Green Cucumber Smoothie

Here is a Keto friendly smoothie! I say Keto friendly because it’s not as low carb as possibe, but it’s lower carb as far as smoothies go, especially when trying to get in your greens. Enjoy!

Green Cucumber Smoothie | makes approx. two 8oz glasses | 8g Carbs per 8oz *approx

Ingredients:

1/2 Avocado

1/2 cup sliced cucumbers (fresh or frozen)

2-3 cups of Almond or Coconut Milk (depends on how thick you like your smoothies)

1-2 tbsp of Peanut Butter or other nut butter *peanut butter is higher carb than you may realize

Dash of stevia

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (plant or dairy based)

1/2 tsp of Acacia Root powder (a great source of prebiotics and fiber)

1 cup of spinach (fresh or frozen)

Optional: 1 scoop of green powder (your choice, I use Athletic Greens - this will add 1 to 2 grams of carbs to the recipe)

Add ice as desired

Instructions:

Pretty simple- put it all in the blender and blend until smooth. Quick tip: I like to store sliced cucumber and spinach mixed up in a gallon bag in the freezer. Then when I add them to my smoothie, I don’t need ice!



Simple Table Setting

Here is a pretty table setting I was in the mood to set up. I am not hosting a dinner party tonight, but sometimes it’s good to pretend you are :)

You can create beautiful floral arrangements with found blossoms from your yard…even a neighbors yard may be of use if they are in a sharing mood. Lovely greens placed down the middle of a long table will work in a pinch. You can thrift almost any sort of candle holder (weathered and quirky pieces add a lot of character). You can never go wrong with simple cotton napkins and white plates. I love collecting these because they work for any sort of celebration from a holiday dinner to a cook out in the back yard.

I bought the gray linen you see in this photo at Goodwill (along with the wine and water glasses). Truth be told, the table cloth isn’t even a table cloth…it’s a curtain. All of it was only $8.

xo, jenni

Foraging Florals!

Flowers can be expensive! If you don’t want to buy them and you also don’t garden much…here are some tips!

  1. Forage in your own yard. Use the seasons. Each time of year offers gorgeous foliage from trees and shrubs in particular. Colors and textures are always changing.

  2. Collect from a friend of family member who gives permission (they may not know the value of what they have!)

  3. Find flowers in public spaces like the side of roads. I love collecting Queen Anne’s Lace when I drive around town.

  4. Sometimes a business owner won’t mind if you clip from their spring trees. Make sure to ask and specify you don’t need much.

  5. If you must buy flowers, invest in focal point blooms that are hard to find for free (like roses, peonies, etc). Then forage for filler (leaves, branches, wild flowers) to compliment those larger blooms.

  6. Search second hand stores for vessels to put the floral in.

It’s amazing how many beautiful things you can find for free. No matter how tempting it is to steal gorgeous peonies from someone’s yard…don’t. Trust me, the guilt will get to you when you sleep at night ;)

xo jenni