Summer Fruit Frappe (no added sugar)

Today I got to talk to my son Derek on the phone (What a gift to have telephones and hear from family and friends we love) when he was on his way to Michigan to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I admire him, and the things he is learning, and the way he is serving with his whole heart. It hit me again today. I have been blessed to have some wonderful children in my life. My husband and I have learned so much from them. We continue to learn and grow from them. Our role has changed we are no longer their caregivers. We are just here to support and love them as they go on to accomplishing great things in their lives. The Bonus is we get to have in-laws and grandchildren added to our family too. Our 4th grandchild is  coming in December. Life is full of many blessings.   

I love Summer time. Everything about enjoying the water, weather, summer nights, summer fruit, and playing with family at the lake. I created a yummy drink that combined a lot of yummy fruits and spinach into a great power drink. 

Ingredients

1 C water or almond milk
juice from 1 orange
1 C fresh or frozen pineapple
1/2 C fresh or frozen mangoes
1/2 C fresh or frozen peaches
2 frozen bananas chopped up
1/2 C blueberries or other frozen berries
3 T yogurt Optional (leave out vegan version)
1 C Ice cubes
2 T Chia
1 T flax seeds
1 C fresh spinach

Directions   serves 2 or more

1. Pour ingredients into the blender starting with the water or milk and then add all the rest. Blend and pulse until nice and smooth.

2. Serve and enjoy a refreshing power drink. Great for a Summer day.

Grape Peach Salsa

By posting this recipe I am entering in a recipe contest sponsored by the California Table Grapes Commission and am eligible to win prizes. I was not compensated for my time.

One last grape recipe for you! We couldn't let the Recipe Redux's challenge go away without posting this last recipe. This was fun to make a salsa with grapes. I have never done that before. The grapes added a nice sweetness to salsa. We put this salsa on our baked chicken last night. It would also be delicious on chips, fish, beef, pork etc... Be creative.

Grapes of all colors are not only tasty, they are good for you. Grapes contain resveratrol, a polyphenol antioxidant that appears to be involved in reducing the risk or slowing the development of cancer, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, viral infections, and Alzheimer's disease. Resveratrol is especially found in the skins of grapes. One serving of grapes (3/4 cup) contains just 90 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, and virtually no sodium, and also provide potassium and are good source of vitamin K. 

Ingredients
1 clove of minced garlic
3/4 C of quarted purple grapes
1 jalapeno minced
3 green onion chopped
1 ripe peach (or switch out for mango!), diced into small pieces
2 T diced purple onion   
1/2 lime juice
salt and pepper and to taste

Directions
1. Place in bowl garlic, grapes, jalapeno, green onion, peach, purple onions, Stir all together.
2. Then stir in lime juice and salt and pepper. Let the flavors meld together if possible. Serve.

Multigrain Peach Pie Muffins

It is that wonderful time of year to have fresh peaches again. The flavor of a fresh ripe peach is wonderful. One of my favorite ways to have them is with vanilla ice cream. :) I was having a gathering with some friends, so I decided to try something new. They taste a little bit like peach cobbler or peach pie. I think muffins taste even better the second day when all of the flavors have set in. They were a fun treat.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 wholegrain flour (I ground up 1 C kamut 1 1/2 C spelt and 1/2 C teff. There was leftover)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg or 1/4 tsp dried nutmeg
2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 C milk
2 eggs
1/3 C coconut oil
1/2 C honey
2 ripe peaches diced in small pieces

Directions: Made made about 38 mini muffins

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Mix the first 6 ingredients together.

3. In a separate bowl mix the oatmeal and milk together to soften the oatmeal.Set aside for 5-10 min.

4. Then mix the oatmeal mixture with the eggs, oil and honey.

5. Then fold the oatmeal mixture into the flour mixture.

6. Then fold in the diced peaches.

7. Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake 15-20 min. Remove from pan and serve. Enjoy!

* You can also dust them with powdered sugar.