I have finally caught some Spring fever. The weather here in Colorado has been cold, windy and even snowy at times over the past few weeks. The return of the grey, and the absence of any real growth was starting to take it’s toll on my sense of the season.
Although the nasty weather comes roaring back in tomorrow morning, and stays with us into the weekend, we took advantage yesterday of a 70 degree day and warm sunshine to enjoy our first afternoon tea out of doors.
Afternoon tea is huge in our family. It started with my mother, who took me to tea anywhere she could find, and made it one of the most special occasions of my childhood. It keeps going with my boys, who think of tea time as an hour to relax, tell me about their day, and just take a step back from the hard work of playtime.
In honor of our first tea shared under our favorite tree, we hung a special banner that arrived yesterday from my very talented friend Camille, from Camille Creates. This banner seemed perfect to hang from our nearest tree, and will always be brought out to decorate for these moments.
The first outdoor tea needed something really special to enjoy. The boys were clamoring for scones with rhubarb jam, but since the sun was not expected, I didn’t have any made (note to self, be better prepared for moments like these).
I remembered a recipe that I had just seen over on Audra’s site for Sesame fudge. The ingredients were simple, and the result seemed heavenly, except that I did not have sesame seeds in the house. I did, however, have sunflower seeds. With a little tweaking, we enjoyed the most incredible raw fudge I have ever tasted. If you make this recipe, or Audra’s original, be sure to make enough because this one goes fast.
Raw Sunflower Seed Fudge
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Sunbutter (crunchy)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup flax seed meal (Audra uses wheat germ here. Being gluten free, I substituted flax seed meal)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Mix everything together by hand, place onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll into a log. Cover and allow to chill in the fridge.
Thank you Audra for your original recipe. I will be sure to have sesame seeds in the house from now on 
Of course, I should note that although we gathered for tea, we actually ended up with a bit of a twist with what went into the cups. Green tea smoothies were the drink of choice, and a super fun way to kick-off our outdoor afternoons.
The Green Smoothie Challenge has opened my eyes to so much when it comes to raw food living, and I am very grateful to Suzanne for all of her hard work. I am actually proud of myself for really sticking to this challenge, simply to be able to see the difference that it has made for us. We have enjoyed a smoothie together every morning, and Joel and I have come to love them so much that we normally share a second batch in the afternoons (I have not pushed that one as much as with my kids, they are normally done with one).
There are so many recipes that are out there, and I have loved hearing and seeing about what everyone enjoys. For us, the favorite green has been spinach, and blueberries are a must. I have a base set of ingredients that always go in, and then I try to mix up our greens and fruit to keep it interesting.
Green Tea Smoothie
1 cup cooled green tea
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 green apple chopped, skin on
1 cup fresh broccoli sprouts
1 cup strawberries
3 cups spinach
5 spearmint leaves, chopped
Ice
Base ingredients (optional)
Spirulina
Omega Oil (Like Udo’s 3-6-9 blend)
Ground flax meal or hemp seeds
Liquid probiotic
Blend together, and enjoy!
Even though we are not past the frost free date here, I was still ecstatic when a friend dropped off a May Day gift of herbs from a farm in Longmont on Saturday. I LOVE growing herbs, and I normally have them all over our yard to pick and enjoy. Mint, basil, thyme, etc. bring me much happiness to grow, and just feeling the dirt in my hands as I planted them was all that I needed to remind me that Spring is here, no matter how hard King Winter kicks his feet in protest.
Have a wonderful day friends
