Raspberry Cocoa Powder Smoothie

It's smoothie season! Well, technically not weather-wise, but waistline wise probably so.  I definitely indulged in many delicious Christmas cookies and was happy to do so!  And now, I'm happy to get back to filling my body with healthier choices, like this delicious and filling smoothie. 

When I make smoothies it's usually with at least one baby hanging off my legs (or sometimes two) so the measurements below are an estimate.  Feel free to use more or less, depending on your preference.  I usually just dump and make.  They always turn out great! 

Raspberry Cocoa Powder Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen raspberries

2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup spinach leaves

1/4 cup almond milk, unsweetened, vanilla

1/2 banana

1 TB honey

1 TB cocoa powder

Ice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the blender until smooth!  Drink and enjoy :).  This goes especially well with a handful of almonds for a healthy, quick lunch or snack. 

Sara 

Orange Creamsicles

Becca here with a yummy treat to make for summer.  It's also a very 'clean' recipe, one you can feel good about feeding your children! I saw the original idea on Pinterest, but wasn't able to track it down to a source.  I used a combination of popsicle molds that we've had for several years now, and reusable silicone push pops and both worked really well!  You'll end up with about 4 cups of popsicle liquid to use.  These really do have the classic orange creamsicle taste, while still being a healthy snack, and are a great recipe to have kids help with, since it's just measuring, mixing, and pouring.  Enjoy!

Orange Creamsicles

2 cups orange juice
2 cups coconut milk
2 Tablespoons real vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons honey (this is a great recipe to use local honey in since it will stay raw!)

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and whisk well to combine.  Pour into popsicle molds, remembering to allow a bit of space for expansion when freezing.  Freezer 4 hours or until ready to serve!

Peanut Butter Banana Anytime Smoothie

Hi everyone! Today's recipe is a smoothie that can be adapted to fit your busy schedule, and tastes! Smoothies are one of my favorite foods because it feels more like you're enjoying ice cream, they're healthy, and most of all-quick to make! 

I am about 33 weeks pregnant so a filling, healthy breakfast is a must. I made this smoothie using ingredients I already had on hand and my basic knowledge of what flavors/tastes I knew would go well together. I also ate this with my new favorite granola.

 

Peanut Butter Banana Anytime Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana (I like to slice one banana per freezer container and keep them frozen individually. That way they're ready to go for a smoothie!)

1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt (or Greek yogurt)

1/2 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup quick-cook oats

1 TB peanut butter (We eat Smucker's All-Natural)

1 cup ice

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Sara :)

Fruit & Yogurt Melts

I read about this idea in Family Fun magazine, and decided it sounded like a great Summer treat!  There ae so many variations you could make with this!  I used vanilla yogurt, with frozen fruit we already had on hand. You could use any flavor yogurt (which would change the color, and add some fun for kids!), and also top with any fruit you wanted!  Fresh or frozen would work well!  For a more uniform look to the circles of yogurt, I think Greek yogurt would work well!  The thick textue would help them to keep their shape.  My kids loved these!  My only tip is to remind them to eat quickly, as they do melt fast!

 

Fruit & Yogurt Melts

Yogurt of your choice (amount depends on how many you want to make....a little goes a long way!)

Fruit, cut into small pieces if necessary

1. Put the yogurt into a ziploc sandwich bag.  Cut a small piece from one of the bottom corners.  Carefully squeeze a dollop of yogurt onto your plate or cookie sheet. (whatever you will be putting in the freezer)  Place the fruit on top, slightly pressing down.

2. Freeze for approximately 30 minutes, and then serve!  If the melts aren't easily coming off of the surface you froze them on, wait a very short time (1 or 2 minutes), and they should be easy to remove. 

Enjoy!



Banana 'Frozen Yogurt'

Jana here with a snack or dessert that we tried one afternoon when we had been outside in the heat, and wanted a cool treat!  I found this idea on this blog, through Pinterest, and definitely wanted to give it a try!  While mine seemed to turn out looking quite different than theirs, it tasted yummy!  I used fairly green bananas, and would change that next time.  The flavor was good, but I think it would be best with bananas that are in their prime.  (not too ripe, not too green)  There are lots of toppings that can be added!  Chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and dried fruit are a few, and peanut butter would be delicious mixed in! 

Banana 'Frozen Yogurt'

3 frozen bananas, peeled and chopped before going in the freezer
Any toppings you desire

1. Peel and chop bananas, then place in the freezer. 

2. Place frozen bananas in a food processor, and blend!  If the slices are too hard to blend, leave them sitting out for several minutes first.

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Strawberry Pina Colada Popsicles!

Becca here with a really yummy summer treat!  I got these neat Tovolo Ice Pop Molds and started keeping them filled in the spring & summer 3 years ago, when we took my oldest son off of dairy and I wanted him to have a fun, dairy-free, treat.  I quickly grew to LOVE them, and try and keep them stocked in the freezer and ready to go.  These aren't your old, messy popsicle molds, this is the fourth year we've used them, and they've received heavy use and rotation, and they're still all in great shape.  The little ledge at the bottom catches drips too, I would highly recommend them (and no, this isn't some sort of paid referral, just something I love!).  We have the stars, rockets, which are my favorites, and traditional rectangular popsicle molds, which are a bit big for the children I think.   I've filled them with just plain fruit juice, or juice & fruit, yogurt, the possibilities are endless.  But today I wanted to share a great way to use any leftover pina colada sauce you may have from making the yummy shrimp dipping sauce recipe I shared Tuesday.  If you haven't made it yet, what are you waiting for?!  Everyone in the family loved these popsicles, I even caught my husband sneaking them out of the freezer :)
Strawberry Pina Colada Popsicles

1 cup leftover pina colada sauce from my "Red Lobster Pina Colada Sauce" recipe
2 cups strawberries

Combine all in blender; fill popsicle molds, and freeze until solid.  Enjoy!!

We also recently added these reuseable silicone push pop molds to our popsicle rotation, and they've been a big hit with the children.  I love making my own squeeze yogurts without some of the questionable packaging & ingredients in the ones you buy premade at the store.
What's your favorite popsicle to make in the summer?

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

 It sure has felt like summertime already with temperatures reaching the upper 80's! What better way to cool off than with an occasional homemade ice cream treat? I admit-I love ice cream. All kinds too! Once you've experienced homemade ice cream it will make you think twice about purchasing the overly processed concoctions from the grocery store!

 

I used an electric ice cream maker for this Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. The end result was a very rich,, creamy dessert! In fact, it was so rich it didn't take much to satisfy! You can also find a large number of other ice cream recipes on the web, or even in a book like this:

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at Home, found on Amazon.com

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2 cups 2 % milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions! After about 10 minutes into the freezing add the chocolate chips.

*Our ice cream maker used rock salt, and lots and lots of ice! I would recommend buying a bag of ice at the grocery store before making homemade ice cream. Also, once the ice cream was finished we simply stored it in a the ice cream maker container in our freezer. 

Happy Eating!
Sara :)

Mocha Ice Pops

With all this warm weather we've been having there's nothing more refreshing than an icy cold treat! This treat can be enjoyed guilt-free too because it's not full of fat, like eating a bowl of icecream! I didn't have a popsicle mold to make these with so I improvised with 3 oz. plastic cups, and plastic spoons stuck in the middle while freezing. It worked perfect!
Mocha Ice Pops
Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup(s) hot brewed coffee
• 4 tablespoon(s) sugar
• 2 tablespoon(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup(s) half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

---

Directions

1. Whisk coffee, sugar to taste, and cocoa in a medium bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in half-and-half, vanilla, and salt until combined.
2. Divide the mixture among freezer-pop molds. Insert the sticks and freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours. Dip the molds briefly in hot water before unmolding
   
   * I didn't use half and half! Instead I used 1 % milk and it still tasted great! :)
   Happy Slurping!
   Sara :)

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

Jana here with a yummy smoothie recipe!  I guess this spring (feels like Summer!) weather is making us reach for the blender!  Sara posted another smoothie recipe a day or two ago.  Let us know if you have other combinations that you love to make!  The strawberry kiwi combination was a little bit tart, but in a good way!  Feel free to substitute the kiwi for a banana, or some blueberries! 

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

8 ounces vanilla yogurt (or strawberry)
10 medium-sized strawberries
2 kiwi
1 cup ice*

1.  Peel kiwi, and chop.  Cut stems from strawberries, and chop.  Add the fruit, yogurt, and ice to the blender.  Mix well. Enjoy!

*The amounts given will make 2 full servings.  We were out of ice, so I didn't include that in ours.  It was still delicous!  It obviously isn't as cold, but still very yummy.  It is less like ice cream, and more like a yogurt drink.

Skinny Green Monster Smoothie

Do I always dress to match my food? Am I THAT much of a foodie? I'll let you be the judge of that.
I've always heard of people saying how good these smoothies are, and how filling. I was an extreme doubter. A smoothie that's as filling as a meal? Give me a break. However, I stand corrected. I made this smoothie, and it made enough to fill up this glass twice..and then some. And the best part? That was considered one smoothie serving! It was good tasting and refreshing....and truly filling. I was so pleased! I love it when something healthy turns out to be something I like. :)
Skinny Green Monster Smoothie:
(adapted from Skinnytaste.com)
1 cut up banana
3/4 cup 1 % milk
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 cups spinach lettuce
1 small kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon honey
Ice (as much as you wish! I used an 8 oz. glass full, plus another half glass)



Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend until you reach desired consistency.
Enjoy! :)
If you wish for a slightly different version you can google Green Monster Smoothie, and the gal famous for this (and who has a whole blog devoted to this) Oh She Glows will come up. 



Happy Slurping,
Sara :)