Green Smoothies

Several months ago, the Hubs and I purchased the blender of all blenders, a Vitamix 5200. Let me tell you, I could write an entire post on the magnificence of this machine. The Hubs says it has a car engine powering it.

I will admit we are not using it to its full potential. (That is coming). All we have been using it for is making smoothies for breakfast. I know, I know. It is a travesty. I started off with fruit smoothies. Throwing concoctions together with wanton abandon. But I figured I was not optimizing the healthy potential of smoothies.

While we were debating our blender purchase, I kept hearing rumblings of green smoothies. How healthy and delicious they were. I was skeptical but with the wonderful world of Pinterest I decided to make the leap.

I found guide for creating the perfect green smoothie.

From sweatandthecity.com

With this guide you will consistently make yummy, healthy smoothies.

Here is the recipe I have been using:

• 2 cups of organic baby spinach
• 1 cup of organic frozen fruit
• 4 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• raw honey (occasional depending on fruit used) This is rarely used as the fruit is usually sweet.
• water (as needed)

I come up with different fruit combinations: mango raspberry, pineapple strawberry, mixed berries, acai berry. Whatever I feel like for the day. I just make sure it is 1 cup of fruit. I have yet to "add a boost", but I can't wait to try it out. Drinking this in the morning keeps me full until lunch. 

You can't go wrong and you can customize to your taste preference. I have been finding so many green smoothie recipes that I can't wait to try.

Do you like green smoothies? What's your recipe?

Next on my list of smoothies to try. Oatmeal. 

Physicians Formula Organic wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara

Target Online $8.74

Ingredients: citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) fruit water*, glycerin, iron oxide, mycrocrystalline cellulose, glyceryl stearate, water, beeswax*, jojoba esters, tapioca starch*, copernicia cerifera (carnuba) wax*, stearic acide, glyceryl caprylate, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, cellulose gum, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract*, glycine soya (soybean) oil*, hydrolyzed oryza sativa (rice) protein, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, magnesium aluminum silicate, olea europaea (olive) leaf extract*, may contain: titanium dioxide

* produced from organic farming

I am not a big makeup wearer. In fact, I still have most if not all of the same makeup from when I got married in 2009. Gross...I know. And when I do wear makeup on that ever so rare occasion, it is some mascara, eyeshadow, and lipgloss tops. I am a chapstick girl and that is it. I have started getting into the habit of wearing just mascara. It gives my eyes a little pop. And then I rarely have to hear the "OMG YOU HAVE ON MAKEUP" comments. By the way, those are annoying. 


Since I was going to be wearing mascara every day, or every day that I remembered to put it on or even had the time to put in on (yes, I give myself so little time in the morning that I sometimes do not have time to even put on mascara), I wanted to find a reasonably priced natural version.

One day browsing through my BFF Target, I saw this mascara with a leaf on top. The design was definitely intriguing so I took a closer look. Physicians Formula Organic wear...100% natural...ok more intriguing. But I did not make my purchase that day. Of course, I had to do research. Hello internet. After reading a review from what I consider a reliable source, Fig + Sage, I decided to make my purchase.

So for a couple of months now, on most days, I have been wearing this mascara and loving it.

Pros: The formula is really great. Natural ingredients, many produced from organic farming. The formula is also hypoallergenic. It is 100% free of harsh chemicals, parabens, and synthetic preservatives. And not only is the formula great, but this mascara works fantastically. The little brush applies evenly to each lash boosting length and volume. It does not clump or flake. It is perfect for day and night. Andplusalso, you can buy it a Target and the price is nice. Rare in organic, natural makeup.

Cons: None. I love this product. I am about to purchase more.

Nature Mill Automatic Composter

New Eco Series

$199-399

This is the version I have. They seem to no longer carry it and it is sold out in there outlet store.

 For over a year, even before I started my 101 in 1001, I had been looking at the Nature Mill Automatic Composter. I was hesitant to purchase because the price was a little intimidating. If I had a yard, I could buy your regular run of the mill composter for a fraction of the price. But seeing as though I live in a condo, and have no yard, and could not deal with worms or bugs; I had to find an alternative. Enter the Nature Mill Automatic Composter.

It is designed to be quick. green. easy. It does not require worms. You can keep it in your house. What could be better? Well, I finally bit the bullet several months ago when blissmo had a daily deal getting this composter for 50% off. I had to have it.

In a matter of days I had my composter home. There was not much to put together and it easily fit under the cabinet in my kitchen. So I quickly put it to work. Now all my fruit and vegetable scraps could be composted instead of going in the trash.

Pros:
I can compost without the presence of worms. The composter is heated so food is quickly composted to reduce smell. It is super easy. The Hubs was amazed at how food could be turned into mulch.

Cons:
I could not figure out how to have no smell. You are supposed to balance the amount of baking soda and saw dust pellets to add and it is supposed to have no smell and be able to be in your home. After weeks of trying and having the Hubs getting frustrated, I decided to move the composter outside to our deck. We are both happier with its new location. Perhaps my home is too small, I am in a condo. But I could not deal with the smell of dirt in my home. We purchased a container from Lowe's to keep the composter from the elements and TADA. Perfection.

The verdict:
I absolutely love this composter. We produce less trash and I feel like I am throwing away less. We take the compost to my parents house for their yard. Also, I know when we move we can easily take this with us.

If you live in a small space or have no yard and want to compost. Give this composter a try. You will love it.

If you have this composter and have figured out a way to completely eliminate the smell, let me know. Thanks.

Hello World!!!

Where has the time gone?

OMG. I know I have abandoned this blog for much to long. But sometimes life does not allow you to do the things you must and still have time to do the things you enjoy. So where have I been?

Well, the Hubs started a business. And I am so proud of him. I knew that I would have to help him get things started, but I did not realize just how much work that would be for ME. So for months, once I left work I would come home and work on his business. And it involves travel sometimes. And it requires me to be an extrovert way more than I would like. So in my spare time which has been fleeting, I have been resting or just laying on the couch, or just trying to have some free time.

But I never forgot my blog. Oh, how I have missed thee. And I have many things to blog about, I just have not had the time. So hopefully all my readers have not deserted me during my hiatus. And I hope to be back for a while. Hopefully.

I do realize that blogging gives me much more than I am giving. Since I have stopped I cannot think of food to make for dinner; I have been at a loss of what to do with my hair; I have been slacking on buying organic clothing. I have just been a mess. But sometimes you have to give up things that you enjoy to help others with things they love. And that is what I have been doing.

But alas, I have returned.

Accountability

I realize that I am the type of person that needs accountability in my life. I have not been following Weight Watchers in a while. I was having issues entering my information when I was at home. I became frustrated (I am easily frustrated) and gave up. Also, I don't eat a lot of prepackaged foods, so I would have to build every recipe and enter the servings, and blah blah blah. It was annoying.

I also have not been sticking to my Get Fit Mondays. I was doing good with that for a while. It also inspired me to work out because I could see my progress. I really don't know what happened with that, I just stopped. And it isn't like I completely stopped working out either. I have been going to Zumba, which I love. I have been running (jogging) outside when the weather is nice. So it is not like I haven't been doing anything. I just haven't been keeping track of it.

I am going to start logging again. It was good for me. I was getting results. And why not? I have this blog and my readers to hold me accountable. I will start tomorrow. Because you know today I ate like crap. Had a Snickers. So not a great day. And I am not working out today. So tomorrow. Back to keep track. Back to being accountable.

Battle of the Non-dairy Milks: Oat Milk

I tried rice. I tried hemp. Then I tried oat milk. I am not a fan of oats for eating. I have texture issues. But I was not opposed to trying it as a milk. I tried Pacific Natural Foods Vanilla Oat Milk. The brand that was sold at my local grocery store.

Image from Pacific Natural Foods

Ingredients: Filtered water, Organic oat groats, Organic oat bran, Natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, Tricalcium phosphate, Sea salt, Guar gum, Xanthan gum, Carrageenan, Carob bean gum, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin A palmitate, Vitamin D2

Nutrition Facts - 1 cup

• Calories - 130
• Fat - 2.5g
• Total Carbs - 25g
• Protein - 4g
• Sodium - 110mg

Oat milk has plenty of benefits. It is lactose and cholesterol free. It contains a variety of vitamins and minerals. It contains 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A and iron. Also, it is vegan.

The verdict: Of the three alterna-milks tried so far, this was the best. It is thicker than rice milk and tastes way better than hemp milk. I liked it better in smoothies than cereal, but I would not mind using oat milk in my cereal. I also used it to make waffles. I like the hint of vanilla in the waffles. I like oat milk and will most likely use it again, but since I had already tried 3 alterna-milks I wanted to try them all. So on to the next one.

Battle of the Non-dairy Milks: Hemp Milk

After trying rice milk (and not being thoroughly impressed), I gave hemp milk a try. I only tried one brand of hemp milk, Pacific Natural Foods. Again I chose the vanilla flavor.

Image from Pacific Foods

Ingredients: Hemp nut base (filtered water, whole hemp nut [shelled hemp seed]), Brown rice syrup, Natural vanilla with other natural flavors, Disodium phosphate, Xanthan gum, Calcium phosphate, Vitamin A palmitate, Vitamin D2, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12

Nutrition Facts - 1 cup

• Calories - 160
• Fat - 5g
• Total Carbs - 24g
• Protein - 3g
• Sodium - 135mg

As it reads right on the container, hemp milk is a natural source of Omega 3 & 6. A single serving of hemp milk provides your entire daily recommend intake of Omega 3 fats. This brand is gluten free and vegan. One serving of hemp milk has more calories and fat than rice milk. However, it has more protein.

The verdict: I do not like hemp milk. I tried it in my cereal and all I could taste was grass. And this is the vanilla flavor. I cannot imagine what the original flavor tastes like. I cannot imagine trying to cook a recipe with the original flavor because the grass after taste was overwhelming. It was ok in a smoothie, but again I think that is because the flavor is masked with the other ingredients. My search for an alterna-milk that I could use for cereal, smoothie, and cooking continued.