(O)live Health

Hey guys, it’s been a while since you’ve last heard from me. My last final is on Friday so I’m almost officially tasting freedom.

I know I promised you guys a kale smoothie recipe a while ago. I made it as promised, but the pictured didn’t portray how tasty the smoothie really was…so I made it again, and finally got around to taking more pictures.

So as most of you know, I recently bought a blender. I was in love until…it stopped doing its job. Why is wrong with me? or maybe it’s the blender? Either way, I need a new blender. Any suggestions?

Here is my favorite smoothie to date. 

inspired by my lovely sister

“FREEDOM SMOOTHIE”

-1 cup kale (washed and cut into small pieces)

-1/2 cup cottage cheese (protein and yummy consistancy. you can’t taste it promise)

-1 tbsp ground Flax seeds

-1/2 cup pineapple

-1/2 cup frozen mango

-3/4 cup water

-5-7 ice cubes

-1/2 frozen banana

-1 tbsp shredded coconut

You really can make smoothies with any fruit, it will taste as delicious! I’ve tried using spinach and could totally taste it, so I tried kale and fell in love.

sidenotes:

**Don’t push anything into the working blender to assist the movement of the contents. It WILL fall in. The tip of my plastic straw was scarred fo’ life. 

Tangent: The husband and I used to (ha! I can say that now!) carpool to school at the ghastly hour of 7 AM on T/Th, so when the blender ate the tip of my straw I spent exactly 0.5 minutes to try to find the plastic in my smoothie. (I could not NOT drink it, It was my breakfast. I never skip breakfast). I finally found it at the bottom of my cup upon consuming my smoothie. Thank goodness!

****The husband said the color of this smoothie reminds him of this nerdy looking girl in his class who brings in a giant green smoothie to class everyday. I think her and I would be friends;)

Pesto Potatoes

The very first time I made mashed potatoes, they turned out soupy/gloppy and utterly disguistiing. Bless my husband for eating them and not saying “my mom’s potatoes look different” haha!

Let’s just say…I stayed away from the russets for as long as possible. Whenever we had company I would make different styles of potatoes such as duchess, baked fries, etc. Anything but mashed;)

Well I have finally mastered the art of mashed potatoes, but I’ve come to enjoy the texture of baked/roasted potatoes much more.

I found an awesome recipe for roasted potatoes here, but forgot all about it for the longest time. When my grandma asked if I wanted some “young” potatoes from her garden I knew just what to make! ( I was NOT just about to spend 5 whole minutes peeling mini potatoes!;)

Here’s my adaptation of Chelsey’s recipe.

Ingredients:

-potatoes

-pesto (basil)

-parmesan cheese

-salt/pepper

-fresh basil leaves (chopped)

*I’m not including portions because it’s really up to you how much of everything you want on your taters.

1. Wash and dry potatoes. Leave skins on for an incredible crunch! Just make sure to scrub the dirt away.

2. Cube potatoes in similar sized pieces to ensure even roasting time.

3. Season with s/p

3. Toss the cut potatoes with enough pesto to evenly coat all pieces.

4. Roast at 450’ for 20 minutes or until they are as crunchy as you please. Check up on them after 10/15 minutes to rotate pan.

5. Take potatoes out of the oven and let them cool slightly. Next add more fresh pesto (optional). I just love PESTO! 

6. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Additional tip for pesto: I once bought a LARGE jar of pesto at Costco and could only handle so much before thinking that I would have to throw the precious stuff away. So I poured the pesto into an ice cube tray (remember those things your parents used to make ice in?…before freezers got all technological;). Once pesto is frozen transfer into freezable ziplocs. They should last a while. To reheat just zap in the microwave for 30 seconds.

3 Weekend Things

1. I made Ree’s iced coffee this weekend. Why did I wait so long to do this?!? Ah-mazing. You guys have no idea how much better iced coffee is than brewing hot coffee and adding ice…unless of course you order iced coffee at Starbucks…then you know…but you don’t really know, untill you try this!

2. I bought a new blender! As opposed to buying an old blender lol! The English language is quite funny! Ours broke a while ago, and although I do love me some fresh fruit…there is nothing like a nice kale smoothie. (More to come soon;)

3. SO…I have a confession to make…I’m a bit of a snacker<— the previous statement is an underexaggeration. I snack ALL day long. 

If you are not a snacker, I wish I had your discipline!..the information below does not pertain to  you;)

Since, I know my eating habits, I try to keep them in check. Here are a few things I have found  help me not go overboard;)

-I weigh my snacks into a (1) portion size small snack bag (smaller than regular ziploc), for 2 reasons.

A) No matter how hungry I am, I will eat the entire bag of Cheeze-Its just because they are there.

B) A snack is not a meal, and so it shouldn’t be as big as one.

*Buying a scale is worth the 20 bucks you dish out on it. You can weigh your own snack bags instead of buying the 100 calorie packs or whatever you buy;) Also, if you ever want to make French macaroons, a scale is helpful;)…apparently not helpful enough to give you perfect little ‘feet’…I will master you little French delights. One day.

God’s Promises

It’s been a rough 2 months here at the Ivanov household. Most of you know that my father in-law has stage 4 stomach cancer…and it’s looking pretty bad. 

I have learned many things through this ongoing ordeal. 

1. Life is but a breath. A breath that only God can give. Don’t count on tomorrow. Get your life in order today. 

2. God is ALWAYS ever so faithful in keeping his promise that He will never give you more than you can handle.

I had a bit of a mini meltdown on Saturday morning. The only thing that gave me peace was getting down on my knees before my Father. The Holy Spirit kept gently reminding me that God will never give me more than I can handle. Knowing that God keeps HIS promises, I chose to believe and allow myself to be filled with strength from above.

The quote in the photo is from “The way I was made” by Chris Tomlin.

The Cake Boss box is another story: I almost made a separate post but found that I could tie it in here.

My lovely sister promised my brother Viktor a cake from Cake Boss in NJ for his birthday. If you don’t know who Cake Boss is, shame on you;) jk his T.V. show/cakes are a bit overrated;)

When we got to the Cake Boss bakery there was a line as long as there was in front of the Apple store when the iPhone 4S came out…okay maybe not as long, but long enough. My sister (being the brave soul she is) came up to the woman waiting first in line and explained our situation to her and asked if she would buy a cake for her. (They only allow a few people in at a time). Even though the lady was first in line, we still waited around 40 minutes for our red velvet….and that is how I spent a 6 hour airplane ride with a cake in my lap;) okay…it took 30 minutes before I realized a cake box doesn’t make for a good pillow and that the floor has just as much support as my lap.

Morale of the story: don’t make promises to kids/teens that you can’t keep in a timely manner… They won’t let you forget!

Things I’m loving lately:

1.  Flowers. Don’t know what this particular one is but it greeted me quite gracefully this morning.

2. ‘Worn in’ Sperrys.

You guys wanna know how I broke these in? Okay okay if you insist…

True story: A few months ago I went to a cycle class and hopped on my bike only to find that I had forgotten my Nikes. Nevertheless, the show had to go on. I was there. They say the hardest part is getting to the gym right?!…and that my friends is how you break in a pair of shoes. ;)

3. My NEW contigo water bottle. Yes I am a water bottle fanatic…but I justify my biannual water bottle collection by the fact that I’m saving money and plastic instead of buying other filters/bottles.

* I can honestly say that I drink more water when I have a cute water bottle. It’s a win/win.

4. The Weather. Oh my! It’s been so beautiful out! I’ve enjoyed a few walks/runs so far and hope to squeeze in a bike ride or two while I have the chance.

5. Roasted vegetables. It doesn’t get better than this my friends.

What are some things you’ve been loving lately?

Hello!

Thanks for coming back to check up on me;) I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been too busy frolicking the streets of Jersey/New York/D.C. spending quality time with the lovely family. It was grand. Since I’m too lazy to type and you’re probably tired of reading enjoy the photos:).