Blueberry Spinach Smoothie with 8-Grain Toast

4/20/2026

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie with 8-Grain Toast

I know what you're thinking: "I can't believe he served a smoothie with toast again!" But there was a reason for this. We ate a lot yesterday, and I knew if I made Keshav a big breakfast today he would not have the appetite to eat it all. So I made him this delicious and HEALTHY small breakfast, and you know what? He ate it all. 

He loves toast with butter, so that was a no-brainer. But I also made sure that the smoothie was yummy enough to mask the spinach and flax seed I added. Seems to have worked. 

To my credit I got this 8-grain loaf from the discount shelf at Ralph's, where it was marked down to just over two bucks. The loaves are still good, just past their posted sell-by date. I get them, slice them, and freeze them. It is a good way to get La Brea Bakery breads on the cheap! 

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Yesterday we visited friends who just bought a home in Silverlake. We had a good visit. It was a beautiful day and after having some scrambled eggs, along with mimosas and the lemon-poppyseed scones I made, we walked down to Silverlake Blvd. to get some coffees. Keshav chose to stay in the house, and it was good that he did because in order to get to the street below we had to descend several flights of stone steps, which we then had to ascend on the way back to the house. He would have hated going up those steps.

I loved it, because I took pride in the fact that at the age of 63, I was able to climb several feet without becoming short of breath or having my heart race! All those times I took the stairs instead of the escalator when coming up from the subway have paid off. 

When we got back, Keshav was napping on the couch under an orange blanket. That's my guy!

Our friends' house is lovely, but it is not what I would have spent 1.2 million on. My goal, well, our goal, is to minimize and make sure we are living below our means. I used to fantasize about having a 3000 sq. ft. home, with multiple areas for entertaining, but then I thought about how difficult it would be to clean, heat, and cool a house that big. I cannot see myself hiring a housekeeper unless I am physically unable to clean the house myself, so the place I live needs to be a manageable size. Sometimes fantasies need to remain fantasies. 

I can see us settling in an 850 sq. ft. apartment, with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a balcony, and access to multiple community spaces, including a grill area, gym, dog walk, and storage. I don't need to have all of that within our own home space, I just need to have it nearby. 

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When we were at our friends' home yesterday, one of the guys kept saying that I am "obsessed" with Madonna. It pissed me off. The last time I was truly obsessed with her was in the 80's but then everyone was at that time. 

He has said this before when I have discussed what she is up to or how I think about it. But let's be real--I was 21 years old when her first album was released, and there is no way to describe how she shaped pop culture by 1985. Of course I wanted to be her, like every other person wanted to be her. She was not only beautiful, she was also cool, and confident, and the message she gave out was don't fuck with me. That was the message I wanted to give out, but I didn't yet have her confidence. That would not come for a number of years. But she showed me what it could look like, while being fabulous. 

I am less enamored these days, as I don't feel that she has her finger on the pulse so much anymore. I feel she has lost confidence, but not the need to matter. But whenever she talks about her spiritual journey I am amazed at how little she seems to know. Can't she find a teacher who will not kiss her ass? 

Anyway, I told my friend, when he called me obsessed, that his remark was reductive, because it was.  He may have just purchased a 1.2 million dollar home, but he has yet to move into his wise self.