Vanilla Cashew Smoothie with Buttered 8-Grain Toast

 4/16/2026

Vanilla Cashew Smoothie with Buttered 8-Grain Toast

I made this breakfast for Keshav yesterday morning--a Wednesday--which is a day that he teaches a class of nursing students. This happened to be the last day he would be teaching this semester, so for the time being that means I will usually have three breakfasts a week to make instead of four. 

On the Wednesdays when he would teach, he told me he prefers to eat lighter, so that is when I try to get him to drink a smoothie. I love Smoothie Day, because they are generally easy to make. But the recipes I choose are also chosen for the health benefits--since smoothies are drinks where I can sneak in fruits and vegetable that he would normally not eat. If it is blended up and tastes good, I can get him to eat anything!

This smoothie was made with milk, banana, vanilla ice cream, raw cashews (soaked), a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and vanilla extract. A decent source of protein. I got the bread from Ralph's, but I wait until they mark down the La Brea Bakery breads before snapping them up, slicing, and freezing them. 

Mom taught me how to shop for a bargain without shame. Even though we were upper-middle class, I remember her carrying her envelope of coupons to the grocery store every time. It was just a given that you would cut out coupons and redeem them at the store. 

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Tonight we are watching the finale episode of The Pitt, and we are both excited about it. I think it is a terrific show, and I get emotional watching it because of the strong storylines and great acting. We will have to wait a while before there is a Season 3, so we'll have to find another show to watch together. I am loving Big Mistakes, but he did not care for it, and the same with Daredevil Born Again. 

When we don't have a current show that we watch together, we often return to a good ol' standby from the past like Parks and Recreation or Superstore. There is a warm familiarity to these shows, which we have rewatched numerous times, but the episodes feel fresh each time. They are like a visit from an old friend who we always enjoy seeing. 

Sometimes I wonder what we would be doing if we stopped watching television. I suspect that I would read and write more, we would take more after dinner walks, and Keshav would continue to play video games. I do hope we eventually move to a place where casual socializing in the evening is an option. The other day at around 6pm, I had finished up my day's tasks and was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. I was pulled by the urge to mix a cocktail or pour a glass of wine and be able to just walk outside the apartment and "catch up" with neighbors and friends. 

Sadly, that is not an easy option where we are. We have had some neighbors over more than once, but have yet to receive an invitation to their apartments, even for a glass of wine. I think that we choose to watch television so much because it is not easy to hang with other people. We both are considering letting certain friendships just wither away from lack of response or activity. It gets frustrating and tiresome. Nobody wants to feel like they are pushing people, but what do you do when close friends don't even respond to a text?

It is a chronic issue here in Los Angeles, but we won't try to solve it tonight. We just want to enjoy dinner and the Pitt finale. I hope to get better sleep tonight than I did last night, where I woke up at 3am this morning restless. I think it was the combo of chocolate chip cookie ice cream and red wine last night that may have been the culprit. Sometimes I go for what will make me feel better right away, even if I know it will make me feel worse in the long run. I want to live somewhere where I am less tempted to choose the quick relief.