Fertility and Pregnancy Smoothie Recipe.

This smoothie is easy and delicious for anyone, doesn't matter if you're trying to conceive, already pregnant, or just a dude that wants a smoothie. The frozen bananas and protein powder make it taste like a milkshake, instead of the protein and nutrient packed smoothie that it is. I call it my fertility and pregnancy smoothie because pretty much all of the ingredients are known to be beneficial when trying to conceive or for pregnant women.

I made this Fertility and Pregnancy Smoothie recipe pretty much every morning for breakfast after we'd been trying to conceive for a long time and now I love having it as a healthy snack in pregnancy. I've made a few changes to the recipe during pregnancy (as noted below), but will go back to the original once she's born. I know it will be a great boost while I'm breastfeeding!

I'm not a nutritionist (just someone who loves studying foods and their effects on our bodies and health), so I can't say whether this made a difference in my fertility for sure, but I can say that it's a great way to start the day and delicious too! I keep cut up over ripe bananas in a container in the freezer so they're ready to go for smoothies...or banana bread. ;)

MORE SMOOTHIE RECIPES

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Ingredients ≫≫
4 Dates, chopped (great for fertility and softening cervix at the end of pregnancy!)
Almond Milk (to taste)
1 Frozen Banana
1-2 Tbsp Chia Seeds (I vary day to day)
1 Tbsp Almond Butter
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Flaxmeal
1 tsp Maca Root Powder (I stopped adding this once pregnant, no studies whether it's safe or not.)

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Directions ≫≫

Pulse the dates with a bit of almond milk, until it's nice and smooth. Throw the rest of the ingredients and pulse until smooth. After a few pulses I usually push everything down again and add a bit more almond milk. Pulse and blend until smooth.

See? Easy and delicious...enjoy!

Also, in case anyone is wondering, I use this Vitamix to make my smoothies. I love my it sooo much, we put off ordering one forever because of the price tag but I use it several times every single day and my only regret is not getting one sooner! And for the protein powder, I use this organic blend from Costco.

♡ MALLORIE

Vegetarian Taco Ring Recipe.

Taco Ring is one of Dave's special recipes he's been making since we started dating (well, he made it long before that, but you know what I mean). If you know me, you know I love Mexican food the most...it's always my first choice when eating out! Taco Ring always been one of my favorite dinners...really simple and very filling. If it's just the two of you, like it is us, it lasts for days! If you have a whole family, this should be the perfect size for everyone.

It's evolved a tiny bit over the years, once I became a pescatarian we switched from beef to crumbles, but we don't miss the real thing one bit! The beauty of this recipe is once you have tried it a few times, you can always mix up the spices if you'd like or make it spicier than the time before. Or if you prefer beef over the substitute, that's fine too. It's totally up to you! The ingredients listed below are the ones we use 99% of the time, with a few extras, in case you're feeling adventurous. ;)

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Ingredients ≫≫
Chili Powder
Cayenne
Garlic Salt
½ Large Onion
1 Bag of Quorn Crumbles (or 1lb organic grass fed beef if you're not vegetarian)
Grated Cheese (optional)
2 Cans of Immaculate Crescent Rolls (they have the best ingredients we’ve found)
Kalamata Olives (optional)

Serve with ≫≫
Lettuce
Tomato
Avocado
Salsa

Directions ≫≫
While your pan is heating up, dice your onion, but leave a little bit to top the taco ring, if you’d like. Cook quorn crumbles (or beef) on the stove with the diced onion. Add in chili powder, cayenne, and garlic salt to taste as it’s cooking. Mix in cheese, as much as you'd like (it doesn't need much) and let it melt as the crumbles/beef finish cooking.

Once the crumbles are finished, on a round baking sheet, lay each crescent flat and make a circle with them, overlapping as you go. Add crumbles/beef in a ring in the center. Roll the crescent edges around and pinch to close.

We don’t always do this, but to make it a bit prettier, we added grated cheese, kalamata olives (which I thought was weird with taco ingredients, but it was sooo good!), and a few onion slices. Bake as your crescent package states, sometimes it takes a bit longer, just keep an eye on it and once it’s a bit golden brown on top it should be finished.

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Enjoy! If you try this recipe, I want to see your creations! Tag me and use the #mallorieowensrecipe hashtag, Dave and I would love to see one of our favorite recipes being enjoyed by others.

For my complete recipe index, go here.

♡ MALLORIE