Green Smoothies, Friends, and Fridays

I try to consume chocolate for breakfast in some way, shape, or form each and every Friday. I've been slacking on my greens lately, so -- I thought a smoothie packed with spinach might be just the thing to start my day today. What's in this baby is surely well concealed -- there's a heaping serving of peanut butter AND cocoa powder. Almond milk. Banana. Honestly, it all sounds awful when you think of it together. Like the waste you'd throw in a garbage disposal after finishing a full meal.

But it works. Just hear me out!

The spinach flavor is pretty much not there at all. Seriously. It just boosts the whole thing with nutrition. Even Stephen, who is always, ALWAYS skeptical of my green monster creations, enjoyed this quick and easy breakfast. I promise you will, too!


Just blend together the following ingredients until well combined . . .

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 to 3 heaping handfuls of spinach
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups almond (or soy or regular) milk

As easy as that! To keep with the greens trend, I crafted a crispy kale salad for lunch. Stephen looked a little puzzled when I threw in some blueberries -- but who says you can have fruit in salad? Tomatoes are fruit, too . . . so, I'm just doing a variation on the theme.


Make crispy kale (we taught you how in this post), then add half a sliced heirloom (or regular) tomato, a handful of blueberries, and a handful of raw almonds. Put in a covered container and shake to mix well.


Now, here's a sneak peek of Monday's feature recipe -- Savory Cornmeal Pancakes (with brie and raspberry jam, if you like) and Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts.


So good, we each ate every last bite!


Last night wasn't only exciting because we created that amazing recipe. Nope, I finally got to have my video chat date with Ashley from Edible Perspective. You may remember Ashley because I won her fabulous giveaway a few months ago. She send the most amazing care package EVER (check it out!) -- filled with homemade goodies galore.


I can't say enough about how awesome it was to finally "meet" her -- I just wish we lived closer! I've been enjoying her blog, her photography, her recipes, and her inspiration for months now. She even put up with my gchat cluelessness. What a gal!

Alright, now some end-of-the-week stuff.

• Next week is our Healthy Living Celebration! We're super excited because we've received TONS of stories from readers about what inspired them to get up off the couch and live the healthy life. Check back for some major inspiration starting Monday.
• If you haven't yet, enter our SHUTTERBUG GIVEAWAY for your chance to win a pretty trivet.
• Yesterday we posted our vacation photos from last week's stint in NJ. We're still trying to get back to "real" life, but it's difficult after such a beautiful time!
• Foodie Book Club members have until the end of the day today to add their reviews to June and July's post. There are some great reviews on there already!
• And we're also looking for blog authors to host future months of the club -- we love the idea, but think it'd be cool to spread the love around. Email us if you're interested in hosting!

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