Homemade Banana Milk

Interesting enough I had never before heard of banana milk prior to this past weekend. When I initially was asked to whip up some banana milk, I thought it was a really strange request and I am not sure why since I love adding banana's to my smoothies.  I guess it was because this is not a milkshake type recipe but a much thinner, milk like drink.  It didn't sound very appealing to me at all, but since we were trying to find some healthy milk alternatives to help supplement my young nephew's diet, I was up for giving it the old college try! 

I have to give the credit to my husband as the brains behind this recipe.   By brains, I mean he told me to put a banana, water and vanilla in a blender and mix it all up.  Of course this means I am the brains behind the brains, since I then had to figure out the measurements! :) Strangely enough, when all was said and done, it worked and tasted great, too.  The banana flavor was obvious but still subtle enough to not feel overpowered by it and the consistency was very much milk-like and there is just a hint of sweetness & vanilla.  It also passed the test of a one year old, for he drank it right up!   

Homemade Banana Milk
~by Herban Adventures

*Ingredients:
1 Ripened Banana, frozen and cut into chunks**
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*Directions:
Add the frozen banana chunks, water and vanilla into a high speed blender (amazon affiliate link).  Blend on high until all the banana has been incorporated into the liquid. Pour and drink immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.  The banana milk will turn brown after it sits over a period of time.  This is entirely normal and expected.  It is a fresh banana after all! 

**Note:  It is very important to use super ripe banana's (much more so then the ones seen in my photo above).  This will make the banana taste so much more flavorful and sweeter.  Also, I use banana's quite frequently in smoothies and I have found it easiest to unpeel the banana and cut it into chunks before freezing it.  If you freeze the banana unpeeled, you'll have to let it sit and thaw a little bit before you'll be able to peel it. 

Enjoy!!!

~Chrissy

My Friday Five: February 7, 2014

I've taken a bit of a break from blogging over the last couple of weeks, but I'm back and ready to start writing again!  Since it's Friday, this means it is time for another "My Friday Five" post.  There has been lots and lots of fun things from the last two weeks that I've been eager to share with everyone, so now, without further adieu, here are the five things I absolutely have to share or I'd burst.....

1.  Urbnmat Earth Urbmat $79.95 ~Amazon Affiliate Link 
I was pretty excited when I came across this on my Twitter feed the other day.  This mat is designed for beginner gardeners, like me, who really want the dumbed down version of how to garden.  I really have no clue as to what I am doing when it comes to gardening.  Quite frankly, it kind of makes me a bit anxious.  What I like about this mat is you really can't get much easier then this.  It is like a gardening roadmap.  Everything is already supplied except the dirt to roll it out on.  All you have to do is place this mat in the space you cleared away for gardening, add the included seed balls in the appropriate hole on the mat and hook your water up to the drip irrigation system.  Then, you'll sit back and wait for your lovely, organic veggies to pop out.  Winter is beginning to feel as if it will never end but gardening season will be here before we know it and something like this may be a great tool to have for my first garden. 

2.  Beautiful Nebraska Sunrises!  Lately we seem to be having some really gorgeous sunrises here in Nebraska which paint the sky in this amazing variety of vibrant colors.  Lucky for me these sunrises have been happening during my drive into work, making it all the more richer and enjoyable for me.  My mood is always so much more positive and happier when this magnificent sight lights up the sky and uplifts my spirits! 

3.  Winning a giveaway contest.  Over the holidays, I signed up for the Goodebox 12 days of Giveaways contest.  Every day was a different giveaway, and I am pretty sure I signed up for each of the 12 giveaways.  Lucky for me, I actually won one of the prizes!!!  My prize was a 4 piece set of Valia Skincare products.  The four, full-size products I received were the Cleansing Milk, Purifying Wash, Yuzu Hydrating Crème & Bloom Dietary Supplement.  I don't know if I'll use the supplement, but the rest of the products will be put to great use!!!

4.  My Great Aunt's sparkly fashion jewelry.  My mom recently passed down to me quite a few pieces of my Great Aunt's lovely jewelry, circa 1940/1950.  These jewel encrusted pieces are all fake, but they are invaluable to me.  I have only a few treasured memories of my Great Aunt, who died when I was pretty young.  I am thrilled to find we have the same taste in glitzy, flashy jewelry.  Oddly, it makes me feel more close to her, even though she has been gone all these years!!! 

 
5.  Feel Good Stories.  This video is a few months old, but I always think about it when I hear the song, "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors.  It definitely tugs on my heart strings.  My husband and I have two little doggie's who mean the absolute world to us.  We actually got our dogs from breeders, but I've learned a lot over the last few years about puppy mills and breeders, enough to know that when the time comes our next family member will be a rescue dog.

Have a Great weekend!
~Chrissy

Green Beauty Characters Tag

I was super excited when I was tagged by Sarita Coren at Edible Facial the other day.  It was my very first Tag here at Herban Adventures, so I was beyond flattered.  If you don't follow Sarita on Twitter, do it now!!!! I really think she deserves a special award for being the Sweetest Person on Twitter.  She is absolutely fantastic.  Thanks again, Sarita!

This Tag all began from the mind of Sonja at Life In Blush, another fantastic green beauty blogger I am learning a lot from. 

Ok, here goes nothing.....

1. On my nightstand you'll find: 

A photo of my husband with our dogs (The photo is an old one.  One of our dogs in it has passed on and we have since then added on to our furry family).  I am an avid reader so I am never far from my Kindle Fire, but I still like to read an actual book with real pages from time to time.  The book I have waiting in the wings is " Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns" by Lauren Weisberger.  I've got a sunflower coaster (my favorite flower), a sweet little Fairy girl nick-nack who is yawning big, ready to hit the sack.  I've got a couple hair barrettes, my alarm clock and lamp.  I am also constantly trying to hydrate my poor dry, cracked hands, so I've got a couple of hand creams/lotions that I am trying out:  Aubrey Organics - Replenishing Moisturizing Lotion in Honeysuckle (CoQ10) and Inesscents Aromatic Botanicals - Creamy Organic Cocoa Butter.  Fingers are crossed they'll help do the trick!

2. The Literary Character I am most like (via quiz found here):
I am Hermione from the Harry Potter series. "You are smart, witty, and love a challenge. You use rationality and reason in all things. You are measured and stable and you don't let people push you around." - I love Hermoine, so I am good with these results! :)

3.  I am Currently Obsessed With:
Subscription Boxes.  I can't get enough of them, which is not great on the pocket book, so I have to check myself from going overboard.  I really like that you can find some really great eco-friendly subscription boxes, with more popping up every day.  These have been a perfect way for me to test out and discover new green beauty/food/cleaning products.  You can read my October 2013 HomeGrown Collective Box Review, here, and my Season's Box (August 2013) Review, here.  I am also a huge fan of the PopSugar MustHave Box, as well as, Stitch Fix.  Oh, and I've asked my husband for a subscription to the Yuzen Box for Christmas this year, too! Yikes.....I really am obsessed, aren't I?

4. My Favorite Super Hero is: 
Like Sonja from Life in Blush, I, too, really love She-Ra, Princess of Power.  I really love childhood nostalgia, so when I found this adorable She-Ra vinyl "Action Figure" that I just had to have it! 

5. Favorite Beauty Product of 2013:
Without a doubt it has to my Schmidt's Natural Deodorant. Ok, so it is actually a personal care product but whatever.... You can read my review here.  I know some people have a lot of trouble with the baking soda found in many natural deodorant's but this one works great for me.  I love it! 

6. If I could have Dinner with anyone Dead or Alive it would be:
Jane Austen.  I would also have to invite my Mom to this dinner date as she would never forgive me if I didn't.  We both share an insane love of all things Jane.  I will admit that my Mom is arguably the super fan between the two of us though!  My BFF and I have a joint blog, Once Upon A Friendship, where I wrote about my love of Jane.  We've since then taken a bit of a hiatus with this blog but hopefully we will get back in gear sometime in the future. You can read my post, here. 

7.  Winter is Coming - How do you Prep your Skin for Battle?: 
So first of all, after reading this question the theme song from Game of Thrones started playing in my head. "Winter is Coming" happens to be a key quote from the book/tv series? Is anyone else a fan?  I can't wait for Season 4 to start again!!! 

But seriously, to answer the question, I moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.  I've been using coconut oil on my face and neck (which oddly enough seems to be helping with my acne. Has anyone else seen this result with coconut oil?)  and "Alba Botanica" - Very Emollient Body Lotion on the rest of my body. For what I've been using on my hands, refer to question #1. 

8.  My Perfect Date Night Make-up Consists of:
Honestly I am still working on finding the perfect green everything for my make-up routine.  Right now I am using Juice Beauty tinted mineral moisturizer for my foundation (I really want to try W3ll People's foundation next though) and "Mineral Fusion'- Loose Powder Foundation.  My mascara is Nvey Eco, which is nice but seems to run off my lashes fairly easily which is frustrating.  I am still using "Bare Minerals" in Golden Gate for my blush.  For my lips, I've been using "Pacifica"- Color Quench Lip Tint in Sugared Fig and I absolutely adore this lip tint!  It looks great on and smells fantastic.

9.  My Go-To Skin-Beautifying Snack/Drink is:
Green smoothies.  I add fresh/frozen fruit, spinach, or other greens, and water to a blender and, viola, a cold refreshing drink is born!  I drink at least one green smoothie a day.

10.  My TV Boyfriend is:
I am going to have to go with Jim from The Office.  I know it isn't on anymore but I just love his character.  I've always thought he would be the most perfect husband (other then my very own, real life, perfect husband that is!)  John Krazinski is absolutely adorable and the whole Jim and Pam love story still warms my heart in it's pure loveliness.  This YouTube video does a really fantastic job of summing it up.  Oh dear, I may have to sit and watch the first few Seasons of the Office now to get my Jim fix!!! :)
  

11.  If my Evening Clutch could only hold one Beauty item it would be:
The "Pacifica"- Color Quench Lip Tint in Sugared Fig.

12.  One Beauty Tip I would pass on to my Niece (since I do not have a daughter) is:
Go easy with the make-up. It's not a tool to hide behind, but a tool to enhance your natural beauty.  Keep it simple!

13.  The Most Nostalgic Item from my Childhood is:
Strawberry Shortcake.  I had all the dolls and my bedroom was all decked out in Strawberry Shortcake, from bedding to my curtains and even my trashcan!

14. My Favorite TV show of the Moment is:
It is way to hard for me to choose just one.  My must watch shows right now are: The Big Bang Theory, New Girl, Once Upon A Time, House Hunters and The Walking Dead.  Oh, and Game of Thrones when it comes back on in the Spring! 

15. My Favorite Quote is:
"Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory" -Dr. Seuss
I am a very nostalgic person.  So this quote has always resonated with me. Think back on the people of your life and it is truly amazing what memories will pop up.  From the mundane to really big moments, it is really interesting which ones really stick with you for the rest of your life. It shows how precious every moment in life really is!


*House Rules:

• Tag other bloggers (If you've already been tagged in this, link to your post in the comments!) I am tagging Sarah from Sugarpuffish, Dana from Live Green Beauty, Karen from In My Humble Opinion, and Sophie from Practically Pure
• Title your post as I have done
• Mention the tag started by Life In Blush