Avokaspi Green Smoothie Recipe

Yup, I drank this. So did my family!

Avokaspi has a nice little ring to it. But basically, it's avocado, kale and spinach condensed into one cute little word. I made this smoothie and thought it was pretty tasty. My husband couldn't quite pin the flavor on anything, until I told him what was in it. It's a fun little game we like to play in the morning. This smoothie had a nice thickness to it, which somedays I prefer especially if I had a good run beforehand and need a little substance. You know I love green smoothies, and as I have said many times it's pretty hard to mess them up! In any case, here's the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

1 c. chopped kale (ribs removed)
1 c. spinach
1/4 avocado
1/4 c. greek yogurt, plain-nonfat
1/4 c. blueberries
1/2 banana
1 tbsp. local honey
2 dashes cinnamon
1 stevia packet
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. water
1 c. crushed ice (optional)

Kale blends better if its chopped up beforehand. Don't forget to remove the tough ribs. Water is essential in getting your blender/magic bullet moving. Many times, I add coconut milk to my smoothies but did not this time since I added Greek yogurt. You can choose to sweeten to taste with maple syrup, ripe banana or other sweetener if you don't have any honey or stevia on hand.

Have a great day!

How I'm Fitting in Running Now That School's Back in Session

So hard to wake them up when they are sleeping so soundly!

 Yeah, so I'm a little late on the "back to school" post, but I would wager that most of us are still getting back in the swing of things. I have to admit, its nice having a routine again. But sometimes this routine is a little grueling. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, just to get the long weekend (even though we just had one for Labor Day) because I am going to be burned out by then!

So, in my school district, the kids start at 7:45 am, which seems insanely early to me. I don't know who is in charge of making up these hours, but to wake up my 6 year old Monkey at 6:15 am every day is hard sometimes even for ME! He's my grumpier child in the morning, and very difficult to get out of bed and get going. Maybe because I live in a small-ish town, everybody goes to bed early because there is not a lot going on at night, the school board must figure we all pop right out of bed before the rooster says cock-a-doodle-doo. Fortunately the Buddha's preschool doesn't start til 8:30. In my younger days, I never would have believed I would be grateful for an 8:30 start.

Me and Scrappy Mama on the move! Blair Witch looking!

I still have to get my runs in.  And now, its not just in the morning before I have to leave for work, its got to be done before I even wake Monkey up. I have got to really hand it to my running buddy, Scrappy Mama. She does the 10-minute drive to my house to arrive by 5:30 am so we can crank out 4+ miles before I have to get back and get the kids morning routine started. If I had to physically get up and leave my house and be at her house by 5:30 am I think I'd fail miserably. There are so many non-running days that my alarm goes off at 5 am and I decide I am too tired and turn it off. I wish it were different, but I'd truly be lost without my running buddy. She is pretty reliable, and there are times when we have to flake for various reasons but we always have running on the brain. If we have to cancel today, can we make it work tomorrow? We both want to be healthy and fit, for ourselves and our families. We meet up at least 3 mornings a week. On Saturday we typically do a longer run (as our childrens' sports schedules permit) and don't have to get up at so ungodly of an hour. 2 other days out of the week I do yoga or another cross-training type DVD, plus have my YMCA membership for Sunday morning TRX.

 It's all good!

--Yawn.