Barefoot in the kitchen with Ry

We go through those organic Clif z-bars like nobody's business. So I had aspirations of Ryan and I attempting to create our own fresh, raw (no cook) version of this bar. Yesterday Ry and I made our first attempt with honey, natural peanut butter, oats, unsweetened coconut, chopped walnuts, flax, goji berries and chocolate chips.  The verdict?  Delicious, but very, very crumbly.  Ryan's review?  "Too messy, mommy."  So I guess it needs tweaking.  :-)

We've been on a roll this week and also made a giant pot of beans and rice & some whole wheat pineapple-banana nut muffins...but the crown jewel of our week?  Acai bowls!!!  I was thrilled to see the frozen acai berry packs in Costco (that I've previously only seen online) for $10 (for a 10-pack).  After following the directions on the packet and reducing the amount of juice that the manufacturer recommends (which makes more of a smoothie consistency), we were able to thicken it up a bit (we also added some blueberries and flax). And because we already had some Waimea strawberries, bananas, unsweetened coconut, honey, granola and goji berries, we were able to replicate my beloved Islander bowl down at Kailua-Kona's Basik Acai.  [For the record, I highly, highly recommend Basik...and have always found them to be very, very reasonable priced. But at about $10 a bowl with tax and tip, I'm forced to limit myself to about 1-2 of them per month.]  But now?  The sky's the limit baby.    

I'm over the moon about this.   

Picture of the Week (& why Keni cracks me up):

While I was baking Mika's birthday cake this morning, the two boys came down to help Ry and I decorate it.  While they were waiting, Keni had fashioned a Chinese dragon out of a stuffed snake and a blanket and was dancing/leading the boys around the house!  LOVE. IT.