Peach Blueberry Cobbler

OK...
First things FIRST.
I'm going to be TOTALLY honest with you...because that's the kind of gal I AM.
I started writing this post LAST year....
It`s TRUE...
I never FINISHED it...

And....
Having made it again the other day...
I thought...
OOPS!
Better get this one DONE!
So... Here goes...

I love the SMELL of this one...
CINNAMON and PEACHES...so reminiscent of eating COBBLER...
Although I don`t think we EVER called it cobbler when I was growing up....
More like...``DEEP DISH CRISPY PEACH SURPRISE``...

So...
CLOSE your eyes...

Imagine you are sitting on VERANDA somewhere...
The wind is blowing  GENTLY across your shoulder....
It TICKLES slightly...
JUST slightly....
One of those tickles that only last a SECOND....
Your not even sure if it WAS a tickle...
But it WAS...

FALL is coming...
or AUTUMN for those of you who call it Autumn...
(I was never a FAN of those "MN" ending words... 
... or what's with COMB? 
"MB"????
English is such a BIZARRE language...)

You are feeling COZY and CALM... (UGH!!!  ``LM```!!! Another one!)

Looking forward to ALL things ``FALL-ISH`` :
Corn, pumpkim pie, wearing funky BOOTS.... (mine are RED and I love them!!!)

So....Here`s the recipe...

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

(1 small serving)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 fresh peach

1 date

sprinkle of cinnamon

handful of ice

Shake & Wake

WOW! 
This one is SOOO good.
It might be my FAVORITE....
Anyway..it's absolutely PERFECT in the HERE and NOW
and...
THAT'S what counts.

EXCEPT... 
I used my favorite beer glass so I'd better wash it immediately or I'll  be picking off the DREGS of kale and date for years to come....

Start by adding a HEFTY serving of Vitamin C into your blender...

Then GRAB some Kale: Benefits of Eating Kale

PEEKABOO

(I just LOVE taking pictures of all the different stages of what goes into the smoothie)

Add some yummy Strawberries that are high in VITAMIN C & MANGANESE

Hemp Seed is a great source of PROTEIN & OMEGAS: Benefits of Eating Hemp Seeds

Cacao Nibs for IRON & COPPER: Benefits of Eating Cacao nibs

Some Organic Medjool Dates to add a little more natural SWEETNESS: 
Benefits of Eating Dates

Ohhhh....SOOOOOO.... Good.......

Shake & Wake

(1 large serving)

1 cup pineapple juice

handful green grapes

1 orange

2 raw kale leaves

handful frozen strawberries

1 Tbsp cacao nibs

1 Tbsp hemp seed

1 date

1/3 cup water

I also like to add a sprinkle of cacao nibs into the shake after it's in the glass. 

It adds a nice crunch!

Indoor Ooey Gooey

So...
You are staying at a little cabin in the WOODS...
There is a BEAUTIFUL lake...
The water is WARMISH..

There are MOSQUITOS...
There is NO power or running water..
There is an OUTHOUSE...
There are BITING RED ANTS on the path....
This weekend there was a BEAR siting!!!...(a mom and 2 cubs)

You take long SWIMS...
You go for CANOE rides..
You READ....
You KNIT...
You play BOARD GAMES...
You take PICTURES of leaves with FACES on them...

It's RELAXING...

Usually you have a little COOK-OUT with hot dogs & baked beans...
You roast MARSHMALLOWS on sticks....

Only THIS time ...
IT RAINED!!
You can cook your hot dogs and beans in a pan INSIDE on the Coleman stove...
No prob....
BUT.....
The MARSHMALLOWS....
You WANT your MARSHMALLOWS!!!

So..
What to DO?

Melt a little BUTTER in a pan...
Put your marshmallows IN the pan...
Let them HEAT up...
Squish 'em down with a SPATULA...
Let them cook a LITTLE more...
TRY your best to FLIP them over...
Let the OTHER side BROWN up...
You'll KNOW when they're DONE...
It'll be ONE BIG OOEY GOOEY MESS...
And...it'll be ONE BIG DECADENTLY SWEET OOEY GOOEY MESS...

You can eat them JUST as they ARE...
OR
You can JAZZ them up somehow...
I went for the "JAZZING"...

Pineapple ring topped with INDOOR OOEY GOOEY
SPRINKLED with DARK chocolate chips and dried CRANBERRIES...

Voila!!!

Purple Pudding

A little bit GELATINOUS this one is...

Actually... MORE than a little...

A LOT gelatinous....

I could have added more water but I just "WENT" with it....

Looking back on it...

I realize its because I used all FRESH produce.

Fresh as in "WARMISH"..not as in Fresh "FROZEN" 

Sooo... That is what accounts for the GELATINOUSNESS of the Smoothie...therefore the name PUDDING was chosen...

Let's start with a HANDFUL of fresh strawberries...
These ones are even fresh LOCAL strawberries...

Handful Shot:

Blender Shot A:

Yes...the above shot does look BEAUTIOUS...

AND....

It most probably WOULD have been BROWN...

...BUT

I just purchased a lovely bag of frozen CANADIAN blueberries and decided I NEEDED to POP some into the MIX.

Blender Shot B:

Do you ever look at a word sometimes and think...WAIT a minute!!

...is that how you SPELL it...????

usually its when i use the word OVER and OVER again....

For example... the word SHOT...

Right now I am thinking...Whoa...

Is that EVEN a word?

It looks WIERD.

But I googled it JUST to make sure...

Ta Da!!

Purple Pudding

(1 serving)

Handful of fresh strawberries

1 mango

1/4 avocado

2 pineapple rings

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup water

The Spinacher

This is the most "SPINACHY" tasting smoothie I've made to date.
Spinachy in a GOOD way...
SPINACHY SWEET!
HOORAY for SPINACH!!!

I dont know about you....but I ALWAYS spell spinach WRONG.
Obviously I have made an effort here...but something in my bring wants to write SPINICH.

ZUCHINNI is another one...

But I DIGRESS...

So... Here we go...

Pre-Blend

I love the look of FROSTED FRUIT!

And LOOK!!!!

I've even captured a FACE on the SPINIACH LEAF...

How cool is THAT?

Post-Blend

Doesn't look like anything SUPER FANTASTICOLA...

But I give it a THUMBS UP!

Post-Slurp

Good to the LAST drop!

The Spinacher

(1 serving)

1 cup pineapple juice

2 big handfuls of spinach

1 orange

1/3 cup frozen cranberries

1/3 cup water
( you could also throw some hempseed in if you feel like it)

The Handful

OK....
This one is called "THE HANDFUL" Smoothie.
Why? You ask....
Well...Basically because there is JUST a HANDFUL of EVERYTHING in it!
(Except for the pineapple rings.... I used two...)
And... BONUS...
It's... BROWN!!!

I guess I have MEDIUM size hands...
So... MY smoothie was pretty much ON PAR with all the other ones I have made....
A GOOD medium sized ONE PERSON serving....
If ya got BIG hands...I guess you'll have a BIGGER smoothie...so you can always SHARE!
And.. if your hands are kinda LITTLE....maybe take TWO handfuls of everything!

PRE SWIG

Look! It's got LEGS!!!!

Something akin to a nice rich SHIRAZ....

Although....I don't really like Shiraz.....or RED wine at all.....

Makes my hands ITCH....

POST SWIG

The Handful

(1 serving)

2 canned pineapple rings plus a bit of canned juice

a handful of fresh blueberries

a handful of fresh strawberries (bigger handful than the blueberries)

a handful of frozen mango

a handful of spinach

some water....

CRANBERRY CACAO CRUNCH

I'm not going to LIE...
This one.....was....kinda ...MEH...
But.... I haven't posted in EONS....so i just wanted to say HI and touch base with Y'all...

Soooooo.....

I definitely "OVER CINNAMONED" this one.....
(Definition: Adding TOO MUCH cinnamon...)

Another CRUCIAL mistake:
I used ROOM TEMPERATURE almond milk as i had nothing else USE-ABLE for a base liquid in the fridge...

AND.....
After yesterdays BANANNA & WATER smoothie.....
Well....

We're NOT gonna get into that now.....

Time to MOVE ON....

Frozen cranberries... or....

LES CANNEBERGES GELEES as we like to call them in my house

(because they sound even more delicious in FRENCH...) have become a new smoothie staple for me.

Today I threw together some bananna, pear, warm almond milk, cacao & 

LES CANNEBERGES GELEES
(Can't figure out how to do the accents on my keyboard...)

and WAAAYYYY to much cinnamon...

Just a SPRINKLE is necessary...

Not the big GRAB I threw in....

My FAVE part of this smoothie is the extra cacao on top cause it adds a nice little crunch!

Cranberry Cacao Crunch

(1 serving)

1 cup almond milk (preferably cold)

half d'anjou pear

half banana

handful of les canneberges gelee

tablespoon of cacao nibs plus more for garnish

a sprinkle of cinnamon

The cookies pictured above are so DELISH & they freeze really well too!
They are from SALLY'S BAKING ADDICTION..
I used chocolate chips instead of walnuts..
Here's the recipe:

Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Hot Creamy Green

 ANOTHER one of my green soup VARIATIONS...

This seems to be my GO-TO lunch these days...

 Whatever I've got KICKIN' around...I blend up & YOU CAN TOO!!

And...there's NOT even any CREAM in this...
That's a BONUS if you are lactose intolerant...

I love the NATURAL flavours of the veggies so I don't even see the need for "BROTH".
Just good ole SALT & PEPPER for me!!

 

 So here's what ya need TODAY...

 

 

Super Duper Spinach Leaves 

(Have you ever seen one THIS BIG??)

(It's BIGGER than my HAND!!)  

 

 

Scrumptiously Steamed Brocali 

 

  

Lovely Lacinto Kale Leaves

 

 

 Boiled Yukon Gold Minis with Skin

 

 

In the Blender

It's just soooo darn GOOD!!!!

In the Bowl

Hot Creamy Green

(2 servings)

 

1 cup potatoes with skin boiled or any kind of leftover potatoes (not French fries)

2 handfuls spinach

1 cup steamed brocali

6 - 8  sautéed lacinto kale leaves

1 cup water

salt and pepper

 crispy bacon for garnish (leftovers)

Blend it all up!

Perfect Pumpkin Soup

Whenever I bake my PUMPKIN chocolate chip MUFFINS or my triple chocolate PUMPKIN PIE...

I ALWAYS have LEFTOVER pumpkin. 

It never fails...

Seriously.

Open up my fridge and chances are you will find a little glass dish FULL of the extra pumpkin...

Sometimes...you'll even find TWO dishes....

WHAT is that about?

WHY do they give you the extra cup?

 

Maybe it's ME...

BUT...

I have NEVER come across a recipe that uses the WHOLE can....

 

So I started putting some in my smoothies...which was DELISH...

..... But there HAD to be something ELSE I could do with it..... 

 

Well.....

I though to myself....

HELLO????

We are into the deepness of WINTER....

Let's make SOUP!!!!

 

So...

Here's the ANSWER for the extra pumpkin puree.....

  

 

 In the BLENDER: 

 

  

In the BOWL: 

 

 

Perfect Pumpkin Soup
(2 - 4 servings)

 

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 sweet potato

1 apple peeled and chopped

1/3 Vidalia onion sautéed

2 cups boiled water (or as much as you like to achieve your desired consistency)

fresh rosemary

salt

pepper

 

Steam sweet potato and apple.

Throw everything in the Vitamix.
Grind in some salt and pepper

Blend.

Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with leftover sautéed onions & a sprig of the rosemary.
Take a picture of it!

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Sweety

OK...
First let me say that the photos from this post are NOT going to win any contests.
It all happened so FAST.
I was HUNGRY...
Not in the MOOD for documenting...

But of course I HAD to...
Because that's what I DO...

In the moment...this smoothie was about fulfilling IMMEDIATE HUNGER FAST.
...and that ain't always PRETTY..
Are ya WITH me on that?

Part of me was like..."OH NO...I can't even share these photos"...

The COMPOSITION...
The FLASH GLARE...
The CROPPING...
You name it...It was all WRONG...
But I didn't CARE...

BECAUSE....
... I wanted to share this RIGHT away so you wouldn't miss out on this little GEM!!!

 

Before the Blend:

I could have FIDDLED & PHOTOSHOPPED with it ...
to make it look MILDLY more APPETIZING but hey...
RIGHT now...

I'm into REALTY!
 

Finished Product:

(A big MEH...for this shot.....)

But it was all I had...

 

SO.... 

I waited a day and made it AGAIN...

...thinking I could come up with a better photo...

 

It was a bit more PURPLE-ISH the second time around as I didn't add the choco chips...

But as soon as I made it...I just wanted to DRINK it!

Hence.....

Another SO-SO photo

 

But PLEASE...

Take my word for it!

It is the perfect combo of

 THICK, CREAMY & SWEET

 

PURE LUSCIOUSNESS!

 

 

This is the POST-POUR shot:

 

Now THIS photo I LOVE!...
Kinda SPACEY-ISH
Nowhere NEAR the colour of the ACTUAL smoothie ... but whatever...
(This is where I lose points for continuity...)

 

 

ANYWAY.......

Here`s the MINIMALY improved photo & the recipe:

 

Banana Nut Sweety

(1 large serving)

1 cup milk of choice

1 banana

1/4 cup frozen dark cherries

1 Tbsp Almond butter

1 tsp choc chips

dash of cinamon

Green Guzzler

 

Calling all Green Smoothie LOVERS!!!

Have I got ONE for YOU!!!

 

I've had this one THREE days in a row now.

It's my new FRESH FAVE for a frighteningly freezing forecast of frosty febricity.

I feel like I am NOT living in ARCTIC temperatures while I am drinking this.

I tell no lies.

 

After just one sip.. (a GUZZLE actually because it is sooo good)

 

I IMAGINE....

 

I am lying outside on the grass....sometime during the month of July... on a lovely new beach towel that is bright pink and orange with yellow flowers on it... 

The sun shines down on me.

I close my eyes and lift my face upwards to soak up the precious vitamin D...

My mind is clear.

No abundance of thoughts running through my head.

It is a beautiful moment.

I am simply "being"....

I am warm. I am happy. I am content.

I feel the universe sheltering me from reality...

I smile to myself.

I take a deep breath and absorb all of the wonderful smells of summer...

I am thankful.

 

So...feel free to join me in my little daydream...

 

Here's what you'll need ......

 

 

This much parsley:

  

FRESH and grassy GREEN

 

 

This much cucumber:

 

 

COOL and CLEAN,

 

 

This much red pepper: 

 

 

CRUNCHY juicy fun

 

 

This much orange: 

 

Round and BRIGHT like the sun,

 

 

Chop. Peel. Slice. Cut

TOSS it all in

"Oh how Delish!"

You'll say with a GRIN.

 

Blender shot: 

 

 

 

Smoothie Shot: 

 

 

Green Guzzler

(1 large serving)

Lots of spinach (2 cups-ish)

1/3 cup cucumber (peeled)

1 Tbsp parsley

1/3 of a red pepper

1 medium orange orange

1 cup pineapple juice


Blend!
No garnish necessary!
GUZZLE & GRIN!

Cherry Yummy

 

I like to make faces....

What can I say?

 

Cherry Yummy

 

1 cup pineapple juice

half a banana

1/3 cup frozen cherries

1/2 cup frozen mango

1 Tbsp Hempseed

 

Blend & Garnish

 

Strawberry Surprise Shake

SMOOTH. CREAMY. SATISFYIING.

 

 

  

Strawberry Surprise Shake

(1 large serving)

 

1 cup Almond milk

1/2 frozen banana

5 strawberries

1/4 cup frozen cherries

2 dates

1 Tbsp Hempseed

BLEND. GARNISH. DRINK

 

Three Times Green Soup

COLD day = WARM soup
However...
Not much fresh produce in my fridge yesterday... 
But I WANTED some soup...
I REALLY wanted some soup...
And...there was NO way I was going out in THAT weather...(feels like -27...!!!!)
(YES..... I AM from Montreal but still... I was staying IN.)
I am a pretty resourceful person and I knew I could come up with something....
And so I DID.
I GRABBED that soggy old carrot, that half a zucchini and that "eat me today or I'm gonna be gross tomorrow spinach"... and I SAW the POSSIBILITIES!!
AND...
BONUS: I had fresh BASIL and FETA!!!!!!!
Woo Hoo!! 

So go and take a look in YOUR fridge.
I'm sure you've got SOMETHING in there to experiment with.....

 

Three Times Green Soup

 (1 serving)

 

Half a zucchini

2 handfuls spinach

4 basil leaves

1 carrot
 

Steam it all.

Blend, along with 1/2 cup boiling water and salt & freshly ground pepper.

Garnish with Feta cheese & more salt and pepper.

 

Soups On!

Mmmmmmm...
SOUP...
WARM soup.
Warm soup on a COLD day.
FLAVORFUL warm soup on a cold day.
INVITINGLY ORANGE flavorful warm soup on a cold day.
Invitingly orange flavorful warm soup with a bit of CRUNCH on a cold day.
Invitingly orange flavorful warm soup with a bit of crunch and VERDANT FRESHNESS on a cold day.

SO simple.
FIVE ingredients...
Plus...
A GRIND of black pepper...
A DASH of sea salt...
A SPRINKLE of ginger...
And there you have it!
A real CROWD PLEASER!
BUT...also a soup to enjoy completely on your own...
One spoonful... and I guarantee you will ESCAPE into your own BLISSFUL REVERIE of THOUGHFULLNESS...

 

 

What I LOVE about this soup is the juxtaposition of TEXTURES.

The SMOOTH, CREAMY soup paired with the CRUNCHINESS of the root chips and mild GRASSINESS of parsley is really FANTASTICALLY SATISFYING!

 

Invitingly Orange Sweet Potato Soup

(serves 8)

 

4 medium sweet potatoes

2 medium carrots

1 granny smith apple peeled and chunked

rind of 1 large orange

1 large orange peeled and quartered

1 cutie pealed (or clementine /mandarin)

4- 5 cups vegetable broth (whatever you need to achieve desired consistency)

salt

pepper

dash of powdered ginger

 

1. Steam sweet potatoes, carrots, & apples

2. Put in Blender

3. Add orange, rind & clementine

4. Add broth

5. Add salt, pepper, & ginger

6. Blend

7. Garnish with parsley & beet & root sticks or beet and sweet potato chips