.smooth.

remember how i said i was going to make a kefir smoothie? well. i did and it was delicious. so yummy, that i had to share!!!

kefir is a delicious fermented, cultured dairy product. it is sort of like yogurt in a sense because it has live cultures and is super good for your immune system. but it is more of a beverage than yogurt (more liquid of a consistency). read this for more awesome info about kefir, what it is, what it does, and why you should love it.

here's how i made my smothie. a sort of DIY tutorial, if you will.

i started with a blender/juicer and added chopped up organic mango, organic banana and some organic frozen berries.
then i added some flax seed meal {about a TBSP}
flax seed is a great source of fiber and healthy fatty acids. adding a small amount to smoothies is a great way to add fiber to your diet. i also use ground flax seed meal as a substitute for eggs when i am baking for my vegan friends {heat 2-3 TBSP of water with 1 TBSP of flax until it takes on an egg-like consistency. this = one egg}. read this article for more about the awesomeness of flax.
anyway, after adding the flax, i added some local honey {local honey is GREAT for reducing seasonal allergies read this short article for more info on the benefits of local honey} , poured in the kefir and blended it up! it was pretty purple with bits of delicious mango floating in it! the banana and frozen berries gave it a great texture. the honey made it sweet like dessert, but really it was a great big helping of good-for-you fruit and cultured dairy!
remember to compost your fruit and vegetable scraps! {and pay no attention to the dog-hair balled up on my kitchen floor. i sweep EVERY DAY! malamutes are just fur-factories}.

there you have it! my nutritional overdose of information. that smothie was delicious. and served in an alaskan amber pint glass {procured fair and square from the summer i lived in juneau, ak}. my favorite beer, mmmmmm.

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spent the morning working in the massage studio and then ran errands in the FALLING SNOW after all my clients left. hit up the bank, post office, grocery store and . . . urban outfitters and details {a local socks/tights/legwarmers shop . . . they had a winter sale! legwarmers for $6!!!}. urban outfitters is weakness of mine. i got m ward's album "hold time" on vinyl for $4.99!!! yummy. i also picked up some arnica gel and homeopathic tablets . . . roller derby practice made me a little sore last night . . . remind me to tell you about "blood and thunder" sometime. so fun!

.it's the little things #1.

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first installment of "it's the little things." these posts will contain small lists of little things that make me happy.

yessssssssss!!!!!

#1) compost makes me happy! i LOOOOVE fresh fruits and veggies and greens and herbs (esp from the farmer's market and from my OWN GARDEN). and I HATE throwing away the beautiful nutritious left-overs (peels, cores, ends, etc) after i've chopped up the goodies and put them in my belly. it makes me so happy to take those brightly colored odds and ends and put them in my cute ceramic compost bucket (with a charcoal odor filter) to later take to the garden so they can return nutrients to the soil for next year's gardening expedition.

#2) this guy makes me happy! my bearded man-friend. he makes me coffee in the mornings, and often ends up being the one who has to take the smelly compost outside. :) he walks our pup every morning without complaining (even though it was MY IDEA to get a dog). he loves me through the ups and downs of life and the ups and downs of ME. he's been constantly by my side even when it was the hardest choice for almost 9 years. what adventures we've had! what adventures are yet to come!

#3) farm fresh eggs make me happy!! these are from zephyr farm in cranston, ri. the eggs are always so colorful and lovely - i almost don't want to eat them. but when i DO i find how much more amazing they taste than store-bought eggs. plus, how awesome is it to know that the chickens these eggs came from are NEVER CAGED and live in pastures! so great. also awesome? the fact that this farm is SO CLOSE by that i can go visit any time to meet those darn wonderful gals (the chickens that is) myself!

#4) hudson makes me happy! he's our 5 3/4 yr old (6 in march!) alaskan malamute. it's been amazing for the man-friend and i to learn to take care of a living mammal together . . . totally a challenge and there are definitely days that are harder than others. imagine living with a 3 yr old who weighs 80 pounds and has teeth and claws and sheds cotton ball sized clumps of fur all over your house? i say a 3 yr old, because malamutes are known to have very stubborn temperments. but they are also SO FUN and LOVING and SMART. hudson has definitely taught us a thing or two about love and sacrifice and consistency . . . and so much more. he definitely changed our lives for the better when we adopted him back in sept 2007.

#5) rice milk lattes make me happy!! since i am allergic to soy milk and i can't really digest regular milk too well (makes me all clogged up, ew!), rice milk lattes are where it's at for me. sadly, NO ONE in the state of Rhode Island believes in offering rice milk as an option in their coffee houses . . . so i am stuck drinking americanos until the man-friend can fix our espresso machine. while we were home in OREGON for the holidays, i had 3 GLORIOUS WEEKS full of delicious, steamy, rice milk lattes (like the one pictured above, purchased and consumed in the sellwood area of portland, oregon). sigh.


there you have it. the first installment of "it's the little things!"

what are some little things that make you happy!??!