Tuesday Things.
1. Who else was completely, weirdly satisfied that the start of a new year happened on a Monday?!
2. Definitely need a very (extra) large superfood salad.
3. I probably haven’t been this sad about the holidays being over since I was in middle school. Pretty sure it’s a combo of being sick and missing the most fun days with our families but also because Max is at an age where it’s just.so.fun.
4. Do you ever batch prep your smoothies for a few days? I really want to do this but also can’t stand the smoothie separation after one sits in the fridge. I need tips.
5. On New Year’s Eve we played Heads Up for HOURS and oh my gosh, it was so fun! I basically want to make Eddie play it with just me every single night when he gets home.
6. Eddie is still binging on The Punisher, I watched a bunch of Fuller House (cringe city, but I can’t stop) and other than that, there’s been no TV! But I’m going to start rewatching The Affair and Billions in preparation for the new seasons.
7. Last year I ended up reading a ton of books in the first half of the year but fell off the wagon after summer when I got super busy. So I’m setting a 50 book goal for this year! I like to read about a book a week (or more, because I can’t stop reading at night if I’m into something) but this seems a bit more realistic.
8. This is the best list I’ve found on being your most productive self in 2018.
9. Winter citrus season is the best season. Until the next season. You know?
21 Comments on “Tuesday Things.”
I prep my smoothies the night before (have done up to 3 days ahead). When I get home from work, I make my usual smoothie, pour into my blender bottle (standing upright and with the flip-top cracked open). I pull one out right before I go to bed and place in the fridge. By morning, it’s a really nice texture – I’ve started to prefer my pre-made ones to my fresh ones!
do you have to shake it up? any separation?!
I shake it up a little, but it doesn’t really separate (I’ve also frozen in a reusable plastic cup – the kind that doesn’t have a blender thingy in it) and it’s been fine. My smoothies usually include almond milk, a banana, a nut butter, and some protein powder (other add-ins include an açaí packet or some cocoa powder) – nothing too crazy, and all of which freeze and thaw well. I usually skip ice.
(also forgot to say I add spinach – I buy a fresh bag and stick in the freezer immediately because I like the texture in smoothies better)
We were prepping a couple smoothies at a time when I first went back to work after maternity leave. I’d make four and freeze two (leave room at the top for expansion, esp if you’re using a glass mason jar). The fresh one separated a little overnight but it wasn’t too bad, the top shelf of our fridge is really cold. I’d put a frozen one in the fridge before bed and it usually didn’t completely thaw by the next morning.
Also, Fuller House (insert monkey “see no evil”) I had a stomach bug last week and spent a few days on the couch. Was Full House this bad? It’s not stopping me from watching, but yikes!
ugh i know! i do cringe when i watch actual full house reruns now… but nothing like fuller house. YIKES.
I prep all the ingredients for smoothies and freeze them individual bags:
http://www.livehalffullblog.com/2014/06/25/green-smoothie-packets-and-cuppow-giveaway/
Also, YES to the New Year’s Monday- so satisfying!
we already do this too, but i’m talking about actually blending the smoothies and keeping them in the fridge!
We prep a month of smoothies at a time- go to Costco and get big bags of frozen fruit. We used to use big bags of spinach and kale, but started buying frozen of those at Walmart (since we were freezing it anyway)
Put fruits and veggies in ziplock freezer bag-we line them up on the counter and have an assembly line.
Then pull out bag, add ice, juice, yogurt or whatever to blender. Fresh smoothies every morning with minimal effort. Oh- our latest addition is to use (our homemade) kombucha for the added liquid…so delicious! We were able to make them for Christmas brunch with no mess or pulling everything out to make them.
we already do this too, but i’m talking about blending the smoothie all at once and sticking a huge batch in the fridge!
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I make my husband’s smoothies at least a day in advance. To limit smoothie separation I add my frozen “smoothie pack” to the blender in the morning when I wake up. I let the frozen fruit thaw in the blender until it’s soft and liquid has leeched out (maybe 4 hours??). Then I blend, adding only enough liquid to get the proper consistency. Pour in a blender ball cup and stick in the fridge. The next day all you have to do is shake it up if there is any separation. By letting the fruit thaw in the blender you will add less liquid which will cut down on the separation. This method has worked well for us for the past few years.
Also, maybe hemp seeds would help thicken it? I had to stop using hemp seeds because overnight it would make the smoothie to thick (like overnight oats) to drink without adding more liquid but I can’t remember if it helped with the liquid separation.
Always wondered the same about smoothies. If you find a way, please blog about it because I’d be interested!
You should totally check out the Goodreads app! You can set a goal of how many books you want to read and it keeps you on track. I never used to be a reader but last year I read 50 books just because it was so satisfying to keep track of! Plus you can add friends and get tons of great suggestions from what other people are reading!!
You guys should try Good Behavior! (TNT) My husband and I got totally hooked on it. There are only 2 seasons so far, 10 eps each, so it goes quickly! There arent a ton of shows we can watch together, but this one is SO ADDICTIVE.
1. LOVE that New Years Day was Monday. makes life so easy (plus? I work in an industry that means three day weekend naturally with the holiday instead of weekend.. work days one random day off and more work days..)
2. For some reason.. because I’m getting O L D.. I barely splurged this holiday season because now when I eat things that are rich? I basically don’t feel good while I’m eating it. it’s super rude to get old. So I’m all about big salads. these days
3. the holidays. My kid was sick for most of it and we missed lots of fun things with friends. Overall it was still fun, but we didn’t do many extras. I totally feel ya on this one. I feel like we need a partial do-over for cute outfits (mine included!!)
4. we only prep the ingredients and I don’t care if they’re frozen. I use frozen fruit this time of year and actually specifically take it out and put it in the cup in the fridge so that it won’t be as frozen- we prefer it that way. we can do a couple days this way and that works for us. I’m curious to hear about separation and texture…
6. I don’t know about the Affair. I loved the first couple of seasons, but I’m not sure about the story direction. Naturally this doesn’t mean I won’t be watching. LOL I LOVE Billions though. cannot wait! and in the meantime I watched the Crown (reference mentioned sick days at home with child above).
7. Life happens and the books will still be there, right? You have two tiny people. you get a pass. My goal is actually to read less- it started to feel like I was competing (I work FT outside the house, single mom of 12yr old who is Miss Social Butterfly and still finished 141 books in 2017). But some of those felt like I was rushing to keep up with some random goal. This year I’m making a smaller list
8. winter citrus season for the win! until? berry season. and stone fruits. and fresh apples & pears …and … and..
I need to make my smoothie fresh- I’ve tried so many other ways and they just aren’t as good.
And I was all about the new Fuller House season and watching with my girls who are 6 and 9. And then the topics got super adult for them. Eek. Now I need to know what happens with Stephanie and I don’t want to watch alone. And I don’t want to explain all the topics.
I make smoothies for a few days at a time. I freeze them in mason jars and put one in the fridge around dinner time and they are nice and slushy the next morning.
I’ve never had a separation issue and I think its because I use a bit of oats and chia seeds? I put all the ingredients in the blender cup and let sit for 30 mins to soften up slightly, then blend and put in the fridge. I think it helps to give an overall thickness and keep things together. However, it makes for a slightly chunkier smoothie (which I like) so it’s a matter of preference.
I usually make mine and freeze them in mason jars. Believe it or not, I actually put it into the microwave for 2-3 minutes when frozen solid then use a spoon or straw to slush it around to break it up. The actual smoothie doesn’t heat up or anything and stays nice and cold. It’s strange but it works for me as opposed to fully making the smoothie in the morning.
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