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Greek Yogurt Smoothie Bowls

‘Sup guys! I’m super excited to post my first healthy recipe! A year ago I went to California, and my favourite thing to eat for breakfast there were açai bowls. They’re basically made up of granola and fruit topped with an açai smoothie, and they’re delicious! Unfortunately, you can’t buy açai berries here, and shipping them in is really expensive. So I came up with these greek yogurt smoothie bowls, which might be even better because you can make your smoothie with whatever you want! And, if you make a big batch of smoothie on the weekend, you’ll have ready-to-go breakfasts all week long! Here is the recipe for this easy, healthy and delicious breakfast.

 

The first step is to make your smoothie. I have a Vitamix at home, but you can use any blender. What’s great about this recipe is that you can customize your smoothie, but there are some things that you should definitely put in there. Start with a veggie, and I know what you’re thinking, veggies for breakfast!!?? What is this? But trust me, once you combine them with everything sweet going into the mix, you won’t even taste them. Spinach, carrots and avocados are great for smoothies. You can even buy frozen avocado at Costco, so you always have some on hand.

Next, throw in some fruit. I like bananas, berries and pineapple, but you can really add whatever fruits you like. Again, you can buy tons of different kinds of frozen fruits at Costco. Once you have a few types of fruits and veggies picked out, you can put in some protein or other add ins, like peanut butter, nuts and seeds, all that good stuff. For my smoothie, I used  spinach, avocado, banana, pineapple, and hemp seeds, which you can also buy at Costco.

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Hemp seeds are a great source of healthy fats and protein and I often use them in my lunch salads instead of meat. Make sure to add a few cups of water to your blender so your smoothie isn’t too thick, and you’re off to the races. Blend all of your ingredients until smooth.

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When you’re done with your smoothie, it’s yogurt time! I always use plain greek yogurt, because it’s low in sugar and high in protein. Try and stay away from fruit flavoured yogurt because it’s high in added sugar. Scoop about 1/4 to 3/4 cups of yogurt into a bowl, it depends how hungry you are! Pour a proportionate amount of smoothie over one half of the yogurt in the bowl. Again, you can mix up the ratios of yogurt to smoothie depending on how you like it. On the side of the yogurt that isn’t covered by the smoothie, sprinkle fruit, granola, nuts, more hemp seeds, really anything you want! I decided to top mine with some almonds.

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And there you have it! Greek yogurt smoothie bowls!

I hope you like this recipe! Have some fun with the different combinations of fruit in the smoothie and toppings on the finished product. Making this the night before you need it and popping it in the fridge will give you a quick and delicious start to your morning! Leave some comments down below if you tried it out!

.P.S- Don’t forget to come back next week, when I’ll be posting a recipe for delicious homemade granola.

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;))

My December Reading List

For my bonus post this week, I decided to fill you in on my reading list for December. This will probably become a monthly thing and not so much of a bonus post, but for this week it is;). Here is my must-read list this month!

  • The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy- I’m reading this book mostly because I read the first one, and when I start a series I feel compelled to finish it. It’s pretty good so far, but it’s no Life of Pi or Throne of Glass.
  • The Last 6 Nancy Drew Books; Mystery of the Glowing Eye, The Secret of the Forgotten City, The Sky Phantom, The Strange Message in the Parchment, Mystery of Crocodile Island, The Thirteenth Pearl- This Summer I started reading this series- they’re the original hardcovers, not the modern-day versions, so it’s a totally different writing style than I’m used to. I got through 50 of them, but then had to take a little break because that’s a little too much Nancy Drew even for me. It’s my goal to finish them all this year, so I might have to speed-read a little;).
  • Glass Sword-This is part of the Red Queen series. I’m hoping to get a copy for Christmas because it’s a $25 book! Anyways, if I finish the rest of the Nancy Drew than this is my back-up.

That’s my list for this month! I wish that I could’ve included more variety, but I need to finish Nancy Drew this year. Next month I promise that I’ll read a lot of good ones- I’m crossing my fingers that the next Throne of Glass book is out by then. Bye for now!

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

 

Review-Life of Pi

“LIFE OF PI” BY Yaan Martel

December 1, 2017

Okay, wow. This book was amazing. As you know, Life of Pi is on my list of Top 4 Inspirational Books For Teens, but after finishing it, I have to say that it deserves a category of its own. Maybe Top Books to Get You Thinking? Something like that. Anyways, here’s my review on what is now one of my favourite books of all time.

 

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Rating: 5 OWLS

A Brief Summary:

Piscine Molitor Patel, a 16 year-old Indian boy, is lost at sea after the sinking of the ship he was aboard. In the lifeboat with him is a zebra with a broken leg, an orang-utan, a hyena, and a 450 pound Bengal tiger. In order to survive, Pi must cooperate with these animals and unleash parts of himself that he never thought were there in the first place.

Why 5 OWLS? This book got 5 OWLS because it was incredible. At the beginning of the novel Pi talks about his life; the excitement of growing up at a zoo, his adventures and misadventures at school, his passion for religion, that sort of thing. When he finally gets into the part about him being in the lifeboat and learning to get food and water, it really gets interesting. How he learns to cope with and tame the tiger is even more mind-boggling. I found that the storyline moved along at a very good pace and that Pi was a very relatable and funny character. The author could have made this story drag on and on, but he instead focused in on the most important details, incorporating little details and connections to Pi’s life in India as needed. This made for a fun, interesting and intense read that left me wanting more. And the ending……… crazy. I think that I was still thinking it through three days later. And that’s what I really love about this book. It makes you think.  Sometimes I go through books in like five days and go on to the next one straight away, so it’s refreshing to just put down a book and be amazed every single time that you think about it. I’m actually still trying to figure some parts out. That’s why this read got 5 out of 5 OWLS; not because I couldn’t put it down, but because sometimes it forced me to put it down and just think.

 

Who Would Enjoy This Book? If you are interested in human nature, animals, or just want to read a book that makes your brain work, I suggest that yo read this novel. Just be aware it is a pretty sophisticated read, and you might have to look up a few words.

So, that’s that. Let me know if you read this book and liked it…. I’m seriously considering opening up a chat page so we can discuss the ending! Also, keep your eyes open for this week’s bonus post.

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

Related Titles:

Let me know is you find any! I’d read them in a heartbeat;)

Review-Red Queen

“RED QUEEN” BY Victoria Aveyard

November 24, 2017

To be honest, I was super excited to read this book. I even put Tower of Dawn, which is part of the Throne of Glass series, on hold to read it! I liked it, although I found it to be a little too fast-paced. Here’s my review.

MyDayisBOOKED

Rating: 3.5 OWLS

A Brief Summary:

In Mare Barrow’s world, people are separated by blood. Those with Silver enjoy supernatural abilities that allow them to rule those with Red, who are sentenced  to serve their god-like counterparts. Mare wishes she could be like her sister, who will someday support their Red family with her sewing skills. Instead, she must steal what she can to help them get by. But destiny whisks her off to the Silver castle where she displays a hidden power right in front of the king and his court……except she bleeds red. The royals force her to masquerade as a Silver princess to cover up the absurd truth. She must put on a convincing show or die as a consequence. This new Mare will make heart-breaking decisions and discover that betrayal is a brutal reality.

Why 3.5 OWLS? This book got 3.5 OWLS because it was good, but not awesome. I really like Mare as a character, and I felt that she developed through the story quite nicely. The rest of the characters showed nice character development as well, as most of them learned something that changed their point of view throughout the plot. Again, I also love fantasy, and it satisfied that part of my expectations! Some parts of this read were a bit fast-paced for my liking, especially as you got into the middle to end sections of the book, but if you like books like that you’ll find it very good.

Overall Story: The overall storyline in Red Queen is very enjoyable. The author creates good suspense. The way that the story transitions from light to heavy is done well. I like when you reach the end of a book, something happens that relates to the beginning of the story and you go , “Oh my gosh, why didn’t I put two-and-two together on that one?”. This book does just that.

Who Would Enjoy This Book? If you enjoy fast paced writing, relatable characters and many surprises in a book, than Red Queen is right for you.

There you go! Even though I’m not dying to read the next books in the series, I think I will, because why not? I hope that you got some insight into what Red Queen is all about through this review and it helps you decide if it’s right for you! Leave some comments  down below and let me know if you’ve read this book or want to read it.

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

Related Titles:

Queen Song, Steel Scars, Glass Sword, King’s Cage, War Storm, Cruel Crown.

Top 4 Inspirational Books For Teens

Hi! This is my second post so far…. my first was a review on Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass. Now I’m here to share with you what I think are the top 4 most inspirational books for us teens- (what I’m trying to say is, you should read them!). So, without further ado, here are my choices!

  1. I am Malala By Malala Yousafzai (Non-fiction)- This book is amazing. It is a story about an incredible young woman who fought for her right to education, only to get shot because of it. Nevertheless, Malala is alive and still empowering people all over the world. If you’re looking for a book to inspire and create the feeling that nothing is impossible, this is definitely a must-read!

“I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.”-Malala Yousafzai, I am Malala

2.  Me to We By Craig and Marc Kielburger (Non-Fiction)- Reading this will make you want to cry. No, I’m not kidding. The founders of Me to We, an organization that empowers young people to make a change in the world, have written about their adventures helping people in many different countries, and some of the stories are astonishing. I was fortunate enough to go to We Day,  an event started by Craig and Marc that inspires students to do more in their communities. With writing about things from how you can make a difference and being happier to meeting Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta), there is something for everyone in this philosophy of a book.

“In life, we are told that easy answers are hard to come by. Many believe that they simply don’t exist. We respectfully disagree. Not only do simple answers to life’s burning questions exist, but we’ve learned that those which often appear most obvious can be profoundly life-changing.”-Craig and Marc Kielburger, Me to We

3.  Life of Pi By Yaan Martel (Fiction)- I am currently engrossed in this book right now! Even though this story is fictional, it is still very inspiring and is relatable to all of us because it subtly underlines what being human is all about. 16 year-old Pi Patel is stranded on a life boat in the middle of the Pacific ocean after the sinking of the cargo ship he was aboard. But he isn’t alone. The vessel also contains a hyena, an orang-utan, a zebra, and a 450 pound Bengal tiger. Pi must learn to cooperate with these animals in order to survive. I enjoy this book because you can’t help wonder what you would do if you were in his shoes- although he currently doesn’t have any because he lost one and used the other for fishing bait. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an intense read, as the writing is pretty sophisticated. Tune in next Wednesday for a detailed review on this story.

“I must say a word about fear. It is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy.”-Yaan Martel, Life of Pi

4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane By Kate DiCamillo (Fiction)- Edward, a china rabbit, lives with his adoring owner Abilene, until he gets lost. Okay, I know what your thinking. Seriously? You expect me to read a book about a toy rabbit? I’m not six. I know that this book may sound a little childish, but trust me, it’s not. This is a very arrogant rabbit, and on his journey from one person to the next he learns some very important life lessons. I don’t know if I can call this inspiring, but it is a beautiful story and I suggest that everyone reads it, regardless of age.

“…..with his head in the muck, he experienced his first genuine and true emotion. Edward Tulane was afraid.”-Kate DiCamillo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

So, there you have it! A list of books that will inspire, empower, and make you say wow! Don’t forget to comeback next week for a review on Life of Pi, plus another bonus post! Also, leave some comments below, I’d love to hear if you’ve read any of the above titles or have any requests as to what to review!

Your Truly, MyDayisBooked;)