Creamy Cashewmilk Smoothie

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My two favorite kind of nuts are almonds and cashews. You will always find them in my pantry. I also love making my own almond and cashew milk, but sometimes I don't have the time. That's where Silk Cashewmilk comes in hand! Silk Cashewmilk is gluten, dairy and soy free and has 25% fewer calories than skim milk. It is so creamy and makes the best cashew milk smoothie!

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric

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• 1 frozen banana (if it's not frozen that is ok! I like to peel and freeze my over ripe bananas for smoothies)
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Silk Cashewmilk (I opt for the unsweetened version because the banana will add your natural sugar)
• 5 ice cubes

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Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender. Blend away until creamy smooth. There may be some mini ice chunks but I like that little crunch in my smoothie. Enjoy! What is your favorite  smoothie mixture?

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Silk Original Cashewmilk: 60 cal/serv; skim dairy milk: 80 cal/serv. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 27. Data consistent with typical skim dairy milk.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Silk through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about Silk, all opinions are my own.

Turmeric Milk Recipe

As weird as turmeric milk sounds, it is actually quite delicious! I was reading some blogs and came across turmeric milk and knew I had to try it. I just finished my first half cup and I loved it! I do not think I could drink a whole cup, not just yet. This is a soothing drink that I think would be best to drink at night. 

Why turmeric? Read up on the many benefits of turmeric: here and here.  And check out my awesome turmeric dinner recipe here!

Turmeric milk is made of any kind of milk- usually coconut or almond milk- and then a small amount of turmeric and pepper. The pepper is added because pepper and turmeric go well together and help absorption. Some people like to add in ginger, I still  have not tried that.

I made my own homemade coconut milk:

• 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2-1 cup HOT water, not boiling.
• Put in blender on high and blend for 2 minutes.

I doubled my cheese cloths and drained the milk right into a pot. Squeeze all the liquid out. There will be some coconut flesh in the cloth. I just tossed mine. I started with a 1/4 cup of coconut flakes and 1/2 water. I may up it next time if I feel adventurous.

NOTE* If you do not want to/do not have time to make your own homemade milk you can of course buy almond or coconut milk in a carton. I have used almond milk in a carton for my turmeric tea, and it was delicious.

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After the "milk" is made and in a pot, put fire on medium heat and add in 1/2 tsp of turmeric, some black pepper, and fresh ginger. If you do not have fresh ginger powdered is fine. If you need some sweetness add a medjool date to the mix and let it melt a little. Mix around and take the pot off the fire just before it starts to boil. Do not let it boil. Strain (optional), pour in a cup and enjoy!

You can be creative with what you add to your tea. I have added cinnamon and pumpkin spice to my tea. This was amazing, like a little treat! (image above) Just remember the base of the tea is the milk, turmeric and pepper. From there you can add whatever spices and sweeteners you wish!

This is a super helpful blog post about all the different kinds of "milks" and their nutritional value. 

I will be drinking this maybe once a week before bed. It is soothing, tasty, AND good for you! Have you ever tried turmeric milk? How do you make it?

Cucumber and lime juice

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Every morning, while in Con Dao, I have been drinking cucumber and lime juice. It is so refreshing and really cools me off! I will continue to make this juice combination on my own for the summer:

- 1 large cucumber - 1/2 or a whole lime peeled (depending how limey you like it)

The weather here has been SO hot. If I am outside for a long period of time I can only stand it if I am in the shade, ocean or the pool.

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Con Dao is a small island off Vietnam. It is very tropical and there are a lot of mosquitos!!! The mosquitos seem to love me as I have had about 20 "kisses" already and my camera man maybe only about 5??  Bahhh

The food is so fresh and delicious! I am really enjoying all the exotic fruit! My favorites are the mangos (sooooo good and meaty here!!!!), drinking fresh coconut juice, and something called mango steen! They are not too sweet and just a little sour. I have never seen or heard of mango steen before coming to Vietnam.

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Can you name all the fruit above???

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Mango steen!

The Vietnamese diet is mainly some form of rice, vegetables and some type of meat or fish. I have never eaten so much rice in my life! Everyday, without fail, I have been eating rice! They also use a lot of lemongrass for things like seasoning dishes, scents for soap, massage oils, candles, insect repellant... pretty much everything. Good thing I like the smell...phew. Actually, check out the picture above of the fresh green coconut. The green straw that is stuck inside is a lemongrass straw!!!

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Lemongrass

I was able to film a short arms and abs video for you. Enjoy!!

We only have a couple more days here until our trip is over! Ok now I am off for some dinner.... (probably rice!)

xin chào!

Homemade Green Juice. NO fancy juicer needed!

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I was on a mission to make myself a green juice. I do not have a juicer, but that did not stop me. And should not stop you either. Here is an easy way to make a green juice. You will need:

• blender
• jelly strainer (I got mine at ACE hardware)

Ingredients:

• 4spinach ice cubes
• 2 carrots chopped
• whole stalk of romaine lettuce
• 4 leafs of kale
• 1/2 a green apple
• 1/2 of lime squeezed
• 1/4 inch of ginger
• 1 Cup water

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Directions:

• add water, spinach ice cubes and blend
• add romaine lettuce and apples and blend
• Squeeze lemon juice and add kale. If you feel you need more water to help you mix ingredients, add more :)
• Lastly add the remainder of your ingredients, carrots, and ginger.

*TIP* Add ingredients in slowly. If you over stuff your blender it will not mix.

Blend until it is a puree.

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Wash your jelly strainer with soap and water. Rinse well. Drape it over a big glass and pour your green mixture. Squeeze the jelly strainer to help reveal your beautiful green juice into your glass.

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The jelly strainer will catch all of the fiber and ruffage from the vegetables and fruit and just give you the straight juices.

*TIP* I found that if i filled the jelly strainer too much it was hard to squeeze and made a mess. In order to prevent this you can squeeze the jelly strainer over a big bowl and then transfer to a glass cup.

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I like my juice COLD. So add some spinach ice cubes, or regular ice cubes to your juice to make it cold. Or stick it in the freezer for a couple of minutes. You want to drink the juice as soon as possible, while the juice is at its maximum nutrient level.

What is your favorite green juice mixture? Let me know if you try this jelly strainer trick!