Parsley and Pom Poms

I have always been a major fan of smoothies and acai bowls, and really all of that fruity breakfast business. I'm bringing my smoothie game hard this year with an effort to avoid skipping breakfast altogether, and with the plan to try out some new recipes. First up, my Mango Monday Bowl. Sure to kick any Monday blues, or at least I think so! xo RCN

Ingredients for bowl mixture (serves 2):

1/2 Cup frozen peaches

1/3 Cup chopped frozen mango

1 Whole fresh mango sliced

3/4 Cup Coconut Milk

1/2 Kiwi chopped

1 Tbsp raw honey

Toppings:

1/4 Cup granola mix (whatever kind you like...I use Cascadian Farm's organic vanilla, coconut & pumpkin seed granola mix)

Sprinkle of shaved coconut flakes

Spoonful of chia seeds

1 Kiwi for "M-A-N-G-O" letters + 3 thin slices (I used mini cookie cutters from Homegoods)

1 frozen mango cube cut into 8 small pieces

Add a few floral buds from whatever flowers you may have laying around in the house. This will definitely help to impress your breakfast buddy!

Instructions:

It's pretty simple folks. Combine all mixture ingredients together in a blender. Blend until thick and frozen creamy, about 1 minute or so. You may need to open blender, stir, then pulse again for an additional 20 seconds if the mango slices get caught underneath the blade (this happened to me). Then, top it all off and decorate with the extra coconut and healthy goodies. Happy Monday or whatever day it may be!

Before the New Year, I made a list of my goals for 2017. Quite frankly, I haven't looked back on them until this past weekend, and revisiting the list has only made me realize that I haven't met many of my goals. For that, I am cutting myself a little slack, as I have been preoccupied with a lot of personal and family matters over the last eight months or so. However, I am also getting my butt in gear. The year isn't over, we still have a quarter of the time left, so I am going to take advantage of it. There is one goal that I have begun working towards, and I am very happy I did it. Zach and I joined the Surfrider Foundation. We have long been wanting to become involved in a volunteer group that shares in one of our greatest passions; our love for the ocean and beach. The Surfrider community engages in actively protecting, campaigning, and educating about our ocean and beaches, ranging from water testing programs to beach clean ups. The volunteer organization is broken up into chapters all across the country and our coastlines. Z and I knew that we had to join. We took part in our first volunteer activity this past month with the Miami Beach chapter, a dune restoration project. A few hours of clipping, shoveling, and dragging away branches from an invasive tropical plant in the Miami Beach dunes was exhausting, but we loved it! It feels great for the mind, body, and soul when you are doing something you love, and helps you, others, and our Earth. We look forward to the next volunteer opportunity in our local Chapter and becoming more involved in the local programs offered through the foundation. Check HERE, for opportunities at a beach near you. xo RCN