morning 7-challenge completed!

i seriously knew i could do this challenge but i didnt think i would enjoy it-at all! i just figured i'd fight the green down every morning but be super proud of myself for the loads of health i was putting in my body. no. i totally liked these. so did my kids. so did my body.

my all time fav is the pina colada type or really anything when you add pineapple. pineapple makes all things better. trust in this.

so this morning i copied an earlier smoothie from day two but then i added blueberry for a little variety. oh yea, and those little chia seeds.

1 really large handful of spinach

1/2 cup fresh mango (frozen)

1/2 cup fresh pineapple (frozen)

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 banana

1 tbsp. chia seeds

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

im looking back at the drink photos and its funny coz really-they all look the same for the most part but believe me they all tasted a tiny bit different.

morning six

i left early to run around and try to find some estate sales with a friend this morning so by the time i got home at 10am i was starving and had no plan. i generally dont do well without a plan.

i decided to just wing it. 

1 cup blueberries

2 large handfuls of spinach

1 frozen banana

1 large handful of baby carrots

1/2 persian cucumber

1/2 cup strawberries

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 avocado

frozen o.j. sticks 

1/2 cup water

it was okay- i think i am done putting carrots in my green drinks- maybe i can buy fresh squeezed carrot juice and add that. everyone in the house happily drank it down but tomorrow for day 7 i plan on a plan.

cinco de mayo pinata cookies

these are fun but beware-you gotta be committed coz this is lots and lots of work. i tried to keep it all real up in my kitchen but honestly mustaches are itchy and the sombrero kept slipping and covering my eyes. its really tough being all authentic and stuff.....

i can't recall where this recipe/idea came from because i saved it so long ago but i followed it pretty much exactly and someone out there is a genius because these are amazing!!!

this is a basic sugar cookie recipe until all heck breaks loose....

recipe:

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup vegetable oil (i know-this is alot of oil, this freaked me out too. i'd use less.)

2 eggs

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. baking soda

5 cups flour

1 tbsp. vanilla

mini m&m candies

Frosting:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp. milk

mix:

cream sugars and butter. beat in eggs. add oil.

add your dry ingredients.

mix in vanilla and almond extract.

split and color:

split the dough into 5 even balls and 1 smaller ball (this small one will be the black)

add your food colorings. i wished i had some more vibrant colors like for the purple for instance but eh, whatcha gonna do?!

layer:

use a container that is about the size (width AND height) of your donkey cookie cutter and line it with plastic food wrap.split all of your colored dough balls in half except for the black. start to layer the colors starting with the black dough on the bottom. alternate the colors so that you end up with two layers of each color by the time you are done.

 

 (mid layer)

wait it out:

cover the layered dough and freeze for four hours or overnight. i suggest when you take the container out of the freezer wait a few minutes before slicing or use a very sharp knife because this can get hard to slice evenly or may crumble. cut slices approximately 1/4" thick. place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.

cut the donkeys:

immediately after you bake the cookies you have to take your donkey cutter and working in sets of 3 quickly cut out 2 donkeys in the same direction and one in the opposite direction. just flip the cutter over to cut one in the other direction. this way when you go to assemble the finished cookie will be pretty on both sides because the baked bottom sides will be hidden.

create the pinatas:

for the middle cookies in each set cut off the ears and the legs and cut out the center where the "pocket" will be. if you have a small round or square cutter this works well but you can use a knife too. this is where you will place all the m&m's. try to work quickly because as the cookies cool they will become more likely to crumble. let the cookies cool on the sheet completely once you have them prepared before you remove the excess outer cookie.

assemble:

take the first pinata cookie and lay it upside down so that the baked side is facing up. outline the center of the pinata body with the "frosting glue". put the middle cookie on top of the frosting glue, fill the pinata then place the opposite side cookie on top with more frosting glue. let this sit and harden so they wont fall apart. i waited 30 minutes.

this is a lot of work but pretty darn cute-it only makes about 6-8 cookies but thankfully may 5th only comes once a year!

ta-da! your pinata. i do realize this looks a little morbid but its a pinata-how awesome!
thanks genius cookie person wherever you are!!!

morning five

cruisin through this! seriously not as painful or as big of an adjustment as i thought. cake. well, not literally of course.

today i got to use up some of these carrots i bought. i didnt set myself up to expect the drink to be orange because i was sure it would be green. really it just needs to be good at this point as i have given up the dream of beautifully colored smoothies-i get that this isnt jamba juice.

2 handfuls of spinach 
1 large handful of baby carrots
1/2 cup fresh pineapple (frozen)
1 banana (frozen)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 1/2 tbsp. whipped honey

this was good and shane was home today so we shared. it was a moment.

morning four

today i went with a blueberry recipe. i have no clue why the recipe i took this from was a cool purple but mine is green still? i must have added more spinach. i was hoping for a purple smoothie dang it! i've been adding the chia seed coz i cant taste them and i know they are all kinds of goodness for me- i have decided to ignore the fact that they look like fleas.

but regardless i am back to green lovin'!! this was really really good.

2 handfuls of spinach
1 cup blueberries
1 banana frozen
4 yogurt sticks (the ones i made monday with whipped honey in them)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup water
1/4 avocado

* i saw a recipe where they made green tea with honey and and used that in place of the water- i bet that would be good.

last night for the 3rd night in a row my kids asked me to make them a greenie. my son has now joined the group and loves them as well. lookit us!!!

morning three

ive been scurrred to try this mixture. the romaine lettuce seemed strange to mix in but maybe thats coz i got all tight with spinach lately. the green apple i knew would be tart. this drink was 75% veggie and 25% fruit so that ratio isn't in my favor. i think that will take time for me-i need to stay on the sweet side.

if you ever listen to me now is the time to truly listen. this isn't good. i had to keep doing things to it to just get it drinkable and it was too thick but im sure it was the romaine and the grit from the pear. adding more water or liquid didnt do much. oh, and i kept tasting tomato which wasn't even in there sooo yep, that was a mystery.

2 stalks celery
3/4 head of romaine lettuce
1 large handful of spinach
1/2 persian cucumber
1/2 lemon (squeeze the juice)
1 pear (cored)
1 green apple (cored)
1 banana
1 1/2 to 2 cups water
1 tbsp chia seed

tomorrow i think i will try something with blueberries or carrots just so i can make a different color. all these shades of green are killing my right brain ova' here...

although todays greenie tanked for me i will absolutely say that i will continue to do these greens. it really is much easier than anything else i could make myself for breakfast. also there are a zillion recipes and i really do like them (most of them). coming from a girl that is perfectly happy with doritos and red vines with a side of diet coke for lunch (way too often) that is huge!

morning two

i just got all relieved this isn't titled "morning after"...whew!!!

i did a whole pina colada type shake today- i prob should have saved this one for aloha friday but i am sure i can come up with some other magical concoction in time....


i love (no really LOVE) the suggestions of you all that have been brave before me. its so nice to hear what other people have tried and like. so thank you and keep the suggest-sheee-awns coming!

1 really large handful of spinach (i am still eyeing the kale but cant get there yet)
1/2 cup fresh mango (frozen)
1/2 cup fresh pineapple (frozen)
1/2 banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water

*i cut eveerything in half today because it was making massive amounts and this amount still gave me 2 glasses full.

im gonna eat kale for dinner tonight- ya know like with my teeth instead of drinking it today. that way i can start to cut away at all this kale in my fridge.


i also read that i should be doing 60% fruit to 40% veggie as thats the ratio of nutritional value that your body should be in taking. however, i probably should back that 60% down some because i know i eat sugar in lotsa other areas. maybe tomorrow i will see what i can do to swap that percentage.

uh, and p.s. this shake was the bomb.com!!! keala and i drank it down and l-o-v-e-d it!!!

morning one

berry yogurt blend


1 cup frozen raspberries
2 large handfuls of spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk
4 sticks of frozen yogurt
1/2 persian cucumber
juice from half of a lemon

*i took plain yogurt and added a little whipped honey and a few drops of vanilla and froze it in ice cube trays.

that isn't string cheese ( i promise ) its frozen yogurt pieces

there is also a vanilla version i should probably try

so at first i was sorta bummed after mixing this one coz i wanted it to be red ooohhh or maybe pink.
clearly it is not either.
i also had all thoughts of this drink being sweet which again, nope, not so much.
i liked the raspberry seeds and didn't add the lemon juice until the last minute and only coz i took a drink and it tasted too cucumber for me. i love persian cucumbers but i didnt want to taste any 1 item too strongly- unless that item was called "sweet" and unfortunately i didn't add that ingredient.
but as i drank it i started to like it more and more. what's happening to me herrrrrrre?????!!!!

oh, my sister tory is doing the 7 day with me. she is already very healthy and has done these greenies (not the dog treats- gross) before so i am sure she will have some recipes as well. who else is in?
c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!!!

green drink challenge

 i'm a leo. i love a good challenge. so here i go again.

this is a short one and probably not so fun to view but i have decided to do a green drink challenge and drink the green for 7 days straight as my breakfast.

i know. sure i will probably gag somewhere along the way but i plan on making these healthy but sweet. sweet will be key for me. yesterday i had to do a trial run because if i was gonna commit and go buy a zillion ingredients i needed to know if i was gonna give it a "nuh-uh" after the first gulp.

i called my friend erin who drinks these regularly. erin is like my "mama earth" friend. she always claims how i give her so much as far as kid advice goes (mine are a little older so what i have been through she is going through) but really i scratch her back and she scratches mine because she does all kinds of things for me too without even knowing it. she inspired me to give yoga another try- which i love. she inspired me to blog-which i love. she convinced me it was ok to stop reading a book that i don't like sparing me all kinds of time. yes, i needed permission.

 erin is my only friend that will agree it is okay to stop and dance in a parking lot, to make a human pyramid on a busy beach or to "borrow" road signs on new years eve and leave them on friends porches. erin will cry when i tell her a sad story and cry when i tell her a happy story. sometimes i start a story by saying, "ok, so you might cry...." as a matter of fact she might read this and she might cry. i knew when i texted her that i was gonna drink the greens she would be all kinds of "proud mama" for me. actually, i texted it to her and she called me right away with awesome advice to help me through. ok, ok, so i'm getting way off track here back to the green (but i do loves mah mama-e and could talk about what a kick ass friend she is for hours.)

so, here is what my lil trial run today was all about:

i'm not gonna lie- i put all the ingredients out on the counter where my youngest maile and i stared at them for a good amount of time before i actually started to put them in the mixer.

i put together 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves

1 cup of fresh pineapple chunks

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 cups of water

half of a banana (frozen)

1/4 avocado (frozen)

i have a vita mixer so that thing literally pulverizes everything so i think that helped me not to taste chunks.

i didn't taste the spinach at all and it was actually really good. erin suggested a straw because it is easier to drink and i have to agree.

both my girls loved it but my son gave it a scrunchy face and quickly left the premises. whatev.

as a matter of fact when i went to go fill my glass up a little more the pitcher was empty and all i heard was the slurping of a straw as my youngest sucked down the remainder. 

coconut candy

if you've ever been to maui and been brave enough to drive the road to hana (i lovingly call this trek puke path) then you have probably had the luxury of eating some of the best coconut candy eva' and it was probably made by shane's auntie pearl (we LOVES pearl!). i don't like coconut however, i will throw punches in order to get the last bag of this coconut candy. i'm not proud of that but the bag is mine!

i have been playing with making this candy and i think i am getting better. there are varying levels of toastiness and sugary goodness so you can sort of add as much as you'd like and keep it slow baking as long as you'd like-whateva' ya flava!

here is what i use:

2 coconuts- don't even do it with just 1 it isn't worth it

natural cane sugar (i use turbinado sugar)

natural dark brown sugar

hammer and nail to crack the coconut (i just use a real hawaiian-much more effective)

true story:

1st time i made this i told my hawaiian that i needed his help in the cracking of the coconut. i left hawaiian in the kitchen with coconut and went to the garage to get a hammer and nail. i couldn't find a nail so i went back to the kitchen to ask hawaiian where he keeps the nails. hawaiian was already draining the coconut juice and drinking it. i still have no idea what hawaiian used to crack open coconut and i am good with not having to know. (swoon)

-be sure your hawaiian has cracked the coconut in many smaller pieces so you can start to peel or cut away the outer brown shell. it's okay if the thin layer of brown shell is left on the meat.

-once you have all the chunks of meat you can either take a vegetable peeler and shave off pieces or you can cut them. i like to cut them because i like when some of the pieces have thicker edges. thicker edges just make the candy a little chewier in the end and that's how my family likes it.

-put the shavings in a zip-lock back with about 1/2 cup of the turbinado sugar and a sprinkle of the brown sugar. put this bag in the fridge for about 20 minutes so the sugar can melt. don't leave it much longer or it will get soggy and won't turn out.

-layer the shavings on a baking sheet and sprinkle with more brown sugar if you'd like. i do coz we are super good friends with sugar in my family.

-bake at lowest temp (i did 170) for about 6-8 hours. every hour you will turn the coconut over and you sprinkle it with a little more sugar. take it out when you feel it is as toasty as you want it. the last 3-5 minutes i pump that oven up to 350 to give it a last toast- but watch it if you do this- it can burn quick.

taaaa-daaaa!!!!

feel that inner aloha? good stuff brah!

for the love of lemon lush

truth.
for years lemon lush was my nemesis.
truth.
i got this now.

my husbands favorite all time desert is lemon lush. i could never make it the way his mom could so out of frustration for a large gap of time i just simply refused. i made everything else instead because dammit i can bake!! lemon lush really couldn't be any easier but he always gave me the "meh, it's awwight face".

one day after making this lemony goodness i presented it to him and right as he was about to take his first bite i made my announcement, "listen, if this isn't good then i am done, seriously, like no more lemon lush ever, period, dunzo". i saw the look. the one that says, "she is no joke, she isn't kidding here, she will put an end to this all." he took the bite and smiled. i knew it was a courtesy smile and i knew in his head he was probably going through the list of things that didn't taste exactly like his mom's version.
he understood that he could either live the rest of his life out with "almost as good as mom's lemon lush" or never have another lush again. he is a smart man. he told me it was perfect. i told him he was full of it.

every year this is our birthday "cake", our "yay-you did it" desert, our "school is out, summer is here" treat, our "happy graduation" celebration, or our "hey, doesn't lemon lush sound good" indulgence.
every time shane eats more than half........whose your mama now huh?!!!