Mom on the Make

Finding fun amidst the chaos of Motherhood

Its a Ten Smoothie Day

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Yesterday, a smoothie craving overtook my home.

I made smoothies for the kids right after school, then about an hour later, then after dinner.

At the end of the day, I felt like I had just gotten off a shift at Jamba Juice.

What I realized is that I can keep the smoothies REALLY simple, and the kids still love them a lot.  I typically will try to think of additional ingredients to add like yogurt or honey or a touch of orange juice.  And, while they always like those smoothies, they also loved the smoothies I made yesterday, and they were super SIMPLE.

Here’s the ingredients…….milk, banana, frozen berry mix from Trader Joe’s.

berry smoothie ingredients

I find that you really want to add a good amount of frozen berries in relation to the milk and bananas to give it that smoothie shop consistency, which is oh so delicious.  Without enough berries, it will not be thick or cold enough.

The finished berry smoothie…..as easy as can be…..

berry smoothie

I need to hit Trader Joe’s today for about 10 more bags of their delicious frozen berries.  🙂

I’m really glad I discovered this easy smoothie, since this is my year to simplify, as I discussed in my new purse post.  So far this year, I’ve accomplished carrying around a much smaller purse and easier smoothies.  Woo hoo.

Spinach, Feta, and Mushroom Quiche

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I love this recipe so much, I whip it up in my kitchen at least once per month.  If you like egg dishes and especially quiche, you are going to LOVE this one.

With the mixture of feta cheese, crimini mushrooms, onions, and spinach, there is a special kick to this quiche that is quite unique.

Spinach, Feta, and Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients for Spinach, Mushroom and Feta Quiche

 

quiche mushrooms and onions

Saute Mushrooms and Onions in 3T olive oil.

quiche add spinach

Add 6 cups of spinach to mushrooms and onions.

quiche veggies

Cook spinach until wilted. Amazing how fast it cooks down!

quiche veggies in pie crust

Pour spinach, mushroom, and onion mixture into pie crust.

quiche liquid mix

Mix eggs, half and half, and pepper

quiche liquid in pie shell

After sprinkling feta cheese on top of veggies, pour liquid mixture on top of feta cheese.

quiche before oven

Quiche just before going into the oven for 40-50 minutes at 375 degrees.

spinach, feta, and mushroom quiche

Spinach, feta, and mushroom quiche fresh from the oven.  I started to cut a piece before taking my beautiful picture – oops. 🙂  Just couldn’t wait to eat it.

spinach, feta, and mushroom quiche

Mouth watering piece of spinach, feta, and mushroom quiche

Spinach, Feta, and Mushroom Quiche
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 pie crust
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 8 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, cut into ¼ inch slices (about 2 cups)
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into ¼ inch diced (about 1 cup)
  • ½ t salt
  • 5 ounces (about 6 packed cups) baby spinach
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup half and half
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 7 ounces feta cheese
Instructions
  1. Place crust in pie plate and place in freezer for 30 minutes.
  2. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and set a rimmed baking sheet on the rack.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat.
  5. Add the mushrooms, onion and salt.
  6. Cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies are soft and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts, 2-4 minutes.
  8. Place the eggs and half and half in a small bowl, season with pepper to taste and whisk to combine.
  9. Spoon the spinach mixture over the bottom of the chilled pie crust and sprinkle the feta cheese on top.
  10. Pour the egg mixture into the crust.
  11. Place the quiche on the baking sheet in the oven and bake it until puffed and golden, 40-50 minutes.
  12. Remove quiche from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  13. Cut the quiche into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
  14. SO Delicious!

I found this recipe in my “Food to Live By” Recipe book, by Myra Goodman.  This book is the official recipe book of the Earthbound Organic Farms in Carmel Valley.

This is definitely a keeper.  Hopefully you love it as much as we do!

Easy Huevos Rancheros

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Mountain Man made these huevos rancheros for us this past Sunday.

They are so good, healthy, and easy to throw together, especially on a weekend morning.

I love starting my day with a delicious, protein filled breakfast.  With eggs and black beans, you are set for protein.

With the fresh cilantro and cilantro salad dressing, this protein dish becomes very flavorful.  You will look forward to the mornings you decide to make this breakfast.  🙂

huevos rancheros

 

Easy Huevos Rancheros
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Ingredients
  • Corn tortillas (we love the tortillas at Trader Joe's)
  • Can of Black Beans
  • Eggs
  • Fresh Cilantro
  • Trader Joe's Cilantro Salad Dressing (optional but recommended as it adds a nice creamy, flavorful topping)
Instructions
  1. Spray a griddle with butter spray and heat on medium.
  2. Place four eggs on griddle and cook until yolk has reached desired texture. (hard or runny)
  3. Place four tortillas on other side of griddle and cook, while flipping every few minutes until desired crispness is achieved.
  4. Place black beans on tortillas and cook for a 1 minute.
  5. Use a spatula and pick up each cooked egg and place on top of beans.
  6. Place tortilla with beans and egg carefully onto plate.
  7. Pour cilantro salad dressing on top of egg.
  8. Sprinkle a handful of fresh cilantro on top of egg.

huevos rancheros

Cinnamon Banana Raw Food Shake

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Cinnamon Banana Raw Food Shake

Cinnamon Banana Raw Food Shake

So, after downing about 8 pieces of dark chocolate almond toffee yesterday, I was feeling a bit sluggish. 🙁

I have been wanting to incorporate more raw food into my every day diet, so I started researching tasty raw food meals.  I wanted something pretty tame so that I wouldn’t get frustrated with raw food in the beginning, and give up.

While perusing food.com, I found a Cinnamon Banana Shake recipe composed of only raw food items.

I thought that with bananas, cinnamon, almond milk and sea salt, I simply could not go wrong.

Mixing up my Raw Food Shake

I think the key to the delicious taste of this shake is that there are so many different and rich flavors that complement each other so well.  Also, the recipe calls for frozen bananas, which makes the texture nice and thick, and so, so delicious.

Banana Cinnamon Raw Food Shake

Banana Cinnamon Raw Food Shake Ingredients: almond milk, sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, agave nectar and frozen bananas

I put three bananas, wrapped in saran wrap, into the freezer the night before.  The next morning, they were perfect for the shake.

Steps to your Healthy Shake:

2 cups almond milk (or any nut milk)

3 cups bananas, sliced and frozen

3T  Agave Nectar

1t  Vanilla

1/2t Ground cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

Throw all of the ingredients into your blender (I use a Vitamix), and blend until smooth.

SO refreshing and healthy.  I started my day with this shake, and felt great.  The recipe above yields two servings.  Mountain Man wants to try this new creation, so he will have the second serving tonight.

Raw Food Diet Rules

I thought it would be interesting to learn the main guidelines for following a raw food diet.  They are listed below:

Foods Allowed on 100% Raw Diet

1. Uncooked fruits and vegetables

2. Nuts

3. Seeds

4. Sprouted Beans

5. Filtered or Distilled Water – Rawists believe that tap water can contain contaminants which will mitigate the benefits of a raw food diet.

Foods Not Allowed on 100% Raw Diet

1. Refined Sugar

2. Food cooked over 116 degrees Farenheit- Rawists believe that by cooking food over this temperature, you are destroying essential enzymes.  This process makes the food less nutritious and less digestible.

3. Animal Products, including dairy and eggs

This is a short explanation of the components of a raw food diet.  To bake foods like crackers, rawists will use a food dehydrator.

I have read countless testimonials of how followers of the this diet experience a surge of energy, they sleep better at night, and they have glowing skin and hair.  Everything that you consume on this diet is pure and natural, so these benefits would be expected.

I am not even close to being ready to trying a raw food lifestyle, but I am willing to add at least one raw meal per day to my daily routine.  After today, I already feel better after my shake and making sure to eat some freshly cut green and yellow peppers.

I’ll let you know how my raw food journey goes, and, of course, share the recipes that are delicious. 🙂

 

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