smoothie

Creamy Tropical Green Smoothie

By in Beverages, Cold, Kids, Snacks 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

tropical green smoothie

Green smoothies have been a “thing” for quite a while now, but I didn’t get it for the longest time because every recipe I tried tasted just too, well, green. But, I finally found one that tastes like a proper smoothie – cold, creamy and delicious. Your first thought will be “tropical” not “green”.

There’s a lot going on in this smoothie to make it just right. The banana, avocado and yogurt keep it creamy, the ice cubes keep it cold and refreshing, the orange juice gives it a tropical flavour, and the honey sweetens it up. I don’t normally put this much honey in a smoothie but I feel like it’s necessary to take away the “green” flavour that tends to make these types of smoothies taste like a blended salad. *shudder* I like to eat my salad with a fork, thank you very much.

This smoothie gets it’s green from two veggies, avocado and spinach. But, I don’t think that either are distinctly noticeable. In fact, Max doesn’t like avocados one bit “except for in smoothies” he now proudly proclaims, because he loves this smoothie so much. Mommy win!

tropical green smoothie

Creamy Tropical Green Smoothies

  • 1 avocado, peel and pit removed
  • 1 large banana, peeled (or 1.5 small)
  • 1 large handful baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups pure unsweetened orange juice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 12 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender, process until smooth. Serve.

Makes: 4 large servings

Adapted from Everyday Food.

Grapefruit Smoothies

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grapefruit smoothies

I’m majorly in the mood for spring and flavours that are bright and fresh. And, since grapefruit is in season right now and so much sweeter, me and the kids haven’t been able to stay away from it. It’s a great fruit to bridge the gap before all the wonderful spring fruits and veggies come into season. Which is officially less then a month away. I could not be more excited about this fact!

We’ve been slurping up this gem of a smoothie for a couple of weeks now. I’ve got it all down by memory and can be seen throwing things into the blender on autopilot. It is our new favourite.

For this smoothie we use the real deal – one whole (peeled) grapefruit sliced up and thrown in the blender with plenty of other sweet and creamy things – this means you get the full nutritional value of the grapefruit rather then just drinking the juice. Grapefruit is definitely the dominant flavour but the strawberries and banana help round it out and sweeten it up, while the vanilla and yogurt give it a creamy, rich flavour. The result is a refreshing smoothie that tastes like a grapefruit in creamsicle form. Yum!

Grapefruit Smoothies

If your grapefruit is on the tart side feel free to add more sweetener, to taste.

  • 1 ruby red grapefruit
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 ripe banana, peeled
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Cut the ends off the grapefruit so you can see the pink flesh. Using that as a guide trim away the skin and the white pith until you have a naked grapefruit (see visual of how to do this here). Slice the grapefruit into thick rounds and remove any seeds. Place the rounds of grapefruit into a blender along with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.

Makes: 2 large servings or 4 small (about 3 cups total)

 

Three Easy Valentine’s Day Breakfasts

By in Breakfast, Valentine's 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

valentine's day breakfasts

I know some people king of have a thing against Valentine’s Day – that it’s a hallmark holiday. But, I think February would be awfully dreary without it. A day set aside to celebrate love? Why not? Count me in! Besides, I don’t go out and buy stuff for Valentine’s Day, I make it myself (it being FOOD). Which, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to show that you love someone – make something.

And what better way to kick off a day of love then with an extra special breakfast. Even if the rest of the day, you all head off in different directions, a special breakfast brings you together at the start of the day, guaranteeing some time well spent enjoying each others company.

In light of that, I’ve got three delicious recipes for you today. They’re all uber simple and easy to make. And, they’re all different enough that hopefully you’ll find one here that brings a smile to someone you love.

P.S. For more Valentine’s Day recipes head here.

Egg in a Heart

egg in a heart

For a savory treat take a favourite – egg in a hole – and switch it up with a fun heart shape. It’s so easy to make and should satisfy any toast and egg lover.

If you don’t have a heart shaped cutter you can use a sharp knife to cut the shape. It’s probably obvious that, that’s what I did in the photo above, because for some strange reason I still have yet to buy a heart shaped cookie cutter. But, I personally like it when things look a bit rustic (and homemade) so I’m fine with it. Plus they still made my kids happy and that’s all the matters, right? :)

Egg in a Heart

  • 1 slice bread
  • butter
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • dried parsley, optional

Cut a heart shape out of a slice of bread. Place a nob of butter into a skillet that has been preheated over medium heat. Once melted add bread, along with heart shaped cut out. Break egg into the centre of the hole, season with salt and pepper. Once the bottom is toasted and browned flip the bread, egg, and cutout. Cook until bread is toasted and egg is cooked as desired. Sprinkle with a bit of parsley, to serve.

Serves: 1

Sweetheart Smoothies

sweetheart smoothies

This two-layer smoothie is so luscious, it just tastes like a special treat. It’s starts with a layer of creamy strawberry smoothie and is topped with another layer of raspberry. It doesn’t make perfect layers but when you swirl them together with a straw it creates an ombre effect – so gorgeous! The taste is so decadent, the mouth-feel so smooth, it kind of feels like dessert for breakfast.

Sweetheart Smoothies

Strawberry Layer
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon liquid honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Raspberry Layer
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon liquid honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients for strawberry layer in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2 large, or 4 small, serving glasses. Immediately fill blender with raspberry layer ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour over strawberry layer. Swirl with a straw, if desired, to make an ombre effect. Serve immediately.

Makes: 2 large or 4 small servings

Strawberry Heart Pancakes

strawberry heart pancakes

Strawberry pancakes in the shape of hearts may sound like a lot of work, but I promise, it’s not. To make the hearts you simply put the batter into a ziploc bag, snip the end and pipe heart shapes onto a preheated skillet. And, these light and tender pancakes have only one extra step to regular ones – pureeing the strawberries to put in the batter. See? What’d I say? Easy peasy.

I chose to use frozen berries since the fresh ones at the store are so expensive and bland this time of year. I also chose to puree them because I find that chunks of strawberry tend to give pancakes a still-raw texture wherever the strawberries are. Definitely not the case here. The strawberry flavour is quite subtle but they do lend the pancakes such a pretty shade of pink, and when served with a spoonful of warm strawberries on top, it tastes like strawberry pancake heaven.

Strawberry Heart Pancakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 heaping cup frozen strawberries, thawed
  • 1/2 cup milk (approximately)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • thawed strawberries (warmed) and maple syrup, to serve

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place thawed strawberries into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour strawberry puree into a liquid measuring cup, add milk to equal 1 cup total. Whisk in oil, egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until evenly moistened (lumps are fine).

Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spoon in 1/4 cup batter. Allow to cook until edges have set and bubbles pop on top. Flip over and cook until browned on other side. Place cooked pancakes on a plate and put in an oven turned to the lowest setting, to keep warm. Continue with remaining batter.

Serve with additional thawed strawberries and maple syrup, if desired.

To make heart shaped pancakes: Pour batter into a zip top bag, push out excess air and seal the top, snip of a corner of the bag (alternately you could use a pastry bag with a round tip). Squeeze the batter into heart shapes, filling in the centres as you go. The batter will be quite runny so you will need to turn the bag upside down to stop the flow (I put mine upside down in a cup while I wasn’t using it). Cook as instructed above.

Makes approximately: 9 pancakes

Piña Colada Smoothies

By in Beverages, Cold 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Piña Colada Smoothies

Our summer snack of choice has definitely got to be smoothies. And, a Piña Colada Smoothie, with the cooling flavour of coconut and the brightness of pineapple – I can”t think of a more refreshing combination. Just what is needed for a cooling boost of energy on a sluggishly hot day.

This is one piña colada that can be shared by all ages. It”s thick, creamy and mildly flavoured. My kids could not get enough. It”s also dairy free, full of fruit and has no sugar added!

These smoothies keep well refrigerated so you can prep them ahead of time. Pack them into mason jars and seal them up for a picnic or pour them into bottles and bring them along to work. Just give them a shake and you”re good to go.

If you”re going to be enjoying them right away, it”s most refreshing if the pineapple and coconut milk are refrigerated beforehand, that way you know the smoothie is going to be nice and cold. It”s definitely not a requirement, but on a hot day it”s nice to have it as cold as you can get it!

Piña Colada Smoothies

  • 3 cups chopped pineapple

  • 1 cup coconut milk

  • 1 banana

  • 2 teaspoons rum extract

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 4 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes: 4 servings

Adapted from Paula Deen.

Blueberry Banana (All Fruit) Smoothie

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Blueberry Banana (All Fruit) Smoothie

I”m a smoothie kind of girl. Not just any smoothie though. It has to have the right ratio of ingredients and lot”s of fruity flavour. The most important thing to me in a smoothie is that the fruit shines through. If there”s too much yogurt, or other added ingredients, I find there”s too much going on and I don”t get that pop in my mouth – that burst of flavour – that I crave.

This Blueberry Banana Smoothie is the simplest of the simple and also happens to be my absolute favourite. It contains no dairy and no ice, which means the flavour is nothing but fruit, fruit, fruit. I can”t handle too much dairy, so I was looking to make some smoothies without, and discovered that a banana does a lot in lending smoothness and creaminess (much like in the Five Minute Chunky Monkey Ice Cream). It also has no added sugar because the apple juice has enough natural sweetness. The only non-fruit going in here is vanilla, which I think is a must – it gives that creamy taste and brings all the flavours together.

Me and Max drank this pretty much every day in the summer. We wanted a light snack that would cool us down and help us get our intake of fruit. You can swap out the frozen blueberries for other berries as well, which is also delicious, but the blueberry is my personal fave. It has so much flavour and is such a gorgeous colour. I make sure to always have the ingredients on hand so I can whiz one up at any time.

If you”re like me and like your smoothies to be all-fruit flavour while still being creamy and smooth then I encourage you to give this a try. And, if you want to add a scoop of yogurt nobody with judge you for it. ;)

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

  • 1 banana, peeled and broken into large chunks

  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

  • 1 cup apple juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves: 2

Tangy Raspberry Smoothie & A Healthy Challenge

By in Beverages, Cold, GF Sweets, Gluten Free, Snacks 8 Comments Tags: , ,

Tangy Raspberry Smoothie & A Healthy Challenge

I have joined the 10in10 challenge, “10 weeks to healthy in 2010″. I may be two weeks late in posting about it, but I do have a good reason. I”m sure you”re not interested in the minuscule details of my goals so I”ll keep this brief. I haven”t been able to settle in one spot for very long this past year and it”s made a routine very hard to come by. Now that the future is looking a little more settled I thought 10in10 was the perfect way to help me start that routine. My goals are to exercise more and eat healthier. It”s all about being healthy people! Although I do consider myself a fairly healthy person, I know I could do a little better, and educate myself a little more. Especially when it comes to snacks.

Any mother knows that when you are on the go with your little ones you eat whatever is in front of you so you can keep on trucking. You don”t have time to even think about what you”re eating. Part of my goal is to find healthier grab and go snacks to keep on hand partly because fruit just doesn”t fill me up when I spend the afternoon chasing a toddler around the house. I plan to share with you some of my best findings.

To kick start this new endeavour I wanted to share with you one of my favourite, of all time, smoothies. It”s every bit as good as Orange Julius or other such smoothie shop. Smooth, creamy, tangy and filling. The perfect afternoon snack to slosh around the house while chasing your little ones or to jump in the car with and rush to the office. And, the great thing is, you can swap out the raspberries with whatever fruit suites your fancy. Add some wheat germ and you have yourself one healthy breakfast.

If you are interested in joining the 10in10 challenge visit this page (it is never too late to join). Or, if you are interested in what the other participants are up to check out the blog list here.

What are your favourite healthy snacks?

Ten-in-Ten470

Tangy Raspberry Smoothie

adapted from Giada at Home

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1 cup natural yogurt

  • 1 cup frozen raspberries

  • 1/2 cup apple juice

  • 1 tsp. vanilla

  • 2 cups ice

  1. Make a simple syrup by combing the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Cool for 20 minutes.

  2. Pour the simple syrup along with the remaining ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

Makes: 4 small servings or 2 large servings

* It may seem like a lot of work to make a simple syrup for a smoothie. But really the only work is remembering to make it ahead of time in order to allow it to cool. It”s worth that extra effort to not have those granules of gritty sugar in your smooth-ie. The simple syrup can be stored in the fridge and should last for a couple of weeks. If you would like you could make a larger batch to store in the fridge. This recipes makes 1/2 cup simple syrup. So, if you cut the recipe in half use 1/4 cup simple syrup.

* If you would prefer not to use a simple syrup you could always substitute it with honey, by taste preference.

* The natural (unsweetened) yogurt is what gives this smoothie most of it”s tanginess. For a creamier smoothie use a thick full fat yogurt such as Greek yogurt.

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