Red Velvet Smoothie (NO artificial coloring)

We went to Mahogany market last Sunday (Tagaytay) -- so I had a chance to work on beets ...for the first time! I was never drawn to beets as they're rare in the metro (or, too expensive). I'm not sure what made me buy them this time - Must be the sudden memory of Decembers when my mom would make potato-beet salad for family gatherings. :)

Ironically, I felt the need to use it for a smoothie first. Because there's more than enough for all the beet dishes I could think of anyway! I'll work on salads, sides, and soups later on, for now this needs to be shared because -- when it comes to beet-based recipes AND healthy dark chocolate smoothies -- THIS takes the cake!

Red Velvet Smoothie! I felt clever! Finally someone found a healthy alternative to that artificial red coloring I've always hated in red velvet desserts (ME!) ...But it turns out, a lot of health buffs out there are already doing that. Hahahaha!

In fact some sources online even say that adding beetroot (or its juice) to the cake batter is really the traditional way of making red velvet cakes. What do you know/think about that? Let me know! This is really interesting. :)

My toppings: chopped almonds, crushed cereals, and grated dark chocolate acai! The last one is from our friend, who hosted the last weekend's Tagaytay getaway. To Roch, in case you're reading this...thank you!!! Yay to outing leftovers! Haha! :)

Red Velvet Smoothie (All-Natural, Vegan) Ingredients: 1. Beets - yielding to 1 cup when chopped 2. 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 3. 1/2 cup coconut cream 4. 1 cup water 5. 1 cup ice cubes 6. 1 tbsp vanilla-flavored coffee syrup 7. 1 packet (1 gram) stevia sweetener 8. dash of cinnamon 9. (optional) favorite toppings - cereals, chocolates, nuts, etc Instructions: 1. Slice the beets in quarters, then boil for 10 minutes 2. Peel the beets, chop, and let it cool. 3. Blend the beets with the rest of the ingredients (except for toppings) 4. Optional - add toppings! Makes 1-2 servings.

Now I'm wondering if this would have been better with cream cheese frosting. Hmm.

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Alcohol-Free Piña Colada

I'm having the slooooowest 2 weeks of my life - 9 more days, and I'm done with work. And with IT (As in Information Technology!). That seems really short, yet I'm still dealing with a lot of things -- last minute tasks, turnovers, meetings, PLUS slight uncertainties, therefore, deep musings: WHAT IF I get bored? Am I willing to let go of my insta-luxuries? Is it actually the healthier option?

And as I work from home now (as today I have to deal with PMS, too), another question nudges me - This will be my typical day, soon... Will I survive aircon-less afternoons? HAHAHA! Ugh, sometimes I just want to slap myself - I'm acting like a brat, whining over something I've never even tried yet ...and something that a lot have already chosen looong time ago with no uncertainty at all. I know right, what's the big deal?!

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I opened the freezer and started working on some smoothie. THIS is the only way to survive a blazing hot afternoon, without turning on the aircon! LOL! Bonus: You don't have to COOK anything, therefore you get to save electricity, too! Now another question popped out - will this be the kind of lunch I'll have forever? Probably, yes! --aaah thank God, there's at least one certainty!

Alcohol-Free Piña Colada Leda Brigino's pin on Pinterest. Ingredients: 1. 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks 2. 1/2 cup thin coconut milk 3. 1/2 cup ice cubes Instruction: 1. BLEND! Makes 1 serving. Yum. :)

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On 2nd thought, thinking too much -- at least -- vindicates my selfish decision. That's me - I never stop thinking, I over-analyze, I've mastered the technique to stress out the brain. That's one of the (bad?) things I.T. taught me. And it's been almost a DECADE in the industry. So, yeah, it's about time to give mySELF a real treat.... LIFE. :) 9 days to go!