So, I was reading Goop, you all know good ole Gwen.  I am really inspired by her health program.  I made a green smoothie based on something similar but, of course, now I cannot find it online and even if I could, I would have omitted numerous ingredients because I didn’t recognize what they were.   Mine is made-up but green none-the-less.  I used to make green smoothies packed with spinach when Willow was 2ish and it was a great way to pack the veggies in.  We called them the “green monster smoothies” so now I’m back on the kick.  Although it’s more for me than for her since she now gobbles up “broccoli trees” like they are going out of style!

If you haven’t noticed already from my foodie posts (calling it foodie even though they’re not gourmet – just lots of food posts…ha) that I make things up as I go.  I actually am a foodie but my lifestyle doesn’t really allow for it so someday I will blast you with culinary greatness…someday!!!  “There’s always tomorrow” my daughter’s middle name is Scarlett and there’s a reason, Scarlett O’hara!  So, yes I make recipes up, always have, not sure if that is a good thing or not?

I taught myself to cook at 19 years of age.  I moved to the Freshman dorms of good ole Evergreen State College and took a cookbook that I acquired in Palo Alto, on a cross country meet weekend getaway.  A Taste of Heaven and Earth!  I got known for cooking pear custard tarts, black bean and tofu enchiladas with red pepper sauce, grilled nutty tofu steaks, and huevos rancheros from this divine cookbook!  I even cooked this enchilada recipe for an Icelandic rock star and friends in the Hollywood Hills and it was a huge hit!  My claim to fame!

It was a Buddhist vegetarian cookbook that inspired feeling confident enough to splash and bit of this and a dash of that into the food!  Taste it…add some more.  That’s how I roll now in the kitchen and pretty much every seasoning measurement I end up doubling.  I like hardcore flavor, nothing subtle.  I LOVED this cookbook and used it until all the pages stuck together and it was smeared with soy sauce.  I still have a hard time keeping a cookbook clean.  Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated in the comments below!

Wow, all that just to tell you I make up recipes as I go!  Sheesh…  This “green monster” could use maybe a dash of something else.  A dollop of Greek yogurt, a squirt of honey, a plop of some pineapple…that would really do it justice but otherwise, it was worth doing and healthy as is.

Green Monster with Coconut Water

2 C coconut water

2 bananas

1 handful of kale

A handful of ice

A tablespoon of chia seeds

That’s all folks.  Simple yet making me feel fresh!!!  One more fun Feeling Fresh kinda meal was this shrimp spring roll!!

This is such a fun one to make.  I love wrapping them in the spring roll wrapper.  I use lots of mint, cooked shrimp, cut-up carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, avocado, and romaine lettuce.  Can’t do it without the sweet chili sauce.   Cut everything thin and long. It’s essentially like eating a salad but with a fun texture and it changes it up a bit during the week!  Just soak the wrappers until so soft you can barely tell they are there and wrap your veggies in.  They firm up as they dry.

I’m also on a salad kick each night.  Lots of garbanzo beans, veggies – bell peps, carrots, tomatoes and sesame seeds.  And another fun smoothie: with one can of coconut milk, three tablespoons of peanut butter, a cup of mixed fruit, handful of ice, handful of oats, and a splash of regular milk and some honey.  I love the nutty flavor here!

So these are some things that are making me feel fresh.  Don’t underestimate the power of smoothies with super healthy ingredients and enjoy salads each night just to simplify and help you to get on a healthy kick, like me!  If you want to get a power machine checkout the NINJA!!!  The one below is what I have but this Ninja blender looks amazing too and it’s all in one spot on the counter.  I use this beast in the mornings for my smoothies and it has three blades going all the way to the top.  It is pretty amazing!!!  Check it out for sure.

Bon Appetit!

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