Free ebook: I Love Green Smoothies

Well, I've mentioned before that I love smoothies, and I add organic baby spinach to pretty much every one of my smoothies because really you can't taste it and it's always good to get more dark leafy green veggies.

These smoothies of course always end up looking a little "green." Someone once suggested that they were Shrek smoothies, so if you need a way for your kids to think it's cool that they're green, that's one way. My two kids have liked all the smoothies I've made, pretty much (MW doesn't seem to like blueberries, of all things, so isn't as interested in those ones).

So you can bet I was pretty excited about the ebook that is free today: I Love Green Smoothies - 50 Recipes To Get You Started Drinking Your Way to a Sexy, Slim, Youthful You!.

As I've mentioned before, you don't need a Kindle to get these ebooks. You can read them with the Desktop app or app for Android or IOS. Get it now even if you might not use it right away. You don't want to miss out!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 2/22/13

This week I was thinking about the things that I love, and I thought about writing an individual post about them, but I figured why not put them together in one post. This will be a fun weekly post every Friday of my favorite things from that week:

Via JunkFoodGuy.com

1. Zachary Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Eggs. Have you guys had these? They are seriously addictive and so delicious. The chocolate melts in your mouth and is definitely the real stuff. I've always loved chocolate and marshmallows, so of course I love these. Plus they're only $1 for a dozen at Walmart. They come in foam egg crates too. So cute! They're only around for Easter so try them while you have the chance.



Via IowaGirlEats.com

2. H&R Block online tax program. TurboTax and H&R Block online each have their own advantages and disadvantages, but the last two years I've gone with H&R because they're less expensive and it works! I so love doing my taxes online. What would we do without the Internet?
3. Hebrew National Hot Dogs. These hot dogs are the best. If you haven't tried them (and you do eat hot dogs) I highly recommend them. They are more expensive than other brands for the most part, but their taste is just amazing. They are not only kosher (not that that matters to me), but they also don't have any fillers, by-products or artificial anything. I find myself more full than with other hot dogs, and did I mention the flavor? Seriously, delicious.
4. Pineapple, Banana, Coconut Smoothies. Yeah, they're that good. Mmmmm ...
5. Minecraft. It's a game with simple graphics but lots of fun possibilities and takes a lot of creativity. It's a fun activity to do after the boys are in bed. I admit, I'm a geek girl at heart :P.
   

What were your favorite things from this week? Please share in the comments!

Pinapple, Coconut, Banana Smoothie

My very favoritest drink is pina coladas. I love them with a passion. When I was a kid, my mom and dad would buy those frozen Bicardi pina colada mixes and we'd have pina coladas as a dessert (minus the alcohol, of course). Whenever I go to restaurants, I pretty much always order one.

But I've had trouble duplicating the drink at home. This pineapple smoothie isn't the same as a real pina colada, but this tropical smoothies recipe is so good it definitely tastes like a dessert. And as you know, I love me some smoothies and pineapple smoothies are like heaven in your mouth.

Now the quality of this smoothie with pineapple will depend on the quality of ingredients. When choosing a pineapple, find one that is sweet and juicy. If you've never had a fresh pineapple before, you're in for a treat. A good pineapple tastes as sweet as candy and is oh so good.

As for the coconut milk, you'll want to get one from the refrigerated section near where you would find organic milk and other milk alternatives (almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc.) which should be next to the regular milk section. The milk here has a stronger coconut flavor than the ones you'll find in a can or on the shelf.

So here's the recipe:

Pineapple, Coconut, Banana Smoothie

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 of a fresh pineapple with skin cut off and cut into chunks (leave the stem on for extra healthy goodness, assuming you have an awesome blender that can blend it up :)

1 banana, medium to large

6 to 10 ice cubes

Put coconut milk, pineapple, banana and ice in the blender in the order given. Blend till smooth. Enjoy immediately.

And if you're craving something sweet, smoothies with pineapple are a great way to help with the cravings without resorting to candy, chocolate, or ice cream. So skip the cookies and blend up your dessert!

Review: Vitamix Blender

Via ElissaGoodman.com

So I'm a bit of a smoothie enthusiast. I love just sticking stuff in a blender and ending up with a delicious drink that is yummy and full of good things for you.

So back probably 6 years ago or so, I was frustrated. I would put things in my blender (can't remember what type now but it was one of those $50 blenders you buy at super marts) and if they were too frozen, they wouldn't blend. I would actually have to thaw them out in the microwave in order to make the smoothie and there was no way I could have ice in there, and what was the point of the smoothie if it wasn't cold?

Enter the Vitamix blender. Best thing ever to happen to smoothies.

Where Did I Buy It?

I bought my Vitamix from Costco because they would have someone come to our neighborhood Costco every couple months to demonstrate them. They were cheaper than anywhere else and came with a 7-year warranty. Still, all-in-all, it came to a whopping $400 (after I believe a $100 discount)! Wow! Yeah, I was that desperate for a blender THAT ACTUALLY WORKED.

So now that I've owned it for a couple of years, what do I think? I LOVE IT! Yeah, it's true that it's expensive, and I don't know if it's worth the cost or if there are cheaper blenders that work as well, but I do love knowing I can put whatever in there and it will be smooth at the end. Oh, also, it's so much cheaper than buying a smoothie at Jamba Juice et al (and hey, you don't have to change out of your pajamas to do it!).

But Does It Do More Than Make Smoothies?

As for the other things that it can supposedly do, like make soups and chop up vegetables, I'm not sold. I've tried chopping up onions and green peppers in it and