Sweet, like Cantalope Juice.

LOVING my smoothie this morn! So yum. Today is grocery day, I will make sure to buy the ingredients for this!

1/2 Banana

1/2 C cubed cantaloupe

1/2 C fresh strawberries
1/2 c honey greek yogurt

1/2 C kefir

1 T wheat germ

1T ground flax seed

Blend and enjoy. In the summer, if it ever gets here, (mid April and we have 3 day winter storm watch!) I would add a cucumber. Would be so refreshing! 

On a Kefir note- This batch is a much better experience! Like runny yogurt, not as prickly in my nose if I smell it (it is fermented after all), and a better taste.  I even made buttermilk pancakes with some of the leftovers the other day, the family didn't know (mwah, ha ha). Of course, the cooking process takes the benefit of the kefir away.

On an exercise note- met with a trainer 2 weeks ago. She helped me set up a program to help meet my goals.  I made it too the gym 3 times both weeks.  No weight loss yet, but my body is getting tighter and more toned.  The trainer is changing my program for the next 2 weeks. A bit more intense. We will see what happens now that I am into it.

Banana Split Smoothie

OH YUM! One of the best smoothies I have made. NOT neccesarily the healthiest, but very good! 

Banana Split Smoothie

1 Banana

1 Cup Strawberries

1 Cup Pineapple

1 T dark cocoa powder

1/2 C greek yogurt

1 T Wheat Germ

1 T ground flax seed

2 T hemp seed

Almond Milk to make a smoothie consistency

This made more than 4 cups, but I gave some to all the kids. They loved it too!

Strawberry Peach Kale Smoothie

Recently I made Kale chips for the first time. So simple and delicious. I wanted my oldest to try them and I told him they were Dino Chips.  Saying anything is dino related usually peaks his interest. He ate them and LIKED them and has asked for me to make more! I love when kids surprise me!
Today I added Kale to my smoothie.  Kale is a thicker leaf than spinach and took more blending. Even then, next time I will steam it really quick to help soften it first.  Kale also has a stronger flavor than spinach.

Strawberry Peach Kale Smoothie

1 banana

1 stem of kale, remove the leaf from the steam

7 whole strawberries, frozen thawed

1/2 large peach

enough almond milk to make 4 cups

Blend the banana and kale together until kale is fine puree. Add other ingredients and blend.

I didn't add all the grains today, but certainly you could.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa / Stawberry Basil Smoothie

Yesterday was a productive day.  I was up at 7, so not an extremely early start, but by 2:00 pm I had several things accomplished.  I started by making 8 pts of

Black Bean and Corn Salsa.

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained (I use canned diced tomatoes)
2 1/2 cups onions, chopped (I use sweet onions)
1 1/2 cups green peppers
1 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Corriander
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup canning salt (if you don't have canning salt, you can use sea salt)
1/3 cup vinegar

4 T Sugar

17 oz  tomato paste
2 cup cooked black beans
2 cups frozen corn or canned or fresh

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

 

1. Slip skin of tomatoes

2. pulse in a food processor

3. De-seed and remove membranes all pepper and pulse / dice in a food processor

4. Dice onions in a food processor

5. Add all ingredients except corn, beans, chopped fresh tomatoes, and tomato puree. Simmer with the lid off for 1.5 hrs.

6. Add the corn, beans, fresh tomatoes, and tomato puree. Cook for 10 min, until corn is mostly cooked. Watch so tomato puree doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

7. Can in prepared hot jars and process via water bath or steam for 10 mins, 5 additional minutes for every 1000 ft above sea level.

After all that I picked 2 gallons of green beans and made 3 pts of pickled green beans.  I also gave a couple bags of green beans to the neighbors.

We enjoyed an afternoon as a family at the Pioneer Heritage Days.

After supper we went to a friends and picked 2 bags of apples.  I am processing them for applesauce today. Also picked a large bag of basil.

I made pesto to freeze last night. I also made basil mush to freeze and use to throw into a soup pot for flavor. 

Because I picked basil last night I thought I would try a unique smoothie

Strawberry Basil Smoothie

Found a recipe for that here.  I didn't add as much sugar. I also didn't make enough for my husband. He would not appreciate this one. It is pretty good, but not a regular smoothie.

Creamy Strawberry Banana

I was feeling up for something classic this morning.  Nothing fancy or using a interesting ingredient.

Classic Creamy Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 banana

1/2 cup honey greek yogurt

large handful of frozen sliced strawberries

1 T wheat germ

1T ground flax seed

1 T raw quick cook oatmeal

soymilk

Add soy milk and blend until you get the consistency you want. I ended up with about 3 cups worth of smoothie.  This would also be an easy smoothie to make green with a handful of spinach.