‘eat your greens!’ smoothies

Yep. That’s what I’m calling these. Because my kids won’t eat leafy greens any other way.

They’re toddlers, they’re picky, and greens are just not on the list of ‘acceptable’ foods in their minds.

But I refuse to give up, which is where these smoothies come in.

Fresh leafy greens, yogurt, oats, fruit… These smoothies do the trick every time. I can fill them with as much green stuff as I want, and the kids have yet to turn them down.

And that makes this mama-heart happy!

(Especially when I am very pregnant, very tired, and really not wanting to cook… which seems to be the case more and more these days.)

I use the oats primarily to bulk up the smoothie so I feel better about serving it to my kids as a meal. Feel free to leave them out if you want, but you won’t even know they’re in there!

And if you think you’re kiddos (or yourself) will be turned off by the color, use mostly dark berries for a nice purple smoothie.

*By the way, these smoothies freeze great… so if you don’t drink them all up at one sitting, throw the rest in the freezer and thaw overnight in the fridge the next time you want them!

‘Eat Your Greens!’ Smoothie Recipe
serves 3-4

Ingredients:
2-3 cups frozen fruit (strawberries, berries, banana, mango… whatever you like!)
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2-1 cup juice or water
3-4 handfuls mixed greens or spinach

Directions:
Place the fruit, yogurt, oats and 1/2 cup of water/juice into your food processor. Process until very smooth, streaming in more liquid if needed so it’s not too thick.

Take off the lid and add in the greens, filling the processor as full as possible… it will blend down into nothing, don’t worry! Puree again until as smooth as you’d like, adding more greens if you couldn’t fit them all in at first.

Taste for sweetness and thickness and add a bit more juice or water and a touch of honey if needed.

Serve to your kids and smile when they ask for more!

triple citrus margaritas, from scratch

Two drinks in a row? Yep. This is me wishful-thinking and the husband enjoying!

(30 weeks pregnant, I am obviously not drinking these days!) :o)

For some reason Andrew got it into his head the other day that he wanted to make margaritas from scratch. No mix, no cheating… just real juice!

I love it when he gets in those moods and into the kitchen with me. We have fun together (and annoy each other!) and definitely enjoy the results!!

These margaritas turned out great! (Well, according to everyone who tried them and my own pre-tequila sips!)

They are just as good with just lemon & lime juice if you don’t have or want orange juice, but we loved the combo of all three!

If you’ve never made simple syrup before, it’s an incredibly easy thing to make and great to keep on hand in your fridge. Perfect for sweetening iced tea, iced coffee, fresh squeezed lemonade and more.

Give these a try next time you are craving a great margarita and just don’t feel like driving to the nearest mexican restaurant! (Where I’m betting you won’t get anything close to this good!)

Thanks for joining me in the kitchen, honey!

triple citrus margaritas, from scratch

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1 cup simple syrup*
  • Triple Sec
  • Tequila

Directions

*Make the simple syrup (recipe below) and let it cool.

In a pitcher, mix together the lemon, lime and orange juices with the simple syrup (you can start with 1/2 cup and add more to taste if you're not sure how sweet you'd like things!).

For each margarita, fill a large glass with ice. Pour in a good splash of Triple Sec, a shot or two of tequila and then fill with the margarita mix!

(You can also just mix up one big pitcher, to taste, and serve from there. Whatever you'd like!)

http://sweetannas.com/2012/06/triple-citrus-margaritas-from-scratch.html

Simple Syrup Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Directions:
Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the syrup is clear.

Remove from the heat and let cool. Store in a jar the fridge for up to several weeks!

 

perfect fresh blended piña coladas

I was having a frustrating day the other day (ok, when is that ever not the case these days?!), and I really needed something special to cheer myself up.

I have always loved a good piña colada… and I just so happened to have a beautiful pineapple sitting on my counter and some cream of coconut in my fridge that day!

The combination of the fresh, sweet pineapple, creamy coconut, a touch of ice cream and lots of cold ice made this an amazingly refreshing and special treat.

I have to say… I think this may have been the best piña colada I have ever had!

(Of course I was really wishing mine had a little rum in it, but it was pretty amazing even without it, so I’m not complaining!)

perfect fresh blended piña coladas

Yield: makes 1 or 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chunked
  • 1/4 cup cream of coconut
  • 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 2-3 handfuls of ice
  • 2oz light rum or coconut rum (leave this out for virgin drinks!)

Directions

Blend the pineapple in your blender until smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Taste and add more cream of coconut, ice or rum to your liking.

http://sweetannas.com/2012/06/perfect-fresh-blended-pina-coladas.html