It’s official! I’ve completed all of my exams and final projects for my two summer classes. When I started taking classes again earlier this year, I was a bit nervous. I had been out of school since I completed my master’s degree in 2015 and shifted my focus to working. In 2019, I decided to go back to school again. This time around, I took classes in subjects I was more interested in learning about for self-improvement. During the spring semester, I took an introductory baking course, safety and sanitation course, and two leadership courses. It was a bit tough to balance work and school at first, but after a month of classes, it felt as if I hadn’t skipped a beat. All of those courses ended in May. I took a break from work and school and traveled to Italy with Kevin to finally have our honeymoon. You can read more about our adventures in Italy here. Once I returned back from my travels throughout Italy, I was ready to begin my summer photography courses. I’ve been working diligently through all of the photography projects, quizzes, and exams. Fast forward to today, and I’m done with both classes. I love the process of learning and growing. I just wish I could skip the exams portion of learning. To celebrate the completion of my two courses, I decided to make myself a treat. I was craving something minty, fruity, and chocolatey all at the same time, so I whipped up a minty chocolate, blueberry, and coconut smoothie for an early evening pick-me-up. The combination of the fresh mint, delectable chocolate, sweet blueberries, and creamy coconut milk blended together makes for the perfect indulgent and refreshing summer drink. I love whipping up smoothies throughout the year and especially during the summer when I want to cool off with a satisfying drink. The best part about a smoothie is how quickly the smoothie comes together. I layer some fresh mint, coconut milk, blueberries, chocolate syrup, and some chocolate chips, then blend everything together for about a minute, pour the contents into a mason jar, and top with some additional mint leaves. In less than five minutes, I had a satisfying smoothie to sip on. I love to drink smoothies when I’m doing some light writing (such as this post). It’s a great way to pack in some fruits and veggies into your diet. Some of my all time favorite smoothies include my green smoothie, kale and spinach green smoothie, and sunrise smoothie. In fact, my favorite time to make smoothies is when I have just a couple fruits leftover in my fridge. I like to use up the fruits by blending them into a smoothie. I’m especially excited for this weekend because the first weekend of the month of August in Ohio is Sales Tax Holiday. For three days starting on Friday and ending on Saturday, families can shop for many back to school supplies and clothing tax free. There are some restrictions and limitations, but otherwise, it’s a great way to stock up on school essentials, and clothing for the upcoming year. I’ve been holding out just a bit to take advantage of the Sales Tax Holiday over the weekend. I could definitely use some new pants and shoes for my work wardrobe. Aside from picking up some much-needed clothing and school supplies, I am also excited to have a short break before my fall courses begin. My leadership certificate program picks up again next week and my plant-based nutrition certificate program begins the week after. My week off also gives me time to plan ahead for the fall semester. While I definitely love the longer days in the summer, I’m also excited for the fall. Fall means college football, apple and pumpkin spice everything, beautiful foliage, and cooler weather. I seem to be getting ahead of myself though. For the time being, I’m going to continue enjoying the warmer weather, longer days, and yummy smoothies like my minty chocolate, blueberry, and coconut smoothie.
Minty chocolate, blueberry, and coconut smoothie:
· 3-5 sprigs fresh mint, stems removed, some leaves reserved for garnishing
· ½ (13.66 fl. oz.) can of unsweetened coconut milk
· ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
· 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
· 1 tablespoon semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1) In a blender, add the mint, coconut milk, blueberries, chocolate syrup, and chocolate chips. Blend all of the ingredients together for about a minute or two. Pour the drink into a tall glass. Garnish with a couple mint leaves. Serve with a reusable straw.
Takeaways: Smoothies are extremely versatile. Usually, if I have spinach in the fridge, I like to add a handful to my smoothie. The mild taste of spinach makes it the perfect veggie boost to add to smoothies. You can swap in strawberries, blackberries, or omit the fruit altogether depending on your taste.