smoothie

As the evening winds down, I struggle to remember exactly where I wrote my plans for this week's menu. The menu is based significantly on items from Trader Joe's as we're getting to visit there again soon and want a clean shelf to refill. Also, I packed a lunch today, but a drug rep brought us lunch, and I promptly left my cooler at the office. I called up one of the girls and offered the food to her as long as she returned the empties to the office I would be at later in the week. I guess you can say it's nice to share. Plus, she got a good deal with homemade trail mix ( see recipe) and an unopened package of strawberry chips, too.

This is one of those times when I feel like my iPhone photo app doesn't do the product justice. Course, it could be that I was just in too big of a hurry to get the pic taken before it melted and I needed to go deal with a child who has an increasingly louder scream when it comes to sudden onset of hunger.

I'm still enjoying my stock-up on sale priced organic Stonyfield yogurt that I moved to the freezer for preservation. I wanted a thicker, ice cream-style frozen yogurt for lunch last week. I used frozen strawberry yogurt, half an orange, and four medium-large flash frozen strawberries. My treat came out thick enough to serve in a bowl and to be eaten with a spoon. I've already made this recipe twice, and I hope to use up the rest of my frozen yogurt this way. For people who aren't fans of yogurt at all, this one really did just taste like fruit-flavored ice cream.

Cost to Make Upgraded Frozen Yogurt

• $0.32 Strawberyy Yogurt (Publix)
• $0.50 Strawberries (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.05 Orange (Holianna Groves)
• $0.87 Total

Recipe for Upgraded Frozen Yogurt

• 1 cup strawberry yogurt, preferably frozen
• 3-4 Whole flash frozen strawberries
• 1/2 juice orange, like Tangelo, juiced

Whirl all ingredients until strawberries are chopped. Makes one serving.

I love the fact that I was in the right place at the right time. I got a 4 32 oz. cartons of Stonyfield yogurt on sale with coupons and froze it. With the strawberry yogurt, I made myself a yummy smoothie with half a juice orange as my liquid, frozen strawberries, and a ripe banana. The fresh quality of the fruit adds all the sweetener I need, making this drink easy and healthy.

With the April weather making for lovely warm, but breezy afternoons, I am really enjoying these cold drinks that use the winter orange and the spring strawberry.

Cost to Make Strawberry Smoothie

• $0.16 Strawberyy Yogurt (Publix)
• $0.50 Strawberries (Maitland Farmer's Market)
• $0.05 Orange (Holianna Groves)
• $0.21 Banana (Costco)
• $0.92 Total

Recipe for Strawberry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup strawberry yogurt, preferably frozen
• 3-4 Whole flash frozen strawberries
• 1 medium-sized ripe banana
• 1/2 juice orange, like Tangelo, juiced

Whirl all ingredients in a blender until mixed and at desired consistency. Makes one serving.

Well, my goal for putting that pound of spinach away in a week was not a success. Paul says my problem was that I never put enough spinach in the dishes. I also contribute part of the problem to not being home for two nights and running out of time in the mornings to make my smoothies the last four or five days. So, I'll be making myself a smoothie for breakfast in the morning and trying to come up with other ways to use the spinach up as quickly as possible because I know it's good for me, and I don't want it to go to waste. Stay tuned for photographs and recipes to go with my spinach creations for the week.

The sauteed spinach photographed was served with my butternut squash soup, which I was very proud of. You can tell that even though the pan was filled with raw spinach, it cooks down a lot. If you're serving a large number of guests, get a big skillet.

Odwalla drinks are popular and can be found at Starbucks, Einstein Bagels, and grocery stores. Costco used to carry large bottles of Odwalla Mango Tango that Paul and my dad were happy to enjoy. Recently, we came across the individual bottles in a variety pack-Strawberry, Mango Tango, and Superfood (a juice mixture with barley greens). The drinks have been very helpful in keeping my vitamin C up and can had a healthy dose of iron, which is important for my blood count right now. They really do taste good, even the Superfood which comes in a dark green color, but if you can get past the look, tastes just fine--like banana and apple juice. Odwalla stresses quality ingredients and being kind to the environment. Most importantly, we find the 11 ounce drinks make a great, healthy snack in the middle of the day.

After my first ultrasound, we headed over to Park Ave. in Winter Park for a lunch. I knew immediately I wanted Powerhouse Cafe. On a hot midday in the scorching Orlando summer, I wanted the coolness of a cold sandwich and a smoothie. Not to mention, frozen fruit in general makes me very happy right now.

Ironically, just today I was talking to a coworker who was meeting her husband for lunch in Winter Park about the cafe and told her about the specials (but forgot to tell her about the coupons) and how the sandwich and smoothie cost me under $10 and she said that that was a good deal because a burger and fries at any other restaurant on Park Ave. can cost $17. I haven't talked to her to see if she took my advice.

I believe I have made it clear that with summer in full swing and my eating habits far from their best, I'm really enjoying cold and fruit. Preferably mixed. So, yesterday when it was near a snack time and we were still at the RDV getting a little bit of workout (not much more cause it was a "sick day"), we stopped at the Nature's Table Cafe upstairs to pick up a fruit smoothie. There are a number of dairy-free drinks that are nothing but frozen fruit and a mixture of 10 fruit juices. I chose number 8, something about berries (naturally) and really enjoyed it. Although it didn't have the strong raspberry flavor as the Berry Blast Bloom from Powerhouse Cafe, Winter Park that I love so much, it still hit the spot. And right now, that factor is more important than the thought of the $5 price tag. Although, I won't seek out a snack from Nature's Table, I will remember that this chain with a branch also in our local mall has what it takes if I'm needing something icy in my stomach.