Smoothie Season! by @MagdalenaScott

I was probably a late adopter of the smoothie. I've only been making them for a few years. But this summer I'm having one for supper nearly every evening. It's a tasty, healthful, and filling meal if I do it right. 

In recent months, I learned a couple of new-to-me things about preparing my smoothie. 

One is that if you're going to include oats, be sure to soak them for at least eight hours. I soak mine in 1% cow's milk mixed with nonfat Greek yogurt. After all that lovely soaking, the oats are delightfully creamy.

The other game-changer for me was the addition of an ingredient that makes the smoothie so…um…smooth. 

Also beautifully thick and rich and fantabulous.

It's an ingredient I love but hadn't used in a sweet concoction.

Have you already guessed it?

An avocado. YUM.

Any time I eat an avocado on its own, it seems I'm doing something decadent. To me, it's almost like eating butter.

Not that I've ever eaten butter on its own…okay, yes I have. It's a very bad idea. Do NOT eat a pat of butter as a snack! *Sigh*

Oops. Sorry. Back to the smoothie.

My evening smoothie varies. These days I try to space out my grocery trips, preferably making the trek every two weeks or so. Toward the end of that time, the avocados are gone. Which just makes me love them more once they're back in my fridge, of course.

Last summer I used raw spinach in smoothies quite often, and sometimes a teaspoon or so of flaxmeal. 

I almost always include frozen organic blueberries. They're so beautiful, aren't they?

Frozen banana halves are also a frequent ingredient. Last week I sliced and froze some peaches. 

And I usually add a drop or two of vanilla extract or almond extract, just because.

Since I always have fruit in the smoothie, I seldom add any sweetener. Back in my spinach days (last summer), I often added a teaspoonful or so of local honey.

Do you like smoothies? What are your favorite ingredients?

In my book, Midnight in Legend, TN, the heroine owns a swanky coffee and crafts shop. To celebrate a new town festival, she creates a special coffee drink (yes, I know, not a smoothie). The result, Legend by Starlight, is served in a stemmed mug similar to the one pictured here.

Grab your copy of Midnight in Legend, TN FREE! books2read.com/mcclains-midnight

Happy reading - and happy smoothie-ing.

USA Today Bestselling Author Magdalena Scott is a practicing minimalist, having downsized from a 3,000 square foot house to a studio apartment, where her Giant Closet continues to resist taming. When not writing at home or spending time with family and friends, she loves to travel–carry-on baggage only–and is always pleasantly surprised at the kindness of strangers.


Website: https://magdalenascott.com/

Work in Progress: Me! - by Magdalena Scott

In an effort to rediscover my waistline, my weekday menu changed drastically this summer. I've also increased my daily walking mileage. I have lost a little, mostly where I wanted it to disappear. One of these days I might even find my hipbones.

I've also been working to wrap up my Serendipity, Indiana series. THE RING, Book #5, releases TODAY. Book #6 has a cover and is partly written, and #7 won't be far behind.

The great part about all this is that I love it. Healthy food tastes better to me now than high-calorie meals or desserts (yes! me, the girl who always liked the frosting better than the cake). I'd rather walk than do any other exercise, and I read somewhere that the best exercise to choose is the one that you'll do. And writing, while not always easy, is worth the groaning and hair-pulling. There's no feeling like re-reading a story and enjoying it.

If I'm lucky, I'll continue to be a work in progress. And I hope I'll be producing works-in-progress in the way of books for a very long time.

Is summer a good time for your works in progress? Do you have projects waiting for cooler weather?


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Magdalena Scott is a USA Today Bestselling Author of small town sweet romance. Visit her website to learn more about her books, sign up for her newsletter, et cetera:
http://www.magdalenascott.com/

Buy your copy of THE RING here:

Amazon (US) ~ Amazon (UK)  ~ iBooks ~ Kobo ~ Nook

Summer Gazpacho by Ginny Baird

One thing I love about summer is the wonderful selection of fresh fruits and vegetables available at our local farmers market.  As summer winds down, I’m striving to take advantage of things still in season, like juicy, red summer tomatoes. 

Like many cooks, I often use other recipes as guidelines then create my own unique version of a dish. Last summer I tried my hand at making Gazpacho, and it was delicious! I stored the batch in a dozen mason jars and was able to give out several as gifts. It also kept well in the refrigerator and made for a tasty light lunch or simple supper, served with its array of condiments. I added fresh bread, Manchego cheese, Spanish olives and Spanish almonds as compliments, along with a glass of wine. Olé! There it was: the perfect, healthy summer meal.

I look forward to making a new batch later this week to enjoy during these last lazy days of summer. I wonder if any of you will join me and give this recipe a try? If you do, please let me know how you like it.

Ginny Baird’s Gazpacho

 4 cups tomato juice

½ cup extra light olive oil

2 tbsps. Red wine vinegar

2 tbsps. Lime Juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Hot Sauce to taste (if desired)

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes

2 medium cucumbers

1 large zucchini

1 large green pepper

4 stalks celery

½ large red onion

3 cloves fresh garlic

avocado for garnish (optional)

croutons for garnish (optional)

fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Dice vegetables setting aside small portions (about 1/2 cup each) of fresh tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and onion for garnish. Blend remaining vegetables with liquid ingredients and seasonings in electric blender or food processor. If you have a standard size blender or food processor, you may need to blend portions at a time, stirring the final product together in a large container. As long as you balance liquids with solids, you can combine any of the ingredients in any batch, since it will all get blended together in the end. Mixture should not be too finely pureed, but have texture – midway between a salsa and a bisque.

Once mixing is complete and/or batches are combined in large container, stir gently and adjust salt, pepper, hot sauce (if used) to taste. Chill at least two hours before serving. Offer garnish selection of diced tomato, cumber, green pepper, red onion, avocado, cilantro, croutons, as desired. Makes 12 8 oz. cups.

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New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Ginny Baird writes contemporary romance novels and novellas. Her anthology A Summer Grooms Selection (Books 1 – 3) is currently on sale for $0.99 in e-book format. Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and iBooks. Special runs through Labor Day (September 7^th). Want to keep up with news from Sweet Romance Reads authors? Sign up for the SRR newsletter today. Like chatting about Sweet Romance? Join the authors of Sweet Romance Reads in our cyber Café!

Time For a Detox? by Helen Scott Taylor

I don't know about you, but winter always gets me down. The dark dreary evenings and cold weather do not nourish my soul.

Normally about this time of year I start to feel much better with the brighter evenings, spring bulbs popping up in the grass, blossom on the trees and the birds starting to nest. This year things haven't gone as usual—this year I'm still feeling weary, lacking in energy and short on enthusiasm. I wake up tired often with a headache.

My poor health has even started to affect my writing. With a muzzy head the ideas aren't flowing like they normally do. When that happens it's time to take action. Searching for a way to feel better I came across Carol Vorderman's 28-day detox diet. (She is a British Television personality, so you might not have heard of her, but I'm sure there are many similar detox books available.) I'm not sure if this diet is the answer for me, but from the positive accounts I've read of people who've tried detoxing, it sounds promising.

The claims of success include better sleep, increased energy, waking early full of enthusiasm for the day, sharper mind and better memory. (And I so badly need the last!) Oh and shedding those extra pounds—always a welcome benefit.

So on Monday I started a detox diet. It's too early to say if it is having the desired effect, but in case any of you would like to try a 28-day, Spring detox, here are the basics.

What to Eat

Fresh Fruit & Vegetables & Salad

Nuts & Seeds

Fruit Juice & Herbal Teas

Oats/Brown Rice/Millet

Non Dairy Milk Alternatives

Beans/Lentils/Peas

Non-Wheat Bread, Pasta or Crispbreads

What to Avoid

Tea & Coffee

Alcohol

Wheat & anything containing gluten

Sugar

Artificial Sweeteners and Food Additives

Meat/Fish/Dairy/Eggs

Salt

The recommendation is to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water per day to help flush out the liver.

For breakfast I've had strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, chopped nuts, seeds and soya yogurt. This is delicious!

For lunch I have made soup from fresh vegetables. The soup has been tasty, but the preparation time is eating into my day. I also had a blender disaster the first time I made tomato soup. I took about twenty minutes to clean off the walls and cupboards. I won't make that mistake again!

For dinner I have so far prepared two meals that I normally make with meat, Peanut Chicken and Cottage Pie, but I used tofu and quorn as meat substitutes. The dishes worked remarkably well without meat. I can see myself using a lot less meat once my twenty-eight day detox is over.

It is too early to know if I feel any different, but I am hopeful that eating natural fruit and vegetables and drinking plenty of water will cleanse my system, give me back my lost energy and fire up my stalled brain to work on my stories.

I'd love to hear if you have tried a detox diet. If so, how did you get on?

Helen lives in South West England near Plymouth in Devon between the windswept expanse of Dartmoor and the rocky Atlantic coast. As well as her wonderful, long-suffering husband, she shares her home with a Westie a Shih Tzu and a burmilla cat. Helen's latest book is the sixth in her Army Doctor's series, The Army Doctor's Honeymoon Baby. Find Helen on FaceBook and Twitter, or visit her website.