bubble girl + a smoothie discovery

Hahah I can’t help but laugh at the title of this blog post. It kind of sounds like a ridiculous children’s adventure book or movie. Often when I sit down to write a post, I have so many things I want to talk about that I have a hard time narrowing it down to just one topic; hence, my very odd post names. Forgive me?

Let’s start with the smoothie discovery bit first, since it’s a little more fun!

I have been making smoothies religiously almost every day for the past three years and essentially follow the same basic formula each time (base of OJ/coconut water/almond milk, banana, other fruits, yogurt, chia + flax, + greens). Then, a co-worker of mine told me a little secret of hers: she uses tea in her smoothies as the liquid base. Brilliant! Why had I never thought of this before?!

Not only does replacing the juice with tea significantly reduce the sugar content of the smoothie, but it replaces it with a super hydrating, antioxidant-rich and sugar + calorie-free alternative. PLUS, putting tea in smoothies provides a lil’ extra caffeine boost that is more than welcome anytime 😉

I began the new dawn of smoothie-making by brewing up some green tea at night and letting it chill (literally) in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I simply poured my mug of green tea into the smoothie and VOILA! If you haven’t tried this yet, it’s definitely worth a shot.

PS – it looks like the smoothie + my countertops are the same colour… that’s kinda gross.

If you can get past the nasty appearance of this smoothie, it’s really delicious and worth trying for yourself. It’s super energizing + a great way to start the day. I love starting out with a smoothie every day because it starts it off on the right foot and makes it easier to forgive myself later if I’m bad with chocolate or other sweets 😉

Here’s what’s in the mix…

GREEN TEA GREEN SMOOTHIE

*an average-size mug of green tea {other kinds of herbal teas would also be delicious}

*one banana

*1 c. of frozen blueberries

*big handful of spinach

*a few stems of kale (2-3)

*spoonful of ground chia + flax

*probiotic powder

***

..and now, moving onto the bubble girl portion of this post.

Last night I went out for dinner at Bent, a new-ish and very trendy restaurant started by Sursur Lee’s sons, Kai and Levi Bent-Lee. I honestly don’t know much about Sursur Lee, other than he’s very well recognized and regarded in the Toronto restaurant scene. This was my first experience at any of his restaurants (I believe he has two others?) and I was really looking forward to seeing what it was all about!

The restaurant is cozy, ecclectic and welcoming. I absolutely fell in love with the ambiance and decor. It’s obvious that the designers put in a lot of thought and effort into the fine details of this place.

 

The food is very seafood-heavy, which is awesome for those who are big fans of the little guys under the sea! I can say that I truly appreciate how unique and interesting the menu is and just wish that I could have tried more of it! You see, I am a self-proclaimed “bubble girl” – I am allergic to more foods than any normal person should be hahah. It’s definitely an annoyance, but I’ve come to deal with all my allergies over the years and realize that there’s nothing I can really do about them! When I’m cooking at home, I honestly don’t even notice it because I just focus on the foods that I CAN have. Going out for dinner can sometimes be a challenge, but usually I just work around the menu and narrow in on the things that work for me. Last night I had to be extra cautious, though, since the majority of the menu involved shellfish (I have to be concerned about cross-contamination). Anyone who has gone out for dinner with me before knows that I absolutely DREAD this part of the meal. I HATE feeling like a diva and even though I know I’m not, I never want to be perceived as one of those stuck-up people who demand a meal that is “gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, salt-free, free-range, local and organic.” (You all know the type). As I list off all my allergies, I’m sometimes tempted to bring out my epi-pen just to prove that I’m legit hahah.

Above is an example of the bubble I should probably live in to protect myself from all my allergies (HA!). On second that, it actually kind of looks like it could be fun. Have you seen these water-bubble toys before? Apparently running around on them on top of the water like a hamster on a running wheel is quite a good workout but also carries a risk of death by suffocation.

Anyway, the waitress last night was absolutely incredible and accommodated all of my dietary restrictions. She took my allergies seriously (surprisingly, some places don’t) and worked with the chef to ensure what I would be eating would be truly safe for me. They actually had to come up with a new dish because nothing on the menu worked with all my allergies! It made me realize the importance of telling a server all allergies, as some ingredients are hidden and not necessarily stated on the menu (for instance, some of the chicken drumsticks were glazed with soy and other items were cooked with fish oils derived from shellfish). I really appreciated all of that effort that they put into making the dining experience safe for me. The best part was easily the vanilla-bean crème brule. DAMMMNNNNN. Why don’t I have that more often?

And for those of you in Toronto who enjoy oysters, lobster, scallops, and other seafoodly delights, I REALLY recommend checking this place out!

After dins, my girlfriends and I headed out to Repasado, a tequila-lovers bar (note: I do not love tequila). We ordered some margaritas and enjoyed listening to the live music (SUCH a treat these days). A successful Friday night indeeeeed 🙂

Today is drizzly and grey and there is nothing more I would love to do than be at home wearing a one-piece fleece outfit (or a snuggie?) and baking chocolate-chip cookies. For now, D and I are out at a coffee shop, doing our thang and enjoying some warm beverages. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Love,

A xo

Questions

• If you have any allergies (I know there are others out there!), do you ever feel like a diva when dining out?
• What are your favourite smoothie “bases” or smoothie recipes?