Simply Sizzlin'!!

Grilled Mahi Mahi

Ingredients:

6 (6 oz.) mahi mahi fish fillets, 1/2" thick

Dressing:

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt (you can omit)

 Preparation:

• Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. For dressing, in a small bowl combine cilantro, lemon peel and juice, oil, honey, garlic, and salt. Mix well.
•  Place fish fillets into glass baking pan and pour dressing over; turn fish to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Lightly grease indoor electric grill and preheat or fire up the outside grill.  Drain fish, discarding marinade. Place fish on the grill rack, tucking under any thin edges. If using a covered grill, close lid.
• Grill until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, about 2 to 3 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish on a two sided grill. On uncovered grill, cook for 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish, turning once halfway through grilling. Makes 6 servings. 

Grilling fish can be tricky. I cheat and use foil on the grill with poked holes because I tend to flip the fish and it gracefully slides between the grates of the grill. 

Tell us your grilling secrets and enter to win a surprise! 

Write in your secrets below and I promise to tell!! (so sign your name:)

Retirement or Ment to Retire?

Since hitting the 55 mile marker in life, retiring was that dream that I longed for. At age 16, I began working at a nearby restaurant, Callahan's, as a "windows take out girl" after school  and from that time on I had worked feverishly towards this magical moment. It's the 40 year plan. We all do it. It's all we are taught! Go to school, go off to college, get a good job, and work 40 years to retire. How many of you are in that plan? How many of you are still paying for that college education or now your kids college education? How many of you became millionaires on that plan? How many of you think you have enough to actually retire on when the time comes? An even better question...is the time going to come?

This was the big aha moment! There is no retirement as our parents know it today (if they are still here). The new retirement plan is being revealed very quietly to the baby boomers and if anyone is awake and savvy, they will tell you about it NOW. It's clear to me that you will need a way to make income well into your golden years. The cost of living is rising and there is no way you will know how long that money you stockpiled will last. My husband and I have planned and planned and we are still not sure. We have invested in everything including ourselves and our own businesses to be able to feel some security.

So you may be asking yourself, what can I do about this? Well, before I tell you, just let me say this, you aren't going to like what I have to share. You may even immediately shut your brain off when you hear it. You will take all of your current perceptions and your current understanding of this subject and may not be open to reading the rest of this. BUT...you need to open up that steel trap of a brain and allow the information to flow in. I am telling you this because it's the truth. Not just for me, but for everyone who has already retired, about to retire, planning to retire some day.

We have established that the 40 year plan doesn't make millionaires as a rule. So you don't want to be a millionaire? That's ok, but this plan will give you every opportunity to make yourself a comfortable lifestyle in retirement and it's entirely in your control. The more you work at it, the more you can have. Give yourself raises, trips, stuff, security, joy and the ability to help others...it has so many advantages. But it has been given a bad rap. What is it? Network Marketing, MLM, multilevel marketing, direct sales...whatever you want to call it. I know you are thinking...ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme....illegal. That's the rap it has gotten. But here is a fact, even Donald Trump has had his hand in it. So you know it's legit. Now more than ever before people want freedom. They want the freedom to spend less, save more, have time flexibility and security all rolled into one.

No matter what stage of the game you are at, you can invest under $2000 ( sometimes nothing at all) to get started and you can build that security blanket!! They all work similar but you have to know how to compare them so you get something that is a fit for you. You are in luck, I have experience in this department. I can help you learn HOW to pick a great business!

What's the next step? If you read this with an open mind, go to my website, www.sandrabullard.com or if you are already on it reading this, go to the "contact me" tab at the top of the page and request to talk to me about that. Talking is just the first step. You don't have to commit to starting a business until you find the one that is right for you, I encourage you to learn all you can and I can tell you just how to go about doing that. Do it now before you change your mind. I'll just be happy if you survive your retirement plan! I'm still working on mine.

Sandra

BALSAMIC & PARMESAN ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

      Let's Spice Things Up a Little!       Ingredients

• 8 cups 1-inch-thick slices cauliflower florets, (about 1 large head)

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

     Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

1. Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until starting to soften and brown on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven and roast until the cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.

1. Now Experiment with other herbs and spices:

• Onion

• Cajun

• Garlic

• Italian bread crumbs 

• Feta Cheese

 Got Leftovers????Use the electric mixer to make some mashed cauliflower, put it in a baking dish and bake in the oven until warm and serve instead of mashed potatoes.

What's love got to do with it?

It amazes me how I can get to 57 years old and still learn so much about myself. Are you learning anything new about you?? I bet you do.
Because of what we are taught from age 0 to where we are right now on the age timeline, we make decisions, feel certain ways about things and live our lives really, based on those beliefs without ever questioning them. I joined in "The Ultimate Game of Life" by Jim Bunch this past 3 months and learned so much I'm busting to tell you about it. Or should I say make you question about it.
So clear your mind of distractions for a moment. I'll wait:)....now picture in your mind what the happiest day of your life would look like. Picture all the details, get caught up in it...yes daydream about it. Now capture all the details as you write that down on paper. (yes you have to write it down so stop whining) just do it! I want you to see how easy it is to get exactly what makes you happy. Write down 6-8 actions you can take that you can do on a daily basis that will bring that happy day right to your front door. (Not to discourage you but if your happy day envolves anyone else, they are working their plan as well and it may not be cohesive with yours)
If you are skeptical, like I am, try it with something that only relys on you to get it accomplished. Say you want to be more relaxed and have more fun each day. Your action steps could be to take a walk outside for 15 mintues every day, to sing along with your favorite song twice a day, to meditate before bed every night.
Now try it out and see if you can reach that happiness goal.
Here is what i learned about myself that was rather sad...I never set myself up for success. I was always striving but never arriving. Just one step more to the gold...but could never let myself take the step. Sounds crazy doesn't it? Have you set yourself up for success? To get the love of your life, to travel and see the world, to have more of what you desire, to actually design your own life? Yes? Then I applaud you and rejoice in your ability. I'm just getting started. Better late than never:)
I learned that loving myself means to be happy, to design that happiness and what it looks like in my mind. Each day is happier now, every moment is spent doing the striving but celebrating the wins!! I am winning at the game of life...and the game is always on!

What type are you?

If I asked you what personality type you are...would you say you are more of an explorer, pioneer or settler?
Here is the thing, do you like to search out new things, take risk, have fun, like excitment and challenges? Do you like to take on projects in the beginning stages, lay the groundwork, be the leader, clear the trail for the settlers? Or do you like things to be tried and true before you settle in and get on board?

I never realized we had these different personality types until today. Or maybe I just never heard of them in this way. I was trying to figure out what type I am and I think I am a pioneer.  I'm not really fond of the unknown but I am able to keep going if I can see a scant trail of where the person ahead of me has been. So where do you think you are??

It's important to figure it out because lots of things in life hold us back, trip us up and stop us cold! If we are trying to accomplish something that doesn't match up with our own mindset/personality, we may be hitting our head on the wall. If you hate leading but love to follow or you don't like taking risks and only want to invest in a sure thing...well you sure wouldn't want to be the first one on the block to try something brand new. It just wouldn't be you. You may wonder what I am getting around to here. Here it is...what has been your experience already? How many things have you tried and either been successful at or not successful at? Take a minute and think about it. Maybe those things did not match up with your mindset/ personality. Maybe it wasn't your fault at all that you were not successful. Because you didn't know that you should be a match.

So here is the deal we can make for ourselves going forward. Get to know who we are. Get to understand what we are comfortable with. If we have to do things that we are not comfortable with in order to be a success in that ...what do you think the chances are?? We all have the opportunity to step outside that comfort zone don't we? We all have the opportunity to learn how to do what we are not comfortable with don't we? But don't we tend to fall back into that comfort zone when nobody is watching?? Come on, let's be real.

Get a mentor, get someone who is successful to coach you. Stick with them and do what they tell you to do.
It doesn't matter what we want to accomplish in life, if you are trying to fool yourself, it's not working is it?
This is a master key. It will open doors, open opportunites, unlock health, happiness and wealth in ways you have never dreamed of. Get your dreams lined up with who you are and what you are comfortable with.

The Etchings

Ever wonder how you got here? I don't  mean the big bang theory or the creation. I mean how you got here, right now.There you are, right now, reading this post. Your____old. You are full of ________. Looking forward to ___________. How did you get to this place in your life? Did you design your entire life?
Did someone tell you what you should do along the way? Did you always listen to your heart? Are you doing what you always dreamed you would? Are you living the life you always pictured with the person by your side that you always thought you would be with?

It's a bit of a mystery that needs solving at times. We start out as a child and that blank slate in our head just gets engraved with things our parents or those in charge of raising us wanted us to learn. Did they know what they were doing? Did they put things on that slate that you have had difficulty with? Have you had to overcome some things to get here today. Do you think you still have work to do on that?

Well, I will share my story with you and you see if it might get you thinking about yourself. When I was a child, I was quite sensitive. I picked up everything that was said. I listened at doors, I peaked through things around the house. I was a regular detective...I may have missed my calling. I was great at trying to piece things together so I could understand them. Children are so impressionable. So many things I saw didn't set well with me. I didn't know quite how to deal with them. Some of the lessons I learned were because I didn't agree with those etchings on the slate. Somehow I knew, that something was rotten in Denmark (just a saying) But as a child, it isn't anything you can do something about.

I can remember being so angry at times, I wanted to run away. I can remember deciding if I would be punished more by staying or going. Fear in a child can be a good way to keep them in line, but it can be too deep of a fear. It can feel like a prison. Home can feel like a bad dream. It can be a place you hate to go. When i raised my kids, I would keep that in mind. NOT. Because that slate was etched. Not just written on softly with chalk, etched in my mind were the stupid things you say and the over the top things you do in anger or frustration.

It's the shame, the blame the mistakes and the success that we have despite our etchings that have brought us here today. Just as we are. We are perfectly and wonderfully made to do what we do right now. There is time as long as we still breath, to make amends, to say what we need to, to do what we feel is necessary to make the next ___________years, exactly the way we want. Throw out the old slate. Get a new one and fill it with all the things that have served you well over these years. Be thankful for the lessons, the etchings and the work that you have had to do. I have too.

Today is a new day. That is the key to your success. You can design your life. You are able. Are you willing?

"Cancel My Taxi"

In this hectic, faster than a speeding bullet lifestyle many of us are caught up in, it's easy to get distracted. There are days I have my thoughts interrupted every 10 minutes. When I was in my office job, I used to say to myself, what is wrong that you don't get more accomplished in a day. I have read books on organization, books on time management and then took a trip of self discovery. Now that is what gave me the real picture.

Picture if you will, sitting at the desk, engrossed in an important task and the phone rings, of course you answer it right?

You are typing a report while working home and have left your facebook page open. You hear a "ding" and you know someone is asking to "chat", you immediately see who it is right?

It's that rumble in your tummy, you look at the clock and it's about 9:30am, something is calling you to munch. So you become a hunter/gatherer and start checking your desk drawer for something close and handy, nothing...fumble for change for the machine, just some coffee, wish I packed a healthy snack. You have to get to the cafeteria and eat breakfast or you can't think right?

It's tax time and you feel the pressures of what that will do to your schedule. Several days focused on nothing but the annoying reminder that you didn't scan in those receipts again this year and where is that file in the computer that I put my details in? I hate taking so many days in a row off because one of my customers might want something. I could send them a letter to text me right?

The day is breezing by, the mood is actually high and things are falling into place today. I have time for a little exercise, I choose a walk. Get on the sneakers, 1/2 hour later, starving for a snack, find something and back to work. Oh no, I should be in a meeting right now, I'm late, rush rush rush...slide in late and unprepared. No water, no bathroom (10 minutes in feeling like your kidneys are floating) don't dare leave now right?

If any of these scenarios are something you can relate to, raise your hand:)

Making the best choices for our success in any given situation is something we need to learn to do. The only way to learn that is to look at what we do. Look at what you did yesterday. Did it go smoothly? Was there something that you wish would have been different? Did you get the most out of your 24 hours? Emotionally what were you like at the end of that day? Was that the way you wanted to feel?

Here is a fact. You can be in the drivers seat of your life. If you don't like to drive, then you may be in the passenger seat and whatever happens, happens. You can't steer from there. You feel powerless to control where you are going. Well, you have given the power to someone else. They are driving your life around. I took control of my own life the day I was willing to get behind the wheel and you can too. You can control more than you think you can. In each of the scenarios above someone else was driving. Read each one again but this time, with an outcome that would allow you to stay in the drivers seat!! Get set...GO!

I believe in you!
Sandra Bullard

P.S. If you liked this, share it with someone today. I would love to hear your comments too!!