My New Fave Breakfast Drink....And It's Not Green Juice!

Those of you (and there were many) who cringed at my green juice drinking self will love this purple recipe  It's the best smoothie I've made.  EVER.  And, candidly, I like to think of myself as a smoothie connoisseur.

It's a berry banana smoothie with a twist and the key to its fabulocity is something that Stars center Brad Richards turned me onto drinking:  almond milk.  He told me about almond milk while we were shooting a story on his near-perfect nutrition habits.  I had always seen it in the aisle, as I had been a soy milk girl for a while.  I picked up a carton of it and have been hooked ever since.

I have always made smoothies using orange juice as my liquid base, enjoying the citrus flavor and bit of bite it provides.  The vanilla flavored almond milk by Almond Breeze that I use adds a wonderful, light creaminess and vanilla-y flavor without being too milky or shake-like, something I personally don't enjoy.

Ingredients for my latest smoothie obsession

This smoothie is also the easiest thing in the world to make.  Simply pour eight ounces of Almond Breeze (the brand I personally use) vanilla into a blender.  Add a big handful of frozen mixed berries (I buy a big ole bag from Costco) and 1 medium banana chopped up.  You can frozen bananas or fresh berries, it really doesn't matter.  I typically use a mix of frozen and fresh because I like the consistency of the smoothie when it's frozen.  Some mornings, I get frisky and add chia seeds or some whey protein.

Costco berries

This smoothie has a huge nutritional bang for the buck with all the wonderful antioxidants from the berries and potassium from the banana.  The almost cooler thing is that it doesn't have a ton of calories while being wonderfully satiating.  The almond milk has only 40 calories (w/ no sugar!), the berries contains 70 calories per cup and a medium banana about 100-120.  That's between 210-230 calories!  The chia seeds add 70, the whey protein about 110.  Still a bargain!

Almond Breeze nutrition info

NFL Player? Don't Buy Bling For Your Ho's, Bro's or the Wife Right Now

This is one of the most amusing stories I've seen in a long time.  While it certainly falls under the "prudent" category, it's just plain funny that the NFL Players Association has to tell its players to "leave the club with your wallet and budget intact."

Here's the skinny:

The story came out a few days ago, but it's worth repeating.  USA Today profiles how the NFLPA has given players a 64-page lockout handbook providing them players with suggestions on how to handle their finances in the event of a lockout.  Many of the tips are ones that some of us recession-affected plebians have already adopted.

• Cook instead of eat out
• Save 25% of your annual pay
• Turn down the heat in your house

Easy stuff.  Simple, common sense advice that all of us can practice.

Then there's the "these guys seriously need to be told to do this?????" tips:

• Hold off on buying motorized toys and jewelry
• Reduce the size of your entourage (I once knew a non-NFL player who had a guy named Peanut who was his errand boy but his primary job was to turn on his car, adjust the vehicle to the appropriate temperature and get ho's for hm at the clubs)
• Say "no" or "not now" to money requests from friends and family

I'm sorry, this is all just makes me giggle.  You have to ask if Dez Bryant will be hosting many more $55,000 dinners during the potential lockout?

Rangers Pitcher Tommy Hunter Hunting for a Job and a Healthy Spring Training

There are few people in the Rangers clubhouse who will make you laugh harder than pitcher Tommy Hunter.  I'm not even going to try to quote him in that regard.  I wouldn't do it justice.  Just trust me.  The man has a career in comedy or tv once he's done with baseball. 

But what's impressive is that he's serious when it comes to his job.  He realized that despite starting 2010 8-0 and posting a 2.31 ERA he was inconsistent.  He went 5-4 in his last 12 starts with an ERA of more than 5.  Then there was the postseason.  Three starts.  0-2 record, 5.56 ERA.   He understands that's not good enough, even bringing it up himself in a conversation Friday morning before the Rangers workout.

"I wouldn't mind going back to the World Series, changing some perspectives about, I guess, myself and the post season," he said.  "I would love to have another chance to do that.  It didn't end on a note I wanted to, personally or as a team."

Hunter is also cool with competing for a spot in the starting rotation, despite having a job in the rotation last season.  In fact, he welcomes the chance to compete, which Rangers manager Ron Washington has said he will have to do. 

"You can't be complacent with what you did last year you," he says, doing his best self-help guru impression.   "You can't be satisfied.  That's life, do better than what you did the year before."

Another big goal is to simply leave Surprise, AZ healthy.  He was injured coming out of Spring Training the last two years.

"Being there opening day is going to be a goal of mine.  The last two years, I wasn't able to get out.  I had a groin (in 2009) and then my oblique last year, so staying healthy and having a job, those are the goals right now."

Mavs Get Roddy B Back Tonight, What Should You Expect

Plus who is your All-Star break MVP?

Has This Media Game Changed or What? How I Watched SB45 Commercials

I feel like I'm late to this party, but this morning was as big a light bulb moment as I've had in a long time and it's all because I watched some of more interesting Super Bowl XLV commercials.

I didn't get the chance to watch much of the game because I was working on a story on the people who paid $200 to watch SB45 on the Party Plazas at Cowboys Stadium. They were stuck outside, in the cold rain and had to use portable, unisex toilets. EEEWWWWW. Some people even paid more than the $200 face value for the tickets, buying them on Ebay or from scalpers. Here is a link to my video blog about the experience.

So, this morning, still a little pre-coffee groggy but wanting to see what's going on in the world, I fire up the Ipad while still in bed. I go to my new favorite app, Flipboard. From the Huffington Post feed, I read a story about the 10 best Super Bowl commercials which provides YouTube links to each.

Maybe this is how you consume your visual media but this was a moment for me. I have gone from being upset I missed the ads, to recording them on a VCR, to the DVR to now watching them on an IPad screen at my leisure at any time of day I want.

That's the future. And it's kind of exciting.

Ironically, my favorite Super Bowl commercial was the most nostalgic: The NFL's Best Fans Ever commercial that used clips from some of our favorite sitcoms. Anything that incorporates Happy Days, The Sopranos, Seinfeld and Family Guy in one spot is a hit.   I didn't even mind all the product placement.

You can actually view and vote for your favorite ad here.

Here's mine:

Ain't No Party Like a Super Bowl Party.....at the White House

Parties galore kick-off in full-wing across Dallas Thursday night in advance of Super Bowl XLV.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his family are hosting a bash for NFL owners at Cowboys Stadium.  Jamie Foxx is reportedly performing.

My mother is actually sponsoring one benefiting the Ron Springs and Everson Walls Gift for Life Foundation at the Fashion Industry Gallery.

How surreal is that? At least I'm assured of getting into that one. I hope.

None of those compare to the ultimate party invite. President Obama is hosting one at the White House. The guest list includes Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as well as elected officials from Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

A White House spokesman says about 100 people are expected to attend including Attorney General Eric Holder, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Pennsylvania Senators Pat Toomey and Roberty Casey Jr. and Wisconsin congressman Reid Ribble.

So, is that the ultimate Super Bowl party invite? (I would kill to attend) Regardless of your political affiliation would you go?

Mike Tomlin isn't Concerned About Big Ben's Fort Worth Night Out "One Iota"

And neither should we.

By now you might have seen the TMZ video of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger singing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" at downtown Fort Worth's Pete's Dueling Piano Bar Tuesday night.  Big Ben reportedly bought a round of drinks for the bar, rang up an $800 tab and took care of the servers, tipping $200.

THEN there's this about Hines Ward, Ike Taylor and "a number of other pro athletes" enjoying a Dallas strip club Monday night.  Ward skirted the issue.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin says that his players being spotted out and about is a non-issue.

"I am not concerned about that one iota," Tomlin said at Thursday's media session at Daniel Meyer Coliseum. "It's normal for guys to eat dinner, believe it or not, every now and then during the course of a week leading up to a game. So this week is no different from any other."

Tomlin wants his team to treat Super Bowl week just like any other game week.

"I understand things may be viewed and reported differently but that's not our concern," he added.

Apparently it's been a tradition for Roethlisberger to take his teammates out to eat during Tuesday nights during the week.  They enjoyed bar-b-que before their trip to Pete's.

Lots of media types have been on the record criticizing the Steelers for their after-work activities this week.  "Why can't they just stay at the hotel and watch movies?"  is one refrain.  I get it that Roethlisberger's situation is marred by a number of incidents, having been accused of rape twice but never brought up on charges.  His appearance anywhere in cell-phone video world will raise eyebrows, especially during Super Bowl week.  But I also think that too many people have unreal expectations on athletes.  They're no different from any of us, just paid better.

"Believe it or not - guys live lives," Tomlin said this morning.

Trust me. You don't want to know what Cowboys players were doing when they won those three Super Bowls in the 90's

Issue?  Non-issue?  What are your thoughts?