Happy "Summer"

Happy unofficial start to summer! And happy faux-Monday (I'm definitely needing all the coffee this morning). Hoping your holiday weekend was full of gratitude and remembrance (ours most definitely was). 

We also got in some family fun time with our first trip out to the local lake, and Parker's first boat ride! (Unless you count the ferry boat in Seattle last summer... this was the first small, fast boat ;)

Memorial Day weekend also marks the opening of our community pool. We'll be doing lots of walking there in the wagon over the next few months, just like last year. 

With the hot, hot weather (#summerinthesouth), I've become obsessed with my newest find: smoothie bowls. They are a perfect breakfast, lunch, or even dinner (plus an amazing mid-day snack or even dessert). I've been whipping them up morning, noon, and night. I can't. Get. Enough. Today I'm sharing my two latest creations...

Chocolate Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen banana chunks

¼ cup plain greek yogurt

2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbs. local honey

Combine ingredients in a food processor and puree for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Top with cacao nibsand more strawberry and banana.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie with Almond Butter

1 cup chopped frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen banana chunks

¼ cup almond butter

¼ cup plain greek yogurt

½ Tbs. local honey

pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a food processor and puree for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Top with unsweetened shredded coconut, kiwi, chia seeds and dried mulberries.

Lots of the smoothie bowls I make use frozen banana. A while back I wrote about how I like to freeze bananas - simply peel and place in ziplock bags (you can break them apart once in the bag to make them a bit easier to blend when the time comes). They are a perfect addition to smoothie bowls!

So, who else had jumped on the smoothie bowl trend?? 
What's your favorite combination?

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Friday Faves

Happy Friday! 

This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. As a California girl, I'm used to school going through June. But here in the South, the kids are already out, and the ninety degree weather is just screaming summer. Our community pool opens today, Pure Barre is on summer schedule, and y'all, I'm just not ready! But like it or not, summer is here to stay, so bring on the grill, the farmer's markets and concerts in the park. Come to think of it, I really do like summer ;) 

1. 
In the heat of the day, I've been whipping up smoothie bowls, which have quickly become my newest obsession. They are gorgeous, filling, and a fun alternative to fresh fruit (plus a sneaky way to get in some veggies, too). Plus, a cold treat on a hot day is just spot on terrific. How is a smoothie bowl different from a plain ol' smoothie? Well, I make mine super thick (think homemade frozen yogurt). Yum, right??  The secret is lots of already frozen fruit, and you'll also need a food processor for the heavy-duty pureeing. But it's so worth it, I promise. It's still strawberry season here in Alabama, so I've been freezing local strawberries Just wash, slice, then lay on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer overnight. Afterwards, transfer to a ziplock bag and you won't have to worry about them freezing together in a big block. Blueberry season has also crept up on us - I just love eating local!

Strawberry Smoothie Bowl

2 cups frozen strawberries

¼ cup plain greek yogurt (sub in coconut cream for a vegan option)

1 Tablespoon local honey  (sub in agave for a vegan option)

½ Tablespoon lemon juice

*Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree for five minutes until creamy. Top with shredded coconut, banana, blueberries, chia seeds and cacao nibs. Enjoy!

2. 
My beloved tissue tunic from J.Crew factory is on final sale, so snatch one up while you can if you have a beach trip in your future! Double goes for this season's straw hat - it's heavy and well made, and, at $14.50 it's a steal.

3. 

 Is anyone else out there obsessed with those time-lapse cooking videos? My favorite are the Tasty brand ones. I love catching one and realizing that we have all the ingredients on hand. This happened this past weekend with Strawberry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast. Yep, that's a thing. And yep, it was phenomenal.

Find the video and recipe here. I have to warn you, though. I feel that a lot of times these videos are meant to amp up excitement and motivation and are more about the idea of something than the actual recipe.  The written recipe that was posted didn't even match the video (it's missing the 1/3 cup sugar in the cream cheese spread). In addition, I think there was way too much lemon juice (and sugar for that matter). Next time I'd tweak it (but, oh yeah, there will definitely be a next time). 

4.

I started reading Kate Hudson's new book, Pretty Happy. My favorite part so far has been about how and why spending time outside is so important (and wouldn't you know, I was outside reading the book when I came across this part). It's still nice out early on in the day (or later in the evenings) and Parker adores the outdoors so we've been clocking in lots of time in the backyard. 

Enjoying our May flowers...

Working in the garden...

5. 

And speaking of outdoors, guess whose t-ball season has officially started? 

Parker's first real game is this Saturday. If it's anything like the practices, I think there will be lots of laughing coming from the parents. Imagine a bunch of three-year-olds trying to do anything... it's boatloads of fun and I just can't wait. 

Happy summer-ish!

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