Green Avocado & Spinach Smoothie

 

 

                                     Posted on www.comfortspringstation.com on 4/29/24

                                                            #8 in post visits in 2025!

  Before I discuss today's recipe, I'd like to do an update on the top 50 posts from Comfort Spring in 2025.  As of today, I have written & scheduled 45 of the 50 posts. I can easily do the other 5 in the next week. All top 50 will be shared before the end of 2026. Thanks for your patience.

Now for today's recipe:

When I first started blogging some years ago, I started the day with a smoothie almost every morning. A few years later, I just got tired of it. My smoothies had almost disappeared in my breakfast menu ideas. Oatmeal became the main morning dish for breakfast. Recently I have again made the choice to add smoothies as a healthy, delicious morning choice. I like to have one for breakfast, lunch, or afternoon snack.

Back in the early days of blogging (2016), I shared Start Your Day With A Spinach Smoothie. I think it was the first recipe I shared. Spinach is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat.  It is a super food loaded with tons of nutrients in a low-calorie package. Dark leafy greens like spinach are important for skin and hair, bone health, and provide protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. Just do a search for the word spinach and you will see pages of articles  on the health benefits of spinach. Just eating one serving of spinach a day can make your brain 11 years younger.  A diet rich in leafy green vegetables help prevent cognitive decline according to recent research.   It slows the aging process.

 

 Today’s recipe is a quick and delicious banana, avocado, and spinach smoothie that can be used as a breakfast or snack. It’s really a good basic recipe that can be adapted to diet or taste needs. For vegan, replace the honey with maple syrup or agave nectar. Can’t eat nuts? Choose a different milk. I choose vanilla almond milk for a nutty flavor with a touch of vanilla. Need more protein? Add a scoop of protein powder. Have ripe fruit you need to use? Chop and add. Remember to make it your own and vary with what’s in the refrigerator. This recipe makes 2 smoothies; put the second in a covered bottle or jar in the fridge for a snack in the afternoon.  Give it a shake or two and your snack is good to go.

 

 

 

Green Avocado & Spinach Smoothie

Use organic when available. Serves 2, Ready in 5 minutes for Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, & halved
• 1 ripe banana (try frozen for extra creamy)
• 1 tbsp honey or dark agave nectar
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk or milk of choice

Instructions

• Add all ingredients except ice to blender
• Blend 50 to 55 seconds
• Add ice cubes and blend again for 30-35 seconds.
• Serve immediately 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Box Turtles & Cold Days in Florida January 2026

 

 

 

 I saw an interesting post on Facebook about Box turtles in brumation in winter. I like these guys, don't you?

 

   

                                                        Photo via Facebook

 

     During brumation, my metabolism slows to a crawl, letting my body match winter temperatures and conserve energy when food disappears. This is an evolved survival strategy, not sleep. Move me and you erase a lifetime of navigation. Leave me, and spring will do the rest.                                         

 Quote from Facebook post

 

 Box turtle brumation is a natural winter cool-down where they burrow into soil or leaf litter, slowing their metabolism. This helps them to survive cold and scarce food by living off stored fat. This allows for minimal movement but requiring deep insulation to prevent freezing. It's a vital survival instinct, not a deep sleep. If you see a turtle in the wild in brumation, leave it alone.

 

 Now let's end with some sky photos from January in weird weather here at the condo complex this past week.  

 

 

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Sunday, February 1, 2026 on Crystal River Update on Manatees & Freezing Cold

 

 

 

 

 

 Higher Perspectives in Crystal River, Florida is a drone service with a Facebook account. Below is from a Facebook post on 2/1/26:

  

Freezing cold temperatures have the #manatees gathered by the hundreds at the various #springs in #crystalriver Sunday morning. #ThreeSisterSprings had the largest #cuddlepuddle by far. Easily 500+ there alone today. King, Magnolia and Jurassic were also busy. Will probably do a second run today as they usually lag about a day behind the cold front for real big numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 Weather is still freezing at night in central Florida. A second cold front expected to move in on Wednesday. It is Tuesday at 10 am and current temperature is 50 degrees F. It should be a few degrees higher this afternoon, but it dives low tonight again.  This keeps knocking the camellia blooms off of the two bushes here by my building.  Prediction for return of warm, Florida weather is next week by Tuesday.  Stay tuned for more developments.

 

 I don't have snow, but I do miss how many warm days of camellia blooms I had last year.

Found on Facebook. Creator unknown

 

 Until it warms up, this one is true for me.

Found on Facebook. Creator unknown

 

 

 

My New Spring Photos For My Roku TV Backdrops

 

 

                                                    Photo by Gary Bendig
 

No, this is a new post and not a replay from my old blog.  Surprise!  My Roku large screen TV has a backdrops function. If you're not familiar with that, it's a photo shown on the screen when the TV is on but you're not actively watching.  You know, these smart TVs will ask you if you're still watching when you're in the middle of a long movie. You haven't touched the remote or made a change.  If you don't reply, you can be bounced.  This happens to me on streaming TV, which I watch a lot. I run to the bathroom or kitchen and sometimes come back to a backdrop photo.  Oh, well.  

 

                                                 Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash                                                     My favorite backdrop year round! 

 

I take time each season to select new photos appropriate for the time. (You can tell I'm not overworked in my retirement.)  I went through holiday winter photos and then just winter photos.  I know that we're still in the midst of a cold winter. Boy, do I know.  It went to 28 degrees F last night. I'm sitting here in sweatpants, sweat shirt, fuzzy socks, plus a cover on my legs.  Yes, I'm fine and cozy. You couldn't blast me out of my place today.  There were light snow flurries on the Gulf coast of central Florida in the early hours of this morning!

  

 

 

                                   Photos via Facebook, creator unknown
 

 

 

                                                    Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash

 

For fun, I need some spring inspiration. Enough of the beautiful snow scenes, elk photos, white owl close-ups, arctic fox in the snow portraits. I need pretty spring to get me through  the current winter weather.  I didn't move to Florida in the 1970s for snow. I choose spring photos from the selection offered by Roku. They tell you the name of each photographer. I did an online search for them, and every one of them has an account at Unsplash! That's where Roku got them for free, and you can too.  Therefore, I will credit photographer and you can find them on Unsplash.  The nice thing about Unsplash, like Pixabay and Pexels, it is free to join and is a community of creative people who like to photograph the world.

 

Here are my favorite choices as of today, Sunday, February 1st for the coming few months:

 

                                                                Photo by Andy He

 

 
 

 I must admit, flowering tree blossoms are my favorite photos for spring, especially cherry blossoms in  all that pink loveliness.

 

                                                    Photo by Crystal Kay
 

 

                                                        Photo by Mark Tegethoff

 

Let's not forget the beautiful spring flowers pushing up from the ground. 

 

                                                  Photo by Christiana Bohorquez

 

 

                                                Photo by Marivi Pazos

 

 

I just love the idea of folks around the world taking photos and sharing them with us.

 

 

                                                         Photo by Sam Carter

 

She has a sweet face, doesn't she (he?).

 

 

                                                            Photo by Pedro Sanz

 

 

                                                     Photo by Yusheng Deng

 

 

Lambs and other baby animals are cute.

 

 

                                             Photo by Erik Jan Leusink

 

 

                                             Photo by Svetozar Cenisev

 

 

 Isn't he cute with his rump in the air on the budding tree?

 

 

                                                            Photo by Peter Muscutt

 

The last photo of the day takes us back to green grass and trees with leaves.  This photo is the only one that isn't on Unsplash.  Peter Muscutt has an Unsplash account but the photo is not included in it.  I found it on his Pexel account, go figure. I hope you have a good week no matter the weather.  

Until we talk again, I'm your friend Carol, living on a lake in central Florida.

 

 

 

 

                                                                            This post was shared on these fabulous link parties!

 

 

 

 

Top 50 Most Viewed Posts & Pages on Comfortspringstation.com in 2025

  

   

 I blogged with WordPress for over 13 years at www.comfortspringstation.com.  Just last week, I set up my new blog here on Blogspot.  My old site will only continue to be live only until March. My goal is to post the most popular posts from Comfort Spring to Carol On The Lake.  I wrote over a 1000 posts on that blog, and I certainly don't need to bring all of them over to my new one. 

Since my old blog, www.comfortspringstation.com was a WordPress.org website, I had several plugins that gave me lots of information. A very important plugin is Jetpack. It provides protection, stats, and other functions. At the beginning of every month, I'd get a report from Jetpack on the visits to the blog by day, week, month.  You can modify and search for a 12-month report, a report from the start of the year until now, and other interesting subjects like leading referrers.

In 2025, www.comfortspringstation.com had 146,841 views with 114,493 individual visitors. 

 The statistics from Jetpack were:

Top 50 Most Viewed Posts on 

www.comfortspringstation.com in 2025

1.   Cheesy Broccoli Potato Bake                                         10,626
2.   Roasted Potatoes & Spinach                                           6,600
3.   All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten                  5,189
4.   Fast Meal of Linguine With Red Clam Sauce                  4,688
5.   Easy Cucumber & Onion Salad                                       4,601
6.   Summer Squash Quiche With Thyme                             4,359 
7.   Sweet Potato Apple Cranberry Bake                               3,648 
8.   Green Avocado & Spinach Smoothie                              3,271  
9.   How To Create An Entryway                                           2,615 
10.   Fast & Filling Meals                                                         2,531 
11.  Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Peas With Greens & Ham       2,467
12.  Fall Apple Cinnamon Infused Water                                 2,325  
13.  Pan Seared Tilapia                                                           2,222
14.  Chicken Avocado Salad With Citrus Chipotle Dressing   2,200
15.  Steamed Salmon in Aluminum Foil                                  2,175
16.  Slow Cooker Stewed Chicken                                          2,112 
17.   Pork Chops in Garlic Mushroom Sauce                         1,818  
18.   Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes                   1,810   
19.   Slow Cooker Roast Beef With Apples & Onions           1,743  
20.   Welcome Home Printable for Spring and Summer       1,675
21.   Slow Cooker Pork & Sauerkraut                                   1,633 
22.   Kale, Apple & Feta Salad                                             1,625    
23.   Best Low-Fat Spinach Dip Recipe                               1,614  
24.   Crunchy Apple Salsa                                                   1,608 
25.   Peach Cole Slaw                                                         1,555  
26.   Quinoa Brown Rice Southwest Bowl                           1,455 
27.   Raspberry Baby Greens Salad                                   1,344 
28.   The Many Colors of Tropical Hibiscus                        1,321 
29.   6 Tips to Style a Picture Ledge                                   1,298 
30.   Winter Salad With Fruit & Poppy Seed Dressing       1,174 
31.   Easy Black Bean Dip                                                  1,160 
32.   Green Smoothie With Cucumber, Celery & Pear       1,042 
33.   Homemade Face Wash                                             1,032 
34.   Fresh Succotash                                                           935 
35.  Mango Bliss Frozen Smoothie                                      924 
36.  Pineapple Cucumber Salad                                          918
37.  Roasted Butternut Squash with Onion & Spinach        860 
38.  Ginger Garlic Vegetable Stir Fry                                  852 
39. "May the road rise" Irish Blessing                                 835 
40.  Healthy Chicken Breakfast Sausage                           728 
41.  Crock Pot Mushroom Lentil Barley Stew                        709 
42.  Best Healthy Tri-Color Sweet Cole Slaw Mayo-Free      709 
43.  Cheesy Ham & Asparagus Casserole                            672 
44.  Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar from Scraps                642 
45.  Green Bean Salad With Tomatoes, Olives & Feta         628 
46.  Savoy Cabbage Soup                                                    627 
47.  Ideas For A Backyard Shady Spot                                598 
48.  Slow Cooker Ham                                                         555

 

 You will notice in the top 7 posts, 6 of them have links and have already been published on the blog. I apologize for so many posts in the last week.  At first, I thought I should add these to the new blog right away, but that's not a fun nor practical way to share them.  I put up the 6 from the top of the most visited posts list. I will add the others in the future. I like to blog on Monday about whatever is on my mind or happening. I'll sprinkle these mostly top recipes in the future posts on Mondays & Tuesdays.  As I publish or schedule from the list, I'll add a new link to this post. I'll feature this post for the first year. Let's see how many actually are published. 

 

Update 2/9/26

I have written and scheduled all but 5 posts of the top 50.  I should easily  finish writing and scheduling the 50 in the next week.

On Thursdays, I usually post nature photos. I like to participate in Yogi's Den's link party, Sky Watch Friday on Thursday afternoons.  The quality of photography is outstanding, and I do love looking at the sky.  Whether blue skies, dark winter clouds, sunrise, or sunset, I like them all.

 That is my plan for my blog. It's a similar pattern of posts as Comfort Spring, but I did lots more posts there.   I hope you drop by and visit me here at Carol on the Lake, and I'll drop by and visit you on yours if you have one. Have a great week and STAY WARM!   The weather is terrible! 

 

 

 

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Slow Cooker Stewed Chicken

 

          

                            

                     Originally published on comfortspringstation.com on 3/4/24 

                                            #16 in post visits in 2025!

                                  

January is a cold month even here in Florida.  Cold weather always makes me crave comfort food filled with vegetables, broth, and protein.  I just love a single pot meal.  Today I’m using a crockpot to make stewed chicken.  If you are wondering what the difference is between chicken soup and chicken stew, the main difference is the amount of liquid versus the ingredients.  In soup your ingredients are usually floating in the broth while the hearty stew is filled with chunks of vegetables and meat with some broth.  Often when I plan on making chicken soup, it is in reality a stew.

 

 

The necessary ingredients are probably in most kitchens already: onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and frozen green peas or green beans. You can add both the beans and peas if you like. If you wish to add corn or peppers, feel free to adjust to your taste or what you already have.  My mother always served her stews over rice and I continue to do that. It is optional of course. Take 10 to 15 minutes to put everything in the slow cooker but the frozen peas/beans, turn it on low, and come back 30 minutes before the stew is cooked to add the frozen veggies. Some people like to use chunks of boneless, skinless chicken, but I like to use skinless chicken with the bones.  I think it adds flavor to the dish. You may serve it without thickening it or add a corn starch and broth mix at the end. Cooking time depends on your crock pot as some pots cook faster than others.  Cook time is between 6 to 7 hours.  I always say make it your own recipe with the changes you like.  This dish can be frozen, but let it cool to room temperature before freezing.  To reheat place in a pot on low on your stove top. I personally don't like to freeze food with cooked potatoes in them. Freezing pretty much destroys what I like about potatoes. I'd remove the potatoes before freezing.

 

Slow Cooker Stewed Chicken

Use organic when available. Serves 6  Prep: 15 minutes Cook time: 6.5 hours

  

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 medium sweet onions diced
• 3 celery stalks diced and a few celery leaves
• 4 carrots peeled and sliced
• 2 large peeled potatoes cut into chunks
• 1 cup frozen green peas, green beans, or vegetable mix
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground garlic
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp optional: corn starch

Instructions

• Place onions, carrots, potatoes, and seasonings in bottom of slow cooker
• Stir to combine
• Season chicken with salt and pepper
• Place on top of vegetables
• Pour chicken broth over chicken
• Place lid on cooker and cook for 6 hours
• Add frozen peas/beans/corn 30 minutes before stew is ready
• If desired, remove chicken from crock pot and remove bone and shred or cut into chunks
• Remove bay leaf
• Optional: To thicken, use corn starch with 1 tablespoon of chicken stock from pot and whisk until smooth
• Add corn starch mix to pot and mix into stew
• Cook on high with lid off for 30 minutes for stew to thicken
• Serve with crusty bread or rolls

 

  

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

                                This post was shared on these fabulous link parties!