Smoothie Saturday: Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie

Recently, we started getting up early twice a week to go for a quick run before Cody has to leave for work.  I do not like getting up early, but it makes it a little easier knowing I get to have a smoothie when we get back!  Cody has even started asking if I'll make them and this has quickly become his favorite recipe.

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie

2 Scoops Shaklee Life Vanilla Energizing Shake
8 oz. Almond Milk

1 Cup Strawberries

1/2 a Banana

Ice as needed

Optional: Honey and Chia Seeds

Blend smoothie mix and milk in blender.  Add strawberries, banana, honey, chia seeds, ice and blend until desired consistency.

This recipe is really easy to adjust with what you have on hand without affecting the outcome very much.  I've used fresh and frozen strawberries, a whole banana, even thrown in some pineapple and it has always come out tasting delicious!

Squeaky Clean

With a toddler who has mastered walking and gone onto running all the time, shoes get dirty really fast around here!  Winter was easy, I just tossed her converse in the washing machine.  Summer?  Flowery and sparkly sandals covered in dirt. Yuck.

They don't look too bad in the photograph, but trust me.  Real life? Those flowers were dusty and gross.

 

So I grabbed my favorite Shaklee laundry supplies and got started!  I added a scoop of Nature Bright and a squirt of laundry soap to a bowl of hot water and whisked it up so everything would dissolve.

Then I dunked her sandals in and let it sit.  I came back a couple times and swished them around so every part got a chance to soak....and then I forgot about them.  Whoops.  Happens every time! No worries though, Shaklee products are so safe I didn't have to worry about accidentally bleaching them or filling the house with toxic fumes! I finally remembered what I was suppose to be doing and gave them a quick scrub with a kitchen brush, rinsed and set them out to dry.

Much better! No more dirt and the flowers look much brighter!

The other day we were getting ready to head out to dinner and I noticed L's flips had also gotten gross.  I squirted some dish soap on them, gave them a quick scrub with my kitchen brush and set them out in the sun to dry.  When we were all ready to go, her sandals were dry and looked brand new! 

I love how I can safely clean everything with these great products!  Interested in what I used to clean toddler shoes?  Check these out below, or contact me!

Products used:
Fresh Laundry Concentrate
Nature Bright Laundry Booster
Dish Wash Liquid Concentrate

Smoothie Saturday: Carrot Cake

The first time I saw this recipe I thought "Gross, carrot cake? In a smoothie?" Who wouldn't right? It just doesn't sound like a good idea!  However, after seeing the recipe a few more times I started to wonder how it would taste!  I do like carrot cake after all, and if you can put spinach in a smoothie why not carrots?!

Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie

2 Scoops Vanilla Shaklee Life Energizing Shake

1/2 Cup Frozen Banana or Pineapple

1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

3-4 Baby Carrots

Ice as needed

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  I like to blend my milk and smoothie mix first to make sure it gets mixed together well.  Then I add everything else and blend until it is milkshake thick.

The verdict? Lainey Approved!

It was actually very good!  Lainey kept climbing up and stealing sips, I think she drank more than I did!  The carrot/spice flavor wasn't over powering like I was expecting.  I think next time I may even try to add in some more carrots.  Sound good or too weird? Are you willing to try it out?

Summer Travels

In May, Lainey Bug and I hopped on a flight to spend two long weeks at home!  We were so excited!

L is a very seasoned traveler and with this trip complete she has been on 13 flights.  She did awesome and was so excited to see Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie J waiting for us!

Flight #10

We always text pictures of us getting ready to take off to Lainey's daddy.  Not while we are taking off of course...before they tell you to shut off your phones...we don't break the rules! ;) 

 We were both super excited to see all the GREEN GRASS!  Living in the desert really makes you appreciate a nice lawn.  She loved running around in the country!

 When did my baby get so big??  She has no fear and just jumps in playing with the big kids!

Lainey was loving all the animals we got to see!  She even got to feed a bunch of them!

The main purpose of this trip home was so my mom and I could run our first 5K together.  It was definitely not something we ever thought we would do, but thanks to a little push from my brother in law, we signed up for this run that raised money for Wounded Warrior Project. We were a little nervous, especially since the course was very hilly.  We did awesome, both finished with great times, and conquered those hills! It was a great experience and I'm so glad we got to do it together!  We are already talking about running another one!

Our trip home also coincided with a family reunion and Lainey loved getting to play on the beach!

I love getting to go to all the restaurants we don't have and Lainey learned how awesome Monical's Pizza is dipped in their french dressing.  So very good!  She loved it!




Our Dairy Queen is attached to a gas station, so it was a nice change to get to go for a walk and get ice cream.  Her first baby cone with sprinkles!

You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl.

We had such a great trip and now we are getting ready for a family trip in July!  
Where are you going this summer?

Smoothie Saturday : Pina Colada

It's officially summer and we've already hit temps of over 100!  It's crazy, I can't imagine how hot July is going to get.

In honor of all things sunny and hot, I tried a new smoothie recipe and LOVED it!  This pina colada smoothie is the perfect drink for summer.  I'm (not so patiently) waiting for my shipment of more smoothie mix, otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd be drinking this everyday already!

Pina Colada Protein Smoothie

2 Scoops Shaklee Life Vanilla Energizing Shake
1 Cup Almond Milk
1/2  Cup Frozen Pineapple
1/2 tsp Coconut Extract
Ice as needed

Blend smoothie mix and milk in blender. Add pineapple, extract, ice and blend until desired consistency.

I like my smoothies really thick, almost a milk shake consistency.  You could also use fresh or canned pineapple.  Try it out, you will love it!

Happy Summer!

*Don't forget! My new and existing members get free shipping on orders over $75 until June 29, 2015.  Perfect time to try out some of the smoothee mix!  Check it out here!*

Family Lunch Date

A few months ago, we decided to make a point of spending an afternoon or evening each weekend exploring the area and trying new restaurants.  We were in a Whataburger, Rudy's, and Pizza Hut rut! We've already tried some pretty good new places, and this past weekend we headed to Las Cruces for lunch.  We are always looking for new restaurants to take people to when they come visit, and this one is definitely going on the list!  

I found Si Italian Bistro and Bakery on Facebook and it looked really neat!  It's located in an old home and when we got out of the car you could already smell all the yummy Italian food!  

Photo Via: Si Italian Bistro

She loves stickers right now.  

I love that they entertain her so well, and for so long!

Margherita Pizza.  Basil, fresh tomato, and mozzarella. 

They had a good variety of items on their menu, from burgers to traditional pasta dishes and sandwiches.  We each got a personal size wood fired pizza, and they were delish!  They use local ingredients and you could really tell how fresh they were.  

Death by Chocolate Cake and a Chocolate/Vanilla Cream Puff

One of the reasons I chose this restaurant is because they are also a bakery.  You can order dessert with your meal, or just stop in and pick up something up! We shared the death by chocolate cake and wow it was so so good!  I tried a cream puff too, mainly because I'd never had one before.  It was pretty good, and would be perfect if you just want a little something sweet.  I'd recommend the cake though....yep just get the cake.  Or don't, more for me!  

We are always looking for new restaurants to take people to when they come visit, and this one is definitely going on the list!  

Texas Weekend Getaway

This past weekend we went on a quick little family trip.  Cody was traveling for work, so we decided to meet him at Davis Mountains State Park for a mother's day adventure.  We had such a great time!

We booked a room at the Indian Lodge inside the park.  While the park does offer plenty of camping sites, we chose to stay in the lodge since it had a pool and restaurant on site.  Plus, with it being a last minute trip, I would have had to prepare and bring all the camping gear and let's face it - I'm not a great camper. The lodge was really nice, clean and comfortable.  The park itself was beautiful and the weather was perfect!

Our Room

Meeting Room

Courtyard

After we arrived and settled in, we checked out the pool.  It was nice and they even had a kiddo pool. While the outside temperature was perfect, the water was just a tad cold!  Lainey was not loving it at first, but we eased her in and her daddy taught her how to splash him!

Such a great view!

We enjoyed dinner at the lodge restaurant, The Black Bear, and then drove into town to explore a bit. After cruising through Marfa, we headed back to Fort Davis for some ice cream.  This little street was super cute with a few shops and restaurants.  The Blue Mountain Bistro even had a live band playing in their courtyard, so we headed over there with our ice cream.  They were pretty good, and Lainey loved dancing along while enjoying her chocolate and sprinkles ice cream!

It was getting late, so we headed over to the McDonald Observatory Visitor's Center.  That evening they were hosting a Star Party, an event that would allow you to view the stars through telescopes and learn about various stars and constellations.  However, by the time we got there the temperature had started to drop and it was chilly! Total momma fail, I thought to dress in jeans and a hoodie myself (I'm always cold) but completely forgot to bring layers for Lainey.  We decided it would be best to skip it and try again another trip, but from what we saw the Observatory looked really cool!

Fort Davis: looking towards the Officer's Quarters

The next morning we drove over to the Fort Davis National Historic Site and toured the grounds.  I honestly wasn't expecting much, how interesting can an old Fort be?  It was actually really neat though!  They had a great museum with some awesome hands on things for the kiddos, which Lainey liked checking out.  Then we walked around the grounds and learned about the history while checking out the barracks, commissary, and officers quarters.  Overall, it was a very well preserved site and we would definitely recommend checking it out!

Sending out a message in morse code!

Even though it was such a short trip, we really enjoyed it and loved the location we chose!  We are already planning on going back and staying a little bit longer!

What Texas weekend getaways would you recommend?

Hello there!

Welcome to my little space!  I'm Kate, a midwestern girl turned military wife and momma to a cute little bug!  Bear with me while I get this all set up and figured out.  I'm hoping to share our adventures, yummy things, craftiness, and how we keep our home clean and healthy as naturally as possible!