Celebrating Earth: Spring Scenes From My Garden / April 21, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Celebrating Earth: Spring Scenes From My Garden | dolly and oatmeal

i have vivid memories of my elementary school lunches. i'm not sure if my mom would religiously pack me my meal because she enjoyed the process, or if she didn't like the idea of me eating cafeteria lunch. regardless of how busy my mom would be, she took her packing job seriously. sometimes there would be a note inside, other times she would buy the reusable, environmentally friendly bags, or she would pack me a brown bag lunch and draw floral designs with my name somewhere in the mix. it was the early nineties, so the environmental craze was just starting - our school had just begun equipping each classroom with the blue recycle pales, and we were only beginning to understand what pollution was, and what it meant. so when i would walk into the cafeteria with my vinyl, neon blue (environmentally friendly) lunch bag with an earth patch on it, i would get sometimes get a few stares and teased a bit. needless to say, i begged my mom to stop sending me to school with that lunch bag, despite the fact that i knew that using it was the right thing to do.

i think early on that notion of doing small things lent itself to the bigger picture which was engrained in me pretty early on. my dad was (and still is) a super nerd when it came to recycling just about anything and everything. we kept a compost pile under an enormous pine tree in our yard, that at the time i thought was smelly and gross, but only when i got older was able to understand and appreciate its significance. presently, i do my small part each day (and let's face it, i could always do more), but keeping a garden where i see life thrive, and butterflies rest, and bees pollinate makes my small backyard garden filled with cycles of life. i try to take care in whatever way i can - big or small. as part of this year's observance of earth day, i've teamed up my pals at Naked Juice to sow some seeds, plant some baby kale, and enjoy their Kale Blazer juice which is bottled in 100% post-recycled renewable bottles, minimizing waste along the way - something i can always get behind!

all the green hugs!

*this post was created in partnership with Naked Juice. all opinions, as always, are my own. thank you for supporting dolly and oatmeal's sponsors!

raw buckwheat green smoothie jars / February 17, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

raw buckwheat green smoothie jars | dolly and oatmeal

so, i've given up caffeine and any alcohol for the time being. you know when you get into patterns and rhythms that you're not at all present in? like the couple glasses of wine that make me feel crappy in the morning, and my morning coffee ritual that leaves my heart racing and generally dizzy. that's basically what i had been feeling for the past few months, and so i resolved to make a change this year and hopefully gain a new perspective. i'm very much a creature of habit and routine, so replacing some of my go-to libations has taken some navigating. making drinks fun, exciting, vibrant, and perhaps healthy has been my ultimate goal. you may have noticed the amount of sipping-inspired recipes i've shared lately: there was this probiotic fresca, last week's hot chocolate with all the high vibes; and this week's recipe: a hearty, raw buckwheat green smoothie jar that's packed and convenient enough for a portable breakfast, or post-workout meal.

but before i get into all the awesome stuff loaded into this jar, i'm super excited to tell you about the year-long partnership with naked juice! i'm really delighted to bring you all the vitamins-in-liquid-form recipes throughout the coming year!

kale blazer is one of their new juices, and it's been the lazy side of my brain's best friend. on days when i don't have fresh greens in my fridge, or the days i'm way too lazy to even wash greens (#reallifetalk), i add kale blazer to make up for the liquid and greens portion of my smoothie/juice, and it's fantastic since it mostly contains kale and spinach. between breakfast and lunch i always, always have to munch on a snack - it's what makes the difference between chill me, and hangry me. but on days that i do an intense workout or (for some inexplicable reason) am hungrier than i normally am, i add in some soaked, raw buckwheat, or if i'm in a pinch raw oats, just to fill the smoothie out a bit and add a smooth, creamy texture. the banana and almond butter here add more creamy texture, some sweetness, and a bit of healthy fat. while the chia and hemp seeds offer mega plant-y protein ;)

hugs + green love, xo!

this post was created in partnership with Naked Juice. all opinions are my own. thank you for supporting the businesses that help keep dolly and oatmeal going!

raw buckwheat green smoothie jars

feel free to swap the almond butter for another nut butter (however, i'm not sure peanut butter would be the best here), and like i mentioned raw oats or soaked oats can be subbed for the raw buckwheat groats. chlorella just adds a vibrant color and good amount of nutrients: chlorophyll, amino acids, iron, calcium, etc., but isn't totally essential to the flavor of the smoothie if you don't have it on hand.

| serves 1-2 |

1/2 cup buckwheat groats, soaked overnight
1 cup Naked Kale Blazer
1 frozen banana
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons chlorella
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
ice (optional)

toppings:

sliced mango (shown)
passion fruit (shown)
bee pollen (shown)
toasted buckwheat groats
toasted coconut chips
extra chia and/or hemp seeds

method

soak the buckwheat overnight, the next morning drain and rinse thoroughly. to a high speed blender, add the soaked groats, kale blazer, banana, almond butter, hemp seeds, chia seeds, chlorella, maple syrup, and a couple pieces of ice (if using). blend on high for 1 minute, until buckwheat is broken down and smoothie is light green, creamy, and frothy.
divide between 1-2 jars (depending on size) or 2 glasses/bowls. top with mango, passion fruit seeds, and bee pollen.

enjoy!

similar beverages

green mojitos / July 1, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

so i didn't have a backyard garden market this weekend (darn you torrential rain!), BUT i did make use of lots of the kale and mint we've grown back there to make some major green juices, and then there's that bulk-sized batch of kale-basil pesto i made that we're still eating our way through. we also managed to clean up more of the yard, mainly the part all the way in the back that was composed of dirt, bricks, more dirt, and a really overgrown but charming potting table. frank leveled out all of that dirt, covered it with mulch, and hung the outside lights that we've been itching to get up since we got here, making it all a bit more cozy :) while frank was busy taking on the dirt, i planted a bed of meadow flowers and beach grass, with some herbs and lavender weaved throughout. right now it's looking a little stark, but hopefully after a few more rains and some hot summer sunshine it'll fill out and give off that easy breezy, wild flower vibe i'm going for :) we've also got another patch of dirt right outside our door that we've attempted to grown grass on. after the grass grew in patchy with a ton of weeds, we realized we didn't want to buy a lawnmower for a 6x6' lot of grass. so we scrapped the whole idea and plated creeping thyme that we're hoping will grow and spread - fingers crossed!

some of you may know the tess masters from her blog, The Blender Girl, her app, or her new cookbook! i was lucky to receive a copy of her latest book which has 100 smoothie recipes ranging from light, mild, exotic, and leaving you with some high vibe dessert smoothies (the peach crumble smoothie is totally on my summer to-do list!). this green mojito (sans liquor - i know, i totally should have spiked it), is incredibly light, fruity, savory, and tangy all in the same sip. all of the ingredients are easily found in your pantry or at the market, and you don't need a super crazy high-speed blender, which i know is a plus for a lot of folks out there. the lime and mint really shine through in this drink, and truly makes it reminiscent of a traditional mojito - minus that buzz ;) ;)

happy july, everyone! xo

green mojitos (v + gf)

the recipe below states 2 cups of frozen pineapple, however since i'm not the biggest fan of pineapple, i substituted it with 1 cup of frozen mango, and 1 cup frozen peaches. i also didn't have liquid stevia, so i replaced that with 1 teaspoon maple grade B syrup. as for tess's "optional boosters" i added about 1/2-inch worth of ginger, and 2 teaspoons coconut oil; i also reduced the amount of limes from 3 limes to 2.

| serves 2 |