Mr. Smooth, Meet Ms. Smoothie

SO easy and SO good.

Add 1 tablespoon of flax seeds
and water, blend
drink.

Nothing like a little berry delight to do a body good. Smoothies are so easy to make, and the best part is you can add or subtract ingredients.

This fruit smoothie consists of 5 ingredients, and provides 2 fruit servings:
1 medium size banana
1/2 C strawberries (organic if available)
1/2 C blueberries
1 T flax seeds (grind them prior to adding if time permits), and
Fresh, cold water to desired consistency.
Natural sweetness will vary depending on fruit ripeness.

Variations: Substitute cold kefir, low-fat yogurt, soy milk, or milk v. water.
You can also add chopped ice while blending for a brain freeze.

This drink is high in potassium, and vitamin C and phytochemicals.
Some powerful antioxidants found in plant pigmant include: anthocyanin, and lycopene. Anthocyanin is the blue in blueberries and lycopene is the red in strawberries.

Something to Nibble On

Have you ever waited too long to eat? Yes, you say you have. Don't you just hate it when you pass the point of hunger and turn into this mad person that needs food NOW! Well that was me a few nights ago. I was starving, and needed a bite to eat. Here's what I came up with to tame the beast I had become. I am sorry to say this "bite to eat" is not low in the calorie department because of the crust. It's not way over the top either, but the crust is made out of a commercial "puff pastry". You can always switch out the crust to a low fat wheat crust.

I will apologize in advance. Sometimes when I cook, I use a dab of this or a dab of that. I add flavors to suit my taste, and that I think will blend well together. I also use ingredients that I already have on hand and I tend to mix and match. This recipe is a classic example of all of the above. One more thing, I usually don't measure when making something quick. Hopefully, the picture will provide additional guidance. Don't worry, I do measure and will try to provide specific quantities and/or weight in additional recipe posts. Thanks and I hope you like this creation.

Ingredients

1 puff pastry (follow dough thawing - cooking directions)
Italian seasoning to taste (I use Simply Organic)
15 Grape Tomatoes washed and sliced in half (let drain a bit)
20 Sun Dried Tomatoes, julienne sliced
Goat Cheese to taste
1Caramelized Onion
1 T Olive Oil or Butter
1 T Sugar (brown or white) or 2 teaspoons good Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

First: Thaw and roll out the dough.

Then: Slice onion, place olive oil or butter in skillet, heat. Add onion, stir. Once the onion looks a bit clear and is soft add sugar or a good balsamic vinegar,stir. If using balsamic vinegar let it evaporate some caramelizing the onion. If using sugar, don't let it burn. Once caramelized remove from heat!

Assemble:
You can top the dough with the following while the onions are cooking, then add them at the end.

Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the dough to suit taste, or till covered,
Spoon small pats of Goat Cheese and arrange,
Arrange washed, sliced and drained grape tomatoes, and julienne sun dried tomatoes,
Top with caramelized onions and fresh ground pepper

Following puff pastry baking time and temp directions.

Please NOTE: Tomatoes tend to be "wet" when baking, so be sure to let them drain a bit or pat them with a paper towel to soak up moisture. Tomato wetness may also increase baking time, give it a little time to bake and then take a big bite! Enjoy!

Getting Garden Ready!

I know it's not garden season yet, but I have cabin fever and I need to think about what's around the corner, and that would be SPRING! Spring can't come soon enough for me this year. I am not always a fan of digging in the dirt, and swatting at mosquitoes, but it's all worth it when I know a fresh BLT and a cold glass of fresh watermelon lemonade is just around the corner. Have you ever had a fresh watermelon lemonade? It's the best summer time drink!

Every summer I plant a garden for practically nothing! I can rent from May - September a 20x20 piece of land from my local garden club for $10 dollars. Talk about a bargain! The Garden Club will till the land, section it off, assign each gardener a site number, and the best part, the land even comes with a WELL!

Right before planting, I start to get a little nervous. Why? you ask.

It's like getting ready for a trip. Do I have everything? Did I pack too much, or too little? All the seed packet pictures look delicious and I get overly excited and buy, buy, buy way too much to plant in my now, not so big 20x20 space. So off to the drawing board, and after taking pencil to paper and drawing up a plan, I end up buying two sites and I still think I am over planting for the space. Oh well, I grew up in a tiny house with a too many siblings, and turned out just fine; so why should it matter if my plants are a bit over crowded?

All too often my over crowded garden has been reduced in size by pesky bugs, hungry woodchucks, rabbits, and deer. They know a good thing when they see it! I also try my hardest to keep my garden organic and not to use chemicals, but I can not control what someone else is using blowing onto my plants. Somehow it all works out and my entire family, friends and neighbors eat all summer long from my garden.

I can not wait to share some of my favorite garden tasty treats! You won't even know you are eating healthy, I promise!

More to come!

Helen