Sometime around 3:00, I called Jake into the kitchen and offered to make him a smoothie. I hadn't had lunch and it seemed like just the thing. Besides, there was a recipe in my Food Revolution cookbook that I was interested in trying.
Jake helped by tossing things in the blender. We both thought that the addition of a handful of oats and handful of mixed nuts was interesting, but we were game to try it! The fruit of choice was some frozen strawberries and a mango that was sitting on the counter, close to expiring.
Ready to blend...I discovered that the ring for my blender is cracked and then somehow this led to a conversation about baby food. Jake asked how I made baby food for him when he was little, and he decided that steaming veggies and freezing them in cubes was a much better option than bought, because "there's no crap like salt and stuff in it."
I like how teenagers think.
The result: a thick, yummy smoothie with a really interesting texture from the nuts and oatmeal. We both slurped it up and decided that next time we'd try blueberries or other fruit because the mango was a bit mild. Maybe some flax, even.
Jake then began leafing through my Food Revolution cookbook, marking off other recipes that he would like to try. That night he whipped up a Crackin' Burger for us, and I swear it was one of the best burgers I've had in a long time. He loved how he could cook and I'd follow around behind him, cleaning up and doing the dishes so we made a pact-he cooks Saturdays for both of us, and I clean up. (recipe for Jamie Oliver's Cracking Burger)
I can SO live with that!
Smoothies (Adapted from Food Revolution)
one banana
one cup of mixed frozen fruit (we used frozen berries and tossed in a whole chopped mango)
2 heaping tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 small handful of mixed nuts (you could omit this if you need to)
1 small handful of quick oats (not instant)
1 cup of milk, soy milk, or apple juice
honey or maple syrup to sweeten a bit
Toss everything in the blender in that order. Whiz until smooth.
Makes 2 large glasses.
