Banana-Avocado Smoothie

Around this time of the quarter, I always seem to find myself scrambling to find time to cook or to even buy groceries. So, today I am sharing with you this simple, easy, healthy, and absolutely delicious smoothie! I kid you not, it almost reminds me of ice-cream, but healthy. Crazy, right? (I'm definitely patting myself on the back right now for this one)

Sometimes you just have to work with what you got in the fridge or pantry, and basically experiment with what you have. Not only is this smoothie healthy, but it basically contains every ingredient I love. A banana- for fiber, an avocado- for that good fat, coconut water- for hydration organic blue agave- for that healthy sweetness, and a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa- to mix things up a bit. 
And if you want to spice it up even more, added chocolate syrups on the sides, inside your cup, to make it taste like ice-cream EVEN MORE. 

Here's the thing- this smoothie is absolutely easy to make and contains all the necessary nutrients you need. You'll have that morning energy you've been craving for and you'll channel your dance moves on the kitchen floor. 
So grab a blender, these key ingredients and rub that belly of yours. You'll definitely be thanking me after this one. Cheers! 

I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________

Not Pictured: 

• Ice- to make it nice and cold

D I R E C T I O N S ____________________________________
1. In blender add frozen banana, avocado, coconut water, agave, ice, and cocoa (optional). 
2. Blend away. 
3. Sing and dance while you blend. 
4. Sprinkle some cocoa on top of smoothie (if it pleases you). 
5. Drink and enjoy immediately. 
I promise you- you won't regret it! 

Soba Noodle with Hummus Sauce

That's right, it's soba noodle time! After a long weekend of studying for my biochem exam coming up, I decided to take a good break and cook something up to share on Knoutself today. Trying to see what I could put together with whatever I had left in my kitchen, I decided to take my remaining (green tea) soba noodles and whisk something healthy and refreshing for you guys and my tummayyy.

My overall goal for today's lunch was basically to make sure the word, healthy, stayed consistent. I had to make sure I used ingredients (especially when making my sauce) that was low in calories but would still give me that satisfying tang and bang to my noodles. Reluctantly I had soba noodles (because I was really craving noodles), which have many beneficial healths to them. Soba Noodles are low in calories (I always get the organic buck wheat or green tea), so they contain about half the calories of what spaghetti noodles usually would be (auuhhmazingg). As well, they offer a lot of manganese which make up components of several enzymes that include those needed to convert food into energy and antioxidant enzymes (which I definitely need if I'm going to study more later today). And most importantly they are, of course, good source of fiber and protein.

As for my sauce, I whisked together hummus, soy sauce, ponzu sauce, and a touch of olive oil. Yup, that's right. I said hummus. The hummus provided that perfect texture that was missing to my noodles and it surprisingly mixed well with the tang from the ponzu sauce and with that saltiness from the soy sauce.

And at the end I topped my soba noodles with a boiled egg (which I must say I have finally mastered the art of a perfectly boiled egg - to my standards), half an avocado, breaded- tenderloin chicken, and some fresh rice seasoning.

So take those chopsticks out (or fork) and get ready to sluurrrrrrrpppppppp. 



I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________

Serving Size: 1

• Organic Soba Noodles (I used green tea soba noodles, but you can use any kind you like) 
• 1 boiled egg
• Greens 
• Not shown in photo above: 
• 1/2 avocado 
• 1 breaded, tenderloin chicken 
• Rice Seasoning

For the Sauce: 

• 2 oz. Hummus (I just used store bought- original flavored) 
• 1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce 
• 2 tablespoon of Ponzu Sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil 

Note: I just eyeballed most of my ingredients for the sauce. Fill free to add whichever type of flavored sauce you want to your hummus. 

D I R E C T I O N S ____________________________________

1. Boil water, than place your egg and soba noodles in together until soba noodles are tender. Usually takes about 10 min. which by then your egg will be done boiling as well (if you like yours semi raw like me).

2. As soba noodle and your egg cook, mix together ingredients for the sauce (Ponzu, Soy Sauce, Olive Oil, and Hummas). 

3. Drain soba noodles and place egg in a cold bath of water (before peeling). 

4. Then place soba noodles in your bowl of greens. 

5. Mix together noodles, greens, and hummus sauce. 

4. Then peel your boiled egg.

5. Top with any toppings you like (for me it was avocado, rice seasoning, and chicken). 

6. Eat up and spread the love by sharing with others! 

Smoked Salmon Snack.

Have you ever watched A Cinderella Story, staring Hilary Duff, Chad Murray, and Jennifer Coolidge? For me, it was always Jennifer Coolidge's character (the step-mother) that stuck with me the most because of her obsession with Smoked Salmon. I mean, she even had the chef at her diner work with the fish on every possible breakfast meal (like pancakes). But man, as odd as that sounds- drool, drool, lick, lick. The first few things that happen when I hear, say, see, think of the words Smoked Salmon. If it's on eggs benedict, I'll order it. If it's in a sandwich, I'll eat it. If it's on top of a cracker, I'll share it. Heck, even if it's by itself, I sneak a bite of it.

Smoked salmon is a good source of protein, which includes vitamin D, magnesium, and selenium. And as Jennifer Coolidge's character says, "I need my omega-3s".  Smoked Salmon can easily be bought at most grocery stores. My favorite so far are the ones they sell at Costco that provides three different types (peppered, traditional, and dill) in one package.

As for the cracker situation, like I said I would share it. So… I have put together a quick snack that includes crackers, cheese, greens, and (of course) smoked salmon for you guys today on Knotuself. Super easy to put together, but most importantly it's absolutely yummaaayyyy!

I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________

D I R E C T I O N S _____________________________________
1. Layout a few crackers out (here, I got the bagel crisp crackers). 
2. Spread some Gournay Cheese (or desired spread) on crackers. 
3. Place a good amount of greens on top of the spread. 
4. Carefully take a few smoked salmon and place on top of the greens. 
5. Finish off with a few shakes of lemon pepper (or desired seasoning). 
6. Enjoy and sing out loud humanah- humanah- humanah! 

Tapioca My Pudding.

Typically I am not too crazy over pudding, but ever since I was introduced to Tapioca Pudding, I have found a new craving to add to my sweet list. Tapioca is a starchy substance in the form of a white grain obtained from a cassava plant. Because tapioca is made from cassava, it is naturally gluten free (some people even substitute flour for tapioca in certain ingredients- definitely cool). Tapioca is also naturally low in sodium (Yay!), containing about 2 mg per 1 cup serving. As for me, I made sure to buy myself the option of gluten-free and organic tapioca pudding (from Costco). It is an easy ingredient to put together either as a savory or sweet dish. It's naturally low in fat and high in carbohydrates with a source of iron. As for me, I tried making it a little more guilt free by adding some healthier toppings to my pudding, but still making it absolutely delicious. You can simply add anything you want from flax seeds to strawberries to honey to oatmeal- making the dish even more refreshing and satisfying. It's a simple dish to throw the ingredients together, and I promise you your tummy will be thanking you right after! 

I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________

D I R E C T I O N S _____________________________________

1. Scoop desire amount of pudding into a bowl to serve as the base. 

2. Top the pudding with a handful of blueberries, raspberries. 

3. Finish with a teaspoon of chia seeds. 

4. Enjoy and do a little dance! 

Smoothie Dance.

Every time I am back home (in California), my dad always emphasizes the importance of eating healthy and rebukes my current, inexcusable diet. Fortunately, every morning (when I am home) my dad will blend vegetables and fruits for me in his current blender obsession- Vitamix. Ever since, I have officially hopped onto this healthy bandwagon and decided to create a healthier diet for myself during the school year here in Seattle.

Breaking down nutrition facts: 
My dad has influenced me in blending my ingredients rather than juicing because creating a smoothie will allow the fiber in fruits and vegetables to be retained and slows the sugar absorption. Juicing creates a process of extracting the liquid contents of the food and eventually will discard the necessary fibers. Often people say that after making a juice, it is imperative to drink it immediately. This is mainly because juices oxidize faster than smoothies. Because smoothies don't oxidize as fast, they are able to maintain the majority of their nutrients for a longer period of time (which is also good if you are slow drinker like me).

Having a delicious green smoothie is definitely a good pick me up every morning, afternoon drink, or even just feeling stressed and overwhelmed. After a drink,  I always feel replenished and fresh. Since smoothies contain more fiber and nutrition they tend to be more filling if you were to want a lighter meal as well.

Recently, I have decided to blend a simple, nutritious, green smoothie for myself and to share with you guys. Now, I don't have the embellished Vitamix like my dad, but what I do have is a tiny blender I got at my school's market (probably a quarter size of the Vitamix).

I N G R E D I E N T S _____________________________________

-serving for 1

• 1/2 a carrot 
• 1 apple
• 1 leaf of kale
• 1/2 cup of orange juice 
• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds (high fiber and protein content and loaded with antioxidants)

D I R E C T I O N S _____________________________________

• Toss together all the ingredients in a blender.
• Blend until all ingredients are well blended.
• Pour it into a cup.
• Enjoy and do the smoothie dance! 

(Source): Incredible Smoothies: Green Smoothies vs. Green Juices