Tag: Delta Moxie

Kellee Mayfield: Green Smoothies {Foodie Friday}

Celebrate the Flavors of Spring

Green Smoothies are the Healthy Fast Food

Healthy fast food is an oxymoron, but making healthy food convenient from nutrient-dense, whole foods from home takes on a whole new meaning. My choice of healthy fast food happens to be in the form of a Green Smoothie. It’s easy to make, store and grab on the go.

Drinking a green smoothie is a quick way to consume optimal nutrition in a single serving. Everything you need is at your local farmers market, the produce section of your grocery store or your back yard.

The best part of making green smoothies is there are no rules. No real measuring. If there is an ingredient you prefer over another, simply adjust. You can see one of my basic recipes in the video below. I saved it from a story I had made for my Snapchat friends.

So how do we make a Green Smoothie? Use any blender. The key is blending in stages.

I add fresh ingredients from what I have on hand. My process of selecting ingredients is more like a simple mental checklist.
Below are the categories I check off in my mind when I create a smoothie.

Select one or more greens from the ingredient categories and blend them together with your liquid. Feel free to use more than one type of greens. Once blended, add one or more choices of fruit as well as vegetables. Blend again. Add an ingredient from the fourth category to enhance the texture. To boost the nutritional profile of my smoothie, I add items from the Add-In list. Fresh ginger is very common in my green smoothie.

Liquid: Coconut Water, Water or Almond Milk

Greens: Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Collard Greens, Romaine Lettuce

Fruits: Pears, Green or Red Apples, Melon, Grapes, Peaches, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Mango or strawberries

Veggies: Cucumber, Parsley, Carrot or Celery

Texture: Banana, Avocado, Frozen Fruit (Smoothie Blend is available) (There are many frozen fruit options blueberries are nutritious)

Add-ins: Ground Flaxseed, Chia Seeds, Spirulina or Fresh Ginger

Green Smoothie Healthy Fast Food-2.jpg

Depending on which ingredients you have blended, the color of your smoothie will vary. If it appears not as green as you had anticipated, be reassured it will still taste good. Think of it as mixing colors on a palette.

If you are new to drinking smoothies, I recommend serving one to yourself in the fanciest glass you have. There’s something to treating your body and mind.

In this world, where our busy lives seem to be in a state of entropy…you know that feeling of chaos and utter disorganization? Am I the only one who experiences this? What helps me is my choice for nutrition by treating my body to a green smoothie. Will you be giving it a try? What is your choice for a nutritious meal?

Please let me know in your comments.

In 2007, Arkansas Women Blogger member Kellee Mayfield and her family moved to Lake Village. Kellee was quickly given the nicknamed “Kelly Jo” and the name stuck. As an Oklahoma native, Kelly Jo writes about living in very southeast Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta which has been penned the most Southern place on earth. She also shares her art as well as the art of resourcefulness as being the key to really small town living. Kellee is a mother, wife and is in sales representative and clinical specialist for a medical device company. And she has a Southern drawl. Catch up with Kellee Jo at Delta Moxie, Instagram, Twitter, Periscope and Snapchat.

Kellee Mayfield: Veggie Gluten Free Rice Crust Pizza {Foodie Friday}

veggie gluten free rice pizza crust

For anyone living a gluten free lifestyle, pizza is more than likely missing from their food options. Traditional pizza was omitted from my diet until Robin DeVore of Riceland Foods recently divulged such a thing as a rice based pizza crust.

This recipe is easy, healthy and inexpensive to prepare and will have you thinking outside of the pizza box using rice. And September happens to be National Rice Month so let’s celebrate one of America’s favorite foods.

Preheat the oven to 400?F.

Gluten Free Rice Pizza Crust

2 cups of uncooked rice (long grain or short grain rice or brown rice) Cook as directed in a medium saucepan and tight lid* and set aside to slightly cool.

2 large eggs

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon cayenne hot sauce or sriracha (add more or less depending on your taste preference)

In a mixing bowl, combine and mix well the cooked rice, beaten eggs and mozzarella cheese and cayenne pepper sauce or sriracha.

Transfer the rice mixture to a lightly greased 12-18-inch pizza pan ensuring to cover the bottoms and the sides.

Press Rice Mixture into pizza pan

Bake crust in a preheated 400?F oven for 10-12 minutes or until set and slightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool before adding toppings.

Tasty Simple Pizza Sauce

My grandmother always stressed simplicity in recipes to enjoy all the flavors mother nature offers. She taught me this recipe more than 40 years ago and it pairs nicely with this rice pizza crust.

1 can (32-ounce) of whole or diced tomatoes (I used a can of fire-roasted whole tomatoes)

6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

tasty simple pizza sauce

Combine the entire can of tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, a dash of salt, some pepper and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend the ingredients until the sauce is pureed. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. This sauce is ready as is. Cooking is not necessary.

Assemble Your Pizza

Gather your favorite vegetables, herbs and pizza toppings such as kale, mushrooms, onions, olives, red pepper, basil, parsley, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Be as creative and use what is on hand.

gluten free rice crust pizza assembly (1)

Spread half of the prepared pizza sauce onto your cooled-to-the-touch pizza crust. Layer 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese onto the sauce. Begin adding your coarsely chopped toppings.

Bake the assembled pizza 20 to 30 minutes until the pizza edges are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and serve.

Quick Tip Rice Lid

*Are your attempts to cook rice inconsistent or unsuccessful? Check your lid for a steam hole at the top or on the sides. Locking the steam into the cooking process ensures properly cooked rice. Robin shared this tip with me, and my rice has been perfect every time.

Are you or anyone you know gluten free? Do you have substitutes for some of your favorite foods? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

kellee mayfield

#BLOGPHOBIA 4 – Do Something Scary {Blogger of the Month}

#BLOGPHOBIA 4 Do Something Scary

This is my last post as Arkansas Women Bloggers’ Miss October. Thank you for the esteemed Blogger of the Month title. My family, friends, fellow bloggers and colleagues are so proud of me.

This series of #BLOGPHOBIA posts has identified different phobias, when phobias or fears are an issue and my fear of learning to code.

I’m requesting we throw all of that out of the window.

Now, let’s go do something scary. We can do it. And it will make great blogging material.

What will your “something scary” be?