Meals in jars...you know- Smoothies

Our favorite green smoothie is a slightly adjusted Glowing Green Smoothie from Kimberly Snyder. Both my husband and I would have a quart jar of green hued beauty every morning...until I got pregnant. Enter: english muffins with PB&J for me and Honey Nut Cheerios with almond milk for him. Thankfully now that we are well into my third trimester I am actually craving healthier foods again (such as my yogurt bowl!) and we have welcomed our green tradition back to our daily routine with open arms! 

//An Almost Glowing Green Smoothie//

makes enough for 2

1 cup water
1 head romaine lettuce
4 stalks celery
2 huge handfuls of baby spinach (or kale)
1 pear
2 bananas
juice of a lemon

//method//
I like to prep all my ingredients at once, so then I can just feed handfuls of goodness to my blender without having to stop to wash or chop anything. I layer all of the ingredients (except the liquids) in a bowl in the opposite of the order listed (so that the lettuce is at the top, and therefore the first item to be added to my blender, and the bananas are at the bottom of the bowl and the last thing I will add to the blender besides the lemon juice. I wash and chop everything into pieces that are manageable for my blender.
Add the water to the blender and then at medium speed begin adding in all of the other ingredients in the order listed. I finish with the lemon juice and then turn the blender to high for 30-60 seconds just to really get everything nice and smooth.

**I do use a Vitamix and am of the opinion that a super high powered blender is really ideal for a green smoothie-if I wanted to chew it, I'd eat a salad ;)**

Now when I need something a little more approachable, with a little more staying power, this is my other favorite smoothie.

//Blueberry Chia Smoothie//

serves 1

1 cup of almond milk
1 cup blueberries
1 tsp chia seeds
1 banana (frozen is nice, but not necessary)
1 Tbsp almond butter (or any nut butter of your choosing)
splash of vanilla extract

//method//
Blend and drink!

Yogurt Bowl

This, my friends, is one of my favorite parts of the day. This summer our good friends let us try their homemade yogurt. Tangy and creamy, topped with honey, I promptly ordered us a yogurt maker. What makes this yogurt so special is that it is fermented for a full 24 hours. This removes pretty much all of the lactose (a necessity for me) and leaves you with perfectly set, tangy, awesome yogurt.

Here's how you do it:

//Ingredients//
2 quarts high quality whole milk
10 grams yogurt starter (I use yogourmet)

//Method//
Heat 2 quarts of whole milk (I use the local stuff that comes in a glass jar) to 180 degrees fahrenheit. Gently stir the milk while it is heating to avoid scalding the bottom. While it is heating up, fill your sink with cold water.  Once the milk has reached 180 (this kills any harmful bacteria that may be present), you are going to dip the pan in the cold water and continue stirring. This is a really fast and effective way to get your milk to cool down to the temperature at which you want it to ferment, basically between 108-112 degrees fahrenheit. Poor all but about a cup of the milk into the canister for your yogurt machine. In that remaining cup, whisk in your yogurt starter, making sure it is completely dissolved. Then you stir that mixture in with the rest of your milk. My yogurt maker has me fill warm water to a certain line, and then I just plug it in, add my canister of yogurt-to-be, cover it and voila! In 24 hours I simply remove it from the maker and pop it in the fridge to set for about 8 hours.

While it is a lengthy process- the hands on time is really only about 10 minutes. And it is absolutely worth it. It is better for you and far tastier than any supermarket yogurt!

//My Favorite Yogurt Bowl//

1/2 to 1 cup of homemade yogurt

drizzle of honey, agave, or maple syrup

handful of pomegranate seeds

handful of blueberries

1/2 banana, sliced

sprinkle of ground flax seed

sprinkle of chia seeds

small handful of chopped raw almonds

small handful of toasted coconut flakes