40

To be clear, Chris turned 40. I'm still in my very early 30's.

I met Chris when he was 26 and he already had a little salt and pepper in his hair. I'm told that's what they call graying {very} pre-maturely. Well, now that he's turned 40, I guess he has an excuse, right?

Brielle took her own money, and walked to Macey's after school to collect all the candy she'd need for her dad's special birthday poster. It reads...

Turning 40 is nothing to "Snicker" about! Your joints have already begun to "Crunch," you've started to have "Butterfingers" and your mind is playing "Twix" on you! But we wouldn't trace you for "100 Grand" because you are "Mounds" of fun! We hopd you don't think we're "Nerds" for making this card, but a "Hot Tamales" like yourself needs "Extra" attention on your Birthday! Love, your "SweeTarts" and your "AirHead"
 

Chris also woke up to find that his truck have been decorated by some friends...

Later in the week, I received a text from Chris (who was at the Sportsman's Expo in Salt Lake) which read "You bought me a new fly fishing pole for my birthday! Thanks babe!" He was most certainly welcome and I sure do appreciate him making his 40th birthday easy on me!

Green Detox Smoothie

This weeks smoothie comes from a blog called "Gimme Some Oven." We stocked up on spinach, bananas and giant bag of frozen pineapple chunks from Costco, so I hit up Pinterest for a tropical green smoothie with those primary ingredients. Plus, the word "detox" makes it sound so much more healthy, right?

If you haven't read my previous posts, we've been buying fruit in bulk to keep the costs of making daily smoothies down. Then we make the same smoothie all the week long to use up our supply before the fruit spoils.

Aside from spinach and kale, I haven't ventured out to add other veggies to my morning smoothies. I'm just not that brave. But I thought to myself... how bad could a single stalk of celery be? It wasn't.... bad.... but the bitter celery flavor was certainly at the forefront on my first sip. The more I drank, the less it bothered me. After a few sips, I tasted mostly pineapple.

The original recipe recommends adding chia seeds. Now, I've read up on health benefits of chia seeds and they are certainly a good source of fiber, antioxidants and omega-3. But I'm curious -- does it change the flavor of the smoothies at all (for those who have tried)? Not to mention, I'll need to find another place (locally) besides Macey's that sells the stuff (holy smokes -- $11.00 for a small bag).

 

Photo Credit Given to Gimme Some Oven

Green Detox Smoothie

Recipe Adapted from: Gimme Some Oven (Link HERE)

MAKES 4 CUPS - 2 SERVINGS (238 Calories Per Serving)

• 1 Banana
• 3 cups Frozen Pineapple Chunks
• 2 cups Baby Spinach
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1 Tbsp Ginger (really, just to taste)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 8 oz Water

Place all ingredients in your blender, secure lid and blend until smooth. I used the "Smoothie" button on my Blendtec, which blends for roughly 36 seconds.

Mean Green Smoothis (Kelsey's Kitchen)

Photo Credit Given to Kelsey's Kitchen

Mean Green Smoothie 

Recipe Adapted From: Kelsey's Kitchen (Link HERE)

MAKES 4 CUPS - 2 SERVINGS (171 Calories Per Serving)

• 2 cups Baby Spinach
• 1 cup frozen Green Grapes
• 2 Kiwi's, peeled & diced
• 1 Green Apple
• 1 cup Trop 50 Orange Juice (instead of Green Tea)
• 2 sprigs Fresh Mint Leaves

Place all ingredients in your blender, secure lid and blend until smooth. I used the "Smoothie" button on my Blendtec which blends for roughly 36 seconds. To save myself the time of peeling the Kiwi's each mornings, I peeled and diced 12 Kiwi's and divided them among 6 ziplock bags, along with a cup of grapes. I placed each bag in the freezer to be ready when I need them. It saves a lot of time and cleanup. Personally, I'd rather have the extra 10 minutes of sleep!

Brielle and I had the most fabulous opportunity to meet Kelsey Nixon of Kelsey's Kitchen. She recently released a cookbook called Kitchen Confidence and stopped in her home town of Cache Valley Utah (which happens to be my home town) and sign some books.

Because I know her grandfather through work, I was given a special invitation to meet Kelsey and his home, before her schedule signing. I look giddy... and that's because I was.

She signed MY book to Brielle... so naturally, Brielle thinks it's now hers.

While meeting her, she offered up one of the YUMMIEST green smoothies I've ever had, and it is now our smoothie of the week. Each week, we pick a smoothie and buy the ingredients in bulk. It's cheaper that way and we use the fruit before it goes bad. I've tweaked her recipe a bit and have noted those changes. Hope you love it as much as we do!

The Face of a Fighter

This was the picture shared all over Facebook at the beginning of January. It broke my heart. This beautiful woman that I had known since I was little was going to be sent home from the hospital, under hospice care, to live out the last moments of her life.

Yesterday, I went to see this friend. And this is what I found...

 

The face of a fighter. A beautiful, smiling woman determined not to die. There is so much faith oozing out of her body it can be felt the moment you enter her home, and it nearly punches you in the face when sitting next to her. I felt a presence there yesterday. The presence of our Heavenly Father, stronger than I've felt in a really long time. So strong, I want to be near it -- and her-- again sooner, rather than later!

I've learned so much from this person watching her cancer journey unfold, and in the few moments I've been able to spend with her. She has taught me so much about having the courage to accept what is and the determination to fight for what you want. She spoke to me yesterday about being grateful for all that you have, because our blessings out-weigh our challenges, no matter how great they might be. And she reminded me of the importance of having faith in the Lord, no matter what.

Being with her and her family yesterday, I saw that she has a lot of life still in her and the determination to live it!

Kale & Pear Green Smoothie

This was last weeks smoothie. I had extra Kale at home after making a Zuppa Toscana copycat soup and I just couldn't pass up the giant bag of beautiful Bartlett pears at Costo last week.

Photo Credit Given to Vitamix

Kale & Pear Green Smoothie
Recipe Adapted from: Vitamix (Link HERE)
MAKES 4 CUPS - 2 SERVINGS (210 Calories per Serving) 

• 1 cup Trop 50 Orange Juice
• 1 cups frozen Green Grapes
• 1 Bartlett Pear
• 1 Banana
• 1 cup Kale (stems removed)
• 1 cup Ice

Place all ingredients in your blender, secure lid and blend until smooth. I used the "Smoothie" button on my Blendtec which blends for roughly 36 seconds.

Blendtec Addict

I'm now on my 4th and final attempt to get healthy. But with our busy lifestyle, getting our fruits and veggies in everyday.... wait - never mind - we just never ate our fruits and veggies. As a result, our family has been riddled with illness this winter, we're (me especially) are tired all the time and energy levels are low. Things needed to change. I've wanted so badly to jump on the green smoothie bandwagon, but couldn't get the results I wanted with the Bosch. 

While I love my Bosch Mixer (it makes the best bread), the Blender attachment always left me disappointed. Milkshakes weren't thick or creamy and smoothies just didn't have that perfectly smooth texture. Chunks of berries, spinach or ice were left to clog up my straw no matter how long I blended. 

So I did it. I bit the $329 bullet (Costco price) and bought myself a Blendtec. And I've had a green smoothie everyday since! This sucker is powerful and loud, and strangely gives me a thrill each time I use it. It's how guys must feel using power tools, right?

A Few Things I've Learned...

There's a few things I've learned about the smoothies that I've made so far and how to prepare for a quick daily morning smoothie (hardly an expert, but hey, it would have been good to know).

1. Fruit is expensive! Especially now, in the winter. Buying fruit in bulk at Costco or Sam's Club will help me save a few bucks and...
2. Because the fruit can spoil quickly, I'm making the same smoothie each day this week. Next week, I'll buy different fruit and try something new, but for this week, I'll use the bulk items I've purchased before they spoil.
3. Berries turn green smoothies brown. I can take the color but I'll need to get a cup you can't see into for Brielle. She can't take it.
4. Trop 50 Orange Juice (only half the sugar & calories) really helps sweeten a green smoothie. I've been using 1 cup of Trop 50 OJ instead of water for a smoothie that yields 2 servings (an extra 25 calories never hurt no one).
5. Frozen grapes make a huge difference. HUGE!
6. Make ahead smoothie packets are the way to go. I spent some time Sunday morning pealing 12 Kiwi's and plucking 2 bags of grapes off the stems. I placed 2 peeled and diced Kiwi's and 1 cup grapes to 6 ziplock bags for the freezer for this weeks smoothie (recipe to be posted in a future post).

Idea found on Pinterest

I'll be posting our weekly smoothie recipes here on the blog. If you have a tried and tested recipe, I'd love to try it so please share in the comments! I'm officially addicted.