Strawberry Kale Forever

Here is another experiment with Kale. I see so many recipes online for Kale smoothies, but for some reason I always reach for the spinach! Force of habit, I guess. I'll try to do better. 

Strawberry Kale Smoothie

1 1/2 C Soy Milk

1 Banana

1 Apple, cored and quartered

1 C Frozen strawberries

A handful of Kale

1/2 C Ice cubes

**Optional: A couple squirts of Agave nectar for additional sweetness

Layer all ingredients in blender, in order listed. Blend for 30-40 seconds, or until smooth. 

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Pineapple Coconut Smoothie

I have officially fallen in love with coconut milk. I've always been a fan of coconut, in general, but I rarely get to enjoy it. Why??? Because my husband isn't a fan. If I knew he would help me eat baked goodies containing coconut, I'd always have them on hand, but since I'd be the only one eating them, I usually talk myself out of them.

I decided to pick up a carton of coconut milk for kicks, and it is wonderful. Why haven't I had this before?!? It's now going to be a staple in my fridge! I've made a few smoothies with it, and it makes everything taste so tropical! Below is a smoothie I made this morning.

Pineapple Coconut Smoothie

1 C Coconut milk
1 Banana
1 Orange, peeled
1 C Frozen pineapple
1 C Spinach

Combine all ingredients in blender, in order listed. Blend for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Enjoy!

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie

Oatmeal....in a smoothie? If I didn't have a Vitamix, I'd immediately dismiss it because I am afraid that there would be pieces. Luckily, I DO have a Vitamix, so I can blend EVERYTHING with no problem-o. (Don't be jealous, just go get one!)

I was nosing around Pinterest and came across a recipe I thought looked good, so I gave it a whirl. After following the recipe (sort of) I didn't care for it. I changed it up, which improved the end result, but still didn't make me fall in love. Below is the original vs. my variation.

Strawberries & Cream Smoothie

From The Kitchen Paper

1 C Frozen strawberries

1/2 C Vanilla yogurt

3/4 C Milk

1/2 C Uncooked oatmeal

1 tsp Vanilla

Strawberries & Cream Smoothie
My version

1 C Thawed strawberries
1/2 C Vanilla Greek yogurt
3/4 C Soymilk
1/2 C Old Fashioned Oats, uncooked
....then I added:
1 Frozen banana
2 Tsp  Agave nectar

Combine all ingredients in blender and process for 20-30 seconds, until smooth. Pour and serve! Smoothie is thiiiiiick, so if you have a thicker straw, use it!

Time for Lunch!

For the past few years I have done my best to come up with fun and creative lunch box ideas for my kiddos. The 2 school age kids have very different thoughts when it comes to what they want to eat. My 12 year old daughter is happy with a turkey and cheese sandwich, chips, and a handful of cookies. My 8 year old son is NOT a fan of sandwiches, ESPECIALLY ones with meat. He would much prefer a salad, or a pile of fruits and veggies. Needless to say, this has made lunch prep fun :) I really do love the challenge, and I always considered it a successful morning when I looked at my kitchen after having put the kids on the bus and saw that it looked as though a bomb went off. Not only had 2 different lunches been prepped, I had also prepared a real breakfast (I'm not a believer that cereal and pop tarts are a real breakfast....sorry!)

Surprisingly, even though lunchboxes have been a major part of our lives, I struggled to find containers to use. I don't like using disposables, because it would be wasteful. Primarily I have used the Klip-It containers, by Sistema, which were fantastic, but bulky. They are totally leak-proof, easy to open, and sturdy, but I don't love sending the kids with 16 different containers to school. I finally went and ordered some EasyBoxLunches, to try out. I love that it's just one container, but I know they aren't leak-proof. I'm looking forward to using them, though.

Anyway, this morning I assembled some toddler friendly lunches, for my 3 year old. As I type this, he is working on his first box (which I forgot to take a picture of...whoops!) I see him enjoying the finger-food aspect of the lunch I thew together. I also see him experimenting with flavors.....making gold fish and blueberry sandwiches (eeeesh!) I hope this inspires some of you!

Homemade blueberry muffin, Honey Nut Cheerio's, hard boiled egg, strawberry Jell-O, and pear slices

Strawberry Jello-O, pretzels, apple slices, turkey pinwheels, and cheese cubes

Carrot sticks, broccoli florets, a peanut butter Dino sandwich, blueberries, and strawberry Jell=O

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Nothing quite compares to a nice, cold glass of orange juice in the morning...except this! Here is a green take on one of our favorite breakfast beverages.

Good Morning Sunshine

1 1/2 C water

2 Oranges, peeled

1 C Frozen pineapple

2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1-2 C Fresh Spinach

1 Tsp Agave Nectar (for sweetness!)

Layer ingredient in order listed. Blend for 30-40 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached. 

The Green Grapefruit

When I was young I spent a lot of time with my Abuelos (grandparents.) Both my parents worked during the day, so until I was old enough for school, I spent most of my days at my Abuelo's farm. For breakfast, if we wanted juice we usually only had 2 options: Grapefruit juice or Orange Juice (from concentrate.) Grapefruit juice was always ready to go in the refrigerator, but the OJ required work, so my usual choice was the grapefruit. Many people (young and old) don't care for the tartness of grapefruit juice, but I like it. Now a days, when I have some I flashback to the kitchen table at my Abuelo's house, sitting there having some breakfast, while my Abuela busies herself in the kitchen doing the things she did.

This smoothie reminded me of breakfasts back in the day because it tasted like grapefruit juice. The pineapple helped soften the tartness, but didn't dissolve the grapefruit flavor. If you enjoy an occasional grapefruit, give this one a try. I will definitely make this one again.

The Green Grapefruit

1 1/2 C Water
1 Grapefruit, peeled
2 C Frozen Pineapple
2 C Fresh Spinach

Layer ingredients in blender, in order listed, and blend for 30-40 seconds. Using frozen pineapple helps keep this smoothie cold. If you are using fresh pineapple, you might cut down the water amount, and use some ice instead. Enjoy!!

Snickerdoodles

I used to back so much more than I do now. Every once in a while I get hit with the baking bug and I pump out different cupcakes, cookies, and desserts, but it's not as frequently as before. I joked with my husband, and told him that I'd bake him cookies, so a few hours before he came home I had to hurry up and throw something together. Logically I hopped onto Pinterest and sought out an easy recipe. I hadn't made snickerdoodles in a while, and I came across a recipe for "The Best Snickerdoodles" and decided to give it a whirl. The cookies came out soft, just as I had hoped but they didn't taste as sweet as I recall them being. Over all, they were tasty, but I think I'll probably stick to my old recipe (which is in a recipe box....somewhere in my kitchen!)

Snickerdoodles
Inspired by a recipe from Averie Cooks

For Cookies
1/2 C Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 C Granulated Sugar
1/3 C Light Brown Sugar, packed
1 large Egg
1 tsp Madagascar Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 C AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

For Coating
1/3 C Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp Cinnamon (I used Korintje)

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Once combined, add the egg and vanilla. Scrape down your bowl, then slowly begin to add your flour mixture into your wet ingredients, until just combined. Scrape down your bowl, then use a 1" scoop to scoop out dough into balls, and place in an easy to cover dish. Roll them into semi-uniform balls, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. While your dough chills, prep 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and prep your coating.

For coating just combine your sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl, then set aside.

Once the dough has chilled and you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough balls from dish and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture until completely coated. Place on cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are set and centers are just set. Do not over bake, or you'll get crunchy doodles, versus soft chewy ones! Once they are out of the oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

A Peary Green Smoothie

I came home from work late tonight and was hungry, but didn't really want to eat something heavy. I threw some stuff into a blender and came up with this! It was light, but filling.





Peary Green Smoothie

1 1/2 C water

1 Pear (D'Anjou)
1 Apple (Fiji)
1 C Frozen Pineapple
1 1/2 - 2 C Spinach
1/2 C Ice cubes


Combine ingredients in blender, making sure ice is on top. Blend for 30-45 seconds, or until smooth. Enjoy!

Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA!

You know you totally remember those Chia pet commercials from back in the day. We all wanted one, but most of our parents dismissed them as a "waste of money" that we "wouldn't take care of." My cousins were the only real people I knew who actually had a Chia Pet. I don't recall exactly what (or who) their Chia pet was, but I think it was just a dude who grew the infamous grass hair. I was jealous, but I'm sure mine would not have ever prospered, as I am not one who can keep a plant alive.

A few years ago I heard buzz of people consuming Chia seeds, which totally weirded me out, because all I could imagine was an orange clay Garfield head, growing grassy hair. After a while I got past this, and read up on the nutritional value. Looks like Chia seeds aren't just for growing grass...they are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, protein, calcium, and other good stuff. Since I'm trying to expand my horizons when it comes to my diet, I figured, why not hop on the Chia bandwagon and incorporate them into some of my smoothies.

I kinda had an idea of what would happen when I prepared my beverage, but wasn't 100% sure of the end result. When my smoothie was done blending, I discovered I had made more of a pudding, or a mega-thick shake, rather than a juice of smoothie. The Chia seeds absorbed the liquid and made the drink almost gel like but not in a freaky-bad way, like I am making it sound. My husband described it as tapioca-esque, but since tapioca isn't something I've ever consumed, I couldn't agree or disagree.  What I can say is that after drinking half of the "smoothie" I was full. The Chia seeds made me feel full much faster than usual, so I saved the 2nd half of my smoothie for later (like when I got my late night craving for something chocolaty.) I chose to make the smoothie below because it included Nutella, and everything with Nutella is delish. Give it a whirl..see what you think. In case you are wondering, my mega bag of Chia seeds, and mega jar of Nutella came from Costco. (Everyone needs a mega jar of Nutella in the pantry!!)


Coconut Chia Smoothie

2 C. Coconut Milk
1/3 C. Chia Seeds
1/4 C. Shredded Coconut
3 Tbsp. Nutella
1 frozen banana

Combine all ingredients in blender, in order listed, and blend for 35-40 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached.

I had some immediately after preparation, and some later, after chilling in the refrigerator. I think the chilled version was better.

Okay to Kale

Ever since my amazing husband bought me a Vitamix, I have been obsessed with smoothies. Luckily my boys are big fans too. It's gotten to the point where one of the first things I hear out of their mouths in the morning is "Mom! Can I have a smoothie?!?" I take advantage of their love of these tasty beverages by incorporating some healthy leafy greens. Many of the recipes I see consist of using Kale instead of spinach, but since I'd never actually had Kale, I steered clear of it....until today! This morning I made a pretty basic smoothie, but used kale instead of my usual spinach. The other difference here was that instead of using a milky base, I used water. The end result was more of a juice, versus smoothie, which was not a bad thing. Sometimes I want something thinner, versus the thick consistency of a smoothie so I was good with the change. With spinach, I've never been able to taste anything except the fruit, but when I used the kale I did taste a more leafy flavor. I poured some for my 3 year old who did drink some, but didn't chug it like his usual smoothies. I did not add any additional sweetener, so what you see below is exactly what we had. I enjoyed the freshness of the juice, and will most likely go back for more. Thus far, kale is a keeper! 

Okay to Kale 

2 C. Water

1 1/2 C. Fresh Kale

1 Banana

1 C. Frozen Strawberries

1 C. Frozen Pineapple 

Combine all ingredients in order listed and blend for 45 seconds*, or until you reach a smooth consistency. 

*Since I am using a Vitamix, your blend time may differ from mine