Lean & Green Juice {recipe}

My husband has been on this juice/smoothie kick lately.  So I've had the pleasure of trying out a billion (ok maybe just a hand full) of different recipes.  Today I made one called 'Lean & Green' for him before he went off to his class for the night.  After working all day, then off to college at night, this should keep him refreshed.  Hopefully.  :)

Now I know things like this (with spinach) wouldn't work as well in our old blender.  But for my birthday in August, my mama bought me the Ninja Professional, and it pretty much blends anything.  And for those of you who have never tried a green smoothie - no, you can't taste the spinach.  I promise. 

I took it with me on a little stroll with Clara around the neighborhood.  I gave her a taste, too, and she loves it.  She kept asking for more, and of course, it's healthy, so I'm all about giving her more if she likes it!

 

Lean & Green Juice

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 whole kiwi, peeled*
• 1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
• 5 or so ice cubes
• Splash of apple juice, or white grape juice

Place all ingredients in blender.  And blend/pulse on high until smooth.  Makes 2 servings.

*Did you know.. that ounce for ounce, kiwi is the most nutrient dense when compared to 27 other fruits?

glazed pumpkin scones {recipe}

With it being October, I feel like everything I bake must have some sort of pumpkin incorporated into it.  I love pumpkin, and only get to bake with it during the holiday seasons - so I gotta eat it up while I can.  ;)  I wanted to do something different for breakfast Saturday morning, and landed on this recipe.  It was something different than waffles, pancakes, or pumpkin bread.. and we really enjoyed it!  They were flaky, and moist.  The powdered sugar/maple glaze compliments it very well, too.  Even my lovely guinea pig (my husband) enjoyed it.  These would be good for a snack as well, not just for breakfast.  But I will tell you this - they go really well with a good cup of coffee.  Try it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Glazed Pumpkin Scones
slightly adapted from Some the Wiser

Scones

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (greek or regular)
• 1 large egg

 Glaze

• Powdered sugar
• Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 F.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Using largest holes on a box grater, grate frozen butter into flour mixture and mix until it resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, combine egg, pumpkin, and yogurt and mix well.   Stir yogurt mixture into flour mixture.  Using hands, shape dough into a ball, making sure to fold in all the loose clumps.

When dough is well combined and sticks together in a large ball, turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Shape into a 7 inch circle, approximately 3/4 inch thick, and cut into 8 equal pieces.   With space between each triangle, place on a parchment covered (or silicone mat) baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden.   Allow scones to cool and prepare glaze.

Now, for the glaze... I never use exact measurements for things like this.. so I'm sorry to all of you who don't like to eyeball things.  Mix together milk and powdered sugar until it's at a glaze-like consistency.  Add about 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract.  Add in maple syrup, to taste.  Start with about 1 tbsp. and go from there.   Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones, and enjoy!