Tag Archives: healthy

How I Do My Green Smoothie

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Happy Saturday everyone!

I am going to stop posting regularly on Saturdays, but since I have taken several days off the last couple of weeks, I thought I would share something today.

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Let’s talk about green smoothies! Or smoothies in general. Or juices. I don’t have a juicer or Vitamix but I make my smoothies in a blender. And I want to hear your favorite smoothie/juice combinations!

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To start, let’s talk about the green part of the smoothie. I’ll tell you — I don’t really want to make and drink a smoothie unless it has spinach (or something green) in it. It seems not worth it to me. Sure, blended fruit and yogurt is good, but there are many other things I would rather be eating/drinking. Now, add spinach and it becomes much more worth it to me. I am now consuming a huge amount of leafy greens, easily! To start my day. Before I do anything else, I have an entire cup of raw spinach in me. Now that is worth it. If you haven’t had a green smoothie before, you really can’t taste the greens! How I can describe the taste is purely refreshing. The greens add this amazing feeling and taste of freshness, and I love it. Also, I haven’t adventured much past spinach, except for one time when I used kale. What kind of greens do you add to you smoothie or juice?

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Let’s talk taste/sweetness. I don’t love smoothies that are overly sweet. It’s like I’m having dessert for breakfast. I know, who doesn’t love that? Dessert-y things for breakfast. I don’t! I love oatmeal for breakfast, but not if it is overly sweet. Same with my smoothies. I don’t add any extra sweetener other than the fruit itself. And, like I said above, you can’t taste the spinach, but I feel that it counteracts even more of the sweetness, which is perfect for me. Do you like your smoothies sweet? What do you add to make it sweet? If I ever were to add extra sweet, I would probably add honey.

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Now on to texture. I like it thin. I want to be able to drink it without a straw. I want it to flow easily out of my glass and into my mouth. Almost juice-ish. But, like I said, my smoothies are technically not juice because I just use a blender. I try to get them as close to juice-y as I can. I tried a green smoothie from a local coffee shop about a week ago. It sounded so good. Spinach, avocado, banana and pineapple. Great combination. But, this smoothie was so thick. I took one sip and I loved the flavor, but the texture was way too thick for me. It is almost too heavy?  Like I get way too full drinking thick smoothies. I want to feel light and refreshed after drinking my smoothie. Not full and weighed down.

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Liquid. Every smoothie needs liquid. Juice is good, but not for me. It’s makes it too sweet for my taste and also in some cases, adds a lot of extra sugar and non-real ingredients. My preference is coconut or almond milk. Once I made the switch to coconut and almond milk, I haven’t looked back. My thoughts on dairy are the same as they are on gluten. I don’t have an allergy or intolerance, but it just makes sense to me to use the least amount as possible.* I would rather consume my dairy in the form of cheese, ice cream or other delicious creamy desserts. Let’s keep the dairy out of the smoothie (for me). I also add yogurt to my smoothie. I don’t add much, but I think it lends a creamy texture to the smoothie. I absolutely love this coconut yogurt. It is the best.

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Fruit. You need it (I think). Even though I don’t like too much sweetness, I do like some. And the natural sweetness from fruit is perfect. A mix of fresh and frozen is what I prefer. Frozen to give a bit of coolness and icy-ness to the smoothie. Fresh because, well just because it is fresh. I have been doing some kind of yellow or orange frozen fruit. Peach or mango, mostly. Peach is what I am loving right now. Does anyone freeze their own fruit? Is there anything special I need to know about doing it? Or do I just slice it up and put it in a bag and then to the freezer? Freezing my own fruit is something I have been wanting to do. For fresh, I have been doing some kind of berry – mostly blueberry or strawberry but I really want to try fresh blackberries!

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My favorite part of this blog is the sharing. I share with you and I love to hear what you would like to share with me as well. I do love the smoothie that I am drinking now, but I am ready to try some new things. So share away!

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Do you drink smoothies? Green smoothies?

What is your all-time favorite combination?

Do you like your smoothie thick or thin?

What kinds of things do you add to your smoothie to make it extra healthy?

*Interesting fact: Greg once told me that we are the only mammals that consume milk beyond the time that it’s needed from the mother for survival (unless it is given to a pet). He had a professor who didn’t consume dairy for that reason. That fact wouldn’t stop me, but it is definitely something to think about.

How I make my smoothie:

Ingredients
*This will make two smoothies (or one really big one). I make enough smoothie for two at a time. I drink one and put the other in the fridge for the next day.
1 cup coconut or almond milk
1 cup frozen peaches or mangoes
1/2 cup fresh blueberries or strawberries
1/4 – 1/3 cup coconut yogurt
2-3 cups fresh spinach

Pour the coconut or almond milk into a blender. Then add the frozen fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt and the spinach last. Blend on high for several minutes, or until everything is completely blended and smooth.

Enjoy!

Asparagus + Red Onion + Pesto Creamy Quesadilla

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This is my new favorite meal.

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My new favorite lunch. It requires very little cooking (I love cooking, but for now, the less heat, the better). It really requires very little work at all.

And this quesadilla tastes special. It’s like I’m eating something from an exciting, new restaurant. I can’t explain it, it just feels special.

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Even though I was a bit afraid to, I made this for Greg two nights ago. You see, he is not the biggest fan of cream cheese, sour cream and “other white stuff like that.”

I love cream cheese on a bagel, him not so much. A dollop of sour cream on a fajita? I love it, but not him. When I thought of this quesadilla using cream cheese, I knew I would love it. But I was worried about him.

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I decided to give it a try anyway. I didn’t tell him what was in it. I told him to try one bite — if he didn’t like it, I would make him another one, differently.

I watched nervously, as he took that first bite.

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He loved it! I could barely believe it.

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And then. “Is that sour cream?”

Great..I was hoping he wasn’t going to ask. I should have known better.

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“No,” I said.

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“What is it?” he asked.

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My first response? “I don’t want to tell you!”

But, after a few tries with that answer, and his plea of “C’mon tell me, I said that I like it!” I gave in and told the truth.

I put cream cheese in his quesadilla.

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Luckily, it turned out well for both of us. I get to make quesadillas with cream cheese, and we both like eating them.

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It does sound like cream cheese in a quesadilla could be overwhelming. But, it is the only cheese I put in this one. It actually feels light compared to other cheese-packed quesadillas you can get at restaurants.

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The flavor of this is unbelievable. Crispy asparagus and red onion + the creamy cheese + the flavor punch from the pesto = a tasty combination that will leave you wanting more.

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And, I used my cast iron skillet to make these — it was perfect!

Ingredients
*This is what I used to make one quesadilla. It can be very easily doubled, tripled, etc.
1 soft tortilla
5 asparagus stalks
1/4 of a medium red onion
8 chive sprigs
1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons of pesto
Olive oil

Chop the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. Thinly slice the onion. In a pan over medium-high heat, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus, give it a good toss, and cook the veggies for another 5 minutes. While cooking, the pan should be very hot. This way, the veggies get crisp and cook quickly. Once the veggies are done, set them aside.

Place a skillet over medium heat (I used my cast iron and it worked perfectly). Place a tortilla into the hot skillet. Carefully spread the cream cheese on one side of the tortilla. Tear the chives into small pieces and place on top of the cream cheese. Next, spoon the veggies onto the tortilla followed by the pesto.

At this point, your tortilla should be crisp but not burnt. If it is still soft, turn the heat up a bit and let it cook longer. Once done, it should be slightly crispy and crunchy, but able to fold over nicely.

Fold the tortilla in half, making a quesadilla.

Cut in half, and enjoy!

Notes:
– For dinner, I made three of these for Greg and I. I did make them one at a time. Unless you feel confident having several skillets going at once, it is definitely okay to do one at a time.

Corn + Black Bean + Tomato Salad

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I’ve always been the type of person who has no trouble eating winter-y food all throughout the summer.

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How about you?

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You know, like soup in the middle of July. A warm pot pie in August. I’ve always enjoyed warm winter comfort food the entire year.

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Until now.

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Until now, now that I live in an un-air-conditioned apartment.

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I never understood why soup in the summer didn’t appeal to people. But I do now. I now understand why people don’t want to do that.

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Enter, this salad. I thought — what can I make that involves absolutely no heat, but still tastes delicious?

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Salad. Expect more. I’ll be with no air conditioning all summer long.

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By the way, I thought making this salad was a great idea to keep cool. And then, I got hungry for stuffed shells. So I made them. So much for keeping cool.

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If it is as hot where you are as it is in Philly, give this salad a try. It will refresh you. It combines the southwest flavors of corn, black beans, tomatoes and salsa with cool homemade (or store-bought) ranch, over a bed of crisp greens. Yes, a perfect summer meal.

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Ingredients
A bowl full of mixed greens (I didn’t measure, but I used maybe 6 cups?)
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of corn, rinsed
2 cups diced tomatoes
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1/2 cup salsa
Homemade ranch dressing, as much as you please

Start by putting the black beans, corn and diced tomatoes into a bowl. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lime over the veggies and stir.

In a different large bowl, add a few large handfuls of mixed greens (or your favorite type of lettuce). Top with a couple of large spoonfuls of the veggie mixture. Add another layer of lettuce and then more veggies. Spoon the salsa on top and then drizzle ranch dressing over the salad.

Using salad tongs or two spoons, toss the salad very well. This will coat all of the lettuce with the salsa and ranch, making a very nice dressing.

Serve with additional veggies, salsa and ranch, if desired.

Enjoy!

Asparagus + Mushroom + Spring Onion Quiche

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I can’t believe that this is only the second quiche that I am sharing with you.

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I am in love with quiche. It has always been a favorite dish of mine.

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I got a call from my mom on Saturday morning and she asked me if I was hungry.

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She told me that she made the best quiche ever, did I want any? I had just finished breakfast but figured that by the time I got ready and drove home, I would be ready to try this quiche.

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I pulled in, walked through the door and my mom sliced me a huge slice of quiche. It took one bite for me to agree. This was the best quiche ever!

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I don’t know what it is.  It may be the combination of fresh, spring veggies. Or maybe my mom found the perfect egg to cream ratio. Whatever it is, this quiche is just right.

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Ingredients
*This makes two 9-inch quiches
1 bunch of asparagus
4 green spring onions
8 oz. mushrooms
2 – 9 inch round pie crusts
8 eggs, divided
1 cup half and half, divided
Olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt, pepper and garlic salt
1 cup cheese, divided (I used mixed Italian and freshly grated parmesan)

Preheat oven to 350*. Roll out the dough and lightly grease two 9-inch pie pans. Push the dough into the pie pans.

Prep your veggies. Chop the asparagus, onions and mushrooms so that they are all about the same size. Drizzle some olive oil into a pan over medium heat and once hot, add asparagus first. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until asparagus begins to get soft. Then add the onions, cooking another 2 minutes to get them soft. Next, add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, garlic salt (to taste) and butter and cook all veggies together for about 5 minutes. Veggies should be soft and slightly browned when done.

For each quiche, crack 4 eggs into a bowl. Whisk well with 1/2 cup of cream.

To assemble each quiche, first put the veggies onto the bottom of each crust. Then add 1/2 cup of cheese to each, on top of the veggies. Next, pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese.

Place the quiche in the oven. Set the time for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir the quiche filling around. It should be slightly set already, but that is okay. Cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Peach + Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

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Baked oatmeal, again.

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This is the 63rd post on this little blog and the third time I made baked oatmeal for you. That’s one baked oatmeal every 21 days. Except that my first two baked oatmeal recipes were posted just 10 days apart.

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I was going to take a break from making baked oatmeal until this past weekend. I ate it at a restaurant. And after the first bite, I knew I’d be making it for you soon.

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This combo of peaches + cranberries was inspired by what I ate at Cafe 101. I’ve had the idea of peach baked oatmeal in the back of my mind for a while, but have been waiting for fresh peaches. Cafe 101’s baked oatmeal was so good though, and I’m pretty certain the peaches weren’t fresh, so I decided to go for it. What made my decision even easier was the can of Three Springs Fruit Farm peaches I had in my cupboard. With that, I had no doubt that canned peaches would suffice.

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Even though this is the third time I made you baked oatmeal, this is the first time it doesn’t contain nuts. Or golden raisins. But it does have dried cranberries. Those are close to raisins. I really wanted to use fresh cranberries, but could not find them! I don’t think I realized fresh cranberries were a seasonal purchase. Definitely wrong about that.

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And! I baked this in my cast iron skillet. Yes, I am obsessed. It’s the best.

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This oatmeal is delicious. Not overly sweet, but for me, just the right amount. The cranberries get plump and the juicy peaches break right apart after they are baked. Sweet cinnamon and vanilla compliment the fruit perfectly.

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Ingredients
2 cups oats (I used old fashioned)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1  1/2 cups milk (I used almond)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted + cooled
5 canned peach halves, diced

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a cast iron skillet or a baking pan with butter or coconut oil.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and dried cranberries.

In another bowl, mix together the milk, egg, vanilla extract and melted butter or coconut oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix well. Fold in the diced peaches.

Transfer batter to the greased skillet or pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until oatmeal is set and slightly golden brown.

Enjoy!