Boy Tested And Approved

I am quite smitten with my pre-assembled smoothie packs that I put together. The amount I put into each pack is the perfect size for making a smoothie that just the right size for meal replacement. One of the biggest struggles I have at times are with portion control so this keeps me from over indulging even if it is on something so healthy. I do like having the extra vitamin boost of having the sea vegetables (wakame) included but it does take some extra blending to break up the wakame flakes. But when I encounter flakes that didn’t break up well, I just swallow them and move on.

The true test for the acceptability of the flakes was to try it out on the future hubby. The boy was in town for the weekend visiting. I couldn’t have been happier to see anyone else on this earth! As soon as I saw him, the worries of the week melted away and I was able to forget and just get wrapped up in love. Saturday, I made the boy a simple breakfast of boiled eggs, toast and a smoothie. I’m also trying to get him to be more mindful of portion sizes so it was a stretch to have such a simple breakfast. I put extra effort into making it look really pretty.



I held my breath as he took his first sip of smoothie which was blended with vanilla milk--he is not a big fan of the almond or soy milks that I prefer. He absolutely loved it and even more he loved my presentation which he deemed to be very “French”. I don’t know about that but I very happy to know that he enjoyed it. I’m one step closer to convincing him that simple eating can be quite enjoyable. Every meal doesn’t need meat and every meal doesn’t need elaborate ingredients.
So, my recent smoothie mix is boy tested and approved! If you find a favorite smoothie blend that works for you, let me know about it.

Smoothie Base

When I decide to add something new to my life, I like to make it as simple as possible so as not to become a burden. In this case I am re-incorporating something that I absolutely love…Smoothies! I have had this book since college and it has been well used and well loved.

I do have some favorite recipes marked in the book, but for right now I’m going to use the book more for information and inspiration rather than exact recipes. Good fruit is scarce in the grocery stores right now so putting together a good base of fruit is difficult. I decided to keep things simple and basic. I like to keep the main ingredients frozen so no ice is needed. I used to keep the chopped fruit in individual containers in the freezer and take out what was needed for the specific recipe I was making. This time I decided to go even more simple and do individual bags with all the ingredients needed to make one smoothie.

The base ingredients I am using are bananas, cranberries, blueberries, wakame flakes and brewers yeast. As other fruits are available in the house, I can add them to the blender when making the smoothie.
One of the things I love about the Smoothies for Life book is that it gives you basic information about every ingredient used so you know exactly why it is beneficial in the smoothie. With this information, you can adjust ingredients as needed for the benefits you are seeking. Here is a bit of information about the ingredients I am using.
Bananas-great source of pectin (fiber) and add protection to the stomach from ulcers. Good source of B6 and potassium which lowers the risks of heart disease and hypertension respectively. They add a creamy texture and thickness to the smoothie.
Blueberries-aid in preventing bladder infections and reduces inflammation.
Cranberries-aid in the growth of collagen, aid in preventing bladder infections, reduces inflammation.
Sea Vegetables--The book recommends Algae or Kelp but I had Wakame in the cabinet so I decided to use it. I found some information on this site.
Sea vegetables are a good source of minerals and trace minerals. They also contain good levels of magnesium, potassium, folate, vitamin K, calcium and iron as well as protein. They are especially rich in iodine which is crucial for a healthy metabolism and thyroid function.Brewer Yeast Flakes-excellent source of B vitamins and chromium, aiding in blood sugar regulation and energy production. Also aids in prevention and treatment of heart disease.
The wakame flakes were the only ingredient that needed some prepping before hand. These flakes need to be soaked in water to really be incorporated while blending.
I soaked some flakes in water. Because they do expand, not much is needed.
I divided the bananas (chopped), cranberries and blueberries into 10 zipper sandwich bags. To that, I added one teaspoon of both the wakame flakes and the brewers yeast.

The bags were promptly sealed and put into the freezer.
The liquid base of my smoothies will be almond milk and I will sweeten as needed with honey. I’m not sure how many calories each smoothie will have but I’m going more for the nutrients and energy boost than any kind of weight loss supplement. I love a cup of coffee in the morning, but I love having energy throughout the day even more so I am looking forward to adding smoothies back into my daily routine. I’ll update with a taste review after I’ve mixed the first one. This is my first time using the wakame flakes so it will be interesting to see if the other ingredients mask the salty-sea flavor.

I Need A Charging Station...

So I made one. I have a few too many gadgets floating around the house these days and none of them ever seem to be charged up when I need them. So I go through the same routine everyday. I go through the house searching for a charger and then I try and figure out where to plug it in so I could possibly use it while I charge it. I’ve looked at setting up a place to charge everything in several places in the house, but nothing quite struck me as perfect until today.

In my living room, I have a console table with a decorative box on top…an empty decorative box. I think I used to keep knitting projects in it at one point, but after I started traveling, the unfinished projects went with me. So this box sat empty.

This box is a heavy paper box…maybe chipboard. I was able to cut a section into it with scissors. I took a power strip from my growing stash of cables and such and adhered it to the box with a couple of strips of double stick tape. I fed the cable through the cut-out in the box and put the lid back on. From the front the box looks just like it did before. You can only tell it’s been altered by seeing the cable protruding from the back. The cable goes straight down to the outlet below the table.

This is a great solution for charging small electronics. In the photo above, I have my Kindle Fire, iPod Touch and Nintendo DS charging up. I also have some extra cable store away in there for other electronics. And when I need to charge large electronics, I plug it in and feed it’s cable through the cut-out.

Perfect solution for my needs.