140/365 Breakfast: Green smoothie

Do not be afraid.

You're only seeing this through your computer screen, so it can't get you.

I mentioned that I've been working with a nutritionist recently. Well, one of her first recommendations for me was that I should try to eat a serving of greens at every meal. I like green vegetables -- spinach, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, lettuce, kale -- so it sounded like a task I could easily take on.

But then, in practice, I struggled with one meal: breakfast. Beyond adding spinach to my eggs, I had a hard time coming up with other ideas. The thought of having a salad for breakfast doesn't exactly make me want to jump out of bed in the morning.

Thankfully, there are some really tasty green juices on the market. Then I started thinking, what if I made my own? That's got to be better, right? I don't own a juicer (and don't plan to buy one any time soon), so that brings me to smoothies instead.

Time to experiment.

I've put my blender through its paces, trying multiple combinations of ingredients on my own, but they all fell a little short. While drinkable, they weren't yummy. And forgive me, but I want my breakfast to be yummy.

Google "green smoothie" and you'll get hundreds of recipes. Since my personal experiments weren't measuring up, I decided to pick one and give it a try. I landed on the "Classic Green Monster" from Oh She Glows. Short list of ingredients, easy to adapt. Cross your fingers...

It's great! And worth repeating! Woohoo!

My version uses So Delicious Coconut Milk, one frozen banana, two handfuls baby spinach, ground flax seeds, and my new favorite Alton Brown cashew butter. Blend it up, and voila! You get a bright green smoothie that is really tasty. And trust me, the banana and cashew butter are the dominant flavors. The spinach mainly adds color and nutrients.

While it may remind you of the clip below, I encourage you to be brave, find the fun of your inner child who likes the idea of drinking bright green smoothies, and give it a whirl!



Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 640

341/365 New theme: food!

A week has passed, so it's time for a change of theme!

Warning to you: it may make you hungry, because "Food" is my new subject of choice.

To kick things off, I'll start with the beginning of the day -- breakfast.

I'm sure it originates with the encouragement of a parent who wouldn't let me leave the house without it, but I've never been a person who could skip breakfast. I don't know about you, but I wake up hungry every day.

My breakfast of choice lately, especially in the winter months, has been oatmeal. Old-fashioned rolled oats, with dried cranberries, almonds, milled flax seed, cinnamon, a little raw sugar, and a splash of milk. With two hard-boiled egg whites on the side for extra protein. Oh my. So good. Why skip that?

When I started at this job over a year ago, one of the first things many of my new coworkers raved about was a weekly tradition: Friday-morning staff breakfasts. Everyone in the company takes turns cleaning the kitchen for a week at a time. With more than 40 people in the building, the chore really isn't that bad, because you only have to do it about once a year.

The grand finale of your cleaning week consists of providing breakfast for everyone. Breakfast for 40. And boy, is it a hit.

Most commonly you'll see bagels, doughnuts, juice, and fresh fruit. I personally love it when people get creative and do something different.

My turn was last week, and I chose to do an oatmeal buffet of sorts. I got two kinds of oatmeal, provided granola, vanilla yogurt, and milk, and had several kinds of mix-ins on hand to spice it up. There was actually quite a bit of food left over, so I don't think it was as bit a hit as I'd have liked, but at least it was healthy and something different!

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens and 430EX Speedlite, 1/80s, f/2.8 at ISO 1000

Trying a new food: chia seeds

I. Love. Whole Foods. Seriously.

There are only a couple in the Indianapolis area, and they're not near my house, so I only get a chance to go once every month or two. With that kind of separation, the trip becomes a real treat. I've even submitted my zip code on the Whole Foods website in the hopes that they'll scope out this side of Indianapolis and decide that we truly, desperately need a store in this area.

But, until they reach that conclusion and start construction, I'll keep building my shopping list through the month and salivating as I stroll the aisles and dream about all the wonderful things I can make.

I made a trip last night and got something new: chia seeds. I've been reading about these wonder seeds on various blogs for months, and my nutritionist mentioned them once or twice, but I've never actually tried them. Their more common cousin (well, they're both seeds, so I'll consider them cousins), flax seeds, are a regular part of my breakfast regimen and are much easier to find in your standard grocery store.

The amazing Whole Foods came through for me and had a couple kinds to choose from. One in the baking section, by Bob's Red Mill, and a couple in the supplement section. I've bought several things from Bob's Red Mill and like the brand a lot -- and it was cheaper -- so I chose that one.

Even if you've never seen these or cooked with them, I'm betting you've seen them before, though used in a different way: in the classic holiday gift, the Chia Pet.

Yep, the Chia Pet's grow-green-hair seeds are the very same seeds that are creating a stir as one of the latest and greatest super foods. Who knew?

Chia seeds are a vegan's best friend, because they can be used as egg and other binding-substance substitutes in baking and other cooking. When they're soaked in liquid, the seeds take on a gelatinous quality. I actually picked a vegan recipe for my first test drive after dinner tonight -- Chia Seed Pudding.

Chia Seed Pudding
Serves 1

1/2 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk (or your favorite milk or milk substitute)
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 pack Stevia
1 Tablespoon Almonds, chopped
1 oz Chia seeds, dry

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl (or measuring cup, as I did here). Let it sit for a few minutes, stir, sit some more, stir, and continue repeating that process for about 15 minutes -- no cooking involved. The chia seeds turn the mixture into a consistency that's almost like tapioca pudding.

I altered the recipe a little bit by leaving out the almonds, because I just wasn't in an almond mood (if there is such a thing).

The result? I wasn't thrilled.

I like tapioca pudding, so I liked the consistency and texture. But the flavor was just blah. I'm not sure if the almonds would have helped that, or if it just needs a little more oomph... I'm going to have to play with it. I tried adding some cocoa powder at the end, but by that time it had gelled enough that it was difficult to mix in -- so I think if you're going to dress it up, it needs to be early, when you first bring the ingredients together.

I ended up eating a few bites and tossing the rest, because without good flavor, I'd have just been eating it for the sake of eating it. I pulled out my trusty, reliable, favorite -- dark chocolate -- to satisfy my sweet tooth instead.

Have you tried chia seeds? What's your favorite way to use them?