Ginger-Spiced Chai Smoothie - Happy Monday!

With Thanksgiving finally over, and Christmas right around the corner, I seem to be busier than ever..... and with a steadily decreasing amount of time in which to get it all done....

Every year the holiday season is hectic, what with the getting orders out in time for Christmas delivery, and making (and mailing) my own gifts to family and friends– not to mention all the traveling to see them! I am amazed each year when I manage to come out on the other side of the New Year, having actually completed all the items on my to-do list, and even survived in order to do it all over again next year.

This year though, seems even crazier than usual because on top of all the normal goings-on this time of year, my husband and I are moving some eight hours North-West, to Buffalo, NY – just two short days after Christmas! It has been a colorful juggling act, keeping on top of everything – and keeping track of all the boxes: boxes for customers... boxes for family....boxes for friends...and just boxes on top of boxes on top of boxes, waiting for their trip to a new home.

To keep it all straight, I have resorted to an almost manic use of neon-colored Post-Its and Sharpie markers. Everything labeled – color coded – for my sanity's sake. Keeping a firm foundation in my daily routine doesn't hurt either – which is why I am adamant about starting my day at the same time each morning, eating my meals at the same time each day, and maintaining a regular rotation of household chores. I find comfort in the monotony of these little things...

And, as you all must know by now, one of those little things that I love is my morning smoothie!

I know, you think it CRAZY that I am still making my icy smoothies each morning, even though outside, the dew has turned to frost, and the daily temperatures are no longer rising above fifty degrees....

But, it seems that, when I sleep, my body temperature rises dramatically. My husband calls me his personal radiator, and sometimes I even get so hot that I must crack the window... even deep into the winter when the air is frigid and dense.

So, each morning when I awake, I still find the cool beverages to be quite soothing. This gingery-spiced beverage is one of my favorites. It is sweet, but also spicy, and so has a bit of an illusion of warmth despite its chill...

Ginger-Spiced Chai Smoothie
(Serves 2)

1-1/2 cups hot water 2 bags Celestial Seasonings Chai (Vanilla-Ginger-Green Tea)

2/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1-1/4 cups soy milk (vanilla or plain)
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

First, steep the tea bags in the hot water for 3-4 minutes. Remove the tea bags and transfer the liquid to a small ice cube tray and freeze. Combine these cubes with the remaining ingredients and blend until frothy and smooth. Enjoy!!

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FIND MORE SMOOTHIE RECIPES IN OUR ARCHIVES!

Back to Basics - Peachy Lean Smoothie

Oh no! I've disappeared from Blog-world ...... yet again!!
I admit it! I have definitely been slacking on my posts lately!

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If you would go and ask any of my real-life friends, you would quickly discover that I sometimes -- ok, frequently -- drop of the radar for days -- sigh, sometimes weeks -- when I get all-absorbed in some sort of creative project.

Or, you would learn that, as a child (and then well into my teens) I would frequently be late for dinner, lost in some fantastical world of literary brilliance. I would emerge, well past dark, to rejoin the real-world after completing an entire novel in one day (taking it with me to read on the bus, at school, during classes, at home, at the dinner table.... everywhere and anywhere ... until it was completed).

What can I say? I like to lose myself in the process ... and so I do ...

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Unfortunately though, last week's hiatus was not that sort of occasion....

It was, alternatively, a miserable illness that dismantled my entire life ....
for the better part of a week.

One of those nagging head colds that builds up unbearable pressure inside your skull - so you cannot focus - with the constant coughing and sneezing - endless coughing coughing coughing and sneezing sneezing sneezing - leaving you dizzy from the lack of oxygen and the brain rattling - and, let us not forget, the clogged sinuses and phlegm buildup that prevents you from breathing freely - and inevitably leads to more coughing and sneezing --> and then, oh my goodness, on top of it all, no amount of Nyquil in the world could help you get any kind of decent sleep!

So...... after lying in bed for days, sipping mugs of chicken broth, and glass after glass after glass of tea or water - watching endless reruns of Grey's Anatomy and basically being a complete baby about the whole ordeal --- I had, I'll admit it, absolutely no interest whatsoever.... in sitting down in front of the computer to write blog posts....

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But.... after a few clear-headed days now to regather my wits (and get out of the house) - I am back on a .... somewhat dreary Monday morning, with a brand new smoothie recipe.

I won't go on and on about how rich in Vitamin C, potassium, and beta-carotene this smoothie is.....

Instead, let me just tell you how delicious it is!!
Simply, it as close as you'll ever get to fresh peach cobbler....
without ever turning on your oven!


Peachy - Lean Smoothie
(Serves 2)

2/3 cups low-fat peach yogurt
1 to 1-1/2 cups sliced peaches, frozen
1/4 cup Whole Fruits peach sorbet
3/4 cup plain soy milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice

Combine the yogurt and soy milk in a blender.
Add all the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Serve immediately!

Per serving: approximately 185 calories, 3 g fiber and 9 g protein. Also high in Vitamin C and Potassium.

An Enchilada Breakfast Creation

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a family of four spends $80 more a month on groceries than they did two years ago.

Ok. So $80. You think, that does not seem like so much.
But.... Let us take a look at that within the current economic context.
American families today are also feeling the burden of increasing energy prices, housing market uncertainty, and growing health care costs.
And, in an alarming reversal of past progress, real household income for the typical family has declined over the last seven years!
So, how are families able to actually shop healthy but still afford what they are buying for their meals!?

Well, first of all, take a cue from the $5 Dinner Mom, and start cutting coupons, following sale trends at your local grocer, and optimizing savings with her strategic planning techniques.

Then, start making better use of your left-overs by creating new dishes, instead of just reheating the same old thing two days in a row.
Usually when you think about a meal your focus is just on that one meal.
But wouldn't life be so much easier if thinking about one meal.... led to another meal with less work?

Yes - it would!
(Plus, being more creative with the food you already have will most certainly save you more money on groceries.)

So, here is one of my favorite left-over creations: An Enchilada and Baked-Egg Breakfast. It is so simple, and totally satisfying.

Baked-Egg Enchilada Casserole
(Serves 2)First, start with two left-over enchiladas.
(Use my Mostly Mushroom Enchilada recipe or my Black Bean Enchilada recipe as a base.)
Split the servings and layer them over a bed of rice inside two serving-sized baking dishes. Now, using the back of a spoon, make an indent into the center of the enchilada and then crack a single egg into each crevice. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (or until the egg whites have just set). Serve immediately and enjoy!!

Per serving: approximately 469 calories, 27 g fiber and 23 g protein. Also high in calcium and iron!


Check out our RECIPE ARCHIVES for MORE BREAKFAST IDEAS!

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What do you do to make the best use of your leftovers??

Happy Mondays - Strawberry-Passionfruit Smoothie

When you have a smoothie (or two) a day, your fruit and yogurt reserves tend to run out quickly. Unfortunately, this week, there was not much in the way of fruit sales at our local grocer, and even worse, we were running low on smoothie fixings even before our weekly trip to the market.

So, this morning when I went to prepare the morning concoction, I was a little discouraged to find our frozen fruit reserves down to one zipper-lock bag of sliced strawberries..... our yogurt supply down to the last little scoop.....and just a mere two cans of Goya nectar left in the pantry.....

But, nevertheless, I managed to create yet another tasty treat to start of the week!
This one in particular is pretty simple, and may even require a bit of extra sugar for those of you with a sweet-tooth...but it has a lot of protein and fiber.... so even if you add the little bit of extra sugar, I'd still call it a healthy breakfast treat!


Strawberry - Passion fruit Smoothies
(Serves 2)

2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 to 1-1/2 cups sliced strawberries, frozen
1/2 - 11.5 oz. can Passion Fruit Nectar
1 to 1-1/2 cups plain soy milk (or low-fat milk)

Combine all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Serve immediately, and enjoy.

Each smoothie contains approximately 235 calories, 12 g fiber and 11 g protein. Also high in Vitamin C!

Check out our RECIPE ARCHIVES for more SMOOTHIES!!

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What is your favorite smoothie flavor?

Handmade Holidays

As a kid I remember my mom cleaning the house on Saturday mornings with the windows open and Shawn Colvin blaring on the stereo. Every weekend, as a family, we had to spend a few hours cleaning house before any fun could begin. I suppose, to my mom, kids were cheap labor. For ten bucks she could get me (and my friends) to do things that she probably couldn't hire a cleaning lady to do for a hundred... It had to be a real bargain.

But, as much as I dreaded cleaning day, when we worked together, it really never took us very long to get a clean house and get out the door. Now, I have to admit, I still wake up on Saturday mornings and, after putting on my ratty jeans and a t-shirt, set out to finish the laundry, vacuum, and then clean the kitchen and the bathroom. However, without a house full of little rug-rats to set to cleaning for you, the tasks tend to take quite a deal longer...

You would think that without the rug-rats there would be LESS TO CLEAN, and it would all just even out, but no, cleaning up after my husband and his bachelor brother, is practically a full-time job. So, needless to say, I was astonished when, come Friday night, I had managed to finish all the laundry (yes, even put it all away), vacuum, and clean the kitchen!

So, Saturday morning, all that was left to do was clean the bathroom, and then sit back, relax, and do anything I wanted.... Sure, I could have spent the time wisely, getting ahead on any number of projects and so forth, but instead I just made myself a hot cup of cocoa and curled up in front of my computer to do some"window shopping" at ETSY.com.

I came across a few truly splendid items that would be perfect for making any of your holiday festivities creatively handmade and exciting!
I just had to share....
(Just click on any of the images to jump to that featured item on ETSY...)

First of all, I just adore these little paper acorn parcels. These sweet little nuts would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table, to share treats with your guests and bring a smile to your family! The shop owner is Jessica Wolf; artist, wife, nature-lover and smartypants. All of her designs are one-of-a-kind, and she offers personal customization and bulk discounts!
How cool is that?

Next were these tangerine and chocolate linen place mats. The color scheme is right up my alley, and aren't they just perfect for any upcoming autumn dinner parties....say Thanksgiving...?
And, if you like these, the KainKain Shop has many more modern, contemporary and affordable items in home decor!

Finally, just before leaving, I stumbled upon these incredibly unique little wine glass charms. These handmade bottle cap charm's are a fabulous way to accessorize and identify your wine glass, martini glass etc. Beautiful and unique, these little accessories are a great way to add a bit of vintage-inspired flair to all of your social gatherings! Find more of Tiffini Elektra's artwork, jewelry and apparel at her shop, tartx.

Happy Monday!!

Shawn Colvin - One Cool Remove
Shawn Colvin - Steady On