Well into Christmas stretch now and right in the festive spirit, today was certainly THE highlight! I got up to a delivery- a Christmas parcel both from my parents in Ecuador and my sister in New York!!

I was not brought up to wait around and this time was no exception , so I ripped off the tape and opened the box and took off the wrapping and tore the plastic bag and look! looook!!!...


Wowee! Now this is what I call Christmas- Organic Chocolate galore of all flavours straight from Ecuador (majority, but not all raw- I do have to do my market research to whip up the best raw variety, right? :)), amazing spice mixes, hot summer heals and super cute outfits, finest Lama hair scarf for Elliot (I shall steal, be warned), dried flowers (and things I do not recognise, nor understand the meaning of in Spanish, but excited about nevertheless, perhaps tea?), the real deal coffee -freshest and most natural there is (more luck for Elliot, as he is the one that will be drinking it), the biggest warmest comfiest blanket, a Zapper (oh how I have wanted you!) aaaand a whole box of jewellery, including the most beautiful Lapis healing crystals and gemstones on a silver chain.

Thank you my beautiful family, I really didn't expect so much. I am wearing the bracelet you sent and feeling the energy from you this Christmas, loving every moment and missing you! Oh and by the way- THIS was the winner for me...


That is Cacao beans coated in... Cacao! Does it get any better than that? I think so, because it is spiced with dried ginger. Wow! I can't believe I haven't been introduced to such heaven before. I tried to figure out if it is a Raw product, as none of the ingredients suggest otherwise and I have a feeling it may just be- you can usually tell by the taste- when the chocolate doesn't have that bitter roasted tang and in this case you can even tell by the colour of the powder coat- it is light, just like raw cacao, not dark like roasted.


An all round good family day ends with an all round good family time, so we had Elliot's sister Alex over for the Eve of Christmas Eve.

For those still struggling to compile the finishing touches to their Christmas dinners, I wanted to share this fun recipe, that wouldn't eat up your precious time, but certainly look the part...



1/2 Cup Cashew Nuts
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Walnuts
1/2 Cup Mesquite meal
1,5 Cups Pitted Dates
1 Tbsp Tahini
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Optional for coating: cacao powder, desiccated coconut
Ribbon (thin, about 3metres)

- Grind all the nuts to a powder in a food processor
- Add the Dates and process pulsing, until all the ingredients are broken down and the mixture is sticky
- Add the Tahini and sprinkle evenly Mesquite and Spices over the mixture and process again
- Roll the even sized balls, any size you wish
- Prepare the ribbons for hanging your decorations: cut into roughly 25cm pieces, fold in half and tie a knot on the end
- Cut each Caramel ball half way (careful not to slice right through), insert the tied ribbon as in picture, so the knot is hanging at the bottom and just touching the ball (the knot will help stop the sliding of the ball off the ribbon while it hangs on the tree)
-  Press together to seal it back and roll a little to regain the shape
- At this stage I also coated the Caramels- half in Cacao power and half in Coconut