Posts Tagged by smoothie
Organic Farm Tour & Blueberry Banana Smoothie Recipe
| May 10, 2014 |
I was SO excited when Fairfield Farms invited me to take a tour of their organic blueberry farm. I’ve never been on a commercial farm before and honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect.
Fairfield Farms is in Pauma Valley, San Diego County CA. I drove with Tanaya from Tanaya’s Table, and driving there seriously felt like we were lost. We got off the freeway and it looked like there was nothing there. But as we kept driving, there were fruit stands and little mom & pop cafes … then we found the farm.
It was absolutely beautiful! We got to the gate and I was just in awe. Maybe other farms have beautiful gates, but I’d never seen anything like this other than movies. So for me, it was a little surreal.
What was even more exciting was Fairfield Farms has previously never been open to the public. We were invited the week before they officially open the gates to the public to launch their U-Pick weekend events. (More info on how you can visit to pick your own organic blueberries after the recipe.)
Meet Harrison (in the middle), our tour guide and blueberry expert for the day. He is also one of the family members that owns the farm. Yes – Fairfield Farms is not only organic, but also family owned! (I made him take a selfie, haha. #shameless)
It was really interesting learning about organic farming and what it’s like to work on a family farm with your parents and siblings. I asked if he ate a lot of blueberries and he said there are literally more blueberries than can ever be eaten. I guess that makes sense when they’re producing just over a million pounds of blueberries a season.
The packaging factory was definitely not what I expected. I guess when I think of any food that has a label, I think big, sterile, overwhelming warehouse, but this was nothing like that. Sure they label their berries and you can find them at major grocers on the west coast like Whole Foods and Sprouts, but it was very family friendly and Harrison knew everyone by name.
In the packaging warehouse, first the berries are measured by weight. They’re tracked by who picked them and where they were picked. And when they go through the sorting machine (which makes sure all the berries that get packaged are ripe and beautifully blue). At the end of this machine, they are packaged and the Fairfield Farms label finishes it off like a bow and stored in the biggest fridge I’ve ever been in.
Picking the berries was a lot of fun! I will definitely be going back with my mom and sister and making a day out of it. The views are spectacular and you can’t beat fresh blueberries right off the bush. They were so juicy and sweet! And the neat thing I learned was that the blueberries you buy in the store are actually a variety of blueberry types. This is why sometimes some look larger than others. It was so much fun tasting the different varieties as we picked. You can tell the different varieties by the bush. Some bushes leaves were greener while others had a yellow hue or rougher leaf. The difference in taste was very slight. I mostly noticed that ones on the first two rows (my favorite rows) were big and luscious and much sweeter than the other berries down the row. But of course, taste also has to do with when you pick them and those first two rows Harrison said he made sure no one touched so when Tanaya and I arrived, they’d be full of juicy fruit.
Want the insider secret to keeping your berries fresh?
I asked Harrison for the insider tip… He said the most common mistake people make is washing the berries and then putting them back in the fridge so they are ready to eat. But blueberries are very prone to mold when introduced to moisture. Only wash the berries you plan to eat or cook immediately. If you wash more than you need by accident, make sure they are completely dry before putting them back in the fridge. They can literally grow mold within hours of being exposed to moisture if you put them back in the fridge wet!
Blueberry Banana Smoothie
Macros: 1.5g Fat, 72.5g Carbs, 4g Protein
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2-3 ice cubes
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1 large handful of fresh blueberries (or 3/4 cup)
Directions
Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until all the ingredients are well pureed. If you have a lower speed blender, you might not be able to fully liquify the blueberry skins but that’s ok. It will just look a little different but the taste will be the same.
Thanks you Fairfield Farms for inviting me to tour the farms and pick some berries to take home. If you want to visit the farm in Pauma Valley to pick organic blueberries, join them Thursday thru Sunday from 8am-6pm. The season ends June 1 so get out there before all the blueberries are gone!
Fairfield Farms
14224 Old Cole Grade Rd
Pauma Valley, CA 92061
Blueberries are $5 a pint and they accept cash and all major credit cards.
Follow Fairfield Farms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairfieldfruit
Twitter: @fairfieldfruit
Strawberry Cake Batter Protein Shake
| February 11, 2014 |
Lately I have been craving cake batter. Maybe it’s my lack of baking cupcakes … I usually bake cupcakes at least once a month so I guess I’m used to spoon-licking and have been missing it. I actually impulsively bought a cake batter protein powder.
But I’m impatient. So this morning I made my own cake batter shake.
I actually got my package in the mail later today and tried the protein powder I purchased for dessert and I like my Strawberry Cake Batter Protein Shake recipe better.
Strawberry Cupcake Batter Protein Shake
Macros: 4g Fat, 6g Carbs, 26g Protein
- 1 cup ice (or about 8 ice cubes)
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 6 medium-sized strawberries
- 1/4 tsp butter extract
- 2 tsp stevia
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- Optional: whipped cream & sprinkles
Directions
Blend all the ingredients together. Pour into your favorite jar, mug, cup, or tumbler. This recipe should fill a venti size cup. If you don’t want to add the protein powder, add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Optional: Top it off with whipped cream and sprinkles.
Note: Macros were calculated with a 25g protein scoop and without whipped cream and sprinkles.
Cinnamon Banana Smoothie
| February 7, 2013 |
Ok, many of you have been asking about the perfected smoothie recipe I included on my 2012 recap photo, so here it is! I LOVE this recipe. Bananas are always in the house because I can’t seem to get enough of them.
Bananas are also great if you’re craving something sweet. Only 110 calories each and has about 3 grams of fiber helping you feel full. Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants, and possesses antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial properties. Combine these two ingredients with a little extra whey protein and you got a power smoothie in your hands!
Cinnamon Banana Smoothie
- 2 spotted bananas
- 1/2 cup ice
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Directions
Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend till smooth. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon on top or some chia if you like. For an extra vanilla punch, add the optional 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. When I’m running out the door I usually don’t add it but when I have the time, it really does add some extra vanilla flavor which compliments the drink.
Tip: For thicker smoothies, freeze the fruit and skip the ice. This works with any smoothie recipe. Just be sure that your blender can handle the frozen fruits. Strawberries and a few other fruits are very tough when they’re frozen and could send your blender to it’s death bed if it’s not build for high intensity blending.
Sources: Livestrong.com – “Top Ten Health Benefits of Bananas” and “Benefits of Cinnamon”
Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013
| January 16, 2013 |
2012 was a BIG year for me! I tried so many new things and really got out of my comfort zone in all categories. First things first, I owe you the links to the recipes that I got in the mail from The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. Sorry, I have been neglecting my blog for a bit. What can I say? I don’t think I am the only one that slacks a bit during the holidays.
Peppermint Pinwheels from Wanda, My Sweet Zepol
Molasses Cookies from Faith, The Stirring Place
Chocolate Turtle Cookies from Sam, Yankee In Nashville
***Quick note: Absolutely LOVED that the bloggers sent me these cookies in single serving packs. The cookie pops were individually wrapped keeping me from over eating them. The molasses cookies were wrapped in about 3 cookies per bag so they were easy to grab for my lunch. The turtle cookies were so decadent, one was plenty to satisfy a craving. Great tip for resisting cookies during the holidays. If you are tempted to eat a ton (let’s be honest, who isn’t tempted?) then bag them up for lunches in single serving zip-lock bags.
Next up, 2012 year in review. Broke so many PRs and really embraced my goals and what I wanted to do. Here’s a few highlights of my year…
Let’s talk 2013. This year will be bigger and better! I have already started studying to earn my Certified Personal Trainer cert with plans to earn a cert for nutritional counseling as well. (I am addicted to learning. Before I die I bet I’ll have a million certs and degrees for anything and everything.) I also have my Tinkerbell Half Marathon on Sunday (YIKES!) and I have signed up for the Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare in September and plan to sign up for the Walt Disney World Wine & Dine Half Marathon to earn my Coast to Coast medal. I might even add a little Tough Mudder to the mix but I am still not sure. The thought of getting shocked from live wires doesn’t sound too fun to me.
In addition to all my planned runs (and my unplanned runs), I am going to focus a lot more on my diet. Less healthier and more healthy, so I hope your ready for all my recipes. I have also decided to drink less (alcohol). I have decided I will save all my drinking for special occasions like birthdays, vacation, the 4th of July… no more drinking-because-its-fun type of nights. With alcohol, you are drinking pure calories, encouraging blood sugars to spike, and when you drink enough (enough for the fun to begin) you weaken your immune system. It’s just not a good thing to be drinking in excess.
I have also been inspired by all those before and afters on Pinterest. If they can do it, so can I. This past year I have being going at a slower pace in reaching my goals. Yes, I am getting there but why not light the match and get there a little faster?
Here are a few things I plan to do for 2013:
- Alcohol should be enjoyed at a minimum
- Exercise 6 days a week
- Eat better
- 8 hours a sleep a night
- 1,000 miles run total
- Get my CPT cert
- Get my Nutrition Counseling cert
- Pledge not to use the elevator at my work (stairs only!)
…and I am sure there will be many other things I will add to this list as the year goes by. But that’s what updating my blog is for 🙂
