There’ s no better way to start a summer day…
Man oh man was this morning’s Green Monster good!
Guess where this kale came from?
Just my veggie garden, that’s all. No big deal. ;) I’ve clearly advanced from a Black Thumb to a Brown Thumb.
Milli Vanilli Green Monster
Ingredients:
- ~ 1 cup kale
- Handful spinach
- 1.25 cups almond milk
- 1 tbsp Vega Vanilla Almondilla Shake & Go Protein Powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 frozen banana
- 4 frozen mango chunks
- Handful blueberries
- 4-5 strawberries
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 ice cubes
This was absolutely delicious. And it rekindled my love for Vega Vanilla Almondilla Shake & Go! I go through protein powder phases all the time. For a while I was in love with the Vega Choc-o-lot Shake & Go and then I got sick of it. Now, I ‘m using this one and also Vega Smoothie Infusion (120 kcals and 14 grams protein per serving). This Vanilla Almondilla has 11 grams of protein per serving. You can click the picture below to enlarge.
So back to that crazy kale!
Major growth has been going down over the past couple weeks. It’s crazy that I’ve only had my garden planted for just 5 weeks now.
Kale, May 23, 2011:
Kale, June 29, 2011:
I’ve started harvesting kale this week. I can’t get over how fresh and crisp the leaves are. They also aren’t as bitter as I’m used to.
The bell pepper plants seem to be getting ready for a little pepper sprouting action!! So cute.
I HAVE PEAS!
“When the pea pods are swollen (appear round) they are ready to be picked. Pick a few pods every day or two near harvest time to determine when the peas are at the proper stage for eating. Peas are of the best quality when they are fully expanded but immature, before they become hard and starchy. Peas should be picked immediately before cooking because their quality, especially sweetness (like that of sweet corn), deteriorates rapidly.” [Source]
The two cucumber plants continue to grow like weeds…
See the little yellow flowers?
The first yellow flowers appearing on the plants are male flowers that provide pollen. These flowers normally drop off after blooming. The small cucumber is evident at the base of the female flower (even before it opens) and should develop into an edible fruit if properly pollinated. Anything that interferes with pollination of the female flowers reduces fruit set and yield, including cold temperatures and rainy weather that hamper bee activity or improper use of insecticides that kill bees. [Source] <—That would explain why there are so many bees around my garden!
The romaine is HUGE. I’m going to make a Caesar Salad tonight!
Onions! (Apparently I planted these way too close together)
An animal dug up one of my tomato plants and it died. :( My other two tomato plants were also disturbed, but they seem to be bouncing back with a little TLC.
In conclusion, I have no idea what the heck I’m doing and somehow it’s working out. :)
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By the way, I have 108 recipes entered and counting!
such pretty kale! we planted a whole bed dedicated to the lovely green — i’ve even been making cookies with it! veggies from beyond your doorstep taste the best, I think. And what an awesome green monster today! I mentioned your love for green monster smoothies in my last blog post– I love seeing them all and then making them!
Kale is good in smoothies?! I would think it would make it bitter. The garden progress makes me happy to see!
The garden looks fantastic! Enjoy it, ours is a bit behind due to the rain and lack of sun.
The onions look perfect. What you do now is thin them! You pull a few and use them now for cooking, and when they is a row left with space in between you let them grow! You can eat new onions, or baby onions for a little bit!
ohhh I think I remember reading something like that! Thanks!
One of the great benefits of planting onions to close together to start :-)
I have romaine that needs to be picked too! Do you know how to tell if does need to be harvested? I’m currently just judging by the out of controlness lol
haha same here!! Eric was like…’aren’t you going to pick any leaves??’ and I was like, ‘YOU mean I can already????’ Im so afraid of killing it, but I think its ready!
I was wondering the same thing. I’m always concerned that I’ll harvest too many herbs at once and kill my plants.
Your garden is SO plush and greeen. I am jealous. I don’t even have a space for a garden!
I can’t believe how fast your garden is growing! We have some grape tomatoes starting and a couple of jalapenos. I see some homemade salsa in the very near future!
Wow! Your garden looks great! Doesn’t it make you feel proud to know that YOU made that happen :) Enjoy the caesar salad!
Ahhh I miss having a vegetable garden – there’s so many highs and so many lows! Yours is looking utterly beautiful so far though Angela :D xx
I hope my black thumb can pull off a little garden like that next year!
You have just made me SO jealous with your garden! I want a garden so badly. That green monster is definitely a victory smoothie! :)
Wow! You’re garden is doing amazing, congrats :) (Though I have envy for your peas). I’ not sure how cucumbers take to grow but our plants are kind of just… there. I’m not sure it’s even really grown since I put it in the ground and yet it’s not dead either. We’ll see!
On a random note (and yes, sorry if this is kind of a shameless plug), if you want more of those Vega packs, I’m currently hosting a giveaway for a bunch of their different kinds til the end of the week :)
Your veggie garden looks amazing! If you have a brown thumb I don’t even KNOW what mine is… I even managed to kill a cactus once :\ haha. I’d love to be able to grow and pick and eat my own veggies!
Mmm, I am not normally a kale fan- it’s always so bitter to me!- but you have me wanting to try it out in my garden. I have a black thumb, too, but you’re giving me the confidence to get a little crazy :)
Ive discovered that kale is seriously FOOL PROOF! Well, when you start from a baby plant that is, haha. I think I heard seeds are easy too. I will try that next year.
Wow, how gorgeous is that romaine?!?!
Gorgeous! I’m house sitting for a couple of weeks in beautiful St. George, Utah– at my boyfriend’s sister’s house. They have a wonderful garden out back full of basil, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, etc. I’m so amazed by it all! Soon, we’re going to be able to pick a plum, zucchini, crook neck squash and some tomatoes! :)
LOVE the recipage – must be taking a lot of work, but it looks amazing!
And I’m so so impressed with your garden. I think that’s fantastic that you’re eating the fruits of your garden! Go you!
I’m SO jealous of your garden!!! We travel too much in the summer to grow a proper veggie garden, and I’m always so envious of people who have their own veggies to pick and cook and eat!
oh i love your garden! i would absolutely love to have my own garden, but i don’t have a yard =( i have a huge patio, though, so i wonder what kinds of plants i could get to grow in giant pots…
Your kale gives me such hope for my little kale plants!! They do grow fast but we planted ours a little later so they are still just baby plants. Looking forward to trying them in GM’s when they grow!
Oh my gosh, I didn’t think it was possible to drool over lettuce, but your romaine looks so fresh and crisp. I wish I had a garden!