A Tropical Green Smoothie Recipe To Make Your Tummy Smile

Hi friends!

Stopping by real quick to share an awesome green smoothie recipe!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been adding in a green smoothie to my (almost) daily diet!

I usually drink mine first thing in the morning after a glass of room temp water, and always before any caffeine- so that my body properly absorbs all of the green smoothie goodness.

Since I've begun regularly adding in these bad boys to my diet, I have more energy and my insides feel happy- does anyone else get that?! Am I crazy?

When my insides are happy, my outsides are happy too. I am more focused, and have more energy through-out my day.

Green smoothies are an awesome, quick, easy way to get your important daily nutrients from fruits and veggies (plus fiber from chia seeds!).

Plus, with The Pea hitting picky toddler stage, sometimes this is the only way I get him the good stuff his growing little body needs- he thinks it's juice. HA! Foiled again.

A quick, annoying reminder: It's always better to get your nutrients from real, whole foods than from supplements (spoiler alert-it has to do with the way your body absorbs those all-important, feel good nutrients)! But hey, no judgment from ova heeeeya. I take vitamins, too!

OKAY. So on to the recipe. These amounts are not exact. For me they vary from smoothie to smoothie. I just kinda wing it, 'cuz that's how I roll.

1. The goods. 2. The Ninja at work. 3. One for me, one for Lucas, & one for The Pea.

 

Tropical Green Smoothie

You will need (all of these are readily available at TJ's):

- 2 handfuls of baby spinach

- 1 1/2 cup Frozen Mango

- 1 cup Frozen Strawberries/berry blend

-Half an Avocado

-A couple slices of cantaloupe

OR

-A kiwi (this is a great smoothie mix in, too!) 

-A healthy pour of Chia seeds

- 1 1/2 cups water

 

Step 1: Take your two handfuls of spinach, the 1/2 an avocado and 1 cup of water and blend together. This ensures that all the green stuff gets nice and smooth. It's obviously very scientific.

Step 2: Add in your 1 1/2 cup frozen mango and blend.

Step 3: Add in 1/2 cup water and 1 cup strawberries and blend well.

Step 4: Add your cantaloupe or kiwi and chia seeds and finish blending.

(Optional)

Step 5: You may need to add some more frozen fruit if you chose to use cantaloupe, as the fruit naturally has more water in it, or if the smoothie is a little too "juice like". Unless you like that. Then proceed to Step 6.

Step 6: Drink Up and let your insides thank you!

Hope you guys enjoy!

 

I can't wait to share with you guys next week's post! I'll be interviewing Dasha & Paolo of succiko in Castro Valley.

We'll be talking all about succulents and how to care for them (you might think it's simple, but am I the only one who always kills them?!) , and I'll be sharing lots of pretty pictures of their special shop.

Until then, have a great weekend!

XO,

Maddi & The Pea

Weekend Eats & Adventures

Pictures we took wandering downtown Niles. We left this sleepy town with full, happy bellies- like this cute guy on the left!

 

Happy Wednesday! Sorry I'm a day late! I had surgery on my hand yesterday to release my "trigger finger". Explaining it takes a lot of effort so lets just say it means I'm too thug for life, ight?! But really- it was a minor surgery, no big deal. I'm off of work for a few days so I thought I'd bombard you guys with pictures from our weekend!

So if you guys haven't been able to tell by now...We are a family that likes to adventure! Lucas and I love exploring both locally and semi-locally. And what's a good adventure without good food?! You'll see a lot of those adventures and foodz here on the blog- I hope you'll check out some of these places for yourselves!

 When you regularly dine at/shop at/buy from/attend any place that trades goods for money you are essentially voting for that place and for all of the business practices that place utilizes. You are creating demand for that supply. Supporting local businesses has become a value of ours without having to put a lot of effort into following through with it. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is a blessing because we rarely have to think twice about the restaurants, stores, etc.  we're supporting. I realize that not everyone has immediate accessibility to the array of ethically responsible businesses that we do, and I'm extremely grateful that this process has been streamlined for us. I know, I know, you get it. Okay? Okay.../endrant!

The Vine (Niles, CA)

First up: On Friday, The Pea stayed at Nana and Papa's for a little bit while Lucas and I went to a restaurant in Niles (a part of Fremont) his mom told us about called The Vine. The Vine is definitely one of the most unique restaurants I've ever eaten at. The outside is pretty unassuming, and when you look in through the windows it looks like your grandmas kitchen-but cooler. The booths are padded with kitschy fabric and it has an all around cottagey vibe. But it gets even more interesting- ask to sit on the patio and there's a whole different world out there! The patio is louder, with a bar and bar tables, and even a fire pit. The patio has a different menu- a little cheaper, more small plates, sandwiches and burgers kinda deal. They offer all kinds of local beer and wine, and super unique cocktails. Lucas and I don't drink, but if we did, we'd drink here. Lucas got the Vine burger, and I got the Pulled Pork sandwich. Both of our main plates were awesome, but our favorite things we ordered were the Tempura Fried Green Beans- deep fried green beans with a Sriracha buttermilk drizzle- and Sweet Potato Tater Tots with Candied Bacon aioli. So. Freaking. Delicious.

Coffee (All Places, Everywhere)

I drink too much coffee and overthink things on a regular basis. This has made me a coffee connoisseur- can I dub myself that? Well, I did. I went to these places randomly and too frequently over the weekend. In order from left to right: 1. Starbucks- NOT local, kinda shady actually, but I just really needed a Pumpkin Spice Latte, you know? I'm not a PSL fan generally, but their new recipe is pretty good! Also, bought this awesome $2, biodegradable cup with someone's rad art work on it so I felt like it slightly absolved my basicness for the day. 2. Sideboard (Danville, CA). This latte is made from real espresso and is not a coffee-flavored-beverage a la Starbucks. Love this place always, not only for their coffee, but also for their amazing food. Need to do a post on this place soon. Brought a book I'm reading for my Bible Study. Love soaking in wisdom in the morning! 3. Café 4 (Castro Valley, CA). Ahhh Café 4. I think this is my favorite place to get a latte (sweetened, 3 shots thanks) in the Bay Area. This place serves Verve coffee and is located in the enormously cool church lobby of 3 Crosses Church (aka Neighborhood Church). So many comfy places to sit and read, work on your laptop, etc. I've written a few blog posts here, and I often bring a book to get lost in.

 

900 Grayson (Berkeley, CA)

I sold my soul to 900 Grayson the first time I ate here. Lucas brought me here for some post-surgery comfort food. The man knows his way to this momma's heart. This place is an all time favorite, never-going-to-give-you-up, never-gunna-let-you-down, hands down best chicken and waffles I've ever had. The chicken and waffles dish here is called the Demon Lover. And you better get it with extra gravy or we can't be friends. I was introduced to this place by some friends a few years ago and I haven't stopped going since. IT'S AN ADDICTION! And a spiritual experience. The owners Chris and Anthony Saulnier are incredibly hospitable, and I feel like somewhat of a celebrity now that they stop by and say hi to our little trio every time we go in. I'm pretty sure I blush and get nervous because they're so cool.  I'm not going to say too much more, because I plan on devoting an entire post to this place soon- it's THAT good.

 

Last but not least- here are some photos of me and my favorite guys!

The Pea offered me some much appreciated snuggles after my surgery. This kid is not super cuddly, but I swear babies just know when you need love. Kinda like dogs.

Lucas and I took this picture while we were out in Niles, walking around before dinner. We don't take a lot of pictures together, so I was glad this one came out so good! Wouldn't want to do this deal with anyone other than my best friend.

 

Thanks for reading guys!

l'll be back soon with a green smoothie recipe!

XO,

Maddi & The Pea



Labor Day Weekend

This morning's walk with a sweet little guy.

 

Happy Tuesday!

How was your Labor Day weekend? Ours was great!

I'm looking forward to going back to work feeling relaxed and creative- I had four days off!

I took some snaps of our adventures this weekend to share here. Nothing fancy- just the everyday moments that make me smile. These last four days have been filled with all of the truly important/life-giving things- love, family, friends, and fresh air. You know, the good stuff :)

 

On Saturday, the Pea spent the day at Lucas' parents house while we went and adventured all over San Fransisco. We started our day with the best jalepeno/egg/cheese/tomato tart, breakfast croissant sandwhich, and excellent coffee at farm:table. After that we did some shopping and ended up in the Marina district for more coffee at Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters. This place had the coolest wallpaper I've ever seen. PINEAPPLES! EVERYWHERE! What.

The Pea and I spent Sunday together just relaxing and reading (see above photo. domino Magazine=Interior Design porn)  and playing and teething and screaming. You know, the usual. I notice more and more lately that Gavin really needs days where our time is unstructured so he can play freely. He gets really frustrated without his own space to do his thing. Such an independent little man. Much like his mama, he enjoys solitude.

Monday morning (Labor Day), we headed up to my hometown in Sonoma County to spend some time with our people! The Pea spent the afternoon with his Grammy and the pug trolls that live at Grammy's house, while I went to see Molly and Everett. We spent the day driving and wandering around Sebastopol (my hometown) at The Barlow. If you ever find yourself up for a hippie adventure- Sebastopol is the place to be. The Barlow is a recent shopping/dining development filled with lots of cool shops and places to eat/drink. Favorites: Taylor Maid Coffee, The Nectary for the best juice (try the Ciao Bella), Circle of Hands Waldorf Toy Store, Tamarind for unique hand-crafted clothing, jewelry, and accessories, and Zazu Kitchen + Farm for awesome farm to table fare.

I was missing my girl and her little, so it was definitely a much needed soul-sista' kinda day.

Munchkin Miracle 360 Cup

Meanwhile, at Grammy's house.... Gavin was excited to see his trolls and to drink out of his new "big boy" cup. We've decided sippy cups are for weenies.

 

On Monday night Uncle Brian came over and spent some time with me and the Pea. We gave him some tickles (the baby, not Brian- ha!) and he signed back to us for the first time! I was starting to feel like sign language just wasn't going to happen for this guy, and last night we signed to him "All done" after he finished his dinner... AND HE DID IT BACK! MULTIPLE TIMES. AND TRIED TO MIMIC OUR LANGUAGE.

It was crazy. His Daddy and I tried it again this morning and Voila! He did it again.

Now to work on "Eat" and "More"!

 

How was your Labor Day weekend? What did you do?

XO,

Maddi & The Pea

 

I"M THINKING ABOUT THINGS GUYS

A collection of things I'm thinking about:

 

1. A Check in: Remember that post about wellness and balance? Yep, still trying to find that! "Balance" changes from week to week- but some weeks are rougher than others. The last two have been exhausting! I've been struggling to self care in a few important areas. However! I've been trying to heal my body and some of this adrenal fatigue with proper nutrition- and I see a definite change in my overall sense of physical well-being. Additionally, I'm trying to drink a green smoothie every day for 30 days. Do you have any recipes for me to try?? Please tell! Baby steps guys, baby steps.

2. A Heart Thought: This topic seems to be coming up in conversations with a few people I'm close with lately and it's been on my heart a lot the last few weeks. Relationships are hard! And they are especially hard with a baby. Everything changes! Things you didn't even know could change, will change. Lucas and I have experienced this rough terrain first hand. Only now are we feeling that connection and unity again. And it takes WORK. Which it didn't before we had a baby. Before the Pea came to be we went on dates and adventures whenever we felt like it. We stayed up talking for hours. We had no one's schedule to operate on but our own. Household responsibilities were split easily. It was never hard to find time to love each other. We couldn't have imagined a time where we wouldn't feel like we were on the same team. And then we had Gavin. And with all of the love and fullness that came along with this amazing gift, came a lot of hard work. Hard work that took a major toll on us physically, emotionally, and especially relationally. And what do you do with that? What do you do when you feel like the person you were meant to do this deal with suddenly becomes someone you spend hours, days, weeks, months feeling resentful towards? When the mutual love you had based this life-changing decision on seems too far away and would require too much energy that neither of you have to get back? I definitely don't have the answers. I only know what we have done to grow together again- which has required about a zillion parts humility, one hundred parts willingness, and a trillion "I love you's". We started speaking each other's love languages- realizing that we give and receive love in totally different ways. We had to start picking up each other's slack, and realizing that it wasn't "slack" at all- it was the natural ebb and flow of having a child and both being in the middle of an identity crisis- am I who I was before or am I a totally different personal altogether now that we have a child? The old habits and ways you show your love for others and schedules you used to have need to die, and the old ideas you had surrounding "fairness" in a relationship have to die, too. And that is an extremely painful process. Self awareness can feel like a prison- but ironically it's the key to your freedom as well. What helped us fall into love again was remembering that we're not alone- we're together.

What I can say on the other side is this: It was all worth it. Everything. I am more in love with Lucas today than I ever was before we ever struggled to love each other. But I feel like it's important to say this: IT'S OKAY TO STRUGGLE TO LOVE YOUR PARTNER. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And you will be okay.

3. A Pea Thought: We have an angry Pea on our hands this week, ladies and gentleman. I don't know where this tiny psychotic slave-driver came from, but his rightful owner can take him back at any time. Except I would miss his chubby legs....and his toothy grins... and snuggling him in the morning. OKAY FINE I'LL KEEP HIM. Ugh.

XO,

Maddi & the Pea