Is Olive Oil Safe to Cook With?

Sooooo often people ask whether Olive oil is safe to cook with since it provides a certain texture and feel compared to any other oil..

The answer is....YES! In fact it is much better than the usual canola oil we use ;)

I'd say just spent a couple of dollars more for this. Why? See more below

For a long time the nutrition community touted the health benefits of olive oil and its role in theMediterranean diet. But when information about the smoke point of various oils began to surface, EVOO got a bit of a bad rap. Deemed unfit for cooking due to a low smoke point that would turn the healthy fat into a smoky, stinky, free-radical-releasing mess when heated, olive oil was relegated to the salad bowl.

Now, however, it's making a comeback as more is learned about the smoke points of various oils. According to a report published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, olive oil has a smoke point of about 468° Fahrenheit. Considering that the average cooktop heats to between 350° and 375° Fahrenheit, it looks like we are good to go with our favorite oil. In fact, extra virgin olive oil can be heated to 410° Fahrenheit before smoking, so go ahead, sauté away.

To see how other oils stack up, check out this handy infographic from the International Olive Council. Sure does dispel all the cooking oil myths out there!

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Who are you?

By Shelly Bullard

Are you seeking a relationship that will make you feel complete? 

Have you been searching for love but all of your experiences seem to fall short? 

Do you get excited, thinking you found "the one," only to feel dissatisfied again shortly after the high wears off? 

If so, you are reading the right article. 

This is a very common experience. It's easy to feel jaded about love if you've had enough experiences that haven't turned out the way you want. 

Luckily, there is a reason this keeps happening. Believe it or not, you are looking for love in all the wrong places. 

The relationship you are really looking for is one with YOURSELF.

I know, you may not believe me at first. You may think that you already have the best possiblerelationship you can have with yourself. 

However if you are constantly up against feelings such as "something is missing," or "this isn't good enough," or "I'm not satisfied," then it's a good indication that it's time to really start tending to the most important relationship in your life–the one you have with you.

When we don't feel satisfied within, we project the feelings of inadequacy onto our partners and other aspects of our life. The real truth is, if it feels like something is missing in your life, then it's probably you (thank you Robert Holden for this life-changing lesson). 

Here is what is going on in this oh-so common pattern: When you seek completion (meaning you are looking to feel good about yourself–to feel at peace, in love, and whole) outside of yourself, it implies that you feel incomplete to begin with. 

Unfortunately this feeling of incompletion (that lives in you) is going to follow you into whatever situation you make your way into. 

Sure, when you fall in love you are going to get a glimpse of completion and love that is so divine. 

But, if what drove you into the relationship in the first place was to overcome a sense of feeling incomplete, you will find that soon enough you will begin to feel incomplete within the relationship, too. 

Other people don't complete us. Only You complete You. 

I know many of us have heard this before and that, in theory, we believe that it is true. But the trouble is we don't do anything about this truth! 

We keep repeating the same pattern over and over again–looking for love, for completion, for a sense of inner peace by acquiring things (especially people) outside of us. 

Unfortunately nothing on the outside can ultimately change the way you feel on the inside. 

This isn't to say that relationships don't serve a purpose. This is not true. They serve the ultimate purpose–for us to feel love. 

But there are very different qualities in the type of love you feel if you are trying to complete yourself with someone else versus the type of love you feel when you are showing up to join, share, and co-create with another. 

In the first relationship, you are going to feel preoccupied with everything that is missing–with all that you are not getting from the other person. 

In the second, you are going to feel much more freedom to just relax and freely give your love away. 

You can feel deeply satisfied in relationships with other people. In fact, you are supposed to. But (and this is a big BUT) YOU have to get right with YOU first. 

I came across this quote the other day by Suzanne Falter-Barnes, and she sums it up perfectly. Here is what she said: 

"There is no relationship pure enough, pristine enough, sublime enough, romantic enough, beautiful enough, fulfilling enough, spiritually attuned enough to overcome the despair you will feel when you are not connected to who you are–when you are not connected to your own heart and soul." 

For your life to feel full, YOU must feel full. For your relationships to feel satisfying, YOU must feel satisfied. Soul, depth, heart, and love all come from within. And when you tap into these parts of yourself, you start to feel them all around you. 

When you feel disconnected from you, you feel disconnected from everyone around you too. This is just how it works. 

So what can you do? Stop looking for the answer outside of yourself–it's not there. 

You can't control other people. You can't expect someone to behave in a way that feels good to you all the time. You can't get another person's attention 100% of the time. You can't get a stream of pure positive love from another person all the time. You can't. 

But, you can give yourself these things. You can connect into your own heart. You can live out your desires. You can be true to who you really are, and feel fullness from within. You can live your life with depth, purpose, meaning and soul. All these things you can do. And you must, if you really want to live a life filled with joy and love. 

You are who you are looking for. It's You. Just you. 

If your life doesn't feel satisfying enough–if your relationships are falling short–stop looking for the answer on the outside and go within. 

Connect into yourself. Find yourself. Be true to yourself. And when you do, you will find that the love you have been looking for has been with you all along, and that it's here to stay

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Why Can’t We Break Our Bad Habits?

It seems it takes 7 days to start a habit and 30 days break them. Although it is definitely hard to teach an old dog new tricks, I still think we can always start something up at anytime since it only takes 7 days. 

I challenge you to take this perspective differently...if it takes 30 days to break a habit, why not start a habit of 'breaking' the old habit? Haha...worth a try and worth a thought.

I of course have one extreme habit I like to break. It's being hard on myself.....and that itself leads to lots of other things which I don't have to mention because it does itself creative negativity. But hey ho, I've always grained in my head that the cup is always half full!

Here's another thought from Rebecca Seed :)

By Rebecca Seed

We all have bad habits. No one is perfect or free from them. In yoga philosophy we call them “samskaras”—mental and emotional patterns we are, some believe, born with: the things we do habitually that do not serve us. 

For some people it could be something as simple as indulging in ice cream a little too often. 

For others, it’s the darker stuff – sex, drugs, alcohol, gambling, bad relationships. 

It doesn’t necessarily have to be an addiction – a little too much of something that’s no good is just, well, a bad habit. But the truth is, bad habits only create negativity in our lives.

So if we can identify our bad habit(s), which I believe most of us can, why don’t we do anything about it? 

The real question is: how badly do we want that thing that’s so BAD? How much self-control can we drum up at any given time?

It’s a question I ask myself when it comes to my less-than-savory habits. 

Why am I doing this to myself? Because it feels good in the moment? Because it’s all I know? Because doing the opposite is actually UNCOMFORTABLE? Because as humans we are drawn to the easy way out, and it’s easy to throw self-control out the window?

Isn’t it is just ridiculous to admit a BAD HABIT is the easy way out? 

he familiarity of it is so attractive, we throw consequence by the wayside.

I am very much an all-or-nothing person. I can cut someone or something out of my life if I just put my foot down and say I’m going to do it. I stick to my word. 

I’ve eaten a cheeseburger and fries three weekends in a row then done a 6-day Kundalini yoga and juice cleanse so successfully, I added a seventh day on my own.

But I went back to cheeseburgers and boxed macaroni and cheese, yes, the kind with the fake orange powder in it, afterwards. So what was the point of spending hundreds of dollars for a week-long cleanse, only to say “screw it” when I fell back into to my comfort zone? 

Unfortunately, burgers and Kraft mac ‘n cheese are not my worst habits. In fact I’ve been vegan for over 3 months now, which works here in Santa Monica because they’ve perfected a delicious vegan cheeseburger in several restaurants here. 

The point is, it’s time to break the all-or-nothing attitude. That in itself is a bad habit. 

I’d like to try a little harder to live life with moderation in mind. Especially when I know self-control is a good thing, and is HEALTHY, but too much of it, too much rigidity, is not. 

And we should all be able to admit feeling good feels SO much better than feeling bad.

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Stunt Man

Well not that we all know it'd be almost impossible to do what he does but it does go to show that there is indeed a lot of extremities such as from keeping excellent focus in the mind on the strength to taking the risk to plunge without knowing the consequences!

Anyhoo, here's a good video clip for your break time ;)

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The 10 Most Adorable Unusual Animal Friends

Time to go all mushy inside!! Click here for the original link as well as more photos ;)

  The 10 Most Adorable Animal Friendships

Ah, interspecies animal love – it’s something we simply adore at the PBH Network. So we did a little research and found the 10 most adorable unusual animal friendships:

10. A Chimpanzee Adopts An Orphaned Puma Cub

At the The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in South Carolina, 5 year old chimpanzee Anjana took up the task of helping to hand-raise an orphaned cub named Sierra. The results were expectedly adorable! (Images via the Daily Mail).

9. A Real Life Thumper & Bambi

A shorty but goody: a rabbit befriends an inquisitive deer with a touch of noses to solidify their new-found friendship!

8. A Very Cuddly Dog And Cat Friendship

Who doesn’t want a furry cuddle buddy?

7. Orphaned Kangaroo And Wombat Babies Become Playpals

From the Daily Mail, Anzac the baby kangaroo was abandoned and upon taking up residence at the Wildlife Kilmore Rescue Centre in Victoria, Australia, became friends with Peggy the baby wombat. And how adorable is this? According to caretaker Lisa Milligan, “the unlikely friends are comforted by each others movement and heartbeat.”

6. A Dog And Leopard Become Lifelong Friends

Via PBH2, a dog and leopard grow up friends. Aww!

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5 Steps to Awakening Your Beautiful Soul

Wow, this is worth reading. This is deep and meaningful, take time all to really really know and love yourself! Thank you Keri Baruch!

<3 <3 <3 Happy Handstand <3 <3 <3

By Kerri Baruch

The greatest gift you can give this world is to be yourself. I truly believe that. Become naked with who you are and offer that to the world - your perfection at your core. It's time for us all to step out from behind the masks we've learned to wear to protect ourselves from being found out.

You are Beautiful.

Share that Beauty.

There is no need for shame. Everybody has a story. An incident. A skeleton in their closet.

1. Accept that the grass is only greener on the other side because it’s growing around the septic tank. Everybody, but everybody, has stuff going on. There’s a wounded child living in everybody. Remember that and speak to yourself and others with that knowledge and compassion.

2. Forgive your need to hide away those very idiosyncrasies that make you unique and invaluable. Hiding once served you. It kept you safe. Today you are an adult and have nothing to be ashamed of. You’ve done your best. And when you know better, you do better.

3. Connect with the courage that you already have to shine out your magnificent light. There’s absolutely no need to ask for courage – it’s already a seed within you. Water it; nurture it; love it – and feel it grow within you. You have courage. You are Courage. Look at how much you have already broken through.

4. Experience your emotions as real and validate their authenticity. Use them as the gateway to your healing rather than denying them the space to be released. Burying your feelings in food or other forms of escapism removes you from reaching Bliss – that state of knowing, accepting and loving who you are. So feel all that you need to in a space that’s safe and know that you are approaching Wholeness.

5. Honor your experiences and tell your story – you have so much to offer the world. Share your experiences and sprinkle magic on the canvas of Life. Your reality is intertwined with so many others’. They need to know your story, your Truth. It’s empowering. It’s meaningful. It’s part of You.

Your Awakening is right here – Yours for the taking. The ingredients lie within you.

Are you ready to step into the light that awaits you? Are you willing to expose your Magnificent Self?

The world needs You.

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60 Inspiring Quotations That Will Change The Way You Think

These quotes are really an impact to a hard day, really worth a read. I've only posted 20, for more check out the original article here

Sometimes life gets tough and we need that little something to keep us going. That little something is inspirational quotations. We love to read and get inspired from them, but a few seconds later we throw them out of our head. The way we perceive life most of the time, is wrong. Probably the biggest thing we all search for in life is happiness.

People who search for happiness think that money and fame will make their life perfect. As good as that sounds most of the time, that statement is not true at all. You have to be thankful for everything you know and own. Just when you want something better than you already have (Example: a new iPhone,) remind yourself that someone in the world has never even had the privilege of using such technology. There is somebody always better than you and always somebody less fortunate than you. Until you find the middle ground and accept what you have, you will not reach happiness.

Now while reading this you are probably thinking we sound like your mother. Just like that person who always loved and cared for you, we are trying to help you in the right direction. We strongly encourage you to read every single one of these quotations and walk away with a brand new mindset. I strongly believe that each and every one of us has a creative mind, and the reason we don’t use it is because we are afraid of failure. I strongly believe in this quote “If you never try you’ll never know.” As corny as it sounds it’s true. So next time you doubt yourself  think of this, and show people what you are made of. The worst thing that could happen is you fail, big deal, get up and try again.

Today we have gathered some of the most inspirational quotes we could find. All of the quotations below were hand-picked based on the message they sent. Of course as our name suggests we want to feed you with inspiration, so grab your favorite piece of beverage and enjoy the following quotes!

Click here for the next 40 =)

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