Now that's a really green smoothie

I love the springtime, when the weather warms up, the outdoors get a little greener and the local farmers market opens up for the season. If I'm correct, the Friday night farmers market down the street starts next week. I can't wait to get my hands on some fresh strawberries, and of course, greens.

Along with the warmer temps and greener surroundings, comes some fresh green cravings. I'm happy to report that I'm back to consuming green smoothies every morning, as well as throughout my day. If I'm not careful, I might turn green (well, actually greens have a similar effect as carrots and sweet potatoes; they give me a faux glow like a slightly orange spray tan or something).

I'm so used to having greens in place of my usual sweet raw treats, that I can handle quite a large quantity in relation to whatever other ingredient paired with them. In fact, I've been known to make green smoothies without any fruit at all (although I wouldn't recommend trying it until you've experimented with less and less fruit in yours first).

For example, you wouldn't believe what I did with my first scoop of the Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate I won off of HiHoRosie's blog (thanks again!). Following the suggestion to mix some with water to make coconut milk (it says to add 1 tsp. to 6-8 ounces of water on the label) and inspired by Kimberly Snyder's Coconut Green Smoothie (my hubby surprised me with her book the other day; he got the hint), I added a heaping spoonful (I licked the spoon, too; it was quite tasty, and it smells divine) to some greens, spirulina and water, and gave it a whirl in my trusty Blendtec. The results were really green, but so nourishing. Try it, if you dare.

To make this combo a little less intimidating, eliminate the spirulina and use very mild greens. Perhaps some or your favorite herbs would make it more appealing; mint would be a refreshing choice. And, if you must, add a little of your favorite natural sweetener. It really does taste good that way, too :-)

Tomorrow is my birthday, so Hayden, my sisters, my mom and I are having a girls' day out shopping. If I get a chance, maybe I'll post about it. Enjoy your weekend!

What's up ...

... and down. That's Hayden's big thing right now, as well as the title for today's blog post (just a brief update for ya, which explains the "what's up"). She's constantly saying "up and down," while doing the corresponding movements. So cute.

Hayden was also going up and tumbling down the grassy hill at church last Sunday during the Easter egg hunt. Eventually, she decided to plop down in one spot, content with her small stash of plastic eggs. Doesn't she look pretty in her pink fluffy dress?

I had a favorite pink fluffy dress when I was little that my mom let me wear everywhere, including in the sandbox. She knew I loved it, and she thought I should get my wear out of it before I outgrew it. To my surprise, she kept it all these years. It is still in good condition, ready for Hayden to twirl around in (it's what she does best in a frilly dress) when she's a bit bigger.

While Hayden stayed put during the hunt, Jacob was all over the place. I had trouble trying to get a clear shot of him. In the end, he found quite a lot of eggs, including two of the special eggs (he turned them in for prizes). What a lucky boy!


It was easier to get some pics of the kids together during the church service. Hayden looked so cute praying, and they both were adorable getting ready to go up to the front for time for children.

Jacob tried to get Hayden to sit nicely.

She had other ideas.

She helped herself to the palms, as it was Palm Sunday. At least our pastor is very understanding.

This week is Jacob's spring break, so we are staying busy. We went to the marine museum Monday for otter day (the kids are huge otter fans), where I remembered my trusty camera. Here's a sampling from the day.


I'm hoping to take the kids to the boardwalk today. The forecast says 80 degrees with only a 30 percent chance of scattered showers. Fingers crossed that the 30 percent works in our favor :-)

I have had a bit of luck lately myself. I won HiHoRosie's Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate giveaway (and I gave away the fact that I sometimes eat peanut butter; nobody's perfect). I can't wait to try it. Yum!

I also got this pink (my favorite color) Sunwarrior shirt in the mail for entering their next protein naming contest (I clicked this crazy shot of me wearing it just for you; self photography isn't my strong suit). I haven't heard who won yet or what the name will be. Wouldn't that be the raw icing on top of my birthday cupcake (it's at the end of the month; I'm turning the big 35) if I got the honor of naming the new protein?

Speaking of protein powders, does anyone know how they combine with other raw foods? I'm considering trying the whole food combining thing again and was wondering what category to put it in. Is it a protein or a starch, or one of those weird exception things? Should it only be consumed alone on an empty stomach?

I tried to focus more on food combining years ago, when I was reading Natalia Rose's books. In the end, I failed miserably, probably due to the fact that a lot of the sample recipes and menus contained animal products. Now that Kimberly Snyder's book is on the market (I believe she's vegan), I'm inspired to try it again. Wish me luck :-)