Green Smoothie

Most weekday mornings either myself or Jacob (depending on who has to be at work earlier that day) will whip up a big smoothie for us to share. It's a quick breakfast that can be taken on-the-go, but the thing I love most about these smoothies is that you start you day off with SO MANY good things entering your body. 

I also love that you can make these smoothies ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate them for another day. And, they're so versatile! You just need a few items for the smoothie base, then you can add whichever fruits, vegetables, and other things that you already have on hand.

This smoothie was actually a bit different than our usual, but I was in the mood to take pictures and figured it would suffice just fine.

Orange juice.

Next, fruit. Usually, this consists of two bananas and a peach (or berries if we have any on hand). This time around I had watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, and a peach.

Kale was the green for today, we typically use spinach but were out when I made this smoothie.

For a little extra substantial-ness, oats and raw almonds. Sometimes chia seeds if we have them on hand.

A splash of almond/coconut milk for a smooth and creamy consistency. This can also be substituted with yogurt or regular cow's milk.

And ice!

Blend, add ice, repeat.

The final product. Not quite as green as usual, and not quite as pretty as usual, but still tasted great. If you don't believe me, try making one yourself. You won't be disappointed and you'll feel great all day for it!

Green Smoothie Recipe:

Makes 2 very large (meal size) smoothies

- 1 cup orange juice

- 2 cups fruit, chopped

- 1 cup packed greens

- 1/2 cup yogurt, almond milk, soy milk, or cow's milk

- 1/3 cup oats

- 1/4 cup nuts

- 4-5 large ice cubes

Directions:

- Blend!

- Serve in a mason jar for best results.

* Note - if using frozen fruit, you can leave out the ice. I usually use fresh fruit so I add some ice to give the smoothie a little extra thickness and to make it cold.

Summer Style Beans and Rice

Good morning! It's cool, crisp, and dry in Boone this morning. I'm loving it, and loving these hydrangeas that are keeping me company as I type. Who else thinks blue hydrangeas are just the best? Thanks to an awesome co-worker of mine who has given me access to her backyard flower collection anytime I want!

Beans and rice is one of our staple meals. We usually have some type of variation once a week. It's easy, cheap, healthy, and filling. I'll usually steam, grill or roast some veggies to go along side, maybe throw a little sour cream or guacamole one top. Since we're such bean and rice frequents, I always have a stock of canned beans on hand. They may cost a little more than the dried variety, but you can't beat the convenience. 

Secondly, I always have rice on hand. Brown and white. Lately, my new favorite is this short grain brown rice - it cooks up so well and has a great texture (some brown rice can become a little mushy upon cooking).

Since summer is in fully swing (which I still can't believe. It's almost AUGUST?!), I decided to turn our weekly favorite into a cool summer dish. More of a beans and rice salad, if you will. So, I gathered all the veggies I had in the fridge, and got to trimming and chopping.

The only things that I actually "cooked" for this dish were the zucchini/garlic, and rice. The zucchini needed just a few minutes to soften up and gain some flavor from the chopped garlic.

Want to know the best way to chop fresh garlic? Take however many clove you need, lay them on the cutting board, and use the flat side of a large knife to hit each clove. This will break the clove and make it easy to peel the husk off.

 While in Michigan a few weeks back, my Grandma gave me a cool little collection of infused olive oils and vinegars! I put the lemon infused oil to use in this recipe (and it was awesome), but it was by no means crucial to the dish. Regular lemon juice and regular olive oil together will work just fine. 

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, two peas in a pod. Necessary in every kitchen.

Once all the little elements were thrown into one large bowl, I tossed it all together. Taste, season, taste, season. Perfecto! Great served cool or at room temperature. Even better with some sweet watermelon on the side.

Summer Style Beans and Rice Recipe:

Serves 6 as a side, 4 as a main dish

- 2.5 cups cooked brown rice (cooked according to package directions)

- Two cans of beans, rinsed and drained (I used black beans and garbanzos, but any will do)

- 1/2 cucumber, chopped

- 1/2 cup chopped carrots

- 1 green pepper, chopped

- 1 ear of corn, taken off the cobb (I use it raw - yum!)

- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

- 1 small can sliced olives

- 1 cup zucchini and/or yellow squash, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, chopped 

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- Dash of salt

Dressing Ingredients

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- Grated parmesan (optional)

Directions:

- Saute' the zucchini/yellow squash and garlic over medium heat with a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

- Season zucchini/squash and garlic with a dash of salt and cook until just tender.

- Add beans, rice, and all other chopped veggies to a large bowl.

- Once the zucchini mixture has cooled, add it to the bean and rice mixture.

- Next, add all dressing ingredients.

- Taste the salad as you season and add more or less of your favorites.

- If you have any fresh herbs on hand, they would be a great addition at this point.

- Grated parmesan for a garnish and salty kick!

Orange Balsamic Glazed Butter Bars

I bought myself a years subscription to Better Homes and Gardens this past Christmas, and I have been loving it. The home ideas, while a bit overwhelming (and expensive), are fun to drool over and the recipes are always simple and delicious.

We had some guests coming over the other night and I wanted to make a dessert that was simple, but a little different from the usual brownies or cookies. I remembered a recipe I had seen in one of my Better Homes and Gardens magazines and I decided to give it a try, with a twist.

Start out with butter. Lots of butter.

When I make dessert bars of any type, I like to line the pan with parchment paper. That way, I don't have to worry about a disaster trying to get them out of the pan once they're done baking. They come out perfect every time!

Press the butter crust mixture into the pan.

Mix up the buttery topping.

A little nutmeg for an extra hint of flavor.

I added orange zest to the mixture - so refreshing and sweet.

All ready to go in the oven! Before and after baking.

Once the bars are baked, it's time for the glaze. This is where I really switched things up a bit. The juice of one orange.

Plus, balsamic vinegar and powdered sugar.

Add a little extra water if needed.

The consistency should be of elmer's glue.

Pour and smooth out, and add a little extra orange zest on top.

Cut into bars one the glaze has hardened slightly.

These things get even better after a day or two! They also make great gifts (especially when packaged in parchment.

Orange Balsamic Glazed Butter Bars Recipe:

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Makes one 9x13 pan of bars

Butter Crust

- 1 and 1/2 cups flour (I like to use unbleached)

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup butter

Butter Batter

- 2/3 cup butter, softened

- 1 and 1/4 cups sugar

- 1/4 cup light corn syrup

- 1 egg

- 1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract (I used vanilla because it was all I had on hand)

- 1 cup flour

- 2/3 cup half and half

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- Zest of one orange

Glaze

- 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

- Juice of one orange

- Orange zest (for garnish)

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.

- Mix together 1 and 1/2 cups flour with 1/4 cup sugar.

- Cut in butter and mix together with your hands until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

- Press mixture into the pan and set aside.

- In a large bowl, mix together softened butter, sugar, egg, corn syrup, nutmeg, and vanilla or almond extract.

- Alternatively add the flour and half and half, mixing together completely between increments.

- Mix in the orange zest (at this point, the batter might look slightly curdled - don't worry! It will turn out just fine).

- Pour the buttery batter over the crust, and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set and the top is slightly golden.

- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, balsamic vinegar, and orange juice. The glaze should be thin enough that it falls off a spoon, but thick enough to be able to set once poured over top the baked bars.

- Once the bars have cooled, pour the glaze over top and grate a small amount of orange zest on top.

- Let glaze set for 15-30 minutes (you could even put the bars in the fridge at this point to speed up the process)

- Cut into squares and serve! They're even more delicious with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

Beach

Jacob, Madi and I have been on vacation this week enjoying the beach with Jacob's family. Good food was eaten, and relaxation happened, but few pictures were taken. I will be back next week with some exciting summer recipes and home updates!

Roasted Beets

Beets are very high in betanins, proven to reduce inflammation and growth of cancer cells. Sound healthy, huh? That's because they are. They're also quite expensive to buy at the grocery store during most times of the year. This time of year, Jacob's parents are harvesting beets and they start showing up in all the farmers markets for cheap.

While canned and pickled beets are good, I prefer roasted beets drizzled with some olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and either fresh herbs or bleu cheese.

I start with fresh beets. Give them a nice wash, trim the stems, and wrap them each in a small piece of aluminum foil.

Toss them all in a baking pan, and roast in a hot oven.

Once they come out of the oven, I let them sit so the skins can soften. Once they sit for a while the skins will peel off easily using your hands. Hope you don't mind a pink tint to your finger for a day or so. If you do mind, wear gloves.

Once the beets are peeled, slice them as you please and add your desired seasonings! 

The seasoning of choice this time around was fresh basil. If we had bleu cheese, it would have gone on there as well.

Beets keep very well in the fridge and are just as good cold as they are warm. I often make a large batch and eat them over several days. 

Roasted Beets Recipe:

- 5 medium sized beets

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp cracked pepper

- fresh basil (optional)

- 2 tbsp crumbled bleu cheese (optional)

Directions:

- Wash beets, trim and discard or set the greens aside.

- Wrap each beet in a small piece of aluminum foil

- Place all beets in a baking dish

- Bake for 30-45 minutes at 400 degrees or until tender when you poke them with a fork.

- Take the beets out of the oven and let them cool for 20-30 minutes or until cool to the touch.

- Peel the skins off using your hands.

- Slice the beets, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt.

- Add fresh basil leaves and/or bleu cheese as desired.

Bathroom Renovation

I had already started a blog post about our latest house project: turning an old dresser into a vanity for our guest bathroom. Here are the pictures of Jacob working on it a couple weekends ago.

I had figured this would be one of those projects that lasts forever. We knew we wanted to tear out the old vanity and replace it, but we also needed to re-do the floors, get a new toilet, and put up bead board on the walls. We were excited about the project, but were in no huge rush.

While I was gone to Michigan over the 4th of July, Jacob told me he was working on a "small project" that had something to do with barn wood from the barn that sits on our property. I was excited, and figured he had made a frame mirror or something similar. Funny thing is, he didn't do anything with barn wood over the weekend. Instead, he ripped out the old vanity and floors in the bathroom, laid tile, put in a new toilet, installed bead board, and put in the new vanity. 

When I got home, Jacob was out of town but he had left the bathroom light on so I would be drawn to that part of the house first. Let's just say, I was shocked. It looks amazing. He had left a note on the vanity that said "Sorry I lied, I was not making anything out of barn wood".

We're still working on finishing touches, but I couldn't WAIT to share this with you all! I'll post more pictures once we get the rest of the drawers finished and put in. But for now, I leave you with the before and after pictures:

Before

After (very first sighting for me, with Jacob's note still on the vanity)

The pictures are not the highest of quality (iphone), but like I said - I was too excited not to share this with my readers right away! More to come very soon.

Pearled Barley Salad

Hello, long lost friends! I have been a little MIA lately with continued travels, crazy weeks at work, and not many meals at home. When we have been cooking at home it's been our usual quick staple meals: tofu and veggies, pizza and salad, beans and rice...

I'm currently in Muskegon, Michigan for my Grandma's 80th birthday celebration. Jacob wasn't able to come with me due to work responsibilities, so I made the 12 hour drive solo on Wednesday. I've been soaking up the sun at Lake Michigan, hanging out with family, and trying to get as much adorable niece time as possible. Here are a few iphone snapshots from my Michigan adventures...

Un-edited. 

4th of July watermelon.

Let me out!

Me and my cousin, Brianna at Lake Michigan.

Rice and beans bowl bake with toppings and fresh farmers market veggies. Recipe to come soon. 

Ok, back to the barley. This barley salad was a recent creation. I had cooked some pearled barley one night to go along side our tofu and veggies, and threw the extra in the fridge to use later on. I decided to make a cold salad out of it and it turned out great! This is such a simple recipe, and makes for a refreshing summer side dish for your next cookout. You could add or take away any veggies to cater to your own tastes.

I added green pepper, cucumber, fresh corn, and basil.

Dressing was simple: lemon juice, olive oil, salt.

I love the chewy texture that pearled barley has. The raw veggies compliment the texture of the barley nicely. Can't wait to make this dish again!

Pearled Barley Salad Recipe:

- 2 cups cooked pearled barley, cooled (cook according to package directions)

- 1/2 cucumber, diced

- 1/2 green pepper, diced

- 2 ears fresh corn, kernels sliced off the cob

- 4 to 5 larges basil leaves, chiffonade (ed)? What's the past tense of that word?

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp salt

Directions:

- Toss the barley, veggies, and basil in a medium sized bowl.

- Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

- Pour the dressing over the barley and vegetables, toss to combine.