Petits Fours and Produce

I invited my friend Kandice and her little boy Isaiah over for a playdate this morning.  I finally figured out that this "ayaya" Topher has been saying is Isaiah.  He loves his little friend.  They played very nicely today, sharing toys and chatting up a storm.  It was really great to have someone to keep Topher occupied while the mommies got to talk and snuggle the little babies.

Kandice loves petits fours, and I love to bake, and it has been a REALLY long time since I have baked anything thanks to my gestational diabetes, so I figured I would give them a try.  I've never made them before, so I thought it would be a nice challenge.  Last night I made an almond pound cake.  I absolutely LOVE almond cake.  It was a tiny bit on the dry side, but I thought the flavor was excellent.  This morning I trimmed and sliced the cake into roughly 1-inch pieces, and then made the fondant.  Making the fondant wasn't too hard thanks to my handy double boiler, but frosting those little boogers was another story.  Most of the instructions I read said that you could just put the cakes on a rack and pour the frosting over them, so that is what I tried to do.  I put some wax paper down to catch the drips, and spooned my lovely lavender fondant over the tiny cakes.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the fondant to completely cover the sides.  They didn't look bad, just not the way I pictured them.  They had a bit more of the homemade appearance that I had hoped for, but they still tasted delicious.  Next time I will try dipping them to get a more even coating.

After my cakey mid-morning snack, a healthy smoothie was just what I needed for lunch.  Thanks to my trip to the local fruit and veggie stand, we have a ton of fresh produce in the house.  I figured I would try something different from my usual smoothies.  Into the blender went:
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 red grapefruit, peeled and seeded
1 small avocado, peeled
2 packets of Splenda
2 big handfuls of spinach

It turned out pretty good.  The avocado gives it a nice smooth, creamy texture, and I love grapefruit.  Warning: This is probably a bit on the bitter side for most people.  You may want to add more Splenda or another sweeter fruit into the mix.  I think it is just fine as is.  This drink is so refreshing for a hot day (just make sure your grapefruit and avocado are chilled).