 | Well, much like when I was getting ready to announce my pregnancy and went a little off the grid for a bit, there's more big news to share today and it's a huge contributor to my sudden lack of posts. Have no fear, you'll get a recipe AND the news today! So, the news. We're moving! And buying a house! Which has all happened very quickly and has been a major whirlwind. |
Husband got a promotion that allows us to move back closer to family, which we've been debating and kind of hoping for for some time. He went to our soon-to-be new home state about a month ago to look at houses. And....found one we loved, we put in an offer, and we're just a couple weeks from closing and 3 weeks from the big move! Ah! So, we've been frantically getting everything in order, buying new furniture to fit into the new place since we've only ever lived in tiny little apartments, choosing paint colors, and generally just trying to figure out how to pack and make the big move without totally derailing our little man. Stress doesn't begin to describe it, but it's exciting and wonderful and will all be just great when we finally get into our first real home!
However, the stress has also made my eating habits less than stellar. I'm a major stress/emotional eater, which means chocolate and sweets have become a major daily staple, far beyond my normal and what I feel good about. In an effort to improve my nutrition balance, I'm challenging myself to two weeks of a green smoothie (or some other veggie-imbued smoothie) every day. Two weeks because it's longer than one week, but a month would mean trying to keep this up while we're in the final days of packing and moving and supplies may be quite limited! While there are a good number of smoothies already on my recipe page to get things started, I happen to have a new favorite. And that is today's recipe!
Velvety Vanilla Smoothie
1 8-oz smoothie
1 cup whole milk, preferably grass-fed
1/2 avocado
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
2 tsp (or more if you prefer) vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional, but delicious)
maple syrup to taste (I never measure, I just drizzle a bit in and then taste and adjust, so start small!)
ice cubes (3-4)
Place all ingredients but the ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed. Add ice and blend again until ice is broken up nicely. Devour. Day one of the smoothie challenge complete. Don't feel bad if this is the only green smoothie you decide to make every day for the 2 week challenge. :)
**for a fun chocolate twist, reduce the vanilla extract to 1 tsp and add 1 Tbsp or more of cocoa powder (raw is best).
What's your favorite green/veggie smoothie? Can you handle the 2 week challenge?
However, the stress has also made my eating habits less than stellar. I'm a major stress/emotional eater, which means chocolate and sweets have become a major daily staple, far beyond my normal and what I feel good about. In an effort to improve my nutrition balance, I'm challenging myself to two weeks of a green smoothie (or some other veggie-imbued smoothie) every day. Two weeks because it's longer than one week, but a month would mean trying to keep this up while we're in the final days of packing and moving and supplies may be quite limited! While there are a good number of smoothies already on my recipe page to get things started, I happen to have a new favorite. And that is today's recipe!
Velvety Vanilla Smoothie
1 8-oz smoothie
1 cup whole milk, preferably grass-fed
1/2 avocado
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
2 tsp (or more if you prefer) vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional, but delicious)
maple syrup to taste (I never measure, I just drizzle a bit in and then taste and adjust, so start small!)
ice cubes (3-4)
Place all ingredients but the ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed. Add ice and blend again until ice is broken up nicely. Devour. Day one of the smoothie challenge complete. Don't feel bad if this is the only green smoothie you decide to make every day for the 2 week challenge. :)
**for a fun chocolate twist, reduce the vanilla extract to 1 tsp and add 1 Tbsp or more of cocoa powder (raw is best).
What's your favorite green/veggie smoothie? Can you handle the 2 week challenge?