Hi all! I can’t believe how much life has changed within the past couple of months, our entire world & how many things are affected! Our way of life, our habits, the general fear surrounding us daily (and for very good reason), as well as our overall lifestyles! For my family, we’re taking this opportunity to reevaluate the way we live & spend more quality time connecting with each other, as well as reconnecting to nature as often as we can. We are very blessed that even if we are in lock-down, we live in an area with forest surrounding us, a lot of which is our own backyard, so we can walk amongst the trees & have daily fresh air. For now; however, we are venturing a little further & visiting local park areas & hiking trails close to our home, and social distancing. People are very respectful & doing their part for their own safety as well.

We are missing our daughter, but feel very blessed to have our son at home with us as he’s still in college. He’s remote learning for the rest of the semester. Our daughter is older & has her own home, but she checks in almost daily & we have seen her from a safe distance just this past weekend. I wanted to reach out & hug her, but didn’t for all of our safety. That was so heartbreaking not to be able to, but there are a ton of hugs coming her way, when this is over!

One of my major projects is being completely revamped & I’m essentially starting from scratch, rewriting my cookbook that I’ve been working on for a few years, as my health has changed a bit in the past year & I’m feeling better than I have in, well, possibly ever! I wanted to stay true to myself & I also want to include recipes for during this tough time & survival in general. I am in the process of rewriting that now & have gotten my health in check. I hope it’s a cookbook that will help others as well.In a few months, my blog will become more of a cottage living blog that will provide much more than an occasional craft or decorating entry, and more recipes too!

With all of these changes in our world lately, I am hoping you are taking time to reflect & reconnect with nature & your family & friends, from a distance, of course! Picking up the phone, Skyping, writing an old – fashioned letter, or visiting from 6- 10 feet away, if not in the same household or under quarantine & if where you live is still allowing that, whatever helps you to still feel a part of this vast & beautiful world!

I am always trying to send out positive vibes to all of you out there & wishing you excellent health and safety! I’d love to hear from you! What are some of the ways you’re staying connected & how are you all?

Here’s a recipe that, if food becomes even more scarce, will see you through & give you the nutrients to sustain you (hoping you can find these items):

The almonds & the cherries in this recipe are so yummy! Spinach will not even be noticed & you’ll get the benefits from this shake of fiber, folate, vitamin C & more!

Ingredients:

2 scoops of a high quality non- GMO, like pea protein or grass- fed whey protein powder

1/2 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk

1/2 cup canned full- fat coconut milk

4 ice cubes

1/4 cup frozen cherries, or blueberries

1 TBSPN ground flax meal

1/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves (or frozen in a pinch)

2 tspns. stevia, or raw sugar (optional)

1/4 tspn almond extract (optional)

2 TBSPNS almonds, chopped

1/8 cup cocoa powder (optional)* I don’t usually add this, but will on occasion to feel like a dessert. 🙂

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the blender and add up to 1/2 cup of water if you feel it’s too chunky & want to make it smoother. It’s all in your preference. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

• Protein powder is great to have on hand as a meal replacement if food becomes more scarce. It will fill you up & keep you sated & well.
• You can also just add the powder to any milk of your choice, or water, if it’s hard to find these other items, or if you just prefer to use it alone.
• This recipe is for 1 Serving.
• You can change this recipe up with different ingredients.

Hope you enjoy this recipe & hope it helps in tough times & is as delicious to you as much as we love it at our home! Be Safe & Well! ❤