I had to add "again" to the title, as I've already used that song. I guess I just like it.
Anyway, it really is cold outside. I wish I was back in Florida where it was warm (in the high 70s and low 80s when we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure), until our last couple days there. I should have purchased this cute little cupcake hat for Hayden on our 86 degree visit to the Magic Kingdom, as it dropped to the 50s the day we headed to Universal Studios (it was so cold in contrast; the lady at the gate had to use her hand-warmer on my index finger to get it to register on the fingerprint reader).
The next day, we got home to 20 and 30 degree temps (we drove straight home, which was an all-day affair. This is how Hayden entertained herself on the trip; gotta love those Crayola Color Wonder markers). Brrr ...
It actually snowed yesterday for Jacob's birthday (happy b-day to my 8-year-old). Uh huh, he really believes it snowed for him; he was hoping it would.
But back to those warm Florida memories. Hayden and I had fun posing for this mock surfing pic.
Jacob helped his sister steady herself on the surf board, too.
We all got really wet on the rapids ride at the Animal Kingdom.
And, check out our four little things (My son Jacob, his cousins Cameron and Colin, and my daughter Hayden) in their warm weather tees.
I'm feeling warmer already, especially with a mug of Hot Choco-Maca Zing. I tested out the recipe on the Natural Zing blog. You can check out the post here. I also reviewed a skin cream, and added my favorite raw cookie recipe from last year. Yum!
I'm still a little worn out from the trip, Jacob's birthday festivities and holiday events (a little maca and chocolate is a good remedy for that), so I opted not to post new cookie recipes this year. At least you can check out my archives ("Cookies Galore" and December 2009).
But don't worry; I'm still in the holiday spirit. Taking a Disney vacation this time of year really puts you in a Christmas mood, as there are loads of decorations, holiday music, displays, parades and other special programs.
Here's just a sample of what we saw:
The whole gang in front of the Dr. Suess display. There's my dad, sister April, sister Lori with her son's Colin and Cameron, and husband Darren, my mom, my son Jacob, my daughter Hayden, my hubby Matthew and me.
Minnie Mouse was in the Christmas parade at the Animal Kingdom.
My hubby and I posed in front of the most amazing light display at Hollywood Studios. You'd have to experience it for yourself. It is all set to music. The bubble "snow" was the best part.
Happy holidays! :-)
My family and I recently returned from a fun Orlando vacation at Disney World and the Universal Studios parks. The end of our trip is bittersweet, as it's nice to relax in familiar surroundings, but hard to leave the warm weather behind (thank goodness my sisters and I got Harry Potter scarves as souvenirs; BTW, did anyone catch the HP movie marathon over the weekend?).
At least I had a yummy sweet treat waiting at home for me. The kind people at Sequel Naturals had sent me some Organic MacaSure Chocolat bars to sample. I had hoped to receive them before the trip, but they were well worth the wait.
As you know, I try to only review products I actually like, so lucky for me, this was chocolate (my biggest weakness) from one of my favorite companies. Of course, I liked it.
Although my blog is mainly raw, I do sometimes indulge in cooked food lately (no secrets here), especially if it's good quality dark chocolate. I would have loved to add pieces of these bars to my overnight breakfast oats (I used to add protein powders and nut butters to my soaked overnight oatmeal years ago, but I have to give Gina, a.k.a. the Fitnessista, credit for bringing this concept back into my life with such a cute name; her signature version is called "The Breakfast Cookie" due to the way she shapes her original recipe), but I still enjoyed other Sequel Naturals additions instead.
On my vacation, I'd mix a serving of dry oatmeal with half a packet of Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer, Whole Food Smoothie Infusion or Shake & Go (you may remember my review post when it first came out; now it comes in convenient individual snack packs which are perfect for "packing"), half a pouch (that's right; I said "pouch") of individually wrapped nut butter (another trip-friendly product), a mushed ripe banana and either water, nut milk (I bought some almond milk while I was there) or coconut water (I used the packaged stuff on my trip; I've heard that Brendan recommends this O.N.E.), and let it set overnight. Sometimes I'd also stir in dried fruit, nuts or Vega bar chunks.
Today, I didn't hesitate to try a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough oats with broken bits of MacaSure Chocolat mixed in. Delish! The chocolate paired well with my combination of oats, Vega Shake & Go in Vanilla Almondilla (my fave of the flavors), almond butter, banana and coconut water.
Speaking of chocolate chip, MacaSure Chocolat would also taste yummy in my raw cookies and cupcakes (I've been known to form them into mini doll cakes), as I occasionally like to intermingle raw and cooked. Some of my fellow Vega Community members have got the same idea. Just check out these scrumptious cookies posted by Jill, as well as her MacaSure Chocolate Orange Coconut Balls. Mmmm ...
For an extra special treat, I melted some MacaSure Chocolat on a slice of cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread topped with berries (from my freezer as they are no longer in season), similar to when Chef George Duran made chocolate breakfast sandwiches on "Ham on the Street." Usually, I wouldn't have a taste for the recipes on his show, but this time, I made an exception. Besides, my version is probably better for me, although it's still a little on the naughty side.
The MacaSure Chocolat contains maca, as if you couldn't guess. Here's what the brochure had to say:
"Indulge your senses and reward yourself - without compromising your commitment to your body. MacaSure Chocolat is permission to succumb to your chocolate craving, apology-free." (I like the sound of that).
"The complementary blend of 70% cocoa, organic dark chocolate with maca is a great way to enjoy the benefits of premium maca. Each deliciously decadent bar of MacaSure Chocolat contains 4000 mg of premium, organic maca, renowned for its hormone-balancing, energy-increasing and libido-enhancing properties." (I told you it was a little naughty. Ha ha).
These bars are definitely packed with maca; so much you can really taste it. I love its malt-like flavor and the way it makes me feel. I don't know if it's just a placebo effect, but I could get used to eating this stuff. Thanks Sequel Naturals :-)
As I decided not to post as much as I did when I started this blog, I thought I'd wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving now, rather than on the big day.
Here is a preview of what I might be serving up this year. It's a slice of my Rustic Raw Butterbella Lasagna. The details of how I made it can be found in my latest Natural Zing blog post (while you're there, don't forget to nominate them for Best of Raw 2010).
So, what do you have planned for your Thanksgiving feast?
If you're looking for some inspiration, I posted some pics from past raw Thanksgivings below. Enjoy!
It's a little late to get you out to vote, as Election Day was yesterday (although I hope you did exercise your right by making it to the polls on time; I know I did). However, you can still stay in and nominate your favorites for the upcoming Best of Raw awards. Who has your vote this year?
On another note, I thought I'd also use this post to share some photos from the Halloween weekend. Yes, I did remember my camera, which was fully charged and with enough room on its memory card.
On Saturday night, we went down to the boardwalk for the first annual trick-or-treat and costume contest at the beach. I had to hold Hayden's number up for the judges to see. She was number 102 and Jacob (who wouldn't pose for this picture) was number 104.
My little Tinkerbell and Spiderman ran around the pavilion for the judges. Hey, where are their numbers?
Tinkerbell broke away from the pack. She was difficult to catch. The judges got a kick out of it, but I think they liked her personality more than her costume. Instead, they called numbers 101 and 103 back for review.
At least mommy was there to hug her and her brother. They're both still winners to me.
Next up was the trick-or-treating part, which was rather chilly (that's why Hayden wore her knit hat; I thought it looked a little like a Tinkerbell bun on top of her head). The "coolest part" was the peach smoothie she received from one of the participating local merchants. Even she thought it was better than the traditional candy.
On Halloween night, Jacob enjoyed going out with the boys (his cousins, Cameron and Colin). They actually had transforming Transformer costumes (Colin as Bumblebee and Cameron as Optimus Prime). All three boys had been Transformers a couple years ago, when Jacob was a transforming tank, Colin was Optimus Prime and Cameron was one of the Decepticons (I think he was Starscream, but I'm not certain). I wish I had a picture of that year to show you, too.
Here's Hayden again as Tinkerbell on Halloween night. She went to a few houses before opting to hang out with my parents, while we continued through a nearby neighborhood.
That's my Spiderman, looking quite fierce (one of Jacob's vocabulary words) in the darkness. No wonder he scored so much candy. I think we'll try some of the experiments from the link Kristen posted on her blog.
Earlier in the day, the kids got to dress up at a church function. Hayden helped Colin transform into a car.
Colin's mom (my sister Lori) also e-mailed me some pics her hubby took on our trip to the pumpkin patch. Hayden, Cameron and I decided to pose as veggies.
Jacob was nice enough to take the kiddie ride with Hayden. They were so cute.
Hayden got to pick out her first pumpkin. These were just her size.
Hope you had a happy Halloween, too :-)
My little fairy princess is not as innocent as she looks. Just like the "real" Tinkerbell ("real" as in the one depicted in storybooks, on stage and in the classic cartoon flick), she is always up to something.
You have no idea how difficult it was to snap these pics of her in this cute Tinkerbell costume. She kept hopping up out of her seat and running around her room, pulling out everything in/out of sight like a tiny tornado (From what I understand, her father grew up doing the same thing; no wonder Jacob did and still does it, too. I just can't keep up sometimes).
At least I did get some photos of Hayden in her costume for my site, as Jacob (who is going to be the black Spiderman with muscles) was camera-shy, as usual. Hopefully, I'll be able to take a few of them together on Halloween night.
I had planned on bringing my camera to Hayden's Halloween party at story time yesterday (the parade of toddlers and babies in their costumes was so adorable), but accidentally forgot it. Please someone remind me to charge it and have it ready for the big night.
I remembered the camera when we went to the pumpkin patch last weekend. I got some pics of the costume and decoration display (you can imagine the image of Hayden next to the two-headed baby; it's a tad bit disturbing), us on the hayride, Jacob going down the drainpipe slide and this sweet pic of Hayden standing by the height chart (she really is a shorty, like her mommy, who was standing by her side).
Then, you guessed it; my camera ran out of "juice." My sister's camera was also "dead," so the rest of the excursion was captured on my brother-in-law's camera phone.
Maybe he wouldn't mind sending us some copies of our trek through the same corn maze we got lost in last year (it was dark last time, and we needed flashlights to find our way), the kids jumping in the sandbox-style corn kernel pile, Hayden riding the kiddie train with her big brother and cousin, picking out pumpkins, playing on the playground and putting out heads through the photo op boards (Hayden loved posing as a pumpkin). Wow, that's a lot of stuff. No wonder my memory card is always so full.
I also need to delete some photos off my camera to save room for trick-or-treating pics. It's currently loaded up with family shots and food, too. For example, I recently photographed these scrumptious treats for Natural Zing's "From the Archives" series on the company's blog. I had hoped to include it in my Halloween post for them, but instead reserved it as a fall post of its own.
Looks like Hayden's at it again. There's that blurry action shot of her hand snatching up/crumbling up some of the leftover treats.
Into her mouth it goes, in yet another blurry action shot (gotta snap quick when these things happen).
So does she like them? Oh yes, she approves :-)
Their Aunt Karen thought it would be a great idea to use personalized placemats tonight made by none other than my creative crew (Jacob and Hayden, of course). It was the perfect project for the start of our holiday break (Jacob is off from school until next year; ha ha, my dad would always say that, as if he meant a whole year from now).
