Brown Boost

 

I'm not a huge fan of the "ALL VEGGIE SMOOTHIE" (not yet anyway)

I like to incorporate the SWEETNESS of fruit.
It makes me feel a bit more ZINGY....

In my opinion, this is the perfect LUNCH smoothie.

It's got it ALL: fruit, veggie, great taste, and PROTEIN!

When you don't have a lot of time mid-day,(and....I usually don't) this one really does the job as far as filling you up and giving you ENERGY.

So here ya go........ 

 

The VEGGIE shot:

 

 

The FRUIT shot:

 

 

 

The PROTEIN shot:

  

Hemp HEARTS or Hemp SEED (same thing) is my new go -to form of a quick protein.

I don't eat a ton of meat so...for me....HEMP is a great way to BOOST up my protein intake.

 

 

The GREAT TASTE shot:

 

 

 

 The SMOOTHIE shot:

 

YUMALICIOUS!!!

Brown Boost

(makes 2 smoothies)

 

1/2 cold water

1 mini cucumber chopped or 1/2 cup English cucumber chopped

1/2 red or orange pepper

big handful of spinach

2 oranges peeled and cut up

1 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup frozen mango

2 Tbsp hemp hearts

1/2 cup or 6 ice cubes

My Mini Rant: The Blueberry Situation...

 

I LOVE blueberries.

Juicy ones.

Big and CRUNCHY-ISH ones.

 

BUT......

 

 

It's drives me nuts!

When they stick to the blender!

And your glass!

That means extra scrubbing time!

 

By HAND!

ARGHHH!

 

Not much else to say about it...

 

That's it!

I'm DONE!

 

 

Perfect Purple People Pleaser

After "THE BACON FIASCO" (see previous post)

I needed to REDEEM myself!

So I made myself an awesome new smoothie.

But Alas...it was not BROWN....

So in honour of all the other colours of the wheel....I am going to dedicate ONE post a month to a NON-BROWN smoothie.

For July...the colour is PURPLE.


Here it is:

Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries,

bananas GALORE,

Almond Milk & 2 pinches of cinnamon,

A new smoothie to EXPLORE!

Toss all ingredients into the blender...

 

 

 

 

Blend....

and....Voila!!

 

 

 

Perfect Purple People Pleaser

(makes one smoothie)

 

1/2 cup frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup almond milk (or whatever milk you like)

2 pinches of cinnamon

 

 

 

 

It wasn't Brown Anyway.....

I like to think that we are all WINNERS.

...That there is always something to learn from every situation that will encourage a positive outlook on things....give us the chance to grow...welcome new possibilities..and therefore  become our own personal champion.

But sometimes something occurs... and it clearly doesn't seem WINNERLY... at all....

This is such the case with my next concoction that I am about to share with you.....

It was a STRETCH finding the WINNING elements in this mess....

But I did.

And the moral of the story shall be revealed at the terminus of this entry...

So come along with me for a minute or two and be grateful that I did it FIRST... and can therefore share my WISDOM with you...

 

 

I  thought it started off as a great idea.

It was innovative, avant-garde....

GROUND BREAKIING...

I don't think it had EVER been done before....

I even came up with a cute name...

 

"TLB Smoothie"

 

Wait! Hold on a second!!

Stop right now!

Don't try to guess.

Just wait it out.

"Patience is in the Eye of the Beholder"....

 

I had some leftover "SOMETHING" from my dinner the other night and I thought it could be the CRUX of a bold new trend of smoothies....

 

 

So....first of all....I started with a 1/4 cup of water and some cut up orange as I needed a liquid base...

   

 

 

Now comes the TLB part......

 

 

Tomatoes

 

    

Lettuce

  

 

 

AND...yes! I suppose you have guessed the final ingredient by now.....

 

 

Bacon

 

 (please take a moment to see how many faces you can find in the bacon)

(there is NO right answer)

 

 

I thought this would be a SURE-FIRE winner.

 

Everybody loves bacon right?

I don't think I have ever met a person who doesn't.

I even have a friend who is a vegetarian EXCEPT for BACON!!!

 

 

So I threw it all in the blender...

 

 

It looks really PRETTY doesn't it?

Sort of a melange of Spring & Fall...

 

 Anyway, it blended nicely and was sort of a brownish green....

Then I TRIED it...

Well....

 

Here it is...

I even gave it a nice GARNISH...

 

The first couple of sips were...not exactly PRETTY...they were ..."OKAY"...well....more like..."INTERESTING"...and then....

OHHH...I  just couldn't go on....

 

The bacon flavor really STOOD OUT... but not in a good way...

It was just WRONG. Maybe because it was cold?

It wasn't even really cold....it was more... ROOM temperature...

I didn't t think adding ice would do the trick so....

 

I thought maybe it would work better as a SOUP?

So I poured the MOSS COLOURED SLUDGE in a bowl and popped it in the microwave.

(I know you can make soups in the Vitamix but I had already washed it)

 

THIS taste tester could only manage 2 spoonfuls!!

 

 It was GROSS!!!

 

UGH....so gross...

Maybe I should have put some TOAST in it...

Or maybe TEQUILA....

 

 

So the MORAL of the story is....

 

TRY NEW THINGS!

DON'T BE AFRAID!   

 LET YOUR IDEAS BE HEARD!   

IF YOU DON'T SUCCEED...THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT TIME!

YOU ARE NOT A QUITTER IF YOU CAN'T FINISH A DISGUSTING SMOOTHIE!

DON'T MAKE DISGUSTING SMOOTHIES!

 

  

If there is anyone out there BRAVE enough to try this at home...I would LOVE to hear about your experience....

 Here's the recipe: 

 

 

TLB Smoothie

 

1/4 water

1 medium to large orange peeled and quartered

3 big romaine lettuce leaves

3 little tomatoes or really large cherry tomatoes

2 slices of leftover bacon

 

 

Choco Mint Orange Delight

I'm WARNING you now...


This one is DECADENT!!!! 

With a capitol BROWN!!!

I started with a couple of oranges, some orange rind, and some mint leaves...

I got my frozen banana out of the freezer and grabbed my chocolate chip stash...

It's quite LARGE.

I might even have a chocolate chip fetish....
I just keep buying chocolate chips.

I really can't stop..

And if they happen to be on sale....well...gotta stock up!!

Here is part of it....

The OPEN small bags...

I usually keep 775g bags of milk chocolate & semi sweet on hand at all times too!

And the unopened small bags lie in wait behind the CHOCO-STASH TUB.

Soooooo........

Plop it all in your high power blender.

I love this photo!

You know it's going to be good!

And you know it's going to be BROWN.

But I had no idea how DELICIOUSLY DECADENT it would be.

I served it in a regular size smoothie glass but after one sip I realized this creation is better imbibed in smaller quantities.

It's more like an afternoon cappuccino... or... a dessert even.

It's quite impressive really...

Something completely unexpected to serve at a dinner party that will leave your guests filled with a TASTE EXPLOSION they have not yet experienced...

Go for it!!!

Choco Mint Orange Delight

(makes 2-3 Small servings)

2 oranges peeled and quartered

rind from one orange

chopped fresh mint (I used about a tsp but you'll have to figure out how much you like)

1/2 cup frozen banana

1/3 cup milk (whatever kind you like)

handful of ice

handful of semi-sweet choco chunks

(you may choose to alter the quantities to get the consistency and taste you want)

Blend away

Pour

Recline

Rejoice in the symphony of flavors...

The Montreal Report

What a great week!!!

Although I must admit...I didn't make any brown smoothies....
I did make some orange and pink ones though.....


So here's the reason I went....
To perform at Juste Pour Rire/ Just For Laughs....
What a Super Fun night !!!!

(that's me in the pink dress being Celine....)

Here are a couple of my fave spots to eat in Montreal......

Tokyo Sushi

1805 Sainte- Catherine St. West

 

I love this place. All you can eat sushi is my kinda thing. The chicken teriyaki is super yummy too!!

 

Moe's Diner

1455 Rue Lambert-Closse (at Maisonneuve)

 

Great late night snack place! When I was there, the server showed us a doll her Dad made her for her B-day. It was a red felt creation and...get this...he glued her 8 front baby teeth on for the mouth!!!!! It was extremely creepy but artistically cute at the same time.....

Cacao 70
www.cacao70.ca
 

 

Best Americano ever!!!!  Love the décor and the vibe of this place. You gotta go..... Chocolate is everywhere......hmmmmm....

La Belle Province
1 Sainte- Catherine St. West (for dinner)

6752 rue Saint-Jacques (for breakfast)

I think the photo says it all... First of all....if you've never had coleslaw on a hotdog...go to La Belle Province and have one!!!!!! The fries were soooo good!!! Like...sooo sooo good I shoved them in way too fast and ended up scraping the inside of my mouth! But it was worth it. I am still reliving the ecstasy of the experience....
The chicken and burgers were equally good!
Breakfast is also a must do as the serve French Canadian BEANS!!!!!!

Bilboquet

bilboquet.ca

 

 

As you can see...my ice cream was half eaten before I managed to take a picture....

Really really delish....

 

 

 

So that's my quick culinary tour!

 

 

Oh...I also had a giant roasted potato in Old Montreal.....

 

 

 

Time to get going on the Brown Smoothies!!!!!

 

XOXO

 

On the Road

In Montreal!!!
My home town.


Performing at Just For Laughs tonight!


Even brought the Vitamix with me....

Montreal...home of THE best coffee EVER!!!
  www.cacao70.ca
















Stay tuned.....

Choco Banana Ice Cream

 

 

 

This is so easy to make and so delicious!!!

 

 

Call up your friends...

Get the neighbours...

Have an alley party...

 And serve up this summer treat!!!

 

A guaranteed crowd pleaser!

(even the kids love it!!)

 

 

 

Choco Banana Ice Cream

(makes 2 servings)

 

 

1 cup frozen bananas

A handful of semi-sweet choc chips

1Tbsp milk (I used Almond milk)

A dash of vanilla

 

Dump it all in the Vitamix (or equivalent high speed blender)

You will need the poking stick for this one because it is quite a thick mixture.

I suppose you could use cocoa and a bit of maple syrup if you didn't want to use chocolate, but I love the way the chocolate chips did not get fully ground up...thus giving a bit of crunch to the ice cream.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Post Run Refresher

My fave post 5K energy booster is usually a mix of
orange, lemon, lime, maple syrup, water and ice.

So I thought why don't I make a couple of adjustments and make it BROWN?


So here it is.....
It gives you a nice quick zap of energy.

 

 

Post Run Refresher:

 

1        orange

1/2     lemon

1/2     lime (sometimes I use a whole one)

1        BIG drip of maple syrup (I get mine from http://www.hortontreefarms.com/ )

1/4    cup of water

A few strawberries

A handful of ice

A handful of spinach

 

 

The original recipe is great too...so just omit the red and green if you want to try it!

 

 

Happy Running!!!

(or whatever else you do to keep active)

 

 

Brown cookies are a great accessory to a Brown Smoothie!!!

I know I've only posted one recipe....
And believe me.....I have a ton more!

But I just wanted to take a sec to tell you that I have been taking notice of what I eat....
and..... a lot of it is BROWN!!!!!

So I wanna write about that stuff too!!!


Yesterday I made THE MOST DELICIOUS cookies!!!
Here they are:

                             Lots of BROWN ingredients in these little bites of YUM.


They are made with ground almonds, brown sugar, almond butter, oats and chocolate chips.
They are an energy boost of a cookie!
Not too sweet. They have a really nice crunchy texture. Good for breakfast too! And why not enjoy them alongside a Brown Smoothie....perhaps an "Almond milk, Banana, Chocolate Surprise" (recipe to be posted soon)

I have to take a moment to draw your attention to something....

First of all...as well as being a "juice pulp sculptor" I also see FACES in things....

What does that mean exactly?

Well.....take a look at a close up of the cookie photo I just posted......

Can you see it?  

Isn't that the cutest face EVER?

A little bit sad maybe? Even confused?

But so cool!!!

There is BEAUTY all around us!

 

                                                       

 

I must mention that this recipe is the creation of Angela Liddon.

I just bought her cookbook: oh she glows

It's fantastic!

I'm not Vegan but her recipes are incredibly delicious and fairly simple and some are even...you guessed it...BROWN!!!

 

I encourage you to check her out!!!

 

Here is a link to her website: ohsheglows.com

 

 

And....... here's the recipe.......

ENJOY!!!

 

 

Crispy Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Yield: 16 - 20 cookies
Ingredients:
1 flax egg: (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water)
1/4 cup non-dairy butter or coconut oil (I used coconut oil)   
1/4 cup roasted almond butter
1/2 cup Sucanat sugar or lightly packed brown sugar (I used brown)    
1/4 cup coconut sugar or organic cane sugar (I used cane sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, blended into a flour (105g or 1 cup oat flour)
1 cup almonds, blended into a flour (145g or 1 cup + 2 tbsp almond flour)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, but you can use regular sized too)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the flax egg and set aside for 5 minutes so it can thicken up. 
 
2. With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, coconut oil and almond butter until combined. Add both sugars and beat for 1 minute more. Beat in the flax egg and vanilla extract until combined. 
  
3. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, salt, oat flour, and almond flour) one by one. If your dough is dry (this could be the case if too much flour is used), you can add a touch of almond milk to thin it out. Fold in chocolate chips. 
  
4. Shape 1-inch balls of dough (smaller than golf balls) and place on the baking sheet. If chocolate chips aren’t sticking to the dough, just press them in with your fingers. There is no need to flatten the balls as the cookies spread out a lot. Place balls 2-3 inches apart. 
  
5. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden. The underside will also be a rich golden brown shade. The cookies will be very soft coming out of the oven, but they will harden as they cool. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins. on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10 minutes. 

It Was Supposed To Be BROWN!!!!

Ummm....
Ok...
So... now that it's official....


            I, ...Worshipper of the #BrownSmoothie  decided I should post my first recipe with pics.


                                                   First of all...here it is: my Vitamix.......

 

 

 

 

If you've never experienced one, I'm telling you....

you will never go back to whatever blender you used before.

 

Especially after you've heard what happens when the dial hits 7!

I won't even get into the high speed switch.....

 

 

This recipe is for 2 large smoothies so you can cut it in half if you wish.

 

 

 

 

I started with about 10oz of  PINEAPPLE juice.

I love Oasis cause I'm from Montreal.... and used to drink it when I was growing up.

But you can use whatever ya like...

You can also throw in about 1/4 cup of water.

 

 

In case you haven't guessed... I'm not much of a strict measurer.

I just "feel" it...... needless to say I am the kind of gal who shoves her hand in the baking soda box or pours out a good sized mound of baking powder onto her palm when baking...

 

(Yes friends...that is why my baking tastes so good....I leave a little bit to chance....xo)

 

 

Now let's add the frozen MANGO.

About 1 1/2 cups

 

Doesn't it look delish?

 

 

 

 

Then we'll add some SPINICH and 2 ORANGES

(oranges always pair well with spinach as they are an iron absorption enhancer) 

 

 

 

 

All ready to blend.......

 

 

                                BUT...and this is a BIG But because.......hold your breath.....
                                       To my utter horror.... something went wrong.......

 

 

This is what HAPPENED!!!!!!!

It turned GREEN!!!

 

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BROWN!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

AHHHHH!!!!!

They've always been BROWN!!!!

And NOW...NOW that I want to share the LOVE with the WORLD....it turns GREEN????!!!!

 

In a flash of momentary despair I realized the error of my ways...

I FORGOT the RED fruit!

 

Ohhh...did I grab those frozen STRAWBERRIES fast!!!!

I even forgot to document that step.

So I'm asking you to imagine some frantically tossed  strawberries sinking into the mass of

GREEN GOODNESS....

 

 

 

                                         And.....drumroll please......we have a WINNER....

                                 And it's a lovely shade of BROWN...if I do say so myself!

 

 

Now it's time to enjoy! 

 YumYumYum.....

 

 

 

 

The Green & Red Make Brown Smoothie

 

(makes 2 smoothies)

 

10oz pineapple juice

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups frozen mango

2 oranges peeled and quartered

a big bunch of spinach

1 cup frozen strawberries

 

 

 

 

THEY MADE ME DO IT!!!

I never planned on starting a blog....
Especially about this....
First of all...I just bought a Vitamix (YAY!!!!)

I used to juice all the time and make art from the leftover pulp.
I was a "juice pulp sculptor"....I would sculpt pulp....
(that will be another post at some point in the future when I decide to reflect on my past...)

So...I finally got a Vitamix after coveting one for years and years....and Ohhh...it is so worth it!!!

So I'm into smoothies now.
I smooth everyday.
Sometimes...twice!

I freeze my fruit to have it on hand. I've been buying tons of mangos, strawberries, raspberries, and I am finally using those grossly over-ripe bananas that sit on the counter and attract fruit flies....
I keep pineapple juice and Almond Milk in the fridge for a base...
And I love adding spinach, cause greens are good for you.......

Hmmmm......the spinach.... it was the spinach....

So... I`d blend away....and each time I would end up with a different shade of brown filling my glass...walnut, amber, mocha, raw umber, russet, burnt sienna, chamois.....

The brown smoothies would stare up and me...they would tempt and taunt me....they were unique!
And I would think to myself...."Why is it that no one seems to broadcast the love of the #BrownSmoothie ??"

So I said to myself..."I'm gonna do it!!!"

You may see the odd green or pink smoothie here from time to time...maybe even a picture of rotting bananas..

But this blog is going to be a place for my homage, my tribute, and my adoration of #BrownSmoothies.

#BrownSmoothies I am in awe of you....I will worship you forever!!!