Cucumber Cranberry Smoothie

We have been loving having a freezer filled with smoothies. Out of all the ways I have shown you to freeze them, I think our favorite is definitely the mason jar option. It is so versatile and easy to take out of the freezer and hit the road! I also like that it if you wait long enough, it becomes more of a fresh juice than a smoothie! What has been your favorite way to freeze smoothies?

Our last smoothie of the month is my Cucumber Raspberry Smoothie. Raspberries can be so tart, but the cucumbers along with the basil make this smoothie delectable! The color is perfect for upcoming Cinco De Mayo celebrations, so serve it up as a kiddie option or I am sure it would taste yummy with some tequila added in! A great variation of the good ol' margarita! 

Ingredients:

Yields: 3 cups

1 cup coconut water

1 ½ cup frozen raspberries

1 cup diced English cucumbers (no seeds)

3-4 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Blend all ingredients, enjoy cold! 

Enjoy!! 

Tune in next month for an ingredient that is hearty and will please any freezer!! 

Happy freezing, 

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My Post-Workout Snack Choices!

If you are anything like me, you are STARVING after finishing a gym session. Like, "move out of my way, I have a yogurt in my bag and nothing will stop me from devouring it while you change", type starving. Oddly enough, my little guy is usually pretty hungry after a play session in the child watch so if there is anything that I never forgot to bring with us, it is after gym snacks. I lean towards snacks that are heavy in protein and good fats. 

Recently, Nuts.com inspired me to post about my favorite post-workout snacks. I love referencing their site for new ideas on high protein snacks and advice on what I should put into my body to get the most of my workout. Check here and here for some of their favorite healthy and high protein snacks!

  Here is a peek into my mini travel cooler that I take to the gym with me. Some of my go-to snacks include 2 hard boiled eggs, a small greek yogurt (I prefer a form of Greek yogurt) or a ½ cup of cottage cheese and a dash of cinnamon. Including veggies helps me to get my 5-9 daily servings in, and baby carrots are usually my number one choice! I almost always have some nuts to snack on throughout the day, usually unsweetened almonds. Of course, I share with Luke. He usually likes to munch on an egg or I will bring him his own yogurt to snack on.

Not only do I load my cooler with quick snacks, but I also like to come home to a hearty lunch. It is so easy to eat Kraft Mac N' Cheese and Dino chicken nuggets for lunch, but honestly the past two hours that I spent at the gym would be completely pointless if I caved and ate that every day. Lately, I have been obsessed with Nut.com's Kale Quinoa Salad. It is heavenly! You know I have a slight obsession with Quinoa, so naturally this is one of my favorite recipes on the website. 

Honestly, I have gobbled mine up too quick (twice) to snap a picture, so photo cred goes to Nuts.com ! 

It is so important to fuel your body after a good workout. Sometimes, I don't even make it out of the locker room before I dip into my snack! 

What are your favorite post workout snacks? 

Happy sweating, 

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an old recipe a new way!

Way back when the blog was first starting, I did a post on breakfast cookies. They were a huge hit and we still make them ALL the time. We eat A LOT of bananas as a family. At least, 2-3 a day between the 3 of us, so we always have a fair share of ripe bananas. Match that with a need for quick gran-n-go snacks and this #freezerlovefriday is perfect for you. 

While I was brainstorming this month's #freezerlovefriday ingredient, Quinoa, I knew that I wanted a good mix of recipes. Then, I remembered the breakfast cookies and thought they would be perfect to freeze and enjoy later. The oats is what seals the banana together to make it take cookie shape, so why not add in some delicious quinoa? These turned out amazing, and are loaded with the super food. Make a double batch and keep some in the freezer to throw in your lunch box or cooler for after the gym!

Banana Quinoa Cookies

Yields: about 10 cookies


Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

½ cup uncooked oats

½ cup cooked quinoa (I would recommend not using red)

½ t cinnamon

½ tbsp agave nectar

Optional - protein powder or dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Mash the ripe bananas in a bowl. 

Add in the oatmeal, quinoa, cinnamon and agave nectar. Mix until well incorporated. The batter will be pretty runny at this point. 

Drop spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. These will not rise or spread. 

Cook for 14-17 minutes.

Enjoy warm!

LPN enjoying a cookie! 

They will be a bit gooey straight out of the oven, but no worries, they will set just fine! 

Freezing Instructions:
Let completely cool and freeze in small batches, using a small Ziploc bag. I like to do 2-3 cookies per bag, 2 for me and 1 for Luke! 

Like I said in the original post, you can add just about anything to these cookies. Your base ingredients are the banana, oats and quinoa. So as long as you have those they will form up nicely. We have used dried cranberries, raisins, peanut butter and so much more. Try them out and let me know what you decided to add!

Happy freezing, 

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#freezerlovefriday breakfast series

Summer is almost over! For our family it doesn't mean a huge change, since Lucas is not in school, but it does mean the return of school traffic and an emptier child watch at the gym! Mornings can be hectic in our house and if I don't have a good option for Ryan to grab and go, he doesn't eat breakfast. You MUST have your wheaties, if you want to have a good day, right? I am more of a "must have my coffee, before talkie," kinda girl, but we all must eat!

I thought I would do a few weeks of breakfast #freezerlovefriday to help everyone make the transition. My breakfast burrito post was such a hit, so I know these posts will help some of you. 

The first breakfast in the series will be pancakes!! We love pancakes in this house, but we don't always have the time to make a fresh batch. I have found the easiest thing to do is to make pancakes for dinner (I LOVE breakfast for dinner) and double the recipe, this way we have plenty of time to make a big batch and freeze the leftovers. These are super simple for Ryan to take to work and for Luke and I to heat up on a busy morning.

This is a pancake from scratch recipe, you will never go back to the packaged ones after this. It is simple and if you bake (even once a year) you should have all ingredients in your pantry. 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

3 ½ t baking powder

1 t salt 

¼ t cinnamon 

1 t vanilla

1 TB white sugar

1 ½ cup cup milk

1 egg

3 TB melted butter 

Directions:

Heat skillet on medium to high heat. Make sure to use Pam or some other nonstick. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter into the bowl. Mix all ingredients until well combined. 

You can add anything you like to spice up the pancakes. We love banana pancakes (the song as much as the food), and blueberry pancakes. 

Using a 1/4 measure cup, drop pancake mix onto a preheated skillet. Wait till the batter bubbles and flip. Once completely cool, remove and keep warm until serving time. 

Cook all of your batter, eat some and set some aside to cool in order to freeze for later! 

We love using Agave in the Raw as a substitute for syrup! In fact, Luke has only had real syrup a handful of times. It has just enough sweetness and doesn't have as much sugar. Of course, syrup is always good too! 

Ok, now for the freezing. It has a few more steps than the typical #freezerlovefriday post. The idea is to keep the freshness and keep it simple to grab n' go. 
Remember, you should double this recipe if you are wanting to freeze. 

Step 1:

Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place completely cooled pancakes on the sheet, single layered. If doing more than one layer make sure to separate with parchment paper. Cover with parchment paper and place in freezer for at least 6 hours. We do it overnight, but no longer. 

No those aren't burnt pancakes, I LOVE adding my vegan chocolate shakeology to banana pancakes. So yummy! 

Step 2:

Remove from freezer once completely frozen and place in plastic bags. I will typically do 2-3 a bag, since I rarely heat one at a time. 

Reheating options :

Remove from bag and microwave on a safe plate for 1.5 to 2 minutes. It is completely OK to stack the pancakes while microwaving. 

Preheat toaster oven or oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cook for 10-15 minutes, until pancakes are heated through. 

That is it! You have a very easy grab n' go breakfast option for your family. Let me know if you try this out and what you added to your pancakes. 

Look for more breakfast #freezerlovefriday posts in the coming weeks and let me know if there is anything else you want to see!

Happy freezing, 

the very berry greek popsicle

Why is it the day after you throw out all ice cream in your fridge, you desperately want ice cream? I am not an ice cream person, my husband is, so we typically have some in our freezer. Occasionally, I go through sugar purging mode, and get rid of all the mostly eaten culprits. Ice cream is not my go to sweet, but when I CAN'T have it, I want it. I suppose that theory could be applied to many things in life, but a week ago it was applied to me needing ice cream and having none on hand. 

Insert our newest Popsicle creation, The Very Berry Greek Popsicle! 

Super simple ingredients and very easy to whip up! 

Ingredients:

1 cup greek yogurt (we use Greek God's Honey Greek Yogurt)

1 cup blueberries

BIG handful of spinach

1 tbsp of Agave in the Raw (if you don't use a flavored greek yogurt, I would go with 2-3 tbsp)

Directions:

Throw in the yogurt, blueberries and agave in the raw, blend!

Throw in your handful of spinach, blend until well incorporated.

Pour into your Popsicle forms and let freeze for at least 2 hours. 

As always, I made a little smoothie for an afternoon snack for Luke and poured the rest into the forms. We enjoyed these out on the patio for dessert and Luke was a BIG fan. 

This is his, "mom, I just want to eat my popsicle" face! 

I think that I have successfully made this into the summer of the Popsicle. We are having so much fun coming up with these variations. What else would you want to see put into Popsicle form?

Happy blending,

Meredith 

summer popsicles

Luke is a pretty good eater, he loves to clear his plate and one of his favorite foods to eat is broccoli. I still try to make veggies fun, and I try my hardest to hide them in nearly everything I make. We tried to keep him away from sugar until recently, for many reasons, but mainly I didn't want to lose my "good eater". And let me tell you, when he discovered sweet sugar, his life was changed. If we mention the word cookie, his face lights up like it's Christmas! His latest love is ice cream, and while we limit it as much as we can, there is nothing better than ice cream in the summer! 

The other morning, I was making Luke one of his favorite smoothies and had an epiphany, why not turn this into a Popsicle? It has loads of spinach in it, and we had so much fruit that was ready to eat. I dug through my pantry and found the set of Popsicle forms that I had bought a few years ago and got to work. 

Luke's morning smoothie! 

Ingredients:  

2 cups of watermelon 

1 cup mixed berries (I used blackberries and blueberries) 

1/4 cup water 

1 tbsp Agave in the Raw 

2 large handfuls of spinach 

Directions: 

Throw all ingredients (minus the spinach)  into the blender, blend well. 

Add in handfuls of spinach and blend together. 

Pour into the Popsicle forms and freeze for at least 2 hours. 

Run the Popsicle sticks under water for a few seconds to help the Popsicle come out of form. 

These are so simple and so yummy. They proved to be the best summer treat for not only Luke, but us too!  We enjoyed them outside (they were a bit messy) as an after nap snack, while waiting for Dad to get home. I can say that these will be a staple in our house, and I look forward to making some new variations to share with you all!

Happy blending, 

Meredith 

watermelon woes

It's summer time, which means Bud Light Limes and watermelon are in full abundance. Well, at least at our house! I have always dreaded cutting watermelon, seriously dreaded. But, Luke loves them (ok, me too) so I put on a happy face and do it. 

 On vacation my sister, Erin, offered to cut the biggest watermelon you have ever seen. This thing was HUGE, I thought she was pure crazy. She informed me that she learned a super easy way to cut watermelon on Pinterest. My dad had a really hard time handing the "watermelon cutting" duty over to her, but she insisted her way was the best.  I watched her in pure amazement as she cut this gigantic watermelon in like 4 minutes. 

Now that the watermelons are placed in a bin right when you walk in the door, we have to get one every grocery shopping trip due to a very cute 2 year old screaming "WATERMELON!" Thank you, marketing! Luke and I picked one up today and  I literally cut the entire thing in less than 2 minutes. 

Be prepared to be mind blown! 

How do you cut your watermelon? I wonder if this method works for other fruits? I will keep you posted!

Happy eating, 

Meredith 

cookies for breakfast, sure!

As a stay at home mom, I spend SO much time in the kitchen. I prefer cooking most of our meals, partly because I want to have the power to know what is going into our bellies and also because I love cooking! Getting Luke to eat healthy food has never been super challenging, he sees us eating the same food that he is offered, and I think that is half the battle, but I also try to make healthy food enjoyable. 

Some of my favorite moments throughout the day happen while Luke and I are sitting at the kitchen table. I love seeing him enjoy food that I have created. I will always try to post a picture of Luke trying, and hopefully enjoying, the food that I post on this blog. 

With Pinterest, finding new recipes is a cinch! I wanted to share one of my favorite breakfast cookies with you all. I think this recipe is SO easy and quite yummy as well. Who doesn't get sick of the same old, same old for breakfast? Typically I do 1 egg + 1 egg white, spinach and a buttered english muffin;  

 

So, while browsing Pinterest one morning, I stumbled upon this recipe. I wish I could take credit for these, but I must tell you that they actually come from The Burlap Bag. These are called the 2 Ingredient Cookies, all you need are some ripe bananas and old fashioned oats. Luke and I mashed the bananas, added the oats (our family loves Coach's Oats, purchased from Costco) and decided to add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut.  The recipe made 12 cookies, and the best part was there was a huge spoonful left that we could eat right from the bowl!! 

The original recipe says to make sure your cookie sheet is heavily greased. I prefer parchment paper, throughout this blog you will learn to love this magical stuff as much as I do.

We popped them into the oven, 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Here is Luke patiently awaiting his cookies.

 Here is the finished product! How gorgeous do these look? They turned out perfectly. 

 And as promised, here is Luke mid bite. He loved them and it was so much fun to tell him that we could have cookies for breakfast. 

Ingredients:

2 ripe mashed bananas

1 cup of oats 

These would be perfect with just the bananas and the oats, but half the fun is seeing what else you can add to the cookies. Here are some ingredients I plan on trying:

peanut butter

raisins

walnuts

Chocolate Shakeology 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas, add in the oats and additional ingredients. Spoon out onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. No need to space them out, they will not spread during cooking. Cook for 15 minutes and enjoy warm! 

Though we ate the majority at breakfast, I also added some to my gym bag and had the perfect "after workout" snack! These truly are a guilt free snack, and completely kid approved! Let me know if you try them at home and what you decide to add!

Happy eating,

Meredith