Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Yippee, mussel season is here!  The best tasting mussels are Moules de Bouchot from Mont Saint Michel, which is from Normandy, France.  In France, we eat mussels with French fries (moules frites).  It is an awesome combination, which actually originated in Belgium.  Mussels are super easy to make, the only long part is cleaning the little buggers!

Ingredients:
(Serves 2 -approximately 500 grams per person)
-1 kg mussels
-1/2 cup white wine
-Handful of parsley
-3 large garlic cloves
-2 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

-Chop up the parsley and mince the garlic.

-Clean the mussels (recruit your husband for this task).  Start by using a knife and scrap off the bumps of each mussel.  Soak all the mussels in water and rinse.  Soak and rinse 2-3 times to ensure it's clean and any excess sand is removed.

-Place the mussels in a large pot over medium heat with a lid. Shake the pot from time to time. The mussels will start to open up. 

-After 5 minutes add  the white wine, garlic, parsley and butter.  Keep shaking the pot from time to time.  Mussels are finished cooking once all of them are opened up (approximately an extra 10 minutes). 

-If there are any mussels that are not opened, do not eat!

-Serve warm with a side of French fries or a crusty baguette.

Banana Berry Smoothie

I don't get enough calcium in my diet, as I don't like milk, yogurt, etc.  I'm a bit like a kid, you need to hide certain ingredients I don't like in a recipe, so that I won't know the difference.  I've used banana and berries for this smoothie, however you can use any of your favourite fruits. 

Ingredients:
(Makes approximately 2-1/2 cups)
-8 ice cubes
-1 small yogurt container (125 grams)
-6 tablespoons of frozen assorted berries
-1 banana

Instructions:

-In a blender, combine the ice cubes, yogurt, berries and banana.

-Blend until you get a consistent mixture.

-Serve immediately.