I heart green smoothies

Last week I got the chance to see Victoria Boutenko.  She was giving her Green for Life talk and I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see her.  I purchased Green for Life last year at VegFest and it sealed the deal on our Vita-Mix purchase =)  I also have her 12 Steps to Raw Foods book, I've really enjoyed reading it and the thinking it provokes.  It was fun to listen to her talk about the plant kingdom and some history of modern foods.  I enjoy her quest for health answers and how when she sees a health problem she gets to the basics and thinks there might be a simple solution for this, many times there is.  It was fun of course to meet her and to meet other like minded kind people and to hear about how she came up with the first green smoothie.  Another treat is that we all got a green smoothie made by her! 



pear, spinach, and mint



She is a very sweet person and is on the same thought as me with seeded watermelons!  (That's what I had to snack on in my purse during the talk, it was such a steamer of a day I was a big sweaty when I got there and watermelon always does the trick to cool me down)  She said that we have the best watermelons here in Michigan =)  I haven't traveled to nearly as many places as she has but I would have to agree ;)  I'm really missing it right now not being able to have made it to the farmer's market this week yet without a car...

I took my books, she was kind enough to sign and answer questions that I had.





and bought a sticker with the change in the bottom of my wallet.



These smoothies aren't in true Raw Family fashion, but here's what my smoothies have been looking like lately here. 



water, banana, fruit on hand: peaches, strawberries, etc., hemp seeds, raw protein, greens: parsley, kale, spinach, etc., spoon of raw almond butter



I've been using some of this protein lately for a change.  It is the one that I seem to digest best. 



I don't use supplemental protein very often, but sometimes it just sounds kind of good and a fun change of pace.  I personally don't ever feel like I'm lacking in protein and actually when I have a supplement I'm full for the time of like two meals!  So if I did this all the time, it'd be all I was eating pretty much or I'd have to step up my exercise and burn more fuel ;) 

couple more green smoothies =)



one on the go



I was on the go to the grand opening of the Lululemon showroom in A2. 
So cool that there's one in town now, I met the manager and she's super nice, they'll also be hosting lots of free yoga and other fitnesses classes in the shop, I love that!  I tried on some clothes and fell in love with the wunderunders, but will have to wait, with paying tuition for school yoga clothes are not in the budget ;)  I know the clothes are on the pricey side.  In Vegas I bought a pair of groove pants and a bra, they've had tons of use and are in like new shape, the clothes really are good quality.  We have been playing the lottery so who knows maybe I'll be able to go shopping before I know it ;) 



Reading LoveVeggiesandYoga  Averie's Banana Nut Muffins looked so good and it would be an excuse to use my antique store find glass batter bowl =)







these are my kind of treat on these cooler days now (it was in the 40s here last night! perfect sleeping weather)  gooey and dense, yum!



I changed the recipe a little bit:

*used two bananas
*did about 1/6 cup almonds  1/6 cup oats instead of the 1/3 cup almond meal
*decreased the brown sugar to a scant 2 T
*after the batter was mixed in the Vita-Mix I stirred in some oats and frozen blueberries, again I wanted to use my batter bowl =D  The  MI blueberries were super duper delicious.
I baked for 20 minutes, and like Averie said they're that underdoneness that I love. 

other fare around here has been lots of salads with artichokes hearts this week and garden toms



and these little gems I like to call PB&J dates!  This will satisfy your sweet tooth, sometimes I really get a craving for a PB&J sandwich (it might be a comfort food thing) but am not really hungry so I started making these.  I've been using the Naturally Nutty vanilla peanut butter, good grief is this good. 



Thanks for reading, hugs!

Also at the Green for Life talk I chatted with the manager of Inn Season Cafe and there will be a raw food and juice cafe opening up in September a few doors down on 4th street in Royal Oak!