How’s Saturday going for you? Whatcha up to? Shopping, chilling, hanging out, frantically searching for gifts? Fill me in! It’s Scott’s birthday today and so I’ve been trying to make his day as special as possible! We got hot & sweaty together this morning. On a 4 mile power walk which was great! And we spent time together as a family but I took Skylar for the afternoon so he could sit back, relax, and enjoy the beach and some much-deserved alone-time on his birthday! Tonight, he requested Italian food and since the kitchen here is small and I don’t really care to spend time boiling vats of water for noodles that I can’t eat and turning on an oven to bake the rest, we’re carrying it in from one of the bazillion Italian restaurants here on the island of Aruba. I’ll keep you posted how the food looks and if we get into any trouble on his birthday with a night out on the town. Kidding, we have a toddler with us!
I’m glad you enjoyed my Chocolate Themed Post yesterday.
I provided backlinks for some of my popular recipes like my Raw Vegan PB Cups
and my Raw Vegan Chocolate Donut Holes
And also graced you with my take on Raw Vegan Overnight “Chocolate Brownie” Protein Oats
It tastes like an oatmeal-inspired chocolate brownie to me! Thick, fudgey, and delish!
But let’s get started with recapping my week’s eats and events. If you missed last week’s recipe recap and Highlights of the Week, here you go, check it out!
For this week…
Sunday Heather Guest Posted about Veggies
And Yoga
Monday I went in Search of Coffee in Aruba
With Skylar in tow
But found Cute Bowls for 50 cents each
Tuesday Katie made Raw Tiramisu Balls Babies
.
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And I brewed some of my own coffee in a coffee pot I brought from home. Ahhh, heaven.
And mentioned Gena’s Special Cleanse & Great Pricing!
Wednesday I had a Mega Grocery Store Shop-A-Thon.
I found everything from Dutch White Chocolate and Hazelnut Pastes and Nut Butters
And more Hazelnut Pasta and Pure Chocolate Pasta.
Banana Cake and Pineapple Cake.
To Maranatha AB & Goddess Dressing halfway around the globe!
And there was Time at the Pool
Thursday Alison of Mama’s Weeds Guest Posted about her Weight Loss Success Story!
And we had a morning at the Beach
Then we came in for lunch. And a much needed nap!
Friday I announced the Winner of the Bora Bora Foods Give Away!
If you missed the Winner, Click Here to Find out!
Also on Friday I posted about Chocolate In Aruba:
White Chocolate
Cappuccino Themed Chocolate Bars
And these Dark Chocolate with White Nougat & Peanut Chocolates
And I made High Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Snowballs
A we received a lovely Dark Chocolate-Colored Statue
Aside from chocolate there was a Kale, Brock, and Cuke Salad with Vegan Slaw Dressing
And rice with a Garden Salad with Vegan Creamy Tahini “Cesar” Inspired Dressing
We also went to the beach. And I read. A real, live book! Something not from my computer screen. Amen!!!!
I know Alison has been all over this book forever. And so has Cindy. And so has half of the blogosphere, no doubt. I’m addicted to reading blogs a little slow in cracking this book, but I adore it so far. Adore. Especially the part where Brendan discusses that we need sunlight. Perfect. I’m on the Equator at the moment so that totally works out for me. Heather was just talking about her love of the sun, yesterday, too. Seriously the recipes in the Thrive Diet are awesome, worth the price of admission for sure!
And I also read some old Yoga Journal Magazines. I had a stack I brought with to catch up on. Yay for catching up on the printed word, not the screen-typed word!
After we came in from the beach, I feasted on a kale, brock, cauli, cuke, and sugar snap pea salad with my homemade Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing.
And Skylar had a fruit plate
And mango
with some fresh, locally-made, cinnamon-raisin bread.
Yoga Today is Bhuja Pindasana
Tip of the Day: Busyness and Rushing. When you feel harried, crazy, rushed, running around like a chicken with your head cut off, and like you can’t catch your breath, just stop. Close your eyes. Think to yourself, I have all the time in the world. I don’t have to rush. Envision a wise sage or Buddha sitting and calmly meditating peacefully. Hold that mental image as you breath in and out for a couple minutes, or 5 slow breaths in and out. When you open your eyes, carry on about your day, but just hold onto that bit of peace and calm and non-rushing attitude that you allowed yourself for those few minutes.
Do you meditate? Do you believe in quiet moments? Is sitting and being present, still, mindful, and peaceful easy or hard for you? For me, as I get older, and as I have practiced to find the sweet spot of being mindful and aware, but not being too detached nor too hyper-focused on things, especially on outcomes, the practice of meditation and slowing my mind has gotten easier. But… My mind is always going a million miles an hour and it has taken years of work and a conscious choice to slow it down, to downshift my brain’s gears, and my meditation practice has helped. What do you do to find peacefulness and calmness?
Stay Tuned For a Guest Poster who tweaked My Raw Vegan PB Cups Recipe…
just in time for the Holidays…
i love drinkin water, barley tea, green tea, and fresca!!! no alcohol for this petite asian! HELLO glow. =D
thanks, i'm feeling pretty good!
The drink list looks great. I rarely drink, but I think I may have been tempted by all those yummy sounding drinks.
awwwwwwwwwwww…great pics. those drinky menus look too crazy for me.
so my solution to your drank sitch is this. a trip to the dieden vineyard in 2010. yes? good, its a date. hopedully we will both be back in ca by then, ha!
girl who needs the lover drink when you've got your own in a man ;) haha
i drink so rarely! i hateee the feeling of being hungover the next day and losing the entire day. im crazed like that. to me it's just not worth it and i think i'm fun without it! but i do have the occasional fun night and love every minute of it!
glad you're having so much fun in aruba!!
Awesome pics, YUMMY TREATS!!!! I use to drink, but I find my stomach is better off without, although that martini is looking good around this time of year! :)
My favorite drink is definitely water, in fact, it is basically the only thing I drink not including green smoothies/juices. I was never allowed soda as a kid and so I think I never developed a taste for it. And I quit drinking 6 years ago and haven't looked back since. I guzzle water, the colder the better, all day.
I love all these photos, as usual you've made me incredibly hungry! So many beautiful, tasty, Rawwwkin treats!
nahh im not a drinker!! haha ive actually drank ONE time in my life..back in highschool..and i dont plan on doing it any time soon! maybe on my 21st bday-but who knows! i think it can be super dangerous for girls in college too..some girls go to frat parties and get VERY wasted and dont even remember the night, and that is scary to me!!
wow your sunset pics are BEAUTIFUL!! i love them!! i love you and skylar! she is so beautiful like her momma :)
have a GREAT christmas Averie, i cant wait to hear about it!
Yum! What a great guest post that was! I love raw treats!!!
Hope you are having fun on your trip!!!
XOXO,
Erin
I vote for you to create some Vita Bev's non alcohol style! I know you can create some great holiday coctails w/o the KICK!
I love a good margarita but I just takes vapors to get me all goofy. I couldn't stand the idea of something happening to JJ and his mama's slushed out on the couch! (not that that was ever the case) but you know what I mean?
I'm a sipper now. OH that looks good…can I have a sip?
So I feel I got to be an adult and didn't need to trip more than I do sober!
haha
so with that I would have to say a Carrot apple ginger juice makes me super happy or coconut water!
water is my day to day as is hot tea. and a nice treat nowadays is a latte. (home made of course)
I usually only drink half of it!
fun post and love that you are sharing your vaca with us!
Totally late saying so, but Shannon Marie's post was an embarrassment of riches! Holy cow! Or holy cookies, rather. (Wish I was the Santa in that household, haha…) Post = bookmarked!
Not much of a drinker myself. Enjoyed it (kinda) in college, and now I'm over it. I'm really over hangovers, to the point where I get nervous when I start to "feel" whatever it is I'm drinking–which means I only ever have 1-2 drinks! If at all. I do love me some champagne though, I have to admit…
The milkway martini sounds great. I think drinking and enjoying it can be a part of your life if you want it to be. No matter what, just love and live, right?
The chocolate looks great again.
Keep safe and beautiful photos of you and your gir.
MMMM! Look at all of those scrumptalicious photos! Sounds like so much fun! :D
Fave drink?! A Kevaccino from Keva Juice…of course!
I love all your photos averie!
I cant belive that drink list!! IT IS extensive! that'd make anyone want to order either everything, or nothing at all! ahaha. im not a heavy drinker at all either.
Aruba looks so breathtaking. as do you! The sunset lighting is radiant, love. but i think you are the one making it radiant.
I'd like one of those Witch Doctors off the menu – just FedEx it in a sippy cup. It should be fine. Customs won't even blink.
The cookies from yesterday were really spectacular – what a treat!
My favorite drink these days is my morning smoothie, hands down. In the past I was a Diet Pepsi girl. I actually had one the other day for the first time in months. It took me 3days to finish a 16 oz bottle, and I used to drink those in one sitting ALL the time!
As far as alcohol goes, Vodka and many wines give me a three day migraine so they're hardly worth it. I can deal with rum sometimes – apparently my body has different issues with the sugar levels in alcohol. Lately, I've been having a few sips of port that we got through our wine club, but I normally have one drink and that's it. I boozed it up pretty good in college and popped right up for class in the morning, but those days are loooooooong behind me.
oh the little peanut with her little peanuts .. too damn cute!
a yi yi, 25 dollars for chicken parm? I hope it was encrusted with cold speaks. That's ridiculous!
Sunset drinks sound like a dream. I hope you enjoyed every special moment with your gorgeous family! I know you did :)
my favorite drink would have to be Coffee (we are one in the same) or good ol' agua. It makes me feel so.. cleansed.. if that makes sense.
In my prime (aka high school) I was all over the liquor.. yeah. I was so cool. As my ED became more prominent I strayed away (liquid cals, you kno you kno). But Ginge always manages to bring out the alcoholic in me (i.e. last night.. bottle of JD, game over) gotta enjoy my youth while I can, right? That's what I'm aiming for. Gingie makes it easier.
okay, novel over.
LOVE YOU!
Green Tea right now! I don't drink alcohol. Too many calories I'd rather eat my calories thank you! Plus I want to be in control at all times. Annnd I do have an addictive personality ( I am the person who eats the WHOLE bag of chips!) so for me I know one drink would probably not be enough if I liked it ;)
Plus I run, spin , do yoga and am vegan why would I put something that isn't a clean substance in my body that I strive to take such good care of?