Smoothie Power!!!
One of the few things I missed most about the States was my fully-equipped kitchen. Interestingly enough, I've only cooked one complete meal for my family so far (my mom likes prepping for meals way beforehand and our full-sized fridge and freezer out in the garage is always full so I need to tell her beforehand) -- but I have found a new hobby: smoothie making!
Every morning, I concoct a new smoothie (usually Greek yoghurt based because I love dairy like that and my family went on a Greek yoghurt spree the other day) and it's pretty interesting and healthy! What? Just because I'm a vegetarian/sushitarian doesn't mean I like fruits (or even vegetables) all that much; most of them make my mouth itch/tingle, especially kiwi, a fruit I stay away from like the plague. As for other fruits, I just disagree with the taste - like the raw apple. However, I do love fruit juice (pulp free, mind you) and I like experimenting. I eat pretty much everything.
Did you know that jam and (seasoned) seaweed makes an awesome sandwich or even snack (on a cracker)? The flavors compliment each other perfectly!
Anyway, this post is dedicated to a new hobby I developed here to help me become more healthy and productive for my stomach... though I don't suppose I need that. Fruits, though? Perhaps I do need more of that, whether it be in its solid or liquefied form.
I started off simple: strawberries, plain Greek yoghurt, unsweetened cocoa powder, milk, wheat germ, and agave nectar. It was your normal, refreshing smoothie with a hint of chocolate. It spurred on my creativity and want for more. My parents also greatly supported it as they know how much I love fruits and they also enjoy drinking my concoctions as well.
Then I moved on up to strawberries, spinach, plain Greek yoghurt, milk, and honey. The spinach was an addition because it was dedicated to St. Paddy's Day. :) This time, it had a crisp something to it.
Then there was a thicker variation with frozen bananas, mango, plain Greek yoghurt, milk, almond milk, a smidge of almond extract, and honey. It was of a pudding consistency which was hard to drink because I like drinking through a straw (I realised that the straws I have in the States are thinner than the ones I bought in Korea), but it was still equally as good. It made me want an ice cream machine as well. :D
Today, I found motivation and decided to use one of the many avocados in my house (I forgot to mention my parents are health nuts so we always have fruit stocked up and other health foods) and made my Avocado-Coffee Surprise with avocado, milk, fresh-dripped coffee, espresso dark chocolate, agave nectar, vanilla, and raspberry soy yoghurt. The resulting product was AMAZING. I usually stay away from avocado (I don't like things that are too thick and creamy, hence my aversion to whipped cream.. or really any cream) and sometimes it makes my tongue tingle. However, it wasn't dominant. The coffee made everything more enhanced and the little bits of espresso chocolate gave it some texture. The raspberry soy yoghurt rounded it off with a little hidden, fruity something, as well.
What's on the Smoothie Menu tomorrow? I'll make something up. ^^