Banana split smoothie

Hi! Happy Wednesday to ya ? How’s the day going so far?

This week has already been a lot of fun. I took Livi to her yoga class and we planted some herbs in the garden. I might eat my words later, but I feel like you really have to work to kill plants here. Succulents grow freely out of the cement, and our hibiscus plant, which hasn’t bloomed in about a year has tiny little flower buds. It’s pretty exciting! I filled some of Livi’s Easter eggs with herb seeds for us to plant together, so we planted some spinach, basil, San Marzano tomatoes and jalapeños. Fingers crossed that they grow!

One thing that I’ve noticed about living here is that it’s actually a little more challenging to get organic produce at the grocery store. I’m not sure why, but the Trader Joe’s nearby hardly has any organic produce. Maybe because there are so many farmers markets? I have no idea. Anyway, when they didn’t have organic berries, I knew that frozen would be a good substitute.

An awesome sundae-esque smoothie we’ve been enjoying: 

This is a great combination of protein, carbs and healthy fats.. and really tastes like a dessert.

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to give it a whirl. (Newsletter subscribers got this one already!)

-1 frozen banana
-1 cup almond milk
1/2 pack or 1 heaping tablespoon of your favorite protein powder (optional)
-1/2 cup plain yogurt (can use vegan yogurt or goat’s milk yogurt, too)
-1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
-1 tablespoon(ish) chocolate chips
-Stevia or honey to taste (optional)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-sprinkle of cinnamon

Some pics from last night’s dinner party:

classic salmon with a maple-ginger-orange marinade

+ baked sweet potatoes

a big ol’ salad:

and pizzookie!

(Used Elana’s Pantry dough for the crust, baked for 15 minutes and topped with coconut ice cream.)

Last, but definitely not least: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this lovely lady <3

See ya later on the Family page + back here for a new treadmill workout ?