Green Smoothie with a Twist

In today's world things are moving so fast. We are juggling appointment after appointment, errands, helping others, cleaning, organizing, etc. It is no wonder why self care is left to the very last item on our to do list, if it's even on there at all. In the morning we often fuel our bodies with something quick or something we have been programed all our life to eat when we wake like scrambled eggs and/or a bowl of cereal. Our energy levels tend to drop, fatigue may even set in mid day, headaches rise as our energy levels crash, and we find ourselves in a constant loop of eating sugary foods to "break" the cycle. When in fact all along we are feeding our bodies the very thing that caused it to crash. This blog post is not about denying you your favorite breakfast meal, however, it's to offer you a possible solution, something you could easily add into your daily routine. This little green smoothie will give you increased energy, stamina, focus, and help boost your mood. What more could you ask for? Oh yes, must I mention, it's very low in calories, will not make you gain weight, and only has natural sugars. In fact the greens inside this smoothie help regulate blood sugar, this is helpful when avoiding those crashes you may feel in your work day or when you get home at night. In addition, these greens are an excellent source of vitamins K, A, and C, as well as a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, and dietary fibers. Lets find out what is in this green magical monster!

This recipe is called: Green Smoothie with a Twist

Ingredients
2 organic bananas
1/3 bunch of cilantro
3 Swiss Chard leaves (rainbow chard works as well, I used rainbow chard)
Spring Water

If you like, I can write a blog explaining the health benefits of each of these ingredients: Bananas, Cilantro, and Chard. Let me know and I will do this!

Preparation
1. Take out your blender. I use a Nutribullet because it works worlds better than an average blender. I even tried a Ninja blender in the past and it did not even compare. A Nutribullet is fabulous because when it blends, it breaks through the cell walls of the plant which aids in absorption of nutrients in your body. Furthermore, a Nutribullet takes about 1 minute to blend everything, it is easy to clean, and lasts a really long time.
2. Cut 1/3 bunch of cilantro and wash thoroughly. Throw the cilantro into the blender. I include the stems too since the blender will do it's magic.
3. Wash your Chard leaves thoroughly. Then, tear off the leaf from the stem. I do not include the stem since I want a less bulky meal. You can of course include the stems if you wish, especially if you are using a Vitamix or Nutribullet as your blender. Once the leaves are detached from the stems, I then place the leaves into the blender.
4. Peal your 2 bananas and place into the blender.
5. Pour your spring water into the blender. Since I am using a nutribullet, they provide realistic serving sizes. They offer a small cup or a large cup. I use the large cup and fill the water to the max line. If you are using a regular blender you can place 8oz-16 oz of spring water. If you are not happy with the consistency you can always add a little more water and blend again.
6. Serve into a cup of your choice or drink straight from your Nutribullet cup. Enjoy all of the wonderful healing benefits of a green smoothie.

I included a photo of the Nutribullet. I can not express how easy the clean up is. You get to drink
right out of the cup you used to blend in and then wash it when you are finished. It's great. It's fantastic and does a fabulous job with breaking up the food for maximum nutrient absorption. I could never go back to a regular blender after my experiences with a Nutribullet and a Vitamix.

If you wish for more recipes let us know in the comments sections. If you want to know the health benefits of the ingredients above we can share. Also, for the next blog I was thinking of sharing an awesome secret to help your  hair grow faster. Leave a comment if you want to know what it is!

Health, Happiness, and Hope.

Sherrie

Life...Real Talk

How can I complain? There are so many people that want to see me fall. It's hard to believe when you are doing something so good, that there are people watching on the sidelines that want to stop your movement, hinder your progress, and reject your goodness. I can hear them now, criticizing that I wrote a blog about haters, about "them". They must feel so important now. I assume, they will always be there. In grade school it was easy to identify them as bullies. Here I am, over 10 years later as a young adult in my twenties and adults are just as bad, even worse. The reason I bring this up is because everyone faces bullies in life. It's not about the struggle, it's about letting go and not caring what they say or think.  God always reveals the truth. Stay strong and stand upright because you and I know the truth. Fortunately for me, I had a hard upbringing so with that comes tough skin, street smarts, and a will that can never be stopped. My ex tried and he gave up. No matter how hard he tried to make me stop my endeavors, I knew in my heart, that God's plan was for me to make a difference, and if he could not accept that, then he could not accept me. I make it sound easy, it wasn't. However, God's will was bigger to me than his. I had a choice and I chose goodness.  I see girls hanging onto "bad, unhealthy" relationships all the time. Let me tell you something, you can NOT change someone. No matter how much you yell, cry, fight, try to work it out, let me tell you..... you can not change ANYONE. But I can unfortunately promise that if you stay in that unhealthy relationship, you will .lose the essence of who you are inside. You will lose your identity and become something you are not. It's like you end up fighting to be who you are....but ultimately you will pick up bad habits along the way. The old adage is true, you become the company you keep. Here are 9 warning signs that you have bad company (ie.. bad relationship, bad friends, etc)
These 9 warning signs are from the following blog: http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/06/09/9-warning-signs-youre-in-bad-company/
1. They only make time for you when it's convenient for them.
2. They hold your past against you.
3.  You feel trapped.
4. They discredit your dreams and abilities.
5. They have lied to you more than once.
6 . Their negativity is rubbing off on you.
7. They are excessively envious of what you have.
8. They motivate you to be judgmental or hateful.
9. They want you to be someone else.
And although this particular blog is not about relationships, I can't help but take a moment and say what's on my heart and mind. The truth is when we do not like something we see in another person that usually means the universe is reflecting that trait back to you so you can fix that trait inside yourself. Or perhaps, the universe is asking you why in the world you keep hanging onto someone that does not FULLY love, appreciate, or support you.

Love..... huh. Love, that word that means so much. Sure, you are probably telling yourself "Well, he or she does love me."  Sure, "they" love you but to what extent? It's hard to ask yourself this question. It's even harder to give yourself a real answer. That's real talk. Come on.... take a moment and ask yourself. What is the answer?  Just because someone loves you does not mean it is a healthy relationship. I am not sure when women lost respect for themselves.... I imagine it starts at a young age. Ladies, it starts with what you wear, what you think, what you say, and my God, who you date and ultimately commit to. Do you think committing yourself to someone that is not good for you means you  have self respect? Please ladies, you are smarter than that.  And men, I am not sure when you accepted that it was ok to mistreat others. Of course this blog is not just about women's hardships, this story goes both ways. Men get mistreated too. Going back to the start of this blog.... I was talking about people that want to stop my charitable endeavors, business successes, etc. The funny thing is..... if they put that same energy into being successful they would actually be somewhere in life. But they don't and instead assume position on the sidelines, wishing, wanting, hating.

I bet they are reading right now, right along side with you. I bet they are angry reading this. I stopped long ago, wishing and hoping they would change. I bet they think I don't know who they are. ha ha. It's not that I don't know who they are, it's that I don't care.  I realize the only person that can cause them to change, is themselves. Instead I pray for them. I pity them. I do not hate anyone..... not even those that still cyber bully me going on 6 years now.  I bet they wouldn't even know what to do with themselves if they stopped..... imagine..... if they just put that effort into saving a life, or perhaps saving their own. Afterall, it isn't this world I am concerned about.... it's when we leave here and meet God that matters. What will you say you did in your lifetime? Were you the bully? Were you ungrateful? Were you disgusting to others? Surely, not you, no not you. Never.

Certain adults think they can bully me because I am young. Just realize, I may be young but I was not born yesterday. If you try to bully me, I too have a backing of people to protect me. I am never alone because I am always surrounded by goodness.   1 Timothy 4:12-14,  "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you." To all the young entrepreneurs and humanitarians out there..... keep holding it down. You are making the difference in this world. 

I decided within my organization we would only allow "good" people into the mix and on the team. It can seem frightening at times that someone can be a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's ..... how evil seeps in.  However, I see it as it is...... I learned to say no. I learned to let go. I learned to make the hard decisions. I see people for what they are and accept them. I learned to not take people's insecurity and jealousy personally. Their hatred is their problem, not mine. Why on earth would I allow someone to stop me, hinder me, or hurt me? I say goodbye and I mean it. Being a business owner is not always easy..... but someone has to do it. You are sometimes viewed as the good guy or the bad guy and my God, everyone has an opinion.

I said to someone recently, when did people think it's ok to sit around and talk about other models half their age, yes a mom sitting at home tearing another model apart because that model received more recognition than her daughter. I bet she knows who she is...... My God, some people truly need to get a bigger purpose in life..... or in this case take a class in PR. Instead it turned into bashful, hateful words. And the thing is, she is upset that her daughter gets bullied.......what an oxymoron. Real Talk.

Must we revisit what a bully is........ (I bet the bullies are skipping a paragraph right now!)
According to dictionary.com the definition of a bully is, "a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people."
People that are "weaker" are those that are poorer than someone that is rich. Or those that are struggling with their health, or struggling to get by in life, or someone that is a child compared to an adult, these are just a few examples. I believe this is why God talks so much in the bible about how careful the rich need to be to the poor and how careful we need to be with guarding our heart and who we let into our home. I can hear it now..... the rich bullies reading this are thinking about how they give to the poor..... perhaps they should ponder this, ^"Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse." Proverbs 19:1. It isn't just what you do..... it's what you say too.

Here is some more real talk........
I don't need to tell someone I hate them...... why, because I don't hate people. I just remove them from my organization without any feelings of resentment, hatred, etc. You know what I find amusing..... a mom from my most recent show calls me right after I finished a suicide intervention and tells me the breakdown of the show we just completed. She explains to me that there were a small group of models at my fashion show complaining about me...."Sherrie this, Sherrie that." Two ladies in charge told them to stop. I wish they would have informed me during that moment but the show was about to start. I would have walked right down stairs and calmly said, "Thank you for being part of this entire process. At this time I would like for you to leave since for some reason you have no manners and zero respect for me and my organization." I realize some people would not agree with that tactic but as a business owner I keep the integrity of our mission statement close to my heart. It's so hard to believe that "models" would treat you that way after you have given them an opportunity of a life time. You know what I call their attitude "ingratitude". Honest to God, they must think it's everyday that someone under 5'8 gets to walk on a real runway, with a lifestream across the world, and that oh I dont know, everybody gets featured in a magazine. Perhaps it's their parents that put these ideas in their head or someone from the outside world that fed these ideas or lies to them. Or perhaps I hit the nail on the head and they just have no idea....... how ungrateful they really are. I just spent a paragraph on ungrateful people...... I bet they are reading this and find valid reasons for the things they said. I bet they won't even sit back and ponder.......

Why let someone so insignificant take away your peace? God brings peace. Pray, love, and accept goodness into your life. Let go of the bad, let go of the negative, let go...... You will find peace.

Real Talk happens from my heart. I started this blog by saying there are so many people that want to see me fall. However, for everyone one person that hates me..... there are 100 that love me. They can attempt to create an army but no matter how hard they try they can never stop me. And even if they did, God forbid, .... the goodness we have released in the world will be here forever. Imagine that.

I just want to take this time to thank God for every blessing he has given me. Thank you to my family for loving me, taking care of me, guiding me, and protecting me. Thank you mom and Lynn for everything. Amen.

The Truth Behind Your Breakfast

Understand I am not asking you to be vegan..... please read the entire post first to see the truth behind your breakfast. As many of you know I generally stick to a vegan diet. I started years ago because of the health risks a non vegan diet posed. However, through my research over time I came to truly embrace my decision for many reasons. I realize many people can not imagine life without ribs, or cheese, or meat in general. However, I know people are looking to become healthier and in order to do that small changes can be made. No one says you have to become vegan. What I will say is it is important to become informed for your own health and for the health of your family and friends. Your decision to be healthy starts with you and your choices. Below I explain how I feel about the topic (in this case the topic of eggs), what I have learned, etc. I decided a long time ago that I would start eating organic eggs, back when I was not vegan. As many of you know vegans do not eat any animal product at all. At the time I was just vegetarian and still considered eggs ok.  I felt organic eggs were a healthier option. When I was 17 I moved to West Virginia for 9 months. I met local farmers that were once conventional farmers (meaning they used pesticides and growth hormones) and then decided to become organic farmers. One farmer told me his decision was final when he learned that the growth hormone they place in eggs was poisonous to humans. He said when you inject it into the egg it causes the egg to develop faster, therefore speeding up the time it takes to get it in the stores. In turn this helps increase profits because they are able to produce and sell eggs faster. He said humans build a certain tolerance to it over time however it still slowly erodes the body. He explained further that one drop of this poison on a human tongue, would kill a human instantly. He reinforced my decision to eat organic eggs. Later.... fast forward a few years I was sitting in my college speech class and a student chose the topic of egg production for her discussion. She explained why one should eat eggs only produced from a humane certified farm. This certification is placed on the packaging. Since I feel seeing is believing, I placed a video for you below. Please watch most of it if not all of it. I do not know the people that created the video personally however, I felt it was a great preview of what the world of egg production truly looks like....it might surprise you.

Military Suicide Rate Skyrockets

This past weekend Kate Hunt, Miss Peoria Metro, spearheaded an event at the Illinois Veterans’ Home. Hunt invited her sister queens, part of the Miss Illinois Scholarship Association, to perform their talents for the veterans. Joining Kate was Audra Ferguson (the reigning Miss River to River), they both sang for the veterans. Later, Sherrie Gearheart, Miss Southern Illinois and founder of Live Out Loud Charity, visited with the veterans. Read the full article CLICK HERE.

Suicide Kills More Than Car Accidents

Just reported on CNN: Suicide kills more people here in America than car accidents according to the CDC. My heart pours out to the ones suffering the losses of the two radio hosts that took their lives. My heart pours out to Paris Jackson that attempted suicide just this week. Please, if you are hurting, if you feel alone, if you need help, it’s ok, pick up the phone and call 1.800 SUICIDE. This national hotline is FREE, confidential, and will help you. Perhaps you don’t feel suicidal, just depressed, just pick up the phone and call. Please reach out for help. I spoke with a person yesterday that said, “I don’t think anyone would miss me if I took my life”. I explained that I would miss her. That so many would miss her and those that have taken their lives felt the same as her but they too were wrong. And because of their act so many have suffered guilt, sadness, depression, and spiraled into a downward path of taking their lives as well. Please reach out for help. I also recommend Powertochange.org a wonderful resource where you can sign up for an email mentor. I love you all. You are loved.
Here are some things that can help make us happy in life:
1. Altruism (giving back to others makes us feel good, get involved with a charity)
2. Exercise
3. Healthy relationships (this one IS HUGE and I plan on writing an article soon and have done so in ACTION MAGAZINE).
Thank you for reading everyone! God bless.
Sherrie Gearheart
Executive Director
Live Out Loud Charity
 

http://liveoutloudcharity.org/2013/06/08/suicide-kills-more-than-car-accidents/

Saving a Life

I thank God every day for giving me His vision for starting Live Out Loud Charity. Today a life was saved through suicide prevention. I am so grateful I logged onto facebook. This isn't the first time I have saved someone's life via facebook, in fact if you refer to this blog: http://www.sherriegearheart.blogspot.com/2011/02/true-story.html you can read the story of the man in India and how I saved his life. But before I go forward with this blog, I must say, it isn't me that is saving people's lives, I want to make it clear, that I am only used as God's tool. It is God that intervenes and I do my best to listen when I am needed. :) Tonight I was needed by a younger girl who has been in an abusive relationship for years. She broke away and found someone who treats her right but when her abusive boyfriend came around again she found herself scared to say no. She was then beaten again and her fiance found out about it after she broke down to him. He called off the wedding. She then went on facebook one last time before she was going to end her life. She saw I was on facebook (thank God) and decided to reach out to me since she knows I run a non profit for suicide prevention. We started chatting and she opened up to me about everything. As a QPR certified Gatekeeper I used my training to take the proper steps and I always mention God in my stories as I am a believer and a Truth Media Certified Mentor. From there she started to see things clearly again and to place things into perspective. As the conversation continued she finally told me that I had saved her life. That she was going to end it all and logged on to deactivate facebook. By chance, as one last attempt she reached out to me and thank God she chose life, and thank God she chose to speak with me. I am so grateful to God. During that conversation she reached out to her fiance who was so happy to work things out and come over to her home to discuss everything with her. It will take her time to heal as she was in a very abusive relation ship and it will take her time to rediscover who she is again. I encourage everyone to leave their abusive relationships. Please. God wants the best for us. God gives us dreams so we can live them. I honestly believe God plants little seeds of dreams in our heart so we can make them a reality. I mention dreams because in a healthy relationship your partner will support your dreams not try to control you from living them. With all of that being said, I honestly believe God wants the best for us. Often times people hold their past regrets against themselves and feel they don't deserve best but as the quote above by Drake says, "No matter how dirty your past is, your future is still spotless," just goes to show that our current decisions matter and that we can turn our lives around. God wants the best for us!!! Bible says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 
I believe in God and it was my faith that carried me through my hardships. I thank God for my life every day and for my loved ones including my significant other which has brought so much happiness in my life. In this blog I placed two quotes that I just love. I hope you like them two.

Merry Christmas to everyone this Christmas Eve. I miss the days I would visit my grandparents and would be so anxious to see my gifts that I would open all my christmas gifts on Christmas Eve and have nothing for Christmas day. The tradition in my grandparent's household was to open one gift on Christmas Eve but of course as I am, I always have to somewhat break tradition and open them all. haha! So my grandma, over the year's starting saving one and hiding it well so I would have something to open in the morning. They have both since passed on and are angels in heaven. They brought so much peace and serenity to me. Because of them I have a strong faith in God, a hard work ethic, and a giving heart. I miss them dearly. This Christmas is a unique one as I am spending it with my parents, mom and Joe :) I am in Florida and it is my very first warm Christmas. I never thought Christmas could feel like Christmas with out the snow but let me tell you... I love it!!!! Merry Christmas all and God Bless everyone!!

With love,

Sherrie Gearheart
Miss Southern Illinois 2013

My Journey

I love this quote! Sometimes I think we are so hard on ourselves..... just remember this quote! xoxo, Sherrie Gearheart