First Word

  It took a month to paint, but the cover illustration for the 352 Day Nutritional Challenge is finished. How the actual graphics will go around the image is still a glimmer of thought in my creative brain.  Your book cover is the most important marketing element of your book. Too many authors choose cover images that have no relation to their book's topic. A cover created incorrectly can confuse readers about the story or topic. Don't let your artsy side go wild when it comes to your cover. Be creative and clever, but pay attention to what the image projects about the book.   I am a publisher, author, and illustrator. If you ever want input on what to do with your book cover, please send me an email at info@3LPublishing.com.        

  When I'm tired the last thing I want to do is cook, which is the case for most people. However, I'm dedicated to doing my own 352 Day Nutritional Challenge, so no cheating with processed, quick foods. Thus, it's best to find a recipe that requires little effort to prepare, and this super delicious semi-blackened (to totally blacken it would introduce carcinogens, which we don't want to consume) chicken dish.  Also, I love chicken of any kind. The "first white meat" is delicious in almost anything. And I admit I love blackened anything, too. So this dish is my perfect combination.  When you can take shortcuts without compromising the Challenge's principles of eating fresh food without preservatives, do it. You can't always find these shortcuts, so take it where you can find it. To prepare my blackened chicken recipes, I used Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning and added some extra spices to it.   INGREDIENTS (2) CAJUN'S CHOICE BLACKENING SEASO...

  Creating and sticking to the 352 Day Challenge has continued to prove my theory that taking preservatives and additives out of your diet not only helps your health, but also you get to enjoy the bonus side effect, weight loss.  When I got serious about creating the Challenge, I still struggled with the last 5 pounds I wanted to lose. That "pesky 5," as we'll call it, just wouldn't drop. I could starve myself yet not melt off the last few pounds.  After a month of really sticking to the Challenge and paying even more attention to the elimination of preservatives, chemicals, and other additives that most of the time I wonder why such things are in my food, I lost those 5 pounds. And the real kicker, I've never eaten such flavorful, yummy foods every single night.  So, I am also learning great tips from my fellow Challenge mate, Syndee Hendricks. She taught me how to cook to layer flavors, which is a great idea. You can really taste each ingredient when you layer ...

  I just illustrated my first children's book Ant Trails and Butterfly Dreams -- A Story About Happiness by Selwa Berbawy Hamati. Many people don't know I am a painter. I didn't start painting though with the intention to become an illustrator. I began painting for mental health. After a few years of incredible stress, I wanted to find something to do that was just for me. I had studied art and painted many years prior. I decided to revisit the hobby, and my work evolved into my own visual voice. Let's discuss for a moment that thing called visual voice ... it's a distinct visual style that announces to the world, this is X artist. You recognize famous artists like Picasso or Rembrandt for their visual style. When you're trying to make your work visually unique and different, you want to develop an easily recognizable style. My style developed over time. I love painting the natural world, and I'm not skilled or even enjoy painting people. So, I go through p...

  Today's recipe comes from my simple desire to create an eggplant dish. Eggplant is one of those vegetables that absorbs the seasoning in a way that it makes it taste almost like a meal in and of itself. Many vegetarians use eggplant as the main item on the plate, much like a piece of meat.  In fact, I had never eaten eggplant until many years ago when I dated a vegetarian who prepared the best eggplant. I couldn't say how he prepared it (30 years ago, mind you), but it tasted delicious. So, when I think about eggplant, I am reminded of that meal.  And as I am doing this Challenge with all of you coming along for the fun, I am constantly seeking new inspiration for recipes. If you're ever stumped and don't know what to make, go to the produce aisle and look at all of the wonderful vegetables for inspiration. I sometimes forget all of the amazing choices (and some seasonal, of course).  If you've come this far in the Challenge, you may be starting to experience the ...

  I like this dish because a. it's easy to make and b. a girl just likes to have eggs once in a while. I also really love buttermilk pancakes; but for today we're sticking to the eggs ... oh, and my new favorite sausage, mango and jalapeño Aiells sausage. Once you taste this sausage you will want to put it in many dishes. Again, please look at the ingredients on any sausage brand you select to ensure it has no preservatives. I am completely sold on avoiding ALL preservatives.  So, I created this dish based on what I had in the fridge and my newly acquired "culinary senses," which you probably are wondering, what is that? I have this wonderful tip about using spices and combining tastes. Use your sense of smell. For example, in this dish I added Lawry's seasoning salt to herbs de Provençe. Since I wasn't sure it that was a good choice, I smelled each one and then nodded, yes. If you are trying new recipes and switching them up, use your "culinary senses...

  This tangy, tasty dish takes my current no. 1 spot for my favorite meal (of course, that is apt to change. I couldn't believe what a flavorful dish! So, good I could eat it every night and still lick my lips and ask for more.  Now this joint dish was created by my co-author Syndee Hendricks and myself. We each brought our own "point-of-view" to it. Syndee read about shrimp and sausage pasta. She was initially puzzled how this combination could be a "thing" ... but she soon discovered it was a yummy thing -- that is, if done the way we prepared it.  You can pick any sausage you like, but if you want the full flavors of this dish, you will want to select mango-jalapeño sausage, which you can get at discount grocers like WinCo and Grocery Outlet here in California. Please keep in mind to look at your sausage ingredients and don't go for anything with preservatives in it. A great brand is called Aidells, which advertises "all natural" and lives up t...

Selwa Berbawy Hamati Author | Speaker | Certified Life Coach   Q. What is Real Resilience about? A. This book is written to inspire and give practical tools to those who are ready to make a positive change in their lives. Many people have already headed in a new direction, and this pandemic has turned into their opportunity to reinvent themselves by changing their daily routines, priorities, and businesses or careers, and I share some of their stories. Someday when COVID-19 fades away, another virus or some other catastrophe can and will take place. I want people to learn how to be really resilient now to be prepared to handle whatever happens. Q. What does resilience mean to you? A. “Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” This is the dictionary definition of resilience. Of course, I agree with that definition. I also believe that there’s more to this capacity to recover quickly—part of recovering is coming back stronge...

  As an asparagus lover, I think it goes with almost anything. I like to keep my asparagus crunchy, though. Soggy asparagus is no fun. This recipe is perfect for one of those nights where you just don't want to spend too much time cooking.  Let's begin with a little insider information if you happen to live in the Bay Area. Specialty stores often have the best gourmet-quality foods, especially when it comes to international flavors. Super La Favorita Meat Market in Fairfield, California offers fresh, pre-seasoned meats. It's an excellent choice to choose fresh meats that makes it easy to prepare. In other words for this dish, we get to cheat a little and not do the seasoning ourselves.  I choose pork carnitas meat for this stir-fry dish. This particular seasoned meat is mild unless you ask for the spicy variety. It was a smooth, lightly spicy meat with spices that didn't overwhelm the original flavor of the pork. It's a light easy-to-digest flavor.  INGREDIENTS (FO...

  ~ Syndee Hendricks Any kind of BBQ ribs are my favorite since childhood. My mother had a restaurant that she started as a “Rib Shack’! On vacation she made ribs for a cousin who raved about her ribs they were that good. The cousin’s mate said those were the last ribs that would be made at that house! My favorite ribs today (besides mine) are from Back Forty in Roseville, California.    INGREDIENTS 3 Pork Spare Ribs 1 Cup BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce or your favorite) 1/3 Sliced Onion Spice as you like! Bake at 350 degrees until done   ~ Michelle Gamble Syndee and I often cook together. This meal was a joint effort. Syndee asked me what I wanted with my ribs, and I went straight for carrots. I love carrots, and for the most part, carrots go with a lot of tasty meats. I steamed these carrots and ate them plain. To me, carrots are almost like dessert, because they taste sweet. The healthier your diet becomes, the more likely you are to have cleared yo...