How to make Double Green Smoothie

Hey guys,

I haven't done a food update for a long time. For those of you who have been following my blog, I love cooking, arts, and fashion. I have been very conscious lately about my health and weight.  Living alone and moving to Florida was such a drastic change for me in friends, weather, school, and being away from family. I have been hanging in there so far  and make the best of it! =)

So just to share with you about this post, people in South Florida love being health and eating health. So added on to my crazy schedule I don't have time to cook for myself sometimes. I love Japanese fashion and looking at the skinny girls on there doesn't help either. They are just skinny, petite, cute, and...I am pressured to be like them. I have struggled with my weight and have gained 10lbs since the start of graduate school.  So I've decided to follow this 28-Day Challenge Meal Plans under Whole Foods Market website. The weekly meal plans focus on plant-based, nutrient-dense whole foods and healthy fats. I've also decided to work out more and eat less meat. Thought of becoming a vegetarian, but I can't give up sushi!

With that said, the purpose of this challenge is to focus on plant based produce that are full of protein, nutrients, antioxidants. I've always wanted to eat health, but with student budget and not working it's quite expensive. There's a lot of batch cooking at the start of week that usually takes 2-3hrs of my time and when I'm ready to assemble a meal, preparation would be easy for weeknights with my busy schedule.

Set aside time to cook or prep:

•Big batches of beans

•Big batches of whole grains

•Big batches of soup, sauce and favorite dishes

•Crisp fresh veggies and leafy greens for twice-daily salads

•Delicious and easy oil-free homemade salad dressings

•Breakfast: blend a fresh smoothie daily for breakfast; add leafy greens or fruit with your favorite unsweetened nondairy beverage, a few ice cubes and a date or two for extra sweetness if you like. Frozen chopped greens like spinach or kale save time and help keep your smoothie colder.

I am in love with this recipe: Double Green Smoothie.

I was skeptical how blending spinach and kale would taste. I didn't want to have a nasty green grass drink. But I gave it a try and it was delicious! The rice milk really helps a lot because it had a little bit of sweet taste to it.

 

Here are all the ingredients measured out. I opted out for apricots since I forgot to get them on my grocery run.

All ready to be blended. I was really scared and didn't know when to stop blending. It started off with a purple color from the berries. Then it turned to red, brown, and a nasty brown oxidized color. I wasn't sure if I was willing to drink it if it was brown looking. As I let it settled out, it turned green, which was just like the color the recipe pictured showed. That was feasible to drink. LOL.

Final look of the drink. I would definitely recommend this drink. I'm going to follow their plan and continue to drink this for breakfast. I also bough muesli grain mix, so I can make mighty healthy oatmeal bowls.

The rice milk is really good by itself to drink as well.

Per Serving:160 calories (30 from fat), 3.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 115mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 8g protein

Thanks for reading again! I'll put more post to my 28-Day healthy eating challenge.

xoxo

yumi

How to make Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes

Hi Everyone,

I want to share with you a quick and easy recipie that I made over the weekend for a dinner get-together with my friends.  I got the recipe off from Chow: Caprese Salad Recipe

Directions: Slice ripe tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Shingle fresh basil leaves and the mozzarella and tomatoes on a platter. Drizzle with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired, and serve.

I didn't have pine nuts to make my basil pesto sauce. I used a variety of tomatoes. This is my second time making it. The first time I had green, yellow, and red tomaotoes. They go really good for a side dish if you're wanting to have a vegetarian night out. I highly suggest using heirloom tomatoes that you can purchae at Whole Foods. They are really sweet. Best part of it, is that you can put a balsamic vinegretre glaze over it instead of the pesto olive oil sauce.

I made this for brunch with a light bit of olive oil drizzled over on the top. I also served it with a fresh banana and orange salad and sunny side up egg. My friend said my picture looked like one of those from the food magazine.

I prefer using the presliced fresh mozzerella packaged cheese so that it's easier for preparation. It takes less than 10minues and you have a delicious meal. Your guests will think that you're a fancy cheif too!

xoxo

Yumi

Grown Up Hot Chocolate

Hi everyone,

I been gone for a long time away from blogging and not updating it. But now I am back in the cold TN for the winter holiday break! I decided to make some hot chocolate for the cold weather after finding a really amazing recipe on a How Sweet It Is with a little bit of twist to it for grown ups.

Here's the recipe that I followed:

Grown Up Hot Chocolate

[lightly adapted from food network]

serves about 6

3 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups cream or half and half

1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

4-6 ounces of marshmallow (or vanilla, cake, whipped cream) vodka

 My ingredients. There is vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, milk chocolate, and vokda that I didn't get to shoot a picture of.

 In a large bowl, mix together cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add milk and cream.

Bring to a simmer, stirring every few minutes. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the milk to the cocoa and sugar, mixing thoroughly .Whisk continuously until smooth (do not let it boil), the whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.

Remove from heat and whisk in vodka, or add to each glass right before serving. 

Top with marshmallows and whipped cream and I sprinkled it with cinnamon to give it a little flavor.

Done! Grab your favorite person and sit near the Christmas tree or fireplace and enjoy!

Hope you like the recipe.

Happy Hoidays!

xoxo

yumiko

Japanese Potato Salad Recipe

Hi everyone! I just wanted to welcome you back since I have been away for a long time. Been through a rollercoaster ride with my life. And I found a new interesting in trying to cook foods and posting the recipe up on my blog now. This is my first attempt to put a How to recipe on something that I love to eat when I get bento boxes at Japanese restaurants. This is a simple quick recipe on Japanese Potato Salad.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

The key ingredient to this recipe is the Japanese mayonnaise. I use the kewpie brand. I don't like American brands because they are really vinegary. This recipe is creamy in texture and not as acidic as traditional potato salads. Cook time: 20mins. Serving size 3-4 servings.

When potatoes are tender, drain the water and mash them. Lightly season the potatoes with salt and let them cool down.

 I thought it was cool how the cucumber produces water when you slice it. It's amazing how much water is stored in the vegetable and reminds me of  biology classes when I was studying plants and botany.

 You can reduce the amount of mayo you add to your recipe if you do not like it so much. You can also take out the vinegar if you don't like it either. It can be easily modified for your preference. 

Make sure everything is mixed evenly. You can add more salt/pepper to your liking. You would have to refrigerate at least 3 hours or store it in the fridge overnight for best results. Enjoy!

By the way, I changed my hair style and color, so more updates to come. I am also trying to pick up my creative art side that I have abandoned in drawing and photography. So I've been trying to look for another white box set up. So I will post more, and hope you keep reading more.

xoxo yumi