Monday Mustache Milkshake ...mmm!

happy Monday, peeps!

we had a SUPER fun, SUPER packed weekend:

successfully ran about a bazillion errands after Daniel came home on Friday,

did a pig roast all day Saturday, which, including travel and prep time was a 14+ hour day

went for a delicious lunch with family + did at least four loads of laundry on Sunday

it was probably the busiest weekend we've had since the girls were born

and you know what?

they were SUCH super stars about it!

despite missed naps and random mealtimes

they were really great about not melting down

we were impressed

way to go, girlies!

anyway, between all the time spent outdoors,

the sunshine,

the mosquitos (booooo...),

and all the sweet, juicy fruit we were munching on

(pretty sure i ate my weight in watermelon between the pig roast and dinner yesterday,

plus the girlies discovered they love grapes)

...it just felt like summer suddenly kicked into gear

and it's only gonna get better

because on Thursday we head off for our annual camping weekend

we look forward to this trip all year

there's not much better than 

getting to enjoy the outdoors,

with some of our best friends,

grilling all our meals,

soaking up the sunshine,

chatting by the fire,

cooking and eating together,

passing on our love of camping to our kids,

etc, etc, etc

so, with a great weekend behind us

and a great weekend before us

i thought it would be fitting to celebrate Monday

by sharing a delicious milkshake with you

it's superbly chocolatey, relatively healthy and cold...perfect for celebrating summer!
oh, and it's nice and thick, so expect a great milk mustache!

Chocolate Banana Mustache Milkshake

1 cup organic brown rice milk

(or whatever milk you prefer)

1 frozen banana

1 tbsp cocoa

1 tbsp almond butter

1/2 cup ice

- blend ingredients together until smooth

- drink up!

trust me, this one's worth the mustache!

Booked!

the past couple of weeks have been booked solid for us

which i'm sure you've noticed if you are a regular follower of this blog
(read:  i've totally fallen off the radar, sorry!)
but rest assured, we are well, just living in fast forward:

we had a lovely visit with Daniel's mom
who came up from NC for a couple of weeks

Daniel went away for his annual "man weekend / fishing trip"

we made a couple trips to Trader Joes to stock up on our favorites
(yes, that is an event around here:
wrangling twin toddlers in a double stroller PLUS a shopping cart
through a super busy not-so-wide-aisled store
...you'll feel like you can do anything afterwards!)

my sister and uber cute nephew stayed with us for a week,
which meant entertaining three toddlers
(hectic, fun and a great opportunity to practice sharing / playing nice!)

i could keep listing things,
but i don't want to bore you
i have lots to share from our busy time though
so expect a few catch up posts

you know what else is booked?
our family trip to the beach!

i am beyond excited for this

if you know me at all, you know i would happily set up camp at the beach
and never leave
doesn't matter which beach
doesn't matter if i'm in a tent or a van or a house
just give me the salty air
the sand
the seashells
the fun little critters
the water
...i'm set

but this isn't just any trip to any beach
this is the girls' first trip
to the beach
we're staying at Daniel's parents' beach house
where he stayed countless times growing up,
where we spent part of our honeymon
and where we went for our first couple of anniversaries

i love this place
it holds so many great memories
including kayaking with wild dolphins
(possibly the craziest / coolest experience of my life!)
and talking about when we want to start a family
and now here we are, bringing our kids down
to make their own memories
which is special in its own right
but to me, it's more than just special
because both Daniel and i spent much of our childhood at the beach
him in Florida, me on the Persian Gulf
and i've always wanted to do the same with our kids
and now here we are, doing just that:
living out our dreams, together
this girl's heart is happy

Green Monster

kind of a funny name, huh?

apparently, it's a pretty common name for a green smoothie

and to be honest, the name doesn't sound very appealing (to me anyway)

but i've always liked the color green

and i like the idea of a smoothie packed full of healthy ingredients

('cause any mom will agree that you sometimes get so caught up in feeding them well, 

that you forget all about feeding yourself well...)

so i figured i'd give it a shot

the nice thing about these "green monsters" 

is that there's no recipe

which means you get to customize it

using whatever you have on hand

or whatever your favorite ingredients are

and it can be as easy or as complicated as you want

...and i like the sound of that!

so here's my take:

super fresh,

somewhat tart,

a bit of a tropical twist, 

ridiculously quick / simple

and of course, bright green.

Green Monster Smoothie

- 2 handfuls spinach

- 1 lime: juiced and 1/2 zested

- 3/4 cup coconut milk

- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple

- 1/2 cup greek yogurt

1) throw all ingredients into food processor or blender and blend until well mixed

2) pour into a tall glass or mason jar and enjoy

it's that simple.