Start your day right with a delicious and nutrient-dense breakfast smoothie. They’re easy to prepare the night before if you usually rush out the door without something to eat. No more mid-morning carb cravings!

Base Recipe:

Protein
CHOOSE ONE

• ½ cup nut milk
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ cup coconut milk

PLUS

• 1 serving rice/hemp/organic protein powder (optional)

Fat
CHOOSE ONE

• ¼ avocado
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons nut butter

Omega 3s

• 1 tablespoon flax/hemp seed

Complex Carbohydrates/Vitamins & Minerals

• 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit

(tip: add a lemon juice if the fruit needs an acidic balance)

PLUS

• 1 handful dark leafy greens

Spices (optional)

• e.g. cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, vanilla bean, allspice, fennel seed, etc.

(the quantity will depend on the spice chosen)

Sweetener (optional)

CHOOSE ONE

• Few drops of liquid stevia
• A spoonful of raw honey

Blend with:

• 2 ice cubes

PLUS

• Enough water/coconut water necessary until desired thickness is reached

Mix and match ingredients. And feel free to add more than one of the “CHOOSE ONE” suggestions. This base recipe is just a starting guide to help you figure out what you like best.

Happy Blending!

Mother’s Day Playlist

1. You Are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne
2. Something in the Way She Moves – James Taylor
3. My Girl – The Temptations
4. Sweet Pea – Amos Lee
5. Meaning (Stripped Version) – Gavin DeGraw
6. She’s Got a Way – Billy Joel
7. A  Song for Mama – Boyz II Men
8. You Bring Me Joy – Anita Baker
9. Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
10. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic – The Police
11. Song Bird – Eva Cassidy
12. Crazy Love – Van Morrison
13. Angels – Robbie Williams
14. Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World – Israel Kamakawiwo`ole

Here are some fun menu ideas to help you create a great morning for Mom. And remember: she shouldn’t have to lift a finger – especially not to clean up afterwards.

Mother’s Day Menu Ideas

Tea & Coffee
w/ honey, sugar, lemon, cream – however she likes it!

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
valencia oranges make the best!

Fruit Salad
slice 1 kiwi and several strawberries plus whatever else is in season

Entrée Ideas:

1.     Breakfast Smoothie
mangoes are delicious right now! And check out our sample recipe for easy smoothie-making

2.     Sweet & Savory Waffles
whether homemade or the organic frozen kind, there are endless yummy toppings:
Sweet

• chocolate hazelnut spread
• raspberry jam
• coconut cream
• yogurt

Savory

• pesto and cherry tomatoes
• sautéed spinach, onions, and mushrooms

3.     Rice Pudding
if you don’t have a favorite already, Chef Sita shares her favorite Orange-Scented Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding recipe below!

A few quick tips to make this Breakfast in Bed a huge success:

• Pull out the fancy stuff – cloth napkins, ceramic creamer cup, espresso spoons… you get the idea.
• Prevent spilling: Only fill the glasses 2/3 of the way.
• Don’t forget a little floral decoration! Lilies, hyacinths, peonies, and tulips are in season right now. Pink colors show appreciation and yellow tones mean joy.
• Bonus points if you make a special Mother’s Day Playlist of songs that celebrate her. You can scoop ours if you’d like.

*If you won’t be around on Mother’s Day morning, you can always treat your mom to a little R&R by preparing a relaxing bubble bath. Put on some music, light a few candles, and scent the water with calming essential oils, like orange blossom, jasmine, and calendula (aka – marigold). We’re partial to Ecco Bella’s Organic Revitalize Serum. 

Orange-Scented Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
Yield: about eight ½ cup servings

Ingredients:
2 cups water
½ vanilla bean
1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
3 cups regular almond milk
½ cup brown rice syrup
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon orange zest

Procedure:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.  In a medium saucepan, bring to boil the water, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, and sea salt.  Add the rice, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  The rice should be soft, but not completely cooked through.  Remove from heat.
3.  To the rice add the almond milk, brown rice syrup and maple syrup.  Stir well to combine.  Cover the saucepan and place it in the oven for 35-40 minutes, checking and stirring after 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
4.  Remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick from the rice pudding.  Stir in the orange zest.  Season with additional ground cinnamon or maple syrup if desired.
5.  Transfer the pudding to a large bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator.  Serve cold.

So – how can you “green” your work environment?

The solution that worked for us was joining a “shared” office space. And the benefits far surpassed the reduction in our carbon footprint.

But let’s start there:

Shared Office Spaces, or Coworking, offers an environment where people who work independently, whether freelancers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, or satellite teams, can rent space that fits their size and budget while being a part of a community of like-minded professionals who believe in the power of networking. Plus – you’re sharing utilities such as electricity and water and facilities such as printers and coffee makers. This sustainable approach even gets you 20% closer to a B-Corp Certification, an important new standard for companies and organizations who run their businesses with social and environmental priorities, among many other things.

Our favorite thing about Coworking, though, is the people. They’re creative, helpful, hard-working, funny – in short, they’re like you, only they work in a different field. Which is great because they offer a world of solutions to challenges you or your clients may be facing. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you may be looking for great programmers to work with. Voila! The girl sitting next to you speaks fluent HTML and Java. Maybe you’ve just launched your new business, and you need some PR help. Perfect! The guy you just met in the office kitchen runs a Marketing & PR Firm.

Coworking offices are far more collaborative than coffee shops. They encourage you to get to know your neighbors, either at brown bag lunches, after-work happy hours, or free lectures and workshops where other business visionaries share their expert tips on the road to success. In the case of NextSpace, where An Organic Conversation has our office, you are also part of their extended network, a nearly 1000 member virtual community comprised of professionals from all of their locations. And the “Community Curators” at every space are your biggest fans. They pride themselves on being savvy matchmakers for business-relationships made in heaven. Seriously. It’s their favorite part of the job.

Coworking spaces can offer all kinds of other perks, too. Here’s a taste of what we get from NextSpace:

• Free Membership + Discounted Rates with Zipcar
• Discounted Membership at Crunch Gyms
• Promotional Rate on groceries from SPUD
• Up to 90% off HR services by TriNet

Did we mention unlimited fair-trade coffee and lightning-fast internet??

We’re thrilled to be a part of this innovative community, and we hope you’re encouraged to get out of work isolation and join the (r)evolution of work.

Visit any of the below NextSpace locations, and mention An Organic Conversation to enjoy a Free Day Pass to see what it’s all about! With any luck, we’ll see you there – living your philosophy, walking your talk, and finding yourself 84% happier and more productive than when you were working alone.^*

NextSpace

San Francisco, CA

• Financial District
• Union Square
• Coworking & Childcare – COMING SOON!

Berkeley, CA – OPENING JUNE 3^rd!
San Jose, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Los Angeles, CA

• Culver City
• Venice Beach

Peace, love, and organic eats,

The AOC Team  

* based on member survey, March 2013