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!
YAY for the garden! That romaine looks heavenly. My MIL keeps giving me fresh green onions from her garden and they are SO GOOD….I may never be able to eat store bought green onions again. Enjoy!
I’m so jealous of your beautiful garden! I live in a third story apartment, so no chance of gardening for me. My potted basil plant will have to do for now. I actually prefer spinach in my GM’s – maybe I’ll try kale again this weekend. If not, I know kale chips will always be my BFF. :)
Awesome garden! Baby steps, right?
Brooke Annessa
www.theannessafamily.blogspot.com
Don’t forget to keep up with weeding! You don’t want those gorgeous plants to get crowded out!
I planted my first garden this year as well, and so far I’ve gotten a few strawberries. potatoes, lots of basil and spinach, and some lettuce. I researched everything, but I too felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I’ve been battling a gopher eating some of my plants, but other than that it’s gone pretty well, and I’ve definitely learned how I would change things if I do another garden.
oohh wowwww this is so exciting! look at you ms. gardener~~! Haha, this post really excited me and motivates me to think about gardening in the future :D
Can’t resist:
“In conclusion, I have no idea what the heck I’m doing and somehow it’s working out.”
……….in other words … story of my life :-)
LOVE the garden-fresh GM!
eeep! your garden is doing great, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. ;)
i just bought some kale at the farmer’s market today (next best thing!) and can’t wait to have a delicious green monster tomorrow!
nothing like really fresh LIVE food from the garden! i think baby kale is way less bitter too. I get used it this spring and now it’s hard to go back to the larger leaves.
Wow Angela! Your garden looks amazing!!! I started today also with a green smoothie – I wish we would have kale here in Israel – unfortunatelly the weather is too hot for it… I just growing a lots of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, sunflowers and a lot of spices and herbs on my rooftop garden. Have a great day!
I love your garden! I love my garden tooo :) It’s so fun and rewarding to grow your own food! I live in an apartment so I am proud of my mini garden in pots! Next time I might just try kale!
I wish I had a garden like that! Not that easy living on a houseboat in the centre of Amsterdam;) That’s some delicious looking green monster!
2nd blog i’ve read today about protein powder—now i just need to read it in a 3rd blog to go try some vegan or raw protein powder-lol…actually i have it on my WFs list now….i also go in and out with protein powder…lately not likely the one with soy since i think my intake of soy products is already high enough…
You’ve convinced grow kale next year. I find you really need a good blender (like Vitamix) for kale shakes otherwise there’s a little chewing going on :)
Ohhh that romaine looks SO tasty! :)
Baby kale is soooooo much cuter and less intimidating than full-grown kale.
man i am so jealous of your garden! sorry about the allergic reaction, hope it doesnt happen again! so bizarre. which vega is your all time favorite?
taste wise probably choc o lot :)
Hi Angela!
Thanks for a wonderful blog!
I want to ask you if you got any tips on how to make a kale smoothie really smooth? I’m having such problems and thinks it tastes pretty awful with bits in it. It may be so that my blender is not that good, so I do also wanna ask you what kind of blender do you use?
Thanks again! / Tove
Ive had probs with that in the past and it was due to my blender. Once I got a vitamix the problem went away. They are expensive but I think I could have easily gone through several blenders by now and racked up the same amount of moula (I had already gone through 2-3 before I finally got the vitamix). Maybe you could try using a bit less kale or even steaming it first to help break it down? I also find Dinosaur kale to be much smoother than curly kale.
I’m going out today to get the ingredients to try my first G.M! Thanks so much for all the recipes. I’ve only just gone vegan and this site is a lifesaver.