16

Aug

Quickest smoothie ever

Ever need a quick breakfast, but a granola bar isn’t enough? Grab this.

Quickest Smoothie Ever
Serves one in a hurry
1/2 cup orange juice
1 frozen banana
1/2 frozen peach
3 frozen strawberries
1 TB ground flax

Blend all together. Gulp down immediately while running out the door.

Have we talked about flax seed yet?
I suppose it’s time.

FLAX SEED is a superfood. This WebMD article summarizes a lot of it.

FACTS:

  • Can be traced back to Babylon as early as 3000 BC, and King Charlemagne thought so highly of the food that he passed laws to command his people to eat it.
  • Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
  • Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
  • Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.
  • It is linked to preventing cardiovascular and lung diseases, as well as preventing certain types of cancers (lung, breast, colon).
  • The omega-3s in flax seed can reduce atherosclerotic plaque buildup (in the arteries) by up to 75%.
  • Daily intake of flax seed can regulate your cholesterol levels and even your blood sugar, for current and potential diabetics. (This is so huge.)
  • And, for middle aged ladies, 2 TB of ground flax seed in your yogurt or on fruit twice a day is believed to reduce hot flashes by 50%.
    Golden and dark flax seed are equal in nutritional value

Okay, if that hasn’t convinced you, just try it. Flax seed in inexpensive (bought in the bulk bins at the grocery store or in bags in the healthy living/vitamin departments at the stores). It’s cheaper to buy whole flax seeds and then go home and ground them in your coffee grinder or food processor. I keep a little jar of them on the kitchen counter, right next to the sea salt. It’s easy to sprinkle on yogurt, fruit, in smoothies, oatmeal, in baking breads and cakes, in pasta, soups, taco meat, anything really! Doctors recommend 1-2 tablespoons a day, and consuming ground flax seed is absorbed much better than the whole seeds. It has a bit of a nutty flavor when eaten alone, but it virtually tasteless when mixed into foods.

Ground flax seed

 And now for something random…
This is what my summer has looked like.

No, do not fear, my husband and I are doing really well. I’ve been taking a Premarital Counseling class so I can be certified to counsel couples as they prepare for marriage. It involves a LOT of reading, including books like this that make for interesting conversations (or sympathetic stares) in the dentist office waiting room. Ha, that’s okay, just another (humbling) sacrifice for a minister’s calling, right? Hope your day is wonderful, fabulous and FLAXulous. 🙂

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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21

Jun

Pantry Smoothie

Part of the fun of cooking is finding things around your kitchen and creating a delicious meal with them. It’s imagination that has no limits! (okay, you can’t add the kitchen sink to a meal…) Here was my liquid breakfast this morning, a collection of simple things in the pantry and fridge.

Pineapple Orange Smoothie
1 can pineapple rings or chunks
1 can of mandarin oranges (or 1 fresh orange)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups ice cubes

Drain the cans and add 1 cup of pineapple (5 rings) or fresh pineapple, if you have it, to the blender. Add the oranges or use a fresh orange. Add the coconut, yogurt, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Garnish with orange and pineapple slices.

A note on organic: 

I don’t talk much about organic foods because 1)it’s so trendy, 2)it can be so expensive, and 3)we don’t get much of a variety of organics at our local grocery stores where I live.
HOWEVER, if you can, buy organic!

If for nothing else, you are looking for the most bang for your buck, so a $1.00 giant cookie and a $1.00 organic apple don’t compare. Or a $1.00 bag of potato chips and a $1.00 cucumber. You get so many more nutrients from produce in general, compared to packaged and processed foods, so organic produce is a bargain in that sense. Also, the latest studies I’ve been reading (from journal articles at the library–I know, nerd-o) have shown significant increases in vitamins and nutrients in USDA certified organic produce as compared to the “regular” produce on the shelves. I have not found a study that didn’t find many more nutrients in the organic versus the regular.
So, if you’re like me, you don’t want to be one of those people in the fiber commercials chomping on apples and carrots all day long…why not eat 3 regular meals with a couple of snacks and get all of your daily needs that way? Okay, that’s my two cents. Cha-ching.

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL

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10

May

Carrot Ginger Lime Smoothie

Wow, what a weekend! My hubby had the amazing idea of driving down and surprising my mom for mother’s day, and I did. Not much gets past this woman, especially surprises, but–with the help of my dad–the surprise went off without a hitch and she was truly surprised. When you’re an only child (as some of you know too well), there’s pressure on your shoulders to represent “the offspring” of your parents, because you don’t have siblings to share the responsibility. It also means that you’re their main/only shot at parenting, so you are the guinea pig your whole life, but that’s okay. My parents have been amazing, and I am so thankful for such consistently loving people.

Do you have a favorite memory with one/both of your parents that always brings a smile to your face? Mom and I cleaned out one of my grandmother’s closets this weekend. We found the dress that my grandmother made and wore in my parents’ wedding. We found several suits and dresses that my mom made for my grandmother. Mom was (and still is, when she has time) quite the clothing designer/seamstress. She used to completely surprise my grandmother each year with a suit SHE MADE FOR HER! Mom was sneaky, but somehow she managed to figure out my grandmother’s measurements by measuring the regular pieces in my grandmother’s wardrobe. She’d then sew late at night after my grandmother went to bed and, on Mother’s Day or her birthday, mom would present my grandmother with a 3- or 4-piece suit. A jacket, blouse, pants and a skirt, all matching perfectly, all designed and constructed to fit my grandmother perfectly. Brilliant! Mom is a quiet giver and gives all of herself for those she loves. It’s incredible. As her daughter, I’ve gotten to see mom secretly give and give and give over the years, and she never asks for anything in return. What a lady! Cheers to my mom, my mom’s mom, and to all you who have/had moms or are a mom yourself. Blessing to you this day and every day.

On to food…after traveling and staying busy all weekend and yesterday, it was time for a pick-me-up.


Carrot Ginger Lime Smoothie
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
1 banana
1-2 t. freshly ground ginger (or 1 t. of candied ginger)
1/3 cup of a mildly flavored veggie (I used 3 mushrooms)
Juice of 1/2 lime

Blend all ingredients together and sip while doing some quickly-piling-up laundry. Oh, that’s just me.


Need a dinner idea? Matt boiled 4 chicken breasts, transferred them to the grill pan, and cooked them in a little red wine, olive oil, and garlic. The wine gives the chicken flavor and a beautiful deep rose color. He topped it with a little store-bought curry sauce. Simple and delicious!

 

 Happy Tuesday! 

~Laurel~

15 years ago Short URL 2 Comments

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