Monster Attack!

Green Monster, that is!

This is one of the best smoothies I've ever made.

1/2 frozen sliced banana

1/2 c. (70 g)  frozen pineapple

1 c. spinach

1/4 cup (good handful) blueberries

1/2 c. Almond Breeze (Unsweetened Vanilla rocks my socks!)

splash of vanilla

Blend, baby, blend!

I think the trick was lots of frozen fruit to eliminate the need for ice cubes, and only half a cup of milk. The texture was perfect - juuust thick enough to savor it but not so much that it couldn't move out of the glass. Fruity, creamy, and just sweet enough. I love drinking my greens!

Speaking of some of my best kitchen productions, I made some pretty kickin' oat bran this A.M. too:

26 g organic oat bran (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)

1/2 c. almond milk + 1/4 c. water

~2 tsp cocoa powder

~1/2 tsp instant espresso

dash of salt

1/2 banana, sliced and slightly melted in the microwave

handful of blueberries

I say 26 g because I have no idea what this measurement is in cups - I use a food scale for my hot cereal experiments. Really, it's like a toy, and I'm just playing with my food. That, and I'm terrible at eyeballing portions, and the food scale has helped me get a lot better at it. Yes, I'm a geek. Don't hate! 

Ok, here's the process:

Once your oat bran is in the bowl, toss in your cocoa powder (or cinnamon or whatever dry spice you're feeling that day) and the salt. Then add the liquid - I usually use half milk/half water or more of a 3:1 milk-water ratio to make it nice and creamy. It makes an enormous difference.

Microwave it for about a minute and a half (or do it on the stove - your call!)

Slice up your banana and microwave it in a separate container for 10-20 seconds. I got this "melted banana" trick from this cool chick, and I've never looked back. It spreads the sweet banana goodness all throughout the bowl instead of just in chunks, and also acts as an emulsifier and thickens things up.

Here is when you want to add your espresso if you're using cocoa. I swear by this trick - coffee brings out the chocolate flavor in any dish, and it really makes the bowl richer and more chocolatey. Mmmm!

Add the nanner and keep cooking. WATCH your bowl if you're nuking it - it can very quickly boil over!

I also like to add blueberries for an extra fruity kick. I love microwaving them and then popping them to release the juice inside. It's the little kid inside me I guess :)

You might want to throw the bowl in the fridge or freezer for a minute or two to cool it down - it can get HOTTTT! But it's worth it in the end. Try that melted banana trick - it will change your life. Or at least your breakfast.

Sick of breakfast yet? I'm not. It is the one meal I could eat 3 (or more!) times a day! It's so fun. And usually involves my favorites - fresh fruit and carbs!

I'm a big fan of waffles as a snack, and I just tried a new brand:

I usually get the Kashi GoLean waffles, but they are suddenly nowhere to be found!! I almost cried when I couldn't find them at my grocery store OR beloved Whole Foods. Well, ok, maybe I didn't get that dramatic, but it was close. Time to find a new favorite! So I went with Nature's Path Flax Plus. Love me some Omega-3s!

For my first taste test, I went with a classic:

Peanut butter+banana. Soulmates if I've ever seen them.

The only thing that can improve this dish is maple syrup - enter: Peanut Butter & Co.'s Mighty Maple.

 Genius in a jar. I'm pretty sure whoever created this was eating a waffle with peanut butter and syrup and thought "hey, we should really get these two together?" So, I guess this is really a menage a trois of breakfast foods? How scandalous! And delicious.

 The verdict on the waffles? Well, I was a little distracted by the amazingness going on on top, but I think they will do as a Kashi replacement. They didn't get quite as crunchy as I like, and they're a little airier, but I have 5 more waffles left to confirm my opinion.

Anyone bar-crazy? No, I'm not referring to the smoke-filled, dimly-lit rooms where you go to watch the game. I'm talking about the edible kind. The best kind, obvz ;)

First up: Clif C Bar in Raspberry

This new line from Clif boasts only 9 ingredients. That usually means a clean, simple flavor that makes a nice little snack or dessert.

Unfortunately, the only flavor I got was cardboard. It looked good, it even smelled pretty good...but the taste was lacking. There was a vague tart-fruity flavor, but it definitely didn't scream raspberry, and the nuts on top might as well have not been there at all. The texture was actually pretty good, gooey but not crumbly, easy to eat. I know it's not the brand; I've had the cherry pomegranate flavor before and really enjoyed it; the raspberry just failed. I have yet to try the apple or blueberry, and I'm a believer in second chances, so maybe its just this flavor. But, I wouldn't recommend this one. Unless your mouth waters every time you see a UPS box on your doorstep.

In yummier news, I had a new Larabar that rocked my chocolate-loving socks off. Their Jocalat line is similar to the original Laras in that the ingredient list is short, sweet, and completely recognizable. And their organic and use fair-trade cocoa, which is always a plus.

I bought the German Chocolate Cake flavor on a whim:

I love it when my whims come through. This was fan-freakin-tastic! I was a little wary because I'm not big on coconut, but Lara knows how to wield this fruit. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the chocolate without making the bar all about the coconut. This was like a rich, dark brownie. I even liked the little chunks of almond and pecan, which surprised me because I am a hardcore anti-nut brownie girl. But here they just added to the flavor and texture. It's a little crumbly but not obnoxiously so.

I know the fat & calorie content in Larabars is scary for some people, considering how small the bar actually is. BUT this is only because they are made of real, nutrient-packed foods. Do not fear the fat here! Your body needs it. And the fat in these will make your body a LOT happier than the fat in your average brownie. (Not that classic brownies don't have their time and place - sometimes, they are simply necessary!) All this to say - this bar was GOOD. And healthy. And chocolatey. What more could ya ask for?

Peanut butter, oat bran, spinach smoothies and chocolate. I miss Florence...but I'm doing ok so far ;)

~Namaste~

Green & Real

Well, it's been a solid week and a half since I've been back...and reality is closing in. I miss Florence. I miss being able to step outside into streets once walked by Dante and Pellegrino Artusi. I miss the challenge of speaking another language. I miss the daily trips to the market, and my dried fruit guy.

BUT - I will say, it's good to be able to make these again:

Is that green????

Why yes, green it is. This is a pineapple-banana-blueberry-spinach smoothie made with almond milk.

I got into smoothie-making the summer after my freshman year in college, and never looked back. They're so fun and versatile and tasty! I have a pretty standard basic recipe that I play around with:

>1/2 cup milk - I usually use almond milk, and if I use more fruit, sometimes I'll up it to 6 oz (3/4 cup).

>half a frozen banana - this is pretty important. I've tried banana-less smoothies and they are simply not as good. Smoothies scream for the creamy sweetness bananas provide. Trust me.

>Spinach - usually around a cup. You can't taste it at all. Great way to get in some extra greens! Plus, it makes the smoothie a cool color. You can bet that my kids will love "Green Monsters" (as they have been dubbed by the food blog world).

After that, I play around with the fruit, but I often add at least a couple tablespoons of blueberries. I try to use frozen fruit - I slice bananas and then throw them in the freezer in a Ziploc. Sometimes I throw in some berries too - if you use more frozen fruit, you won't need to add ice cubes to get that thicker smoothie-like consistency (I always feel like ice cubes water down the flavor too much).

I did miss my blender in good ole Italia. I swear by these smoothies - refreshing, fruity, and nutrient-packed. I know the spinach thing sounds weird, but really, you cannot detect any spinachy-hint at all. Just yummy fruit!!

Speaking of tasty beverages - have you tried or heard of the mystical kombucha?

It's a living culture (basically like fermentation) of healthy microorganisms including lots of essential nutrients. Sounds crazy and a little gross, perhaps, but it's taken the healthy-living-blog world by storm so I had to try it. I've tried Synergy's Mystic Mango flavor (of course - mango!!!), and was...perplexed. The flavor is very interesting - acidic, like a weak vinegar almost. It's naturally "effervescent" (fancy schmancy term for slightly carbonated), which I like a lot. I didn't love the mango, but I wanted to try it again and I found this on sale at Whole Foods and thought "if not today, when?!" I really liked this! The apple was a perfect complement to the kombucha, and though I didn't taste much jasmine, I think it made the flavor a little more mellow. It was really good - if you've never tried it before, this would be a good one to start with, I think. Still very tart, but in an enjoyable way. Only 70 calories per bottle. I'm usually not a fan of "drinking my calories," (with the notable exceptions of espresso drinks and smoothies), but this I feel is worth it because it's tasty and so freakin good for you! They do tend to be pricey, but it's a nice once-in-a-while treat.

I know I mentioned a "theme of the week" - but after more brainstorming, I think I am going to do a special themed post. It will be several product reviews, related to each other. I'm totally open to opinions though, so if any one thinks a weekly theme versus one big fat post is better than the other, let me know!!!

Any Costco fans out there? My dad is a total Costco junkie and whenever I come home, I always find a new lifetime supply-sized box of something. This time, it was this:

My mom made a packet (which is huge and definitely holds more than one serving) and mixed it with white onion and canned diced tomatoes - and it rocked! It's not too hot-spicy, but well spiced with cumin, garam masala - the classic Indian flavors. I threw it on a bed of spinach and added a spoonful of cottage cheese and it was de-lish:

Not exactly as appetizing as it looks on the box, but it certainly tastes great! The ingredients are just water, chickpeas, onions, sunflower oil, garlic, ginger, coriander, salt, cumin, spices. I just love short, readable ingredient lists! Half a pack is 210 calories with 7 grams of fat (only 0.5g is saturated!), 10 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. Pretty sweet stats! Real food just tastes so much better. 

From the new...

to the old! I love these bars. They are a college kid's dream - healthy, tasty, and a good source of quick energy.

I love that you can not only see every ingredient, but taste them too - the almonds, honey, and flax combine beautifully, and the variety of textures from the different grains, whole almonds and flax seeds makes it seriously fun(oxymoron?) to eat. One of my favorite snacks!

Lately, it has occurred to me how much I really love blogging. I know my updates haven't been as constant since I returned - but that will change. I'm slowly settling back home and just need to find my rhythm again. But really, it's become so important to me. I love writing, and especially about food, and it makes me so happy to be able to have a place to share it with others. I literally find myself writing posts in my head - I have post-its everywhere reminding myself of things to mention or discuss. It's been such a great outlet, and even if all I ever have is 5 readers, it's still just as fun. I think a part of it is I spent so many years depriving myself of so much food-wise, now that I'm on the other side, I'm all the more passionate about food, and sharing it with others. It's truly one of those things so deeply set within a culture that the millions of meanings and symbols it has go unnoticed and it really just fascinates me. Talking and writing about it is just plain FUN!

Just my thoughts for the day:)

Lots more pictures and reviews to come!

~Namaste~