Spa Water {dehydrated nation}

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Spring is arriving early here in Southern California.  At farmer's markets and stores everywhere there are beautiful blooms of tulips, daffodils and lilies just begging me to take them home.  These beauties were on sale at Whole Foods on Friday and I walked out with a basket full of them.  Aren't they gorgeous??

Did you know that studies show that 75% of the American population is chronically dehydrated?  3 out of 4 of us is walking around completely parched {raises hand}.  Dehydration is not only detrimental to our physical health but our mental performance, as well.  The brain is over 80% water so it makes perfect sense that dehydration would lead to mental sluggishness. {raises hand...}

Do you find yourself suffering from difficulty focusing?  Do you feel fatigued and/or dizzy a lot?  Do you suffer from frequent headaches or muscle cramps?  If this sounds like you, you may very well be dehydrated.  Adults should be drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day, ideally.  This of course will vary from person to person depending on things like activity level and climate.  Pregnant and breastfeeding moms will attest to seemingly unquenchable thirst {hand still raised.....}

I personally struggle with drinking enough water.  With our busy lifestyles it's so easy to forget to drink water, especially when we're out running errands, juggling ten things at once at the office, getting kids to school/sports/doctor appointments, or any of the other 500 things on our ever evolving to-do lists.  I am working hard to replace iced coffees with iced water and challenge you to do the same.  Hopefully today's post will help inspire you to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

In some salons and most spas you will find yourself greeted with a glass of "spa water."  This simple combination of water and sliced fruit somehow feels so indulgent, yet is so easy to do.  While I often float a slice of lemon in my water it never occurred to me to go a step further and add even more to it.  By tossing together some spa water this weekend I found that I was drinking loads more and felt amazing.  Ayden enjoyed sipping some out of Momma's travel mason jar cup (a gift from my sweet Hubby.  You can find them here.)  Always choose fruits that are in season for the best flavor, and definitely go for organic since we aren't peeling the fruit.

Spa Water
1 gal filtered water (or sparkling water if you're feeling extra fancy)
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 orange, sliced
handful of strawberries, sliced

Combine all ingredients and stir, roughing up the fruit a bit to release some of the flavor.  Sip and enjoy!

XO

Breakfast "Milkshake" {and yes, it's healthy!}

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Ya know those "hungry days" that happen out of the blue?  You wake up and for some reason are ready to devour a large pizza or plate of enchiladas?  As any nursing mom will tell you, those days are quite frequent.

Weekday mornings are always pretty fast-paced for me.  I get up while A is still asleep so I can get myself ready for work before he's ready for his breakfast.  He usually wakes up at 7 and is ready for a change and a snack, then it's time for Momma to get dressed and out the door while he and Daddy snooze.

Busy mornings don't leave a lot of room for healthy breakfasts, so I try to think of ways to pack in a nutritious on-the-go snack for the morning drive to work.  I also happen to have a wicked sweet tooth.  This smoothie is perfect for busy mornings and is deceptively healthy!  Bananas and agave give it a sweet, decadent flavor, and all-natural peanut butter and greek yogurt provide a punch of protein to keep the munchies away all morning.  The addition of unsweetened cocoa powder sends this smoothie over the top, making me feel like a little kid who's been allowed to have a chocolate milkshake for breakfast.

This recipe makes about 10-12 ounces of smoothie.  Feel free to adjust to your liking.  I think next time I'll add in some oats and flax for an added boost!

Breakfast "Milkshake"
2/3 c milk (almond milk would be a fabulous substitute)
2/3 c plain greek yogurt (Fage is my favorite)
1 large ripe banana
1/2 c all-natural peanut butter
2 tsp agave (or honey), to taste
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3-4 large ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender and whirl!  Serve with a fun stripey straw because it tastes better that way.

PS - I would love to be able to make this the night before.... Thoughts?  I feel like it will be a soupy mess if I try...  Talk to me, people.  Let's make this happen.

Annnnnnd.....

Happy 6 months to our sweet little muchacho!

Cantaloupe Agua Frescas

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Hello?  Anyone out there?  Yes guys, I'm alive.  And today I am back from a long and unexpected hiatus to bring you a delicious - and ridiculously easy - recipe for a refreshing drink, along with an explanation of said hiatus.

I actually made this agua frescas over a month ago, and then some exciting stuff started happening so I haven't had a chance to share it with you all until now.  Remember when I promised you that I'd explain our exciting family news?  I'm a girl who is true to her word, and today the wait is over.  Our family trip to San Francisco was to celebrate my beautiful sis-in-law's baby shower!  In February we found out we were going to have a little niece or nephew come fall, and believe me it has been so hard to keep the surprise a.... well, SURPRISE this long!

Apparently we weren't the only ones excited for fall to come, because our sweet nephew decided to make a summer entrance instead.  On August 21 our perfect little angel of a nephew was born.  Without further adieu, I present to you, Diego.

To say we love him in an understatement of epic proportions.  He melts my heart.  I cried when we met him and burst into tears when we had to leave.  So as you can see, I've been a little distracted by the preciousness for a few weeks.  You forgive me, right?

Along with welcoming our nephew, we also up and moved.  We've spent the past couple of weeks getting settled in our new place and it's starting to feel like home now.  Chico has decided that the stairs in the new house are much cooler than the stairs in the old house, and runs up and down them about 25 times a day.  He's a goof.

So now that the dust has begun to settle, I will be getting back into my cooking/baking/blogging routine and will be bringing you yummyness on a more regular basis.  You know I'm obsessed with fall, and I'm so excited that it's finally here!  YAY, scarves and boots!  Except that it's gonna be about 90 degrees here for the next several days...  womp womp.  Might need to make a couple more batches of agua frescas to get us through the heat wave.

Agua Frescas are very versatile.  You can make this with all sorts of fruits - pineapple is fantastic.  Some mexican restaurants offer this on their drink menu, and around here we indulge when it's Fiesta.  Fiesta (aka Old Spanish Days) is a celebration of Santa Barbara's spanish roots and includes tons of food, dancing, music and booths of trinkets and treats and carnivals for the kids that span across the town.  It's great fun.

I have been on a cantaloupe binge, but feel free to switch up fruits when you make yours.  I'd love to hear how you customize.

Aguas Frescas
| Serves 6-8 | Prep time: 15 mins. | 
1 ripe cantaloupe, cubed
1/2 c agave
1/4 c honey

Place cubed cantaloupe in a food processor (you may need to do this in batches) and puree until completely smooth.  Transfer puree to a large bowl or pitcher.  Rinse the bowl of the food processor and reassemble.  Strain the puree back into the bowl of the processor.  Depending on the fruit you use, the pulp can be a bit thick, so you may need to use a wooden spoon to coax along the straining process.  Discard the pulp.  Add the agave and honey to the strained juice and puree until completely mixed.  Taste for sweetness. Enjoy very cold/over ice.

Red, White and Blue Sangria {White Wine Sangria}

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Happy Independence Day!  Are you all planning anything exciting?  Family get togethers?  Beach picnics?  Stay at home and avoid the holiday crowds?  No matter what your holiday plans are I have a great 4th of July recipe for you.

What's a summer holiday without a refreshing signature drink?  We all need something nice and cold to sip on during the hot summer months.  This white wine sangria is seriously yummy and is a snap to put together.  And it's healthy since there's fruit involved, right?  Right??

I used a Reisling since I wanted the end result to be nice and sweet.  It was a great compliment to the strawberries! Make this at least a day in advance - two days would be best - and you will be rewarded with a beautiful red-tinged sangria that is loaded with tangy and sweet fruit flavor.

That sounded like a commercial for Starburst.

Of course fruits that are in season are going to have the best flavor, so feel free to switch ingredients to your taste.  Summer strawberries are at their peak, so take advantage! 

White Wine Sangria
1 bottle white wine (not too dry)
1 pint strawberries, cut into quarters
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
1 red apple, sliced
1 bottle sparkling water (Voss, Pellegrino)

In a large pitcher, combine wine and fruit.  Stir gently and let chill at least overnight.  Serve with a splash of sparkling water.