What Kale? Protein Smoothie

by | Sep 7, 2014 | Uncategorized

Summer time = Breakfast?  No worries, the kids are not even awake until lunch time.
Back to school time = Breakfast?  Our daughter has the weird “B” lunch in the middle of her fourth hour class and our son has the late lunch, 4 1/2 hours after the bus picks him up in the morning. Whatever it is it must contain some protein or they just won’t make it to lunch.

This smoothie tastes so good and with it’s beautiful purple hue they won’t even know the kale is in there.  It’s the perfect way to get them off to school

What Kale? Protein Smoothie
Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 banana
  • 1 c fresh strawberries
  • 1 1/2 c frozen blueberries
  • 1 c vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 c skim milk
  • 1 thin slice lime
  • 2 c fresh baby kale
  • 1 c ice

Instructions

  • place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth
  • add more milk if necessary

The C Word, Facing Difficult Decisions With Cancer

by | Aug 14, 2014 | Uncategorized

No one wants to get that call from their physician asking them to come into the office to receive the bad

news.  I am sure, from the other end, they dread making those calls. 

I am not an expert.  I have no medical training or education, but I have had front row experience from the bleacher seats. I hope that you and no one you know receives the dreaded call, but if they do I hope that these 5 tips help.

1)  Find a doctor you trust and like.

Everyone you talk to will know someone.  They will recommend doctors, hospitals, advice.   “This one is the best”, “I heard this one is the worst”.  Unless they have had the same condition as you, stick with referrals from your physician.  Keep looking until you find someone you like and trust.  My husband really liked his doctor and I know that it has made a difference.

2)  Remember that medicine is big business

Advertisements that have been running for weeks, months, years without you noticing will now stick out.  It will seem like every time you get into the car or turn on the TV you hear an ad for cancer treatment.  By all means, be curious and check things out if they sound good to you, but remember they are trying to sell you.  Medicine is big business.

3)  Don’t self diagnose using the internet

The internet is an incredible tool and there is a lot of information out there.  Unless you are searching credible medical sites, such as  Mayo Clinic and Cancer.org, don’t use it for research.  You may be reading false information or information that is sponsored by a drug or insurance company that is trying to sell you something.

4)  Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

When researching your options always consider the worst case scenario when it comes to side effects and recovery.  No one wants to fall into this category, but you must consider “is this the right option for me” when there is a chance that ‘x’ is a possibility.  It’s too easy to hear what the best case recovery statistics are and stop listening.  No one thinks that they will take the maximum time to rehabilitate, or that the risks apply to them, but you must consider them when choosing which treatment is best for you. 

5)  Let go

Once you’ve had the treatment forget that there were other options.  Focus on your rehabilitation and getting well.  No regrets.  No looking back.  Rehab is frustrating.  Don’t make it worse for yourself.  I believe that attitude is everything including your health.  Keep positive.  Watch positive videos on YouTube, read positive books, call an optimistic friend.  There are lots of resources, if it isn’t coming from within, to help keep a smile on your face.

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity,”
~Hippocrates

Sneak in an Avocado

by | May 4, 2014 | Uncategorized

Did you know that an avocado is actually a fruit?  I didn’t.  I always thought it was in the veggie group.  Green, slimy, kids won’t eat it.  It must be a veggie.  Digging deeper the avocado is a berry.  My kids new better.  “Mom, everything with a seed is a fruit”.

High in fiber (10g), vitamin C, vitamin B 6, and more potassium than a banana sneak these heart healthy fruits into your morning smoothies.

We enjoy this recipe so much we have it every week.

Purple Sludge
Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red grapes
  • 1 1/2″ slice of pineapple
  • 1 orange peeled
  • 1 avocado peeled
  • 1 large slice of lime
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 squeeze agave (optional)
More Like This

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Here are some of the health benefits of avocados check out more on The World’s Healthiest Foods’ page.
 
  • Helps arthritis
  • Heart Healthy
  • Regulates Blood Sugar
  • Anti-cancer agents

Skin In The Game

by | Mar 26, 2014 | Uncategorized

At a networking breakfast yesterday, someone mentioned leaving the skin on kiwi when you make

smoothies.  It just didn’t sound right to me, but then someone added “my kid eats kiwi with the skin on like an apple”.  OK, but kids eat worms too.  I still wasn’t 100% sold, but I tried it this morning anyway – you couldn’t tell they were in there.  Believe me, if anything was funky our 10 year old would have called us out.

Thanks for the great tip. 

I did some research this morning, there’s actually a California Kiwifruit Organization.  I found out that by leaving the skin on the fiber value is tripled and more of the vitamin C is retained.  Hey, I just like that it’s a shortcut in the morning.

According to Wikipedia to have “skin in the game” is to have incurred monetary risk by being
invested in achieving a goal.  In my smoothie recipe having skin in the game is to retain more of the vitamins and add fiber.

Skin In Kiwi Smoothie

printable version

Ingredients

  • 2 oranges peeled
  • 8 strawberries
  • 1 slice lime
  • 1 inch slice pineapple peeled
  • 2 kiwi, ends cut off, but not peeled
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 squeeze agave

Instructions

  • Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Hide the Spinach

by | Mar 8, 2014 | Uncategorized

Sometimes it’s not the foods our kids (and husbands) won’t eat, it’s the way they are prepared.  For instance, most people steam brussel sprouts. Yuck!  You can’t get most people to buy in to them this way.  Try roasting them with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and orange peel. DELICIOUS!  The same goes for asparagus.  Steamed, not so liked.  Grilled or roasted it takes on an entirely different flavor, and texture, that will get more wins and empty plates.

I find that the best way to make sure that my family gets enough vegetables is to hide them in a fruity flavored smoothie.  Sometimes I sneak a few too many veggies in there and I am busted.  Sometimes I hit a home run like with this limey flavored smoothie.

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hide the Spinach, An Antioxidant Smoothie

Printable Version

Ingredients

  • 1 orange peeled
  • 2 kiwi peeled
  • 1 banana
  • 1 lime wedge
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 squeeze agave

Instructions

  • Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Wait to see if anyone detects your secret ingredient. I bet that they can’t

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