Last night I went to the Ragin’ Cajun Bash in downtown Little Rock (courtesy of Petit Jean Meats) and I have come to a couple of conclusions. Because I’m tired and because I’m in a listy mood I will now divulge said lessons via bullet points. I’m sorry and you’re welcome, all at once 🙂
- I really like living in Little Rock. Like really really. Like I didn’t think that it would be such a fun place with such great people, such cool history and such amazing food. And the weather last night was kind of amazing.
- I watched Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood last weekend, which is set in Louisiana. Last night’s bash had a fun band that played Cajun music like they had in the movie. And I found myself telling Nate that I KNOW that this is really the only time period I was made to live in, but sometimes I think it would be fun to go back and live a few nights in a different time period. Like, to dance to that kind of music because it’s just what you listened to back then, not because of a theme party or anything. Just what you do. Make sense? Clear as mud? Thought so!
- Last weekend was the very first time I ever ate crawfish that I had to pull out of the shell myself. Our neighbor, who is both awesome and hilarious, said that you pinch the head and the tail and kind of twist them apart, that some people suck out the head (WHAT?!) but he doesn’t recommend it, and then you just eat the tail meat. Done and done. Seems really romantic and awesome and cool at first, but after about 2 crawfish I am tired of the “experience” and just want someone else to shell and clean them for me.
- Hurricanes are always better in a hurricane glass.
- I love a good hushpuppy more than just about any other side dish.
- Being on a date with my husband is so much fun, and not done nearly often enough. Although most of the time we just sit there and gush about our boy and how much fun he is. #welcometoparenthood
So you may be wondering what all of that has to do with a zucchini bread smoothie, or even if in fact a zucchini bread smoothie even tastes good at all. The answer to those questions are as follows: the two have nothing in common really, and yes this smoothie is really good. I was a little scared when I made it and am so glad I did!
The keys here are the oatmeal – yes, you want it – and the zucchini. I froze my zucchini solid and then let it thaw JUST slightly before blending. If you have a rockstar blender then just use it all frozen solid; my sweet little blender is on it’s last legs I think and so I gave it a break with a little thawing action.
Another tip with the oatmeal is to let it sit in the milk for 5-10 minutes before blending to let it soften slightly. It lends a really creamy and thick consistency to the smoothie, plus a great oat/bread flavor!
Finally you are going to WANT some cinnamon in there. Start with the amount in the recipe, and then add more if desired. I feel like this is a really big part of the zucchini bread flavor and love adding it in!
Y’all enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, washed, quartered and diced, then frozen
- 1/2 small banana, frozen
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup milk of choice (I almost always use unsweetened almond milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- honey or stevia to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Top with extra oatmeal if desired.
- Another good add-in are raisins. I know that sounds strange, but it adds a fun little element!
I am totally loving all the smoothies going on around here with your Blended series. We do smoothies at least 3 times per week. I’m glad to add a few new recipes to get us out of the usual recipe rut.
Wow I never would have thought to use zucchini in a smoothie-brilliant!
My goodness, I never would have thought about adding zucchini to a smoothie, but this one looks delicious, friend. And great tip on letting the oats soak for a bit. I don’t usually do that, and struggle with not getting the oats blended super well.