☺ Motivational Mondays! ☺

We're taking back Mondays!!!

"Motivational Mondays" are fabulous tips to get you excited and pumped for the week! 

Feeling low? Moody? Down on life? Well, that's what these posts are for! Time to feel awesome again and get some Positivity rolling! Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you can't have fun, smile, and enjoy Today! Apply these tips to your week and try to tell me that you don't start to see an improvement in your life! ;)

It's all about You! Change your perception, change your attitude, love your life! xo

☺ Take whatever comes your way. Just go with the flow and use whatever the universe delivers instead of resisting it, no matter what it may bring. Always see the positive side and make use of any situation, ordeal, or mishap. Remember that everything happens for a reason, there is always a lesson, and there is always a positive side and outlook. ;) xo

☺ Extend your Compassion for Animals. We disconnect ourselves so much from animals, which is why we have so many industries that abuse animals (meat, dairy, wool, animal-testing, fashion, honey, hunting, zoos, circuses, and so forth). Take some time with animals and realize that they DO have souls. A lovely online friend of mine shared this beautiful article that will absolutely inspire you and touch your heart (http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/stories-that-prove-animals-have-souls). So connect with animals and remember that they are living breathing emotional creatures with souls of their own!

☺ Take up a 30 Day Challenge! Of whatever you want! Make it something productive to better your health, your happiness, your Self. Challenges are fun because they commit us to something and keep us motivated. So commit yourself to a 30 Day Challenge, whether it's picking up "The Magic" and doing those exercises, jumping onto a vegan diet (my Going Vegan Guide is coming out in the next week!), an exercise routine, doing good deeds and acts of kindness every day, taking on an artistic project, orrrr, revisiting my "30 Day Self Challenge" right here on the blog! ;) 

☺ Correct Negative Thoughts… The Law of Attraction is always in motion (whether you believe in it or not), your thoughts become things, what you think about comes about. Be aware of your thoughts and words, and if you say something negative or unfavourable, correct it with words of positivity. You can always correct your thoughts, that's the fun part! So catch yourself, be aware, give thanks instead of complaining, and choose how you want your day and life to be. ♥

☺ Learn to Cook!  Befriend your kitchen! I remember I used to despise cooking, yet it was something that I wanted to learn to do and actually feel motivated to do. Low and behold, the Universe kinda kicked me into it after I got an allergy test done a short time after I went vegan. Your kitchen is your friend! There is nothing more rewarding than making your own food, knowing what it is you are actually eating, and putting genuine love and care into food preparation. Plus, you can make it fun! Play some awesome tunes, dance around, make it your zen time.  

☺ Make faces in the mirror! Say whaaaaat? Stop taking yourself so seriously! And what better way to learn to do that then to poke fun at yourself. I'm serious now, go and make faces in your mirror! Because if you can't put yourself up to doing this then you are definitely taking yourself and life too seriously. ;) 

☺ "Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing." ~ Denis Waitley Take a chance, jump on opportunities. You'll never fully embrace and experience life to its fullest unless you learn to actually Live! 

Have a beautiful day, week, life! Much Love from me to you! 

Create a Nice Day! xo

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Ⓥ Barbecued Marinated Tofu Ⓥ

I don't know how I've been vegan for so long and never tried making my own tofu for the barbecue. Well, I decided to change that and play around with recipes and both me and my hubby loved this barbecued delight!

Barbecued Marinated Tofu

1 pound Extra Firm Tofu

4 Tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce

1-2 minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Ginger, ground

2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 tsp Agave

1 Tbsp Oil

Tofu Tips: Use Firm or Extra Firm Tofu so that it holds together. If you want you can also freeze your tofu and unthaw it for a "meatier" texture. 

Slice up your tofu into strips or triangles, the thickness is more or less dependant on your personal preference, the thicker the better they'll hold but the thinner the faster they'll cook. I usually cut mine about 1cm thick. 

Press out as much of the water as you can--most people like to use a kitchen towel or paper towel and really press it out, but I honestly don't bother with that part and my tofu always turns out just fine. ;) 

Prepare the marinade! In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients until well mixed. Place your tofu slices into the marinade--use a shallow dish or ziplock bag, or something that your tofu can really soak up the marinade. The longer the tofu remains in the marinade, the more flavour it will soak up, half an hour is generally the minimum--but I only soaked them for ten minutes one time and they still turned out great… but I also soaked them over two nights and they were much more flavourful. I think overnight is ideal. ;)  

Make sure your barbecue is lightly oiled as tofu tends to stick. Place your slices on the grill and, well, grill until tofu starts to crisp, flipping over to evenly cook each side. 

Serve with your favourite sides! And voila! 

You can also make this in the oven by placing the tofu in a shallow dish and baking at 350℉ for approximately 35-45 minutes, flipping tofu at least once, until brown and slightly crispy. 

Makes 2-4 servings. Enjoy! 

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☆ When it's Too Hot for your Dog! ☆

Sharing this a little late in the summer, but better late than never. Remember that cars are too hot to leave your lovely companion animals in! Treat your own dogs with kindness, and watch out for others that might have been left in the heat as well. Do good, spread good. 

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☺ Ways to Fight the "Blahs"! ☺

You know those days where you just feel like you can't beat that "blah" or that tension that you feel all over your body? When stress becomes a bit much to the point it feels like your entire body is constraining and needing to release but don't know how? Well, you're not alone. We all have moments when we are tense. So, what to do about it? I like to take some time to do as many of the following tips as I can, however sometimes you're just not in the right place or have the time to do it all and so any one of these exercises can help. Do all of them, do one of them, do as many as you can depending on your situation and setting. 

1. Scream and shout and let it all out… that's what it's all about. ;) But seriously, just letting out a good "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" can feel amazing. No one gets hurt and you get to let out a good shout which releases some pent up energy. If you're somewhere where you can't let out a loud "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" then go through the motions (in private or you might look a little funny) and scream your "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"  in your head and pretend it's coming out of your open mouth, feeling the release. 

2. Sigh out loud. This is a breathing exercise which helps to calm the mind. Inhaling deeply through your mouth and then exhaling with an outloud sigh through your nose. Yes your nose. I know it may sound strange but it absolutely works. Just plain sighing helps too. 

3. Dance your ass off! I mean really really dance and let out all that energy. Not only will you release negativity but you'll be refilling your body with positive vibes. If you have to start with an aggressive song then do it, but you're only allowed one angry song, then be sure to switch up your beat to something positive by the end of your dance off. ;) 

4. Happy List! Pull out that pen and paper and start listing off all the things you're grateful for. This practice is great for any time of the day and you can do this even if you're in a crowded space and don't really have the opportunity to do all of those noisier tips above. You may feel tense at the start of this list but by the end you'll feel much better and will have switched up your energy. If you haven't, keep writing down things you're grateful for until you do feel better. 

5. Meditate. Calm your mind, clear your mind and breathe deeply. Meditation is the cure-all for anything, just focus on your breathing, breathing deeply into your stomach, and releasing any thoughts that come to your mind. 

6. Stretch! Stress and tension get stored in your muscles and sometimes all you need to do is have a reaaaaally good stretch session. Feel out where your body is holding tension and hold those stretches for as long as possible. Push yourself into deeper stretches than usual, really stretch it out. It shouldn't hurt, but you should feel that burn. 

7. Go for a walk. Breathe in some fresh air and get your body moving. Again, this helps to clear your mind and empty out the negative thoughts so that you can refill with positive upbeat thoughts. Any kind of movement helps, whether it's a leisurely walk or a full-on run. If you're walking, say "thank you" with each step you take too, it's a very powerful exercise that can totally turn your mood around.   

8. Change your surrounding. Get up and go somewhere else. A change of scenery can help change your mood, same with doing a different activity, so try to get somewhere different, preferably outside and around as much nature and trees as possible. 

9. Get moving! I know, I already said to go for a walk and to dance, but really doing any kind of physical activity will be beneficial and I will largely recommend doing yoga! It's the perfect activity to stretch muscles out and get active and breathing. It's like a combination of several of the above! ;) 

10. When all else fails, remember that it's just temporary. Sometimes there's just nothing that seems possible to dissolve tension and it does you no good to dwell on a dirty mood. So, don't dwell on it and remember that it will pass, and the sooner you can stop paying attention to the tension, the sooner you will allow it to release and simply take it's course. 

When you've practiced feeling better and clearing up that tension then there is one last thing you can do to prevent it from returning and is always a good idea; Resolve! This is one of those tips that's more of an inward look upon your self and your life. Usually when we are tense or stressed there is a reason for it and unless we take a moment to analyze and take a look into what it might be then, chances are, it might return. However, over-analyzing can make it worse, so be sure to look gently at your life and situation and if you can't figure out where the tension came from then don't dwell on it! It will become clear to you when you are calm, not stressing over what it might be. 

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