easter recap and a smoothie

We can't be post-Easter because we're still waking up to flurries and snowflakes around here in New England.  I'm a lover of four seasons, but I'm all done with winter at this point.  I would really, really like to see some consistent signs of spring around here. We had a beautiful holiday regardless of the wintry temps and little ones being a tad cold in their Easter best last weekend and I hope you all enjoyed the day too.

For our Easter dinner, I made a classic carrot cake for dessert.  If you haven't checked out Mom on Timeout's carrot cake recipe, I highly recommend you do so.  I only make carrot cake once or twice a year and this recipe is literally to die for...the name is quite appropriate.  

I used one of my new favorite flours, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 baking flour, and it came out perfect.  It's been a challenge to have left overs of this beauty around during the week as it kept calling my name, but there's carrots in it so it's all good, right?

Moving out of the sugar craze that the Easter bunny brought to our house (is it possible to walk by a bowl of Cadbury Mini-Eggs and not grab one? I'm not sure....), I whipped up some green smoothies with summery, tropical flavors in mind.  Yes, I'm a bake-aholic, but I'm also head over heels for my Vitamix and strive for balance.  Leafy greens are some of my favorite vegetables and I try to squeeze them in every day.  Starting the day with a tasty smoothie is a great way to do it and it only takes moments to prep and then I'm out the door. I hope you like this recipe! How do you squeeze your greens in?

Tropical Green Smoothie
(servings: 1 smoothie)

Ingredients
-1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
-1/2 cup water
-1 cup chopped or crushed pineapple
-1 banana
-1 cup leafy greens such a spinach or kale
-3-4 ice cubes

Directions
Add the ingredients to your high powered blender with the coconut milk and water first.  Start the blender on medium and increase to high until all blended smoothly.  Pour, sip, and enjoy!