Have major appreciation for he seemingly minor things.

We go through life feeling as though we are entitled to various pleasures and desires.  However, everything we are given to in life is a blessing, and should not be taken for granted.  Too often, the act of giving is more readily disregarded than the act of taking.  Once I became very sick, the very things that were familiar and comfortable to me were taken away, and I found that serving others gave me more gratitude then trying to please myself.  The more we focus on the fact that nothing in life is ours to “own,” the more innately giving we become. When this happens, and we let go of the things once viewed as being vital for our “happiness,”the joys of life come abundantly.  Of course I sometimes still struggle with giving freely towards others, but it is when I do that I am the most content.  Pictured are the four highlights of my past week.  God’s blessing of giving me a doctor five minutes away from the beach, a perfectly cooked dinner eaten outside on the patio, a mojo dipping sauce, and my brother already turning fifteen and, thank God, still in good health.  It truly is the little things in life, that can make the biggest impact.

Today I am sharing with you my spin on a mojo sauce. As my illness grew worse and the inflammation increased, my liver, intestines, and lymph system stopped working.  Through trial and error, I discovered that eating nightshades (tomatoes, white potatoes, all peppers, eggplant etc…) caused even more excess pain. How is this possible? Interesting enough, nightshade plants are stocked full of glycoilkaloid and capsaicin chemicals, as well as lectins, which are all toxic and harmful to the body. A healthy body is able to defend and drain itself of these components, however, when ingesting them with compromised system, they cause an exaggerated autoimmune response (the body attacking itself). In my case, something as small as red chili flakes, causes my legs, head, eyes, and stomach to burn incredibly. Therefore, ketchup, tomato, and french fries are all out of the question in regards to burger night. Instead, I created a tangy, yet slightly sweet, dipping sauce to pair with my yuca root (cassava) french fries.  Out of all the potato “substitutes” that I have tried, yuca root ranks equal, if not higher in tastiness, due to its high starch content.  Interesting enough, this combination of yuca and mojo sauce is quite common in the Cuban cuisine.  Please enjoy!