Natural Hair Week In Review

I have three teenagers conceived with the help of one man. Two-thirds of our teenagers will be attending two different colleges in two different states with the assistance of thousands of federally-funded, bank-funded and hard earned dollars.

In the Book of Numbers, God tells Moses to take a census of every male of the children of Israel according to their families and their purpose.

Every person matters to God.  We are His wonderful creations. He knows our name. He knows our purpose and everything about us.

New Natural Hair Video

Numbers matter.  NaturallyGG celebrates their 100th video!  We thank them for enlightening our natural hair journey with their radiant smiles and healthy hair tips.

 

Yoga Inspiration

 

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Yoga is a union of body, mind, and spirit.  It brings balance.  It becomes a part of your physical life as your body grows stronger, more toned, and more flexible as we flow from one Asana to another.

It becomes a part of your mental life as you focus on breathing while you hold each asana.  This awareness is calming and it dissolves stress and axiety.  It becomes a part of your spiritual life as it teaches self love and in return you spread love to others around you.

Why do we say Namaste? It’s a way to send out positive vibrations into the universe.  The word expresses gratitude, gives closure, expresses relief, but it’s also a conduit to something greater. It represents a union.  A connection that transcends language and culture.  It’s an acknowledgement of the soul in another.  We are all one when we live from the heart.

 

Natural Hair Week In Review

 

I’ve been living out a few “firsts” as of late.  Last week, I ate Eggplant Casserole for the first time.  Earlier today, I finally ran into a group of runner buddies and my oldest son had his first major surgery this week.

JourneyTo WaistLength does a finger coil for the first time using water, a leave in conditioner, a moisturizer, and gel.

New Natural Hair Videos

 

Recipe

Eggplant Casserole | Healthy Recipes Blog #eggplant #casserole #healthy

http://healthyrecipesblogs.com/2011/07/12/eggplant-casserole-recipe/

Produce
  • 1/4 cup Basil, fresh
  • 1 Eggplant, large
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic powder
Condiments
  • 1/2 cup Tomato sauce, prepared
Baking & Spices
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
Oils & Vinegars
  • 1 Olive oil spray
Dairy
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella, part-skim
  • 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with olive oil cooking spray.
  2. Transfer the cubed eggplant to the baking sheet. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle pepper and garlic powder. Roast, tossing once, 15 minutes, until golden.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the marinara sauce, cayenne and basil. Spray a 1-quart casserole dish with olive oil spray.
  4. When eggplant is roasted, remove it from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Add the roasted eggplant to the tomato/basil mixture. Add half of the Mozzarella and mix well.
  5. Transfer the mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella and the Parmesan on top. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Yoga Inspiration

 

nikki

 

 

“You cannot relax no matter what therapy you do.  I can bet on it.  There are twenty million things to do.  You do those twenty million things and you cannot relax.  It’s a law of physics that anything which is contained and jammed must be put in an expanded place to give it a space.  So you must expand in your ideology, in your thinking, in your social behaviors, in your smiles, in your life, in your everything.  You will be relaxed.” —Yogi Bhaian

 

 

 

Natural Hair Week In Review

Since my last post, I’ve run my first marathon, teamed up with my longtime friend/boss Yoga instructor for weekly inspiration and I’ve committed to making one meatless dish a week. Whew…..

 

My first marathon held in Lafayette, La back in March

 Recipe

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Lime Sauce

foodlove.com

Ingredients

Ingredients

Crispy Black Bean Tacos:

Avocado Lime Sauce:

  • 2 avocados
  • 1/2 bunch of cilantro
  • 3 limes, juiced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded if desired
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions:

For the tacos:

    1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
    2. Add two tortillas to the skillet and allow them to heat in the oil for about 10 seconds.
    3. Cover one side of each tortilla with 1/4 cup of beans, and top beans with 1 tablespoon Mexican Cheese Blend.
    4. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla in half, on top of itself and press down with the spatula to shape the taco.
    5. Cook 3-4 minutes, then using a spatula flip the tacos and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned.
    6. Continue the process until all the tacos are done, adding additional oil as the pan dries out.
    7. Serve immediately.

For the sauce:

1. Add all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Yoga Inspiration

“You have to love yourself because no amount of love from others is sufficient to fill the yearning that your soul requires from you.”-Dodinsky

 

New Natural Hair Videos

My Natural Sistas shows us how to create a classy updo/

Juicesandberries uses avocado, an egg, honey, Jamaican Black Castor oil, Olive and Lavender oil to give her hair a shiny healthy finish.

Natural Hair Week In Review

Governor Nathan Deal declared Feb 3rd as Falcons Day so teachers, students and fans statewide sported their team colors and Falcon gear.

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Curls and Couture shows us a colorful way to brighten our hair.

 

Juiceandberries takes us through her easy wash-n-go routine step by step.

 

Honestly Erica is brilliant at keeping it simple and honest. Her 2-n-1 hairstyle is breezy and stress free.

 

Heygorjess gives a dazzling demo on the 3 strand twistout. 

Natural Hair Week In Review

My transformation story has been 3 years in the making.  I’m a runner. I won my first trophy at 8 years old. I ran Cross Country in high school and ran on my own in college. Right after college, I became a mom, three times over, back to back to back.  Hence, the pic on the left.  In 2013, my life flipped like a pancake.  My husband and I decided that we had given our marriage all that we had, but it was not working. So we separated. One morning, I was about to have my daily pity party but I made up in my mind that ‘If I have the time to lie around thinking about what could’ve, should’ve, would’ve, then I have the time to put my shoes on and start walking….the pic of the right.

So this is the new me! I dropped 70 pounds but I didn’t lose my love for food.   I run three to four times a week in training for my first marathon.  My family is my heartbeat and my ultimate dream is to be a Fly Granny. Yes, grandmother! I have a while until that time, so until my grandbabies get here I’ll be doing all that I can to make sure that their granny is healthy, fit and fabulous!

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NaturallyCurly teamed up with BlackGirlsRun to help us reach our fitness goals.

 

“Cooking is about building flavor” is sticky note worthy from Chef Danielle Saunders.

 

FusionofCultures applies a deep conditioner before giving her tresses a trim.

 

DiscoveringNatural demos big and small cornrows for kids.

 

 

 

Hope and Hair Growth

A 59-year- old woman raced passed me half a mile to the finish line. She’s my role model. Ms. Pam’s running stride did a pick-me-up for my running goals and gave me hope that I can do this running thing for a long time to come.

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Trials N’ Tresses shares 5 essentials oils to help us boost healthy hair growth.  The beauty of the E.O.’s are their benefits and versatility.

 

oils to help grow natural hair:

Natural Hair Week In Review

Seasons shift.  People and their attitudes shift.  The residents of the White House shift.

Yahweh never shifts.  He’s always been and will always be the same.

Our Natural Hair Journey continues……..

Moisturize with FusionofCultures to achieve juicy, lustrous hair.

 

De La Fro masterfully styles her hair into a top notch bun using braiding hair and a hair tie.

 

Melissa Denise shares the benefits of treating hair to a 30 minute steaming session.

Natural Hair Week In Review

After I applied concealer above my eyebrows for the first time and watched my eyes magically look younger, I shared my take on #blackgirlmagic with my teenage daughter.

Make up does magic.  Black girls don’t.  African American women are courageous, intelligent, beautiful, vibrant and hard working.  I explained to my daughter that our unique qualities are God-given and not magically based.

Straighten with  Beauty By Lee using an argan oil based heat protectant and the HSI titanium flat iron.

 

Yolanda Renee shows us how to flex our curls by saturating hair with a styling product detangling and twisting hair around rods.

 

 Healthy diet. Healthy hair.  The Chic Natural shares four steps to grow long, healthy hair.

Natural Hair Week In Review

As the presidential campaign rolls into its final days, our Natural Hair journey presses on.

The platform of our journey is acceptance.  When we embrace our individual hair types and the struggles that come with being natural, we join thousands of other women on a fascinating path!

Detangle with MichelleB to restore order and lust.  Michelle makes a surprising discovery about what her hair can do!

 

Moisturize with NICKYBNATURAL.  She opts out of the familiar LOC method and uses the LCO way.  Her five point “Things to Remember” list will help us stay moisturized.

 

Style with Praise Onaturals.  She mixes and massages Argan oil, Aloe Vera Gel, Avocado Oil, and a leave in conditioner for shiny, killer curls.