Oh, the places I'll go...

Today, I’m on the road. What’s new, right? I have to admit, a lot of times I like the freedom to travel from place to place, meeting new people and experiencing new things. However, occasionally I find myself in cities, no…towns, that, as kooky as they are, must actually reside at the center of the universe.

Earlier this morning I had to go to the post office. As luck would have it, the closest one was only 3 miles away! Rock! I get about a mile down the road and I realize I am out in the middle of NOWHERE! How a location can transform from a bustling metropolitan area to a rural country landscape in one mile is truly a geographical oddity. I started getting a little nervous and I actually thought to myself, “Man, I would TOTALLY stand out here. I am completely out of my element.”

Two more miles down the road I found the post office. This place couldn’t have been more than 750 square feet! (Surprisingly, I have actually seen one smaller.) Anyway, I walk in and the lady looks at me and says, “Well! Your outfit is so cute! You look so nice today. (pause) You aren’t from around here, are you?”

Obviously, I do a really bad job at blending in. Should I be offended? I'm not really sure what she meant by her comment, but I guess it just means that there is no going INCOGNITO for me!

On a completely different note...
Here is a delicious recipe for homemade applesauce the I promised yesterday. This is a great recipe if you have been apple picking or have just stocked up from your local grocery store. It is simple and tastes delicious!

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE
5 large apples (I like to use Red Delicious apples because I like the natural sweetness)
¾ cup water
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Stove Directions:
Peel apples. Core and chop into fine pieces. In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon (if desired). Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow apples to cool. If apples are not completely softened, mash with a fork or potato masher to desired consistency.

Slow Cooker Directions:
Peel apples. Core and chop into fine pieces. Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours and LOW for one hour. Allow apples to cool. If apples are not completely softened, mash with a fork or potato masher to desired consistency.

NOTE: Splenda (or any other low-calorie sweetener) can be substituted for white sugar. Or if you like yours REALLY natural, eliminate this ingredient altogether!

ENJOY!

KEEP IT JUICY!

Time to catch up!!

Hi friends! I'm so sorry I seem to have been gone so long! I just got so caught up in my little adventures that my blog sort of fell by the wayside. I'll do better...I promise! Here is a little of what's been going on in my world...

I started off getting in the Smashing Pumpkin spirit by carving these two super cool Kev-A-Lanterns! Aren't they great!? I might have head a little help from some super awesome Keva friends. :)



After that, my friends and I went to...(are you ready for this?)...IKEA!! If you have not been to IKEA, you are truly missing out on the most awesome experience of your life. Okay, well at least ONE of the most awesome experiences of your life. I had so much fun and found so many things that I just couldn't seem to live without. I may or may not have bought this super JUICY hat. :)On the way back from IKEA, I happened to see this at a gas station. I'm not sure who in the world would need a GIGANTIC plaster cow, but hey, whatever.
Fast forward a couple of days....I got this awesome new haircut! Do you love it? Do you hate it? What do you think? It is A LOT shorter than I have ever worn it, but so far so good. :)
This past weekend, I went apple picking! How fall-ish is that!? I had so much fun and the orchard was unbelievable beautiful!! The trees looked like they were on fire...reds, oranges, and yellows! It was REALLY cold, but a hike through the apple orchards while sipping on a cup of warm fresh apple cider was a great way to start my day!



And no trip to an apple orchard is complete without putting your face in a gigantic sunflower...RIGHT??

At the apple orchard, I got my hands on some Arkansas Black apples and they are juicy and ever so slightly tart. I love them! I'm so inspired to try all kinds of new apple recipes! I have tried a couple that I'll be sharing soon! Trust me, you won't want to miss them!

Until then...

KEEP IT JUICY!

A SMASHING Thirsty Thursday!

Woo hoo! The SMASHING PUMPKIN smoothie is BACK! If you need help getting in a fall mood, be sure and run over to Keva Juice and get one today! It's better than your grandma's pumpkin pie...I promise!!

Well, what are you still doing here? Go out and get one, silly! :)

And for Thirsty Thirsty I bring you something special! While I can't share the Smashing Pumpkin with you (sorry), I'm inspired to share with you this recipe requested by my tweep, @clmsongrl! I hope you like it!

ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU TRIED THIS SMOOTHIE?
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup mango juice
1/2 banana
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup strawberries
3 scoops low-sugar orange sherbet
1/2 cup ice

ENJOY!

KEEP IT JUICY!

Fall is FUN!

This past weekend was so much fun! I had so much to do! My Saturday was packed with SPORTS! On Saturday morning I started my day with a long run (4 miles!) and after that, I was off to get a smoothie from Keva Juice! My Strawberry Squeezer was DELICIOUS!
When I got home, I showered up got dressed for my niece's soccer game! The weather was beautiful! While her team didn't win, they looked super cute out there and, of course, my niece played her heart out!

After the soccer game, I went to a roller derby game! Yes, a roller derby game! I'm considering joining my local roller derby team so I wanted to go and check it out!
It was so awesome! These girls are amazing! Its sort of like Fight Club...for chicks! :) Now I'm even more interested in joining their team and I am definitely going to be checking out some of their practices.

After the roller derby game, I picked up my friend and we went to place downtown to watch my team play FOOTBALL! While my team didn't win (hey, it happens), they are still in the Top 100 on the BCS poll! They'll do better this week, I know it!

On Sunday, I didn't do anything but read. I know that sounds lame, but I got my hands on this...
...and I could not for the life of me PUT IT DOWN! It is like 525 pages and I made it to about Page 400 or so! They better make a movie out of this one! If you are a fan of Dan Brown's books, I highly suggest picking this one up!

I'm off to go for a training walk for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. How does 12 miles sound?? Sounds like a good walk for today! What do you think of this new logo? THINK PINK!


KEEP IT JUICY!

Thirsty Thursday...on a Friday! :)

Sorry I missed a Thirsty Thursday posting for yesterday! Not that it is a good excuse, but I was out of town and writing out a long blog post is a little hard on the ol' iPhone! Today I bring you a favorite of mine. I simply LOVE the taste of peanut butter and bananas, so today is a Go Nuts for Bananas Smoothie!

GO NUTS FOR BANANAS
1 banana
1/8 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons honey
3 medium scoops vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup ice

If you really want to up the healthiness of this smoothie, try using a lower sugar peanut butter. The honey adds natural sweetener, so you can cut it out of the peanut butter and still have it come out yummy! Also keep in mind that the riper the banana that you use, the more banana-y it will taste! :)

I have so much fun stuff going on this weekend and I just can't wait! This afternoon, I'm going to be going on a LONG (10 miles, anyone?) training walk for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. Tomorrow morning I'm going to meet my Saturday morning run group for a 4-mile run. After that, I plan on hitting up a Fall Festival near my house. They are having a Chili Cook-Off and I can't miss that! Tomorrow evening I am going to a roller derby game and I am PSYCHED! I'm actually considering joining the roller derby team, so I want to go out and see how much they rock! For now, Sunday is up in the air, but I'm positive I can find some trouble to get into! :)

Just a reminder...I'm still raising money for the Breast Cancer 3-Day that I'll be walking next month in Arizona. Please consider contributing to my fundraising! It is 100% tax deductible and the funds go to support research, education, treatments, and other breast cancer initiatives. Also, if there is someone in your life that has been affected by breast cancer, please leave a comment below with her name or e-mail her name to me and I will put her name on a ribbon that I will carry with me all 60 miles. It would be my honor to do that for you!


THINK PINK and KEEP IT JUICY!

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Show your ta-tas some love, ladies! Don't forget to do your monthly self-exams! Guys, make sure the ladies in your life no how important it is to get checked! Breast cancer doesn't discriminate against race or age. Make sure your loved ones do what it takes to stay healthy!

To help raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I bring you this deliciously PINK smoothie! This tasty blend is good for both mind and body! Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY DETOX
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup guava juice
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 banana
2 large handfuls of strawberries
1/2 cup ice

In other news, we have been fortunate enough to win the very first EVER PURPLE THUMBS UP AWARD! Isn't that exciting!? You can see our cool award over there in my sidebar. Love it! Be sure to check out Jojo's blog at For The Love of Purple!

I leave you with this little jewel! This picture was e-mailed to me by a little Keva Juice fan! Everyone loves them some Keva Kate! Oh, and she made sure to let me know that her favorite smoothie is the Mango Tango! :)