A Quick Fix

My wonderful husband built some shelves in my craft room closet for me to store our candles, books, decorative dishes, workout stuff, etc.I had some left over shelf liner from the kitchen and decided to put it to good use.

On the shelves that were holding smaller or fragile items, I cut the liner to fit and placed it on the shelf. This way, the unevenness of the small cracks would not make the items unbalanced or fall over.



All of my flat or bigger items are fine, I was just worried about the more unstable things. This solution works perfectly! ♥

Jamba Who..?

After doing some yoga the other day, I decided to make Daniel and I a smoothie. He had been working in the backyard for a while and I wanted him to be refreshed. :) I looked around my counter and in my fridge for some delicious ingredients, and this is what I came up with:

1 tomato
1 pink grapefruit
2 nectarines
1 Fuji apple
1 banana
&
A handful of baby carrots

There was no need for any added liquid because of the juices in the fruits.
One simple "purée" button later, and refreshment was one sip away!

The verdict: Daniel was a little taken back by the zing of the grapefruit. It did NOT help that most of my ingredients were not cold, so the smoothie was kind of room temperature. I stuck them in the fridge, and a few hours later they tasted MUCH better. I suggest that  you make your smoothie with cold fruits and veggies (maybe place them in the fridge the night before you want to make a smoothie, if you don't store them there already). I didn't think about that before; my eyes were just on the prize! :)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I don't think that I've shared how much I love garlic.

I love the way it smells.
I love the way it looks.
I love the many available varieties.
&
I love the way it makes just about anything taste 100% better.

I do NOT, however, like that my husband refuses to be near me when I've had too much. He also feels the need to tell me just how bad I smell. I give him props for not sugar-coating the truth. He likes garlic too, but not to my extreme.

I'm sorry I smell like a dragon babe, but it's SO worth it!

Anyway, Daniel made ribs the other night and we had some russet potatoes on the counter. I can't remember the last time I made mashed potatoes from scratch, but it's really easy and they sounded delicious!

I started by washing and peeling 3 potatoes.

Next, gather the rest of the ingredients:
2 Tbsp  Earth Balance butter
salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup almond milk (or regular milk...we are just almond milk people)

And of course....MY SECRET WEAPON!:

I had a hard time messing with this pristine butter!

Chop the peeled potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place them in a pot of boiling water. Let them sit for a good 10 minutes, or until you can easily poke them with a fork.

Next, carefully drain the potatoes over the sink then put them back into the pot. Add all of the ingredients ad mash/stir everything together. Feel free to add more milk or butter.

Since Daniel only wanted salt & pepper in his potatoes, I scooped out a serving for me and added a hefty teaspoon of crushed garlic. You can add the garlic to the pot if you want ALL of the potatoes to have garlic. Garlic salt or garlic powder would add great flavor too, if you don't want fresh garlic.

Creamy+Garlicky+Warm=Y.U.M.♥

A Hint of Mint

I have a mint plant growing in an old ceramic pitcher that my dad made. The pitcher sits on my kitchen window sill and gathers so much beautiful sunshine! Looking at the mint plant every morning makes me smile. :]

I decided to put it to good use one morning so I incorporated it into my breakfast. I chopped up one banana and added a handful of raspberries and blueberries to my bowl. I topped it off with a sprig of mint (which I finely chopped after the picture), and it was so delicious! 

God sure does at a great job creating such beautiful things!

Pretty New Things!!

My  beloved spatula was chewed up by my food processor not long ago, and I  have been without one ever since. I was walking through T.J. Maxx yesterday and found this one:

It has a really sturdy, bamboo handle and a think, durable rubber base. Pretty!! 

 I  also received these as a birthday gift.

These measuring spoons are SO pretty and really detailed!

"Maggie's Meals &.....Magnets"

Oh, my husband is so clever. :)


My mother-in-law gave me some old spice tins from her pantry after I showed interest in their vintage look. I grabbed some "Button Magnets" at Walmart (found in the craft section) and stuck them to the back of each tin. The magnets were "peel & stick" which made is SO convenient!

Instant fridge magnets!

Balancing Act

Whether you are watching your favorite TV show, reading, or doing work on the computer, try sitting on a yoga ball instead of spending time on the couch or an office chair! This is a great way to help with your balance and strengthen muscles without breaking a sweat! Why waste valuable workout time?

àß

 Try one or all of these exercises:

*Keeping your feet firmly on the ground, gently bounce up and down on your yoga ball. With every pulse, relax your upper body and engage your hips, butt, and core muscles. (Make sure to keep your back nice and straight for all of these exercises. Don't slouch.)

* Swing your hips to the left and right slowly and with precision, all while keeping the top half of your body still and relaxed (remember, you might be typing or holding a book through all of this!).

*Do the same swinging motions, but from front to back. Keep your shoulders relaxed and you core tight as you press your hips forward then back.

*Sit on the yoga ball upright and keep your top half still while you rotate your hips on the ball in a circular motion. Rotate 10 times clockwise then switch to counter clockwise. It's seriously the easiest workout! (I'm doing it as I'm writing this!)

Also, remember to keep your water bottle filled and close by!! :)

Stay hydrated and enjoy the AMAZING benefits of a yoga ball!!

♥

Peanut Butter, Jam & Banana Breakfast Pizza

This recipe is slightly adapted from OhSheGlows.com.

You will need:

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Earth Balance Butter, warmed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large banana
1/2 cup Almond Milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup jam (I used strawberry)
1/2 cup peanut butter
shredded coconut to garnish (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400° and grease a pie plate, set it to the side for now. In a large bowl, mix together the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Next, add the almond milk and warmed Earth Balance and mix well. Spread the batter in the pie plate; use your fingers to press it evenly. Spread the jam on the crust and add banana slices.  I sprinkled some shredded coconut on top of mine. Once you have all of your toppings, pop the pizza in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove and cool for 15 minutes. Pipe on the peanut butter and you are ready to serve! You can eat it warm or chill it and serve it cold.

(I had another slice the next morning from the fridge and it was delicious cold!)

Ready to go in the oven!

 

Right out of the oven. Smells amazing!!

Put the peanut butter in a snack size plastic baggie and cut one of the corners. This will ensure that your piping is perfect!

Feel free to add other toppings once its out of the oven! Chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries. You can really add anything.