My Other Hobby (besides running of course)

From a very young age, my father had Jessica and I out in the garden helping him tend to the vegetables. This instilled in me a passion for fresh produce - from the garden to the table. We are lucky enough to have quite a decent sized yard, so I took advantage of that a few years ago and put in three raised beds to grow a variety of plants. This year, I've already harvested enough lettuce for 5 or 6 GIANT salads, about 40 large radishes, and my new favorite: Spinach:

For the past couple weeks, every morning, I wake up, water the garden while the Weasel eats her breakfast, and return with a large handful of spinach leaves for my smoothie. My husband refuses to even taste it, but I think it's quite possibly the best masked way to get your veggies early in the day:)

I use a cup of frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries), 1 or 2 kiwi, a Yoplait blueberry/pomegranate flavored yogurt, and the spinach. I top this with a little apple/carrot juice and some water and some chia seeds. It's a quick process and a delicious treat!

Note: If you add chia seeds, DO NOT let the smoothie sit unattended. It swells up into a fruity sludge of sorts and is a bit more difficult to stomach:)