One of my favorite things about Vancouver is the Jamba Juice located about 10 min. from our house. There's just one small catch. Jamba requires the big bucks (yes, my meager budget says $4.50 is too expensive for a medium smoothie, especially if you want one everyday. And let's face it, I think my smoothie cravings are simply a coping mechanism for the lack of heat and sunshine this June).
I'm always on the prowl for a good (and sorry..."relatively healthy") smoothie recipe. I have to stick to healthy because this last year I've managed to shrink three pants sizes the long and hard way: diet and exercise. And of course, when I say "diet" I simply mean no snacking between meals, smaller portions, and no more coke and frapaccinos (my two big downfalls). Other than that I eat whatever I want, just a lot less of it, and I walk for an hour almost everyday. So, if I'm going to cave into my smoothie craving, it has to have three main qualifications: yummyness, cheapness, and healthiness. This is my best recipe thus far (it does have some sugar content from the yogurt and orange juice, but if we eliminate all the sugar, I might lose my mind).....
Ann's Jamba Wannabe
Half of a frozen banana
2-4 frozen strawberries
2-4 Tbsp of frozen fruit cocktail (drain out the juice before freezing)
1 small container of Yoplait Light Strawberry or Peach yogurt
1/8 - 1/4 c. orange juice
about 1/2 c. ice
Mix, blend, and voila! Confession: I actually don't measure stuff when I make this smoothie. These measurements are just my best guess. So, of course, you may need to experiment with the measurements because this makes almost 1.5 - 2 glasses depending.
So, tell me. Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe?
P.S. Apparently, Jamba Juice also has a "secret menu": http://www.slashfood.com/2006/06/06/secret-menu-at-jamba-juice/
(although none of the listed options sound that appealing to me).
Jun 25, 2010
Jun 23, 2010
Revenge is the Devil
It all began with some serious cuteness. Look at this:
Ninja Cat is at peace with the world. So, naturally, I had to disturb him. See that pink in the bottom corner of the photo? That's my pajama pants, which means that Ninja and I are cozy on the couch together. "Together" is crucial here, folks. In his waking hours Ninja knows nothing of "together." Oh no. Togetherness is the devil in Ninjaland. However, occasionally, Ninja will make an exception, curl up next to me, and fall asleep.
*Fast forward to 5am this morning*
(Cue the pathetic cat whining and the Puss-n-Boots-Cat-Face from Shrek....)
At 5am Ninja was on the bed and in my face whining because he was hungry. It's the ol' Sympathy Whine. I shoved him out of my face and onto the floor. Four times. But Ninja is smart. Where sympathy fails, annoyance will triumph.
Like a lizard he then glided over my face, next to the window, raised his paw and punched the blinds. Repeatedly. Provokingly. Again I shoved him out of my face and apparently that was the last straw for little Ninja. (Not surprisingly Bruce slept soundly through the entire fiasco.) At this point someone is thinking, "This is exactly why I don't have a cat." Well, good for you.
*Cue Ninja's Revenge (escalated whining and punching)*
By this time I was awake, and let me tell you, at 5:30 am EVERYTHING for me began to feel like revenge. Is that a damp spot on my pillow? Oh, that's just Revenge Drool. Is that my sour milk on the nightstand? Yep. Revenge Milk. And what is that foul odor in the air? Oh yes. Husband's Revenge Fart.
I fed the cat, made my way downstairs, and stumbled upon something akin to this:
You guessed it. Revenge Dishes. Quickly followed by Revenge Laundry.
I showered, made my coffee, and spent the next three hours alone in our newly cleaned-out psuedo-sunroom. And guess what? The sun came out today! YAY! If you don't live here, you're thinking, "Big Deal." Well, aside from yesterday the Portland Metro hasn't seen the sun in like 500 years. So I sat and soaked up the early sunshine, sipped my coffee, and thanked God for my psycho cat (whose real name is Moses) who woke me up early enough to enjoy something so wonderful.
Silence. Sunshine. Caffeine. Opened blinds. A good book to read. Solitude. Contentment. A clean kitchen and clean clothes (all before 8am). Not too bad, eh?
I think I'll set my alarm a tad earlier tomorrow. (Of course if Ninja has anything to do with it, I won't need to.)
Ninja Cat is at peace with the world. So, naturally, I had to disturb him. See that pink in the bottom corner of the photo? That's my pajama pants, which means that Ninja and I are cozy on the couch together. "Together" is crucial here, folks. In his waking hours Ninja knows nothing of "together." Oh no. Togetherness is the devil in Ninjaland. However, occasionally, Ninja will make an exception, curl up next to me, and fall asleep.
*Fast forward to 5am this morning*
(Cue the pathetic cat whining and the Puss-n-Boots-Cat-Face from Shrek....)
At 5am Ninja was on the bed and in my face whining because he was hungry. It's the ol' Sympathy Whine. I shoved him out of my face and onto the floor. Four times. But Ninja is smart. Where sympathy fails, annoyance will triumph.
Like a lizard he then glided over my face, next to the window, raised his paw and punched the blinds. Repeatedly. Provokingly. Again I shoved him out of my face and apparently that was the last straw for little Ninja. (Not surprisingly Bruce slept soundly through the entire fiasco.) At this point someone is thinking, "This is exactly why I don't have a cat." Well, good for you.
*Cue Ninja's Revenge (escalated whining and punching)*
By this time I was awake, and let me tell you, at 5:30 am EVERYTHING for me began to feel like revenge. Is that a damp spot on my pillow? Oh, that's just Revenge Drool. Is that my sour milk on the nightstand? Yep. Revenge Milk. And what is that foul odor in the air? Oh yes. Husband's Revenge Fart.
I fed the cat, made my way downstairs, and stumbled upon something akin to this:
You guessed it. Revenge Dishes. Quickly followed by Revenge Laundry.
I showered, made my coffee, and spent the next three hours alone in our newly cleaned-out psuedo-sunroom. And guess what? The sun came out today! YAY! If you don't live here, you're thinking, "Big Deal." Well, aside from yesterday the Portland Metro hasn't seen the sun in like 500 years. So I sat and soaked up the early sunshine, sipped my coffee, and thanked God for my psycho cat (whose real name is Moses) who woke me up early enough to enjoy something so wonderful.
Silence. Sunshine. Caffeine. Opened blinds. A good book to read. Solitude. Contentment. A clean kitchen and clean clothes (all before 8am). Not too bad, eh?
I think I'll set my alarm a tad earlier tomorrow. (Of course if Ninja has anything to do with it, I won't need to.)
Jun 21, 2010
Seattle
Last week we went to Seattle for Joanna's wedding.
Joanna was one of my roomates from college.
She got married in one of Seattle's beautiful botanical gardens.
We stayed with Chris and Julie in Olympia. The four of us attended Joanna's wedding together. Loads of laughs and fun!
After the nine-minute ceremony (that's right; it was super short!), we all went on a dinner cruise together.
the view from inside the ship...
The Dark Chocolate Tower of Decadence proved too powerful for me. It was soooo delicious, but alas too rich for me to finish. Chris, however, did not have a problem.
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Michael Snyder
Meet Mr. and Mrs. Scallorn...who are wearing Chris and Julie's clothes because we drove all the way to Olympia and left our fancy smancy clothes hanging on the bedroom door. We are so grateful for friends who are generous with their wardrobes, and even more grateful that we are roughly the same size. Whew!
Chris and Julie
I love a man in a tie. We don't get dressed up that often, which is fine with me, but I must say I enjoy it when we do. I think this marks about the fourth time Bruce has worn a tie in our eight years of marriage.
Beth's Cafe
Last Friday night we had dinner with Nicole and Sara at Beth's Cafe. We had so much fun with them, and the cafe was supercool.
(photo taken from www.bethscafe.com)
Beth's was featured on the Travel Channel as a great place to pig out. It's a hole-in-the-wall diner in Seattle.
When Bruce saw the menu he looked at me and said, "Ok. That's it. We're moving to Seattle." Beth's is also well known for its wall decor.
The cafe is located on Aurora Ave, but of course Aurora makes most people think of Sleeping Beauty. Personally, I can't think of a better use for the top of her head than for a greasy spoon diner. Can you?
Alot of Bacon will make much more sense if you read this:
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
(photo taken from www.bethscafe.com)
Beth's was featured on the Travel Channel as a great place to pig out. It's a hole-in-the-wall diner in Seattle.
When Bruce saw the menu he looked at me and said, "Ok. That's it. We're moving to Seattle." Beth's is also well known for its wall decor.
The cafe is located on Aurora Ave, but of course Aurora makes most people think of Sleeping Beauty. Personally, I can't think of a better use for the top of her head than for a greasy spoon diner. Can you?
Alot of Bacon will make much more sense if you read this:
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
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