My Favorite Summer Smoothie

I have been a smoothie queen these days. Cold, refreshing, creamy....and it helps me get my skim milk and fruit in!

Lately, I have been experimenting with a smoothie recipe almost every single day and I just wanted to share my favorite as it is super simple and really delicious and satisfying.

My secret these days: fresh frozen fruit and vanilla syrup (like what they use in a coffee shop, you can get regular or sugar-free).

When my fresh fruit is getting really ripe, I simply cut it up (or peel for a banana) and place it in a Ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer.   Anything works: bananas, peaches, nectarines, raspberries, and strawberries are my favorites lately, but that's just me!

Here is the best recipe ever:

• 1 cup skim milk

• 1 frozen peach or nectarine (cut before freezing)

• 1 frozen banana (peel and cut before freezing)

• 5 frozen strawberries (cut before freezing)

• 1-2 Tablespoons DaVinci Cane Sugar Vanilla Syrup 

• 4 Ice Cubs

Directions: 

1.  Dump it all in the blender.

2.  Blend it on high until ice is blended.

3.  Blend on low for 30 seconds after ice is blended to help the smoothie get nice and thick. 

4.  Enjoy!  If the smoothie is a bit too thick for you, just ask a splash more milk.

Hope you love it! 

Smoothie Snack

I am super late to the smoothie trend.  I know people out there in Cyberland have been photographing their smoothies for years...tons of recipes, too....I am not a trendsetter with the smoothies...

I promised myself that I am going to Trader Joe's later to stock up on frozen fruits, yogurt, and spinach and I will be getting CRAZY myself with the smoothies....as they really are a great way to get nutrients and liquids in and are super low in WeightWatchers points when done right because most veggies and all fruits are now 0 points on the program.

I just had to tell you a really easy and simple way to get apple cider vinegar in, if you are so inclined to try it.  It is the best!  Since the ACV is an appetite suppressant (at least for me), drinking one of these smoothies leaves me SUPER full and it is a super easy beginner smoothie for the inexperienced like me  and also a yummy and filling treat for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup skim milk

- 5 ice cubes

- 1 frozen banana
(I like to freeze mine overnight and then microwave it for 10 seconds before I cut the peel off)

- 2 Teaspoons chocolate syrup OR 1 packet of hot chocolate mix (ANY KIND...sugar free or regular) OR for an EXTRA thick shake = 2 Tablespoons of instant chocolate pudding mix (ANY KIND...sugar free or regular)

- 1 Tablespoon of sugar or 1 packet of sweetener (ANY KIND, I am just not doing sugar free anything anymore )

- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (Unprocessed with "The Mother" in it)...if you are scared, just start with a teaspoon!

- Dash of vanilla extract

- OPTIONAL: 1 Tablespoon of peanut, cashew, or sunflower butter for protein

Directions:

- Put all of the ingredients in the blender on low for 20 seconds.  Check consistency and if needed blend for a bit longer.

- I like my smoothies like milkshakes, so I avoid high unless I am breaking up veggies in there.  The frozen banana gives it an ice cream-like consistency when not over-blended.

BONUS TIP: 

- Get yourself a Cool Gear Cup.  Mine keeps my smoothies super cold and yummy.

- I like to stick my cup empty without the straw and lid into the freezer for about 10 minutes before I make my smoothie.  After I make the smoothie and pour it into my Cool Gear, I put the smoothie and cup back in (without the straw, but with the lid on) for another 3-5 minutes.  This helps the smoothie stay really thick and cold the entire time I enjoy it!

YUM! 

Thank You, Kitchen Product Find, and Wheat Free Recipe

First and foremost, thank you readers for the wonderful and supportive comments regarding me being stuck.  You all are right and I appreciate the advice and I took it all to heart.  I woke up early this morning, made a list of what needs to be done, and I am moving right along.  I am feeling good and positive.  I need to live in my present, so I can enjoy my future, no regrets.  THANK YOU THANK YOU!  I appreciate you taking the time to share your wisdom, it means a lot to me.

A few years ago when I was still living with Awful, I became obsessed with making soup.  I was looking for comfort anyway possible and soup seemed to do the immediate trick, I was a soup machine.  Any and every veggie eventually became a soup: asparagus, cauliflower, squash, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, potato......I am totally going to make some yummy soup for lunch tomorrow!

In my quest for the perfect soup, I discovered that I needed an appliance to make everything blend, so I could have a dreamy consistency without adding a ton of cream, butter, and fat.  Enter the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender.....heaven!

I use it to mix/make so many things: soups, salad dressing, lemonade, hot chocolate, sangria, smoothies, etc.  I also use it to beat my eggs for fluffy omelets and to work my butter into dry mixes for baking.  It truly is an AWESOME product.

This morning, I was in the mood for something yummy and I felt like starting the day with a hearty wheat free breakfast to keep me on track.  Armed with my hand blender, I decided to make wheat free banana pancakes, a recipe that I have seen on many cooking blogs and have always wanted to try.  It is super simple and not too messy.

Recipe:

- 1 ripe banana
- 2 whole eggs
- Dash of cinnamon
- Dash of vanilla extract
- Cooking spray or butter for pan

Optional mix-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, blueberries

Directions:

1.  Beat eggs, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth with no lumps.   Use your hand blender for best results!

2.  Stir in any of your optional mix-ins (I had mine plain this morning, YUM!)

3.  Heat a skillet or frying pan and grease as needed

4.  Pour batter into the warm pan just as you would with pancake batter and turn flame to low heat.

5. When pancakes begin to bubble and the edges solidify, flip, and cook until golden on both sides.

6. ENJOY!  I did with maple syrup, they tasted JUST like pancakes and the banana flavor is VERY subtle if you are not a banana fan.

These babies kept me full until lunch time and I think this will be my go to breakfast for a while, SO SATISFYING!

Hope you all have a great weekend!



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