A Dose of Inspiration: Holiday Magic

What a fantastic holiday season it's been. About 60 gift certificates for massages went out this season, including those from my Black Friday Special. Two of my clients shared some of their home baked goodies with me when they came for their massage. A couple clients padded their tip to me, as a special "holiday bonus." Another client brought me a Worry Doll wall hanging, soon to be gracing the wall in my massage room.

I am feeling the love!! I am thankful for all the gift certificate purchases. It means so much to me that my clients value my services so much that they want to share that experience with their family, friends, and coworkers. 

So. So. Good!! I only have a picture of one of the goodies shared, because the other ones disappeared before I even thought about taking a pic. Delicious!

When you see these Guatemalan Worry Dolls on the wall in my massage room, I welcome you to tell them all your concerns. May they help you relax and find even more enjoyment from your time on my table. 

PS--I still have lots and lots of the Lindt Lindor Truffle samples. They're sticking around a whole lot longer this year, since I vowed to keep MY hands off!! ;) They are SOOO good though, and come with a $1 off coupon too. 

Hope everyone enjoys this holiday season as much as I am! 

Le Sigh....Catching Back Up Again...

Well, I had a pretty good run going at keeping up with this blog, and then came Thanksgiving and the rug got pulled right out from under me. Now in this post, I'm going to catch up for the month of December all the posts I've missed. I'll condense it though. ;)


Upcoming Events
Christmas is almost here, and I've decided December is a good month to block out my weekends from being available. So many family/friend/shopping/decorating/raking/gutter-cleaning/light-hanging demands, I sorta panic whenever I've gotten an appointment request during the weekends this month. Making a note of this for next year.


Recipe of the Month
I stumbled across this recipe in October after watching a few food documentaries on Netflix, and this became the first (and so far only) vegan recipe I've ever made. And it. Is. Good. :)


Pumpkin Pie Brownies (pumpkin + chocolate = safe bet for a first vegan recipe and success!)
Ingredients
For the Brownie Layer
4oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 cup canned or pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour (in my house, it's always whole wheat, unless I'm making snickerdoodles--wheat just doesn't work for those)
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 T tapioca flour (or arrowroot or corn starch--I used corn starch)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
For the Pumpkin Pie Layer
1 cup canned or pureed pumpkin
2 T tapioca flour (or arrowroot or cornstarch--I used corn starch)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground allspice
To Decorate
A handful of chocolate chips (would you believe I forgot about that?!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch springform pan, or use a 9 inch square pan, preferably lined with parchment paper (I used a greased square pan).
To Make the Brownie Layer
1. Melt the chocolate.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together pumpkin, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, tapioca (cornstarch), baking soda, and salt and stir to combine, then mix in the melted chocolate.
To Make the Pumpkin Layer
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
To Assemble
Use a spatula to spread the brownie layer into the prepared baking pan, taking care to bring the batter to the edges of the pan. Pour the pumpkin layer over it, leaving a little room at the edges if you can. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pumpkin layer looks fairly firm (a little jiggling is okay) and has cracked at the edges a bit.
Let cool for 20 minutes and then transfer to the fridge to set for at least an hour and a half. Once set, decorate with chocolate chips and serve.


Product & Service Spotlight: Gift Bags & Last Minute Lottery

Included in the $15 gift bag is 2oz jojoba (the "oil" I use for massages, 2oz Aloe Body Wash, 2oz Lavendar Spa Bath/Body Wash, Aloe Foot & Callus Rub, and 2 therapeutic detox bath soaks. I even have some gift bags and tinsley stuff to package it in if you'd like. The perfect way to package a gift certificate. 

The Last Minute Lottery--that name just came to me now--is something I've been thinking about doing for the past several weeks. So what is it? Many of you already follow me on facebook and have no doubt seen my posts offering to book my open same-day appointments for $15 off regular rates. I've been thinking about taking this a step further and calling specific client(s) to fill the appointment gratis. Eligible lottery entrants would be unemployed, students, seniors, and/or veterans. Funny thing is...shortly after I had this idea in my mind, my schedule started to fill up naturally! So I haven't compiled my lottery yet, but the thought is still in my mind. More updates to come--keep a look out.

Post your feedback below! Happy holidays!!!