Blueberry Basil Smoothie

This refreshing number is one tasty little treat. Perfect for the hot summer days coming!

This may sound weird at first. But trust me, the blueberry and basil combination is just wonderful. This was one of my favorite drinks last summer and I couldn't wait for warmer weather and fresh basil to make it again!

Full of antioxidants and refreshing basil, this smoothie will tame any hot day!

Below is one of my pictures of the smoothie last year - one for Big Blue Eyes and one for moi. For the greens, I used marshmallow leaves hence the beautiful little marshmallow flower that is nestled into the lovely purple below. Using marshmallow leaves was inspired by a book I read by Sergei Boutenko called Wild Edibles: A Practical Guide to Foraging, with Easy Identification of 60 Edible Plants and 67 Recipes. I went to his talk at my local health food store (mentioned in this previous post) and was really intrigued by eating local weeds. By the way, I still have a signed book of his to raffle off! I don't know why but I've been saving it for something. How about we have a raffle this month with some fun prizes?

Blueberry Basil Smoothie
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (vanilla is good! Or use coconut water for replenishing electrolytes)
2 large handfuls baby kale or other greens
Several sprigs of basil (the more the merrier to me)
1 cup grapes (optional)

Makes 2 servings.

For protein you can also add a large scoop of almond butter! I sometimes do this for a meal substitution and drink the whole thing.

Blend everything together and enjoy!

If you want another herbal+fruit concoction, try our chamomile cantaloupe smoothie on the blog!

I just want to pop in here Happy Birthday to my lovely sister whom I admire and adore. Hope your day is bright and full of joy!

Cold Brown Rice and Garbanzo Bean Pesto Salad + Moving

My short Memoirs of Moving:

Moving can be ugly. A reminder of how much unnecessary stuff that's accumulated over the years. A reminder of how often you didn't clean the bathroom. Tears and growls of frustration over long hours and very little sleep.

But in this ugliness, there is this wonderful opportunity to purge, to start a new. A fresh start. And that's where moving can be a wonderful blessing. Struggling comes with an opportunity to lean evermore on God's grace and glory.

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So as I put my books on my bookshelves, hang clothes in our closet, art on our walls, and cook in my new kitchen, I thank the Lord for this blessing, whether our time here be short or long. There may be two dozen things wrong with our house but when God is in our lives and in our hearts there is nothing wrong with our home... our sweet, sweet home.

May God bless your home!

And before I continue on to the recipe, I must apologize, my dear sweetlings for my absence and the absence of my posts. We have moved (you might have guessed from my short blurb up there) and we have been internet-less for two weeks. I have a lot of recipes stashed which I hope I get to share with all of you very soon!

In the process of moving and the heat of summer, I've created several quick, easy and tasty salads with very few ingredients. Today I'm sharing with you a garbanzo bean and rice pesto salad. I made this and brought it with me to a multi-family garage sale to snack on. It was a hit alongside some iced Zhena's Gypsy Lemon Jasmine Tea (which my toddler also sold instead of lemonade at her little stand - she's an entrepreneur in the making). Also we were treated to my new neighbor's salsa which I must say was amazing! Maybe I can wrangle the recipe out of her eventually and share it with you all.

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I used my nettle basil pesto with basil from the farmer's market and dried nettle from Mountain Rose Herbs. This is a great time to make homemade pesto as basil is super fresh! It's a little late for fresh nettles but the dried, organic herb adds a nice earthy touch that pares nicely with brown rice in this salad. You can use any homemade pesto (be cautious of store-bought as it usually contains cheese).

Also if you have a lot of pesto leftover from making a batch, use an ice cube tray to freeze small serving sizes (I use these leftover from my endeavors in homemade baby food - love that they are bpa free and have lids!).

Brown Rice and Garbanzo Bean Salad
2 cups leftover cooked brown rice (preferably cooked with a little extra water so it doesn't dry out)
1 1/2 cup cooked and cooled garbanzo beans (= one 15 oz can drained and well-rinsed)
3 TB nettle basil pesto (or pesto of your choice)
3 TB olive oil
2 TB white balsamic vinegar (rice vinegar would work as well)
Sea Salt and Pepper

Chopped walnuts to top, optional

Directions: With a spoon, break down the large clumps of rice if any and mix with remaining ingredients. Refridgerate until time to eat. Enjoy!

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Great for picnics! Garage sale-ing! And moving!

Question of the Day: What are you bringing to on your picnics?  Last year we were really into bean dips like this vegan spinach and artichoke dip. But now this salad and a few others have been starring on the picnic menu.