Green Smoothies

 My favorite green smoothie is a real powerhouse in the morning. It is a great mix of good-for-you and tasty, and quite possibly the perfect on the go breakfast.


Green Smoothie
1 frozen banana (I freeze mine in thirds so it blends up easier)
1-2 Tbs. peanut butter (we like Adams)
1/4 cup yogurt (any kind will work, but we like plain or vanilla Greek the best)
1/2 cup milk (again, any kind will work, we use almond milk usually)
2 cups fresh baby spinach (or just fill the blender the rest of the way with spinach - honestly who has time to measure in the morning?)

Optional: frozen berries, a bit of honey for sweetness, protein powder, other fruits/greens

This basic smoothie really hits the spot in the morning. The peanut butter helps balance out the spinach flavor, and the frozen banana keeps it thick and super cold. Enjoy immediately, with a straw if you have one.

Look at that beautiful green color!

Whipped Coconut Body Butter

This project couldn't really be much easier, and boy is it satisfying! Did you know you can make your own luxurious, custom, fancy, good-smelling body butter at home? With as little as ONE INGREDIENT and a little time?

Whipped Coconut Body Butter
1/2 cup of coconut oil
optional: few drops of your favorite essential oil(s)
optional: 1/2 a teaspoon of vitamin e oil

Here is all you have to do.

1. Make sure it isn't too hot in your kitchen - the coconut oil needs to be solid to whip up (trust me on this one - no amount of ice packs around your mixer bowl will help if it is too hot!). 
2. Next, just dump the coconut oil (and few drops of essential oil if you'd like) into your mixer with the whisk attachment, turn it on medium, and let 'er rip. 
3. Slowly turn the speed up to high and watch the coconut oil expand as air gets whipped in. 
4. Let the mixer run until your oil has doubled in volume, about 5-7 minutes. It makes the most heavenly textured body butter, and you control the ingredients! 

I often use plain coconut oil as a lotion or to moisturize my nails, but whipping it makes it go further and really pumps up the pampering factor. You just need a tiny bit, and it smells great (I like to use unrefined coconut oil because I love the smell of coconuts!). Store the finished body butter in a cool place. Otherwise, if it melts you will have to whip it again to incorporate the air back in.

Enjoy!

What Brings You Joy?

This blog post has been sitting in my drafts folder for over a year. Wow. I was inspired by something I read over at Dooce, and saved the draft for future musing. But then life got in the way. Or well, really life just kept happening. So while my original list may have looked completely different, I am back after so many life changes to offer you my current list.

Here are a few things that bring me joy

Tortellini Soup

Tortellini Soup

This is a super easy and delicious recipe for a hearty soup. Now some of you may be thinking I'm out of my mind posting a soup recipe in the middle of a Seattle "heat wave." Truth be told, I made this in March and just now got around to posting!

Photo Tour of Port Townsend

Back in November, the mister and I celebrated our anniversary with a short trip to Port Ludlow to stay at the resort there. It was lovely, and the weather was a perfect mix of stormy and mild for a long weekend getaway. One of the days we took a quick trip up to Port Townsend to walk around and explore the town. It was a great day of browsing through shops, snacks, and spending quality time together.

I love the architecture in towns like this.