Highlights of the Week

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.

To Amazing Cakes and Breads

 

To Overpriced Veggies

 

To Maranatha AB & Goddess Dressing halfway around the globe!

And there was Time at the Pool

 

And Time at the Beach

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

And Bittersweet 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…