The Best Carne Asada my in-laws will ever have: A recipe for no more anxiety!

In a few days my in-laws will be coming to visit. As they live several states away, both physically and otherwise, I rarely get to see them. So rarely in fact that each visit feels like I am making a first impression...again!

I am well aware of my need to please and make everyone happy, I am a natural born hostess! Under these circumstances I WOULD have been suffering an anxiety attack by now, what with all the house cleaning and meal planing, last minute shopping, decorating, vacuuming of the cats, so much to do!!! I know, if I did not have all of my Coaching tools I would be a nervous wreck!  

The best part about Anxiety is you either have it, or you don't.  

So, today I prepped my 72 Hour Carne Asada Delight. Very few dishes will I prep 3-4 days in advance, but Carne asada breaks all the rules. Using my special marinade for 3-4 days will turn any meat into a melt in your mouth experience. Sure to delight even the scariest of guests at your dinner table. So good it will be sure to melt away any worries about whether or not your guests will enjoy dinner.

Now, as simple as it is to make an excellent Carne asada, it is equally as easy to eliminate anxiety in your life. Anxiety is a strong emotional response to something we are doing. Like fear for example. We feel fear when we perceive danger to ourselves or others. This fear maybe imagined or real, when we watch a convincing TV show or movie, we can become engaged and feel the emotions that the shows creators want us to feel.  

Well, anxiety is a similar emotion. When we are focusing on a danger to ourselves or others we feel fear. When we focus on “what we do not want to have happen” we feel anxiety, specifically. It is a little different then fear because it may not be a “danger” to our lives, per se, but thinking about the worst case scenario is a guaranteed way to drum up some anxiety.  

Another unique thing about anxiety is it can not exist in the past. When you think about an event in the past you can stir up feelings of fear but you can not feel anxious about something that has already become resolved. This should be the clue that it is directly linked to our future fears. Lucky for us, the future has not happened yet.  

So, what would you recommend an anxious daughter-in-law do? Would you tell her to keep focusing on the worst case scenarios that are running though her mind? Or would you tell her to focus on the best possible outcomes of her in-laws visit? The answer is obvious. So, the next time you are feeling anxiety, you need to ask yourself, “what am I choosing to focus on?” You will find that when you choose to focus on the best possible scenario, you will become much more confident about yourself and your future results! 

They have a word in sports that can be related to this. Its called an Upset. An upset is when the worst team beats the best team. How could that happen? The wost beating the best?! Well, it just goes to show you that anything is possible and so are your results in life.  So, what will you choose to focus on? The worst happening? Or the best?!

Tonight I began to marinade the best Carne asada my in-laws will ever have. That is my focus and I am sticking to it!

The Best Carne Asada my in-laws will ever have:

3-4 LB very fresh organic shoulder chuck roast – I chose this because it was very fresh and on sale. You can use whatever cut of meat you want. As long as you cut it thin or into strips before marinading.

1- red onion, sliced thin.
1-bush of diced cilantro
1-large orange, sliced
6-large limes, squeezed
2-jalapenos, sliced thin

You can add pepper and other seasonings, just as long as you DO NOT use any salt. Never marinade with salt. It cooks your meat making it tough.  


In a large glassware dish add your thinly sliced beef along with all of the other ingredients. Mix by hand until all the meat is covered well. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 3 days. You can add a bottle of beer, glass of wine or a few shots of tequila or vodka in the last half day if you want to play with some unique flavors. Each day be sure to stir up the meat.

To cook, drain the meat and stir fry in a pan with some oil and spices (onion, salt, pepper, etc) or you can try broiling.

Serve with other Mexican dishes, over a bed of rice or with steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

Please sign up for my newsletter and check out my new podcast as well!  
http://positivegrowthsolutions.com/

Hypnotic Hot Peppers anyone?

When recently asked “how does hypnosis feel?” by a client of mine, it reminded me of this special dish that my husband deemed in my TOP TEN OF ALL TIME DINNERS, “Stew 'n Peppers”.

For me, this dish can be whatever you want it to be. It can be mild with a surprising kick, or bouncing with flavor and the comfort of home. There is something comforting about trance. It does feel like home. I mean, you are connecting with yourself after all! It feels safe, warm and familiar... Often times my clients are pleasantly surprised at how buoyant and happy they feel from the experience of communicating with the deepest parts of their inner voice. When you can connect with that which is deep inside you, you will often find you open a flood gate of love and peace that you have never fully allowed yourself to be in touch with consciously.

Since hypnosis is a natural state of mind, my clients are often surprised that they can hear every word.
Feelings of being mellow, weightless and euphoric are often experienced as well....all feelings I had last night enjoying a heaping plate full of “Stew 'n Peppers” with Duffy and my friend Katherine-Anne (who named the dish for me).

12 Anaheim peppers
1 large can of black beans or your favorite beans
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese (low fat is good)
1 jar of Mexican red sauce or 1-2 cups of V8
12 shiitake mushrooms
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs salt
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs olive oil or cold pressed coconut oil
1 tbs crushed chilly peppers (if you are into that sort of thing...I love the burn!)

Add 2lb of your favorite protein. Last night we had lean beef. You can add fish, hard boiled eggs or chicken as an alternative. I suggest cooking your protein separate and adding it at the end like I did. I slow cooked my lean stewing beef in V8 juice for 9 hours in my slow cooker.

Oil your large baking dish, preheat oven to 400F, cut just the very tops off the peppers and place them into the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes. You can also blanch them instead. Once they are tender, take them out. Add the can of beans, the sauce or V8, shiitake mushrooms and the spices. Place back in the oven topless for another 15-20 min. For the last 5 min add the cheese to the top.

Serves 4-6 people with your choice of protein and lots of love! You can also add fresh cilantro on top and a squeeze of lime for that extra 'trancy' feel! ENJOY!

Visit my other blog on hypnosis and learn more about trance here!

A Recipe for a Successful First Year of Marriage

First Year Anniversary Lasagna:
1- Pound Italian sausage
5- cloves of garlic (or in my husbands case 5 BULBS of oven roasted garlic)
3- tablespoons whole basil
3- teaspoons salt
1- 1-pound can or fresh tomatoes
2- 6 oz cans tomato paste
10- ounces lasagna noodles(Husband says fresh noodles are mandatory)
2- eggs
3- cups fresh Ricotta or cream-style cottage cheese (I say why not BOTH!)
1/2- cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (more cheese the better imo)
1- pound mozzarella cheese (YUMMY!)
1- can chopped black olives (or mushrooms)
2- tablespoons parsley flakes
3- teaspoons pepper
3- teaspoons crushed chilly pepper (if you like things HOT)
5- oz. Good quality tequila (optional)
1- Dash of a whole lot of love

Yesterday, I celebrated my first year anniversary with my wonderful husband Duffy. To celebrate, my awesome husband made us the worlds best lasagna...literally! It was so good, in fact, it HAD to be blogged about...it was blog worthy.

To give you a bit of a background, I am a Hypnotherapist and Success Coach. I am passionate about helping others achieve their goals and dreams. When I am not working with clients to quit smoking, achieve their health goals or over come their fears, you can find me in the kitchen cooking up a storm!

I have ALWAYS loved cooking. I have found it therapeutic and relaxing. Feeding my family and friends has been an outlet for my creativity and my love. Now, over the years I have adjusted my style of cooking to accommodate healthier lifestyles, but these changes have been fuel for the creative fire. I have lost over 30lb and kept it off though my healthy (and YUMMY) cooking, hypnosis and easy work outs!

I am dedicated to an ongoing lifestyle of health, wealth and happiness not only for myself and my husband but also for all of my clients, students and readers.

After all, I better practice what I preach! So, please join me as I share with you my successes and my healthy, and yes YUMMY, recipes! You can also subscribe to my newsletter where I share in greater detail easy to follow recipes for success at pgsnews.com!

Instructions for the worlds best lasagna:

• Brown meat slowly; spoon off excess fat.

• Add next:

1- Pound Italian sausage
5- cloves of garlic (or in my husbands case 5 BULBS of oven roasted garlic)
3- tablespoons whole basil
3- teaspoons salt
1- 1-pound can or fresh tomatoes
2- 6 oz cans tomato paste
1- can chopped black olives (or mushrooms)
3- teaspoons pepper
3- teaspoons crushed chilly pepper (if you like things HOT)
5- oz. Good quality tequila (optional) -Add to sauce near the end of simmering

• Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of water till tender; drain; rinse.

• While cooking noodles, beat eggs with food processor or other machine,

• Add to beating eggs:

3- cups fresh Ricotta or cream-style cottage cheese (I say why not BOTH!)
1/2- cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (more cheese the better imo)
2- tablespoons parsley flakes

• Preheat oven to 375F (400F in higher altitudes)

• Layer half the noodles in 13x9x2 inch baking dish; spread with half the Ricotta filling; add half the mozzarella cheese and half the meat sauce. Repeat.

• Bake for 30-40 min with no cover. Let stand for 10 min.

Serves 6-8 and remember to serve with a whole lot of love and sign up for my newsletter at pgsnews.com!