Blackbean pasta with Tomato relish

Simple and Satisfying Meals

#Blackbean spaghetti and tomato, onion, #garlic home made #relish..

Ask me how

If Beale Street Could Talk Review by Ali

A story about love and life and family and the mishaps of racism.... by James Baldwin.

Who wouldn't want a budding relationship that is based on the foundation of true friendship? Well that is exactly what Fonny (Stephen James) and Tish Rivers (Kiki Layne) had.

Friends since they were small children who grew up to be better, inseparable friends which turned into romantic love.
But..... of course you know it's not gonna be pretty.  The plot thickens.  But before it gets deep thick we get to witness Sharon Rivers (Regina King), Tish's mother come to life in yet another dynamic role that she kills.  She's not just a Mom and a wife, and provider, nudger, comforter, and she also is the backbone for her daughter as she embarks on this journey that she really has no idea about.
In every relationship there are 2 families and yep one is happy and the other is bitter..  I just want to know what ya'll would have said to Fonny's Mom and sisters.  Oohhh child, cuz, let me just say....

This back and forth story is about love, really, the main character, Fonny gets arrested and accused of a crime he did NOT commit... Go figure... We get to see, in a very clever way, how things like that tend to happen over and over and over.  I thought that part of the story is so crucial in the climate we are in today.
There's a baby involved, a women in Puerto Rico, 2 fathers coming together, a malicious cop and our judicial system....
and you end up with 2 families who fight for a young, innocent, black man, by any means necessary, in this country and in another country to bring necessary justice.

Did it work?  Was Fonny exonerated and released?  I won's spoil it for you...You have to go see for yourself.

The intimate pace of the film directed by Barry Jenkins leaves you immersed in every feeling and emotion, thought and.... eye color of each actor.  Last part was an inside joke.  You gotta go see it to understand.  Then post a comment when you get it.

Rating: I Give it an Ali - BAM!! 

Ask Ali of B.A.M. Body & Mind Radio show/I Am Royalty Radio 
www.iamroyaltyradio.com

wherezali.blogspot.com - for more movie reviews and blogs

FB - @IARonline
      - @alibamradio
IG - @iamroyaltyradio
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Twitter - @I Am Royalty Radio
            - @bamradiowwithali

Ratings:
BAM - Great! Go see it
PEACHY - amusing & pleasurable

HUMDRUM - Ehhh...

RUBBISH - well it's Rubbish

Top 10 Money traps when traveling.... +1 Bonus!!!

Ya'll we all have seen the traps..

We budget in advance.. or think we have..

We got a plan and everything!! and these few things get us every time!!!

Don't get caught with the short end of the stick.  Traveling does not have to be a burden or financially scary if you plan ahead for the basics.. 

 I'm gonna give you 10 basics to start with.. 

Since my passport renewal on 12/16/2016 I have 23 stamps in my new passport and I've been a little busy. I have traveled from the old town of Havana Cuba to the beautiful countryside of Indonesia, to the red clay city in North AFrica to the Iceland coast and a few places in between and around..
I am a FRUGAL  traveler and deal finder QUEEN.. 

and recently I have embarked on Traveling Solo and I love it.. 

 You will find this comprehensive list to have some new things  & common things to consider..
Take a look and tell me what you think..

- Flight Bags - PAY IN ADVANCE- find out what is a carry on or Hold bag or checked bag.  Each airline may refer to them differently.  when in doubt call and if you need that extra pay in advance.  A $25 dollar bag online can turn into $75 at the gate.
** I'MMA add this..  Because Americans seem to dislike some airlines like Spirit because the feeling of being nickled and dimed..is  eminent 
Well most pick Spirit for the price.. Right??? So you automatically assume some luxuries or basics are consodered extras.. The price is low because they don't include the fluff that often most don't use anyway.. So key note..  Many of the flights around EU are very similar to Spirit..  Where you can get rock bottom prices if you know how to be economical..
So pack light or check a bag and only carry small on plane.. 
PERKS include being able to board first..  I witnessed this in Gran Canaria. How nice.. 


 **Account for duty free if you have connecting flights.. You can wind up either losing what you bought (ie. Liquor) if its a liquid or paying to buy a bag and to check it. I've had Duty Free Liquors I just purchased taken because I had to go back thru security..  Only way around this is to go back to baggage and see if they will pull your bag so you can pack it...

  **Speaking of bags.... bring a collapsible  bag that can be checked during your trip.  If you don't need it, great.  If you do, now you have a checkable bag that you do not have to lug around or pay for and you can get everything home..  Get those shrink bags.. I did.. They help tremendously..
My last trip I found I needed the larger checked back coming back to the states.  I picked up a nice share of gifts including Duty Free and needed to check all of it.  **I brought back 4 bottles...**

- SNACKS - Buy snacks at the store before you reach the airport and pack in your carry on.. Get your waters and juices once you get thru security and you are set... Then make sure to find a store near you and fill up the fridge with late night or early morning snacks.
**Note - if you go to a dry country... ie. Morocco and you like a little libation but want to stay in the old town area.  Get duty free at the airport and take to your hotel/Riad etc..  You will find very few restaurants that publicly sell beer or wine in the old medina area.  just an FYI.

-Print your itinerary in advance - and I mean ALL of it.. Every page.  This did not happen to me but I was forwarned in Morocco to take printed boarding passes as they charge a lot to print.  I did hear someone on one of the flights mentioning they charged someone $50 to print their boarding pass.
Right there if you had to add a bag and printed itinerary you are already $100 over budget.

- Rental car guarantees - Whoa!! be prepared for this.  You want a rental in another country....FIND the small print.  My rental in Canary Islands cost me $990 US upfront.  I did get it all back when I returned the car. But you need to know you gotta have that amt available on a CC and not to mention the check out and in process is not thorough at all in EU countries.. (At least not when I rented from TopCAr in Tenerife). They did not do the walk around or make sure I knew how to opporate everything.  I walked in, showed paperwork and they just pointed to the stall and basically said have at it.  ummmmm ok.. I still was not sure what side of the road they drove on. 浪

- Know The dogone Metric system conversions-  prepare yourself to be back in grade school almost in a funny way.  You see.. the US makes us learn the traditional metric system as kids through high school and then everything we use post primary education level is on the Western world metric table.  ie. km are mi, grams are ounces, celcius is faranheit, meters are feet etc....  

All of it seems rudimentary and may not mean much until you are hit with those metrics for every direction you are given. 
Or say you are purchasing something based on weight in grams and you can't do the math that fast.  YOu can easily end up spending 100s.  I did.  Well I got suckered into the spice guys store and their currency conversion to US is 9 DH to 1USD.  So Im good with 2 DH etc... the kicker is it's per gram not ounce.. So something that weighs .238grams can cost 238 DH which then converts to $24 USD.  Well my bill got all the way to $177 USD.  So be careful..  I love my purchases though..  I got stuff for my Mom and Brother.. 

-Using your CC - now this may seem like a great idea out the gate cause you don't have to take out much cash... right?  Well 1. some places only take cash.  2. when you swipe you can be endlessly charging and not keeping record.  I was on the edge and had to start paying more attention.  I suggest you don't even take it with you,  or have that Good Good discipline and keep it locked away.

- Exchanging USD in advance - I have found in my many traveling stops, just exchange the money upon arrival to the airport or based on where you are going, you may be better of exchanging directly at a local bank.  Which I did in Morocco.  The process was super easy and the rates are pretty close.. ** Note be mindful of local butters.. These are people who will walk in and jump right in front of you while you are in line and not think twice. like you are not standing there.  So Toughin up!!!

- Tours & Experiences - You gotta check out Airbnb.com  Yep!! they do more than rent condos and apts etc.... They have experiences and They are pretty cool and great prices! And the neatest thing is you pay the tour guide directly.  Of course Airbnb gets a cut, but you know who is getting money from showing you around their city.

- Uber vs Taxi vs Public Transpo- Im going to almost always say take public transportation IF they have a good system that runs consistently.  Why because it likely goes everywhere and is DIRT cheap.  Uber is usually the next best option because you get to see what the cost is upfront without guessing.  The flip side is, if you don't have access to wifi or data to hail an Uber, you better be in a good place for walking or hailing a cab.  So know before you go and wear the right shoes.
While in Lisbon solo,and sightseeing, I walked 1.5 hrs from a stop because I could not reconnect to my data service.  Luckily, it was daylight until the very end and my blue dot on google maps was working.  and Silverlining… I got my steps in that day for sure!

- Hotel with meals included - I say if the price is right, stay at a spot with either a fridge or a meal  preferably breakfast, included.  That way you have something to fall back on and it saves you a little cash even if it is juice, coffee, water and a snack to get your day started.

***BONUS - thought I'd throw in a little extra one for ya
- Hotel vs Hostel - I stayed in a Hostel for the first time solo in GRand Canaria.  It was a private single room with a shared bathroom.  Had a secure door and lock. Cost was $15EU for one night.  It was perfect.  It was clean and interestingly quiet.  Do your homework and make sure it is in an area where you can make other arrangements if it's a NO GO!!  But hey give it a try.  Expand your options if you are traveling with a companion and they are down to save a little cash.  And Also try Airbnb and booking.com.   Those were my go tos for my last trip,,,

You can catch more about my Dec 2018 trip on my blog.  Check back to hear all about Canary Islands, Marrekech, Lisbon and Madrid!!


So Meet new people and Have fun!!!

Let's Leave this in 2018

One thing I strongly suggest we 

leave in 2018,
and that is the notion of....

I am who I am, this is who I am, I'm not gonna change...

The reason I say leave that in 2018 is if you are an advocate of change, and you want things to be better and you are looking for people to do things different.

The change you're looking for, talking about, suggesting has to start with you..

#Alifuera

Why is following our Dreams so Hard???

Quick bullets on why I think it is so hard for each of us to truly follow our dreams...

I'll Give you 7 reasons why...

1. We don't want to ask for help
2. We don't want to listen
3. We don't know how to remove ourselves from the current life that binds us.
4. We don't truly want to remove ourselves from the current life that binds us.
5. Money rules us
6. Bad habits rule us
7. We don't want to sacrifice
All of these create this thing called fear.  Where we believe something is difficult because, one, we have not seen anyone else do it so we cant copy (most everything is copied in some form with our own twist)  And creating a new path of our won really only happens in memes.

If any of these are true for you , Decide how to break the mold like a baby bird when it breaks through the surface of its egg shell to discover something it has never seen before.....
The WORLD

#WheresAli
#WhereZAliBlog

Yellow lentil noodles with Seitan chorizo

Yellow lentil noodles

Chorizo sei tan, black beans peppers and onion with hot chili pepper sauce and Himalayan salt

Drizzled with my BBQ sauce mix and tomatilla sauce blend
Ask me how

Creed II Movie Review by Ali

Flying high now....

Knockout or NOT??

Rocky is back! but now through the eyes of another generation... Sounds cliche'.
But Who doesnt love a Rocky film?

I feel like me and Sylvester go way back..  Yes we are on first name basis..  He just doesn't know it..

Anyway check this out..
Did you see the first Creed?
I did and loved it..
Check out Bianca and the privileged Adonis (A name I love.. god of Beauty.. Doesn't quite fit this guys persona..but hey it works).


Ok back to Adonis... So he's noble and independent and strong and determined nd let's not forget stubborn....and he wants to follow in his fathers footsteps..   Without really following..
What's wrong with wanting to make your own way... I can respect that...

You know most sequels that turn into potential threequels..  Most always make the second one about with that love and family interest and they get sappy...  But this on had that girth 
Yep..  They got that..  Bianca is rocking with Adonis ie. D and let me tell y'all they are super cute in the movie..  And maybe even for real from what i can see in real life..  What's the deal Michael B Jordan and Tessa..??? And the way she sang that song..gave me life life...

Then of course you've got
Rocky and his son #astranged...
Drago and Victor #toomuchpressure
Adonis and the ideal of Apollo #whosnameisit
So yeah...it's a smathering of Father son cliches,  morals,  family values etc...
But I LOVED every bit of it..

Y'all just go see it ok?
I can't wait for the next one
.
I hear Rocky is hanging up his hat..  A reign well done.. 
There can never be another Rocky!! The soundtrack will forever be engrained in my head...
Hail Sylvester Stallone..
Rocky and now Creed...

Rating: I Give it an Ali - BAM!!

Ask Ali of B.A.M. Body & Mind Radio show/I Am Royalty Radio 
www.iamroyaltyradio.com

wherezali.blogspot.com - for more movie reviews and blogs

FB - @IARonline
      - @alibamradio
IG - @iamroyaltyradio
     - @bamradiowali
Twitter - @I Am Royalty Radio
            - @bamradiowwithali

Ratings:
BAM - Great! Go see it
PEACHY - amusing & pleasurable

HUMDRUM - Ehhh...

RUBBISH - well it's Rubbish

Load up a Fieldroast Veggie Burger!!

Tried the #fieldroast veggie burger.. And y'all know how I feel about fieldroast veggie sausage already.. (Go check out my YouTube video @Ask Ali..) It was really good.. Of course I hooked it UPPPPPP

ADDED sauteed kale salad, artichoke, beet, onion and one side Chao fieldroast cheese less cheese😉 and one side goat cheese.. On flaxseed flat bread, mustard and a smig of spicy BBQ.. Y'all my tongue danced inside... I should have made a video, but I did not.. Anyway, I give it 👍🏼👍🏼

Check it, out.. Be creative try new things.. Is with what, you already have... Don't know how or where to start ask me how. 

Elf The Musical Review by Ali

It's the Story of Buddy the Elf..... the story of Buddyyyyyyyyyyy the Elf..... cute little number...

Do you want to feel good, jingle bell ringing, dancing in the streets and some singing...?
 WEll then you need a holiday musical...
 Elf is it especially if you are feeling grinchy this holiday season. And NO, it is not a remake of the Movie Elf with Will Ferrell, or so I was told. And I cant say if that is good or bad, because …… I never saw Elf the movie.... I know shocking right?


Maybe you don't believe in fairytales or Santa, who by the way is quite humorous and clever and hip to new technology. He no longer uses Reindeer to power his sled!!!
Who knew.... This new age stuff is throwing me off. The writers Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin were quite creative...they decided why not power the sled with feelings and with the belief in the Holiday and Santa?
Well there should be more than enough of that good stuff right? How fitting the setting is in NYC.. the imagery of a bustling, non caring, sharp tongue, impatient place like NY definitely would need some help conjuring up that holiday spirit... and Buddy would soon find out.

Buddy, The Elf,. played by Eric Williams has a life story all his own. It's clear, he is not one of Santa's elves, but he lives on the North Pole with Santa, Ms. Claus and the other elves..
So where was he from and how did he end up in the North Pole?
An inquisitive guy he is as well..... rather clumsy too.. So when he hears other elves talking about him and saying he didn't belong it was no surprise he wanted to find his own way...
Where will his journey take him?

Get ready for some interesting yet typical family, societal and work dynamics...with a TWIST!!.

Life lessons are learned, hearts and minds are changed and you will be singing and bopping your head to this one.
Kudos to all the performers and extra kudos to Michael Hobbs played by Grady Miranda.. He has an amazing voice for a young kid.
 If you are a fan of musicals and want to lift your spirits I say check out Elf the musical...
 I give it a Ali-PEACHY

Ratings:

BAM - Great! Go see it

PEACHY - amusing & pleasurable

HUMDRUM - Ehhh...

RUBBISH - well it's Rubbish

Ask Ali of B.A.M. Body & Mind Radio show/I Am Royalty Radio 

www.iamroyaltyradio.com

wherezali.blogspot.com - for more movie reviews and blogs

FB - @IARonline

      - @alibamradio

IG - @iamroyaltyradio

     - @bamradiowali

Twitter - @I Am Royalty Radio

            - @bamradiowwithali

Revival The Movie Review by Ali

Is a theatrical musical, and a movie dramatization of Jesus Christ crucifixion and resurrection as told in the book of John (yep New Testatment). Yep literally a movie and musical all in one... 

The writer took points from the Bible and infused it with new modern logic and reasoning, fear and doubt...
The movie was filled with a host of special artists with different talents..

It was interesting, to watch the story unfold and see flecks of the old Testament and new Testament intertwined.
Obviously, this is a big religion film about faith and belief or lack there of of Jesus Christ. 

 How do we view him and the lessons that we've been taught today, as compared to how they were viewed and how it was taught to us from the Bible in older days or as we were growing up?  

There were some looming questions for me from the film...  

Do we still believe the way we were taught, 

and if we do believe the way, we were taught WHY, do we still believe..?

Is faith... Still blind faith?
Are we wicked if we need to see it to believe it... 

I mean even Heinz says seeing is believing right??? (little attempt at humor)

Can you be a free thinker and still believe in Christ...?

All in all it was an interesting way to share the story..a bit long.. And It is a bit confusing in the beginning,  but somewhat intriguing to figure out where the movie will go. 

It's a religious believers feel good movie and you get to see a lot of stars.. 

and the FLIP...

It's a non religious persons piece of work promoting more in depth discussions around what and why we believe. 

Sooooooo…...

I give it an Ali Peachy

Ratings:
BAM - Great! Go see it
PEACHY - Amusing & Pleasurable
HUMDRUM - Ehhh...wait for Netflix
RUBBISH - Well it's Rubbish

Ask Ali of B.A.M. Body & Mind Radio show/I Am Royalty Radio
www.iamroyaltyradio.com
Wherezali.blogspot.com - for more movie reviews and blogs
FB - @IARonline
      - @alibamradio
IG - @iamroyaltyradio
     - @bamradiowali
Twitter - @I Am Royalty Radio
            - @bamradiowwithali

YOGA YOGA YOGA by Ali

Quick Level 1 Guide to get you rockin and rollin!
Yoga- what is it?
Why do it?
Why not?

Yoga has become a way of life for me.  It is more than just physical moves, it is mental and spiritual.
It is a means to be silent without practicing being silent….
It became a way to channel my energy without saying I’m channeling my energy.

Some moves are true Yoga asanas and some are just moves you begin to try as you challenge your body and those are great because you get to unleash our creativity.

A great myth Buster is there is  one size for yoga... **LIES**.  Even if you tend to see really small and in shape people on SM and commercials, please know Yoga is for everyone.  So don’t wait to start because you feel you need to drop weight or get in great shape first.
Yoga is very helpful in burning those pounds away!!

Just so you know yoga wasn’t something I gravitated to right away.  Actually, my personal trainer, who ironically, was a very muscular guy suggested it to me.  And I was like… ehhhhh… This was only 5 years ago.  Well I didn’t start practicing consistently until around 2016/2017.....  And let me tell you it has made me really channel all the areas of my senses. I can relieve stress, create calm in my mind and feel better….

And that is why I do it?

So, if you are just getting into yoga for whatever reason, here are some beginner poses you can try.
The trick is to be consistent and practice and push through some of the pains you will experience as you retrain your body, your mind and your soul.

So let’s get to the Yoga poses  -  ie. Asanas
Ideally hold any of these poses 30 secs to 2 mins or more.
The main key is *REMEMBER TO BREATHE!!*

Level 1
Childs pose – called Balasana
Child's Pose helps to stretch the hips, thighs, and ankles.  It is known to aid in reducing stress and fatigue. It is a resting pose. This is a pose you can visit often especially when learning advanced poses and as a transition pose.

Extended Puppy pose – called Uttana Shishosana
Extended Puppy (or Melting heart) is a mix between Downward facing Dog and Child’s Pose encourages you to drop your heart to the ground and stretch out your spine upward and downward.  This helps with creating and training the hollow back.

Cow Pose – called Bitilasana
Cow Pose is great for warming up the spine it stretches the front torso and neck
Great starter to loosen up
.

Cat Pose -  called Marjaryasana
Cat Pose is a balancing pose that helps strengthen the core muscles (who doesn’t want that!!) and lengthens the spine. It stretches the back torso and neck.

Cobra –  called Bhujangasana
Cobra is — is a the pose that helps to prepare the body for deeper backbends. Its name comes from It Strengthens the spine, chest area, shoulders, and abdomen. If you clinch it can help firm the buttocks. This pose can also aid in relieve stress and fatigue. Cobra and Upward Dog are similar. My pose is a mix.  Once you raise your hips you are more in an upward facing dog position.

Downward facing dog – called Adho Mukha Svanasana
Downward Dog is a pose that introduces the invert.  It is a great full body stretch pose from toes, calfs, hamstrings, quads, glutes, back, shoulders and arms and it helps build strength.

Take as much time as needed to work on these poses.  The goal is to hold them at least 30 seconds.  Which is a great workout in itself.

Remember to breath and open up your body to each pose.
Yoga will help increase your flexibility, circulation and strength and so much more!!
Enjoy these!

Namaste!

Ali
Mind YOUR Body & Soul
"http://www.mindyourbodyandsoul.com" www.mindyourbodyandsoul.com
Wherezali.blogspot.com