Razorback Gymnastics and Grilled Cheese

A few Friday nights ago was girls night out, 10 ladies and one very brave boy! All of our kiddos are in gymnastics classes at the local facility (shout out to Aspire Gymnastics).  We decided to take some of our aspiring gymnasts to the University of Arkansas to see a SEC gymnastics meet, the Razorbacks vs the Crimson Tide of Alabama.  Such a nice night with great friends and kids that were amped on grilled cheese, lemonade, cotton candy and Fun Dip.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Fayetteville, Arkansas

Flying Kites

Most of the time, I am really annoyed by the wind.  Really annoyed...  The horses are always crazy and they run around the corral at high speed making me think that they are going to break a leg.  Why do they do this?  Horses hate wind because they can't hear well when it is windy.  A horse relies on their ears first and their vision second.

Yesterday, the wind was a little bit different.  And, John had bought Savannah a kite for Valentines Day.  Hence, for one day, I really kind of enjoyed the wind.  For about an hour. :)

I need some chocolate or ice cream or something!

I have had to start to adjust to a "dairy free" life again. I never knew that dairy was an inflammatory and that my love of it was hurting my back.

One of my favorite indulgences... Ice cream or better yet, a milkshake. I found this recipe on Pinterest and I am listing some of the alternatives that you can try to make it creamier or decrease the calories.

Here is the original recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
serves 2

1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1 banana (can be frozen)
2 tablespoons peanut or almond butter
7-8 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add more ice cubes if you like it thicker.

Here is the creamier alternative and the calorie version:

1 cup dark chocolate almond milk
1 cup soy or almond vanilla yogurt
2 tbsp. powdered peanut butter (PB2, available on Amazon)
1 tbsp chia seeds (optional, but really filling)
Ice

Blend. Other alternatives, chocolate protein powder (non-dairy hemp version) or Green Superfood (see yesterday's post) has a chocolate flavor, as well.

Both of these are great smoothies and will help your chocolate craving in the morning or afternoon!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Image of the Day

Dawson is not very happy about the installation of the new hard wood floors.

Green Smoothies

Since 2011, I have had a LOT of experience coming up with new, tasty recipes for green smoothies.  A surgeon told me that one of the best anti-inflammatories is spinach.  If you start to calculate the amount you would have to eat in a day, it can be a little overwhelming and you might think that after a few days, you will either be a cousin of Popeye or a glowing green martian.

Last week, a friend told me that pineapple is another great anti-inflammatory...  See link...

http://www.theironyou.com/2011/04/pineapple-natures-most-potent-anti.html

So, I decided to combine the two of them.  Oh and I almost forgot...  Instead of using plain organic spinach, I have started to use a product from Amazon called "Green Superfood".  It gives you 5 to 8 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  It comes in a variety of flavors, but, I chose Berry, since I have been able to sneak it into Savannah's smoothie and she has no clue.

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grass-Powder-60-SuperFood-Container/dp/B002BHSKAC/ref=sr_1_3?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1360602047&sr=1-3&keywords=green+superfood

So here is this morning's recipe:

1 cup Orange Juice (Can use pineapple or any tropical blend)

1/2 of a Kiwi

1 Spear of Pineapple (Must be fresh, not canned)

1 Banana

1 scoop of Green Super Food

1 tbsp of chia seeds

6 ice cubes

Blend and drink.  

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Better Late Than Never

In the last year, I have started to read quite a few blogs.  Starting with the infamous Pioneer Woman, her ideas on cooking, photography and life on a ranch in Tulsa.  She is inspiring, but, I am definitely not as multi-talented or Martha Stewart-esque, as the Pioneer Woman.  Recently a blog caught my eye about taking one picture a day to capture the moments with your family or just document everyday life. Hence the "better late than never" title to this post.  Let's see what happens...

This picture was taken before the first of the year, but, so far it is my favorite picture.