Can you believe that Thanksgiving will be here in just a couple of weeks?  Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite holiday, because it's family time, and the focus is on gratefulness and hospitality.  I love everything about it!  The smells, the weather, the colors, the flavors!!!  Even in Hawaii, where we have everything you can imagine on our Thanksgiving dinner table:  Sushi, kalbi ribs, Chinese noodles, and of course, the traditional Turkey and mashed potatoes!

Speaking of flavors, I wanted to share a couple of recipes with you!  One is a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake recipe, and the other is for a guiltfree version using chocolate Shakeology!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2007

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 4 hr 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients
Crust:

* 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

* 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
* 3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Shakeology
1 scoop chocolate shakeology
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 tbs of sugar free fat free cheesecake pudding mix
1/2 cup milk (dairy, almond, soy, rice, or coconut)

1/2 cup water

lots of  ice to taste

Blend in a blender. Enjoy!

My Compassion Child

I sponsor a 16 year old girl in Bolivia through Compassion International.  I chose her 4 years ago because she and I share the same birthday, May 11.  We write letters to each other, mine in English, and hers in Spanish, then they are translated and sent.  Her name is Jael.

She sends me pictures of herself in new clothes that she buys with the money I send her.  Her parents are very poor, with her father unemployed most of the time, and her mother working in a restaurant.  Without  sponsorship, she would probably have had to go to work at a very young age and not been able to attend school, thus continuing the cycle of poverty in her family.  The Compassion project provides education and meals for children such as Jael, and it makes me feel good to be able to possibly give her a better future.

There are many, many unsponsored children that need someone to care about them.  It costs only $38 a month to provide for their needs.  That's less than what my mani/pedi costs!  This Christmas, do something that will make you feel great.  Sponsor a Compassion child, or just contribute to their Christmas fund so that the unsponsored children can receive at least one Christmas gift.

Go to compassion.com for more information.

Consider your ways

So, it's Sunday.  I started my day as usual, by going to church.  Pastor Russell repeatedly said in his message, "Consider your ways.  Consider your ways."  This spoke to me, because I'm really guilty of being really busy, but not taking time to rest, and then I run out of gas.  So I'm considering my ways.  I took a nap, I worked out, and before I go to bed, I'm going to write a to-do list for tomorrow.  And I'm going to schedule in time for work, rest, and play.  I'm going to learn how to turn off my phone and my computer. 

I lost my older brother two weeks ago to pancreatic cancer.  He was 53, and it was unexpected.  Now that the shock has worn off, I can see that I do not spend enough time getting to know my  loved ones.  So that is another thing that I will put in my schedule.  Dinner with the family more frequently than the main holidays. 

Consider your ways.  

Shakeology is good insurance!

I went to a seminar this morning entitled Nutrition for the Athlete in You. Dr. Bill Wheeler is the Chief Science Officer for Beachbody, the company that makes programs like P90X and Insanity. Beachbody also makes some great nutritional and sports supplements, and Dr. Wheeler shared some very interesting things about that.

People ask, which supplement should I take? Well, that depends. One of the things I learned was that everyone's nutritional needs change from time to time, sometimes daily. It could depend on the season, whether you're on vacation and out of your element, whether you're under physical or emotional stress, and a variety of other factors. So how to make sure that you're getting what your body needs all the time? Take a supplement that's super pure, super absorbable, and super nutritious. Shakeology fits the bill on all three counts. Plus it tastes delicious! If you drink a shake the first thing in the morning, you are not only giving your body the heathliest meal of the day when it needs it the most (after a good night's fast), but you are insuring that your nutritional needs are covered - without guesswork! I like that!

Get Shakeology at www.ilovetoshake.com. Check out the recipes, and have a different shake every single day for 30 days! My favorites are chocolate peanut butter, and Cherries Royale. Yummy!