challenge time

/

Hi blog peeps!  I went for 2, 2mile runs today.  Each run was with 1 of 2 dogs.  It always adds a tad more stress to the run, but worth it when they’re happy and tired the rest of the day.  I had a green monster to replenish!!

_MG_6990

Green Monster built for 2: [2, 16oz glasses]

  • 1 banana
  • 1 pear
  • 1 kiwi
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 packet goji berry amazing grass packet
  • 1/2 container vanilla Oikos yogurt
  • 1/2-1c. milk [I used rice milk]
  • 2c. mixed baby greens -- I do not recommend mixed greens. They had a bit of a weird flavor in this.  It was definitely still drinkable and okay in a pinch if you’re out of spinach.  Spinach works much better though :)
  • 1/4c. unsweetened flaked coconut
  • handful ice

blend ---> liquefy!!!

_MG_6992

I always put the grass powder somewhere in the middle, being careful not to get it on the glass of the blender.  I have found if you dump it in first, it gets stuck in the blade and doesn’t all blend together.  If it’s on top it has the tendency to smear onto the glass and stick there.  Try it in the middle!

The consistency of this was UHmazing.  I am thinking the avocado helped with the creaminess. 

His + Hers Green Monster - Chris loves them!

_MG_7004

I read about Persimmons on Kath’s blog the other day and I was intrigued by her description.  A mix between banana and mango.  That sounded awesome.  I found some organic persimmons on sale this week so I picked up 2.  I wasn’t sure how to pick them but figured if they looked bright, un-bruised, and a bit soft to the touch, I would be good to go.

_MG_7018

I had a photo shoot with them first :)

_MG_7022

1 step closer to consumption!

_MG_7033

one.more.photo.

_MG_7034

This thing was WEIRD!  I’m not sure if maybe it wasn’t ripe enough or what.  I bit a piece and my mouth instantly puckered and dried up like I ate a cotton ball, haha.  The texture was great until it made my mouth quiver.  It was extremely weird…and there was no taste, which is why I’m assuming it wasn’t ripe.  All I can say, is that it was really weird, haha.  I figured out that it was mostly the skin of the fruit that was the problem.  I ate a little of the inside but had to throw it out..dang!  I’ll try again though because I’m sure they are normally really good!!

Food photo shoot #2:

Bok.Choy.

_MG_7041    

I have never cooked with this before but have been intrigued lately.  At Natural Grocers the other night, they had THEE prettiest looking bok choy I have ever seen!  They leaves looked fluffy and soft and so fresh…so I had to buy it! 

_MG_7044

i.love.green.food.

_MG_7047

I have to use it tomorrow because I’m headed out of town on Thursday.  I’ll let you know what I make!  The details of food are so amazing.  As I was turning this pretty veggie I noticed this 1 leaf that was kind of pulled away from the rest and it had the prettiest natural curve…[I am a nerd for details]

_MG_7052

Hmmm…what else!!!? Oh yah, CHOCOLATE!!!  I polished off that dark chocolate peppermint bar last week.  It was in the top 3 of my all time favorite chocolate/mint bars.  That is probably my favorite chocolate combo ever.  This week I went for something a little more fun!

_MG_7006

This chocolate company [Boulder local!!] has about 15 different varieties.  They have a dark chocolate with orange zest that I really want to try.  There is also one with hot peppers that I will leave at the store :) and maaaany others.  They are on sale at Natural Grocers for the next month, so you’ll probably be seeing more of them.  

The perfect amount of salt.

_MG_7012

I turned to Cooking Light for another dinner idea.  I just couldn’t think of anything and didn’t have enough at home to throw something together.  I used this recipe for Beef + Cheese Noodles but of course changed some stuff ;)

my changes:

It says it makes 8, 1 cup servings.  I don’t know who they are kidding with a 1c. serving.  I definitely ate about 1.5c plus a small side salad and don’t think it was too much food.  So, I added extras of some things to really make it serve 8!

  • about 12-14oz whole wheat shells [my favorite noodles because all the sauce gets trapped inside!]
  • 1.5c. shredded carrot
  • 2 heads of broccoli, washed + cut
  • 1/2 bunch [leftover] kale, washed/dried/ripped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1.5c. 1% milk
  • 1.5c. tomato sauce
  • 1/3 can fire roasted diced tomatoes, liquid drained [I used Adobo spiced for a little extra flavor]

I still used the same amount of cheese it called for, and it was definitely still enough.

  1. Before adding the beef, I added the kale to wilt it slighty, then added the beef.  After a 2-3min. I added in the broccoli.  I didn’t want it to get mushy, so I added it towards the end.  I added the diced tomatoes when I put the tomato sauce in.
  2. I used a 9x13 casserole dish.  You could use something smaller but make sure it is extra deep.
  3. I added about 1/2 tsp. tapioca starch to the flour/milk mixture and it got extremely thick!
  4. I mixed in the about 5oz of cheese to the milk mixture and saved the last ounce to sprinkle on when it was done baking and broil for 2-3min.

I reallllly liked this!!  It was so so creamy, but filled with veggies and not too heavy on the cheese and there was no cream, butter, or oil.  The shells were perfect for trapping the creamy sauce…mmm

I like how the top noodles get a little bit crunchy!  The photos are making me want 2nds!

_MG_7058

greens + cuc on the side

_MG_7068

………

Now that you have had a heavy dose of food, I’m going to change the subject.

Water! 

What about water?  Well, besides being a passionate foodie, I am a passionate tree hugger as well :)  We all [should] know that our water supply is not unlimited.  I think it is important to try to conserve our water whenever possible.  Small changes can make such a huge difference!

So, I am posing a challenge….a physical challenge [haha, double dare anyone?? ;)]

How much time can you cut out of your daily shower??

Did you know that EVERY minute in the shower uses TWO to FOUR gallons of h2o?? [sometimes more]  It just boggles my mind.  One thing you can do is get a low flow shower head, but an even better thing you can do is “wash wash wash” a little faster!

  1. Time yourself in the shower for 4 days.  Do not rush, take your normal length shower.
  2. Record numbers daily and then average the times.
  3. Leave me a comment on the blog about your avg. shower time.
  4. For the next 4 days see if you can speed things up a bit…scrub a little faster…don’t sit down and nap ;) Shampoo + condition first, so you can leave your conditioner in while you finish everything else…
  5. Average the times + see if you improved….leave another comment with your new shower time average!

If you take 325 [you know you skip a few days here and there] showers per year and you cut down 1min from your normal shower time,  that is a HUGEonomous water savings.  [I will use 3 gallons/min as an average amount that comes of our your shower head for this calculation.]

325 showers x 3 gallons h2o = 975 gallons in ONE year for ONE less minute!

Check out this low flow showerhead.  It has a 1.2 gallon/min flow rate AND has a pause button for when you’re soaping up.  Okay, now I’m not sure I would use the pause button, but that is still pretty cool.  There are plenty out there…and according to this article, this one is only $12!

Who else is up for the WATER challenge???  I’ll keep you posted on my shower times and will probably sneak in a few other water saving tips here and there :)

All for now!! Night!

~Ashley