Blueberry Green Smoothie

I have never had a problem with eating spinach...I like spinach salads and I like it on sandwiches, but in a smoothie? Gross!  It doesn't sound like it would be good...boy was I wrong! Green smoothies are officially my new obsession.

I have been craving a smoothie all winter long, but the thought of drinking an ice cold smoothie while it is below freezing out seems wrong! Now that it is a warm and sunny 50 degrees here in Nebraska, I decided to just go for it. I need to get bathing suit ready BEFORE summer, right??? While I was at the store buying all the ingredients for a fruit smoothie, I decided to see what all the "green smoothie" hype is all about so I bought some spinach. Oh my, what a brillant invention! You can't even taste the spinach! All those nutrients and you can't taste it? I am hooked! If you are anything like me, you just don't get enough greens in your diet, this is the perfect way to get them in and trick your husband and kids into getting them too!

Here is what you will need:

Throw in about a handful and a half of the spinach leaves into your blender.

Next add frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, flax seeds and almond milk. Blend until it is the consistency you are looking for. Voila! You now have a green smoothie. Easy peasy! Now you have no excuse not to eat your greens!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 frozen banana
a handful and a half of spinach
1 tablespoon flax seeds

Summary: Put all ingredients in a blender and blend. You may need to adjust the amounts of the ingredients to get the consistency you want.

With love,

Quick and Easy Guacamole

My favorite snack is chips and guacamole. I could probably eat a whole bowl of guacamole by myself if it was socially acceptable to do so.  But I cant, so the next best thing is to make some for the fam. I don't always have the time to chop all the ingredients that would normally go into guacamole nor do I usually have the all the ingredients on hand. Sometimes I just want to walk into my pantry and use what I have. Dont worry though, my guacamole is just as easy as it is good (not to toot my own horn or anything)!

Here is what you need:

First, cut your avocado in half and scoop out the inside. I like to mash mine with a fork before I add in anything else.

Next, pour in the diced tomatoes (you can used any type of diced tomatoes you want, we like ours with some kick so we use the kind with jalapeno). If you are using diced onion add these as well. I was too lazy to chop the onions today, but normally I would add some.

Now here is where you will need to do the taste and test method. Sprinkle in some garlic salt and pepper. If you want some spice, go ahead and squeeze in a little Sriracha. Remember a little bit goes a long way. Stir everything together and add whatever else you like. Once you have the flavor you want, add some lime juice. You want to add this to prevent the guacamole from turning brown.  If you like lime like I do, add a little extra to give the guacamole a "hint of lime."  Of course, if your family is like mine, and by "family" I mean me, your guacamole won't last long enough to turn brown.  After adding the lime, stir again.

Now go ahead and indulge in your guacamole. Yum!

Ingredients:

          2 avocados
          1/2 can diced tomatoes
          1/4 diced onion
          1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
          1/4 teaspoon pepper
          a squeeze of sriracha
          1/2 teaspoon lime juice

Summary: First cut avocado in half and scoop the insides into a bowl. Next add diced tomatoes, onion, and spices and mix together. Now add lime juice and stir once more. Get out the bag of chips and go ahead and enjoy.

With love!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yummm, Chicken Tortilla Soup! Today is an overcast and snowy day here in Nebraska. My mom and brother are flying in tonight from Southern California so I am thinking they will need something warm and delightful to distract them from the frigid conditions. I would like to think they are here to visit me, but let's face it, Grandma is coming to see my sweet little baby boy!

This recipe is so s-i-m-p-l-e even a multitasking mom of a teething baby can throw it together in minutes! I am all about keeping it as easy as possible when my little guy needs extra attention and I have a zillion other things to do to prepare for guests.  As an added bonus, this recipe is also healthy.  2 points scored! Plus maybe I can score an extra point since this is a recipe my mom gave me??? Well, here it goes...

Here are the ingredients you will need for the soup:

I don't have actual limes or cilantro and I don't want to drive to the store in the snow, so I will use lime juice and frozen cilantro that I have in my freezer from Trader Joes. I also am on a sea salt kick so I am using that instead of kosher salt. If you can't get to the store then just use what you have.

Chop your onion and garlic cloves. I always use extra garlic than what the recipe calls for, I can't get enough of it.  If you don't have one of these handy choppers, you should really consider getting one. I usually love to chop my veggies with a knife, but when I am in a crunch this chopper is a LIFESAVER!

For whatever reason, my onion was extremely potent so I soaked it in some milk for about 5-10 minutes first to release some of the strong sulfur compounds. Yup, you read that right, I soaked them in milk. After the ten minutes was up I rinsed the onions in a strainer with cool water.  If your onion isn't terribly strong, or you like overpowering onions, then go ahead and skip this step.

Now combine all the ingredients except for the lime juice and cilantro in your slow cooker.

Stir all that goodness together

Put the lid on and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Stir every now and then or leave until its dinner time.

It is almost time to indulge in the deliciousness, but first we must shred the chicken. You can use two forks and manually shred the chicken or if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer you can throw the chicken in your mixer with the paddle attachment. Run it on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until your chicken is shredded. Put the chicken back into the slow cooker and add the lime juice and cilantro. If you want to kick it up a notch, which I always do, throw in some Sriracha to taste. If you are using cut up corn tortilla strips in your soup then I would add them now so they can soak up the juices for a few minutes if you prefer them to really soak in the juices then add them even sooner.

Now all you have to do is serve and add whatever toppings you want. Enjoy and stay warm!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (10 oz) petite diced tomatoes (i used rotel)
• 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
• 1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained
• 8 oz frozen corn kernels 
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 boneless/skinless frozen chicken breasts
• 1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes, juiced or lime juice
• Sriracha-to taste

Don't be afraid to venture out and use what you have in the cupboard or fridge, I just used what I had. Feel free to get creative and add bell peppers, olives, jalapenos, diced carrots, celery or whatever else you have handy.

Optional Toppings: 

            Cheese

            Sour cream

            Olives

            Avocado

            Tortilla Chips

            Quesadillas
            Limes

            Cut up corn tortilla strips (i would throw these in towards the end so they can soak up the        

            goodness)
            More Sriracha (if you are my husband!)

Instructions:
1. Put all ingredients in slow cooker, leaving the lime juice and cut up cilantro out
2. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours
3. Take chicken out of slow cooker and shred, put it back in cooker once it had been shredded.
4. Add cilantro and lime juice to slow cooker
5. Serve with toppings of your choice

With love!