Well they called and said the trike was ready!  Lightning fast turn-around time! Complete with a Bell and Streamers Skylar On Her Trike with her Swimsuit On Yesterday Afternoon.  Today the temperature dropped 30 degrees, and it’s windy, cloudy and cold!  Good thing we got some pool time in yesterday because it’s chillllly here again. But She’s So Happy About Her Trike and Truly Considers Herself a Big Girl since the purchase of this trike came after full potty learning occurred! It’s been a Big Week of Milestones For Her… A New Trike And Her First Necklace! I’m Glad You Enjoyed Yesterday’s New Workout Pictures and Pool Pictures And I’m glad I re-posted those links about Bulk Bins & Hazards for those of you who hadn’t seen those and that although you are a little skeeved now too, at least you have full disclosure and more information and can decide if you’ll use Bulk Bins, or not, anymore. Finally, thanks for Chiming in On Sunscreen and if you wear it or not.  I am not here to advocate wearing it or not, that’s everyone’s own choice.  I just shared why I don’t wear it, and enjoyed all the different responses and comments.  Thanks gang! Today I wanted to talk about more than Yoga Poses, Gym Workouts, and Green Food Pictures… chocolate chia see pudding! And with that, we also march to our own drummer when it comes to chips, too!  We don’t do Fritos around here…we do Raw Vegan Kale Chips! (Note: This Kale Chip Recipe is Also Found in my Nooch Recipes) Averie’s Raw Vegan Kale Chips Recipe for 1 Bunch of Kale 1 c cashews (soaked for a few hours) 1 Medium Red Pepper Juice of half a lemon (2 Tbsp) 1/4 c Nooch (Nutritional Yeast) or more if you’re a fan of nooch.  I use 1/3c++ 1 Tsp Salt (or to taste) Optional 1/2 Tsp Agave or 1/2 of a medjool date Wash the kale & remove tough stalks, de-seed the red pepper, drain off your soaked cashews Put all the Ingredients into a Vita-Mix or Food Processor & Blend everything together Apply the coating to the kale Put on Dehydrator Screens and Dehydrate until done, flipping once after a couple hours. Or, Bake In a 300F Oven for 20 Minutes, Flipping, and Then Baking Another 10 Minutes or so. You can also bake in a 200F oven with the door ajar.  It will take longer but the results will be closer to that of a dehydrator. Watch the Kale Chips very closely because if you think broccoli stench is bad, burnt kale is very naassssty. Everyone’s Oven Temps and Desired Kale Chip Crispiness Level differs, so plan on babysitting your oven for about 45 minutes in total.  But I promise, totally worth it! Dehydrate (or bake) til Crispy-n-Crunchy Look at the cheezy, noochey, cashew-ey goodness just stuck on the kale leaf like price stickers stuck to the bottom of your new dishes. Store any extras (won’t be a problem!) in a sealed container. I Love these things…. …And Skylar begs me for kale chips! And are a yoga & downward-dog practicing kind of happy family…  …who joyfully stuff our faces with kale chips! Our Choices Work for Us: She’s happy, healthy, thriving, and Full of Life! And Given the Opportunity to make her own food choicse, in This Post I mentioned that Skylar had free access to “treats”, some cinnamon sugar coated pretzels, but only chose a few bites. And in This Post, she Chose Books over Candy I believe that if you give kids choices, and access to things, and don’t squelch their ability to eat intuitively at this tender age, that they will eat “good” foods, by and large.  I mean, who wouldn’t choose a piece of juicy, fresh fruit over a dry packaged cracker or highly processed foods?  Well I guess that’s a silly question because looking at the number of unhealthy people, clearly many people are choosing Twinkies over Raw Veggies.  And I am a fan of Sweets and Desserts, but it’s just one small part of my life; I’d say 95% of my diet is wholesome foods. For me, healthy food tastes great and it’s easy for me to “choose” the healthy option and Skylar seems to do the same.  I don’t provide Twinkies in the house, but I also don’t shun or “forbid” sugar, fat, or desserts, the kind I make of course which are high raw vegan, and she seems to take a few bites of desserts, but then she’s done.  For More about my Thoughts on Intuitive Eating and if making Healthy Food Choices come Naturally or Easily, Click Here For us, a high raw, plant-based life is fun and easy.  There are health benefits, and there’s no dogma surrounding it for us.  It’s just what comes easy and naturally!  I also don’t get too hung up on if something is raw or cooked; I care that it is plant-based and in as close to as natural state as possible.  I would rather have cooked vegetables than none at all. Rather than getting caught up in what you may be missing out on or caring what someone else thinks about your choices, because really it’s You and Your Life, so You Get to be In Charge, I encourage you to make the choices for you and your family that make you feel happiest and most healthful!  That’s what we do! And always save room for high Raw Vegan Dessert Recipes such as: Nut Butter Filled Caramel Bites And Raw Vegan Almond Butter Cookie Balls And Chocolate Recipes! Vegan Fudge-10 Minute No-Bake Recipe, Gluten/Soy/Tree-Nut Free 5 Minute & 4 Ingredient Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse We Have Alot of Fun Dancing & Playing Dress-Up