Sarah visits / Our Spa Day Adventure

My best friend in the world Sarah came out to visit for three and a half days in February and it was sooo wonderful to see her, and to show her a California good time. I had a packed itinerary planned for us, and after I picked her up from the airport we headed straight to Picchetti Winery for a wine tasting to set the mood. She arrived a bit shaken due to a crazy windstorm that caused her flight to have a scary rough landing, and at the winery we watched out the windows as strong winds blew the trees sideways.

All the craziest things always happen to her, so it was only fitting that she brought crazy weather with her.

We went out for a Mexican feast her first night at Vive Sol, which sounded like it would have delicious food and margaritas. The food lived up to the hype but unfortunately the drinks were bad, fake and too-sweet, which was disappointing. We filled up on yummy food anyway and rolled ourselves back home.

strawberry cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes

Our most memorable and hilarious day was Thursday, our spa day. I had gotten a groupon to Fremont Day Spa for the two of us to get massages, facials and body scrubs. We arrived and were shown to a small room with two beds in it - for us. Apparently we were getting a couples massage! This was unexpected, but we laughed and were game. A woman and a man came in to do the massages, and the woman asked us which of them we preferred to massage us. The man evidently did not speak a word of English. We indicated it didn't matter to us, so the woman went to Sarah and I had the man, and they started our massages.

I had a very thorough full body massage with extra emphasis on my buttocks and thighs, and then we flipped over onto our backs, while staying covered under the blankets. The next step was the body scrub. The woman proceeded to uncover all the parts that would get the scrub - arms, legs, and belly - and I asked her to please cover my belly back up, I did not want my belly scrubbed. Arms, legs and chest would be fine. It did not take long to conclude that the body scrub was a terrible idea. It was quite chilly in the air conditioned room and as our masseuses scrubbed us all over, all our exposed and now-wet skin grew ice cold and we began to shiver.

Next, we were supposed to go shower all the scrub off before beginning our facials. The woman asked Sarah, "you and your friend, go shower together?"
"There's just one shower?" asked Sarah. The woman confirmed there was one."We'll take turns," she said, and the woman gave us robes to wear, and Sarah went to take her shower first. I lay in the room, freezing and shivering, and waited til she came back to go take my shower. The hot water thawed me out, thankfully.

Then we lay in the room, covered up with blankets again, warm and comfortable, to wait for the facialist, a different woman, to come in. We laughed and laughed at the tiny shower where we were supposed to go shower together. There wasn't even room for two people to shower at once! "We could have taken turns rinsing each other off," we laughed.

The facial was my favorite part of our spa day; the woman did a great job and my skin felt soft and smooth and wonderful afterward, although she did make some interesting comments. After we indicated it had been a while since either of us had had a facial, she said "You're lucky you're still young!" and had a good chuckle.

We made sure to leave good tips for our masseuses and facialist and then we got back in the car and died laughing all the way home about our bargain spa day, featuring a couples' butt massage, freezing body scrub and single shower.

The rest of the weekend was relaxing, fun and uneventful - we got our nails done, went shopping, had cupcakes, worked out at the gym, ate Oren's hummus, walked around Stanford campus and the art museum, had the mimosa sampler at Local Union 271, went to a chocolate tasting downtown that her husband Ben bought for us, had ice cream cookie sandwiches at CREAM, and got to catch up on life. Having so much girl time was a revelation; I don't get nearly as much since we moved out here and I miss it SO MUCH. I'm so happy Sarah was able to get away for a long weekend to come visit and we'll always have our spa day to look back and laugh about. I love and miss her so much!!

chocolate tasting

Grandpa's birthday, Redwoods at Big Basin, children's museum

We were very excited the first week of November to plan a last minute visit from my dad, whose birthday we got to celebrate on the 10th. It was his first time coming out to see us in the bay and we unfortunately disappointed him with unseasonably chilly weather.

After a scorching hot August and September and a gorgeous October, we saw highs in the low and mid 60s in early November and I finally caved and let Rich turn on the heat in the house.

We also saw some strange, foreign liquid fall from the sky several times, which we had hardly seen since we arrived. The first two Mondays in November were washed out and I drove Rich to Stanford and Valerie to school (normally he rides his bike and Valerie and I walk). The first two times it rained I had to dry off the convertible interior with a towel. Schwoopsies! I got so spoiled by the total lack of rain I wasn't prepared. I am now aware though that on occasion it does rain here and I check the forecast and make sure to put the top up ahead of time.

We keep hearing that a crazy El Nino is coming and we should expect lots of rain this winter but I am sticking my fingers in my ears, singing "La La La" and hoping it doesn't happen. I know, I know, this poor state is in dire need of water, but I just got here from Cincinnati, cut me a break!  I so enjoyed the bone dry late summer. I think I am secretly a lizard and I belong in the desert. That climate does so appeal to me.

On November first we turned the clocks back (for real this time) and Valerie amazingly slept in until 8 am (which felt like 9 am), instead of her usual daylight savings wakeup around 7-8 am. I woke up early as always but greatly enjoyed laying in bed undisturbed until 8 in what can best be described as mom nirvana. I know I have done nothing to deserve the greatest sleeping toddler in the world but I will joyfully bask in my good fortune as long as it lasts.

A few days later Dad booked his flights and he arrived Friday night the 6th. We always love having him stay. He plays with Valerie and is ever so helpful in every way, with cooking, dishes, trash, cleanup, vacuuming, shopping.... if only all parents were so lucky to have a Grandpa this awesome around! We could never thank him enough for all he does and know we really are as lucky as can be.

We drove down to Big Basin to see the redwoods and do some light hiking on Saturday. It was too chilly for me with all the shade from the trees, and walking at Valerie's pace did not allow us to warm up at all. When we found sunny spots I would stop and bask in them; it was SO much warmer in the sun!

The trees were pretty awesome though. I would love to do a longer hike there in the spring when it gets warm again, although the winding, twisty drive there had us all slightly nauseous. On the way home, Valerie complained that her tummy hurt, and that she had "ten babies in her belly." Whenever she gets a stomachache she tells us she has ten babies in there. I have no idea where she got that from but it cracks me up every time.

We went out to Fiesta Vallarta, our favorite Mexican spot in downtown Los Altos, for dinner that night and enjoyed a pitcher of margaritas and excellent food on the patio.

Sunday it rained and we took Valerie to the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose since I had bought some groupons for discounted admission. This was not the best idea because everyone else with a toddler in the bay area had the same idea. They were having a Diwali celebration that day, and I have never seen such a crowded children's museum. I don't typically get claustrophobic but this was a horrible experience, waiting for every exhibit and feeling scrunched by all the people in my personal space. Once or twice Rich and I made eye contact: "kill me now." This kind of place on this kind of day will deter anyone from ever having a child.

I would never go back there again if I could avoid it, but I will admit it didn't seem to bother Valerie; she had a great time. I am just glad we had the discounted tickets because I would have been pissed if we had paid full price for that experience. She enjoyed herself, which is what matters. Rich, my dad and I could not wait to get the heck out of there.

It rained again Monday and we eagerly awaited some sun on Tuesday, Dad's birthday. He said he would like salmon and salad for dinner - two things he and I can always agree on - and I found a recipe I thought he would like, for a salmon BLT salad. It came out really good. Salmon with a rub of brown sugar, salt, pepper and paprika, with avocado, bacon, tomato, ranch dressing and walnuts. DELISH. No bacon on mine, of course. We just gave Valerie some salmon and bacon and she was happy. No lettuce gets past her lips yet.

She "helped" me make the chocolate cake from scratch with ground oats for flour, and I also made chocolate buttercream frosting, with half coconut oil since I ran out of butter. I found a great recipe which I will definitely use again  - no boiling water, no coffee, no creaming butter and sugar - the easiest cake-from-scratch recipe I could find. And it came out so good!

We sang happy birthday, Valerie got to help Grandpa blow out his candles and the birthday was a success! We are so glad we got to celebrate with Grandpa.

Protein peanut butter cups and homemade shell topping!!!

I have to share this delicious recipe I found on pinterest for Crispy Peanut Butter Protein Cups. 
As usual, I didn't have all the ingredients on hand so I modified to use what I had - most notably I left out the rice cereal, and used sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. These would be delish with any nut butter! I can't wait to try them with almond, peanut, cashew...  

I used:

Ingredients

For the peanut (sunflower seed) butter cups

• 3 scoops unflavored whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil (melted/liquid)
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 1 cup organic sunflower seed butter
•  handful of sesame seeds

For the cacao drizzle (AKA homemade magic shell topping!!!)

• 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon organic raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil (melted/liquid)

 Since it's summer and we don't have A/C, the coconut oil did not require any heating; it was ready to go. For the cups, I just mixed everything together in a bowl, portioned it into 8 silicone baking cups and stuck them in the freezer for an hour.

Now for the most important part.... the magic shell topping!!!! I am so excited I found this recipe.  There's nothing I guiltily love more than magic shell topping on ice cream... but it's sooo bad for you. This stuff is the most amazing substitute for store-bought shell! And you can just throw together a single serving super quick whenever you want some. You just need equal parts maple syrup, coconut oil and cacao powder. So fast and easy! And it hardens just like shell on ice cream or on these frozen peanut butter cups. This discovery so makes my life right now!!!

These were so easy to make, and they are such a yummy treat for a snack or dessert. Valerie loves them - definitely a hit with kids! For 8 cups, I calculated each one to be about 337 calories, 22 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbs and 16 grams of protein. Okay so not exactly low calorie. For a lighter treat, you could have half a cup for 170 calories. I think what I might do the next time, rather than make them in cups, is to spread the mixture in a pan so you can slice off small pieces, which might make it easier to have smaller portions, rather than only eating half a cup each time.

Current obsession: Maca + cacao smoothies

I bought some maca powder at Whole Foods a while back after reading about it but then didn't use it for a couple months. Last week I finally decided to break it open. So glad I did!!!! Officially obsessed. I started by putting it in my oatmeal, along with bananas or raspberries, pecans, shredded coconut, soy milk and some cinnamon - DELICIOUS!! I love the mild, nutty flavor - some people describe it as similar to butterscotch, which I would agree with.

I kept reading conflicting articles about whether it should be eaten raw or cooked and I finally decided to just start putting it on things, specifically oatmeal and smoothies.

I also bought some cacao powder after reading about how much better it is than cocoa powder -it is raw, whereas cocoa powder has been roasted and loses health benefits in the process - and didn't do much with that for a while either. But now that I have discovered maca + cacao in smoothies, it is ON!

Yesterday I made my first smoothie with maca, which I found on pinterest. Holy chocolate ecstasy!

this is the photo from 40aprons

I didn't follow the recipe exactly - here's what I used:

• 1 ripe banana, peeled
• 1 tsp flax seed ( I always add flax but it's not necessary)
• ⅔ cup frozen raspberries
• ¾ cup soy milk
• handful of raw almonds
• 1 tablespoon maca powder
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder

Blended in the Blendtec. Oh how I love my Blendtec. This smoothie though.... OhMyGodYouGuys. So thick, smooth, chocolatey, and so guilt free. I tried a variation on it today without the raspberries, just more banana, some of it frozen.  I always keep some chunks of peeled banana in the freezer for smoothies - so easy, and our bananas never go bad. Plus I like my smoothies cold, without a lot of added ice, and frozen banana does the trick.

I also added protein powder today, and it did not compromise the deliciousness at all, so I'll definitely be making these as protein smoothies from now on! We buy unflavored whey protein. 

So, voila my latest obsession! Can't recommend highly enough trying some maca and cacao powders in your smoothies (or oatmeal). Sooo delicious, and good for you too!

Read about cacao versus cocoa here

And be sure to let me know of any other favorite uses you have for maca or cacao! I'd love to expand my repertoire! 

Super Rich Oreo Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion Ice Cream Pie

My friend Sarah hosted a get-together this weekend to celebrate fall birthdays (since both she and her fiance have one) and she emailed me earlier this week to ask me where I recommended she get an ice cream cake.  She thought I might be an authority on the topic! Imagine that!

I immediately knew what I had to do:  I had to make a variation on the ice cream cake my mom always made (at my request) growing up.  She got it from my elementary school cookbook back in the day. It involved an oreo crust, a layer of homemade fudge, a layer of ice cream and cool whip topping. This thing absolutely embarrasses any store bought ice cream cake. And seriously Coldstone has a pretty great one. But I brought it to a whole new level and I couldn't not share it on here. 

First of all I had to make it gluten free since Sarah's fiance Peter, one of the birthday honorees, can't eat gluten. That was a super easy modification for this recipe, I just needed gluten-free Oreos for the crust. I bought a pack each of K-toos and Mi-del's and I used all 35 cookies (leaving one for a garnish on top). You definitely could not tell the difference from regular Oreos!

The second, very important edit was to make this a chocolate peanut butter cake. The ice cream I chose to use is one of my all time favorites, UDF Homemade Brand's Peanut butter & chip. And I added a layer of peanut butter to the cake.  CLUTCH I TELL YOU. I am obsessed with Smucker's Creamy Natural Peanut Butter. I don't know how they do it but it's the best peanut butter for real.

The third edit was the cool whip, which had to go.  I hate that stuff... so gross and fake and horrible for you. I made real whipped cream from scratch instead with heavy whipping cream.

I found a recipe for the fudge layer at Pinch of Yum using Pinterest since I couldn't get the original recipe from my mom in time.

Here goes. I am calling my version:

Oreo Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion Ice Cream Pie

Crust:
 35 oreos (or gluten free version)
1.5 stick butter
Crush the oreos, melt the butter, mix together and spread in bottom of 9.75x14.75x2 dish. 35 yields a nice super thick crust.  You could use fewer for less crust.

Fudge:
1.5 (ish) cups of chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups powdered sugar
combine in saucepan, bring to boil and stir continuously while it boils for 8 minutes, then let cool before layering over crust.

 Peanut Butter:
majority of a jar of Smuckers natural creamy peanut butter

Ice cream of choice. 
My choice:  3 pints of Homemade brand Peanut Butter & Chip, softened just enough to spread
4 pints would have been better but my 9.75x14.75x2 dish would have overflowed! A deeper dish would be perfect.

Whipped cream:
carton of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup (ish) powdered sugar
splash of vanilla extract
whip together using hand mixer (preferably in an ice cold bowl using ice cold beaters) on increasingly high speed until it forms stiff peaks.

Toppings: go wild, get creative! I used rainbow sprinkles, birthday cake M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, a Reeses cup and an Oreo to make it festive and birthday-ish. You could use any sort of candy or decorations that strike your fancy!  The plain white whipped cream top layer is a perfect canvas for any theme or inspiration.

 I made this in 3 stages. The first night I made the oreo crust and refrigerated it in the glass dish, and made the whipped cream. The second night I made the fudge and added it as well as the peanut butter layer over the crust and refrigerated it, and the morning of the party I softened and added the ice cream, whipped cream and toppings to then be frozen. This worked out great.  But you could certainly do all of it at once if you have time, it just needs to freeze together for several hours before serving.

I can't even explain to you how good this is.  If you are a chocolate, peanut butter, ice cream and oreo lover like I am... this is dessert nirvana. It is SO rich. This recipe will feed a LOT of people, at least 20 depending on how huge of slices they want. Maybe not 20 NFL players.

But... go ahead and make it.  If you dare. I can't promise you won't eat piece after piece like me, and when you find someone else's abandoned piece at the end of the night that you won't also eat that, like I did. It's that good. And I am that shameless. OCPBEICP (Oreo Chocolate Peanut Butter Explosion Ice Cream Pie) for the win.