I love beets. Who knew?

Last night I had dinner with my friends Stephen and Kelly, a sweet couple I know through yoga. Stephen is in teacher training with me and is also the one who rescued my laptop from it?s near death experience. We all wish Kelly could have joined us in training but they are expecting a little one and are due anytime now!

S and K share my love of healthy fare and dinner was a true example of that. It was light and fresh and really delicious. We had a salad with arugula, shallots, parsley, and mango topped with grilled shrimp, lemon juice and olive oil.

And we had beets! I have actually never had beets before and I?m pretty sure they are now one of my favorite foods. Prepare to see them again soon! How could you not love something that is so healthy!? They are full of iron, calcium, Vitamins A and C, and are known to increase immunity and protect us against cancer. I should have jumped on the beet train a longgg time ago.

And they are pretty!

We also had some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies a la Pillsbury. I had a hot one right out of the oven. Mmmm, nothing beats melted chocolate.

None of us had watched American Idol this past season but we watched the finale last night and it was very entertaining. I?m pretty sure my favorite part (well, at least the most memorable!) was Adam?s performance with Kiss. Anyone know where I could get some of those  platform shoes?

Thanks for having me over guys!

This morning I was planning on having some raw oatmeal for breakfast. I learned that old fashioned oats are actually steamed at 212* during processing and are in fact not raw so I went and got some whole raw oat groats at the health food store yesterday. I soaked them overnight in water but they must not have been soaked enough because they were quite gross and I couldn?t eat them. I decided to go the cereal route and made this?

It?s about a cup of Kashi Heart to Heart, 1/2 a sliced banana, 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries, a dollop of FAGE 2% AND, drumroll please?1/4 cup of light coconut milk.  This was really great! Boxed cereal isn?t my favorite thing but it was something quick after my mishap with the oat groats. And the coconut milk was so great in it! I used the 365 brand of canned light coconut milk and it added such a yummy flavor. I can?t wait to use it in smoothies.

And that?s that! Not much on the agenda today although I think my Mom and I might head out for lunch at Grassroots. It?s still pretty rainy here but I?m not complaining. Actually, the last four days feel like one long continuum thanks to the grey skies. I?m secretly crossing my fingers for more rain though. I LOVE IT!

Have a great day!