Okay, not really.  But after my 8 days in the Caribbean paradise of Puerto Rico, spending the rest of my days there seems like a marvelous idea.  These past few days back in the Texas heat and no beach certainly has not lessened the feeling.  By now, I’m sure you know what one of the main highlights of my trip was.  You guessed it, FOOD!  Oh yes, this vacation was filled with the most amazing, mouthwatering, mind boggling delicacies you could possibly imagine!  Arroz con gandules, coconut ice cream, passion fruit, mangos, yuca fritas, pinchos, and the list goes on and on.  I ate everything I could possibly want and more!  Now instead of describing to you each and every thing I ate, I thought I’d take the opportunity to subject all of you to my vacation pictures.  Now for those of you who do not wish to view each and every photo of my gluttony, scroll to the end where I have posted a recipe from Puerto Rico I experienced for the first time this trip that can only be described as completely and utterly life changing.

Can you guess which food item I might be referring to?  Little hint, it shows up in five of the pictures.  Did you see it?  It is a papaya shake!  Oh yes, it was love at first sip.  There really are no sufficient words to describe how heavenly it is, so don’t just take my word for it, make this now!  Now I’m not sure how hot a commodity papayas are in your area, but I found mine in Kroger.  Look for the ones that feel softest.  If they are not too soft wait for them to ripen a bit before opening.  Once it’s ripe, cut in half, rinse out the seeds, and peel the skin (be aware that fresh papayas do not necessarily smell or taste pleasant, but I promise they will be wonderful in the shake).  Then all you need to do is cut them into chunks, freeze them (to read how much Becky and I love our freezers, read Becky’s Ode to My Freezer ), and make this recipe!

Batida de Papaya (Papaya Shake)

• 2 cups frozen papaya
• 2 cups milk (or whatever substitute you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons brown or raw sugar (you can also use about 1 tablespoon of agave nectar)  *add or subtract amount of sweetening to your preference
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (unless you’re using vanilla flavored milk substitute)

Blend and enjoy this little bit of Caribbean joy!

On another happy note, I’m happy to say that I didn’t gain weight on this vacation.  I know!  I can’t believe it either!  My strategy was to eat what I wanted, but in small amounts, all throughout the day whenever I was hungry.  Now, if I had been there another week, I probably would have consumed about 100 more papaya shakes and I’m sure I would not be able to say the same.

Wisdom nugget of the day:  Eat papaya shakes, be happy.

~Elesha, a skinnyfat girl