How did Monday shape up for you? Hopefully everyone has a short holiday week this week and is gearing up to spend time with your family and friends and just get some R&R in!
I got a great surprise today. A woman called me and offered me a job at her gym to teach a few yoga classes. So that’s the third studio I now have yoga teaching gigs at, and I am soooo excited! It feels wonderful to be wanted, respected, appreciated by students, and paid, for my yoga skills and knowledge. After giving 110% of myself to pregnancy and new motherhood, and now that Skylar is almost 3 years, it’s time for me to start working outside of the home more because I need that for myself, and reconnecting with my passion for teaching yoga is just what the Zen Doctor ordered.
I’m thrilled about the positive feedback on the Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookies! Yay! So good, so easy, you probably already have the ingredients on hand, no gluten or soy, and no fancy appliances needed. Yeah, they hit the vegan cookie spot, for sure!
First up for today, I thought I’d show you a few grocery store & foodie finds….
Vanilla Extract. Doesn’t look like anything special? Well it was. On special, that is. Half-price. This was a $24.99 bottle on sale for $12.99. Score! Does anyone else go through vanilla extract like it’s water? I could bathe in the stuff!
Not TechicallyVegan, but close enough Festive. Semi-sweet Chocolate & Mint Holiday Chips. I’m thinking of veganizing Creme de Menthe bars with these.
I found this big bag of Gluten-Free Snack Crackers-meets-Flax Seed-Chips for $1.99
Skylar doesn’t know the difference between flax seeds and Fritos, good. Let’s keep it that way.
She does like Pure Bars. This one is the Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Flavor. Nice chunks of Raw Cocoa Nibs, Almonds, Dates. Yum!
Ok, So I like ’em too.
I found this Caramel Corn at TJ’s. Not health food, but not a disaster, either. No gluten or dairy listed on the label. Score! And, Yes, there is corn syrup. Cest la vie.
Dinner was my Vegan take on “Cesar” Salad. Romaine, cukes, tomatoes, raw almonds and dressed with my Vegan Homemade “Cesar” Dressing. Really easy, really good. Try it!
For Dessert for the big Thanksgiving Day Feast, I am not sure whether to make my No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie (that’s also gluten & soy free!)
Or My Raw Vegan Apple Crumble
…Or Apple.
What are you going to do? Store-bought? It’s ok, whatever is Easiest & the Least Stress: Go With That! Check out my last post about my thoughts on Letting Things Slide.
But back to desserts, my recipes are no more than 15 minutes for the Apple and about 20 for the Pumpkin. Just sayin’…
Since I didn’t have any Apple or Pumpkin Desserts on hand, but I did have some Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookies, it was a no-brainer.
I Munched These. With pleasure.
Yoga Today is Parsva Bakasana (Side Crow Pose)
Tip of the Day: Recently, I’ve been asked about Staying Raw or Vegan through the winter months when it may be colder and you’re less than inspired to be either raw or vegan. Which is fine! Go with what works for your body; honor & respect what your body is asking for. Mine asks for high raw, all vegan. However, I do eat cooked foods and who cares. If I want it, I eat it. Done. But find your own path, find what your body, mind, and soul is asking for, not just with food, but with everything else, too.
What’s your comfort food during the winter months? Or how about any time you need a comfort food, what do you gravitate toward? Mine would definitely be extra coffee or even a nice cup of tea in the beverage department and in the food department, it would have to be sweets or a dessert, and lately I’ve been loving my Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls. They really hit the comfort spot. What’s your Comfort Food?
Stay Tuned For A Last Minute Pumpkin Dessert Recipe for the Big Day…
Thanks for the reminder of all the yummy food I didn't get to eat, sniff, sniff. Darn flu! I had such lofty plans too.
Looks like Christmas came early for you : ) Nice stuff!
I keep out of cyber traffic by not having the proper vehicle. No crackberry, no iPhone, no twitter. Sometimes I feel out of the loop then I see the craziness that IS the loop and I'm okay with it : )
Girl – that hard drive was worth every penny and that's coming from someone who lost a year's worth of pictures, and three years worth of bookmarks, ITunes, recipes, and God knows what else I haven't even remembered to miss yet.
Not that you need any more convincing but that Hard Drive is definitely a necessity!
I'm off to make coconut flour muffins. Hasta!
Ahhh this was such a great post!
As for the recaps- love everything, per usual.
Skylar= like. the. cutest. kid. ever.
Black Friday purchases? -Totally ay okay with the external hard drive. You're going to be thanking yourself when technology fails. (Which it ALWAYS does.)
Half moon is probably in my top ten poses list. Love it. As for enjoying the fresh air- I actually did yoga today at the park with a friend, and it was nice just to do yoga, and not worry about getting a good workout with a podcast. I just went with the flow. (No pun intended.) It was so pretty outside too!
As for getting caught up with technology- well, you know how I feel about my google reader, and that's only exposition 1. 2 and 3 being my DVR and whatnot.
One reason I love my podcasts from D. Farmar is he always jokes about putting away the blackberry and ignoring technology for 75 minutes. But its always funny to me, because 1) I'm doing a PODCAST. and 2) my blackberry is appx 24 inches away from me, buzzing away with blogger tweets.
LOL.
Okayyy- this comment was longer than your post. Do I win a prize? haha. Have a great week lady!
Don't you just LOVE the primary series!! I used to walk to the yoga studio in the wee hours of the morning to do it before work when I was working/living in Boston. I LOVED it. Unfortunately, I have moved with my husband to a town where there are no yoga studios or anyone who teaches ashtanga :( I do it on my own in my "yoga room". I was wondering though, since the energy just isn't the same how do you stay motivated to do your practice at home?
hi love! looks like you had a wonderful thanksgiving!!! skylar is ADORABLE!! i cant even take it!
my trick for staying balance with technology, is to just take a break all together from it once in a while. sometimes it is really refreshing to not surf the net or play with my blackberry for an entire day! its a nice little detox!
any more thoughts on the trainer certification?
I love today's tip of the day! Americans less and less are giving themselves the time to step outside and smell/enjoy the fresh air. I feel like I'm hooked into technology way too much. I hate it! I try to make at least an hour a day to get outside, and if it's raining to at least do something active inside…like yoga and the half-moon pose!
back up???? Yeah…I;ve been walking on ice for a bit too long myself!
balance? sigh
it's a constant juggle too. at work I try and take as many breaks outside as I can. same with lunches but I rarely go out to eat or shop (except my bi weekly Sprouts trip) I eat at my desk…not good.
I try and get outside on weekends and save my computer time for when it's dark outside. My day is pretty dictated by JJ's needs and I just try and be as well rounded as I can. Like yesterday, I got interrupted with my jog so I spent the rest of the day being as active as I could (cleaning) and today I am cooking foods so I have healthy eats for a new week.
it's tough. I'm not a big cell phone/texter, etc but I work at my PC all day and also my blogging fun!
my biggest addiction is my camera and my Kindle these days.
Well speaking of balance, JJ's ready for bed and I am ready for that whole JOG!
xoxo
a NEW WEEK!
ha! i feel like suuuch a tech nerd when i'm at the gym because i'm all strapped up with my ipod on one arm and then my hrm on the other wrist and my strap under my shirt. i feel like a member of the star trek crew
i'm so glad that you got everything to secure your classes. that speaker system will defffinitely come in handy espesh bc theres always so many things that could go wrong at the studio