Peach & Walnut Smoothie

I think I may have hit the mommy brain trifecta! It all started a couple Friday's ago, when I made these lovely peach pie bars and without realizing until after they were in the oven, I put 1 tablespoon of BAKING POWDER instead of 1 tablespoon of CORNSTARCH in the peach filling. What the heck. The result wasn't pretty, the peach filling was gray and as expected the taste was completely off. I didn't beat myself up about it because the baking powder and cornstarch containers were quite similar looking. I only knew it wasn't cornstarch because I had recycled that container, and had opened one that comes from a bag. Oops!

Last week I did a lot of cooking/baking, because it was Michael's birthday, I also cooked for a family who recently had a baby, and baked a cake for the church picnic, etc. I guess my brain was a little fried from all the planning, prepping, cooking, and eating because my mommy brain (or maybe Jessica brain would be the correct term here) was back in effect this Sunday. We went straight to the grocery store after church, and I got more Brita filters and smoked salmon from Costco thinking we ran out of both. Michael insisted we still had both but I was positive we didn't. As soon as we come home and were putting away our groceries, he finds both an unopened box of Brita filters in the cabinet and vacuum sealed smoked salmon in the fridge. All I could say was "at least we don't have to buy either for a while..."  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now that all of that is out in the open, let's focus on this Peach & Walnut smoothie that I like to believe redeems me of my Jessica/mommy brain tendencies. We received gigantically beautiful peaches from our CSA, and I used a couple to bake with, devoured whole ones with Lydia, and froze the rest for smoothies. When ripened aren't peaches the most succulent and delicious summer fruits you've ever eaten? Messy but so worth it. I especially love them in this smoothie! I added walnuts because I like a thick smoothie that will keep me full and satisfied, two admirable qualities in a smoothie if you ask me.

Peach & Walnut Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free*)

• 1 peach fresh or frozen, sliced 
• half banana, peeled and frozen overnight
• 1 medjool date, pitted or 1 tablespoon maple syrup for sweetness
• 2 tablespoons rolled oats*
• 1 handful raw walnuts (about 2-3 tablespoons...)
• A dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

*Use gluten-free oats if necessary. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately!

Tahini & Sweet Potato Smoothie

Michael and I have a weekly ritual of eating smoothies, I say eat 'cause they're so thick you need a spoon! I like to call this ritual "Smoothie Sundays" but have never actually said that aloud. This became our thing sometime last year when Michael and I started attending church at HBC; we needed something quick and nutritious for breakfast. So each week, I've been waking up a little earlier to get ready for church and make Smoothie Sundays possible. Through these weekly endeavors, I've learned my share of smoothie techniques and how smoothies differ from one another and which flavors work and which don't. In my opinion, one that didn't work for me was blending turmeric, frozen pineapple and fish oil all in one smoothie. It was the first time I didn't finish a smoothie! Anyhow, while I do believe smoothies are a healthy, convenient and equally delicious little breakfast they don't always keep Michael and I's bellies full for the entire morning... 

So this week, I've been playing around with our lovely blender and blending up some smoothies, and came across one that I really enjoyed. And it's filling too! Because I promised to post more recipes this year, it would be criminal of me not to share this smoothie with you all.

It's called Tahini & Sweet Potato Smoothie and it's packed with complex carbohydrates, fiber and beta-carotene. It features a few of my favorite ingredients too! Oats, sweet potato and tahini. Tahini gives the smoothie richness, boldness in flavor and a healthy dose of both calcium and fat. And the addition of the oats and sweet potato effectively prevent the epidemic today that is known as mid-morning hunger! Plus once blended you get a beautiful orange smoothie that is velvety smooth.

Tahini & Sweet Potato Smoothie 

• 1/2 medium cooked sweet potato (The night before I usually roast a whole sweet potato in at 375 F for 45-50 minutes)
• 1/2 frozen banana 
• 1/2-1 cup almond milk (Add more milk depending on your desired level of thickness)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon tahini paste
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• optional add-ins: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder; 1 tablespoon chia seeds

In a high speed blender place in all ingredients and blend until ingredients are smooth and thoroughly incorporated. For a sweeter smoothie try a teaspoon of maple syrup or a pitted date. Pour into a small glass and enjoy with a spoon. Mmm!

xo, Jessica

Smoothies, mmm.

Once upon a time there lived a girl who cringed and laughed at the idea of drinking a smoothie that was dark green; it simply made no sense and it looked very peculiar to her. That same girl didn’t know that chia seeds were possibly the coolest and nutritious little seeds out there, and that frozen bananas can mimic the consistency of soft serve ice cream… She was a poor unfortunate soul indeed. In 2010 this girl’s life was changed the minute she was exposed to the blog world. Yes, she credits most of her lifestyle change to some of the best health blogs out there: Oh She Glows, My New Roots and The Sprouted Kitchen, just to name a few. If you haven’t caught on by now, that girl was me and I feel like these lady bloggers have helped make eating wholesome meals an exciting experience for me. They share their stories through awesome photography and encourage sharing their foods with family + friends, much like myself!  I’ve definitely become a bit obsessed passionate about cooking and photographing food, and excitingly sharing it with others. I've always loved to cook but never thought I'd be so enthusiastic by sharing the quality, beauty and taste of real food. Real food = unprocessed foods often eaten wholly and prepared with a whole lot of love! I believe that food is best eaten when it’s made with love and shared with your favorite people.  And lately I’ve been so inspired to document my own experiences cooking and love for serving others with food through my blog.  I hope that’s okay with you guys!

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, let’s go back to what I said about green smoothies. It’s crazy to think about how close minded I was when it came to nearly everything. Food, music, people, movies... You name it. During my narrow minded phase I thought dark leafy greens belonged in my salad or on the side of my dinner plate, not blended with fruits and eaten with a spoon from a coffee mug. Yes you heard that right, I prefer my smoothies thick and eaten in a mug with a spoon… It’s comforting! Anyway, the idea was weird but once I finally tried it, (among other foods that I thought were weird but now love ) I became hooked and consume a green smoothie at least every other morning!

 In glory of green smoothies here is an interchangeable recipe that's very dear to me:

 Customizable Green Smoothie

• 2 generous handfuls of organic spinach leaves, collard greens or kale
• ½ cup plain yogurt (dairy-free, goat, greek, etc. use what you like best!)
•  ¼-1/2 cup milk of choice or natural fruit juice (add less or more depending on your desired thickness)
• 1 frozen banana, peeled and cut into slices (this adds creaminess but if you do not like bananas try mangoes or watermelon) 
•  ½ cup frozen fruit of choice (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, melons, watermelon, mango, pineapple, kiwi, etc. Honestly, whatever you dig and whatever is season where you live!)
• Healthy Fat of Choice (ie: ½ haas avocado, 1-2 tablespoons nut butter or coconut oil. The fat really balances out the smoothie and I don’t recommend leaving it out. Adding avocado to smoothies is a personal favorite of mine, it lends a very velvety texture!) 
•   Optional add-ins, such as: chia seeds, ground flax, hemp seeds, cacoa, protein powder, spirulina, maca powder or bee pollen. 

*Notice that these are all suggestions and you can make your smoothie however you'd like, have or your special diet permits.*

 Blend away in a high speed blender and enjoy!