I always liked the concept of a smoothie in a bowl and for years I kept giving it a try but I just couldn’t get into it. Well that all changed when I first visited a local smoothie & juice bar that also serves up Acai Bowls. I saw a lady order one and it was the most delicious thing I had laid eyes on in a long time. After that I decided to give them a try and fell in love. Here is my current favorite recipe:
Nutty for Acai
Serves 2 Ingredients:
1.5-2 cups (homemade) hazelnut milk or any non-dairy milk you enjoy
toppings:
sliced banana
sliced strawberries
a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts
a sprinkle of granola
a sprinkle of shredded coconut
a drizzle of agave
a sprinkle of cinnamon
I knew that losing the baby weight might be a challenge. I had hopes, not too high, but hopes nonetheless that I would lose the baby weight much more quickly than I have been. To be honest I lost a bit in the first 6 weeks and then I got my IUD which seemed to make me put on a little weight (side effect) and then we entered the craziest two months of our lives with preparing to move, limbo and finally moving but being without any of our things for a month.
During the month of December I really slacked on the workouts and indulged in way too many peanut butter balls. In January we finally moved and things slowly started to improve. I started to increase my activity and only ate one cookie per day instead of three peanut butter balls per day.
You’ll probably be shocked (*sarcasm*) to hear that I became a sugar addict. So in February Neil and I decided to challenge ourselves to a cleanse. No processed sugar or caffeine, both of which I had been over indulging on. The first three days were hell but by the end of the cleanse I had greatly reduced my dependance on both sugar and caffeine and am proud to say that two months later and I do not crave either. I still enjoy a small piece of chocolate or a dessert once in awhile as well as one cup of coffee per day but it is nothing compared to the massive amounts of sugar and gallons of coffee I was drinking.
In late January/early February I finally got back to consistent running and I have been going strong. I finally feel like I am back in a good routine and I have a few races coming up. I feel like this has been the tipping point for me and I am finally feeling better, looking better and even losing some weight (3.6 lbs since the beginning of March).
My goal when Edith was born was to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by her first birthday and back to my pre-pre-pregnancy weight (I put on a few pounds before I got pregnant) by next fall. I am currently not on track to lose the weight by then but am hoping to be back/closer to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of August.
This weekend… Friday night we went to a family meet up with one of my mom meet up groups at Lucky Labrador. We went to breakfast at Suzette and had the most amazing vegan crepes. We went grocery shopping (I know we’re wild). We went to buy more coffee beans for Neil to roast and then we went to REI, Whole Foods and Portland Running Company
Guilty Pleasures… Anyone who really knows me knows that I love to snoop in refrigerators, especially the ones at department stores-hey they used to put fake food in them when I was a kid, anyways today I snooped inKris Carr’s fridge and you can too (there is real food inside).
Food I want to Eat… How insane does this crispy cauliflower look? I could eat a tempeh sandwich everyday. Adding this one to the list.
Clothes I want to Wear… I hate shorts (on me) so I have been lusting after this skort for summer activities.
Mama Pea has done it again, she has released another family friendly cookbook. As a new mom I am always on the lookout for tasty, healthy and quick recipes to create for my family and More Peas, Thank You has all three of these components. Not only is this cookbook filled with scrumptious recipes it is also filled with Sarah’s humorous writing. I mean really, how many cookbooks can you read and find yourself rolling on the floor in laughter.
This book is filled with a ton of really great recipes including her famous MMMM Sauce which we have been making on a regular basis over here. It is also filled with tasty recipes that you haven’t seen before like this one for Sunrise Smoothies. This recipe is husband, mama and baby approved.
Sunrise Smoothies
Makes 4 smoothies
INGREDIENTS
1 1⁄2 cups frozen strawberries
1 1⁄2 cups apple juice
stevia, honey or agave to taste (optional)
1 cup frozen mango
1⁄2 cup frozen pineapple
1 1⁄2 cups orange juice
4 strawberries, to garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a blender, combine strawberries, apple juice and sweetener, if using.
2. Pour strawberry smoothie carefully into 4 glasses, and transfer glasses to freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to allow strawberry layer to set.
3. Rinse out blender and put in mango, pineapple, orange juice and sweetener, if using. Blend until smooth. Remove glasses from freezer and carefully pour mango smoothie into each one to achieve a layered effect.
4. Garnish with a fresh strawberry and serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 150 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 30 g sugar, 1 g protein, vitamin A 8%, vitamin C 130%, calcium 4%, iron 6%
Optional ingredients and toppings not included in analysis.
PEA POINTS
The longer you let the strawberry layer set, the more distinct the divide will be between the layers. You can also make these in Popsicle molds for a two-tone frozen summer treat.
In addition to this Sunrise Smoothie we have enjoyed the Quinoa-Zucchini Lasagna and MMMM Sauce in various forms (mac and mmm, with steamed veggies and rice, on toast). So far we have enjoyed everything we have made from More Peas, Thank You and I am planning to keep this cookbook in my rotation.
Giveaway Time:
The prize is a ton of fun, and includes:
Insulated Cooler Bag
Stainless Steel Tumbler with Straw
Glass Fruit Infuser Bottle
A copy of More Peas, Thank You
One lucky winner will win this package but first you have to enter!
Over the past few months I have become addicted to making acai bowls for breakfast and I am working on a few recipes to share with you. I actually had planned to share a new recipe today for the first ever National Acai Bowl Day but alas it just didn’t happen (life as a mom). Anyways I did want to share some more info about this special day
More than 300 juice and smoothie bars in 30-plus states are participating by offering açaí bowls at half price. Additionally, National Açaí Bowl Day will be celebrated at Sambazon’s two Açaí Café locations in Southern California. To find specific locations, you can visit the Sambazon.com store locator and choose National Acai Bowl Day under “Products” list.
We are heading to KURE on Hawthorne to pick up our bowls this morning- so excited!
Have you ever had an acai bowl? What is your favorite kind?
Neil and I used to like to do a lot of city vacations before we had Edith and as much as we love those types of trips we have become more attracted to active outdoorsy vacations. This past weekend we took a spur of the moment trip to the Oregon Coast (who says you can’t take spur of the moment trips with a baby?). We really didn’t have anything on the agenda except to get outside and enjoy the beautiful warm weather.
Saturday we wandered around Astoria and then found ourselves hoping into the car and heading overthe bridge to Washington. We weren’t really sure what to do so we followed the signs to Cape Disappointment, a Washington State Park. We found a parking area and took a short hike out to a viewing area and lighthouse. We didn’t do much hiking on Saturday but definitely found a spot we’d like to return to.
Sunday we headed south to Cannon Beach were we visited Ecola State Park. We arrived just as the fog started to lift and the sun came out. We headed first to the viewing area where we saw some of the most beautiful postcard-worthy sites. After we took in the view we changed into our hiking shoes and headed out on the path to the beach. The path was described as a gradual assent and a steep descent so we weren’t sure what to expect but we headed out anyways. I strapped Edith on my back and we hiked in about a mile before hitting some trees that were down making it too much of a challenge to even attempt to get under them (there was no going over) with a baby in tow. So be grudgingly we headed back to the car where we promptly devoured half a container of hummus and carrots before heading home.
I’m looking forward to doing a lot more hiking this summer and hopefully at least one more trip to the coast.
Have I ever told you how much I love to run on vacation? I really do, especially when there is an amazing running route right outside our hotel*.
This past Saturday, while in Astoria, Neil and I woke up and the first thing we did was go out for our runs. We both have races coming up so even though we were on a mini-vacation there was no way we could skip our training runs. I packed Edith up in the BOB and headed out a little before Neil since my run was a total of 60 minutes and his would be closer to 45 or so.
We lucked out that the weather was amazing, sunny but not hot and not too cold for a nice morning run. After stretching I started out with a 5 minute walking warm-up and then did 50 minutes of walk/run intervals and met up with Neil to finish off with a 5 minute cool down. In all I did 4.13 miles in 60 minutes and finished the 5k in 43:18 (my goal was 45 minutes). I have to say I felt amazing after my run because I beat my 5k time goal while running the first 30 minutes with a wicked headwind and pushing the BOB, oh yeah and because my entire run was along the water (!!).
Do you like to run on vacation? Where is the best place you have ever ran?
*We stayed at the Best Western in Astoria (we got it on Hotwire) which is right on the river walk. It is a great location on the water only a few miles from downtown and there is even a trolly that you can take for $2/day that drops you off/picks you up right by the hotel.
