Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Spring in Gold Country

Jaxon and I took a little stroll around our subdivision yesterday and looked for signs of spring. Besides the 65 degree temps, the trees our leafed out, daffodils are up and lizards are out running around.






We have so much vegetation - stuff that I've never seen before - beautiful and unusual plants. 
But along with the beauty comes Poison Oak and ticks and rattle snakes.... a few things we have to be on the lookout for. <gulp>










Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The NutriMagic

I consider my smoothies magical. They taste GOOD, are GOOD for you and produce RESULTS.
I've tried many recipes since I've been the owner of the Nutribullet, but I've become monogamous with one recipe. It's my Old Standby. I did get burned out on it only because I drank it for approximately 8 months - everyDAY for lunch. It was only recently that I took a break from the Old Standby and experimented with something different (shown below).


But now I'm back to the Old Standby.
And I'm sharing it with you. I would like you to try it and share with me what you think!

A little about my smoothie process: it has been a process! I've fine tuned over the months because I want it to be easy and economical and I don't want to be running to the store weekly for fresh ingredients.

Enter the ice cube trays. I pickedthese guys up at the dollar store and freeze EVERYTHING in them. 
Greek yogurt, pineapple, butternut squash...endless possibilities. 
So for example, I will buy 2 butternut squash, bake them, cool them, scoop them, put the squash in the Nutribullet with some water and purée it, then spread into the trays and freeze overnight. 
Then simply transfer to freezer bags and viola! Easy, hassle free, mess free ingredients that are PACKED with nutrients. 


I know, you think it's genius :)

Where the MAGIC happens:
Start the Old Standby with:
1/2 c. almond milk (I use sweetened vanilla) you could use unsweetened, or use coconut water and
1/2 c. Water

Add 1/3 - 3/4 c. mixed frozen fruit. I like the frozen fruit because it produces a colder, frostier smoothie. You can use fresh fruit though and add crushed ice.
For the standby, 1/2 c. Blueberries, 1/8 c. Raspberries and 2 frozen peach slices 
Then add 2 cubes (1 oz. each) frozen Greek yogurt ( I prefer the honey vanilla but have used plain nonfat. If you go this route, you might want to add some Agave Nectar to sweeten it up a bit) remember you want to be able to actually ENJOY this drink!)

Then add: 1-2 oz. of veggies, like a large carrot or a cube of squash - anything your little heart desires!
Finish it off by adding 1 tsp of almond butter, 1/2 tsp. ground flax, and 1/2 tsp toasted wheat germ

BLEND
If you find it's too thick for your liking, add a little water.

I use this as a meal replacement for 1 meal a day (sometimes 2) and the goal is to not snack in between meals. I can always make it from breakfast to lunch without snacking, but lunch to dinner tends to be tougher, so, I try to choose a HEALTHY snack, but something that's going to gold me over until our 6pm dinner. 
ENJOY!

The Old Standby
1/2 c. Almond Milk or Cocnut Water
1/2c. Water
1 c. Greens - spinach, kale, Swiss chard (I prefer spinach)
3/4 c. Frozen fruit of choice (blueberries, raspberries, mango, strawberries, peaches)
2 ounces or 2 cubes of frozen Greek yogurt 
    (my fave: The Greek Gods, honey salted carmel or honey vanilla)
2 oz. veggies of choice (carrots, squash, sweet potato)
1 tsp. almond butter
1/2 tsp flax seed
1/2 tsp toasted wheat germ