Eat Like a Rabbit

In reading up on how to get children to eat healthy, I learned that some foods should be given more creative or less scary names. I took this step when adding spinach to my smoothies. The spinach (green tops) reminded me of eating fresh mint or even the tops of organic berries in my drink when you aren't worried about eating the leaves. The bitterness of the spinach is non-existent; so, I have no fear of suddenly realizing that the "tops" aren't tops at all. I have fought "green smoothies" for quite some time, but the fruit hides the look, which makes me more likely to drink it. Also, the additional vitamin C from orange juice increases absorption of iron, which is just as important for my body as eating the iron to begin with.

Sadly, my fetal-brain-drain kicked in and sometime last weekend I failed to put my frozen bananas back in the freezer, and they weren't very acceptable for smoothies after spending the night in the fridge. I used frozen peaches (Yes, we have a variety of fruit in our freezer. Just wait until all the applesauce and squash come into season.) as an alternative. The downside was that the color came out funky. One person at work thought my drink was pasta sauce to go with my EMT's pasta, and another person thought I was drinking salsa. Well, no matter the look, it tasted just fine.

Recipe for Berry Banana Smoothies

Serves 2

• One frozen banana
• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 large frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

I defrost my strawberries for a minute in the microwave because the banana often adds enough thickness on its own. Blend the raspberries first because they're smaller. Add the strawberries for some liquid, then spinach, banana, yogurt, and juice. Lighten up on the liquids if the smoothie is getting too thin or add an extra banana. The raspberries are the strongest flavor so those are what you need least extra of. If spinach is necessary in your diet, too, you can get away with adding more "green tops" without tasting the bitterness.

As with all smoothies, it's easy to be creative and explore. No two are alike. For my mid-morning drinks, I used just strawberries (defrost again) and peaches with the juice and spinach. I eliminated the yogurt because at work it takes me a while to sip my drink.

Miami is a tough place to survive in. You have to pay (often a lot) for parking. And generally in one way or another, you have to pay to use a restroom. Such situations put a pregnant woman in a predicament. For the latter reason, when we came across Portofino Gelato with a sign on the door that facilities were for patrons only, I wasn't sorry that Paul was happy to have a snack of gelato. I took snacked, too, but only after I used the facilities.

The girl at the counter was most unhelpful. Paul asked about the peanut butter gelato--was cream- or water-based. She said "It's peanut butter." There was a light blue gellato called "Sky Cream." I asked her what it was. She said "It's vanilla." I said "It's vanilla with blue food dye?" Nod. OK, then, next option, please. Paul settled on the banana that was exceptionally good and chocolate. In an effort to be different, I chose the peanut butter to go with my chocolate. Generally, two flavors of gelato are delicious, but putting two delicious flavors together makes the experience almost magical. Sadly, mixing the chocolate and the peanut butter just made the peanut butter edible. Serves me right for just making a selection to get out of there instead of trying it first. Moreover, serves me right for thinking Paul and I had to be different.

The following is a copy of an email I sent to our most devoted house guest, Garrett Nudd, for which our "Gachett Suite" is named. (Those not in the know may not know how much fun I get out of calling Garrett this name. It originally came from Paul and Garrett's barber who has a hard time saying Garrett because of the language barrier. However, she's great at cutting hair, and that's most important.) Paul was reading over my shoulder and said I wrote a complete blog post to Garrett and was leaving out important information other readers may glean, too.

This is a great snack or dessert option. On occasion, Paul and I will have a breakfast item for dinner, especially if we had rich lunches and were still a bit full from a late lunch. This night, we had small smoothies with peanut butter toast. Certainly, if I can get a concoction that I really like and can remember, I won't want to make so many trips to Planet Smoothie. This recipe makes 16 ounces of smoothie, which is perfect for us. Sometimes, if I make more than that, it goes to waste.

Recipe for Smoothie

• 8 frozen strawberries
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2-3 Tablespoons peanut butter

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

This is absolutely the easiest recipe ever. I used a recipe for regular pancakes. I chose to pass on the "Buttermilk Pancake" recipes because buttermilk is so expensive. After all, what will you do with the rest of the drink when you have made your pancakes? There might be a lot left. Moreover, I want to make pancakes when I want them and do not want to worry about whether or not I have all the ingredients. Naturally, I also like to be able to control the fat in my foods as well. So, I used a regular recipe that used regular milk and whole beat eggs. I like fast cooking adventures and don't have the patience for beating egg whites and folding them into the batter. Nevertheless, use the recipe you are happiest with when creating pancakes from the heart.

Being big fans of Italy, we have been interested in trying this dessert "shack," Jeremiah's Italian Ice, a stand-alone walk-up-to-the-counter building in front of a strip mall. I could not believe the number of patrons. There were three teenage girls working in the stand, and they were all kept busy. They were polite and worked hard. We had heard from friends that it was good. We just were rarely on that side of town. We just happened to be there around dinner time that day. Perfect dessert stop.

So, now the cat is out of the bag. We do like sweet foods. We just know how to eat them in moderation and with as little additives as possible. The muffin recipe came out of "Moosewood Cooks at Home". It's a good recipe because the base batter does not change. You simply add a choice of apple and nuts, bananas and nuts, or zucchini. I chose the apple because I had a couple apples that appeared too mealy to eat off the core. I used a regular cheese grater to grate the apple, peel included, and nearly shaved my finger a couple of times, too. The muffins came out very pretty and tasted really good. Blueberry muffins are always my favorite, but these are running a close second.

This is the best banana bread recipe ever! I acquired it our first weekend in our new house because Paul loves anything made with bananas. I found it on allrecipes.com with the same title as I have labeled the post.

The first time I made the recipe, I used 8 bananas. That accounts for the loaded flavor. Surly the amount varies depending on banana size. I added a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and a cup of fresh raw pecan halves just before pouring the batter into baking pans. I used two glass loaf dishes--one yielding this size loaf, the other somewhat smaller--but both completely delish.