Super Green Avocado Smoothie

Since giving up baking for Lent, I've been off the blog for a while and have been living off fried rice and smoothies for the past, eh... three weeks or so. I hate to admit that I've also been consuming my fair share (and yours) of biscotti and bagels slathered with more cream cheese than you can imagine. But it's cool- it's "reduced fat". Ha! I wish I can consider myself to be "reduced fat" since Ash Wednesday. Whatever, though- dieting is what tomorrow's for right?

I will say, though, that despite the constant existence of fried rice (home made, thank you very much) in my system, I do manage to pack in some essential food groups. Fruits and veggies, my friends... fruits and veggies. 

Do you want to know why I love smoothies? It's because unless a salad is loaded with nuts and goat cheese, I would never go out of my way to order one at a restaurant. So, since I'm not one to shovel greens into my mouth with a more civilized version of a pitchfork, I drink my vegetables. Yes, ma'am, I do. And about five servings of them per meal!

The smoothie that I am the biggest fan of contains avocadoes, spinach (which you cannot taste), mango chunks, lite coconut milk, and a bit o' water to increase the drinkability of this mega nutrition shot. If you're trying to save calories, you can certainly skip the coconut milk. I have also used Earl Grey Creme tea in place of water, which adds an interesting flavor. 

This makes two servings. 

Ingredients:

1 avocado

2 cups frozen mango chunks

1/3ish cup coconut milk

A giant handful of spinach... maybe 3-4 cups?

1 1/2 cups water

Method:

1. Blend. 

2. Enjoy. 

Store the left over serving in the refrigerator. It'll last a few days. 

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Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Barley

Alright, alright. After giving a small break to those of you who read my blog religiously, I'm back with a few new recipes up my sleeve. For those of you who read every once in a while- shame on you, but thanks for reading this post. Hopefully you'll stick around for a little while, so as to not miss out on any more finger lickin' good food write-ups.

If you recall from my "Frisotto" recipe, I love barley because it's not only a whole grain, but also because it's packed with fiber and has a decent amount of protein. As someone who is quite fond of this grainy little pillow, I'm just as shocked as you are that I haven't eaten it for breakfast yet. I mean think about it... we eat whole grains for breakfast ALL the time, don't we? Oatmeal, toast, English muffins, cereal, but for some reason, barley's not on that list. Why?

So after having this epiphany that I should include this in my a.m feeding regimen, I decided to mess around in the kitchen and come up with something that was only slightly reminiscent of one of my favorite dinner side dishes. I decided to take the easy road and make a cinnamon raisin dish, and I'm so glad I did because it was so delicious. I ate it warm and poured about four ounces of almond coconut milk. I suggest you do the same.

Ingredients:

1 cup barley

5 cups water (Yes, this is more water than you would normally use, but I like my barley soft rather than chewy... especially when I'm eating it for breakfast)

4 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins

3/4 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Bring water to a boil

2. Once water has begun to boil, add barley, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and lemon juice. Reduce heat to low.

4. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Make sure you watch your simmering concoction because if you don't, the sugary water will boil over and you'll end up with the horrible smell of burnt sugar.

5. After about 45 minutes, turn the heat off and let sit until all water has been absorbed.

6. Serve alone or with milk poured over.

** By the way, this makes about four to six servings.

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