Stravocadanerry Smoothie

Okay, okay. Lame name. I couldn't find one that sounded decent enough but also described the smoothie. I made this one up. I have the "little of this; little of that" in my blood so if I am not sure about the exact measurements, I'll put an approximation in parenthesis.

So this smoothie is my daughter's favorite so far, but it did not hit the hubster's top list at all.

 

I rather like it. I'll let you decide for yourself. Here's the recipe:

Stravocadanerry or Straw-vocad-ann-erry Smoothie

1 original Yoplait yogurt, strawberry
1 large banana
1/2 an avocado
(1 cup) of fresh blueberries
a large handful of frozen strawberries
(1/2-1 cup) white grape juice

Blend it ALL up together. Yuuuuummmmmy!

St. Patrick's Day

Decorating for Saint Patrick's Day is one of my favorites. Partly because of all the green, which is one of my most favorite colors. Since I enjoy this green so much, I decided to share some of the diy and decorating cutesies that I come up with for this year.

Ooooops! Don't look! I just realized that the St. Patrick's Day is separated!

I'll fix it up and post the changes soon.

Blackberry Burst

I found this recipe in the Ninja Inspiration Guide that came with my Ninja Pro System 1100 from Sam's.

The first time I made this (Wednesday), I followed the recipe to the T, which is VERY difficult for me to do. I'm getting better though. Their recipe calls for orange juice. Delicious recipe, but I felt there was a smidgen too much orange juice. Oh, but look how beautiful!

 

So, the second time I adapted it a little, plus I absolutely forgot to use yogurt in this version. It's still really flavorful and yummy. Here's my version:

Blackberry Burst (adapted)
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 - 1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup white grape juice

Place all ingredients in the pitcher, blend (on 3 with a Ninja) until smooth.


Ooooooh! Such a bright red!

 

 

It supposedly makes two servings, but I could drink all of it! I have to catch myself and separate it out. Lately, I've been using the second serving to make popsicles (that way I have a late night snack that's sweet, delicious, and healthy to boot).

I also have a freezer full of blackberries that we picked last summer at my mom's. Blackberries are great for Vitamin A, calcium, potassium, and antioxidants. Can't go wrong with that, can we?

 

 

Ninjas

Ninja! I just love the word ninjas. Nin-jahhhhh-s. If you say it enough, it sounds funny. Every time I hear or say ninja, I think of the "Ask a Ninja" website (askaninja.com). My wonderful hubster introduced me to years and years ago. Yes, we are still together. ;) It's actually rather funny once you get past the stupidity and lameness. Heehee.

Okay. Okay.... back on topic.

I am currently in the process (it's gonna be a looooooong process) of switching my diet, snacking habits, and food preparation methods. I have many health "issues" --- Girl, I have so many issues, I need a magazine rack! --- Please excuse the outburst. My brain does that pretty often.

So, yes, I have many health.... problems (oooh, I just had another one -- I have so many problems, I need a chalkboard! Get it?!? Math problems - chalkboard!! Hehehehehe!) Okay that was the last one, promise (at least the last one I will admit to... Let's just jump to the next sentence... One of which is Systemic Lupus Erythematasus (SLE) or most commonly called Lupus. The Lupus attacks my organs - mainly my liver and spleen. So, now that half of my life is already over I've decided to do things right.

I haven't decided exactly what my "diet" will be, but I will most likely combine multiple diets and create my own. I'm just unique like that. I'm interested in vegan, but I will probably end up more of a semi- or non-traditional vegetarian.

Anyway, all of this blabbing was just supposed to say that I will be posting more recipes, but they will fall along the same lines as the Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwich, smoothies, and juicing. I'm looking for yummy (not exotic or strange) meals and recipes that are easily digestible, easily made, and delicious. I'm also going to try to have at least one liquid-like (soup, juice, smoothie) meal a day.

For the rest of this week, my breakfasts will be as follows:

Wednesday  - Blackberry Burst 

Thursday     - Blackberry Burst version 2  (added on to the above post)

Friday          - Berry Banana Twist Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (2 diff. versions)

Saturday      - Blueberry Blast

Sunday        - Stravocadenerry Smoothie (I made up the name and recipe, can you tell?)

I'm a fruit person if you haven't noticed. I really need to mix it up and throw some veggies in there too.

(These recipes are either tweaked from or curtesy of NinjaKitchen.com, the Ninja Recipe book, and my Ninja Pro System 1100 that my hubster gave me for Christmas. [I do not receive any compensation for my thoughts and musings].) 

I can't wait! Check out the following posts for more about these smoothies!

Smiley360 - OxiClean Mission

I absolutely LOVE smiley360! It's a great way to try samples and voice my opinion. Click here to check out my new "mission" on OxiClean.

February 2014 VT Handout

I really like this month's lesson. It's very comforting to know how much we are loved by the Good Shepard.

I'll have more soon...

Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwich

Who knew Chickpeas had skin? You probably did, but this here chick had no clue! Oh, and just so you know, it's a good idea to read directions ENTIRELY. I guess that's why they teach that in school.

So yeah, this recipe for Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwiches is from the PETA website. It called for garbanzo beans. I had a can of them in my pantry and so I drained, rinsed, and put them in the bowl. Then, I added the avocado -- like the directions said -- but I failed to notice pay attention read the fact that the ingredients section stated: 1 can Chickpeas, drained, rinsed, peeled.

Sooooooo, when I noticed the skins not mashing well, I reread the directions and ingredients. How on earth do you PEEL CHICKPEAS, especially when they are covered in mashed avocados?!?

 

Well, let me tell you -- it is without a doubt and most definitely not worth trying to salvage those chickpeas. So, of course, I tried to anyway. All I could think the entire time my hands were covered in avocado was that this had better be one totally awesome sandwich!!!! (Extra, extra exclamation Points on that one!)

Oh, and yes, the garbanzo beans smash soooooooo much easier when they are "peeled" or as I call it - skinned.

P.S. You hold them on the sides and slide your fingers back as though you are just slightly pinching them. The skin typically pops open and comes off. Yes, the beans sometimes POP out of your hands. ;)

And this was a pretty good sandwich. I think it will taste better next time when I make it CORRECTLY.

Now, take a little trip over to PETA for this yummy recipe and more!

Amanda's 30 Random Acts of Kindness

My little sister is always helping me with blog posts and ideas. When she decided to do 30 random acts of kindness leading up to her 30th birthday, she automatically thought of me. I think that should count as one, except that it isn't very random, but it is very kind.

So her first few days were snowed in and she had a little difficulty doing those randomly.

RAK #1 - Shoveled neighbors driveways (somehow they found out or they tried their own RAK and shoveled her driveway the next morning).

RAK #2 - She had a friend that was feeling down about a few things, so she dropped off a surprise on her porch hoping it would help cheer her up. She included the friend's favorite drink and some chocolate peanut butter balls (I'll have to add that recipe later.) Here's a picture of the goods:

RAK #3 - She stopped at a mom & pop doughnut shop, purchased a couple, and then paid for a doughnut for the next two customers and sat down to eat (not knowing the next two would come in while she was still there).

Unsuspecting person #1 was an older lady. When the owner told her the total for her order she was surprised it was so low. He told her someone had paid for a doughnut for her. The lady asked if it was him. He said no and handed her a little card that my sister had made (see below). She was so excited!

Unsuspecting person #2 also thought it was awesome. He stated to the owner that he works at a radio station and said he was going to talk about it on his show that day. Then, he left money to pay for a doughnut for the next person!

Oh, and then, the doughnut shop owner came out and gave her a little heart shaped cake and told her thank you and happy birthday! How sweet is that?

RAK #4, 5, & 6 - For these she stopped at 3 different Redboxes and left a package of popcorn along with a card. How exciting! You go to rent a movie and get a free pack of popcorn too.

RAK #7 - At a bank she left a treat in the tube-y container thing that gets sucked up in the drive-thru (embarrassing that I can't think of what it is actually called).

RAK #8 - She left $1.00 with a card on the security desk at the library: "For a cup of hot cocoa."

RAK #9 - Then, on a stroller in the library she left a couple bucks with a card for the mother to get some ice cream for her child.

Now as sweet as the last two were, I really thought it kind of funny that she left one for hot cocoa and one for ice cream. This isn't a warm southern area either! It's a snowy state! But she assured me that it is warm inside the buildings.

9 down and 21 more to go!

Way to go Lil' Sis! I'll continue to add to these as she "commits" her charitable actions. 

If we all did these for our birthdays, we would have a better community and beyond (I just thought of Toy Story there). Have you done any RAKs lately? Do you have any ideas for my sister to try?