20th smoothie

Today is the two/thirds completion mark of this first 30-day challenge.  When completed I may start a new 30-day green smoothie challenge.  We'll see.

Made up my own recipe using:  1/2 c. thawed strawberries, 1/2 c dates rehydrated for a day in 1 c water, 1 c loose spinach, 1 c frozen strawberries, 1 c sweetened aloe vera flavored with mango, and ice.

It's very good, a little too sweet for me, but family said it is very, very good.  The color is pink too, not green, even despite using so much spinach.

19th smoothie

Why didn't I notice when we hit the half-way point? Only 11 smoothies to go.

Tonight we blended 1 banana, 1-1/2 c. almond milk, 2 tsp cocoa, 1 Tbl peanut butter, about 10 spinach leaves, and ice.  It was a good smoothie.  At first taste I thought it was not sweet enough so I added less than 1 Tbl sugar.  Perfect!

Also noteworthy blender food was Carrot and Coriander Soup for lunch.  The recipe is from New Covent Garden Soup Co in the UK.    Coriander is the same herb that we Americans call cilantro.  I used an immersion blender to liquify the hot soup, because it was more convenient, and the way I've always made it.

18th smoothie

I don't know if there is going to be an 18th smoothie tonight.  I'm tired. The dog took us on an extra long walk and I just want to go to sleep.

Oh well, for the sake of the CHALLENGE, I guess I must drag my lazy carcass into the smoothie shop that is my kitchen.

. . . . . . . Two.

First a Puppy Power smoothie (c) made with the iced smoothie from yesterday.  Dog didn't like it, even though I thought it was the perfect consistency.

Second was a cola slushie.  No fruit, no veg.

Then watched an old movie on tv with the family on a thunder and lightening rainy night.  It's kind of cozy.  Tomorrow I will make soup, and healthy smoothies. Yup.

17th smoothie

Tonight we made a few Puppy Power smoothies for doggy taste; not, I repeat, not human taste.

The first Puppy Power smoothie (c) was cheese and dairy milk.  This was the hands down winner.

Second Puppy Power smoothie was chicken and water.  This had a lukewarm reaction, not hated, but not loved.

Third Puppy Power smoothie was a combination cheese and milk, chicken and water smoothie.  This was also liked.

All 3 smoothies are freezing in ice cube trays for more complex  Puppy Power smoothie experiments tomorrow.

The shared family smoothie was banana, pineapple, freshly squeezed orange juice, baby carrots, aloe vera juice, and ice.

 It was refreshing, but two family members said it gave them heartburn.  They went on and on for about 10-30 minutes about how it made them so sick.  They threatened that if they are continued to be made like that (like what?) then they don't want any more!  The heartburn didn't hit them until they were done drinking it, because it tasted good, but then it makes them nauseated and kept them up all night last night with heartburn.  Hmmmm.

Researched heartburn and discovereed citrus food is a common trigger for heartburn.  So I'm glad I did the Orange Julius experiment earlier.  The makers of the Orange Julius invented their concoction for that very reason because orange juice created hearburn in some people but the chemical reaction with the egg alleviated that problem.  Serendipity!

16th smoothie

If I were not doing the 30 day smoothie challenge there are at least 3 days I would not have made one. Today was one of those days.  I only made a smoothie to meet the challenge, and I didn't use a recipe, instead just threw in what I have.

1 banana, 1/4 c baby carrots, 1/2 pineapple, juice of 1 orange, 2 celery stalks, 2 c. coconut water.  No ice.

I forgot to add ice until I was done, and then I couldn't be bothered, so its more like a blended juice.  It's salty from the celery and otherwise a few too many flavors to have a very distinct taste.  It's ok but not terrific.

I'm in a real pissy mood though.   Was talking to family about the Ex and dating when you are older and the men I'm dating have children, and so they don't want to re-marry, don't want to put their children's inheiretence in any jeopardy, they just want a woman as a plaything and workhorse I guess, offering nothing but their playtime and work time in return.   I'm in such a pissy mood.

Where I work women who have been working for more than 20 years in secretarial positions earn less than men just entering new as custodians.  Women really have a hard time being able to support themselves without having a man's income to supplement their own.   It pisses me off so much.

I'm sick to death of feeling sorry for everyone else and no one seeming to see or understand what a financial disadvantage it is to be a woman in society, unless you have certain aggressive, male characteristics that allow you to compete with men.  If you are a feminine woman it is difficult.  Women who are single are more likely to be victims of unscrupulous men.  Women who are not very aggressive have a difficult time supporting themselves financially.  Its just pissing me off.

15th smoothie

Today is the first day if week three, and today is the big Orange Julius smoothie day!  This I'm sure, very authentic recipe is from the Girl Gone Grits site.

1 c. freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
1/2 c. simple syrup (1 c sugar and 2 c water brought to a boil and cooled)
1 tsp. powdered milk
1 tsp. powdered egg white (or meringue powder)
1/2 tsp. powdered vanilla
crushed ice
blend

My variations:
  -I don't have vanilla powder so I added 2 tsp vanilla extract to the hot syrup to try and burn away some of the alcohol taste of the extract.
 -On the second batch I used 2 cups (instead of 1) of crushed ice for a better texture.

Result:
 -One person said something is still off, but I think it is perfection.  I may buy some powdered vanilla just to see if that fixes it.  I do need to measure the powdered ingredients more carefully because the 2nd batch was more delicious than the first, when I did that.  And it really does need to be fresh OJ!

14th smoothie

Exciting news!!  I am pretty sure Nicest-Boyfriend-I've-Ever-Had found the real, original Orange Julius recipe!!

I have not tried this yet because I need to prepare the syrup and buy a vanilla bean, but here it is:  1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (it must be freshly squeezed), 1/2 cup simple syrup (1 part sugar to 2 parts water made on stove ahead of time), 1 tsp dried milk, 1 tsp dried egg white powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla powder, 2 cups crushed ice.  Blend.

Tried to make another smoothie the dog and family would like and it was good, and dog even liked it enough to have a couple licks.  2 big bananas, 2 Tbl peanut butter, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1-1/2 c almond milk, 1 c ice.