June Recipes

84) I have tried a few chicken enchilada recipes and have never been real thrilled with them. This recipe was really good and simple. I made the chicken by browning it in skillet and finishing it in the oven. I had seasoned it with cumin and Lawrys. Then I shredded it in my mixer and added the cheese plus I added some ranch and taco sauce to keep it from being too dry.

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/chicken-enchiladas-with-sour-cream-white-sauce/

 

85) I loved this one! My husband was a little less enthusiastic but it was simple, quick and very filling!

http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/05/chicken-lazone.html#_a5y_p=1169692

 

86) I realize that I have posted at least 4 recipes for stroganoff already but really, who doesn’t love a creamy comfort food? It was a tad dry. Maybe I baked it too long or maybe I used too many noodles. I don’t know. Hubby liked it though so I will try again with alterations to make it creamier.

http://www.framedcooks.com/2012/03/beef-stroganoff-casserole.html

 

87) Strawberry jam in the crock pot?! What? I have really been craving jelly this pregnancy but haven’t had any in the house. I don’t like store bought and haven’t been to any craft fairs that had any. So I took matters into my own hands. I didn’t want a huge batch because I don’t can so I halved the recipe and added the apple recommended in the comments for the pectin. It smells amazing while it is cooking!

http://www.the-lady-wolf.com/2012/06/strawberry-jam-in-crockpot-recipe.html

 

88) This was good but I had to stop the crockpot after 4 hours because it was starting to burn. Really tender though!

http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/01/sour-cream-and-bacon-crockpot-chicken/

 

89) Beef and Broccoli! We were really excited about this one. It was good but it didn’t really taste like Chinese food. It tasted more like chipped beef mixed with broccoli. Still good and Molly was thrilled to have broccoli and rice for supper. I think next time I will doctor it up a bit.

http://www.motherthyme.com/2013/11/slow-cooker-beef-broccoli.html

 

90) This one was easy and pretty good. My kids didn’t like the potatoes at all and I can’t say I was a huge fan of them either. They were a tad greasy. The chicken was good but the skin on the bottom of the chicken didn’t cook well so I had a hard time getting past that. Over all, it was simple, quick and pretty. My husband even commented on how pretty it was.

 http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/herb_roasted_chicken_thighs_with_potatoes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed:+elise/simplyrecipes+%28simply+recipes%29

 

91) Mmmmm…Donuts! They made donuts on Masterchef last night and it made me want one soooo bad! Since I refuse to give into my cravings and drive to town, I made these instead. They were simple and really good!

http://www.the-savvy-kitchen.com/2013/06/old-fashioned-doughnut-muffins.html

 

92) Ooooohhh so yummy! And simple! A great side for any meal!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/08/dairy-contest-finalist-recipe-cheese-muffins/

 

93) This one was good. Nothing dramatic but just simple and good. We sauteed chicken to go with it.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/02/broccoli-shells-n-cheese/

 

94) We love a meal we can cook completely on the grill. These potatoes had a lot of flavor and no dishes!!!

 http://www.livebetteramerica.com/recipes/grilled-cheesy-garlic-potato-packet/a62ff884-7be9-4831-b73d-b070b094b0b6/?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Facebook&niseg4=LBA&creativeID4=Post&sf3087104=1

 

95) I have always loved pork chops and this recipe was great. They had a lot of flavor and were super tender.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/easy-grilled-pork-chops-recipe.html

Update-Week 19

People have kindly been asking how I have been feeling so I thought this was the best way to update. Depending on the day my answers range from Good! to Okay, to something that isn’t always intelligible. So here it is.

We have been doing progesterone shots for 3 weeks and will do one every Tuesday. We did our first shot at home and other than some wiggling on Jared’s part, it went well. The shots themselves are fairly painless with little to no bruising. Little with Jared and none with the nurse. About a day and a half after the shot though, the side effects hit. Migraines, dizziness, nausea and extreme moodiness. It’s pretty much just pregnancy symptoms amplified by a thousand! Last week I cried at the thought of Molly going to kindergarten. In 2015. I routinely tell my husband to excuse me because I am having a crazy moment.

The migraines are by far the most trying of the side effects but I have found some relief in magnesium and essential oils. Kind friends offered me a ton of advice but sadly some of it is just not a possibility. I can’t take any prescription medications at all and have very little time in the day to rest with an ice pack on my neck(though I know that works wonders!). Many suggested the chiropractor but as a Mom of 2 premature babies my Doctor will not allow it and most chiropractors wouldn’t touch me if he did. As I have never been to one, it was pretty low on my list anyways. So for now I am avoiding caffeine and watching my salt intake. I drink a coffee if I feel it coming on and that does seem to help a bit. Plus, it’s yummy. I have been using peppermint essential oil on my temples and lavender on my feet to help as well. I can’t say they are gone but they are not as bad as the first week when I wanted to cry all the time.

On the upside, the baby is kicking constantly now and kicking hard enough for Jared and the girls to feel it as well. Emily likes to sit on the couch and watch cartoons with her hand up my shirt. To passers-by it would look a bit odd but I find it sweet. She also insists on kissing the baby goodnight before nap and bed times. With the extra movement means that I am getting less sleep, or I should say, taking longer to fall asleep. Once I am asleep, I could stay there for days

The girls are both excited but Emily is the one who is very interested. We just had a friend have a baby and they are both really beginning to understand that the baby in my belly will also be a real baby like hers. Emily is insistent that the baby needs to be a girl and Molly really wants a boy. At least one of them will be happy. We will find out in a few more weeks.

Continued prayer for a full term pregnancy and relief from the migraines would be greatly appreciated! I am not getting all of my projects done I was hoping too but the baby won’t care if the painting is done. I am focused on staying as healthy as possible and enjoying this pregnancy as much as possible.

May Recipes

I am certainly losing motivation as this pregnancy progresses but by golly I am going to finish! Nearly halfway done!

69) We love to have breakfast for supper and I am always looking to improve it a bit. I tried a new recipe from the Oh So Brilliant Pioneer Woman for waffles and we all loved them. Much better flavor than my old recipe and super fluffy! They were more work but definitely something we want to do again.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/02/waffles/

 

70) I babysit a couple of kiddoes who need to eat a gluten free diet and desserts are hard to come by. Fortunately for me, they love fruit! I found this recipe a while back and we decided to give it a shot. It was simple, cheap and got a thumbs up from the kids. Gluten free tends to be pricey so we were all excited to find a good one that was practical. Even for us gluten lovers this one was very good.

http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/02/thick-and-soft-chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies.html

 

71) Hubby loves mozzarella sticks so I thought I would try to make baked ones…many of my friends have this one pinned. It doesn’t work. The cheese just melted! Seemed to good to be true. I have a few other recipes with many more steps that we will try out but if you have this one pinned, go ahead and delete. The link doesn’t work anyways.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/270638258832122717/

 

72) This was a great grilling recipe! We love to grill and are always looking for new recipes that are family friendly. I highly recommend this one!

http://www.simplylovefood.com/2012/04/28/chipotle-honey-and-lime-grilled-chicken-kabobs/

 

73) This was a very refreshing drink! I love Passion tea and this one was amazing!

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/copycat-starbucks-passion-tea-lemonade-drink/

 

74) I am really starting to like cauliflower…but only cooked. Raw it tastes like what ragweed smells like. This was a good one.

http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2014/02/roasted-cauliflower/

 

75) I am always looking to improve my pie crusts. This one got good reviews from family and friends.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/

 

76) I loved this one! Cheesy, creamy and comforting! And my 4 year old was thrilled because there was broccoli in it!

http://what2cook.net/2013/10/02/crockpot-cheesy-chicken-and-broccoli-over-rice/

 

77) I have made dessert twice this week. Hope the family doesn’t get too used to it. My husband is a huge fan of Nutella so I thought I would give this easy recipe a chance. I think next time I will omit the nutmeg. I also used full fat whipped topping because if you are eating cheesecake, why the heck not!

http://wannabite.com/no-bake-nutella-cheesecake-recipe/#_a5y_p=1003950

 

78) Is there anything better than simple, savory and filling? The sauce for this dish didn’t thicken quite as well as I had hoped but the flavors were all amazing and had I not been starving I could have waited another 5 minutes for it to finish thickening. It was given a thumbs up from both kids as well! I served it over spaghetti but I think it would be wonderful over mashed potatoes as well.

http://www.plainchicken.com/2013/05/chicken-lazone.html#_a5y_p=1169692

 

79) Like most kids, mine love fruit snacks. Of course, fruit snacks are basically food coloring and sugar with a crap load of preservatives mixed in. We quit buying them a long time ago but the girls still ask for them. Homemade fruit snacks always looked a little daunting and pricey considering the amount of fruit they required. When I found this recipe, I knew I had to give it a try. We rarely finish an entire watermelon so this was a great use for it and there was still plenty of fruit to enjoy for lunch and snack. The girls gave them a thumbs up. I will admit, I did not love the finished product. I had no idea how AWFUL gelatin smelled and the odor was still stuck in my brain when I tried the snacks. Hubby said they are too sour and I just overall wasn’t impressed. Kids liked them though so I guess they were a win. I think next time I will try strawberry and watermelon together.

http://meatified.com/healthy-sour-watermelon-gummies/

 

80) This one was quick and easy. Hubby really liked it and Emily(almost 3yrs) chowed down on it. She even ate the peppers without  complaining a single time.

http://www.bakeatmidnite.com/2013/10/mexicali-hashbrown-taco-casserole.html

 

81) I have seen this recipe on Pinterest a few times and now that it is hot decided to give it a try. No link for this one because it is just so simple!

Sprite and fruit frozen in a popsicle! Seriously! Perfect! Kids loved it and it was so easy I can do it every day!

 

82) Keeping on the popsicle theme-I love a good popsicle and so do my kids. I don’t love the price. I have been looking for a great and easy fudgesicle recipe and I think I finally found one! This one doesn’t have a pudding mix in it so I actually had the stuff on hand. So much cheaper than buying in the store and we can customize it with fruit to fit our tastes! They did melt really fast but that actually works for us because my girls don’t like biting off chunks of frozen things.

http://fortunegoodies.com/homemade-fudgesicles/

 

83) I made this awhile back and forgot to post the recipe. It was just another one where I was cleaning out the fridge and needed to use up some leftovers so I created it.

Hamburger Philly Cheesesteaks

1 lb hamburger, 1 onion chopped, 1 green pepper chopped. I sauteed the veggies and added the hamburger to the veggies while they were still cooking. I browned it all and added some salt, pepper, garlic powder and worcestershire sauce. Once it all smelled so good I wanted to eat it out of the pan I plopped the mixture onto hamburger buns, covered in melty cheese and broiled for 5 minutes. We all loved it! So easy!

Bouncing Baby 3!

When I realized that I may be pregnant back at the beginning of March, we both decided to keep it under wraps for as long as possible. It was mostly an experiment. After I visited the Doctor and he changed my date to 2 weeks later than I thought, it seemed like it would be easy. Now, at 17 weeks, I am bursting to tell the world! If for no other reason than that I don’t want people to think I am getting fat.

We are all very excited about this new adventure! I am confident that the girls will be excellent helpers. Funny thing about the 3rd pregnancy is that you experience a completely different form of excitement. I feel like I know what is going on this time around. My Dr. appointments are much shorter without the list of questions and we are generally just more relaxed. This has made it easier to just focus on the life that is growing and the baby that will be joining our family. There have been some rough points. I had just gotten back to a size and shape that I was really happy with so it feels like my body is going through some different changes than I experienced with the girls. This also means that I am healthier at this point than I was the girls and I am still able to work out which I didn’t even attempt with them. I experienced nausea like I have never felt before! I am honestly quite shocked that we were able to hide it for so long considering how many different commodes I have become acquainted with!

At our 13 week appointment, our Doctor strongly urged us to consider progesterone shots starting at 16 weeks. This new version of progesterone, nicknamed 17P, has proven helpful in preventing pre-term labor. As we have had 2 babies born at 35 weeks and 3 days, we decided that it was the obvious choice. We still have no idea why the girls were born premature but we are optimistically hopeful that this new regimen will be successful. The shots began at 16 weeks and will continue until 36. We are doing them at home…Jared is looking forward to that adventure, I am less enthusiastic

As we progress through this adventure, we ask for prayer for energy, good health and peace. Extra prayer for a looong pregnancy would be very welcome! We are shooting for a full term baby at 37 weeks! If we go to 42, I won’t complain!

 

 

At 12 weeks with my little copy cat. At this point we told Emily and she began to tell everyone she ran into. But since she also said there was a baby in her belly, nobody believed her

13 weeks. I thought the nausea was supposed to go away at this point…

15 weeks. We missed 14 because we were both just so tired we forgot This past week I began to feel so much better! Then the heartburn started. But Zantac has become a good friend of mine and we are getting much better. My energy is returning and we are getting things done around the house.

16 and a half weeks. I went to the doctor the day of this photo and got to see pictures of my little munchkin! We started the progesterone shots today and I feel much more confident after doing one. Bambino is doing wonderfully and growing great! I am feeling great after a very relaxing weekend with my Mama in Denver. We got to see my beautiful cousins wedding and shopped until our feet begged us to stop. I know that is probably the last time I will be able to do that for a long time so I reveled in every moment. 2 days after I got the shot, I started to feel the side effects. Nausea has returned in a completely different form, I am getting migraine headaches and dizziness. Unfortunately, more than 4 tylenol a day is not recommended when you are prone to pre-term labor and progesterone makes you metabolize it faster. Meaning that the tylenol I took an hour ago kicked in in 15 minutes but wore off 30 minutes later. My high risk nurse recommended not taking it at all if possible so I have only been taking it when the headaches get so bad the dizziness sets in.

Ice, Ice, Baby! 17 weeks!

We told Molly the afternoon this photo was taken and she immediately asked if she could feed the baby and change the babies diapers. Her servants heart is showing through

April Recipes

60) Woohoo! 1/3 of the way done! I tried a cauliflower chowder earlier this year and we all thought it was okay but not great. It certainly wasn’t as meaty as hubby prefers his soups to be. So I found a new recipe and tried again. Because it is April 3rd and we seem to be having a blizzard of sorts, c’mon Nebrasaka, it was the perfect night for a hearty soup. This recipe was so much better than the first. It was very similar to potato chowder but infinitely healthier, if you care about that sort of thing. My eldest hates potatoes so this was a good soup for her. I did make some alterations, shocking I know. Rather than bacon, I used some leftover ham from the fridge. I added some celery salt because I think it is essential to potato soups and at the end, when I tasted it, I decided that it was probably a little bland for hubbies taste so I added about a cup of cheddar. We all loved it! I also increased the amount of celery and carrots because I thought they seemed low.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/22/cauliflower-chowder/

 

61) This was a really nice and super easy supper for a night I didn’t want to cook. Fortunately I have a hubby who loves grilling! It took about 5 minutes to prep and NO dishes! Win in my book!

http://goodenessgracious.com/2012/04/ham-pineapple-kabobs.html#_a5y_p=1316905

 

62) I love biscuits and gravy! I don’t normally use a recipe but I decided to see if this one that was all over Pinterest was really that much better than what I was making. It was pretty much exactly the same But if you are someone who needs a recipe to try something new then give this a shot! So good!

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/13569044/bob-evans-sausage-gravy/

 

63) This one has been on my list for awhile. I happened to have some leftover ham so I thought it was a good time to give it a shot. Plus Molly is always thrilled if I make something with broccoli in it. It was quite yummy.

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/64164571/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole-recipe/

 

64) For some reason I was really wanting a piece of chocolate cake. And when I mentioned it to my girls they went ape. So we made a cake. I have been wanting to try a wacky cake for awhile and this one was excellent! Not quite as rich and sweet as the typical chocolate cake which I loved. And it is sooo cheap and easy! Takes less time to mix up than it did for me to find the vanilla in my disastrous cupboards! Give it a shot! You won’t be disappointed.

http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/2013/06/tried-true-tuesday-coffee-kahlua-crazy.html

 

65) I like easy meals. Sometimes I really want to make something elaborate and crazy but most night I like easy and yummy. This one was good for just that.

http://haiyenskitchen.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/italian-dressing-caramelized-chicken/

 

66) I have tried chicken parmesan before but most recipes call for mayo in them. My hubby doesn’t love mayo and I find it overpowering in the recipes. So I sat down to watch my favorite cooking show last week and they happened to be featuring this dish I wished to conquer. My favorite thing about this show is that they actually test dozens of methods and ingredients before recommending it to their viewers. I have yet to try anything that we didn’t absolutely love. If you get the PBS channel Create and are interested in learning more about cooking, I would encourage you to watch Americas Test Kitchen. It is on every night at 11 pm CT. I believe it is on earlier as well but I never remember when. They make it fun to watch as well as give many helpful tips. Only the current seasons recipes are available online for free so if this looks like something you want to try, sign up for a free membership and print it out immediately.

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/7323-best-chicken-parmesan#

 

67) A couple of my daycare kids are gluten intolerant and the poor kiddoes are pretty much stuck with apples and oranges every day for snack. So I am attempting to expand my gluten free recipe library. These were fun and easy. I think the 7 year old could have done the entire thing without me. I would have added some honey to them as they were not very sweet but overall they were good and all the kids loved them. They were also incredibly healthy so yay for that!

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/5332432340/civilized-cavemans-apple-cinnamon-cookies

 

68) Jared made these tonight and they were okay but nothing we loved. Neither one of us liked working with ground chicken at all. Slimey, smelly and odd! We won’t be making it again. I was a bit bummed because it sounded so good. I think we will try the same flavors but just grill chicken breasts.

http://homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com/2010/06/spicy-hawaiian-burgers.html

New Recipes: March

44) I really liked this soup recipe.  It was simple and kind of plain but I think it was a nice way to get some extra veggies into my kids diet.  Molly told me she would eat “flowers”(cauliflower) this way.  It needed an extra boost since I didn’t add the hot sauce.  I think some onion added to the roux or veggies would be nice. 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cauliflower-soup?keycode=ZFB0114SOD

 

45) I have mixed reviews on this one but my end decision is that I probably won’t make it again.  It tasted good and could be made a bit better without the corn and a but more spice but it made a HUGE batch.  We have eaten it for 2 meals and still have more than half of the pan. I believe we are going to try to put it in tortillas when we eat it again for lunch tomorrow.  Kids ate it which was shocking but none of us loved it.

http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2013/08/cheesy-stuffed-pepper-casserole.html

 

46) These were yummy!  Not a crunchy potato but they were simple and had a lot of flavor.  I really liked the parmesan on them.

http://www.kissrecipe.com/2013/07/oven-baked-potato-wedges.html

 

47) I have never cooked steak on the stove before (other than fried steak of course) so I was a little concerned about trying this out.  One thing you hate to ruin is steak!  I bought some filet mignons at the grocery store for a great price so I decided to give it a shot.  It was so easy and very good. Next time I will probably bake them a bit longer as they were too rare for the girls but Jared and I loved them!  Pioneer Woman always has such good tips!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/bacon-wrapped-filet-recipe.html

 

48) This was very yummy!  I don’t like cream corn from a can at all but this was so simple and so good. 

http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/03/delicious-cream-cheese-corn/

 

49) I am not a real fan of mushrooms but Hubby loves them so I tried this out.  It was very simple and tasty. It made mushrooms palatable. I didn’t use the Kraft FreshTakes because they are soooo expensive for a combo of cheese and bread crumbs.  I just use some Italian crumbs and Italian blend cheese.

http://www.thetaylor-house.com/cheesy-bacon-stuffed-mushroom-recipe-freshtake-cbias/#_a5y_p=1069205

 

50) This was very good and homey. It was a real comfort food.  It didn’t turn out exactly right because our local store didn’t have potato gnocchi so I had to use regular pasta gnocchi.  It was still good though and I am looking forward to trying it again with the correct ingredients.

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/ham-and-cheese-gnocchi.html#_a5y_p=1202430

 

51) We LOOOOVE pizza around here!  I mean, who doesn’t? However, I live with 2 people that don’t like pizza sauce. Weirdo’s. So this recipe was exactly what we needed. It was an amazingly good pizza dough recipe that was so pliable and easy to work with that I was actually giddy while spreading it out. On her blog she used the recipe to make garlic breadsticks and I thought, ‘hey, why not make that into a pizza?’.  So I added some Canadian bacon to the breadsticks and we ended up with the best pizza I have ever made!  It would also be great with pineapple and Canadian bacon or sausage and green peppers. This recipe is definitely my new pizza dough recipe.

http://www.laurenslatest.com/fail-proof-pizza-dough-and-cheesy-garlic-bread-sticks-just-like-in-restaurants/

 

52) This recipe comes from my very favorite PBS show!  Cooks Country Kitchen tries and tests recipes until they find the absolute best recipes for our favorite foods. I have been making the chicken nugget recipe from last season ever since I saw the episode. So far we haven’t found one we don’t love. The show is a family favorite although I can’t watch it on an empty stomach. The website does require a membership but it is free for the current recipes and tips. My advice is that if you want to try one of the recipes, print it off right away as once the current season is done they will not be available without an upgraded membership.

http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/6794-crispy-potato-tots

 

53) This was yummy and pretty simple. I think I like the hamburger version that we tried a couple weeks ago better though. Plus, it was cheaper.

http://www.thelittlekitchen.net/cheesesteaks/

 

54) I love Chinese food but we don’t love the cost! The last time we went out for Chinese we spent $40 for our family of 4. Considering how most of the meal is rice it should not be that pricey. So we are experimenting with homemade recipes. We all liked this one a lot. Emily had thirds. It is a crock pot recipe but I think next time I will just fully cook the meat in the skillet and then make the sauce in a sauce pan. It was tasty but I think you would get slightly less soggy results that way and then you wouldn’t have to scrub a crock pot. I made the chicken fried rice from my January post to go with it. There was plenty for supper and enough for us all to have it for lunch the next day. I estimate the entire dish cost me about $6 and that was only because I have gotten very picky about my chicken lately.

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2013/05/crock-pot-cashew-chicken.html

 

55) I love pasta! Who doesn’t right? Sometimes I just want a cheesy pasta dish. It’s comfort food. The other night I wanted to make italian sausage and pasta but couldn’t find a recipe that I had all the ingredients for. So I made up my own. I started by cooking the ground Italian sausage and boiling the pasta. Then I opened up an enormous can of whole tomatoes in juice and made a simple marinara out of it and added the sausage. Then I made a quick bechamel sauce with mozzarella and cheddar and put the pasta in it. I layered the sauce and pasta in a pan with some more mozzarella and and baked until gooey. It was delicious. So I don’t have a real recipe for this but that is kind of the way I cook. Guesstimates and praying. You could use jarred marinara and it would still be very simple.

 

56) Who doesn’t love a delicious pan of ooey gooey bars? I like to find recipes that Molly can help me with and this one she can do almost all by herself. She has so much fun and is always so proud to show her Daddy what she made.

http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/04/peanut-butter-cup-cookie-dough-crumble-bars.html

 

57) We had company so I made breakfast. Don’t get used to it, family. These were really good and puffed up wonderfully! I made some blueberry and some mixed berry just for fun.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/frozen-blueberry-muffins

 

58) There are not directions for this one but I just assumed it was a dump and bake recipe. It was quite good. The girls ate it very well and it was a great side to go with baked Italian chicken.

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/526808068/tortellini-bake/

 

59) I love a good creamy meatball dish but I thought this one was a bit too much work for what it was. It was okay but not amazing and probably not something I will repeat.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/02/21/swedish-meatballs/

Smoothie Addiction.

In January I decided to go on a diet of sorts.  I have no plans to lose weight at all but I have always failed miserably at eating the fruits and veggies that are necessary to good health.  My new “diet” plan is to incorporate one green veggie into every cooked dinner and at least 2 servings of fruit a day.  That doesn’t seem like much but I really don’t like to eat fruit.  I love the taste but the textures of most bother me.  It is better in the summertime when everything is fresh and delicious but the winter tends to make ripe fruit hard to find and EXPENSIVE! 

Enter smoothies.  I started drinking a protein rich fruit smoothie for breakfasts which has actually been nice.  I am a zombie in the mornings and have no ambition for cooking.  While my kids are more than happy to eat cereal everyday, I am not.  Which meant that I went many a day with no breakfast at all.  I made oatmeal a couple times a week but most days I would skip.  Forcing myself to take 30 seconds to blend a smoothie has really increased my energy(duh! right?) and it wakes me up because it is so dang cold.  This motivates me to workout to warm up.  It has worked out very nicely.  Then in the afternoon, usually around 2:30, I get very hungry so I make a fiber rich smoothie.  If the hunger isn’t too bad I still drink one but put whatever I feel like in it.  My Mom has asked for a couple of my recipes so here are the combos that I have loved. 

Note:I do not use yogurt.  You can if you want but I can’t stand the stuff so it won’t be in any of these.  If you want to add it just use less milk of your choice and add it in.

Note 2: I do not recommend using any kind of protein powder at all.  It is unnatural and highly processed. If it comes with a warning label, do not ingest it.

Note 3: I don’t measure anything.  These are all guesstimates.  If I measure then I have to wash and I don’t wanna.

 

Breakfast or Protein smoothies-

Banana, 1/4 cup Peanut butter, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, dribble of honey, 1/4-1/2 cup almond milk(I prefer almond but use whatever.  Cows milk sometimes curdles so be cautious).  Toss in a couple of almonds and 4-6 ice cubes.  This one is often requested my girls.  I don’t add almonds to theirs but they love this combo. 

Apple(cored, no need to peel if your blender can handle it) banana, 1/3 cup almond milk, 3-4 almonds and a dash of cinnamon or apple pie seasoning.  Add some ice if you want it cold but I don’t.  This one is sooo good!

Apple, cored, 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries, 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, touch of almond milk to blend and 3-4 almonds.  I have added oatmeal to this one too.  Very good but gets stuck in the straw.

Other combos without real recipes include:

Banana, apple, strawberrie and almonds

Banana, mango, cherries and almonds.

Banana(seeing a theme here?), peaches, strawberries and almonds.

Banana, oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and ice.

 

Bananas are good in the mornings.  They are packed full of good stuff.  I hate the texture but love the flavor so this is how I can eat them.  All of my fruit is frozen with the exception of bananas, apples, pineapple and pomegranates.

 

Afternoon:

There are no recipes, just combos.  I like to go crazy and some have NOT worked but most do.

Peach, mango, pinapple(Fave!)

banana, mango pineapple

blueberry, strawberry, peach

apple, blueberry, raspberry

Mixed berry, peach and banana.

Mixed berry, peach and apple.

Pineapple, strawberry and mango(Jared loves this)

Raspberry pineapple and mango.

 

All of these have worked well for me.  I add fresh spinach to any of the ones that are dark, i.e. raspberry, blueberry and so on.  I don’t like adding it to the light colored ones because it is gross looking.  Pineapple and spinach are a good combo though so I like to add blueberries to that mix.

I have tried a few I am not a fan of but I won’t post those because they are personal opinions.  I love kiwis but I don’t add them to my smoothies for a couple of reasons.  1-they are hard to find fresh and 2-the seeds.  I despise sucking up a giant seed through a straw.  However, they are a good green fruit so spinach, kiwi and green apple are a great combo. 

You may notice that all of my recipes are fruit only with honey often added.  The reason for that is, I will not drink it if it doesn’t taste good. I know my weakness so I don’t push my limits.  But hey, go crazy, add whatever you feel like.  You may find a combo that is fantastic even if it sounds bizarre.

 

Warnings-Raspberry, blueberry, pomegranate and all citrus will curdle dairy milk.  If that is your milk of choice, add all of your other ingredients first, add the milk and blend before adding in the sour fruits. 

Soy milk is not good for you.  Do not drink it.  Choose any other option.

Agave has more glucose in it that pure can sugar.  It may be touted as a healthy option but it is bad bad bad.  If you want a sweetener, go with honey.

 

Have fun and learn to love fruit.

Funny thing is, I actually crave smoothies each day