Chocolate, Banana & PB Smoothie

This was so good!

In a blender, mix

2 bananas
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter
1-2 cups milk (depends on how thick you like it)
Sweetener **

** I found that one packet of stevia worked really well. Prior to that, I used a tbsp of honey which was fine.

New House Cleaning Routine

Here's my new routine to keep up with the house. It's going really well.

Daily

Before bed,
Make sure kitchen is clean and ready for tomorrow's breakfast (do after dinner)
Take 15 minutes, run through the house as quick as possible putting left-out items where they belong.
Vacuume the parts of the house that get the most traffic
Lay out clothes for next day

Every morning
Make bed
Bath, get dressed. Wipe down tub, sink and toilet while getting ready. Scrub toilet bowl quickly with old shampoo that's there.
Make breakfast, and clean up afterward

Sometime during day
Do 1-2 items on my 'kitchen detail' list
Do 1-2 items on my 'basement detail' list

*This is how I incorporate spring cleaning with my routine. I made a list of 25 items that need to be done periodically in the kitchen, though maybe not every single week. This can include changing the foil on the range, cleaning the oven, organizing cabinets etc. I made a detail list on every section of the house, and focus on a new section every 2 weeks or so. Before you know it, the whole house has been spring cleaned over a span of a few months.

Weekly (spend 15 minutes on each item, and move on when time is up)

Feather dust entire house
Wipe down surfaces, walls and doors that get fingerprints.
Vacuume entire house
Change sheets
Mop non-carpeted floors

Mexican Salad

I don't know if I read a recipe for this, or I just stole the idea from a restaurant, but it's good.

In a large bowl, make a bed of romaine (chopped into thin strips) and chopped onion.

In a smaller bowl, mix together:
A handful of chopped cilantro
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 package of taco seasoning mix

Scoop corn/bean mix onto each serving of lettuce and onion.
Add broken tortilla chips and sour cream (or dressing of choice).

French Fry Omelette

Sad that your leftover french fries don't taste good the next day? Throw them in an omelette.
I got this idea from my mom. Boys and men love this food!

Cut up your fries to be bite sized and fry them in a small pan in butter.
Beat up 2-3 eggs and pour over the fries. Season to taste
When bottom of eggs become firm, take a spatula and push them over, so the egg on top can pour onto the pan.
When mostly cooked, flip the whole omelette over and turn heat to low.
Sprinkle cheese on one side and fold the other side over it to melt.

Almond Leek Soup

I wasn't excited about trying this when I made it, but it was so good! It's a Vitamix recipe, so you may have to do more chopping so a regular blender supports it.

Simmer 6 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup blanched almonds for 30 minutes.
Saute 1 chopped leek (white part only) and 2 cups chopped celery until the leeks caramelize.

Add sauteed vegetables to the broth and simmer 5-10 minutes
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pour mixture into the vitamix. Start on Variable 1, gradually raise it to 10, then switch to high for 45 seconds.

Serve.