3 Great Grain Free Smoothies

Did you know that babies actually say “wah”?  I tried feeding my little one some rice cereal this week only to find that she got extremely frustrated with me, she wanted to eat the food but could only push the mash out when I put it in her mouth. Half of the food went on her bib, but the other half made it’s way into her mouth. 

I found that having an infant is similar to playing a video game, every time you master a level you are sent to a more difficult level with new challenges. Making good baby food and having her learn to eat it is my new challenge.

I plan on making my daughter’s baby food ahead and freezing it, so I have been experimenting with smoothies to get an idea of flavors and textures. Frozen fruits and vegetables store well, not to mention they make for a nice treat on a hot summer day. So far, these are my favorite adult versions. A friend recommended the Bassomatic  but I decided to use my Magic Bullet instead. This is nice because I can drink straight out of the machine or can be poured into a pretty glass.

Creamy Kale Shake

Combine one cup of frozen (chopped) kale tightly packed, a quarter cup of milk, a tablespoon of sunflower seed butter, and a scoop of chocolate mint chip ice cream (optional) in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Kale has become the new super food, high in iron and vitamin A and C. This smoothie has a nice creamy flavor and will give you a good dose of fiber!

Vitamin C Blend

All the fruits in this recipe are frozen. Blend pineapple, mango, orange juice, and cashews. Cashews give the drinks a creamy flavor but they are optional for a lower calorie version. This drink is so tasty and perfect for a summer day.

Cookie Dough

Add two tablespoons of almond butter to six dates (pitted) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The outcome, a healthy smoothie that even the pickiest eaters will love (and it will actually be good for them too!).

I’m going back to the kitchen to come up with some new combinations. My daughter might not be ready for solid food yet but when she is, I will be ready for her.

Single? Here's Some Novel Dating Sites

Is your love life a little bland? Maybe it’s time to find a summer fling to spice things up. I discovered a few resources for people whose lifestyles revolves around food. The daytime television show The Chew, an answer to foodies who don’t want to watch The View, featured three foodie oriented websites for online dating.

Many people have been turning to the gluten free lifestyle, with a lot of negative responses. While they may or may not have a food allergy, they pay attention to the things that they put in their bodies. Singles With Food Allergies breaks down their website to all the different types of food allergies, gluten, rice, milk, and anything else you can think of. Then, the site allows people with food allergies to find like minded individuals to share in their quest to enjoy life through food. In a society where much of our food has become industrialized it is impossible to really know or understand the contents of our food, which makes finding someone who takes the time to look into ingredients difficult. Joining this great new dating site is free for a limited time.

For vegetarians there’s Veggie Date. They have specialty subsections ranging from Quaker vegetarians to Rastafari vegetarians, to cultural Humanist vegetarians. Joining this site is free!

If you’re looking for a farmer to help you get access to some delicious vegetables there is this website, that also allows “nonfarmers” to join. You might have seen this site advertised during the superbowl and wondered if it is real, I sure did. Knowing that your significant other will not wince at the thought of raising a cow that you will later put on the table may be a turn on… Like they say on their website, “City folks just don’t get it.” I’m a city girl, but someone else might. Farmers Only allows users to join for free for a limited time.

Check out these dating websites and respond on my blog for a chance to win a copy of one of my gluten free cook books. I will be giving away one book every month this summer. Just comment on any post on the blog to enter!