Thanksgiving, Anniversary and Boating Fun in Photos

 

We had a beautiful Thanksgiving Day, both weather wise and because of the time spent together.  I was ever so happy to finally sit down and have everything prepared (and delete all my lists).  It’s a great holiday, but I was tired by the end of the day.

We got up early the day after Thanksgiving and headed out for a boat day on Adam and Megan’s last day of their visit. We took their dog, plus Cooper, so that was fun and had a great day in the sun with a stop at Stump Pass Grill for a Pina Colada and then beached the boat for a few hours at Stump Pass Sandbar.  Not to mention, we hit the jackpot with so many dolphin sightings and even dolphins swimming right next to the boat as we headed south on the Intercoastal Waterway.

Finally, our 39th anniversary fell on the day after Thanksgiving as well and I can’t think of anything better than spending the day on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico with a tropical drink in my hand.

Happy Monday!

Thanksgiving Week Visitors

 

We have had a lovely Thanksgiving week so far and plan to have even more fun today, before the cooking and baking begin.  We have the pool heater turned up, the sun has come out after a few overcast days, and we will definitely be swimming on Thanksgiving Day, before we eat our turkey dinner.  

We have been enjoying the time with Megan and Adam and their cute dog too.  We miss Melissa, but will see her soon for Christmas and look forward to all being together then.  

What have we been up to, besides pool time?  So far, lots of walks with the dogs, beach happy hour, delicious food, perfect sunsets and tropical drinks.  We have dinner reservations tonight at one of my favorite restaurants in Sarasota (Tommy Bahama) and will be taking a boat out on the Intercoastal on Friday.  The week is going too fast, but we will savor the time left and soak up all the sunshine in the forecast.  

Happy food prep day and Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

 

Oh Thanksgiving - the holiday that gets forgotten more and more every year it seems.  But, it is still a favorite of mine and anything made with pumpkin is what I want to eat during the next two weeks as we prepare our taste buds for that delicious and traditional turkey dinner.

This recipe for Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats is both healthy and delicious.  I have tried many different flavors of overnight oats and many can be found by entering overnight oats in my search bar.  Maybe I am biased towards pumpkin flavors at the moment, but this one may move up to number one.  The addition of the chia seeds (an ingredient I am trying to incorporate in more things) take this to another level, both in texture and in nutrition.  It’s also very low sugar, which as a diabetic, is a win for me.

Happy Monday morning!

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

In a glass mason jar with a lid, add the following and stir:

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 T chia seeds

1 T maple syrup

1/2 cup milk of choice (I used low fat)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of sea salt

Place jar in refrigerator overnight.  In the morning add a splash more milk if needed and sprinkle some cinnamon on the top.

Enjoy!

Boat Day

 

We had a boat day with friends planned for this past Thursday and while the rain held off, it was one of those hazy, low cloud, early fall Florida days.  Not your typical boat day where you keep applying sunscreen, but it was actually kind of nice to put on a sweatshirt and enjoy the gulf breezes without worrying about too much sun.  

The low sky was quite amazing with just a hint of blue here and there and the beaches we anchored at were pretty much deserted.  Now that is something to love, because it is very rare to be the only people at a public beach.  We were able to pick up so many pretty seashells and it was by far, the best shelling day I have had since I moved here.  There are always shells, but many times the prettiest and biggest ones are imperfect and broken.  (To find shells go to Don Pedro Island State Park and Stump Pass Sandbar via boat).  

Highlights also included finding our first really big haul of shark’s teeth and seeing a large group of stingrays swimming right off the shoreline where we were standing.

We stopped for lunch at Palm Island which is private, but has a fabulous restaurant open to all.  You can either arrive by private boat or take a short water taxi ride from the mainland.  The drink I had was quite delicious and per our waiter, is where the restaurant gets it’s name.  (Rum Bay’s Smash = light and dark rum, cream of coconut and tropical juices).

Just another day in paradise :-)