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Good afternoon. It’s weird writing my first post for the day in the afternoon, but I’ve been so busy this morning. I went to a 90-minute yoga class at 8:30 – opted for Gentle Yoga, and it was just what my body needed. It’s been way too long since my last Down Dog, and my hamstrings are soooo tight. I then stopped by Whole Foods (so good to be back!) and then saw a client at 11 (for any new readers, I’m a massage therapist). So, I’m just now getting a chance to sit down in front of the computer. I always forget how much I go go go when we’re in Nashville. It’s great to be back home, but I’m already missing our low-key Michigan lifestyle. I need to remind myself to slow down more often. I also need to eat this morning’s breakfast more often as it was delightful. 
In honor of Chocolate Covered Katie’s birthday today (Happy Birthday Katie!), I decided to make one of her oatmeal recipes, but it was too hard to pick just one. So, I recipe morphed and came up with the following bowl of yum…
After narrowing my options down to Snickerdoodle Hot Cereal and Katie’s Better-N-Rice Pudding, I ended up making Snickerdoodle Blended Rice Pudding. Into the rice cooker went one cup of brown Basmati rice and 2 and 1/2 cups water plus a pinch of salt. After it was done cooking (love my rice cooker!), I scooped out one cup, threw it in the Vita-Mix with 1/2 cup HEABified coconut milk (recipe coming soon), and lots of cinnamon. Voila, instant Snickerdoodle Rice Pudding. If you’ve never tried Katie’s blended grains technique, then you need to…like now! I forgot how much I love blending my grains. Toppings included more cinnamon and Justin’s chocolate almond butter…had to get some chocolate in there somewhere! I also threw a pair of chopsticks into the photo, but unlike Katie, I don’t chopstick. I tried, and although Brussels sprouts are very chopstick friendly, bacon is not. 
Katie, thanks for the breakfast inspiration, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Again, many thanks to all of you who have sent the HEABlet gifts, and I hope you don’t mind me showcasing the cuteness. I am just so appreciative and overwhelmed by everyone’s thoughtfulness. So, I present to you The HEABlet Gift of the Day…
The Pure2Raw twins sent me a quilt their mom made especially for our baby girl. Lori and Michelle, I can’t thank you both (and your mom) enough. CD and I LOVE the quilt!!!
Just so you know, I have never understood why people pass around the gifts at baby showers…I mean, we all see the girl open it, right? Am I missing something? I guess people like to examine onesies up close?
I also thoroughly enjoyed the Snack Bites packed in the box with the quilt…in fact, they all disappeared the day I opened them…couldn’t help myself as the HEABlet kept kicking for more.
Her favorites were the Cocoa Kremes With A Hint of Cinnamon: organic unsweetened coconut, organic coconut oil, organic dates, organic cacao, organic vanilla, stevia, spirulina, and cinnamon. Delicious! Thanks again Lori and Michelle.
OK, off to celebrate Labor Day with a cookout at my mom’s house. Don’t forget to try blended grains!
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmmm, that breakfast looks delicious!! I’ll definately have to make it soon.
Your breakfast looks delicious — I am not a chopsticks eater either — I just can’t do it, I end up getting so frustrated!
What an adorable baby quilt!
Love the hybrid breakfast- no way to go wrong there!
And that quilt is so cute. Your little HEABlet will love it.
Have fun at the cookout!
Love your breakfast – it sounds amazing. (Love Katie’s recipes as well!) The quilt looks lovely!
How sweet is that quilt?! It is so adorable!!
And those snack bites look delicious!!
Have a great time at the Labor Day cookout!!
What a pretty quilt! Your breakfast looks so good! Glad you are back in the groove of things, but yeah, it is easier to go, go, go when you are home. When you are back on peanut butter again, you have to try out Trader Joe’s peanut flour. Oh my…I am in love! You can make anything you want with it. Just thought I would share my new found love. Have a great afternoon Heather and welcome home!
Sarena,
I’ve heard about the peanut flour. I’ve had another brand that a fellow blogger sent me, and it was so good. Went to order some myself, but the shipping cost almost just as much as the peanut flour. So, I never got anymore. I’m so excited, and I hope the Nashville Trader Joe’s carries it – it added so much peanutty goodness to my smoothies!
Heather, you are one blessed little mama! Look at all those gifts and goodies
What a great community of bloggers you belong to!
Heather,
I know – amazing community. Love them.
The quilt is beautiful
And yay for a chocolate-y breakfast! I love my rice cooker too – I have to try this blended grains approach 
Beautiful quilt!
Lori and Michelle sent one for my baby too! 
They are all so talented, love those ladies! I enjoyed my chocolate in one day as well, we are both def. pregnant with girl! LOL!
Lauren,
Oh my gosh, I am love with that quilt, and so happy to hear you received one as well. I want to hang it on the wall and just stare at…while I eat chocolate.
He he! I agree!!! Most beautiful quilts ever!!! And yes, chocolate please!
The Pure2 Girls are some of the nicest girls I have ever met in the sphere. They are so real, caring, and kind…and that quilt…omg, what a keepsake that will be for decades to come! How beautiful! And of course choc snack bites don’t hurt either
So glad you’re enjoying your life back at home, including yoga! But yes, remember to slow down. And stay hydrated. I know you’ve read this but stress, not resting, and lack of hydration = not ideal for a preggie mommy! And get things set up sooner rather than later…Skylar came 2 weeks early…and anal me, you’d think I have had everything all set up and ready…no, I didnt. Hah!
xoxo
Averie,
Yes, I’ve got the nursery room furniture sitting here in boxes waiting to be put together. However, I need to get the upstairs carpets cleaned first. Ahh, so much to do…my list for the coming week is quite long.
What a great quilt! Baby stuff is so cute- I love watching people open the baby shower gifts. Every thing is so tiny, it’s hard to believe a person will fit inside those outfits. Bridal shower gifts aren’t nearly as fun. Maybe if they made tiny pots it’d be more exciting.
OMG. I’ve neverrrr thought of that. Can you imagine blending thick steel cut oats? Thats probably the creamiest bowl of oats ever. Yum.
Though of you while making my peach cobbler!
http://atasteofhealthwithbalance.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/a-taste-of-heaven/
Heaven on a plate.
Enjoy your labor day!
Hey Heather…I thought about you yesterday when I saw they have Jay Robb brown rice protein at the Green Hills Kroger now. I also saw some Artisana coconut butter at WF(they may have already had that). Just thought I’d pass it along!
Kristy,
Yes, I’ve seen the Jay Robb rice at Kroger, and I’ve spent way too much money on coconut butter at Whole Foods – that’s why I had to finally starting making my own. Not as good as Artisana but much cheaper! Thanks for thinking of me, and I hope you had a good holiday weekend.
Oh my goodness where has snickerdoodle hot cereal been all my life ? I wish I had thought of that. I’m definately cooking that up this week, maybe even tomorrow. Also, reading Katie’s blog. Happy Labor Day !
Enjoy Melissa – Katie’s Snickerdoodle recipe is delicious!
Sweetest gals ever! And those snack bites look delish!
You know, we all like to look at the cute onesies
I’ve been to a few baby showers. That’s a darling quilt. I am a quilter for a hobby (frequency has gotten less and less with job and kid). I always feel bad when my quilt is opened too soon. For my best friend’s baby shower, she opened it first, then someone else said “great, now that overshadows everything else!!” There’s something about a hand made item…
Marcia,
Stand up and claim those quilts with pride – they take a lot of work and are made with so much love. If I was a quilter, I would be like, “Here, open mine first.”
Oh my goodness – you have some beautiful readers HEAB! What a fantastic quilt – lovely.
Well, if you didn’t chopstick it, the picture still looks amazing – it could pass for a book or movie cover
Katie’s blended grains trick is great. It makes oatmeal even better. Your breakfast looks good. Chopsticks take some getting used to but I like them. That is a cute quilt. To know the HEABlet will have it for the rest of her life is priceless. Enjoy the rest of your night.
Stefanie,
I wish I could get a hang of the chopstick thing – I know I just need to practice more. Hope you enjoy the rest of your night as well.
Is it a southern thing? I’ve never been to a baby shower where the guests passed around the gifts?? Not that I’m scared of cooties, but, well, all of those people touching the baby stuff? hmm.
That is a gorgeous quilt! Your girl will be so blessed with so many gifts!
Deb,
Ha, must be. It’s always been so weird to me – after each gift is opened by the mama-to-be, the gift then gets passed around for everyone to take a closer look. I just don’t get it. I miss you so much. I need a Smoothie Girl fix soon!
Omg Heather, that quilt is so beautiful!! Adorable!
And your breakfast looks delicious – as does that snack bite!
What a great idea, I can’t wait to try blending my oats. As Katie, I too love all things creamy!!
Ana
Ana,
The Vita-Mix is awesome for blending grains – you’ll love your creamy concoctions!
I meant to say “like Katie…” (not “as Katie”)
oops!
Ana
So glad yall are back home safe and had an awesome time! Kevin and I are about to embark upon a No Sugar Challenge and I just ordered some xanthan gum and guar gum, so we can make your protein icecream. I’ve got to have something to satisfy my addiction.
Kristin,
No Sugar Challenge – me too! As much as I loved our time in Michigan, I ate way too much ice-cream while there and felt kind of gross. So happy to be back home and away from that Dairy Bar! Love that Kevin is doing it with you by the way.
What a wonderful creation. I must try that before I go off to college.
That quilt is beautiful!
Blended grains sound yum! I love rice pudding. I must try this soon!
Thanks to Katie, I DO love the blended grains trick…use it all the time. Also thanks to her, I bought myself an “on sale” ($50) immersion blender @ Macy’s a couple weeks ago…haha
Hope you have a GREAT labor day, Heather!
Namaste Gurl,
I wish the immersion blender worked for protein ice-cream!
Hope you have a good week.
I love the quilt that you got, it is absolutely beautiful!! I think it is amazing how supportive and caring this community is. I am so glad to have met a local blogger and she has helped me return to running and I am feeling better than ever!! I hope that I get to meet you sometime!!
Lindsay,
Yes, hopefully we can meet us someday. So many amazing bloggers that I have yet to meet in person. Such a wonderful community, and I’m happy to hear you’re feeling good!
Oh HEAB, I don’t even know how to begin to thank you. Nothing I could ever say would be appropriate in conveying how much your sweet gesture meant to me when I clicked on your website and saw your post. (Or how much it made my birthday) I don’t deserve such kindness. You truly are absolutely amazing. Every day, I feel so grateful to know you. I’m 100% sure everyone else in this blogworld feels that way, too.
No need to thank me Katie…I need to be thanking your for all your yummy oatmeal recipes.
Hope you have a wonderful birthday! Love you.
I love that bowl! Where did you procure it?
Claudia,
The bowls were a gift from a friend about 8 years ago – they are from Pottery Barn. Love them!
oohhh i love squeeze packs! i’d love to try the macadamia nut buttaaaaaaaaa FTW!
Now that is a breakfast! and a quilt for that matter!
YAY for Katie’s bday! So sweet of you to make a CCV meal!! And that quilt is beeeeeeeeeautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Tuesday Mama HEAB!
that bowl is so cool with matching chopsticks!
Thanks Maren – Pottery Barn about 8 years ago.
YAY so happy you liked the quilt!!! Our mom loves making them, she enjoys it!
BTW your breakfast no only sounds heavenly it looks to die for
YUMMMMM
sending lots of hugs!!! the twins
Love the HEABlet’s quilt. Thanks so much!
That quilt is such a treasure! I still have mine on my bed (under my pillars) and I am 32 yrs old. (0:
I am not overly attached — it’s just the perfect size and weight for a little cover when I am napping or chilling in bed.
So this could be something your little one holds on to forever.
Melissa,
I sure hope so.
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