YOU'RE EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE

Shout out to the DREAMERS currently sitting in office cubes, taking orders at a restaurant, sorting data, hustlin coffee, slinging product, driving long hours, taking care of children.... you're exactly where you need to be at this moment. However hard, stressful and draining it may be... you're exactly where you need to be. Let me say that one more time... you. are. exactly. where. you. need. to. be.

A lesson lies within each day and when you open yourself UP to it, it willpresent itself. This is your path -- your time on this planet. See the good in your current situation and bring positive energy to it. FILL UP that room with positivity. Watch as the energy changes.

Podcast in my years, superfoods in this belly and ready to build UP my boss because I know my time here is limited and the course is quickly changing.

Cube to Caribbean? Why not #DREAMBIGGERTHANYOURDREAMS heart emoticon

PERSPECTIVE // TONIGHT'S BIKE RIDE LEADS TO A STRONG MESSAGE

See that, up there in the left hand corner, that is my daily commute home. Today was different. I truly FELT like I was LIVING an authentic life. I took a vacation day from my full time job and simply ran my DREAM day from sun-up to sun-down. + Woke up at 9am, coffee in hand {w/ a splash of almond milk}
+ Rolled out my yoga mat and set this mornings devotion to: identify and honor myself on this life journey, be present and open to receive. 
+ 90 minutes of yoga while my kitty swirled around my toes
+ Blended up my homemade superfood latte {no caffeine added}
+ Reached out to some new INCREDIBLE contacts for my blog {both terrifying and rewarding all at the same time} Keep fingers crossed that the energy I passed on receives them well.
+ Answered my Facebook inbox. Ended up in tears as a challenger of mine poured her heart out to me about weight loss and this new found FIRE she's found within {I LOVE MY JOB!}
+ Had an incredible Acai bowl for lunch that covered almost every color imaginable! 
+ Kicked major walls down with a sweet-sweet friend of my over the lunch break...Holla, Ashley! She's off and running to some incredible personal goals now!
+ Photographs taken for the new "holistic home" section to my blog {hello smudging! crystals! and oils!}
+ Soaked in one solid hour of personal development - Marie Forleo's skype sessions!
+ Capped it off with a long bike ride with my husband --- during rush hour --- Stopped dead in my tracks to take this photo because it SIMPLY gets too easy to be blinded by the daily grind. You know the feeling, dead eyes behind your steering wheel. Stop go. Stop GO. Annoyance and utter frustration to get HOME. I knew I needed to stop and observe this. I could almost feel the opening for a message to come in so I stood next to my bike and looked on {this exact photo}. I could almost HEAR the message but I sure as hell felt it and IT said, "I brought you here so you could SEE this." Messages from the Universe are precious gifts as you will then know you're EXACTLY where you need to be in that moment. Standing at that intersection of where I'm usually stopped on my vehicle to instead be observing it from my bike was.... freedom... clarity....change. 

I was now on a new route. As I went through that tunnel and onto the dirt road, I came up to another intersection. A black Jeep Wrangler approached {my dream vehicle} and on the license plate it said, "NOWISEE" Now. I. See. Really! .... Now I SEE! Almost to say, "Did you GET the message, Seana?" Yes, yes, I received the message. BE THE CHANGE. MAKE THE CHANGE. NEW ROUTE. Taking a day to do me was the BEST decision I could have made today. I was able to serve my team {my warriors} to build my brand {my blog} to explore new areas of personal development {skype sessions} and at the end of the day, ate extremely well and got my workout in TWICE! Gave back to a close friend of mine in a race she'll be running {donation to World Wildlife Fund} so she can continue to live out her passions! 
SO MUCH POSITIVITY and good energy going out! While it may not seem like much, it was yet again a new shift for me to keep going - keep pressing on. -- Take from this what you will but here's my message to you -- Take a day to DO YOU. Be authentic. Stay away from the television - no need to watch other people live out their lives. And really, DO YOU in whatever it is you LOVE most! It's the BEST gift you can give yourself. Stay open and willing to receive messages, you never know, maybe it'll stop you dead in your tracks and open a whole new adventure! Love + Light, xo, The Bohemian Blonde

DARLING YOU'RE WORTHY OF YOUR DREAMS

Guard your heart and all that good energy pent up inside..for you my darling are worthy of your dreams.

This evening I asked my team, "What can you do TODAY that you were not capable of a year ago?"
The response I got was overwhelmingly heartfelt. Everything from a simple headstand to a cord cutting session with an ex to finally losing 40+ pounds (which was actually FAR from weight loss, it was personal anxiety... the weight fell off as soon as the baggage was released).

Why do we hang onto SO much shit in our lives?

What IF for just a moment you could lay in our death bed and stare up to heavens and ask -- what did I DO in my lifetime? I pray you have a good answer.

I pray you soaked in each day. Each precious moment and made the best of it.
I pray you helped as many people as you could.
I pray you made an impact on this planet.
I pray you let go of the things you couldn't control.

I hope you let out all that good energy because darling, you're worthy of your dreams.

xo, The Bohemian Blonde

Wrap: Earthbound Trading,

THE BOHO BLONDE // JAMBALAYA BOWL

Sundays are for meal preppin’ and snugglin’ up on the couch with my hubby. Tonight we created a cleaned up version of jambalaya! It was super easy, only two pots and the end result was delicious! It's also fixed approved for those doing the 21 Day Fix. I can’t wait to share this post with my Motivated Mavens this evening! It's a winner!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 package of brown rice, 4oz total, cooked (we purchased ours at Aldi’s -- the Fit & Active brand)

1/2 cup of quinoa (cooked to package instructions)

4 red containers protein of choice: chopped chicken, nitrate free andouille sausage, shrimp

1/2 can of black beans 

2 green containers of peppers (red, green or yellow will work)

1 stalk of organic celery 

2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (16oz each)

1 medium onion chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced 

4 dashes of hot sauce of choice (we LOVE this Chipotle tabasco!) 

2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning (Mr. Dash has a great non-salt one found here) 

1/2 cup of low sodium chicken stock

SPICES:

2 tsp. of each of the following:

+ garlic powder

+ onion powder

+ paprika

+ dried thyme

+ black pepper

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp of cayenne pepper

Additions:

Avocado for toppings!

INSCTRUCTIONS - 

Find a large sauté pan. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of the pan and sauté up your chopped onion, peppers and garlic. 

Once they are done, add your proteins. Let them cook up over medium to high heat. We added them in this order >> chicken >> sausage >> shrimp (the shrimp will cook up very quickly that’s why we added last!) You can add a little chicken stock to break up the proteins from sticking to the bottom of the pan

Add all of your seasonings now.

Add the canned tomatoes into the pan and allow the tomatoes to heat through. Stir everything together and let simmer. 

Cook the rice and quinoa according to package instructions, then add it to the pan and stir again. **Here’s a tip for having delicious rice... we use chicken stock instead of water, it adds more flavor to each bite!**

Let everything cook together for 10-15 minutes, be sure to stir the pan so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. 

Add more hot sauce to taste. 

Top with avocado, 1 BLUE container total

Use a GREEN container (or 1 cup) to scoop out each portion.
One portion = 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue if you add avocado!

This recipe makes about 4 to 5 servings total...plenty for leftovers!

Interested in joining the Motivated Mavens for the next 21 day fix challenge group? Click here to JOIN the group! I look forward to meeting you!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde 

HOTEL ROOM RAMBLINGS + LOVE MONEY

During Father John Misty's last song, Drew and I decided to run to the stage. Landed smack dab in the front row, reached out and touched hands with the man himself. Pretty cool! I thought that would be the highlight of our evening but it turns out this morning was.

As I lay here next to my sleeping husband, in this GIANT beautiful king size bed and hotel room suite, Im reminded by the discussion we had a few nights ago to get here...the decision to stay downtown.

Now this might seem like a no brainer to stay next to the concert venue but $160 a night is a lot to swing on a swanky hotel room.

I decided to log into my side job account to just see where I was for the week...$367 stared back at me. We had enough money to stay downtown, cover our meals, a new record for our home office, couple cocktails at the concert and room service this morning. Without having to touch our full time job income. True definition to "fun money"!

As we spent this money, I had an overwhelming feeling of love. -- LOVE -- what I dedicate my evenings, weekends, lunch breaks spreading to other people. Pure and wholesome love was coming back to me. It was incredible. ❤

I've never enjoyed a career as much as I do this one. I shed a tear of thankfulness and looked up to say, "message received!" this is exactly where I need to be and continue doing. Thank you.

xo, The Bohemian Blonde 

HOW TO STOP PANIC ATTACKS

I was walking into work early this morning and this view of EXIT-EXIT which gave me a flashback into my first job outside of college...

Nearly 7 years ago…I had a panic attack that if I were to have allowed it, would have changed my entire course of life. I was sitting across from my boss at the time and in the middle of an intense conversation, I felt this crippling unable to move wave of panic take over my body.

My heart raced out of my chest, my face flushed and the ability to rationalize my thoughts became impaired. My boss looked at me and asked, “what’s wrong?” ….. "Um? I really don’t know?"

The rumble had stopped (after what felt like an eternity), I left the meeting and soon after, I felt defeated and afraid for when this feeling would return. What caused it? Why did this happen?

If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you’ll understand how AWFUL this feeling can been and completely disrupt your whole life. Your mind will go to some trippy ass places when trying to rationalize why this happened.

I remember thinking that *obviously* I had this panic attack because I wasn’t good enough at my career. I was too young, too naive, too inexperienced, too immature, not enough....Perhaps I should quit and never show my face again?

For weeks I dreaded meetings, face to face conversations and just about any interaction with my boss.

I couldn’t live like this anymore. Who had I become?

I had a choice, keep digging myself into the sand like a crab or confront this energy and move on.

After three solid weeks of stewing in my own shit, I asked my boss to coffee. Sat face to face, felt the bubble of anxiety burst in my chest and after a couple minutes everything subsided. It was NOT easy but needed to be done to move on.

While not everything always makes sense as to why we have flashes of anxiety or panic, we CAN choose to look at it eye-to-eye and confront it OR let it take control of our lives. The CHOICE is always yours.

And when all else fails, meditate on it. Ask why. The REAL why.

Perhaps there is an underlying message in all of the heightened energy just waiting for you to uncover it.

“I’ve learned that fear is simply an illusion based on past experiences that we project into the present and onto the future.” ― Gabrielle Bernstein

xo, The Bohemia Blonde

RESOLUTION FOR SHIN SPLINTS

Spring is here! Time to get outside and seriously enjoy these amazing evenings ahead. Forecast calls for 70 degree days all week -  yippy!

If you're anything like me, I suffer from shin splints and usually right around this time of year, I get an urge to run but need something to help lessen the pain.

Here's some tips that'll surly help you out!

1) Make sure you're stretching before your run to get those muscles ready for impact. Quick side to side stretch is great.

2) If you have a tree or building nearby, try these calf stretches to get the back of the legs ready for running. 

3) For a lesser impact on your knees and shins, take your run to the grass and off of the concrete all together.

4) End your run wth a foam roller like this one. It helps release the tight mussels and gives a mini massage at the same time. Make sure to use slow and controlled movements. Start on the top of your shins and move to the calf muscles on the back. This is my god-sent and worth every penny! Here's where I got mine: http://amzn.to/1XwzN8t 

Here's a quick video on how to use it: http://bit.ly/1VX0tjI 

5) Last but not least.. I love to add a little peppermint oil (very small amount, 1 drop max) with lavender oil to some almond oil and rub down the front of my shins. The peppermint oil relaxes the muscels and lavender soothes. Amazing combo! I purchased mine through Young Living.

If pain persists, make sure you have sturdy footwear! Any local performance footwear place can

assist you in getting the right fit for you!

Enjoy it out there!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde 

THE ENERGY PUSH

January 1st was the light switch... I wanted to push my own limits. 

I sit here writing this as I cannot believe where The Motivated Mavens are today -- nearly 200+ strong now! I really can't believe it. Honored and beside myself all at the same time. I held this image in my mind well before the group was even a possibility and poof! Here we are. I just needed to get-out-of-my-own-way and on a path that finally made sense to see this reality.

If you're struggling to get in-tune with your passions, I encourage you to seek meditation. There's something so magical about letting all the thoughts drift away and sit in present moment with yourself. 

While in meditation the other night, I felt this immense growth. I mean that in ever sense of the word and feeling. My body expanding into every corner of our bedroom. I could FEEL all four corners and it was beyond incredible. 

What became MORE incredible was later that evening. 

I felt the momentum of the expansion push me up and out of sleep. What happened was I was sleeping and in-between  sleep and awake, I was propelled UP and sat right up in bed. The energy coming from behind me (the driving force) was still with me and moved me out of sleep and upright in bed. I knew these energy a it was exactly what I had felt that evening in medication -- momentum --!

Sound crazy? Yep. sure was. I never truly understood energy until just recently, after that happened.  It was the momentum/message to keeeeeep going!

Message received. 
Pressing on. 

xo, The Bohemian Blonde 

SUPERFOOD PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

 
This HANDS-DOWN the best recipe....evvvvva! Peanut butter and chocolate combine in a new take on this classic candy.

Ingredients:

¼ cup dark chocolate morsels
2 scoops Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 Tbsp. psyllium husk powder (found at wholefoods)
½ cup pumpkin puree
6 tsp. all-natural smooth peanut butter, divided use

How to make:
1. Prepare twelve mini muffin cups by lining with muffin papers.
2. Place morsels in microwave-safe container. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds; stir; microwave for an additional 30 to 45 seconds or until just melted. Do not overcook. Set aside.
3. Place Shakeology, psyllium husk, and pumpkin in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a dough.
4. Divide dough into 12 small balls; place each ball in a muffin cup. Press dough down into a flat disk with a depression in the middle. Place ½ tsp. peanut butter in each depression.
5. Drizzle melted morsels evenly over each peanut butter cup; spread to create a thin chocolate layer on top.
6. Freeze for 30 minutes, or until chocolate hardens.

 ENJOY!

xo, The Bohemian Blonde