I Drinks Me Spinach

Little known fact: I love the idea of vegetables, but I don't so much love actual vegetables. (Ok, this is probably a well-known fact.) I don't know how to cook them in a way that makes them palatable and un-boring. So, smoothies are my salvation...from scurvy.

I've been known (by my little sister) to make a pretty mean smoothie, but Kendal made today's.

The ingredients*, in proportions of your liking:

blueberries
mango bits
spinach
full-fat plain yogurt
apple-grape juice
honey

Put everything in the blender and pray that the motor doesn't burn out. (We're going to need a new one soon, I'm afraid, because lately ours sounds like it's moaning when we try to blend stuff.)



This is supposed to be a "before" picture, but--confession--I didn't really plan this post. I walked by as Kendal started the blender, and I said, "Wait! I want to take a picture!" Hence, the partially-blended blueberries and spinach at the bottom.



After. Confession--I didn't really drink this smoothie. I ate it with a spoon because it was so thick. But you can certainly make yours thinner and drinkable. And, unless you're overzealous with the green stuff, you can't taste the spinach. (I made one the other day, and I could taste the spinach, but I thought it was delicious anyway.)

Drink up!


*All ingredients were from Trader Joe's. The fruits and vegetables were all frozen, and were not thawed before blending.

"Wing It" Mac 'n Cheese

So, this is a quickie before I get into some spring cleaning. Passover begins tomorrow night, and my family is coming in from out of town to join us for our congregation's seder. So, today, I'm going to be busy making things pretty for our guests and ridding our house of our last vestiges of leavened bread. That's easier said than done. (Have you ever tried to eat almost a whole loaf's worth of French toast in a day?) Every year I say I'm going to plan better. And every year Passover sneaks up on me and catches me unprepared. It's like I've never learned to use a calendar or something.

Anyway, here's something you can do if you're trying to use up the last of your noodles. I'm calling it "Wing It" Mac 'n Cheese, because Kendal whipped this up just using things he found in our fridge. (All edible things, thank goodness. We're not those weirdos who keep batteries in the butter compartment.)

First, you'll need to cook your pasta according to the instructions on the box. Kendal used cellentani, which is a sort of spirally macaroni noodle. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add about 2 tbsp butter and a half cup of shredded cheese. (Cheddar and mozzarella in this case.) Next add 1/4 cup milk and one egg, and stir it all up. Place in a baking dish, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until it is browned to your liking.

Ours looked like this:



And this:



Just a note: add more cheese if you prefer really cheesy mac 'n cheese. This turned out a bit lighter on the cheese, which I liked, because I'm not a huge fan of globs and globs of cheese.

Ok, I'm off to clean. And prevent Miss M from eating crayons, which she seems to like more than mac 'n cheese these days. Oy!