The Green Monster

I ran across the "Green Monster Movement" while blog surfing and was very interested in trying one myself. The basic idea is to throw some frozen/fresh fruit in the blender with a little juice or milk, add a handful of spinach and blend away. The possibilities are endless with this healthy drink. I've been looking a little more on line and have found people who add all kinds of veggies, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, kale ect...Some are adding nuts and different types of milk like soy or almond milk. While I want to experiment with mine to get even more nutrition, I am hesitant because I really love it just as it is. I have been drinking one every day for about a week and can honestly say I look forward to it. Some days I have it for breakfast, some days for lunch, and occasionally after a workout. It's filling and not one ingredient is lacking in nutrition, and that makes me happy!

Here's how I make mine:

1/2 cup frozen pineapple, no sugar added
1/2 cup frozen peaches, no sugar added
1/2 banana
1/2 cup orange juice, may need a little more for consistency
A large handful of fresh spinach, I can't even taste it in the finished product
1 tablespoon flax seed, optional

Place all ingredients in blender, I use a Magic Bullet.

Blend until everything is smooth and blended to a drinkable consistency.

Pasta Salad

This is super easy, don't I say that a lot? 

But seriously, when you begin with pasta and end by dressing it with Italian dressing, you can't get any more simple or satisfying.  

Here's what I use to make a really quick and tasty pasta salad:

Pasta, your choice of shape, I like garden rotini for it's shape and color variety

Fresh Veggies of your choice, today I used broccoli, red onion, cucumber, and green pepper, chopped. Really, the sky is the limit and you can add whatever you have on hand or what your crew will eat.

Zesty Italian Dressing, brand doesn't matter

 

Cook and drain your pasta and dump it in an appropriate size bowl.

 

Place veggies in bowl and drizzle with Italian dressing.

 

Stir it all together and place in refrigerator for several hours. 

The longer it sit, the more the flavor develops. 

Right before I serve the pasta, I make sure to check and see if it needs a little more dressing.  While in the fridge it can absorb a lot and you want to make sure it isn't dry when you serve it. 

Serve this up with just about anything. A great dish to make in advance on busy nights, just make a quick entree and the side dish is ready to go. Or make it more of a meal of it's own by adding grilled chicken, ham or pepperoni.

Deviled Eggs

Who doesn't love a good old fashioned deviled egg?? The recipe I use is what my mom used when I was growing up...probably what her mom had used when she was growing up. My grandma's name was Cammie...not her real name, that was Mary. But my brothers and I called her Cammie. When my oldest brother was little he couldn't say grandma, instead he said, "Cammie," and it stuck. We are her only grandchildren who called her that (and our children, her great grandchildren, did too), made me feel kinda special! So here are my family's old fashioned deviled eggs, I love 'em.

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in two (from end to end), with the yoke removed to a small bowl.
1/3 to 1/2 cup  Mayo or Miracle Whip, makes no difference to me, I like to use a light variety (may need a little more or a little less, I really never measure this)
1 tablespoon Yellow Mustard
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

To make the egg filling:
In small bowl add all ingredients except egg whites.
Mix well with a fork or even a small hand mixer to remove most of the lumps...it doesn't have to be lump-free, just no huge lumps or really lumpy filling.

To fill the eggs:
The eggs in the picture were filled with a pastry bag with a fluted attachment. I like them this way, but remember I live with much testosterone and once in a while I like things pretty. Really though, I usually only do this if I am serving them to folks other than my family.
You can simply fill the eggs with a couple spoons, like making drop cookies, or fill a zip lock bag with the filling and snip a corner off and squeeze the filling into the eggs. It doesn't matter how you fill them, they will still taste great!