Smoothie Junkie

I just can't have enough of them. I have one every morning for breakfast, and often another one in the evening after supper (I eat with the kids at about 5pm so by the time Craig's come home and eaten his supper, I'm ready for another one!)

These days I usually throw the following into the blender:
* a banana or two
* an orange or two
* a handful of almonds
* a cup or two of water
And if I'm feeling creative and have any of these on hand:
* a guava
* some dates
* some frozen berries
* passion fruit
And sometimes even
*a handful of baby leaved spinach

Yes you read right: SPINACH!
It's got such a mild flavour that it doesn't affect the delicious fruitiness of the smoothie, and what a great way to get your greens! If you think I'm the only one crazy enough to drink green smoothies, check out www.greensmoothiegirl.com - some people are so committed to their green smoothies it's practically become a religion.

It's been about two weeks since I made the decision to make a concerted effort to stay about from deserts and chocolates and cake and biscuits etc etc, and to regard them as TREATS, not everyday necessities. So when I feel the need for something sweet, I start throwing things into the blender!

"Baking" - we're on a roll!

We made date balls yesterday, which were a great hit.
1 cup dates (preferably having been soaked for at least an hour, or overnight)
1 cup oats
1 cup coconut
Blend together, add a tiny bit of water into the blender or food processor if necessary. Then let the kids have fun rolling the balls - and watch out that too many don't end up in their mouths. We had one sore tummy after this as Emma just couldn't control herself!!

I find that eating a few date balls takes away my craving for chocolate (anybody else have similar cravings, or am I the only woman on the planet??!)