ADVENTURE

By Michele Robert Poche BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE ARE YOU UP FOR IT? How did it go?

With these ingredients, I made multiple batches of two distinctly different smoothies, and they were both delicious (recipes below). More than once, my daughter actually jumped out of bed in the morning when I mentioned her smoothie was ready. She even asked if we could take the challenge longer than just seven days. I can think of no better endorsement.

Oh, and before I forget, while I was at the grocery, I was approached by a beet juice salesman. I tried his product, loved it and bought it on the spot. So “30 Days on Nothing But Beets?” Not so scary anymore. What’s next?

Afew months ago, I put myself out there in one of our editorial meetings. “I want to try a few challenges for one of my columns,” I said. “Challenges?” they said. “Yes, challenges. Like eating this or doing that for seven days. Or ten days. Or whatever. Depends on the challenge. Know what I mean?”

Looking around the table, I could see that they liked the idea. I swallowed nervously, imagining articles entitled “30 Days on Nothing But Beets!” and “Sleep! Who Needs It?” My worries melted away the moment we established the first challenge: Have a smoothie for breakfast every morning for seven days. Sounds easy enough, right? Except that these wouldn’t be just any smoothies. They wouldn’t come from a commercial juice bar or “smoothery,” nor would they come from ready-made kits found in a frozen food section. The challenge smoothies would contain 100 percent all-natural ingredients with at least one super food per recipe. Oh, and I would be serving them to my daughter, so they had to be good. Challenge accepted. I left that meeting, picked up my daughter from school and drove straight to the grocery to purchase the ingredients. Photos by Richard Vallon

MY SHOPPING LIST: • almond milk • bananas • cherries (frozen) • chia seeds • coconut oil • Goji berries • mango (frozen) • raspberries • spinach (raw) • Stevia sweetener • tart cherry juice

Green Goodness • 1½ cups almond milk • 1½ bananas • 2 handfuls raw spinach • 2 cups mango, frozen • 1 Tbsp. chia seeds • 1 tsp. coconut oil

Cancer Kicker • 1½ cups almond milk • 1½ cups raspberries • 1½ cups cherries, frozen • 2 Tbsp. Goji berries • 1 Tbsp. tart cherry juice concentrate • ½ tsp. Stevia sweetener (optional)

To create either recipe, place all ingredients in blender, add desired quantity of ice, and blend on high until smooth. Enjoy! Recipes by Christina Leidenheimer

SHERYL SANDBERG SAYS: READ TODAY! SEVEN POWERFUL BOOKS

By Patricia Danflous

If you haven’t read Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, don’t wait much longer, especially if you want to move up the ladder. If you have read Lean In and are ready to make the next move, Sandberg recommends seven powerful books every woman should read, perhaps re-read and keep on her bookshelf — next to Lean In, of course. Highlighted in a New York Times interview, Sandberg’s reading list includes:

BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey

Yes, it’s that Tina Fey: comedienne, mother and super successful career woman. While “bossy” used to be associated with the other “b” word for assertive, career-driven women, Fey advises young women to be bossy and move into leadership. You’ll also find breastfeeding tips and an Italian Rum Cake recipe.

NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton

You don’t have to act like a man to make it in the business world. Thank goodness! Buckingham and Clifton say you should use your talents to the fullest and stop trying to acquire abilities that you think make men successful. Turn your talents into strengths and find career satisfaction through performance.

CONSCIOUS BUSINESS by Fred Kofman Subtitled How to Build Value Through Values, this self-help book reaffirms that maintaining ethics and morals in the workplace is the right thing to do.

A SHORT GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE by Anna Quindlen

The former journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner presents her views on life through personal experience. Quindlen encourages women to take charge — you are the one in charge of your life, she reminds.

THE LEAN STARTUP by Eric Ries Subtitled How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, you may be tempted to pass on this book as too wordy. Don’t. Ries presents a motivating, resourceful business guide, including financial concerns and initiating change before change is necessary to survival.

HOME GAME: AN ACCIDENTAL GUIDE TO FATHERHOOD by Michael Lewis In Home Game, Lewis brings a humorous look to parenting from the husband’s perspective and may help women understand the male side of parenting.

QUEEN OF FASHION: WHAT MARIE ANTOINETTE WORE TO THE REVOLUTION by Caroline Weber

Queen of Fashion might not be the first book you think of to guide you down the career path. Although clothes don’t always “make the man,” clothing and other accessories did make Marie Antoinette. Weber shows how Antoinette’s fashionable ways illustrated the extravagances of the French monarchy and its role in igniting the French Revolution.

recipe Healthy Snacks In A Jar 4

CHOCOLATE AVOCADO PUDDING INGREDIENTS • 1 avocado • ¼ cup cacao or cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate chips • ¼ cup sweetener of choice: maple syrup, honey or agave nectar • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • ¼ cup coconut or almond milk • ½ banana (optional) • Toppings of choice: nuts, fruits, chocolate chips

VEGETABLE TRAY IN A JAR INGREDIENTS • Wide mouth pint jar • Whole carrots • Celery sticks • Cucumbers • Cherry tomatoes • Party picks • 2 Tbsp. Annie’s Naturals Cowgirl Ranch Dressing (no preservatives, gluten free) or hummus PREPARATION ❶ Wash new jars and vegetables. ❷ Add ranch dressing to bottom of jar. ❸ Peel carrots, cut off stem, cut in half, then quarter each half lengthwise (to fit in jar). ❹ Remove stems from celery, cut in half, then half lengthwise. ❺ Peel cucumbers, cut in half, then quarter lengthwise. ❻ Put cherry tomatoes on party pick skewers. ❼ Seal and refrigerate.

PREPARATION ❶ Cut open the avocado, remove the pit and scoop into a blender. ❷ Add the cacao/cocoa/ melted chocolate chips, sweetener, vanilla, milk and banana. ❸ Blend until well mixed and smooth.  Taste test and add more or less of each ingredient to your liking.  Scoop into jars, refrigerate and serve cold. Top with fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or toppings of your choice.

VERY BERRY YOGURT INGREDIENTS Wide mouth pint jar ½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt per jar ¼ cup strawberries per jar ¼ cup blueberries per jar ¼ cup granola, reserved

PREPARATION ❶ Wash new jars and fresh berries. ❷ Add to jar in the following order: yogurt, strawberries and blueberries. ❸ Add granola right before eating ❹ Shake and eat!

ITALIAN PUMPKIN SEED SALAD

INGREDIENTS • Wide mouth quart jar • 2 Tbsp. Annie’s Naturals Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (no preserva- tives, gluten free) • Chopped romaine lettuce •All natural marinated artichoke hearts in a jar, not from a can • Roasted pumpkin seeds • Fresh grated Parmesan cheese • All natural kalamata olives • Grape tomatoes, sliced

PREPARATION ❶ Wash new jars and fresh vegetables. ❷ Layer in jar in this order: dressing, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, pumpkin seeds, Parmesan cheese, and romaine lettuce. ❸ Do not allow the lettuce to touch the dressing until you are ready to eat. ❹ To eat, shake and pour onto a plate.

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“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

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