Mention that you saw this video and get 10% off your bill! And try our Midnight Sandwich with our Signature Nali Tea today!
Good morning America!! Its a beautiful quite afternoon, the rain has passed, and the smell of Spring-new life is in the air. Tell me my friend have you listened to your body lately? CALL TO ARMS CHECKLIST!!
1-Colonoscopy- March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Know someone who just turned 50??? Then give them this advise as their birthday present if you want to see them alive in their 70s and 80s!
Every adult should discuss colonoscopy screening with a doctor at age 50 or sooner for those who are at high risk. If you have a family history of polyps, colorectal cancer or bowel disease, your doctor may recommend that you undergo a colonoscopy before age 50. People who smoke or drink heavily, who are sedentary or obese, or who eat a low-fiber, high-fat diet including red meat and processed meats are also at greater risk. African Americans have a higher mortality rate from colon cancer than others.
There is no proven preventive protocol for avoiding colorectal cancer. However, doctors agree that a healthful lifestyle may lower your risk. Eat plenty of high-fiber foods, including fruits and vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains. Maintain a healthy weight and get plenty of exercise. Limit your consumption of alcohol, red meat, and processed meats. Don't smoke, of course, and begin getting screenings as soon as your doctor recommends it.
A colonoscopy may not seem like the most festive 50th birthday gift. But more people would be around for their 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays if they marked the big 5-0 by getting this invaluable preventive test!!! Que Viva La Vida!!! This simple test saved my life:) I get checked every year--not fun, but I love life!
2- Mammogram-- The first to die of my high school class Maria Reina Rio Piedras Puerto Rico 1975 was Gail Lancer. A person so sweet and so graceful. So honorable. A great mother, great friend. She fought this disease for five years, and at the end she said" I need to die with dignity" She died one week later. I remember getting the e-mail ( all 99 of us keep in touch via e-mail) that asked for a moment of silence on a Friday night to honor such a wonderful life. I had not seen Gail in years, but high school came back all over again and I saluted her for her bravery. May you rest in peace Gail.
During our lifetime 1 in 8 of us will develop breast cancer. These facts have been taken from the National Health Institute.
Risk factors you cannot change include:
Age and gender -- Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. The majority of advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men.
Family history of breast cancer -- You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast, uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. About 20 - 30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease.
Genes -- Some people have genes that make them more prone to developing breast cancer. The most common gene defects are found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes normally produce proteins that protect you from cancer. But if a parent passes you a defective gene, you have an increased risk for breast cancer. Women with one of these defects have up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer sometime during their life.
Menstrual cycle -- Women who get their periods early (before age 12) or went through menopause late (after age 55) have an increased risk for breast cancer.
I was diagnosed with Lobular Hyperplasia at age 30. I was proactive and kept asking for a biopsy. Don't stop, for it is you who will have to do the dying.
Friday April 1st- Havana Road will donate 10% of its sales that day to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Lets help find a cure!
3- Pap Smear
Every year 10,000 women will be diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. A yearly test Papanicolau or Pap Smear can be a proactive approach in detecting early stages of Cervical Cancer, and can save your life.
Cervical cancer, or cancer of the cervix, is an abnormal growth of malignant (cancer) cellsin the cervix. Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect the reproductive organs in a woman's body. One of the most common causes of cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted infection of HPV, or the human papillomavirus. Cervical cancer cases usually occur in women between the ages of 35 and 55 years. The death rate from cervical cancer has decreased significantly over the past five decades, because Pap test screening has allowed for more instances of the cancer to be caught early.
Act now! Get your Pap Smear before its too late--like Colon Cancer, Cervical Cancer won't let you know its come to visit until its too late. This simple test gave me a new lease on life. Do this for you, for your partner, for your kids----JUST DO IT!
Amigas, friends, we are more beautiful as we age, but we must take better care of our bodies! Keep the bumps--just bumps. We don't have to be twenty to say we ROCK~~ BUT, we do have to be ALIVE!!! Here is to life~~~ SALUD:) Chef Marta
Good Afternoon, and Happy Monday. Set your tone for the week~ yeah, come on make it a fantabulistic (my word) one! Look at your day, draw in some deep slow breathes, let it out, and know, believe that THIS will be your week to shine. Yes it will!
We lead such hectic, stressful lives, that in the midst of the comings and goings with people holding down two even three jobs, mortgages, elderly parents that need our care, our children, everything, it is no wonder that over half of our population suffers from anxiety attacks, depression and constant worry, that lead to a number of illnesses –even cancer.
I have a lot of experience in this field and don’t always take my own advice. Let me share with you.
As I look back at some very dark moments in my life, I came to the realization that those moments did pass, and that things fell into place, and life went on. I did what I could do during those times and the rest I left to the Almighty. Tough thing to do, since we as a society want resolution NOW and control of every situation. Let go. Do your part, but let go of the worry~~~ this is energy not well spent. When things fall into place you have probably cut your life span by worrying.
Now, let me introduce you to two of my best friends, Patience and Positive, These two came along about twenty years ago, when I lost my job with Eastern Airlines. I was a single Mom with my little Ines, and for the first time since age seventeen was facing unemployment. A very dismal thought. All sorts of things ran through my mind~~ what if I never got a job, what if I had to go on welfare, what if, what if, what if. All those what ifs landed me with all sorts of health problems including an Adenoma in my colon at age thirty-five.
So what I was accomplishing was worrying more about the what ifs and getting sick, then taking a proactive approach to change my situation. This door closed, let me look for a bigger one to open or even a window. I learned patience and trust. Trust that if I kept being proactive one step at a time, I may not see results right away, but I would see them in time. PATIENCE.
Patience. I trusted, I envisioned ~~~~ envisioning a very powerful tool that we rarely tap into~~ I envision all the time now, and I practice patience. Know that the situation right here, right now will resolve itself in a way that may surprise you.
Know that everything, I mean everything good and bad happens for a reason~~ . We may not understand it and it may seem totally unfair, but it is always good even if it feels like the heavens are falling on you. I promise you, there is always light at the end of each tunnel my friend, there is. Do your share; be proactive, envision an outcome, be PATIENT, TRUST, and love yourself!
I then met Positive. A man that I much respect and who mentored me when I started my first company API Conference Management, Mr. Guy Parr introduced me to the works of Norman Vincent Peale~ his books changed my outlook on life and made me feel invincible!
I wanted to employ myself by starting my own company – API Conference Management. We would specialize in planning government conferences- from marketing to securing speakers, printing collateral, daily conference schedule, hotel negotiating, conference registration-the works .Did I mention I had no money and no collateral for a bank loan? But, I had a great attitude, a killer Business and Marketing Plan, and I was not taking no for an answer. I had to sell my idea to the bank. And I did just that.
Armed with all my gusto, I went to the bank. The Vice President of Small Business Loans read my Business Plan and Marketing Plan, looked at me and said,” what collateral do you have”? I have me, I answered. Failure is not in my vocabulary, I am a hard worker, I have a dream, and I am my best collateral. I will succeed.
After some back and forth, he was so excited with my idea and how I was going to make it work , that he extended the forty thousand loan that I needed to get the company started. Subsequently due to my sales numbers I was able to secure 60k more in loans within two years for company expansion. I lead that company successfully for nine years. All the loans were paid off on time, and I enjoyed every minute of it! However, every good thing must come to an end, to make way for the next adventure.
I was not afraid to put myself out there, reach for a goal and make people believe in me. You can do it too.
Granted things are different now-banks won’t give you a loan without pledging your first born!! But, a Positive attitude- can change the way you look at yourself, your situation (there is always someone that is worse off then you), and the world.
Right now, the world needs us to stay positive, as we navigate this turbulent year.
You can do it. We can do it. Take time for you. Relax. Think of beautiful things, and of the great future that awaits you. Whatever your situation is. Don’t say I don’t have time—5 minutes of “me” time will make your day a GRAND AFFAIR!
YOUR SITUATION WILL GET BETTER! I am Marta Ines Quintana, and the day that I share my life story with you, you will see that I am proof of Patience and Positive, and I have overcome many things and will continue to do so.
Have a wonderful, energetic, positive, blessed week. I love you America!
Chef, Marta~ Buen Provecho!
As I write this blog, I have Willy’s song Viva La Libertad running through my mind. The sway of the music, the strength of the lyrics, the passion in his voice, and the loneliness that I feel for those who are not free.
It is Friday afternoon at Havana Road Cuban Café. The kitchen is popping with wonderful smells, as we get ready for our Happy Hour, and our Weekend Specials. The garlic, the flaming brandy sauces, the energy of the staff as excitement peaks. It’s a small revolution in our kitchen!
Four o’clock and the people start coming in for complimentary Red Sangria, Camarones al Ajillo, our hot Pan Cubano with Mojo Sauce~~ Buena Vista Social Club playing and Havana Road comes alive!! Libertad, oh yes, libertad~
I think back to this morning when I woke up~~ WAKE UP AMERICA, I woke up free. You did too. So often we take for granted all great things that this country, the United States of America offers us. Wake Up America, we woke up free. Free to work, free to worship, free to write, free to protest. The list goes on.
It is now pushing on seven o’clock. In my restaurant, there are Nicaraguans married to Irish, Italians and Egyptians gather around a table, Puerto Ricans and Sudanese share tostones with Mojo. It is a global reunion. Laughter music and wine fill the air as plates of piping hot Lechon Asado or Shrimp with Rice entrees are placed in front of diners. “Table five wants to talk to you Marta”. “Ok give me a minute!”
Fresh chef’s coat goes on, I walk over to “my” corner where I take a look in the mirror, touch up my lipstick, dab a little Violet Water cologne on ( a very Cuban thing), take a second look and here I go. I am humbled by what I see. So many people from all over the world sharing moments over one common denominator~~ Food. I am out in the dining area for over an hour, talking to every table, passing the word of freedom and the need to embrace this great country. We exchange stories, laugh, hug and sometimes share a tear.
I take a moment to step outside and look from the outside in. I close my eyes and I see myself as the four year old, who stood in front of a militiaman in the “caseta” as we were getting ready to depart Cuba. He took my doll. He tore her limb by limb looking for stashes of cash or jewelry. He decapitated her; I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. My lower lip trembled, but I would not cry. I stared with blank eyes into a young face who was starting his revolution> A revolution that killed men, women and children.
As I walked across the hot tarmac to an airplane that read Pan American, I felt with every step the heaviness that engulfed my country. I saw my father climb the stairway into the airplane, stopping, looking back and saw a tear run down his cheek. He did not cry. He saluted his country and whispered, “I will return”. He took my hand as we climbed onboard~ “ I am brave too, Daddy”. The airplane took off, full of people looking, yearning for freedom. A few minutes later, I heard the pilot say over the intercom~~ “We have reached International Waters~~~ You are now free!” The tears that I had kept inside came flowing out. I was now FREE.
The United States of America, the land of the free. Cherish it, embrace it, and love it. With all its Tea Parties, Health Reforms, Congress, Senate, it still is the land of the free.
I pledged allegiance to this nation at age nine.
I will forever be Cuban, and will never stop loving my country and my people, but I will always be grateful for the sacrifices that my father made so that I could be free .
I open my eyes , look inside of my restaurant , and I toast—to you father, to freedom~ Viva Cuba Libre!
In today’s world where women have made their mark of courage, as humanitarians, political leaders, and entrepreneurs just to name a few diverse areas, it is beyond my comprehension why there was no mention in any media form of a woman, any woman that has made a difference in a single life or in the lives of many in the United States and abroad. Here is my salute to a few:
1. Mother Teresa. She was the most famous woman in the entire world during her time on earth, and she continues to be famous after her death. She was one of those women who will go down in the annals of history because of the change that she brought to the world by simply living her life in a way that she believed was right, and by putting others always first. I SALUTE YOU Mother Theresa.
2. Oprah Winfrey. There are many famous celebrities in America but the one who is recognized by everyone is Oprah Winfrey. She had the courage to move forward and make something out of nothing always remembering where she came from and always helping others . Her fame has persisted for years and will continue to do so. I SALUTE YOU Oprah.
3. Anna Loginova. This woman from the late 1920s gained fame in Russia as the most famous bodyguard . Did you get that? She was a woman! Female bodyguards are rare and that made her famous. However, the real fame came after her recent tragic death which occurred when her Porsche was carjacked and she was injured in the high speed chase that ensued. I SALUTE YOU Anna.
4. Kim Hee Sun. Hard to break into Hollywood? Yes, but this woman has been voted the most famous actress in China. She persevered, has appeared in many films and is recognized by both face and name whenever she is out and about. I SALUTE YOU Kim.
5. Hillary Clinton. A woman of courage and hair on her chest( not literally) . She is strong. At the present time, one of the most famous woman in the world is Hillary Clinton. She has gained a lot of attention since she started running for president and the whole world is paying attention to see what is going to happen with the presidential race. If she indeed wins, then she would of course, be the first female president in the United States which would definitely up the ante on her lasting fame. I SALUTE YOU Hillary.
6. Calamity Jane. This feisty, courageous, hard Wild West woman may be long gone but she is still revered today by pioneering women who look to the females of the past, like me, for their strength. She ignored all of the boundaries and prejudices of her gender and lived a life of freedom. I SALUTE YOU Jannie.
7. Princess Diana. A woman who was more interested in the welfare of others than the crown she wore. The true embodiment of a world leader . Princess Di her fame continues after her death. I SALUTE YOU Di.
8. Coco Chanel. This female woman of gusto and great taste, let nothing stand between her and her dream. The worlds best fashion designer continues to be a household name . I still wear Channel No. 5 do you? I SALUTE YOU Coco.
9. Margaret Thatcher. A true female political leader . When it comes to women who are famous for their politics, Margaret still holds the lead . I SALUTE YOU Margaret.
10. Martha De Quintana. Last, but not in the bit least, a woman who taught me courage, strength, integrity, and the meaning of being a mother. To the woman who has made my life brighter, better and whom I will always admire. I SALUTE YOU MOM.
There are many women in the world who every day make this world a better place. We do not know them for they are the unknown. I SALUTE YOU, and I thank you for doing all that you do behind the scenes without recognition.
WOMEN LETS CELEBRATE! WE ARE WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!!!!