Two Delicious Smoothie Recipes

Greetings from Verbier!

Sean arrived in Geneva from Philadelphia this afternoon ready for a weekend in Verbier! A few weeks ago Sean decided it was time to fulfill his lifelong dream of skiing in the Alps. He called us asking if we’d mind a visitor and we clearly were ecstatic!

Can’t you see his excitement?

This evening we took AlpyBus from the Geneva airport to Verbier instead of driving. Normally we’re lucky enough to ride up with friends but this weekend none of our friends were heading up here. That left us with three options: take the train, test out the airport shuttle, or rent a car. The cost of a car, considering that we won’t touch it the entire time we are in Verbier, is obnoxious. The train isn’t very convenient due to limited timetables. Luckily, the AlpyBus shuttle from the airport was amazing! The shuttles can be booked in advance and leave from the airport every 15 minutes. The shuttle is air conditioned,  has free wi-fi and left the airport perfectly on time! The views were absolutely gorgeous along the Lake! Normally when we leave Verbier it’s already dark but thanks to the upcoming Spring season it stayed light until almost 7pm!

So, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that my Vitamix has been getting a lot of use lately. Somehow, in the move, I forgot about the Vitamix as it was out of sight, pushed to the back of a cabinet. Only a month ago did it make its way back onto the counter where it is now blending smoothies multiple times a week.  I’ve spent a few weeks experimenting with recipes and thus far these are my two favorite smoothie recipes, perfect in small portions for dessert or full portions for a meal.

Coconut Banana Smoothie   Coconut Banana Smoothie

Combine all ingredients except the coconut in the blender and mix on high. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top of smoothie once poured in glass.

1 banana

1 cup Fage 0% yogurt

1/2 cup coconut water

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 serving vanilla protein powder

1 tsp ground flax

sprinkling coconut flakes

Strawberry & Almond smoothie Strawberry & Almond Smoothie

Combine all ingredients except the coconut in the blender and mix on high. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top of smoothie once poured in glass.

1 cup fresh strawberries

1 cup Fage 0%

1 serving vanilla protein powder

3 Tbsp almonds

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp ground flax

sprinkling of coconut flakes

Enjoy! What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

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Fondue & Sledging: A New Swiss Experience

This weekend in Verbier was very different than the previous two weekends this season. Three couples came together with one goal – celebrate Nora’s birthday by enjoying a weekend filled with her favorite things: skiing, a late lunch on the mountain, fondue, sledding and lots of wine!189 It was so nice to spend quality time with Nora, Mike, Nico and Marie as we haven’t had the chance to spend time with them outside group settings.143While overcoming a great deal of my fears on the slopes and enjoying a few hours of skiing with friends was a lot of fun, the highlight of the weekend was definitely last night’s adventure: fondue & sledging. 200 When Nora suggested an evening of fondue and sledging we of course agreed as it’s the birthday girl’s choice and Bo had never eaten Swiss fondue. But, we didn’t know the details of the adventure until 8pm last night. Our group was told to grab one of the stacked sledges (sleds in the US) and be ready at 8pm, fresh from naps and showers, dressed in warm boots and clothing. I am so thankful that my in-laws gave me a pair of Sorel boots for my birthday! I stayed nice and warm all last night!

We took the Verbier bus 15 minutes from their flat, towards Carrefour. Many other people had the same idea as by the time we reached our stop the bus filled with people of all ages with one thing in common – a sled in their hands.210From the bus stop our evening consisted of a 45 minute hike up a hill, through the woods along a trail overlooking the villages below, a fondue dinner and then a sledging adventure back down the mountain.

The hike through the woods in fresh powder was definitely a challenge on already exhausted legs. We went between talking and laughing on the trail to waking a few minutes in silence to enjoy the pristine forest. 198Our eyes quickly became adjusted to the darkness and Bo and I were in awe of the stars, snow capped trees and views. I wish I could capture the views for you but my iPhone couldn’t do it justice.

Forty five minutes later our group arrived at Restaurant La Marmotte.201

Complete with a large fireplace and wood burning stoves, our dinner was the epitome of a Swiss fondue evening! Needless to say, after the hike, we were quite exhausted but also quite cold.  That was quickly remedied as we were immediately welcomed with toasty cups of vin chaud (hot wine) and a delicious assiette de viandes froides et fromages (dried meat and cheese plate). 

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No one needed to look at the menu as our hosts Mike and Nora ordered for the whole table (fondue obviously with plenty of white wine).  Since it was Bo’s first time having fondue, the experienced fondue folks joked that they almost encouraged him to order beer rather than wine. Evidently the acid in the white wine helps with the digestion of the cheese and if you ever drink beer with fondue, everything you eat clumps together in your stomach causing quite a bit of discomfort.204205206We laughed and joked for over two hours and somehow miraculously managed to finish both pots.  It was then time for the sledging down the longest path in Western Switzerland!  NOW, let me tell you…if you want an adventure, sit down on a plastic sledge heading down the mountain for 30 minutes along a 10 ft wide path in the dark with a cliff on one edge after consuming 6 bottles of wine and two pots of cheese between 8 people – for us, it was the ride of a lifetime though its evidently normal course in the Swiss Alps. Yes mom and dad I know this wasn’t the best decision but we survived, had a blast and don’t regret it! 211

The sledges that are used in Switzerland are unlike any American sled that we have ever seen.  The sleds that we used to buy at corner bodegas in New York after a big snow were simple plastic shells.  These were also made out of plastic but they had proper seats and actual controls.  We steered right and left down the mountain as the path twisted and turned through the woods back through Verbier. We all survived the adventure and ended right at the base of the W Hotel in Verbier, laughing and freezing from the snow in our hair on bottoms.

The world incredible can’t begin to describe this four hour experience and we look forward to sharing it with friends and family who come visit us during the winter!

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Silent Saturday: Ski Edition

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