More smoothies, less coffee??

I have two problems in the morning...I am not hungry and I love/need coffee. However I have realized that sometime in my future I will not be able to have any coffee for 9 months (minor anxiety attack happening just mentioning it!!) So, in an effort to reduce my coffee intake, I have started making smoothies every morning.

Below is a the yummy recipe that I have been using for my morning smoothie packed with protein, fruit, and nutrients. This smoothie comes our ultra creamy and delicious!

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons greek honey yogurt (i am obsessed with this stuff!)

1 banana

1 cup frozen fruit (mango and peaches are my favorites)

2 tablespoons whey protein powder

1 teaspoon flax seed oil

 Blend and enjoy!

Pampering the Chef

After the dinner, flowers and pedicure Chef J told me there was another surprise coming for Valentine's Day. I LOVE surprises and immediately my mind wandered....what magical vacation was he going to take me on. Could I pack for Europe in two days?? The reality was great too. He scheduled a couples massage for us on Sunday, our day off together. I should mention this was his FIRST EVER professional massage.

I talked him through all of the protocols of getting a massage...how the blanket "covers" correctly, why you need to drink lots of water after and so on. The massages were so amazing. Perfectly relaxing and stress relieving after such a busy week. Post massage was a different story. I was in a zen stage, calm and collected.  J was in his analyzing, can't stop brain from thinking of every little detail about the last hour of his life craziness stage. The questions continued for the next 10 minutes:
    "Do you think they do the same routine every time?"
    "Are they contract workers or do they work here?"
    "What kind of motions are they actually making with their hands?
He was even re-writing the informational form you fill out pre-massage:
    "They should really ask you how tall you are to make sure they can reach your whole back in one swift movement."

He swears this sort of behavior IS relaxing to him so I let him "relax." I guess this is why he makes a great Chef; always analyzing a situation, trying to understand every person involved, and most importantly how he can make the experience better. And I love him for that, just not after I just had a massage.

chef's wife fish tacos

The chef is at work tonight...what to make for dinner...hmmm. As I make my way through the aisles of Whole Foods promising that I will ONLY get items needed for dinner (this never stays true), it hits me! I will make my healthy, easy Fish Tacos! I think I could eat these every night as I love spicy food especially mexican.

I pick up some fresh alaskan cod, green chili tortillas, chipotle salsa, pico and a corn salsa. I am aiming for a 20 minute cook time to keep it simple. I season the cod with salt, pepper, chipotle cayenne pepper, garlic and onion and saute with oil. After a couple of minutes on each side, the cod starts to flake nicely and I break up the pieces as they fall naturally.

Now for my delicious, healthy sauce. It wouldn't be a meal (for me) without a healthy slathering of some sort of sauce. I'm saucy. I'll admit it.  I typically use chipotle salsa or chipotle peppers in the can (found in the mexican section). If you get the peppers just put about 1/3 of it in your food processor  to puree. Make sure you taste the salsa for the amount of spice you would like to have. Then mix the salsa with greek yogurt. I love Greek Gods honey yogurt, it adds a sweetness to the spice that balances the sauce great. Chill before serving. All that is left is assembly! I add cabbage, shredded cheese, pico or corn salsa...whatever I have around. Each time you make these can be a different rendition of an old favorite. Enjoy!

my pedicure, my valentine

Typically on Valentine's Day men shower women with roses, fancy dinner with expensive french wine,  maybe even diamonds but not a chef''s wife. A chef's wife is treated to dinner on February 12 or given the stuffed bear that was 50% off on February 15, but I secretly don't mind. I do whatever I feel is freeing and awesome for myself on a night when all other love birds are doting over each other. On my list every year? A pedicure. So, thank you hungry lovers...thank you for allowing me to pamper myself.

Being a chef's wife is really not that bad, not at all.