My hubby and I have a very serious, ongoing debate in our household. You see, we're both grown ups that like eating PB & J sandwiches -- though I make mine a banana, PB & J sandwich because it seems more adult to add a fruit into the mix -- but he only likes grape jelly. I, on the other hand, think grape jelly is gross and prefer strawberry or raspberry jelly. PB & J sandwiches happen to be our go-to thing to pack if we're on the road, going to the beach or anything like that, so it has come up many times and usually starts something like this: Me: "Babe, we're out of grape jelly. Should I just put strawberry on your sandwiches?" Him: "Nah, I don't like strawberry jelly." Me: "Stop the madness...How do you not like strawberry jelly??" When my hubby's ... [Read More]
smoothies
Banana Berry Yogurt Matcha Smoothie
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Though I didn't go to any St. Paddy's Day parades this year, the Irish in me wanted to add a little green into my afternoon in honor of the holiday. A few days ago, Kiss Me Organics sent me some of their matcha green tea powder to try out. Some stats on matcha: It's the highest quality powdered green tea out there and is considered a powerful superfood. It's been a Japanese cultural norm since the 12th century. It's an antioxidant powerhouse. In fact, my package notes that matcha has 137x the antioxidants of brewed green tea -- whoa right! Made of chlorophyll-rich tea leaves, matcha is ground into a fine powder using the entire leaf. Its natural properties are thought to cause an increase in energy and physical endurance, as well as a metabolism boost. I'll ... [Read More]
My New Favorite Juice: Minty Green Monster Lemonade
Hello, hello! You know when you're about to go on a trip and you have about 27 things to do before you leave the next morning? Yup, that's me right now. This trip is more complicated than usual ones in that I'll be heading to Amsterdam first for work (which leaves me busy with getting things done for that), then heading to three different countries for vacation. I'm very excited! But instead of being productive with that stuff, for the next few moments I'm taking a breather and chatting with you all. Forewarning though, this post may be a bit like my brain right now - all over the place and going a mile a minute! Bear with me my friends. Even though all of the places I'm going in Europe will have people who speak at least some English, it'd be nice to know the basics of the local ... [Read More]
A Few of My Favorite Eats This Week
Hi friends! Since we're on the backend of this week (YAY for Friday tomorrow!), I thought I'd share a few of my favorite eats from the past several days. While I wasn't feeling green monsters last week and sort of took a short hiatus from them, I've been back at it this week drinking them as my morning fuel. This week's pick: strawberry apple cucumber spinach swiss chard juice. My thoughtful, wonderful grandma made my day at the beginning of the week when I opened my door to find this Edible Arrangements fruit delivery from her. She sent them to me as a "hope your foot feels better soon" gift. I've been enjoying the fruit from it every day! This is the grandma whose hospital bed I sat by in the ICU for weeks back in February in NJ, who just finished chemo and is now starting ... [Read More]
Peppermint Dark Chocolate Smoothie
Last night I took my first class at my new gym - a nice & sweaty kickboxing session. When I got home from working out, I needed something to eat quick that would please my growling stomach, replenish my muscles with some protein, and also satisfy my mood for something chocolatey. I hadn't had dinner yet but it was kind of late, so I wanted something that could double as a nutritious little meal AND dessert. I knew just the thing to make, as I had picked up peppermint extract during my last grocery store run and was anxious to try it out. This smoothie did not disappoint! It's definitely my new favorite shake combo. Peppermint extract is the key to this recipe. It tastes like dessert, yet it can work for a meal or snack at anytime in the day. Peppermint Dark Chocolate ... [Read More]
Peach Chia Smoothie
Last Saturday morning, I found myself staring at a ripe peach trying to think of what to do with it. While I did have time to whip up a fancy weekend breakfast, a waffle or pancake creation didn't seem appealing to me at the moment. I realized that what I was in the mood for was a smoothie. I peered into my fridge and cabinet and pulled out some ingredients that I thought would work well together... ...and this is what wound up being my breakfast: Including chia seeds added a bit of a crunch to my peach smoothie, which I was a fan of. Chia seeds upped the nutritional value of the smoothie, as they are a nice source of omega-3 fatty acid, fiber and antioxidants. Next time I'm going to try adding protein powder to this combo, but this recipe makes a nice refreshing smoothie as is. Peach ... [Read More]