Banana Almond Date Shake

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JANUARY RESET

Over the holidays I made these delicious parchment wrapped potato and mushroom packets. You toss the cutest little wild mushrooms you can find with cooked and sliced fingerlings, lots of fresh herbs, and a little cream and anise liquor for extra flavor. You cut a square piece of parchment, add a scoop of the filling and then tie it up with kitchen twine. Into the oven until hot it was perfectly holiday appropriate as everyone opened a little gift on their plate. I was going to write about these packets and give you the recipe (and still will! here's the link) but the thought of rich mushrooms and even a bit of cream is too much for me right now. January is here and all I want is simple salads and light soups.

I'm also craving my favorite smoothie. I'm not much of a juice person, or even a smoothie drinker (shocking for a Californian) but I often don't find them very satisfying. I don't love drinking that much sugar, I'd rather make a kale salad with my greens any day. But, my sister turned me onto this drink and I love it. She got it from a blogger turned textile designer and it's one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, especially after exercising. It's filling enough that I don't get hungry before lunch, and is a really good balance of flavors.

This calls for both almond butter and almond milk, making it really nutty and delicious. After a trip with Get Up! to Recology, I was shocked to find out you have to throw almond milk cartons in the landfill (not recyclable or compostable). Making your own almond milk is actually really easy and you can use the spent almonds in oatmeal or to make granola.

Almond Banana Date Smoothie
From Heather Taylor, lainbloom.com

  • 1 ripe banana (frozen ones make a delightfully slushy smoothie!)
  • 2 pitted fresh dates
  • 1 Tbsp. almond butter
  • 1 c. almond milk (unsweetened!)
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 c. of ice 

Throw everything into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Drink with a fat straw or spoon nearby as the delicious date bits often sink to the bottom.