A Winter Remedy: The Green Chocolate Smoothie

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”– Henry Ford

I start today's blog post with this cool quote by Henry Ford as an ode to the lugubrious state of affairs that currently surround my life. As of late, the wind against me has seemed far too strong to take off.

Though I don't tend to view myself as an airplane or any distant relative of such a contraption for that matter, I like the idea. Airplanes, as taken for granted as they are nowadays, magnificently overcome the most powerful force on Earth- gravity. They are the product of painstaking design, engineering, and craftsmanship. They are, with out a doubt, the product of thoughtful and intelligent artists. Aircraft are, in their simplest definition, important. 

So maybe being compared to an airplane isn't half bad. As far as obscure compliments go (remember when William/Ulrich adorably compared Jocelyn to the Bible?) a likeness to the airplane is beautifully understandable. 

Though taking the quote completely out of context, Mr. Ford seemed to want to convey that we must all remember the possibility of finding the good out of the bad, or the warmth out of the cold. 

I don't really know what this all has to do with smoothies, but it has to do with me, and I guess it relates because I made this smoothie. I call it Green Chocolate. 

In the winter, (I'm starting to remember why I decided on the melancholy introductory paragraph) my happiness dims like the short living sun. I cling to warmth by the fireplace and snuggle with those I love for compensation of the great flames of the forgotten summer sky. Smoothies--a cold, refreshing, energizing drink--are the epitome of what summer stands for, which is maybe why I engage in such a love affair with them. It seems in the gray and windy season of Winter, there is not much room for my favorite fuel. 

I wondered, how can this change?

The answer? It's simple: chocolate and mugs. 

Green Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients:

- 7 oz (approx) spinach/kale/swiss chard

- 1/2 - 3/4 cup almond milk 

- small handful of frozen cherries

- 1 banana

- 1 packet Amazing Meal Cafe Mocha blend

As always, blend these ingredients together in your VitaMix. Serves 1. 

I want to talk about mugs. Mugs have a psychological effect on my eating habits that force me to slow down on my drinking. Parrallel to the high-stress, always-on-the-go lifestyle I can never seem to escape, my eating habits have quickened pace as well. When dining with friends, I often find myself the first to finish my meal, and the nagging feeling of not enjoying the dinning experience to the full. A mug, for me, tells me it is time to relax, as I feel when I'm happily sipping my morning coffee or night-time hot tea. 

A mug means you are in your happy place.

I decided the best way to enjoy this smoothie to pour my drink into a mug, sit by the fire, and enjoy every sip. I topped my drink with organic hemp seed and relaxed in the warmth of the red before me. I felt the summer inside myself smiling, thankful that I had found joy in the season of sad. 

Despite the heavy winds, I know we can take off. Maybe we aren't even airplanes, who delay their flights in stormy weather, we are birds, who endure even in a storm. I hope that my readers (all three of you) realize their "happy place" and the essential props accompanying such contentment. For me, all that is needed is some chocolate, a mug, a blanket of warmth surrounding me. 

xx

Chocolate, a mug, and a blanket of warmth surrounding me (:

Delicious 5 Minute Salsa

Hey guys! Here's a new blog post coming at cha. So, after a long, busy day, it felt good to go to the gym and relieve some stress. When I get home from a workout, I'm almost always starving enough to eat my foot. Why? Because it's filling and convenient. Instead if chewing on body parts, though, tonight, I decided to quickly fix up some delicious salsa! ¡Qué rico!

This simple recipe is a variation of one I found on this cool website called allrecipes.com. I encourage you to check them out! 

Their recipe is as follows:

Ingredients 

- 29 oz of canned, peeled and sliced tomatoes 

- 1 bunch fresh cilantro

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- salt and pepper to taste 

For my try, I did things a smidgen different. Instead of using completely peeled tomatoes, I combined tomato sauce with canned chopped tomato and green chills peppers. This gave it a little bit of texture while still feeling smooth. 

For the cilantro, I chopped it quickly by sliding my knife vertically through the leaves on all sides, and then began chopping horizontally on the remaining middle leaves. After, I'll quickly spread the leaves out on my cutting board and try to pick out the stems from within them. I LOVE cilantro so I put in as much as I could. 

I varied a little bit with the garlic by adding one extra clove than the recipe called for. 

For seasoning, I added fresh crushed black pepper and whole bunch of coarse sea salt. I found that it still wasn't spicy enough though so I added some extra spice by mixing in about a tablespoon of chili peppers. Zesty. 

This quick recipe was a hit with my family, and honestly myself as well! We ate the whole bowl in an hour! Even though the recipe was so simple, the flavors were so deliciously complex. 

Tomatoes are a fruit containing a relatively high water content, making them a great snack food to quickly satisfy hunger. They have endless health benefits so this tasty snack is also good for you too.

This recipe shows how easy is is to quickly throw together a snack that will keep you feeling clean, light, full and satisfied!