Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie

Hiiiii-eeeeeeee! Want something nice a frozen and fruity here in the middle of winter? Good me too! 

   I've got some Christmasyness up my sleeve headed your way buuuuuttt.... it's not quite ready. I'm having one of those days, you know the kind, I mean, I feel like I have 2.7439 million things going through my head. So, I made a smoothie instead of cookies. I needed brain food. Brain beverage, I suppose, is more accurate. Now, I'm going to sip on this and contemplate whether I'll be doing laundry, dishes, picking up, making apple butter and jelly or DIYing a few photo ornaments. Maybe, I'll just pretend all of that is done and binge watch some Netflix. 

     Full disclosure, I may have used photos I took of this smoothie earlier this year, I swear it is the same smoothie recipe and looks identical.  Some serious slacking on my part! But, trust me, make it, put on some reggae and pretend it's not freezing outside! It will take you to the beach.

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie
serves 2-3 people
(Click to print)

2 tablespoons flaxseed

1 large or two medium carrots

1 1/2 cups coconut water

2 cups frozen mango

1 cup orange juice 

1 tablespoon honey

In a blender pulse the flax seeds until pulverized. Add carrots and pulse until broken into smaller chunks. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and make adjustments as needed. Enjoy!

Cheers!

xoxo,
Ashley

Mango Honey Chicken Stir Fry

Yowza! This chicken is the new best thing I've ever made. 

(That may change tomorrow but whatever...)

Chicken + Mango + Honey +OJ + Sriracha = DELICIOUSNESS at it's best!

   This started how most of my best stir frys do, I had some chicken that had to be cooked right at that moment, because it was teetering on becoming vile and a fridge full of random ingredients. I'm terrible about laying chicken out to thaw and forgetting it. I have ruined more than my share of meat that way. It is one of my greatest flaws. I'm working on that. Anyway, back to the stir fry... I often find that I don't have anything planned for dinner and I have three males whining, one of them is an adult but that doesn't stop him. These guys get HANGRY! I do my best work then. I pull out what sauce ingredients speak to me and load it full of veggies and try to make magic. This one isn't loaded full of veggies but with fruit this time. I can't believe I hadn't thought this combination before. 

Mango Honey Chicken Stir Fry

serves 6-8

(click to print)

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken

2 mangoes

2 red bell peppers

1 tablespoon oil, for frying

1 cup orange juice + 2 tablespoons reserved

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon sriracha

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

steamed white rice

Start by cutting your chicken into chunks. Next, cut the mango and bell peppers into pieces about half the size of the chicken. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the chicken until golden brown. Once the chicken has started browning, add the mango and pepper, stirring often. While that cooks, make your sauces, in a bowl whisk together juice, honey, sriracha and soy sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through and the mango and pepper are tender crisp, add the sauce. Bring to a bubble stirring often. Once the sauce has cooked down and everything is cooked through, this usually takes 3-4 minutes, stir together the remaining OJ and cornstarch, making sure there are NO lumps. Stir into sauce, allowing to cook 1-2 more minutes. The sauce will thicken and you are ready to serve!

xoxo,
Ashley

Tropical Carrot Smoothie

   I didn't plan on sharing this smoothie of tropical amazingness but that changed once I tasted it. I realized how good it was, I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of shots. Then I promptly, sucked it down like it was a chocolate milk shake. Don't judge me, it was sooooo good. 

Tropical Carrot Smoothie:

makes 2 large smoothies

(click to print)

2 carrots, washed and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup chopped frozen pineapple

1/2 cup chopped frozen mango 

1 tablespoon flax meal

2 cups coconut water

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

honey (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until carrots are broken down. Turn on high until blended, test for sweetness, add honey if needed and enjoy!

This is a great breakfast or midday pick me up!

xoxo,
Ashley

Summer Spinach Salad

I love salad. My husband doesn't believe this is a square meal. I don't care, he has to eat what I fix him. :)

Poor guy is so mistreated.

I need to talk to you about this salad! Every year just before spring, when the chill is starting to fade and I can't wait to lock my boots and sweaters away for a few months, I start dreaming of salad. This one is a combination of salad I adore from a certain sandwich cafe/coffee house/bakery, that we all know, and a salad my mom made every summer and still makes. Her salad has turkey or chicken and this one would be amazing with it but I wanted to go meatless with this one. I am not a vegetarian, have never professed to be one and honesty I love bacon too much to be one but I feel like my family could use a little less meat in our diet. Mom's salad also had these crunchy, caramelized pecans that have always been my favorite. This time I chose almonds because that is what my man loves. I combined my favorite two salads in the universe (other than caprese but I can't mess with perfection) and came out with this beauty and there was no need to turn on the stove. I have eaten it multiple times since. 

I actually photographed this a couple of months back and I feel that I need to finally rish and share it with you while summer produce is still in season.I mean, holy guacamole, how is it almost "back to school" time already! Sorry, back on topic, this is the perfect sweaty day supper. So, make it, quick!

The best thing about salads like this, you can change ingredients in our take them out and come up with something new each time. I have left tomato out every time I have made this since. It just wasn't my thing. My husband prefers it without avocado, but he is clearly insane!

The dressing is super easy and so delicious. Just toss everything into a blender or food processor and you're done. I love it and my husband loves it, that is no small feet let me tell you. He is not a vinegar fan normally but he loves apples, which is how I convinced him to try it. 

This dressing is super versatile, swap out the apple with another fruit and change up the vinegar or even just leave out the vinegar for citrus juice and you have something totally new. 

Summer Spinach Salad:

For the Caramelized Almonds:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup almonds

In a heavy bottomed skillet, I prefer an iron skillet, heat the sugar over medium high heat. Stirring constantly, until the sugar hes melted and is golden brown color, then toss in your nuts. Allow them to cool on a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper until they have hardened and are cool enough to touch. Roughly chop before topping the salad.

For the Dressing:
1/2  green apple, cored and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
*1 teaspoon of honey
salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Place apple, vinegar, honey and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until the apple has broken down and all the contents are smooth. Turn on low and pour oil in a thin stream through the opening in the top of the lid. Once all oil is incorporated you should have an emulsified dressing. Taste and make tweaks to the taste.

For the Salad:

2 cups baby spinach
1 mango, diced
4-5 strawberries, diced
**1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 green apple, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
caramelized almonds

Toss you lettuce in a large bowl, layer on all of your toppings and dress with dressing. Serve immediately.

*Feel free to add more or leave it out all together. I knew my guys would prefer a little more sweetness.
**Like I said before, I left the tomato out after this but I included it in the ingredients since it can been seen in pictures.

It's calling your name!