Smoothies

We've been eating cleaner. Here's our base recipe for smoothies.

1.5 cup of milk (or your favorite milk substitute)
1 cup of natural yogurt
2 cups of fruit, your choice
2 scoops of protein powder (optional)

Serves 4

Throw everything in the blender. Blend till as smooth as you like. It can be helpful if you whiz up the powder w/ the milk and the yogurt before adding the fruit.

We've used all kinds of combinations. Blackberries and raspberries have a lot of seeds that can get caught in your teeth and gums. Bananas make things thicker, especially if you freeze the bananas. Play with it, have fun.

It's NOT Friday...but here's a quickie...

I realize I have neglected this site for a while. It's a combination of real life and being very upset with myself.

I am, hopefully, now on the right track. But here's a real quick recipe for you.

1 cup yogurt (vanilla is fine, but unflavored is what I use)
1/2 cup granola (I use homemade)
2 TBSP Honey
1/4 - 1/2 cup fruit

Mix it all up in a bowl. This serves one, and is quite filling. We add some protein powder for those who need the extra calories. Unflavored yogurt takes some getting used to. It is quite tart. So up the amount of honey, if you need to. I don't use 2 TBSP, but my husband called and said "That yogurt is NASTY." I told him to add more sugar!

Swiss Chard and Beef Soup

1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 to 1 1/2 pounds stew beef
2 qt beef stock
1/4 cup apple cider vineger
seasoning

1. Wash the chard very well and cut into slivers, about 1/4" wide.
2. Parboil the chard in salted water for 2 - 5 minutes. Drain, rinse.
3. Brown the beef in a big soup pot. Use your choice of fat (butter, olive oil, etc)
4. Add the beef broth, vinegar and the rinsed chard.
5. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to simmer, and allow to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.

This would be awesome served w/ some cheese and/or sour cream on top. Crunchy bread would be great too.

I gotta say, I enjoyed the heck out of it. And the chard was locally grown.