Thursday, May 23, 2013

Whole Food's Glowing Green Smoothie

Whole Foods Glowing Green Smoothie

My kids make me laugh.

Whole Foods Glowing Green Smoothie

There was the time that my little boy said this:

Jeremiah: Mom, why can't I say "damn it?"
Me: Because that's a bad word. It doesn't sound nice
Jeremiah: Oh man. Well can I at least say "damn?"


After I said no, he says:

"But mom, what about a beaver damn? I can say beaver damn, right?"

Whole Foods Glowing Green Smoothie

And then this conversation just took place the other day:

Jeremy: (sniff, sniff) Who farted?
Everyone: not me
Isabella: It wasn't me! I swear! Watch, Jeremiah, come here and smell my butt.
-Jeremiah starts crying-
Jeremy: What's wrong buddy?
Jeremiah: Isabella made me smell her butt and...and...she ACTUALLY FARTED!
Jeremy: (very, very seriously) Jeremiah. Don't you ever, EVER smell anyone's butt ever again. That is the lesson here. I mean it. Ever


Then, just weeks ago when Isabella was upset about her hair:

Isabella: Daddy, I look like a WHORE! 
-Jeremy stares at her stunned-
Isabella: I don't know what that means but that's what I think...

He told her what it meant, appropriately enough, when she got extremely embarrassed and said: 

"Oh, I thought it meant, like an ugly rat...or a horses liver" 

What?!

And...we bought her a hat.

I don't know if my family has problems or if everyone has stories like this, but I figure a little extra spinach in their diet couldn't hurt to help make them saner in the cabeza. Enter the Glowing Green Smoothie transformed into a popsicle. 

Glowing Green Smoothie Popsicles

My kids don't even care that it's green. They know it has spinach in it, and that doesn't faze them in the least, probably because it tastes like a sweet tropical vacation with all that pineapple, peach, mango, and creamy coconut goodness contained within than pop mold. They propped themselves up in their outside chairs, feet up and flip flops on like it was summer out (it's not summer out) and slurped them down after a dinner of tomato and arugula pasta. I may have heard mention of "the good life" as this was happening.  Since then they have begged me for these as an after school snack almost everyday.

Here's the thing. The Glowing Green Smoothie does indeed make a mean green popsicle, but I prefer it in it's original form -smoothie style- for lunch or breakfast. Except who am I kidding? I get hungry for "real food" 45 minutes after downing this drink because that's the sad reality us eight and a half months pregnant women have to face. Bravely. With a tear in our eyes, shaking our fists, and wondering when we will ever feel satisfied. I digress.

Whole Foods Glowing Green Smoothie

I drank this smoothie 3-4 times when we visited Whole Foods. I'm learning that each Whole Foods with a smoothie and juice bar has their own specialties and this was the one I happened upon. Lucky me. I cannot stress this enough. Ready? I LOVE this smoothie. The taste is creamy and tropical with a slight hint of nuttiness, probably from the flax seed which I adore that they sneak in. At home I pretty much nailed the recipe. It tastes exactly like the Whole Foods version. Jeremy sometimes can get up in arms about smoothies like this because even though every single ingredient is very healthy, it's still high in sugar because of all the tropical fruit used. Not added sugar, mind you, but he still prefers his spinach smoothies blended with berries which are lower on the glycemic index, but hey, all fruit is good for you! I just don't drink this everyday. It's more like a twice a week thing. Luckily for him the Whole Foods had another smoothie that used the same base but subbed kale for the spinach and berries for the tropical fruit. Everything else was the same if that's more up your alley. I'll say mine tastes better though. 

Whole Foods Glowing Green Smoothie
adapted from Whole Food's Market
makes 1 large smoothie or two smaller smoothies

I only use organic fruit for my smoothies, but that is optional. Also, if you have fresh fruit instead of frozen you could use that as well; just make sure to add a couple ice cubes to keep everything cold. You also won't need as much almond milk if you are using fresh fruit, but keep in mind it won't be as thick. Do use both the "unsweetened" milk and coconut flakes. Trust me, it's sweet enough as it is. 

2 cups packed baby spinach
1 cup frozen organic peaches
1 cup frozen organic pineapple 
1/2 cup frozen organic mango
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
1 tablespoon flax meal or flax seed (I use flax meal because it blends better)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (add more if needed to blend)

Blend everything together well and drink.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Julia's Best Banana Bread

Julia's Best Banana bread

Oh, hello. No, I haven't had my baby, I've just been busy and not making much time for blogland...until now.

Julia's Best Banana Bread

Olivia plays with this bop-it toy constantly. It's a game that shouts out commands such as "pull it!" or "twist it!" and you are supposed to keep pace and do what it says or it verbally berates you. Lots of nights Jeremy and I feel so bad for her because she hauls this thing around without a clue as to what it's saying and it just shouts horrible things at her like "Booooo", "epic fail" and "I'm going to sleep!" Of course she has no idea and It's funny and sad at the same time. We tell her "Don't listen to that thing, big girl! You are awesome!"

Julia's Best Banana bread

Something about the upcoming summer and baby's due date rapidly approaching (5 weeks to go!) has made me drawn to simplistic foods. I've been making green paletas (popsicles) for the kids, eggs on toast for breakfast, thick honeydew slices packed in kids lunches, bags of cherries, and whole wheat pastas and soups at night since our climate hasn't quite taken the hint that it should warm up indefinitely now. We're slow to catch on to such things up here. In short, exciting blog material has not been plentiful for a few weeks. However, I did stumble upon a simple banana bread recipe I've been dying to try out. It's definitely blog material. Oh, yes.

Julia's Best Banana bread

I don't usually make banana bread recipes I run across because I already have a great one with big banana flavor and studded with nuts. It's my standby and favorite with the hint of vanilla and buttermilk tang. But this one called to me. Andrew McCarthy wrote piece for Bon Appetit on this banana bread and it ran in their March issue. Yes, Andrew McCarthy the actor from movies such as Pretty In Pink and Weekend At Bernies. He's a thoughtful writer with a passion for travel and good food. He used to live on the Island of Maui where he would listen to the trade winds rustling palm fronds and dig his feet in the buttery sand while watching a fiery sun hang above the Pacific. He also swears that his most potent memory of Hawaii is the smell of warm, moist banana bread. Julia's banana bread to be exact. So he heads down the famous road to Hana chasing a memory.

Julia's Best Banana bread

Julia's Best Banana bread

Julia grew up on the Island of Molokai and started making banana bread out of necessity. She was selling fruit and the bananas got too ripe so she had to do something. It's the simplistic recipe that  makes it stand out for me. No buttermilk or sour cream, no vanilla extract, a hefty amount of eggs. This is just simply banana bread without need for the extra frills. As Andrew eats the last of his loaf he laughs to himself. He's thinking of moving back.

This bread is sturdier than my other recipe without losing any of the dense moistness, which I like. It almost has a mouth-feel like I've added a package of vanilla pudding but I most certainly have not. We like our slices thick and warm with a little salted butter. But as you know, theres no wrong way to eat banana bread.

Julia's Best Banana bread

Julia's Best Banana Bread
adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2013 by Andrew McCarthy

serves 8 or makes 1 loaf

This bread can also be baked in three small (5 3/4 x 3 1/4") loaf pans, which is how you'll find them at Julia's stand; cooking time will be 40-50 minutes. For deepest flavor, use ripe bananas with lots of freckles.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
3/4 vegetable oil (I used 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 9x5x3" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. 

Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Tip- Bread can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.



Thursday, May 9, 2013

Easy Cheese Danishes and I'll tell you what I want...

Easy Cheese Danishes

What I really really want...

I want a...

I want a...

I really want a quilt for the new baby.

A quilt that looks like this.

Photo courtesy of Little Miss Momma
quilt-300x200

And I really, really want every special person in my life to gift a piece of fabric that they picked out to give to me so I can make this quilt. A patchwork with pieces of every one in my life right now to document forever. I want my grandmother to pick a pattern. My sister to pick her favorite color. My mother, my Aunts in California, my Aunt in Colorado Springs...I even want the girls at Creekside and and Freshies (My breakfast spots) to pick me out a piece. I'd say the girls at Winona's too, but I think I feel closer to them then they actually do to me. Awkward. Old friends, new friends, Facebook friends, people near and far who may have to ship their fabric. All of them. I want them all. Selfishly. The only problem? I have NO IDEA how to quilt.

And how do I guarantee the quilt is soft and thin, and pliable instead of the heavy rigid ones I've been around? I have no idea. How would I get it to look like the picture above that seems to embody all of those things? Can I take it to a quilter? Is there even such a thing? I'm asking you, dear friends, because I don't know who else to ask. I'm hoping you have some advice for me. I'm guessing the fabric would have to be of a certain quality or made of "quilting" material, which may present a problem. We have some thin, itchy stuff at our Wal-Mart here. That's not really what I'm talking about. I think we have fabric stores though. Fingers crossed. Although, maybe it's sort of rude say:

Would you want to pick out a pice of fabric for Baby MacGray's quilt? Oh, it needs to be quilting fabric. Make sure of that. 

Maybe that's just a given. It would have to be "quilting" fabric, right?

And now I vill talk about zee food. Sorry for my shameless quilt talk. Easy Cheese Danishes, ready? GO!

Easy Cheese Danishes

I made these cheese Danishes for the Soulation gathering I catered this March. Someone in attendance asked me if I had made them and was shocked when I said yes. She expressed that she had never seen danishes that someone had made, only from the store. I suppose someone at the store had to make them as well but I knew what she meant. She went on to point out to everyone that I had, in fact, made them. They were beautiful. And they did look impressive and fresh baked and homey. But honestly? These things are so easy that I felt guilty accepting the praise. Maybe if I had made my own pastry I'd have felt more worthy. Alas, I've done that, and the results are not noticeably different, so I stuck to the frozen pre-made Pepperidge Farm version. I'm not ashamed. Even Ina Garten uses it.

I've always loved Danishes. I remember lusting after the Entemans Raspberry Danish from the grocery store that my mom sometimes got for us as a treat growing up. It was that memory that prompted me to tuck little spoonfuls of good raspberry jam into half of the cheese danishes before baking. Lemon curd would have been amazing too.

Easy Cheese Danishes

Easy Cheese Danishes
adapted From Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten
yield: 8 Danishes

For the Danishes:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Raspberry Jam (optional-if wanting to make raspberry danishes)

For the icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice or milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. If making raspberry danishes: spoon 2 teaspoons of jam into the cheese mixture. I spooned one teaspoon towards the top and one towards the bottom. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. When Danishes are done and still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top in a criss cross pattern. Serve warm.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Fettuccine with Kale Pesto

Fettuccine with Kale Pesto from True Foods Kitchen

Kale Pesto. I've heard of it before but never struck me as something I needed to run to the kitchen to make. I like regular pesto. In my mind the basil version can't be beat, especially with kale. I love kale, just not for pesto. But hark! I made that kale pesto namely because the recipe stated that most people couldn't believe it wasn't made with basil because the taste was so similar except kale keeps it's verdant green color better and makes for a brighter dish. So did it taste like basil pesto? Shockingly, it sort of did. Not exactly, but close enough. I may add some basil leaves to the kale next time just for an extra boost of flavor. This is an awesome version to try out with the vegetable of the moment. You did know kale was the vegetable of the moment didn't you? I say use it up while you can before it's dethroned by the next big thing.

Fettuccine with Kale Pesto from True Foods Kitchen

In other news, my doctor did a quick ultrasound the other day and this baby is already 4lbs! I'm 32 weeks and still feeling good, although was completely overcome with the need to nap the other day. Like, it wasn't even an option. An hour and a half later I was worried I wouldn't be able to fall asleep that night, but by 9pm was ready. We still don't have a name picked out which is completely annoying. When I wasn't pregnant I had all sorts of favorite girl names and now nothing sounds right or stands out. Or I can't pick between them. I'm not sure. Either way it's annoying and I fear we will be those parents in the delivery room with no name until two days after the birth. Lame. We suck.

Speaking of things sucking, have I told you how much Colorado spring weather sucks?! Yeah, Olivia wore shorts to school last Monday and by Wednesday she wore fleece lined jeans and a jacket because it was snowing...again. My daffodils need sunshine! Boooooo! Boo to the snow! That's what I say. 

You? You can go ahead and say hello to kale pesto pasta. You know you're gonna make it. You can double the kale pesto recipe and freeze the second half so you can have a dinner later that's ready as soon as the pasta is done cooking. I store my leftover pesto in mason jars with a little olive oil covering the top (so it doesn't turn brown) with the lid screwed on tightly in the freezer.

And just for a bit of random... Mom! They said. Take a picture like we're getting blown away by the wind!

IMG_3928

Please note Jeremiah's "Mary Poppins" umbrella. You can tell it's Mary Poppins because of the parrot head on the handle. He thinks it's a "boy" umbrella because it's black. He also likes parrots or any bird for that matter, so that helps too. He loves this umbrella. The play Mary Poppins? Not so much. My grandparents took us to see it in Denver last week and while he had lots of fun running around with his cousin Reisa and getting to skip a day of school to go down to see the play, he was ready to leave at intermission.

Reisa and Jeremiah with their umbrellas (in the package still) outside the Denver Performing Arts Center using them as weapons.

Jeremiah

He much preferred Iron Man 3 this weekend at the movie theaters. Go figure.

Fettuccine with Kale Pesto
adapted from True Food Kitchen via Natural Health Magazine
serves 4-6

Kale Pesto
4 cups stemmed, chopped black kale
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 plus 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 fat garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pasta
1 pound fettuccine (we used whole wheat)
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (we used 1/2 cup)
1 recipe kale pesto (above)

To make the pesto, bring a pot of water to boil. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and cold water. Using tongs, plunge the kale into the boiling water for three minutes; transfer it to the cold bowl (doing so retains the kale's bright green color). After three minutes, drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Put the kale and remaining pesto ingredients into a food processor, puree until smooth and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta al dente according to the package. 

Just before pasta is done, remove two tablespoons of pasta water and add to the pesto. Add the cheese and mix well.

Drain pasta and toss with pesto.


Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Red Quinoa Tabbouleh with Beets and Strawberries

Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

My friend Danielle and I met for breakfast yesterday morning. It was our first meeting since getting back from Spring Break and it was our time to rehash and catch each other up on what has been going on. She went to Phoenix and had told me about her families favorite eatery called True Food Kitchen. By some strange coincidence I had just made a recipe from True Food's cookbook via a magazine the night before, so I knew exactly what she was talking about. My dinner, a red quinoa tabbouleh packed with golden beets, mint, strawberries, parsley, arugula, scallions and dressed in a bright lemony garlic dressing hit the spot and was just what I was craving after two weeks of vacation food. As luck would have it, Natural Health magazine profiled some of True Food Kitchen's recipes, courtesy of Dr. Andrew Weil who is the mastermind behind the restaurant.  I had trouble picking which recipe I should make because every single thing sounded mouth watering, from the buttery Miso-Marinated Black Cod with Baby Bok Choy and Roasted Mushrooms to the Fettuccine with Kale Pesto that I'll be making tonight. Danielle also said that on the day they were at the restaurant there were huge glass containers filled with grapefruit and mint infused water. That is my kind of place. So glad I get to bring a little sampling of it home.

It is so good to be home, but it's always hard leaving all that vacation behind, especially when it looked like this:

The beach. Our favorite family spot is Paradise Cove between Malibu and Zuma
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

In-N-Out, because, obviously.
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Our Austin Rattler Bike Race group
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

I love crewing for my husband during races
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Bananarchy food truck in Austin. Chocolate covered frozen banana rolled in coconut and peanuts. That's all I'm gonna say.
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Dallas with Craig and Sal
IMG_2442

We even snuck in a Disneyland trip!
IMG_2441

The California coast
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Pool time! Jeremiah learned how to swim!
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Viva Las Vegas. More pool time
Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break

Disclaimer: If you live in Austin, Vegas or LA and I didn't contact you about our stay, please know the last week was completely spontaneous and since my family lives in the LA area we were completely booked up from the time we got in until we left. Plus we couldn't stay at our usual place so we were a bit out of town.

Vacation is awesome, no doubt, but it's good to be home in my own kitchen eating the food I eat regularly again. It wasn't all awful. I had plenty of green juices and smoothies from our beloved Whole Foods, and we tried an awesome raw food restaurant called Cafe Gratitude in the Venice Beach area (if your in the area, check it out, stat! They also have other locations in LA and San Francisco. Order the "I am cool" mint chocolate shake for dessert. It's like magic.) but there was definite indulging in our favorite whole grain pancakes with endless topping choices at CiCi's in Tarzaza, and I may have eaten a churro, a waffle cone filled with mint and chip ice cream and half a hot chocolate in the same day at Disneyland, In-N-Out is mandatory (if you're vegetarian like us, order a grilled cheese animal style), and we topped our trip off with a date to Firefly in Studio City (hipest atmosphere ever) where we stuffed ourselves with the most outrageous mussels (roasted in a cast iron skillet with butter, salt, pepper and lemon, served screaming hot) then keeping with the seafood theme, ordering the tempura fried lobster and fries with orange aioli for good measure. Then two desserts.

Let's just say that when I got home and read the headline

"Kim Kardashian spirals out of control as she gains 6 pounds in one week!"

My reaction may have been a bit defensive. Like, it's totally normal to gain 6 pounds in a week when you're pregnant. Completely and totally normal. Except I was on vacation, Kim. At least I can say that. Actually I wasn't defensive at all. I started laughing and pulled Jeremy aside and was all omigosh, I am on par with Kim Kardashian now and the world thinks this is the stuff that makes up spiraling out of control! Am I spiraling out of control? Did we buy enough kale?

...And then I promptly drove home and made this tabbouleh and felt so much better about myself. The end.

Red Quinoa Tabbouleh and Spring Break


Red Quinoa Tabbouleh with Beets and Strawberries
adapted from True Food Kitchen by Andrew Weil via Natural Health Magazine

serves 4-6

1 pound beets (red or golden)
2 cups red quinoa or tri-color quinoa
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of red pepper flake
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
2 ounces arugula, chopped roughly
10-12 strawberries, chopped or 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts

Roast and peel your beets, then chop into bite sized pieces. Meanwhile, bring four cups of salted water to a boil and add quinoa. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until quinoa is dry and fluffy. Let cool.

In a salad bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Add beets, quinoa, parsley, mint, scallions and arugula and toss well; chill until cool.

divide onto serving plates and top with strawberries or pomegranate seeds and almonds (I just tossed these in with the rest of the salad, but if you want real crunch from the nuts just top it like the recipe states). 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Whole Foods Smoothie and Juice Recipes from Austin


Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

There are many things which I want to write about here today. Much too much has gone on this past week to be able to consolidate everything into one blog post, so I'll start here, at the beginning because it's a very good place to start.

Last Thursday I woke up in sunny Austin, Texas. It was a cool city they said. Great food they said. Lots of things to do they said. Can we say understatement? I'm here to tell you Austin is a freaking awesome city with amazing food and tons of things to do. I'm ready to become a Texan ya'll!

Upon waking, I learned that our rental house was just blocks away from the original Whole Foods grocery store and that it was a mecca of sorts.

how idealic is this?
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

backyard backs up to a creek. Straight up. Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip


Um, yes. Mecca is definitely the right word. This place was massive. Upon entering, you kind of just had to stand there for a moment to take it all in. It's what began a daily and sometimes twice daily trip to Whole Foods for our juices and smoothies at their bar.

Whole Foods headquarters is located just above
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

Our friend Chad was pumped. He knew what we were about to walk into.
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

The men with their first juices. They each had another (or two!) in the cart.
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

The juice/smoothie bar wasn't the only bar they had, guys. There was a gelato bar, A coffee bar, a charcuterie, etc, etc. And, there was a full on real bar in the middle of the store. Actually I'm pretty sure there were two bars, one for wine and one for beer. I should note I was there at about 8am or these seats would have been packed.

IMG_3655

Don't drink? How about a cookie bar?
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

Or a gourmet oil and vinegar bar?
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

Need some spices or salt? Take your pick!
IMG_3659

And I couldn't resist a picture of the flowers. If you look closely, you'll see my favorite flower in the world in the lower left corner. Ranunculus! A whole bouquet of just ranunculus!
Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

This place was off the hook. I wasn't even embarrassed taking my camera into the store because if anyone gave me the stink eye it was kind of like, seriously? Look around you jaded jamoke.

There were quite a few smoothies and juices to choose from, but these were the ones we were most familiar with:

Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

Blue Moon Smoothie-
soy milk
coconut water
blueberries
banana

Mild, creamy and dreamy. The color is the most beautiful shade of bluish lavender and tastes more like a shake than a smoothie. 

Chlorophyll Up Juice-
celery
cucumber
spinach
parsley
lemon
spirulina

This one was refreshing, although not the coolest color in the crayon box (think deep, sea green). It was salty and lemony, just the way we like it. The men drank quite a few of these when they weren't drinking straight up beet juice, and also, sometimes while they were.

Pretty In Pink Smoothie-
coconut water
pomegranate juice
banana
strawberry
raspberry
agave

Our friend Sabrina just couldn't get on the green juice/smoothies with green stuff in it bandwagon, so the pretty in pink was her go-to choice. She must have enjoyed five of these while we were there. I tasted it once. Pleasantly tart, and the color will slay you.

Banana Nut Smoothie-
soy milk
bananas
almond butter
maca
honey
cinnamon

I had my eye on this one the whole time and never ordered it! I had to include it here though since it taunted me so. Doesn't it sound like the most comforting thing ever?

Energize Me Green Juice-
parsely
celery
spinach
kale
cucumber
lemon

Pretty green color. Go heavy on the lemon or it has the potential to be bland. I got this one twice. Add a dash of sea sea if you make this at home.

***For a complete Austin, TX Wholefoods Smoothie and Juice Menu Click Here.*** 

Endless inspiration awaits.

Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

After our Whole Foods extravaganza, our friend and tour guide, Chad, took us around the city. Chad knows whats up about everything.

Here is Lance Armstrongs bike shop, Mellow Johnny's! And here is Lady Bird lake! And here is Lances Bar, Hangers Lounge (we might like Lance), And here are some food trucks! 

And if he doesn't know just give him a hot second on his smartphone and he'll figure it out. He was awesome. Apparently, there is a place where couples take pictures. It's literally a string of words spray painted on the side of Jo's (cafe? restaurant?) in Austin. We all four illegally parked the car and quickly took pictures and ran back as fast as we could giggling like school children at our discombobulated switfness. It's great to be a tourist!

Wholefoods Juices and Smoothie Recipes and Austin Trip

The day after we took this picture we saw a photographer out taking pictures of a couple under this wall. Tripod and the whole deal.