Thinking Green

Green monsters. You’ve seen me mention them. You’ve maybe seen them uploaded on my blog’s facebook page. But, I have never really gone too in depth into them.

Angela Libbon from Oh She Glows started the “Green Monster Movement” and it has been catching on like crazy! I have seen so many different ways people have taken this simple recipe/idea and turn it into fabulous and delicious concoctions. Green smoothies made with a healthy dose of spinach or kale, and all sorts of different fruit and mix ins, depending on your mood. These fresh, healthy, energy boosting delights have me addicted! When I am feeling low on energy or have just finished a grueling 5 am work out, I blend up one of these babies and BAM! instant bliss.

Check out her movement here! Green Monster Movement

I love putting in frozen bananas because it tastes like creamy ice cream! Sometimes I don't have time to freeze them or I am wanting something outside of a banana flavor though so I omit. My recent obsession: MANGOS! Here is one of my recent green mango machines. After a bit of a rough night, my husband and I needed a little pep in our step. This was just the ticket.

Oh, and consider me hooked on the green monster movement! You will see a lot more versions from this Indie! Please feel free to share yours so I can try! :)

Mango Green Goblin

Ingredients:

• organic mango, diced (or use frozen chunks if you don’t have fresh)

• 1 tsp chia seeds

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp organic vanilla
• 2-3 large handfuls fresh organic spinach
• 2-3 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine all ingredients but ice into your food processor and pulse until smooth. Turn ‘on’ and add ice one cube at a time until crushed. Pour and enjoy!

An American in Paris & Bruges

"France, and the whole of Europe have a great culture and an amazing history. Most important thing though is that people there know how to live!" Johnny Depp

Bonjour! I have returned from Europe and am bursting with new ideas, recipes to revamp, and well bursting at my hemlines as well! I was thrilled to see such interesting food culture and how they prepare and enjoy a meal. From grabbing a sandwich on the street to sitting down in luxurious, romantic settings boasting 4 hour meals, I was thoroughly exposed and inspired by the French and Flemish.

We first arrived in Belgium. Bruges to be exact. This quaint and colorful town was peppered with pretty buildings, glistening canals, specialty shops, and delicious fare from the sea. The cobblestone streets, preserved buildings, and lego structured rooftops left us feeling like we were on an ornate movie set, set back in time.We lived on a diet of mussels and frites with no complaints. That, and beer which was cheaper than water and a large part of the culture. The weather was perfect, the people friendly, and the food was incredible.Our last day in Belgium we rode our bikes up to Netherlands and created our own bicycle beer tour of the small town pubs on the way back. No worries gluten free vacationers, they have a gluten free brewery in Brussels!

Falling in love yet? That was just the beginning. We then took a train to Paris and spend a week emerged in the culture.

The good/bad for me thing about France is they LOVE THEIR BREAD. Love it. With everything. So, it wasn’t as easy for me to partake, however I did mentally collect how they used it in their meals and how I can twist it and make it gluten free.



View from our balcony

I was asked a couple times if I would be sticking to the vegan diet when I went to Belgium and France. I went more of the vegetarian route when I could. It was my first time oversees and there were a couple things I have always been dying to try. To be honest, it wasn’t as satisfying as I thought to eat dairy and what not again, but it was something I thought necessary to try. After 6 days of 12 course dinners every night this Indie is READY TO DETOX! I enjoyed tasting and diving into the diverse food culture but I am craving healthy salads and fruit. Not that they don’t have that over there by any means but I was an American in Paris if you know what I mean.

I digress. Staying up for 22 hours traveling and sitting here jetlagged with my words falling off the document may propose a comprehensive block for you dear readers. That said, I will leave you with one of my favorite blogger’s recipes. It’s big. It’s green. AND it’s loaded with nutrients. Sounds good after what I have put my body through the last ten days ;)


Classic Green Monster
from Oh She Glows

Ingredients
• 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
• 1 ripe banana, preferably peeled + frozen
• 2 handfuls organic spinach
• 1 tbsp chia seeds OR 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp nut butter
• 1-3 Ice cubes

Directions
Starting with the liquid, add in 1 cup of milk of your choice. Now add in the chia or flax and nut butter. Next, add in the spinach followed by the banana on top. Blend until smooth. Add in your ice cubes and blend some more. Serves 1- about 2 cups.

Don’t freak out about the spinach. You cannot taste it I promise :) You can however taste kale. Feel free to add different fruits or spices! This recipe is easily adaptable.

Overnight Oatmeal Bliss

I love oatmeal. It is so versatile. But I don't have a ton of time in the morning to fix it. Between working out, getting ready, getting my son ready, making his lunch, taking care of the dog, and getting my husband and son fed...Whew! You can see I don't have time to spend 15-20 minutes on my own breakfast. On my Friday's off I truly cherish this time and sit and prepare something scrumptious and time consuming.

So back to the oatmeal. I don't like mine runny so it takes a little bit to cook down the liquid needed to achieve my Indie consistency perfection. I had seen "Vegan Overnight Oats" on the Oh She Glows blog and have been contemplating throwing these together to try. I have been good about stocking my pantry with bulk ingredients so luckily I had everything to make them last night! Cold oats? Hmmm. I did make YOU wait overnight for a recipe though so I figured making myself wait overnight to try these oats was only fair. Yes, yes the things I do for you dear readers ;)

I wanted to start with the basic oats and if I liked them, then you and I can have some fun adventures! My husband said that he wanted to try them too so I doubled the recipe. I was hoping that it wouldn't mess it up. Hoping and praying because I relied on this meal for my morning fuel! It doesn't require many ingredients and took only 5 minutes to make!

I pulled the bowl out of the fridge this morning and was very satisfied that I at least already had breakfast prepared! I divided the portions between two bowls and still had some leftover. Yipee!

I forgot to snap a picture this morning but it looked like hers!

Taste test. Oh. My. Gosh. Obsessed. I was leary of eating cold oats but these were AMAZING! Truly! Creamy and the perfect consistency. We both added a tablespoon of almond butter to ours. Maple syrup was also suggested but we didn't have any organic real syrup so we skipped it. It wasn't missed.

Here is the original recipe. Like I said, I just doubled everything but then ended up with extras (not complaining!). I can't wait to add fruit and nuts to these in the future! Besides a bowl of cereal, this is probably the least laborsome and delicious breakfast I have made. Here is the link to the original recipe and comments from Oh She Glows Easy Vegan Overnight Oats

Vegan Overnight Oats

Ingredients for PM

• 1/3 cup regular oats
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 small ripe banana, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Mix together all the above ingredients in a bowl and place in the fridge overnight.

AM Directions
Scoop out your desired portion into the bowl. We added one tablespoon of natural almond butter. Enjoy!