The Best Coconut Water in Poipu, Hawaii

Meet James.

James was born and raised in Alaska. Ten years ago he was given a coconut, and after one taste it became his favorite food. A few days later, his teacher gave him a one way plane ticket to anywhere in the US. He now fetches coconuts from trees in Poipu, Kauai in Hawaii, and carves them into drinkable masterpieces at scenic lookout points for tips for a living.

If you ask James what his second favorite food is (I went there), he’ll tell you it’s avocado. If you ask him what he does with avocado, he’ll tell you: he blends it with banana, coconut water, cashews and any seeds he has laying around and makes a creamy spread. And if you tell him “that sounds out of this world!” he might fetch a big jar of it from under the driver’s seat of his palm tree-covered pickup truck, and let you take a spoonful. (Out of this world, indeed!)

Two all-natural, scrumptious Hawaiian treats in one… not to mention the beautiful waterfall you came to see!

Try Zico for the best coconut water in any of the other 49 states.

And try blending up James’ creamy, nutty, avocado-banana-cashew-coconut concoction and spreading it on a piece of whole grain toast for a healthy snack– not sure how easy it’ll be to duplicate but I’ll certainly try!

Yum!

One of the women in our office has an organic, nutritionally minded jewelry designer cousin who loves to cook (what a tough break, right?) Sam’s cousin, Paige, is working to change the perception of nutritionally conscious food as virtuous but boring. Sam says she whips up delicious, healthy, and interesting meals nearly every day. As a result, Paige’s 3-year-old puts up no objection to tofu and brussels sprouts, which is no mean feat—I love the salty crunch of a roasted brussel sprout now, but until age 16 I considered it a violent declaration of my parents’ hatred for me whenever they tried to serve it.

Sam particularly loves Paige’s method of roasting vegetables. Paige and Sam nicely agreed to share one of their favorite recipes, so if you’re searching for a great holiday side dish, look no further!

Roasted sweet potatoes with hazelnuts

4 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and roughly cut in cubes
1/2 cup shelled and chopped hazelnuts (for nut–free households, substitute diced apples or pears for the crunch factor)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and quarter sweet potatoes and place face up on a baking sheet. Add the chopped hazelnuts. Drizzle olive oil and toss everything with wooden spoon. Pour on the maple syrup and toss again until evenly distributed. Roast in oven for 35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Serve.

Check out Paige’s cooking blog, The INgredients, for more recipes and insight! If you try this recipe, leave a comment and let us know how it was–or share your own healthy recipe.

We’d normally encourage wearing SPF 30 and advise fervently against baking in the heat for hours on end… but you’re not a turkey.

Add an extra dose of laughter to your festive meal of gratitude with these 5 simple steps, and have a sexy turkey time!

1. Size up your bird and become a swim wear designer. Using a scissor, cut aluminum foil in the shape of a bikini. Channel Rosa Cha for a couture-key.

2. “Dress” your turkey by smoothing the aluminum foil on flat.

3. Season with your favorite Thanksgiving herbs and spices and be heavy on this one ingredient: paprika. That’s the tanning oil. Pat on the “oil” and all the herbs, and make sure none get under the bikini.

4. Bake in the oven as usual until half-done. Take her out, strip her down like a Greek in Saint Tropez, and shove her back in the oven nude for the rest of the cooking time.

5. Don’t tell your guests a thing! Watch their faces as you unveil your masterpiece, and ask the question every host and hostess across America will ask at that very same moment: “So… who wants a breast?”

Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you’re spending it with a large family, a few friends, or you’re grabbing a turkey sandwich at the deli in between work shifts, always remember to appreciate what you’ve got, know that the best is yet to come… and laugh as much as possible.

In honor of National Chocolate Day, we command you to indulge in a helping of cocoa today. (We know these guys over to the left have.)

Chocolate, a wonder drug that goes back at least 2 millenia (evidence suggests the Mayans were chocolate lovers at least 2600 years ago), can be great for you. Choose dark to enjoy lower blood pressure and a hefty dose of antioxidants – but whatever you choose, make sure you savor it!

In honor of the day, we want to highlight 5 excellent chocolate-centric blogs and forums:

Chocolate & Zucchini for her delicious French dessert recipes.

8Chocolate for their seriously thorough product reviews – we wish they updated more!

Dying for Chocolate for her reliably yummy chocolate recipes!

The Chocolate Forum for giving chocolate lovers an excellent Internet home.

The Chocolate Addict for her sassy, art-inspired chocolate creations!

We hope you’ve had a delicious day!

What’s easier than booking an appointment at the spa… and could lead to a reward even better than a massage and a facial combined?

Entering to win one of our 3 fantastic October Sweeps. All three end October 31. Don’t wait another minute!

CLICK BELOW and ENTER TO WIN…

An Exotic Resort & Spa 7-Night Luxury Escape, courtesy of Pevonia …at the all-inclusive Verandah Resort & Spa, Antigua. Valued at $15,000.

A glamorous assortment of jane iredale mineral cosmetics …steel grays, deep blues and radiant metallics to beautify you all winter long. Valued at $500.

Manolo Blahniks or a case of Rioja Wine …shoes or vino, is there anything not to like about this?

Which one would YOU want to win most?