How has your Monday been flowing? Mine has flowed quite frantically, actually. I went to yoga this morning, and got my heated power flow going. And I’ve been busy with this and that, phone calls, errands, lots of cooking and kitchen time, and of course taking care of the Birthday Girl (her official birthday date is tomorrow Tuesday, Feb 2) and she will officially be 3!!! What have you been up to? How was your weekend? Anyone get snowed in? Hopefully you’re safe and sound and warm!
Thank you for the overwhelming and awesome feedback regarding the Vegan White Chocolate Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cups!
Some were All White with Chocolate PB Centers
And Some were White and Dark Chocolate Outers with Chocolate PB Centers
Thank you also for the feedback about What You’re Doing For Valentine’s Day and also What Kind of Gift You’d Like to Receive in the Mail. Lots of you said my homemade goodies would be very welcome, so that was really sweet to hear….Muah!!! Thank You for Your Kind Words!!
And thanks for the compliments about my cutie pie and for the Happy Birthday Wishes For Her!
As promised, here are more pictures of the big party we had for the three of us…haha! Sometimes smaller is better. Not often, but it does happen.
I strategically placed decked the house out in pink steamers
Got the Tables Set:
Big Person’s Table
Skylar’s Table
Complete with Kazoo, Hat, and Place Card for all
The Gift Stash included raiding the Target One Dollar Bins. Everything here was a buck each!
First a $1 Dollar Tutu, a $1 bracelet, and beads. Perfect!
And some socks, books, hairbrush, complete with Princess Card & Gift Bag.
A forgotten about Christmas Gift for Bitty Baby. I wonder if these Twins started wearing their baking outfits at a young age?
And I wrapped it all Up in a Princess Bag
And then My Princess Came Home and Was Pleasantly Surprised!
She loved her new books!
She wasted no time organizing & meticulously straightening her loot. Wonder who she gets her compulsive organizational tendencies from?
The Ballerina Tutu Goes On and Dancing Begins!
Is she carrying herself like a natural Ballerina or am I just a primadona stage mother?
Definitely Not a Stage Mother: Just A Grateful & Blessed Mother
And Happy…
…for the mutual adoration this little girl and I have for each other!
The ironic thing that I mentioned yesterday is that she’s never had a cupcake. Maybe Barney tipped her off that they exist!
This is My Favorite Photo of the Day of Her: When we were singing Happy Birthday to Her. I love this picture because she genuninely appears to be blown away with happiness and wonderment that all this Was For Her!
While holding Daddy’s Hand and Grinning Ear to Ear
We laughed and she ate cupcakes. And if I didn’t react to dairy like I do, you better believe that the buttercream frosting looked so stick-your-finger-in-it-and-start-lickin’ good!
And We Mutually Adored some more
And after her cupcakes, she still ate her fresh fruit. And then we ran off to dance ballerina style in her room!
And so did I! I can’t believe she’s 3!!!!!!!! It sounds so cliche but they really do grow up so incredibly fast. Kiss them, hug them, hold them, because in just a few years she may think I’m lame and won’t want to be caught dead next to me.
….tons of Sugar Snap Peas with homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing
Today I was Hard at Work in the Kitchen after yoga. I made Vegan Fudge, which is setting up now and I will post it later this week. But in making the vegan fudge, I had about 3/4th’s of a can of coconut milk leftover, so I made Vegan Coconut Milk Kefir with it. I have posted about this before both Here and Here.
Today I simply took the opened can of coconut milk (I used TJ’s Light), poured it into a glass jar and added about 3/4 cup of water to it.
Added the Starter
Stirred. Don’t use metal utensils, the bacteria don’t like metal.
And am letting nature’s friendly bacteria go to work for me on my countertop for the next 18 hours. I wish something or someone other than bacteria would go to work for me but hey, I’ll take what I can get. Need info on vegan or water kefir grains or starter? Here or Here. I sometimes get mine from this place.
Today after yoga I also made
Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Snowballs
Yes, it was time for a fresh batch for Scott.
Some of you have written that you’re having issues with them forming into balls…just add more maple syrup and/or coconut oil. Don’t be scared of the liquid, the coconut flakes and the cocoa powder will absorb it. Hope that helps those who have written in! These are Scott’s Dessert Love.
My Dessert Love was a few Vegan White Chocolate Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cups!
Yoga Today is a Side Crane, aka Parsva Bakasana.
For those of you who are regular readers, you know I’m a yoga teacher and have been since 2001. I am frequently asked how to do this pose.
The easiest explanation I can offer is:
Squat down with your feet close together.
Then point your knees all the way to one direction, let’s say the right hand side.
Make a table with your arms, and lean forward and up onto the back of your arms.
The pose is much more about center of gravity and weight distribution than it is about strength. Core strength, in this pose and in all of yoga, is fundamental, but once that’s established, just try to find the Sweet Spot, so you can lift your crane off the ground. Hopefully that explanation helps a bit!
Here’s Another Angle. Just have fun and you’ll get there!
Tip of the Day:
Two Questions:
Well, first is a request. For the bloggers who use word verification on your comment forms, please consider and re-evaluate if this is something you believe is really useful. I don’t use word verification and get a fairly decent number of comments on my posts. I would say I get, maybe 2 spam comments per month, maybe. I really don’t believe word verification does anything other than slow down the commenting process for 99.9% of your commenters. If you are on auto-pilot with that one, like you signed up for it ages ago and never took it off, please consider taking it off. Sometimes I have to re-key words two and three times and it takes up precious time. If you feel it really serves a purpose and you want to keep it, then I can respect that, too!
Next, is there something about me you’d like to know that I haven’t blogged about? I was thinking about creating and “About Me” Tab and am not sure what it is About Me that you’d want to know….haha! I get a lot of private emails asking me all kinds of things, some of which are completely inappropriate, so please, keep it tasteful, clean, and respectful, my friends, but I may do either an About Me Section or a Reader’s Ask and I Answer type of post. And if no one care’s a rat’s bootay “about me”, I can totally & completely understand that too! ha!
Last Question:
At what age do you think celebrating a birthday with a big party and gifts and the whole she-bang is played out and one should tone it down a little? Age 12? 18? 21? 25? 30? 88? Or, You’re never to old to have a huge she-bang! How old were you when you had your last amazing birthday party or celebration? I was 24, living on the beach in NC with Scott, we did sunset yoga on the beach, he had a cake made with hot pink and purple frosting, we stayed up all night drinking wine, swimming in the ocean and laughing and having a ball. So when was your last amazing birthday party or celebration?
Stay Tuned For Oats…
nice splits! such a fun way for skylar to celebrate her special day. i love that you doctored her mug up a little bit, snazzy! those places are so fun! every time is see your raw cookie dough balls i die a little bit inside (in a good way, haha!) i'm a huge proponent of holistic medicine, i've considered becoming a DO (osteopath) because i am such a believer in alternative medicine! granted a lot of stuff including much of the herbal remedies are kind of scams, they don't actually help and are marketed by people who just want $, but sooo many natural remedies have been used for thousands of years and it's because they WORK. that being said i believe in western medicine too, and think we should all do whatever we need in order to be healthy!
What a neat idea for Skylar's birthday! That mug is simply adorable.
I definitely load up on all the nutrition-dense fruits and veggies when I feel a cold coming on. And I TRY to get more sleep! ;)
xxoo
Heather
Love your new coffee mug! Of course miss Skylar chose pink and purple. Will you be using it tomorrow morning? (If you haven't all ready.)
Coconut oil on those roasted veggies, NICE! Great idea. Lovin' the coconut oil these days. Especially that Cacao Bliss stuff. Surprised to see you using some heat….glad to hear the fam loved the roasted veggies.
What do I do when I start to feel icky….what I always do. I still workout daily (a bit less intense) & try to get to bed a bit earlier. Thankfully I tend not to get sick too often. The only thing that really puts me out is a throw up kind of bug. In that case I need to ride it out and pray that my hubs takes care of the kids.
Yes, I too am into the probiotic thing. Sooooo important to have that good gut health. When thats not working, nothing is. I am a big fan of the Ayurvedic herb blend Triphala. xxoo
Great post!
Actually coconut oil would be great to have during a cold as well. It is antibacterial/fungal/viral!
It is also the most natural way to re-balance gut flora as it tames an overgrowth of candida albicans. Something to do with the lauric acid!
I love that you said 'Do not fear the fat!' Low fat diets are the worst dietary measure!
Natalia
Awww Skylar! I get SO overwhelmed when there are too many choices – colors, food on a menu – and usually end up with something predictable in that way.
I've never tried coconut oil. I was thisclose to picking up a jar the other day at the health food store but I put it back for some reason… I'll go back and get it. I've been dying to try it after seeing it on all these blogs I love but I just haven't yet.
Hey sweetie! That pottery painting time looks like so much! What a cool bday idea!
Really cool idea about roasting the veggies with ginger and coconut oil. And topping with some yummy salad and slaw dressing! I love how roasted veggies goes so well with crunchy cold veggies. What a great combo of flavas you got going on there hon!
You are so teasin me with those amazing pics of the chocolate cups;) they are on top of the immediate to make list! Looks fantastic!
I really honestly believe in more natural and holistic remedies. Ive had some amazing experiences with them. When I was a kid I would get these really painful stomach issues. Nothing the docs could give me would help but my mom found an herb that is suppose to relax the muscles of the stomach. It was my saving grace! It was the only thing that I found to work. Luckily I grew out of it. But still. Plus I really believe in being proactive in our health as oppose to all reactive but thats a whole other topic!;)
When I start getting sick, my go tos are tons of water and a massage. I really think massages cleanse the body and help to flush out toxins. Its always helped me. Oh and plenty of sleep! I find if I crash out for awhile I can usually kick what is lurkin.
Have a great night hon!!
Adorableeee mug! I love painting pottery!!
Love all your yummy treats! I always am hungry after I read your posts, hehe.
<3 jess
xoxo
Can't wait to see how the mug turns out! Did I tell you that I used to manage a Paint-Your-Own place? It was in LA with tons of celebrities – super fun!
I'm a total coconut oil convert! I don't use a ton so I'm only on my second jar but, like almond butter, I don't know how I could live without it!
The splits – you are the yoga QUEEN!
I LOVE ACUPUNCTURE!
i swear it helps w. my migraines!
i LOVE that pic of cute skylar at the top too-she is one HAPPY girl, just like her momma!
I'm still trying to make my way through all the yummy oat-filled goodness you posted! So far those raw oatmeal raisin cookies are calling out to me.
I might try that 30-60 days to splits idea, but are there other asanas that would support that process by opeing up the connecting muscles and tendons?
As for natural remedies, I'm a huge proponent. It's the only thing I use, it's what I studied formally (I'm a Certified Herbalist), and it's the only way I can treat my body due to chemical intollerence and auto-immune issues. To your list of herbs for the cold and flu season I would add Osha Root and Black Elderberry tinctures.
I love coconut oil! Here's an old post with a recipe using it and one of my favorite vegies.
https://thisnorthwestlife.blogspot.com/2008/08/green-bean-season.html
You are going to have a blast with that coconut oil. It looks like you already are :-)
A g-free, vegan theme-worthy snack… If you could make a vegan bleu cheese dip with cashews and lemon, and serve that with celery and hot sauce, that could work
I LOVE painting pottery! What a cute mug!
I also love roasted veggies in coconut oil! Yum!!
ahhh i love those places where you can go an make pottery slash paint them :) i want to have my birthday there this year!
btw i wanted to ask you what the difference is between white chia seeds and regular chia seeds.
and my question is that IF you were stuck on an island for the rest of your life and you could only listen to 5 songs what would they be?!
AWW I used to do pottery with my mom. What an awesome birthday activity. You rock!!
Standing split pose?!? I think I pulled something just lookin at ya. Amazing!! ;)
What a great thing to do with your daughter for her birthday! I took a pottery class a few years ago and it was so much fun!
FYI – I tweaked your peanut butter cup recipe and posted it today. SO. GOOD. I can't stop eating them, or staring at them. ;)
Anytime I start to feel sick, I drink fluids nonstop, including water, tea, and emergen'c. I also take vitamin c, and make sure to eat especially healthy (though I do that every day)!
Have never tried coconut oil…
ALSO, my husband and I are going pottery-painting on Saturday!
And I'm coming down with a cold right now. I feel it in my forehead and upper chest.