I was going to write about addiction, but I think I need more time to do it justice. I saw the results of a few studies this week separate from each other, and the conclusions are interesting to say the least. Maybe I will have some time to develop that this next week.
It's spring break here in our county, so I've got a whole week starting Sunday of not having to get up at 5:00! Yay! It is will nice to be lazy and sleep in til 7:00! We might even get to the beach one of those days. Wouldn't that be a treat? It's probably still cold though, I'm guessing...
Enjoying a strawberry smoothie Darius made for us this morning. He truly is the smoothie king... They are pretty ugly though, so don't look at them. Just stick a straw in them and drink them while you do something else to divert your eyes! hahaha
He made this one with spinach, but we were surprised last week with one we made with collards. We have a ton of collards still being produced, so decided to stick a few leaves in a recent smoothie not expecting particularly good results. We couldn't believe how mild it was. The fruity taste completely won out over the greens. It really is a painless way to get more greens into us. If you haven't read Victoria Boutenko's writings on the subject, you're missing out. I don't drink them nearly as often as she suggests, nor as large an amount, but I know I would benefit from drinking them more. I think having warmer weather helps. I don't drinking cold drinks during the winter.
Our recipe for green smoothie? Easy and fast!
2 cups rejuvelac
1 quart frozen bananas
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup agave nectar
other fruit as desired
fill up the blender with spinach, kale, etc.
This makes enough for our large family of 6, so be forewarned. Cut it down if you don't want this much.
I've really enjoyed having more summer fruits this week. I always miss the citrus when it starts to wane, but how can we have too many regrets when these wonderful summer fruits make their appearances. This week we had a plum called the Larry Ann plum. I'd never heard of that. It is a nice sweet plum.
I always find it odd when people say they can't eat a healthier diet because it takes too much time. Fast food is faster... I'm here to tell you there isn't anything faster than a banana or any fruit for that matter. Pineapple are a little labor intensive (but, boy are they worth it!), but most fruits can be eaten out of hand. All you need is a sink or a water bottle to wash it!
Even salads can be made up in a flash. How blessed we are to have our greens guy who's willing to trim the lettuce and wash it up for us, so all we have to do is clean it up to eat it. Dressing can be made in large batches, or here's a recipe I got from a friend at church. She says all the salads in the Eastern Mediterranean are dressed this way (she's spent many years living abroad and traveling a lot). How delicious, simple, and oh yeah, fast is this?
Simple Salad
In a clean dry salad bowl, mash a clove of garlic with a teaspoon of sea salt to make a smooth paste. (She suggests using the back of a spoon. I've seen Rachel Ray do it with a knife.) Add the juice from half a lemon and stir until the salt is dissolved. Add three tablespoons olive oil and some freshly ground pepper. Mix well. Add your greens to the bowl just before serving and toss well.
This makes about 1/4 cup, so adjust accordingly depending on how much dressing you need.
I've really got to get cooking (or uncooking as the case may be). Here's what's on the docket this week:
Waldorf salad (This is a specialty salad we make with 2 kinds of apples, raisins, celery, soaked and dehydrated walnuts, and some avo mayo. It is only good when it's fresh, so eat it within a couple of days. We like to put it on mixed greens for a delicious salad main course.)
green spaghetti (mix shredded zucchini "noodles" with queso verde)
chili con crema
lasagna (layer thinly sliced zucchini with crema (or other nut-based cheese) and marinated broccoli in a "bed" of marinara. I top the layers with more marinara and sprinkle with "parm" which is just some dehydrated alfredo sauce. Everyone in the family likes this when it's had some time in the dehydrator to blend the flavors, but it tastes good fresh too.)
chili rellenos (some red peppers stuffed with queso verde), ensalada or Mexican rice
i Viva La Verde ! salad x 2 (at least) (mixed greens including a bunch of cilantro, shredded carrot and celery, raisins, sunnies, and dulse, ranch dressing)
desserts this week (You have Elizabeth and her sweet family to thank for these. Sweet Carl (who's a toddler) loves the pumpkin pie, so we get that every week. Anna Grace, 6, loves the rawky road, and Mama Elizabeth loves the cheesecake and fruit pies. Dad, who wouldn't eat an avocado if he were paid to do it, loves the key lime pie whose base is avocado. Of course, we don't mind a bit, as we get to eat the leftovers! Many of these make for a very extravagant brunch!)
Vanilla sylk blueberry and strawberry parfaits
Fruit pies (a delicious almond/date crust topped with banana and mixed berries)
Chocolate cheesecake
Rawky road
Coconut cream pie
pumpkin pie
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