Kale Pear Green Smoothies

Well friends, it's been awhile, but I'm back. I do have a garden planted again this summer! And for the first time, I've planted kale. Don't be surprised if a lot of the recipes I share in the near future feature kale! 

Fresh garden kale makes this smoothie a favorite of mine. The mint is grown in my windowsill herb garden. A perfect blend of kale, pear, mint, and apple(sauce). A refreshing and healthy summer drink!

What you'll need:

4-5 kale leaves, torn

1 pear, sliced

1 sprig mint (5-8 leaves)

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup cold water

Variation:

1 cup apple juice (instead of applesauce)

1 cup cold water

Toss all ingredients into your blender. I picked up my Osterizer blender at a thrift store for $2.00! 

Best thrift store purchase ever. She's a beast!

Blend and enjoy! Yum!

Rhubarb Struesel Muffins

I made these a few months ago when my mom gave me some fresh rhubarb from the garden. I had to figure out what to make with a bunch of rhubarb. I was going to go with the traditional rhubarb crisp, but I decided to do muffins instead! The Greek yogurt in this recipe makes the muffins turn out really moist. I like to think it makes them a little healthier, too. :)

What you'll need:

Rhubarb Muffins:

2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb, 1/4" pieces

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.

2. Add yogurt, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix together.

3. Add rhubarb. Mix until just combined. *Do not over mix -- the batter will be thick!

Struesel Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup oats

Combine all ingredients and mix together with a fork until crumbly. 

To Bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with olive oil spray. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full with batter and sprinkle on some struesel topping. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Makes about 12-15 super moist and delicious muffins! :)

DIY Project: Terrarium

This weekend I decided to complete a project that has been on my "To Do" list for about a year. I found this really cool herring jar at an antique shop last summer and I have been wanting to make it into a terrarium ever since. 

I finally made it happen and I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

Of course I got the idea from pinterest. Here is some inspiration. It's really quite simple if you don't make it complicated. All you really need is a glass container, shells or some rocks for the bottom, some potting soil, and plants! I chose succulents because they are just so cute!

I found some rocks at the dollar store that I thought I was going to use for the top, but I think I like it the way it is now. Maybe later I'll add some rocks. Total cost for this project was under $20. I think I paid $10 for the container (my memory escapes me). The shells I got at a thrift shop for 50 cents, potting soil at the dollar store for... $1 :) and succulents were $2.50 each at Steins Garden and Gifts. 

Plants Make Me Happy!

This project was also completed for under $20. The small planters were $1 each at Target. I got the plants at a local floral shop a couple blocks from my apartment for $4.95 each. I originally bought these plants to be put in the terrarium without first looking at how big the container was... oops!

 Now I have more houseplants! I found the cool painting in the background for only $4 at a thrift shop and thought I'd show it off. Now I just have to figure out where to hang it! :)

Peppered Salmon with Lime and Oregano with Steamed Garden Veggies

I'll start off by saying that garden vegetables are absolutely amazing. Fresh zucchini and broccoli right from the garden taste so much different than store bought! I'm very lucky that my garden is doing well! I picked my first tomato today, too! Mmm!! :) These recipes have a total of 5 ingredients each. Quality makes all the difference! My friend Mel and I made this meal pretty quickly. Sorry there aren't many photos this time around..we got a little too excited to eat!! :)

Veggies:

3-4 small garden zucchini (about 2 cups)

2 heads of garden broccoli (about 2 cups)

Penzeys Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken and Fish Seasoning

1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 cup of water

Salmon:

2 fillets (4 oz), thawed if frozen

Juice of 1/2 a lime

3 sprigs fresh Oregano

Penzeys Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken and Fish Seasoning

Olive Oil spray

Veggies: Chop zucchini into 2 inch pieces, and chop broccoli into small pieces. Heat a skillet (one that has a lid) over medium head. Add olive oil to pan. Add zucchini and broccoli with 1/4 cup of water. Sprinkle on some Penzeys Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken and Fish Seasoning. The mixture has a combination of salt, black pepper, garlic, lemon peel, and onion. Check out their website: www.penzeys.com. Such good stuff!! Cover with lid and let steam until the water has evaporated. Once water is gone, keep cooking over low heat for about 3 more minutes.

Salmon: Thaw 2 fillets of salmon, rinse and pat dry. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with olive oil (or brush both sides with olive oil). Sprinkle the salmon with the lime juice and oregano leaves. Sprinkle on some Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken and Fish Seasoning. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side. Don't forget to spray the fish with olive oil before you turn it if you didn't brush it with olive oil. So yummy!

Enjoy! :)

Fabulous Fish Tacos

I call these fabulous fish tacos for a good reason. They are FABULOUS! I owe my sister, Tessa, for the recipe that she originally found on allrecipes.com under the name fish tacos ultimo. Unfortunately, I don't have a grill, so this recipe is a bit different. 

My best friends Nichole and Mel came to visit me a few weeks back and I wanted to make something extra special with them so I immediately thought of these fish tacos. We're all mega Mexican food fans.

What you'll need:

Fish:

1 pound frozen tilapia fillets, thawed

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

fresh cilantro to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)

olive oil

olive oil spray

Chipotle Sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 clove garlic

fresh cilantro to taste

Tacos:

9 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cabbage (green or red)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and sliced

2 green onions, chopped

salsa (optional)

Serving size: Feeds 3 hungry people 3 tacos each :)

Rub the fish with a small amount of olive oil and then cover with the marinade mixture: lime juice, salt, black pepper, chopped garlic, cilantro, and paprika.

Cook the fish in a large skillet sprayed with olive oil spray for about 3-4 minutes on each side over medium heat, or until the filet flakes easily with a fork.

For the chipotle sauce: combine yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and chipotle peppers in a blender and pulse until sauce is well blended.

Heat each corn tortilla in a skillet over low heat until warm. Assemble your tacos and enjoy! 

Don't forget more cilantro! :)

More Penzeys Spices

I recently ordered some more seasonings and spices from Penzeys Spices. I'm pretty excited to bake with the vanilla extract. It smells absolutely amazing!! The best thing about this order: the jar of Ruth Ann's Chicken and Fish Seasoning and the jar of Mitchell Street Steak Seasoning were FREE! 

Every catalog comes with a coupon and it's always a surprise on what their free item will be. I look forward to it arriving in the mail! Their catalog is also unique in the fact that it features recipes from readers and customers all across the US. I highly recommend that you check out their website www.penzeys.com and sign up to get a catalog! You won't regret it! After all, who can say no to free spices and seasonings?!

Here's a little update on my windowsill herb garden. My herbs are growing pretty well!

Can you tell which one I use the most of?!

 

Progress from their teeny tiny beginnings. :)

My Backyard Garden

It's been quite awhile since I've written a post and I apologize. I've been real busy doing lots of random things. May was quite a month...busy every weekend and so far June has been the same. Sometimes time just runs away from us! Don't you worry though, I have a few really yummy recipes lined up and almost ready to go up. 

One thing I've been busy with: gardening. I've got my little plot all planted! My neighbor is a sweetheart and not only allowed me to plant in his garden space, but also takes care of my vegetables when I'm gone on weekend trips.

There are flowers on all of the pepper plants, and the tomatoes are already showing fruit! I'm pretty excited! It's a small little space, but I filled it to the max with lots of yummy vegetables!

I have lettuce, tomatoes, peas, broccoli, carrots, red onions, and green, yellow, and red bell peppers planted.

It's going to be a good summer! :)