how to do this is here.
Use YouTube Videos around the home or near yourself to cleanse negative energy from the home and replace with positive energy. My YouTube Channel with a number of options is here.
Need a reading to discover other solutions and if something underneath is really bothering you? I do psychic mediumship readings most days of the week. You can schedule an appointment same day or in advance. Check out my readings page here.
The delicious combo of the sweet blueberries, creamy goat cheese and the roasted beet is a lively twist on the usual dinner salad. Add walnuts or chicken for more protein or keep it light by skipping the dressing!
Slice or cut your beets into quarters, brush with olive oil, salt and pepper on each side, and bake in oven at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes if in slices, or 40 minutes if in large quarters. My recommendation is to cut in 1/4 inch slices, roast for 20 minutes at 380 degrees and you’ll end up with crispy edges with a taste almost like a potato chip. Prepare red onion, avocado, blueberries and toss with spinach. Once the beets are ready toss them in the salad, salt and pepper to taste and dress with desired dressing. My homemade caesar dressing can be found here. Easy and delicious! beet salad beet salad
I’ve been making spanakopita for years. The crusty filo dough is the perfect delivery system for this Greek spinach and cheese mixture. You can also ditch the filo and warm up the spinach and cheese mixture into rolled zucchini strips, eggplant or use as a side dish to any meal. spanakopita
Ingredients
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 10oz package of chopped spinach
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped fine
1/2 sauteed onion in olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dill
2 tbsp olive oil
1 package filo dough (found in frozen dessert section at your grocery store)
Directions
Mix all ingredients except the filo dough and the olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp of salt over mixture. Fold a filo dough sheet in half length wise. Put a couple tablespoons of the mixture at the top of the filo dough about 1.5 inches from the top. Fold the mixture in the filo dough into triangles as shown in the pictures above. Brush olive oil all over your filo triangle and put on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
An alternative would be to put filo dough at the bottom of a 8″x8″ square pan and at the top, brushing olive oil over each filo dough sheet. Bake for 40 minutes 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Need angel guidance or health & fitness advice? I do psychic readings and can help you. Check out my Reading page on the navigation bar above or click the link.
It’s the holidays, what’s the first thing you think of? Some people might say the beautiful lights, the decorations, their families but a lot of us think about the food. Think of all the delicious cookies, cakes, turkey or chicken with stuffing, not to mention the pies. Added to all that food that can stimulate our mind due to high levels of sugar, salt and fat, we are receiving a lot of love during that time from family. We are happy and relaxed because we’re not working and taking time off to be joyous. You’ve now created a series of happy memories connected to food and love. eat healthier, eat healthier
Ok, a lot of us want to eat healthier. However it can be a mind game if you prefer high fat, salt, processed or sugary foods. These are high-glycemic and can signal our body to store fat. There are many different angles to look at when trying to change how you eat. Some of it is due to chemical addictions and some of due to habits. The links take you to my other articles on these topics.
I briefly wanted to touch on the subject of memories that we attach to food and how to best change that for the better.
Method
Okay, I think we’ve established that we’ve associated love, holidays, happiness, and a break from work to food. How do we attach a happy memory to food that does not include foods that cause us to gain weight? I suggest you start by creating happy memories around healthy foods.
During the holidays you are receiving attention, love, breaks from work, and someone is serving you food (one of the 5 love languages, acts of service). How do you create new memories around healthy foods where you feel as excited, loved and relaxed?
5 Tips to Happy Memories around Healthy Foods
1. Eat out at a restaurant by beautiful nature or has a great atmosphere. Actively choose a healthy option. Create the mindset that you are creating a happy memory for yourself. Invite friends, family, or of they are unavailable or do one of my favorite things and sit at the bar and talk to people there. Go somewhere you know will be happy, it can be a lakefront restaurant, one with a hip atmosphere or somewhere romantic.
2. Cook something healthy then make it beautiful on your plate. Have the mindset you are creating a happy memory. Ask God or archangels to fill your love tank. Watch your favorite movie, put on your favorite music or invite friends over.
3. One of my favorites was to draw a bubble bath and create small appetizers on cute plates. Eat them while laying in essential oils, bubbles and listening to soothing music. You’ll feel cared for (receiving love from yourself). Another option is to create an essential oil lotion, lather your entire body, lay in your most comfortable clothes or robe on the couch and eat small bites.
4. Go to an adventure park or zoo and get the fruit spears or salad. Watch your favorite animal or show while eating healthy. Visualize or feel happy while eating and watching.
5. Actively prepare healthy but interesting meals for parties with friends and family. Choose the healthy options knowing intellectually that this will help create happy memories around that food. Inform your friends and family why we are doing this, they may join you as it does make sense even to those not into metaphysics.
Remember, healthy food doesn’t have to be boring. Steak salads, nut mixes, many Greek and Moroccan plates sans the bread can be very satisfying.
Need more tips and advice? I do readings and energy healing. Check out my menu for more options and talk to your archangels.
Many times clients will ask me how they can change their habits so they could eat healthier. I was able to change my eating habits over the years from fast food & sugar to eating mostly whole vegetables and protein during the day. To get to this point it took a lot of research, trial and error, and reading books from those that succeeded before me. healthier food choices, healthier food choices, healthier food choices
We use habits to avoid timely and stressful decision making as well as to conserve willpower. Habits involve 3 things; a cue, the habit itself and reinforcement. An example of a cue would be when I used to get to the office in the morning I’d go to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. I found that milk products can make me tired, coffee adds acid to the stomach which makes me feel hungrier and caffeine can make me anxious so I wanted to change the habit of having caffeinated coffee in the morning. In order to change a habit, change one part of the cycle of cue, habit and reinforcement. To change all 3 might be too much of a shock to the system and you may resist the change because the mind may perceive it to be too much change at once. In this case, the cue was I got to work and wanted to get my cup of coffee. While I kept the cue and reinforcement, I changed the habit from getting coffee to getting mint tea, which was caffeine free and milk free. The other change to habit I could do is getting decaf with soy milk. Then the reinforcement was the enjoyment of my cup of hot beverage. You can use this strategy to slowly change your unwanted habits to more desired ones. Make sure that what you do exchange your habit to is acceptable to you, such as I like mint tea but not everyone does. Make sure that your reinforcement is still acceptable to you otherwise the change may not last long.
If you want to eat when you get home every night, change one thing about that process, such as peanuts instead of chips. If you eat cookies at midnight, change it to popcorn instead of cookies. Whatever the change is make sure that it is acceptable to you so that the change is not too drastic and try to do them one at a time instead of changing all your unwanted habits at once. Sometimes you may transition from one food to another. For instance, I wanted to change from having so many burgers and fries to more salad. To change right to salad with no “bridge” from burgers would be difficult, so what I did was I would put everything but the bun on salad, preferably spinach as spinach is a diuretic (lose water weight) and an appetite suppressant. Then over time you will get used to the idea that burger salads, cheesesteak salad or even pizza salads (remove the topping and put on spinach) can be as satisfying for lunch or dinner. Then you can transition from there to salads with less cheese or more healthy protein (chicken, fish, vegan alternatives) once you are comfortable with the new routine.
It may take some time to change every habit you want to change but it is possible. The key is to be kind to yourself, understand the psychology such as change one thing at a time to avoid resistance, know what is an acceptable alternative for you and give it the time you need. You may have been reinforcing some of these habits for decades, like eating once you came home from school turned into eating when you came home from work. You may need more than a day or two to change a habit that has been reinforced over the years.
Some fast notes:
Eat spinach, apples or applesauce with no added sugar, pineapple and green beans as they are diuretics (lose water weight) and are appetite suppressants. They have more fiber to slow the digestive process. They make you feel more full.
Increasing hot water or tea intake during the day will help you to feel satiated and get more water in your body.
If you just downed a whole bag of chips and want more, really what you are is thirsty. Take two pints of water “like a pill”, in other words drink them quickly rather than sip. This will help you to feel full and restore your “sanity”. Same thing after alcohol.
Salt, fat and sugar can create a reaction where your brain and stomach stop telling you that you are full (where did that bag of chips go?). If you ever detox fully from these items you will know what I mean, your satiety can be restored and you feel full eating less whole food. Over time try to reduce these and be aware that chips and sweets have an affect on your brain that cause you to crave them more and remove your satiety. Same goes for artificial sugars. It helps to be aware so you can make better choices in the future.
Best of luck!
Need more holistic advice or a reading with your archangels? Check out my psychic readings page for rates, they start as low as $15.
Good reads:
“The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg
“Willpower” by Roy Baumeister, John Tierney
“The end of overeating. Taking control of the insatiable American appetite.” by Kessler, M.D. David
You must be logged in to post a comment.