Friday, April 24, 2015

Around The House

This post is kind of a mish-mash of things. Do y'all have a regular morning routine? I definitely do. One of the first things I do after the sun comes up (yes, I'm up before the sun most days) is raise all the blinds so Holly Joaquin can see out the windows. Umm...did I ever tell you her middle name is "Joaquin?" Yep. :)




She'll remind me to open the blinds if I forget. She also likes me to move a bar stool in front of the back door so she can see out that window too. Spoiled much? 



I'm cracking up at her question mark shaped tail! Ha!

So, I discovered these "pour and bake" brownies the other day...




I got them free at HEB when I bought their coffee pods. Love those "buy this, get that free" promotions. Anyway, you literally just have to pour and bake. Like, you just spray a baking pan, rip open the pouch, pour the liquid mix into the pan and bake. You don't have to add anything or mix anything up. Oh, and there's no refrigeration required, so you can store the pouch in your pantry until you use it. Such a great item to keep on hand for a quick batch of brownies when someone stops by for a visit. I hear Trader Joe's has their own brand of pour and bake brownies too. Good stuff!

So, now on to smoothies. Do y'all make them? Now, keep in mind, I'm not talking about the ever popular kale-inspired recipes. I'm talking old school here. I used to make these all the time when the boys were little and just started making them again. Here's what I use...



Basically, I put a handful of frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, a container of yogurt of your choice (I used raspberry here), about 3/4 cup of milk, and one banana in my blender and whirl it all up together. This will make enough for two smoothies.





It's so good and is pretty healthy too. I like knowing that in that glass, there's a banana, strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, and some milk. Not a bad breakfast or snack if you ask me. :) 

Y'all have a great weekend!

~Lisa

16 comments:

  1. Good Morning Lisa! Checking out my favorites this morning and I'm happy to see a post from you.

    Your kitty and mine should be friends. Ha! So much personality. Mine woke me up this morning licking my hair. She knows I hate that.

    My son makes smoothies like that pretty often. They look yummy and healthy but they are not my thing.

    Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You go girl for being up before the sun!! My mom is like that, God bless her! I've been getting up at 6 ish and that's early for me but I've been feeling rested by then so why not?

    Those brownies were made for me! The less I have to mix and measure the better!

    We love smoothies around here too and most of the time they are pretty basic (without the kale and stuff) but still yummy! Yours sounds delicious!! Actually this reminds me I promised Lily a chocolate smoothie today. Not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to it too lol!

    Have a great weekend friend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I didn't even know there was a pour n' bake kind? my kinda cooking! Have to check it out, I love smoothies too and now that strawberries are out, we make those and some with mangoes a lot!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is such a pretty kitchen! I open things up soon as i get up too....helps me wake up

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the cat on the stool! I don't have any curtains on the back of the house that faces the bay---no one can see in and I even love looking out at night at the moon over the water. I did NOT know there were pour and bake brownies-but then I am always a day late....or later!
    I used to make those smoothies all the time when my kids were little and hubby would add a raw egg to his---gag me!
    Have a great weekend- xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wish I could wake up before the sun!!!!! I tried, but it only lasted for a few days. Lol!!! I'm not going to give up though!!!! The story about you moving the stool next to the window for your kitty cracked me up!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Week End Lisa. Love little Holly and love that you put the stool up there so she can watch the world go by lol! Tooo sweet. Since my surgery I am on liquids for awhile so smoothies are on my list and this was a good one. Have a great week end.
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  8. Up before sunrise?? I don't think I've ever seen a sunrise! lol! That Holly is so cute, what a personality she has!

    The brownies look good and I've heard good stuff about trader Joe's brownie mix. The smoothies look great, too. I made them for my kids like this for snacks when I first got a food processor. If they were reeeeally good I threw in a scoop of ice cream!! :)

    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Getting up before dawn??? No, thanks my friend! :) One of the most treasured aspects of retirement is *not* having to get up ~ unless I have an appointment. I do open the blinds, turn on the Keurig and walk my boy. After we return, I feed him and have my coffee.

    I think Trader Joe's offerings are usually wonderful but hadn't heard about the brownies. These are my kinda smoothies too! Love to have fresh fruit also and I usually add some protein powder. Great for our Texas summers!

    xo
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  10. Holly is so cute! The smoothies look so good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Kim! I don't know if you'll see this or not, but for some reason, all your comments (and lots of other people's too) have been going into my spam folder. I had no idea you'd been commenting lately. I was having trouble with something, so I checked my spam folder and there were hundreds of comments I knew nothing about. I'm so sorry! I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you, I just haven't actually received any of your comments since they went straight to spam. Hopefully I've fixed it now. :)

      Delete
  11. Your kitty is so cute! I think she's got the good life for sure. I've never heard of pour and bake brownies. That's a great idea. Talk about easy! Your smoothie looks yummy. I have never made one but my oldest son makes them all the time. He even bought a very expensive blender for himself to make them. He adds protein powder and a ton of other ingredients so he can gain weight. Would love to have that problem again! LOL! I might have to get on the smoothie bandwagon though since they are so nutritious and easy to make.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh Lisa, your picture of Holly cracked me up! Just a tad spoiled... but that's okay! ;) I am totally like you... blinds ALL have to be opened when I get up! I often say I cannot imagine people that have theirs closed in broad daylight... I love natural light!!! But I am never up before the sun ;) I enjoy these kinda posts, friend! Hope you have a totally awesome week!
    Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kendra! I'm just now seeing this because I've been having trouble with my comments lately. Ugh. Hopefully everything is fixed now. :)

      Delete
  13. Got to try those brownies! You always find the best products!

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from all of you! I try to respond to all comments and questions via email as quickly as possible. If you are a no-reply comment blogger (no email address) I will respond in the comments section, so be sure to check back for a response. :)

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.