Orange Juice Ice Cubes

This is sort of a random post, but also sort of brilliant!  It stems from the idea that there are 2 people in this world...juice drinkers and coffee drinkers.  Let's face it, everybody starts their day with one or the other.  Mine involves a massive thermos of hazelnut-flavored Folger's coffee with a dash of ground cinnamon, unless this juice we're talking about is in a mimosa!  Anyway, back to the topic!  I was super sick last week and bought orange juice to get a little extra vitamin C.  Flash forward 4 days later, and I still had over half the bottle left with no intention of finishing it.  What to do?  Freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray!  It's been a great addition to my morning smoothies to add a little citrus kick without having to waste a whole orange.  I haven't tried freezing any other types of juice, but feel like it would work out just as well as long as it's 100% juice.  Just a little food for thought to get you recycling ingredients instead of throwing them away!

New Year, New Smoothie: Triple Berry Green Smoothie

Happy New Year!  I thought I would start 2015 off right with a healthier recipe, since almost everyone's New Year's resolution involves eating better, losing weight, exercising more, or a combination of all three.  Back in August, I started making a smoothie for breakfast everyday because they were the most convenient meal to take with me on my 45 minute drive.  Little did I know, they would actually make me lose about 6 pounds without even trying!  It's definitely the best way to improve your energy, increase your protein and nutrient intake, gain lean muscle...and it tastes great!  I make all different types of smoothies depending on the fruit I have at the time, but this Triple Berry Green Smoothie has definitely become my favorite combination lately!

Breakfast Power Smoothies

So I totally love everything about Cleveland...except the east side.  The traffic, the fact that you can't get from point A to point B without going 4 miles out of the way via winding roads, the fact that the highways somehow failed to connect to any of the important areas, did I mention TRAFFIC?  Clearly I've been a self-proclaimed west-sider for life (with the exception of an occasional hike or a Nordstrom adventure).  But then I landed this awesome design job in Solon.  Karma sucks.  It's a tough life making the 55 minute trek in the morning, so I basically attempt to wake up as late as possible while still looking presentable.  I started making these incredible breakfast smoothies so I can bring my meal on the go, and I realized I was officially addicted when I started making them on weekend mornings when I was in no rush to get anywhere.  It's nutrition in a cup, and so refreshing!!  Especially paired with a sunny Saturday morning and a brand new issue of Travel & Leisure magazine (with Firenze on the cover nonetheless)!  Try making it yourself, and be sure to experiment with the fruit you add too!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothies

I had the pleasure of getting mouth surgery yesterday morning, which has resulted in a liquid diet for the next 4-5 days.  It's the worst.  I made a promise to myself that I will try to follow these instructions for at least 2-3 days, but I'm going nuts already considering the fact that dairy upsets my stomach and they said no hot foods.  What happened to soup and oatmeal being my Plan A?!?!  Clearly I had to get creative to avoid not eating altogether, so I created a delicious Plan B.  My peanut butter banana oatmeal smoothies are not only filling, but taste like a dessert!  And did I mention that they're less than 400 calories (thank you almond milk!); this beats my favorite Mitchell's PB Banana Smoothies by a long shot!