Concoctions in the Kitchen

Today could be describe as just average overall since I spent most of it working. 12 hours away from the family doesn't offer much for excitement overall other than I did make it out to walk with my sweet little fella today. What an awesome day in TN!

However, I did return home to a scrumptious meal that the men of the house prepared so timely. Pork tenderloin, baked sweet potatoes, and grilled zucchini and squash were waiting on me as I walked in the door. These men can cook a mean meal in the Farmer kitchen for sure! I loved hearing them review how they prepared the pork from beginning to end. Homemade marinade made from a hodge podge of ingredients is what the pork basked in for a few hours in the crock pot. Just as it was about half cooked, they pulled it out and continued to cook it on the charcoal grill to flavor it a bit more. The flavors were a fantastic blend but I can't count on having it that same way again since both of them kept saying, "Now, I can't remember exactly how much garlic or apples sauce or seasonings we added this time." Ugh...gotta train these men to take notes :)

After dinner, I tried my hand at homemade "healthy" strawberry ice cream. We seem to have mastered the banana ice cream in the Ninja so I was ready to tackle the strawberry now. I added about 12-14 frozen strawberries, 2 cups of unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, and 2 tbsp of Stevia to the blender and let it blend like crazy until it looked like a nice, smooth consistency. This made 2 servings...one for me and one for my oldest youngen. Well, it didn't taste quite as yummy as the banana but definitely is a close second. I am ready to whip up some peach or pineapple very soon.

Strawberry "Ice Cream"

I almost forgot to share another recipe creation with you. Fruit smoothies seem to be the gold standard breakfast for me. I enjoy the Advocare Meal Replacement Shakes for a change up but I think a extra large fruit smoothie is a winner for those 12 hour work days on Saturday and Sunday. Today's creation was magnificent...

       1 scoop of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

                     (Love the Vanilla Protein Plus Powder from Walmart)

       1 cup of frozen fruit (I use pineapple and strawberries)

       1/2 frozen banana

       2 Stevia Packets

       1 cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

       1/2 cup cold water

       1/2 tbsp Chia Seeds

       2 cubes of frozen spinach (or 1 handful of fresh spinach)

                     (I prepared these a few weeks ago by pulverizing fresh spinach and water in the blender to fill ice cube trays.)

Blend all ingredients until smooth in the blender. Our Ninja seems to do a fine job with all the frozen pieces. Best I can figure, it is about 300-350 calories.

Loaded Fruit Smoothie

Since the 5am alarm will come soon enough, better say goodnight. Still time to catch a few minutes of Saturday Night Live.

A little taste of goodness for you: