​Personal prayers usually involve saying out specifically worded prayers or even simply conversing and communicating with God. Many a times, Christians will pray, meditate, study the Bible as well as sing hymns as part of their daily personal prayer session. Depending on their denominational faith, different Christians utilize different symbolic objects to aid them with their prayers.

Usually lighting a candle and reading verses from the Bible is included across all denominations. In addition, some folks could hold on to a cross or crucifix as a reminder of Jesus’s death on the cross and his subsequent resurrection. Here the main difference observed is between the Catholic and Christian crucifix. Usually, Catholic cross shows Jesus being crucified whereas Christians show an empty cross to uphold and honor his resurrection!

Orthodox Christians as well as many Catholics use icons representing saints to help them focus their prayers and assist them with their meditation. They believe that the icons contain the spirit of the saint represented.

In addition, Roman Catholics might use a Rosary, a string made of beads that helps them count their prayers while they meditate on Jesus' life and call upon Mary to offer their prayers to God.
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Conducting daily prayers is believed to deepen faith among all denominations of Christians. It is believed that spending time in divine presence during one’s daily prayers can help a person to understand the grand divine plan for their life! Because of this, many Christians utilize the time of their daily prayers to also seek direction and guidance in their life. 

​Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Considering the fact that I absolutely love French Fries- though folks from Belgium will be quick to correct that it originated in Belgium and then became famous after being included the American fastfood meals and that “French Fries” have nothing French about them!!

Now that you know this little tidbit about French Fries history trivia- let’s see how we can enjoy it and make some special flavorful versions of this tasty side dish (sometimes main dish, like in my case- just sometimes, I promise!!)

I invested in an Air Fryer- for those of you who are not sure about how an air fryer works, you can check out my article about it, titled-   Air Fryer- great way to occasionally indulge in deep fried foods!!
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But bottom line is that this machine utilizes just a tablespoon or so of oil to ‘deep fry’ and make a pound of French fries.
Then considering I love my Indian masalas, I have made these fries (photographed here) with Garam Masala, by sprinkling some over the half-cooked potatoes, after around the half-cooked mark!

I have also made these with other flavors from around the world- Ras al Hanout (also written as Ras el Hanout) spice mix from Morocco is my favorite after Indian Masala French Fries.

Try out this variation or anything else that you fancy- after all it is true that food is about healthy eating and providing our body with good nutrition, but it is also true that it is important to feed our soul with food that truly brings us joy- in this regard, there are no hard and fast rules about hey, you cannot use Indian masalas on French Fries or sprinkle some Ras al Hanout on your Belgian waffle. If you like it and it is not detrimental to your health and you do not overdo it, then a little indulgence should help to not just feed your body about also feed and uplift your soul.
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Maybe this is where the word- soul food originally came from?? I need to now research that word origin. Will let you know my findings in another post… 

Categories: 
Quick Healthy Eats

Keywords and Tags:
#soulfood #frenchfries #masalafrenchfries #sinfulfoods #enjoyfood  #eatingsmart #eatinghealthy #healthandwellness #simplehealthyfoods #healthfood #nutritiousfood

Since ancient times, plant essences have been used for healing thru various means. The benefits of these essences have been experienced thru incense, perfumes, aromatic waters and embalming ointments.

Though Aromatherapy has been mentioned in several ancient healing techniques such as Ayurveda, the term “Aromatherapy” was coined in much recent times by the French Chemist, Rene Gattefosse. Aroma therapeutic healing is considered a very gentle and non-intrusive means of healing and is supposed to be suitable for people from all age-groups.
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One of Aromatherapy’s most known and noted benefits is in the use of essential oils to relax and rejuvenate people i.e. in reducing stress and relieving stress related conditions such as anxiety, hypertension, insomnia and depression.

Aromatherapy involves utilizing mainly essential oils though at times one may also use herbal distillates and essential waters. An essential oil is any concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants, which are called aromatic herbs or aromatic plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. Essential oils are extremely strong and potent and should never be used on the body by itself! It is best administered for massage by mixing with carrier oils.

Common carrier oils are Apricot Kernel, Avocado, Grape Seed, Hemp Seed, Jojoba, Sweet Almond and Grape Seed Oil.

Now, back to making our omelette batter. To our wheat and gram flour mix, add around a cup and half of water to achieve smooth consistency- where it is flowing but not too watery. Then add around one and half tea spoon of oil. This not only helps to bind the veggies and the flour, it also makes flipping quite an easy breeze!

Finely chop up two medium tomatoes, half a medium red onion and half a green bell pepper. If you like it spicy- then add finely chopped serrano peppers (to taste). Add these veggies to your batter. Next, add finely chopped cilantro, sea salt (to taste), freshly ground black pepper and coarsely ground cumin and coriander seeds. Wisk a bit more and allow batter to rest for 30 mins or so- for these flavors to come together.

Next- heat up a flat griddle (like a crepe pan). Smear a little coconut oil on the pan and pour some batter and allow to cook at medium temperature. Once one side is well-done (it comes off the griddle easily), then flip it and cook further. Once it is well done- then you can add a little organic butter on top to further enhance the taste as well as increase its nutritional value. Of course, if you are counting your saturated fat intake or want to make it dairy free then you can easily skip butter. 

Enjoy it warm with a little butter, coriander chutney or by itself. :-)

This is originally an Indian ethnic recipe (from Maharashtra-Goa region). It is balanced in nutrition and taste according to Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda is ancient Indian healing science. I will shortly also share a modified fusion version with the same Ayurvedically balanced goodness but for a more western/European taste. ​

Categories: 
 Healthy Eating ,   Nutritious Foods   and   Wellness

Keywords and Tags:
#tomatoes   #benefitsofeatingtomatoes #lowercholesterol #hearthealth #cardiovascularhealth​   #eatingsmart #eatinghealthy #healthandwellness #healthfood    #nutritiousfood    #healthyeating    #LiveConsciously

Something more to think about…

Yes, it is true that I do love the taste and texture of these air fried French fries and personally I feel that if I am going to use it for occasional indulgence then it should be fine.

Given I typically try to cook my food with Ayurvedic principles, the fact that this technique utilizes less oil, is good news from a kapha lowering-balancing perspective.

Though the fact that hot air is blowing thru oil, creating a fine spray of hot oil, which coats our food, I am not sure if there are enough independent studies (i.e. studies that are not funded by these air fryer making companies) that have been conducted to ensure that there are no long term repercussions on our cholesterol levels or general heart health by consuming oil which has been mechanically treated in this manner!! Hopefully not- since for now, an air fryer seems like a total God-send appliance for my French-fries loving taste buds!!

Categories: 
 Healthy Eating ,   Life Management   and   Wellness

Keywords and Tags:
#airfryer #frenchfries #deepfriedfoods #lowercholesterol #hearthealth #cardiovascularhealth​   #healthyeating #LiveConsciously

"Laughter is the best medicine", as the saying goes. It may be because laughter therapy is so beneficial to our minds and bodies. Everyone feels good when they laugh. It is the opposite of feeling stressed and encourages our body to relax and release endorphins.

​The role of a laughter therapist is to make it easier for the client to laugh. This is often done in a one-on-one or group setting by teaching various techniques to get you laughing. The body cannot differentiate between a real or fake laugh, therefore the benefits are the same. 

​Reasons that laughter is beneficial to our bodies includes lowering levels of stress, improving the immune system, allowing muscles to relax, reducing pain, reducing blood pressure and increasing a happy, healthy outlook. Those who participate in laughter therapy have found a reduction in costs when it comes to health care. They also have healthier arteries and blood flow. 

Laughter therapy has started to become more popular after the success of laughter yoga, a type of yoga that originated in Mumbai. Today, there are over 5,000 clubs for laughter therapy across the globe. Laughter yoga incorporates breathing, stretching, clapping and laughing exercises. The laughter yoga workshop allows participants to experience endorphin release, which makes one feel great and relaxes the entire body. This has a great effect on reducing stress or muscle tensions. It is also a bit of a work out because laughing increases muscle tone and stimulates the respiratory system, all of which help improve the immune system. 

Anyone can be involved in laughter therapy and the settings for therapists are very varied. A session of laughter therapy leaves one feeling overjoyed and at the same time, a little upbeat. Laughter therapy is beneficial in the long run because it allows us to deal with stress or pain in a more positive manner.

​It also makes us understand that laughter does not need to be synonymous with happiness, but can encourage feelings of happiness instead. Patients learn to laugh at anxiety, stress and anger. Even if it is fake laughter, it lifts our spirits since our bodies cannot tell the difference anyway. 

​Laughter therapy can also be applied to our daily lives through various methods. It encourages us to let go of things and to keep life lightly by engaging in activities you enjoy and that reduce stress.

Finding ways of laughing everyday, whether it is a daily joke or sit-com can help improve your life and wellbeing. Spending time with children is another excellent way of encouraging laughter. 

Categories:
Emotional Wellbeing   and      Healing Activities 

Keywords and Tags:
#laughtertherapy #laughtoreducestress #stressmanagement #laughterclub #stressrelief #vibrationalhealing #energyhealing #Chi #Ki #Prana  #Qi  #awakenenergy  #naturalhealing #alternativemedicine ​

​Here is a simple, heart-warming soup recipe that is sure to please the entire family and has many beneficial properties of dill and cumin. 

Heat some olive oil in the pan (be careful not to heat to very high temperature, otherwise olive oil will smoke). Next, add a little cumin. Once the cumin brown up a bit and start to release their aroma, then add clear chicken or vegetable broth. Now add thickly cut carrots- I like the thin longitudinal look but you can also cut them in circles.

​​Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for just a few more minutes. Add loads of fresh dill and just a pinch of dried ginger powder. Next add some freshly ground black pepper and black salt to taste. Personally I prefer the sulfurous taste of black salt in this recipe, but if you don’t have it around, then good quality sea salt will work just as fine. Cover and let sit for a few extra minutes. It tastes best when carrots are cooked thru but not too soft.

Serve it warm with loads of crumbled feta cheese for a satisfying and soothing meal experience! Skip cheese if you are worried about the salt or fat content, though it really does taste extra-yummy with the feta. :-)

​Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.

When she was mere 19 months old, Helen contracted an unknown illness which left her both deaf and blind. She lived, as she recalled in her autobiography "at sea in a dense fog."

Even though blind and deaf, Helen Keller had passed through many obstacles and she learned to live with her disabilities. She learned how to tell which person was walking from the vibrations of their footsteps. Helen travelled a lot and was outspoken about her beliefs and convictions. She campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, and other similar causes.

Helen challenged the obstacles that were thrown her way by life and fate. Her life as expressed through some of her famous quotes can inspire us to face our challenges with courage and determination…