It is likely you have noticed how quiet things have been around here on Tasty Yummies. We have been traveling up a storm over here this holiday season to different events and fairs all over the east coast. In the last month we have been to Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Chicago and Pittsburgh. As of this past weekend, are finally done traveling for the year! At the start of the crazy month of travel, in mid-November, we got an offer on our house. YAY!!! Closing is scheduled for early January. I honestly cannot believe it’s all really happening.
So, besides being overwhelmed with all of the travel and the holidays, we are in the midst of selling our house and figuring out packing up all of our personal and business related belongings to relocate to California in early 2013. I don’t consider myself a stressful person or a worrier in the least, but I have to say, we haven’t even really begun packing up boxes and all of that real stuff, and I am kinda already freaking a little bit. Hubby, of course, continuously reassures me it is all fine and everything will all get done, but I cannot quiet the constant voice in my head reading the long list of the many things that need to get done before closing (and having to be totally moved out) next month, a month from yesterday to be exact. I have surprisingly only moved once in my adult life and that was from living at home with my parents to buying my first home at 23, 9 years ago. So, I am just a bit overwhelmed.
As you can imagine, between the travels, running the business, preparing for the move and dealing with all the holiday fun of shopping and such, there just hasn’t been much leftover time for me to play in the kitchen. That is the only bummer about all of it. Obviously as with most painful things in life, it is temporary. This time will pass and be over before I know it. Doesn’t make it all any easier though.
I have been eating well and cooking every single chance I get, but the time to create new recipes, set up photo shoots, edit photos, etc – just doesn’t seem to be there right now and I have tried to do my best to accept that, as much as I am not exactly happy about it. I will obviously be sharing recipes whenever I can, I am not totally disappearing, I just wanted to explain the quiet and lack of recipes. Oh and I have some really fun end of the year stuff planned for the end of the month here on the blog, so stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, I created this tasty smoothie this morning after yoga. By the way, another quick side note yoga has been my saving grace this past month. That is one thing that I have made sure to find as many free moments for right now. I need it. It has helped keep me grounded (mostly) and has allowed me to quiet my mind, even if only temporarily, in a way that nothing else can. I am so grateful for my practice every day, but especially in times like this. OK, back to the tasty smoothie…. I wanted to create something that really had some holiday flare to it. I am a Christmas junkie and I have been trying to take in and cherish every single moment of it this year. I like to squeeze in the holiday cheer wherever I can. So, what better way than with the classic flavors of egg nog, in a healthy and hearty smoothie. I actually had planned on using canned coconut milk since I have plentyin the pantry but I had some So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog in the fridge (which I am admittedly addicted to) so I thought that would really bring on the extra nog flavor. Obviously this would be equally as delicious with just coconut plain milk. Feel free to sweeten and spice to your liking. Since I used the nog and my banana was nice and sweet, I didn’t add any sweetener and I went with the below measurements for spices, you may want more though, depending on how strong a flavor you are looking for. This smoothie would of course also be delicious with a shot (or two) of your favorite spirit if you really want to celebrate!
[print_this]Banana Nog Smoothie
makes 1 large serving or 2 smaller servings
- 1 cup organic coconut milk – the canned kind (or for even more flavor, opt for your favorite vegan eggnog, instead)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened organic vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of cloves
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 small handful ice cubes
Optional – 1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey or other sweetener if it isn’t sweet enough for you)
Add all of the ingredients to your blender and blend on a high speed until thick and creamy. Give it a quick taste and adjust any seasonings or sweetness to your liking. Sprinkle a little nutmeg and/or cinnamon on top. Serve right away. [/print_this]
22 Responses
You have a lot going on in your life right now…I’m sure your recipe posts will pick back up again once things aren’t so crazy. What a huge life change you’re about to have! Very exciting.
Unlike you, I’ve moved many times in my life (I’ve lived in five different apartments just in the past six years I’ve lived in DC — there were various reasons for moving , of course). I actually ENJOY moving. You’ll have a great excuse to go through all the stuff in your closets and get rid of stuff you no longer want, need, or use!
Oh my goodness super congrats on the house selling! Hope everything goes smoothly for the closing and the move out.
I have done my fair share of moving and the best advice I can give is don’t forget to breathe and take it all one step at a time. It’s a huge life change and you owe it to yourself to take it all in and feel some things.
Thank you Mary Anne! And thanks for the lovely and very sound advice. All great thoughts that I will definitely take with me. 🙂
when we moved from england to FL, i got rid of all my clothes. i moved over with 7 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes and two pairs of pants. i didn’t even bring sock or underwear. i just bought new ones when we landed. if i was undertaking a move such as yours, i’d pay someone. if you’ve got the funds- hire a moving company. i’m a big fan of getting rid of as much as possible method. then you’ve got an excuse to find new stuff
Laura that is amazing! I wish I was so brave! I definitely plan to purge a TON of stuff though, for sure.
We are doing the pods thing. They will be dropped off to our house here, we will load them up ourselves, they will then go into storage and then they will get moved out to California for us when we are ready and dropped off in front of our new home! Seems pretty good to me.
Thanks for the advice 🙂
That smoothie looks so delicious! By the way, good luck on your move to California!
Thanks so much Janie!
Beth! That’s sooooo exciting! You’re moving to Cali – what a great adventure, I can’t wait to hear how it all unfolds for you. When I’m feeling stressed I have a couple of mantras 1) everything that needs to get done will get done, it always does; and 2) life is unfolding exactly as it should.
Hugs to you guys as you continue on your awesome journey. xo
Thanks Maggie. We are so insanely excited for everything that lies ahead. Should definitely be an incredible and memorable adventure.
Thank you kindly for sharing your mantras – you couldn’t be more right and it makes it easier to read it! I should print those out and leave it on my desk to see every day until the big move!
Hey Beth! Congrats on the big news, that’s amazing. This smoothie is calling my name. 🙂 Take it from a self-professed Nomad that has moved cross country 3 times. Remain calm, get rid of excess baggage, and trust in yourself that it will all get done. I have a standing rule of if I don’t love it and I haven’t used it in a year I donate it or toss it. This crazy storm will pass and you will be resuming your life in your new space before you know it. We are actually moving back to Long Beach, CA, where we call home, from Atlanta in May so I am right behind you. Not sure where you will be moving but if you need LBC or LA questions answered feel free to send me an email.
Hey Meg thanks, all such wonderful advice!! OK so OMG this is so exciting to hear… we are actually headed right for Long Beach ourselves. So ironic!! We fell in love when we were there last summer and we cannot wait to be Long Beach residents! We hope to be out there by March or early April. I still cannot believe it is finally happening for us and now I am even more excited to hear I am going to have a lovely neighbor like you, YAY!!
SHUT UP!!! Of all the perfect So Cal towns you fell in love with ours;) The LBC is lucky to have you and I think that you will love it there. We will be out there by the end of May, but traveling back and forth frequently until then. If you need ANYTHING let me know, all of our friends are awesome people that would be willing to answer questions or help you find your way around…I even know of a few really kick a@* yoga studios if you are interested.
Congratulations! I’m glad you’re already doing yoga because that would have been my first recommendation. Yoga is what got me through my move from Chicago to Minneapolis. I had dabbled in the practice in Chicago, but as a “you just uprooted your life you deserve something nice” gift to myself, I bought my first yoga membership in Minneapolis, and that’s what got me really deep into it. Also, just getting rid of as much as possible. Think of it as a feng-shui cleanse.
Good luck. Positive energy is being sent your way!
(Also, that smoothie sounds perfect!)
Thanks Raechel! Yes thankfully I have a daily yoga practice that is the most incredible grounding and centering remedy for all things that ail me. I know it will be cherished more than ever during this time. Yoga is definitely my constant! Thanks for the positive energy, much appreciated. Namaste.
Hey, don’t worry about leaving us all behind in the “Miami of the North” to run off to coastal California Playland ! Ha, ha ! Actually I am very happy for you, and know you will absolutely love West Coast living 🙂 I will patiently look forward to hearing of your adventures in cooking AND the moving process, as your adventures develop and come to fruition. Best wishes to you for a very Merry Christmas, and a beautiful New Year !
Haha Karen, yeh I hate to run off and leave my amazing WNYers behind, but it is time for us to move on to the next chapter of our lives and lucky for us, this next chapter involves sunshine, ocean and blue skies. Darn it.
Thanks for all of your wonderful words. Merry Christmas to you as well and I wish you a wonderful 2013!
I’m just amazed you were able to take the time to take these gorgeous photos of your smoothie and resist its deliciousness all that time! I know that I have made similar smoothies (very close, but yours has a couple of twists I can’t wait to try!) and I just couldn’t wait to drink it as soon as I possibly could 🙂
Thanks for the recipe,
Erik
I have moved a lot! 8 times by the time I was 16 and then immediately joined the Navy after graduating high school. I got out of the Navy and then married a Navy man and moved some more.
In all the chaos, my number one rule (and my advice) is the first thing that gets set up in the new place is the bed! At the end of the day you want something comforting and familiar, good luck! 🙂
First of all, congratulations! That is wonderful and exciting news! I moved 5 times in 4 years and by the last move, I had gotten rid of half of my stuff–it was sitting in an alley behind my apartment and someone (or many people) snatched it all up pretty quickly. But, I’m pretty sure whoever got a hold of it needed it more than I did. In the beginning I tried to hold on to everything–I tend to be sentimental. But I eventually realized that many of the things I was clinging to were not that important (do I really need to keep a random math notebook from high school?) and it felt so good afterward to know that I had purged all of the clutter in my life. Best advice I can give you: don’t worry about every little detail, everything will fall into place just how it should in the end. Good luck with everything!
Being my first gluten-free and dairy-free Christmas, it is very nice to find an eggnog alternative. I thought this was quite yummy, especially when adding some extra nutmeg on top. I didn’t need any extra sweetener and just used regular coconut milk. Thanks for another great recipe!
[…] Click here for the Banana Nog Smoothie Recipe! {VEGAN} […]
Oh man! That So Delicious egg nog is SO good! I never thought to put it in a smoothie!