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This is how I’ve taken to makin’ my green smoothies. I don’t measure anything, I just eyeball it.

(This recipe will yield me 2-3 servings)

3-5 cups of spinach
Approx. 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
Approx. 1 cup orange juice (I use lower calorie juice)
1 heaping tablespoon organic peanut butter
3-5 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
1 generous pour of pure vanilla extract (I love this stuff)

I blend these ingredients until fully incorporated. I used to blend everything at once, but it’s much easier this way.

After I blend the first part, I add one banana and then a bunch of fruit. Most of the time it’s just strawberries and/or blueberries; but you can put whatever you want.

Once everything is all nice and smooth, I pour the mixture into silicone molds (found these at Dollar Tree for $1 each) and freeze for at least 5 hours before removing them from their molds and transferring to another container.

When I’m ready to actually consume, I take 2 of these half moons and pop ‘em in the microwave for about 30 seconds. I break them into a few chunks so it’s easier for the blender. I also add a little more orange juice to create a smoother consistency.

And there you have it! I find that freezing a larger batch makes it so much more convenient. It also prevents the spinach from spoiling in your fridge.

A few days ago, Brianne over at The Ravenna Girls was kind enough to tag me in this questionnaire. Here are the rules:

**You must post the rules
**Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you & then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged
**Tag 11 people and link them in your post
**Let them know you have tagged them

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Sadly, I’m but a mere fledgling who doesn’t even have 11 people to tag, but I’ll do what I can.

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Let’s do this thang:

1. Tell us the short story of how you got started blogging?

Funny, I was JUST telling my friend this story. I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.

I’m not entirely sure the exact moment, but it all started out when I created a fan-site for the band Garbage back in 1998 (I think). With that, came linking to other fans’ pages, and I came across one run by Angela (who now has an awesome blog Anything But Perfect). She befriended me, and I ended up being part of a 4 girl team writing for her personal blog. Then I branched out on my own, and I had my own domain for a while. For the rest of the story, just read my post below.

Now I’m trying to ease back into it, so we’ll see where it takes me!

2. Are you an Apple or a PC?

I’ve always had PCs, but I got my first Apple product for Christmas. My iPhone 4S is my first smart phone, and I absolutely love it! It’s one of those things that I don’t know how I lived without it before.

3. What is your ideal Sunday afternoon?

I’d say going out and exploring the world with my husband and our dog. Since I live in the PNW, it’s often so rainy, cold and/or gloomy that I get discouraged and don’t do anything fun.

But I’ve vowed to myself to try and be more motivated. I always WANT to do things like go hiking, check out local parks and beaches, etc.; but I tend to just think about it, instead of do it.

4. Where is your dream destination?

Anywhere there’s a beach - preferably a warm one. I’m absolutely in love with Hawaii, so I’d never say no to a chance to visit!

5. Beach bungalow or Mountain chalet?

Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with beaches? I am my at my happiest when standing in front of the ocean with the sand between my toes.

6. Pencils or Pens?

Both.

7. What is your go-to recipe?

When I want a hearty meal that’s fast & easy, I make my shrimp pasta toss. I don’t have an exact recipe because I just wing it, but it goes a little something like this:

Boil water & add whole wheat pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes until al dente.

I toss raw shrimp (usually frozen for convenience) with a little olive oil, sea salt & freshly cracked pepper - then I roast them for about 8-10 minutes in a 425 degree oven. This should be done simultaneously with the pasta.

In a separate, large pan, I create the sauce. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the preheated pan. Add 2 minced shallots and about 4 minced cloves of garlic (in my opinion, more is more when it comes to garlic). I let them sweat for about 2-3 minutes, carefully making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Then add the juice of 1-2 lemons, or to taste.

Sometimes, I’ll add the shrimp to the pan at this stage instead of roasting it in the oven, but you’ll have to be careful not to overcook the shrimp.

When the shrimp and pasta are done, add it all to the pan to coat with the sauce. Then I take it off of the heat and fold in about 3 cups of spinach with a little bit of the pasta water.

To finish, I add the zest of one lemon (be sure to zest it before you juice it) and freshly cracked pepper. Sometimes I’ll add a smidge more sea salt, but there’s usually enough salt elsewhere. If the dish seems too sticky, you can always add a little more olive oil and/or pasta water.

It’s so easy to make, and quick if everything is timed right.

8. Whats at the top of your playlist this week?

I haven’t been listening to the radio much lately. I mostly just have Pandora set to the Kings of Leon station.

9. Favorite young adult fiction, or are you too cool for that school?

Too cool for school, dude.

10. Black or green thumb?

Somewhere in between. I plan on tending to our garden WAY more this year. In the past, my husband has handled all of that. He’s done a great job, too!

11. Favorite indulgence?

It used to be ice cream, but ever since I started my quest for a healthier lifestyle last September, I haven’t really had much. I used to have ice cream probably 4-5 nights a week, but now I barely have it once a month if at all.

Unfortunately, I haven’t totally kicked my sweet tooth habit. So that’s my next challenge.

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Whew! Thanks again to Brianne for tagging me. Perhaps this’ll help get my juices flowing and force me to start writing more and get back into the blogging community. I’ll get back to you when I think of my own 11 questions to ask.

Sometimes it’s funny to me that I used to have a [very] modestly popular blog in ‘00-‘01, when 99 out of 100 people didn’t even know what a blog was.

I was way ahead of the times. I had my own domain. I coded by hand. I learned Photoshop and did my own graphic design.

I don’t remember exactly why I decided to close up shop, but I often can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if I didn’t.

Sometimes I feel like I may have missed out on the boom of opportunity and all of its advantages. To start out just writing about the little tidbits of life and then grow into something that people wanted to be a part of - whether it be readers who couldn’t wait to hear about what you made for dinner, or, better yet, sponsors/companies that could help generate some extra income.

I know back when I was blogging, it wasn’t about money, becoming internet famous (though it didn’t hurt), or famous to the rest of the world. Even now, that whole idea of making money from your blog rubs some people the wrong way. But hey, it’s out there, and why not take advantage if you’re given that opportunity? As long as you’re not consciously giving people false information/hocking a bad product to benefit you, I don’t see what the harm is.

Blogging today is about branding, and it seems to be very similar to being a business. The business of you. What you like, what you wear, what you buy.

There’s been many times in the last couple of years that I’ve wanted to try and pick back up where I’ve left off, but I wouldn’t know the first place to start. Sometimes I feel like the market is over-saturated with somebodies, and I’m just a nobody; so why would they care about ME? Who would care about what I like? What I wear? What I buy?

It’s funny to look back at what used to be, and wonder what might have been.

Forgive me if this is a bit hastily written. I’m not so used to this writing thing anymore, and my brain is a bit foggy. But I’ve got a deadline, my friends! And I’ll stick to my word of participation.

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The funny thing about Nanette’s Pinteractive Challenge is that I was planning on doing these things anyway; it was just the extra boost that I needed to do it sooner rather than later.

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A few months ago I purchased some blank canvases, water color paints, and paint brushes in the hopes that someday I’d be in the mood to pretend that I know what I’m doing. Let’s be clear - I do NOT know what I’m doing. Sometimes I just like to doodle.

My inspiration was this print that I saw. I’m really into aqua and coral color combinations lately, and this just resonated with me.

I thought to myself, “Hey! I could totally do something similar. I… think.” And so I did! I… think.

It was so fun to just zone out and create. I’m definitely going to be trying watercolors again. I already have some ideas in mind!

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The next thing I did for this challenge was make this dish that I saw via Deb (@thesmitten) of smittenkitchen.com. I immediately pinned the recipe and knew I’d try it as soon as possible.

Halal Cart–Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce

I’m a HUGE fan of Mediterranean-style flavors, and I could tell by the list of ingredients that I would love this dish. I WAS RIGHT.

We had my mother-in-law over for dinner the night I made this, and we were all oohing and aahing over the flavors. It was just. so. good. The only thing I did differently was use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs. I also didn’t put the chopped meat back into the skillet because I timed it so the chicken would finish with the rice.

As you can see, I licked the plate clean. I’ll definitely be making this again!

Thanks to Nanette for inspiring me and others to do this!

Nanette created a challenge for her readers this week: actually DO/CREATE/COOK/BAKE something they’ve pinned on Pinterest.

I know I’m guilty of this - I pin recipes, projects, and hair-styles with the best of intentions. Then, life gets in the way. I’m too tired in the morning to try that cute ‘do I pinned [I’m embarrassed to admit that sometimes I leave myself less than 5 minutes for hair- makeup is more important to me]. And after work? Yeah, that recipe will have to wait.

I’m definitely going to take part in Nanette’s challenge. I’m not quite sure exactly what I’ll be doing, or if I’ll try more than one thing. But I’m in. Won’t you join us?

After letting him back in from a bathroom break, Parker ran upstairs to the quarantine area where Zac’s been hanging out for the last few days. I was right behind him, when Parker decided it was the perfect time to “steal” one of Zac’s slippers to try and incite a game of chase.

This unwanted behavior requires us to wrangle him so we can give him a spritz of bitter spray. But let me tell you, this dog is faster than lightning. He’s also smart, and knows when he’s in trouble. Bad combo.

We had him perfectly cornered, when suddenly he ran right past Zac. “You suck,” I yelled.

A few seconds later, we had himdon’tlethimrunpast… noooo, there he goes, right by ME. “You suck, you suck,” Zac mockingly imitated.

So, I pretended to kick him in the groin. What I didn’t expect is that MY slipper would fly off and nail him square in the balls. If ever there was an emoticon for real life, this :-O would’ve been my face.

Zac and I immediately fell to the ground. Him, in pain, and both of us in hysterical laughter.

And Parker? He ran off with my slipper.

10 pounds down, 40 more to go. I can really see a change in my body, and I am diggin’ it.

Summer finally arrived in Seattle a few weeks ago, and it has been glorious. It’s these very summery days that makes us realize “Okay, THIS is why we live here.”

It makes up for the other 320 days that are miserably gloomy. I just want to bottle up the sunshine and keep it close to my heart, so that whenever the melancholy gray of winter is upon us, I can savor the warmth and joy that today brings.

Sometimes, Seattle, you’re not so bad.

Today marks one week of my weight loss/lifestyle change adventure. I am currently down about 5.5 pounds, and I’m feelin’ good.

Eating small meals every 3 hours or so really agrees with me. I HATE feeling hungry, it actually makes me angry. In the last year, I’ve noticed hypoglycemia becoming more of an issue if I don’t eat somewhat regularly. So, this is perfect. It helps take the edge off of cutting calories, fo sho!

It’s really nice to feel in control of my life again. I could get used to this.