Gothic Granola

Cake and smoothies, cake and smoothies...they're all I seem to have posted about lately, and they are amongst what I eat, pretty much every day.  Let's get real about energy drinks. While all the B vitamins, taurine, caffeine, and sugar in Monster give you a temporary boost (and a serious crash), energy drinks don't address the real issue(s) underlying fatigue. Don't want to go to sleep? Or do you just not want to wake up because of X, Y, Z happening the next day? Feeling powerless to solve a problem and so you can't sleep but lie awake worrying about it? Daily tasks not challenging enough so you have excess energy? Think about that the next time you find yourself reaching for that fourth cup of coffee or that Red Bull. Constricting your blood vessels with caffeine probably isn't the long-term solution to why you're feeling tired. I'm not you, so I don't know what's going on in your life. You know your life best; you have the power to adjust thin...

TC had surgery last week and has been drinking all the smoothies. While I haven't made this one for him yet, here is the pineapple-loaded smoothie I plan to make for him.     Why pineapple? Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme shown to reduce inflammation. Since post-surgery care involves keeping swelling and inflammation to a minimum, this smoothie is a good way to get some natural inflammation-reducing bromelain in your system. Feel free to add a scoop of protein powder if smoothies are all your "patient" will eat.

This blog post is dedicated to the awesome blog that is no more, "Option Pitch and Waffle Crisp" and its intrepid author.

Delicious. Mood music: "Shakes" by Tones on Tail

They really do. I served over 250 squares of cacao goji hemp protein bars on Wednesday for Foodie Call. This week's theme was Whole Body, the supplements department. I modified this superfood bar from Earthsprout , having bookmarked the idea when Eleanor included it in her newsletter earlier this year.

Seasonal Switch Cliché: when faced with a challenge, go with your strengths. Thinking: when faced with the unknown, what’s in your toolbox?

$(6,4)@#, the pen name of one of my plush cats, answers a question from the mailbag. Or from the aether, as Ownie has heard this question quite a bit. Dear $(6,4)@#, What’s this smoothie craze all about? Why does putting my food in the blender benefit me? Clearly it does, if I see juices and smoothies in the cold case at every place from Wawa to Whole Foods. How do I make a good smoothie? Smoothie Seeker pear-kefir

I had a smoothie on Sunday that was just a wonderfully kickass way to begin my Sunday ritual of reading in the library, attending the Princeton Buddhist Meditation Group, and doing life work for the rest of the day (i.e., walking, working on poetry, and cooking).  This is my basic formula for a single serving smoothie:  1 cup non-dairy yoghurt or milk 1 scoop protein powder (optional; I use  Garden of Life's RAW protein  or  Manitoba Harvest's Hemp PRO 50 ) 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 2 cups greens/frozen greens cubes (blend greens and freeze in cubes for thicker smoothies; optional but recommended) 1 piece or 1 cup fruit (fresh/frozen) 1 tablespoon nut butter Spices to taste Ice (optional) Blend the beejeebes out of it.