Blogger Meetup, Mailbox Finds, Raw Vegan Smoothie Recipe

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How’s Thursday going? I admit, I’m beat tired and working on 4 hours of sleep. And those 4 hours were not consecutive. Playing nursemaid to a sick Skylar was my 1 to 4am calling card. So needless to say I was grateful for a coffee & a chit-chat get-together with Madeline of Greens and Jeans.

Two women and young girl in coffee shop

Madeline and I gabbed about life. And Skylar snacked.

Young girl sitting at table snacking

And Madeline is such a great sport with Skylar and she plays along so wonderfully with all of Skylar’s little stories snots and games!

Woman and young girl sitting at table smiling

Like when Skylar shows Madeline how Fashionista Barbie Walks Down the Runway

Young girl playing with Barbie at table

And in between her snacking, Skylar’s nose ran all over the place.

Young girl smiling while having some snacks

But it was great to catch up with Madeline for java and chit-chat! Just what the doctor ordered for this very tired mama: A little Girl Time + Coffee!

Two woman and young girl smiling for camera

I’m glad you enjoyed yesterday’s Grocery Finds Post

Whole Wheat Gluten Free Snacks
Hand holding whole wheat and gluten free snacks
Hand holding a cherry

 

Fresh cut strawberries in container

And thanks for letting me know those Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Snowballs had you drooling

Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Snowballs in white dish

Right along with the No-Bake Vegan PB Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

No-Bake Vegan PB Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

And thanks for filling me in on your recommendations on gum, mints, and everything you’re Grateful For

Multiple packs of various flavors of Extra Gum
Good stuff and thanks, my bloggie friends, for chiming in!

Today when I came home from my coffee clutch with Madeline, I found a couple things waiting for me in the mail!

First, a kitchen scale

Eat Smart Kitchen Scale

From Health Tools and Eat Smart Products

Business Card for Health Tools

I have chatted with Katie before about how when I’m making raw vegan balls

Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Fudge Balls up close
Raw Vegan Peanut Butter Vanilla Balls in container

…that it would be incredibly helpful to have a food scale like she does because 1 cup of dates can mean alot of different things; tightly packed vs. loosely packed can make a difference in the outcome of the batch or recipe.  I think another guy loves his scale, too.

Eat Smart Food Scale out of package

Now I will know,  for example, that 100 grams of medjool dates will always work in a particular recipee,  rather than guesstimating quite as much.  Because with a scale, 100g is always 100g type of thing. Just call me Mrs. Alton Brown.

Information on box of food scale

Thanks you so much Eat Smart Products for the Scale!!!

Close up of red Food Scale

Speaking of Katie,  Anyone doing anything special with your food choices being that it’s Vegan Thursday? I’m not doing anything special per se because it’s just another happy-go-luck-vegan-kind-of-day for me, but maybe you’ll think about eating more natural, plant-based foods today. Because they really do make you feel so clean and energized!

Moving along…
I also am the very lucky recipient of a super cute care package from Isa Zapata!

Care package from Isa Zapata

Cute Handpainted Bags

Hand painted bag with heart
Tag on bag

Some postcards and art

Isa Zapata Informational Card
Two post cards on countertop

Mommy & Me TShirts from Isa ZapataAnd I promise to model these when Skylar’s in more of a dress-up and try-on new clothes health status!

Mommy and Me Shirts from Isa Zapata

Thank you so much Isa Zapata!!!!!!

Information card from Isa Zapata with website information

Dinner last night for me was a big bowl of Rabbit FoodRomaine, Sugar Snap Peas, Brock, Tomatoes, Cukes, Carrots, and Brussels

Romaine salad with vegetables and dressing

Dressed with homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing

Homemade Vegan slaw in front of Veganaise and Apple Cider Vinegar Containers
Homemade Vegan Slaw Dressing in glass jar
Fresh salad with Vegan Slaw

Dessert was a couple Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls that I made the other day.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls in clear container
Close up of two Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Yoga Today is Sirasana (Headstand)
(I talked in this post about weight distribution with your head vs. arm & shoulder muscles. Check it out to stay injury-free in your neck!)

Woman doing Sirasana yoga pose

Tip of the Day:
Raw Vegan Blueberry Almond Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1/4 cup raw almonds
  • 2 tablespoons flax oil, hemp, or coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons agave or pure maple syrup (note, maple is not truly raw)
  • 1 cup water or nut milk of your liking
  • Optional: Scoop of your favorite protein powder

Directions:
In a blender, combine ingredients in order listed and puree to a smooth consistency.

Do you like smoothies?  I know a few ladies, ahem Deb and Allie, who do!  I love to chew, see yesterday’s gum chewing post if you don’t believe me, but I’d love to hear your favorite recipes and tips for The Perfect Smoothie Recipe!

Other Questions….
Would you say you have a good memory?  If I try, I would say I am an excellent memorizer. However, I need to pay attention and not try to multi-task while I am committing something to memory or else it’s in one ear and out the next. I have a pseudo “photographic memory” and I can look at something that’s written or in print and if I try, I can burn it into my mental hard drive, permanently.  Which is good and bad. It was something I practiced as a kid and helped me immensely in school, but now, it’s just a quirky fact about me.  How’s your memory?



Or, Do you have any quirky traits or random facts? I also hate garlic!  How’s that for random!

Stay Tuned For All Things Oats…

Comments

  1. Oh cutie pie Skylar! A big happy birthday hug to her! I think you are never too old to have a big birthday party! My junior year of college my friends threw me a "Madeline's Favorite Things" party and everyone had to come dressed as one of my favorite things! It was SUCH an amazing night!

  2. I am the girl who talks up her birthday for the month leading up to it. Surprised? :D

    The last really great one was my 28th – I was backpacking with a friend in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Serene and beautiful. She packed in a snickers, and stuck a lit match in the end for me to blow out.

    Happy birthday to Skylar again! She's a lucky girl!

  3. What an awesome birthday party! Happy Birthday Skylar!!!!

    I had big parties as a kid and then friends threw me dinners, etc. I didn't even have a 40th. They seem to be trickling down in scale when they really should be ramping up!

  4. Great fun photos!

    I'm loving learning about you through your blog and comments on my blog. Maybe just share whatever is in your heart to share with others about you. Whatever makes you comfortable.

    As for birthdays…you're never too old for a big 'ol bash! Celebrating life is the best thing EVER! My grandfather is turning 90 this month and I think we should throw him a HUGE party to celebrate his life. =)

  5. Love the birthday party pics!!!!

    I have a really weird relationship with birthdays. Growing up, I never really had a birthday party, and I was bitter over it for a long time. Then as an adult, I somehow had these crazy expectations for a while that my birthday had to be "special." In recent years, I finally have let go of these expectations, and I enjoy every day, including my birthdays and holidays… I still try to make the teenager's birthday special; he turned 18 last year… My children's birthdays are truly meaningful to me…

  6. Happy Belated birthday, Skylar! Gosh, what a cutie. Seriously precious. Love the party decorations, too!

  7. Skyler is one lucky girl! I love that you kept it simple and the target bin is perfect for 3 year old little girls. I often shop in that bin for my 10 year old little girl (doggie sienna).

    i honestly say that your vegan desserts look so much better than a cupcake! but there is this mystery around cupcakes that makes them exciting, and it's nice you gave skyler a tiny one to enjoy. i love that it was tiny too.

    i agree with you about the word identification and i will remove it now that you said you don't get spam. i did have to remove the ability to post anonymously as someone wrote something rude and i feel if you want to be rude you ought to own up to it instead of hiding. plus i think the person tried to frame a friend of mine which is not nice!

    as for what i'd love to know about you, well, i am curious about how and when you got into eating natural foods and raw foods. was in overnight or a gradual progression? perhaps you have already said this but i missed it.

  8. Happy birthday to your little girl! She's precious.

    I made your raw chocolate chip cookie dough balls today and WOOOWWW! They are incredible.
    <3 jess
    xoxo

  9. Awe… Happy B-Day to Skylar!! Love the pics… so cute!!

    We celebrate just about everything in my family! Any excuse for a party :)

  10. Awwww!!!! LOVE little kid birthdays!!

    That's so funny that she requested cupcakes without ever having eaten one! I guess word gets around :-)

  11. Too Old??Baaaa humbug!! You're never too old for Bday parties!! What is age, but just a number anyways? I LOVE Bday parites and the more G rated they are, the better as far as I'm concerned. So, go for it, girl!! When is YOUR birthday, BTW?

  12. Awww, Skylar is such a doll! Just seeing you two makes me so excited to have kids:) I'm glad she had such a great party!

    I would love it if you did an about me or question/answer page. I would love to know how it went when Scott was adjusting to eating vegan. Or did he always eat vegan?

    And last, I totally think birthdays should be celebrated big for as long as it is still fun for the birthday person. There is no age limit in our family!

  13. Hon, I don't think you can ever be too old to have a part-ay, the whole she-bang and more! Obviously you might not want to break out the plastic tea-cup sets when you're 25, but that's the point – that as you age, you learn, you grow, and your celebrations evolve with you. Ya know? :)

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