Strawberry Banana Ice Cream (no added sugar)

So my all time favorite homemade ice cream that my mom used to make was strawberry banana ice cream. It is brings back lots of memories when I eat it. It is sweet to eat certain foods and a flood of memories come back to your mind. Well I decided to make a variation of my mom's recipe. I took out the  2 C sugar and the cream. Judging from my daughter scraping the dish to get every bite it was a success. 

This a creamy a delightful ice cream with out all the calories and sugar. Yum!

Ingredients

2 frozen bananas chopped up

1/2 C vanilla almond milk (no added sugar)

3 T fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tsp lemon juice

1 C frozen strawberries chopped up

Directions     serves 2

1. In a blender blend the bananas, milk,  orange juice and lemon juice together until creamy. It may require a little stirring in between pulses.

2. Fold in the cut up strawberries into the ice cream. You can save a few for on top. 

3. Serve right away. Yum!

Strawberry Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

I am looking forward to spending the 4th weekend with some of my family. I love America. I realize that I could do more to show my appreciation for where I live. I hope that you are getting to spend time with family or friends too. My time is moving fast to have my son Derek leave for 2 years. I try not to think about it too much. We are going to miss him like crazy. He will be serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He will be blessed for his service. It will be a lot different around here.

This is a wonderful treat to whip up. It is fast and easy and very refreshing. Dairy free. It will serve one or 2. 

Enjoy a nice long weekend. 

Ingredients

1/4 C almond milk

1 T honey

1 1/2 C frozen whole strawberries

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions (serves 1-2)

1. In a blender blend milk and honey until they are combined.

2. Pour in the strawberries and lemon juice and blend until nice and creamy stirring if necessary. 

3. Scoop into a bowl and enjoy a yummy treat, or put in freezer until ready to serve.

Strawberries and Cream (Coconut)

This is a great time of year to eat fresh strawberries. My daughters just went to a rodeo and they served strawberries and cream. I love eating fresh strawberries. I have been enjoying them on my hot cereal too. 

This is a healthier version of strawberries and cream. It is also great for those who can't eat dairy. I have a couple grand kids who can not handle dairy very well. So this is a great way to enjoy it.

 Ingredients

1 Can of full fat coconut milk (Put in fridge the night before.
1/2 T honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 lb of cut up strawberries

Directions

1. Take can of milk out of the fridge. Scoop out into a bowl only the thickened part. Do not get any of the liquid at the bottom. (Use the liquid at the bottom for smoothies or just drink it.

2. Beat with a hand mixer until it forms soft peaks. Then fold in the honey and vanilla. Place in the fridge.

3. Place cut up berries in 4 bowls and scoop a spoonful of cream on top of the berries. Top with a few cut up berries on top. 

4. Serve or store in fridge until ready to serve. Make right before eating.

5. The cream will stay good about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Patriotic Parfaits

 So May is here. My son Derek's birthday is tomorrow. Derek thinks May is the best month of the year  because of the weather. When I think of May, I think of the end of the school year. I also think about Veteran's Day and the other holidays coming up.

I have been thinking about my feelings on patriotism this last week. Wherever you live, I hope that you are grateful for the place you are living. I loved the unity that came after 9/11. I would see signs of people saying things like, "I love America" etc.. The tragedy was horrific, but the unity was sweet. We can make a difference and one person can have an effect on others.

My parents are great examples of honoring their country. They have a flag pole with a flag waving in front of their house. My Mom always put up a flag for patriotic holidays even before she had a flag pole. I love seeing flags waving and will often mention to my children how pretty they look. I love the red, white, and blue colors. My Dad was a pilot in the Air Force and loved that experience. They both have always sung songs about our country with vigor. Their influence has had a great effect on me.

So I am going to give you a challenge this month and hopefully it will carry on throughout the year: find some way to show appreciation for your country and  those who work in our military. Encourage others to as well. We can make a difference. We need to pull together. I love America! Have a great weekend.

Granola recipe 

Jeanie's Granola

Mix together in large bowl:

12 c. rolled oats
3 c. chipped coconut, unsweetened

2 c. almonds chopped in food processor2 c. sunflower seeds1/2 c. flax seeds ground (they also could be whole, but you get more health benefits from ground)1/2 tsp. sea salt1 T. cinnamon

Mix well in seperate bowl:

1/2 c. coconut oil or 1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 c. honey or (The honey makes it clump together well.)

Add 2 tsp. vanilla or 1 tsp. maple syrup or 1 tsp. almond extract. Pour over top of oatmeal mixture and stir through. Pour on to cookie sheets. Spread out. Bake 25 min at 300. I stir it about every 10 min.

Turn off oven and leave 3 hours or leave overnight. (I have done both leaving it overnight and eating right after the cooking time. Both work! Both ways are yummy!)

 Ingredients

2 C Granola

2 C Plain Greek yogurt with honey added or vanilla

2 C Cut up strawberries 

2 C blueberries

Directions:

Layer The ingredients starting with the granola first and end with granola and blueberries on top for garnish. Enjoy a patriotic treat. :)

This is my Mom, (who is amazing) receiving a flag at my Dads graveside service. It is hard to not get choked up when I look at it. 

Lemon Cream Crumble (Gluten Free)

This recipe is in honor of lemons. I love lemons. I love having a bowl of them on my counter. They just make me happy to look at. I love the smell of them. I also love the taste of them. I love eating lemon yogurt. It is soo good. This is a healthier version of the lemon yogurt that you buy in the store. The strawberries are a nice addition to the dish. I love strawberries too. It is such a great time of year. It tastes kind of like lemon cheese cake, if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours it will thicken up. 

This could be eaten for breakfast, a snack or even a dessert. It is very versatile. It is a nice way to enjoy the Spring and Summer. 

I hope that you have a wonderful Easter weekend. I love Easter. It is one of my favorite holiday. I love honoring Jesus Christ, and know my life would not be the same without him. I owe him everything. He helps to make me whole. Happy Easter!

Ingredients

1 C toasted quinoa *

1/2 C buckwheat groats 

1/2 C unsalted cashew pieces

3 T coconut oil

2 T honey

1/8 tsp salt *optional

1 C plain yogurt w/ 1 T honey & 1 tsp vanilla

1 C lemon curd (here is a recipe w honey)

Cut up washed strawberries

Directions makes 4

 1. In a blender pulse the quinoa, buckwheat, cashews until all broken down into a nice crumble.

2. Pour the mixture into a medium sized bowl and cut in the oil, honey, and salt with a pastry blender or whisk. Continue until all combined. If you want the topping to have more crunch, then bake it on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring once. But it's optional. :)

3. In parfait dishes fill the bottom with about 1 1/2 T of the dry mixture in each dish. 

4. Then spoon 1 T of yogurt  into each dish and then 1 T lemon curd in each dish. 

5.Top with strawberries. Repeat the steps again. Then top off with the crumble and remaining strawberries. If you are not going to serve right away put them in the fridge. Put the strawberries on top right before serving. 

* I ate one after it had been a the fridge for a couple hours it tasted like lemon cheese cake. So Good!

*Toasted quinoa- rinse quinoa until water is not cloudy. Pour into skillet and toast on medium heat until light golden. 

Quinoa Oatmeal with Strawberries and Bananas

I had the most delicious breakfast this morning. Quinoa is a great grain to eat for breakfast. Not only is it a grain, but it's also a complete protein. Isn't that a great way to start your day? It tasted so good. I loved the added strawberries and bananas on top. They added a wonderful natural sweetness to the cereal. This is a great time of year to buy strawberries--as they seem to be on sale all over. The hot cereal was so good. I hope you enjoy it too. 

Ingredients
1/3 toasted quinoa (well rinsed)
1/3 old fashioned oatmeal
2 T chia
1/2 water
1 C vanilla almond milk unsweetened
1 T honey
1 T coconut oil
Cut up strawberries and bananas
top with almond milk if desired

Directions
1. Put saucepan on medium heat. You can toast the quinoa if its not already toasted. To toast pour in the quinoa and toast until light golden, stirring often.
2. Stir in the oatmeal, chia, water, milk, honey, and oil. Bring to boil and and let it boil for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Turn down the heat to medium low and put lid on. Stir occasionally until thickened. Add additional water if needed.
4. Take off the heat and serve in bowls.
5. Put fruit on top of the cereal and drizzle milk on top if desired.

Easy Frozen Strawberry Jam or Syrup (Healthy)

A couple of days ago I went into the store to find they were having strawberries on sale at $1.00 a lb for a flat. Thanks to California Farmers they were beautiful. I love strawberries. One of the tricks I have found to good berries is they smell good. These smelled good and they tasted wonderful. The best I have had all season. It makes a big difference to have fruit that is a natural sweetness then you don't have to add much sweetener. That makes me happy. This process could be used with any fruit you use for jam or syrup. You will have to adjust the sweetener according to how sweet the fruit is.

I really like using Ultra Gel as a thickener for all kinds of foods dressing, jam, syrups, gravies etc... The cool thing is that you don't have to heat up the food to use it. I found it at my local grocery store Maceys.

Ingredients:
10  C blended up strawberries or fruit
1-2 T fresh lemon juice
5 T honey* You could add more if you want it sweeter.
2 T ultra Gel * You could add more if you want it thicker.
5- pint plastic containers with lids

Directions: Makes 5 1 pint containers.
1. Pour all of the ingredients into the blender pulse until all combined. Don't over mix. 
2. Pour into pint size containers. Leave some room on the top for expansion. 
3. Put in the freezer until ready to use. 
4. Could be used as jam, syrup or a sauce topping. You could also just add it to your smoothie.  Enjoy!  

*I wash off the berries with water 1 to 2 T baking soda and about 1/2 to 1 cup vinegar and let it soak for a little bit. 
* I put the leftovers back in the freezer and pull it out again when I want some more. 

Happy 4th of July Fruit topping or Fruit salad

Fourth of July Fruit  Topping or Salad

Topping on french toast.

It is 4th of July in the United States tomorrow. It is nice to celebrate living in America and think of those who fought and are still fighting for our freedom. I hope you have something fun to do for your day. We are going to have a family barbecue which should be nice.

I thought this would a fun topping for french toast, pancakes or waffles for your breakfast. You could also just eat it as a salad. The other yummy way to eat it is as a topping with vanilla ice cream or with almond cream. So you can decide. It whips up really fast and no oven needed.

Ingredients:
1 lb of strawberries washed and sliced in thin slices
1/2 lb of blackberries washed
1/4 C blueberries
1 banana
For sauce:
6 strawberries
1 1 T honey
Powdered sugar to dust on top

Directions:
1. Prepare fruit. For Salad: Place strawberries on the bottom and then put blackberries in the middle.
2. Slice a banana and put around the edges. Scatter blueberries around the edges.
3. Place 6 strawberries in the blender and pour in honey. Blend until smooth.
4. Drizzle over the fruit. Place powdered sugar in sifter and dust with powdered sugar.
5. If you are doing it as a topping you can arrange as desired. Have a nice holiday 

Mixed Fruit Sorbet (no added sugar)

This is a wonderful way to enjoy your Summer. Eating a frozen fruit sorbet. With no added sugar. It has a nice mixture of fruit in it. You don't have to feel guilty while you are enjoying it. :) Great way to refresh yourself for the day.

Ingredients:
1/2 C water
1 C low fat plain yogurt
1/4 C frozen blueberries
1/4 C frozen strawberries or fresh
1/4 C frozen pineapple
1/2 frozen banana
1 C ice
1 peeled orange broken into pieces
sliced fruit for garnish

Directions: serves 2 to 3
1. Put the ingredients into the blender in the order listed. Blend or pulse until creamy. You may have to stop and stir it a couple times.  (Especially if you double it like I did)  Serve at once, or place in the freezer  for 30 min to 1 hour to thicken it up. Scoop into parfait dishes. Top with your choice of fresh fruit! Yum!

Watermelon Smoothie

My grandson came over today wearing a backpack that held a piece of watermelon and some grapes in some containers. He told me that they were for a smoothie that he wanted me to make. I had some more watermelon and we added extra fruit to it as well. (We didn't end up putting in the grapes. I forgot.) It turned out good! I loved that it didn't have any added sugar. The best part is my "picky eating" grandson drank his whole glass. Success! :) Happy Summer!

Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 C watermelon
1 C blueberries
1 C strawberries
1 banana

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in blender. Serve and enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken Salad with Berries

I got this idea from a picture in a magazine I saw, it has been going through my head ever since. It is a wonderful summer meal. It had a lot of wonderful color in it. It also had a great flavor combination.

I also made some brown rice to go with it. I like to mix my foods. I ended up mixing my rice into my salad and loved the combination. I liked not having the lettuce over power the salad, It just complemented the other ingredients. I made extra chicken. It is handy to have it all ready to got for lunch or another dinner. The grilled chicken flavor can't be beat. I love teriyaki chicken. :)


Ingredients: Serves 6
Sauce
1/3 C reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 C water
2 T honey
1/4 C orange juice
2 garlic cloves minced
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
2 lb chicken tenders chopped there will be extra (You could use 3 chicken breasts if you don't want leftovers)
1 1/2 -2 C fresh blueberries
1 C fresh or frozen strawberries sliced up
2 C romaine lettuce washed and torn into small pieces or spinach
3 C cooked Brown rice


Directions:

1. In a bottle or small bowl mix the first 6 ingredients together set aside. Pour chicken into Pyrex. (My chicken was frozen. I let it sit for about 20 min) Turn to make sure it is all covered. You could make it in the morning and let it sit covered in the fridge.

2. Heat up the barbecue. Grill the chicken making sure not to over cook. Save the extra sauce.

3. Then pour sauce into a sauce pan on the stove. Cook on medium-low heat. You could add 1/2 tsp cornstarch to thicken up. (I did not either way works.) Let cool.

4. Pour the berries into a bowl with the chicken and pour the sauce in. Toss until all covered.

5. Then lightly toss in the lettuce. Serve with brown rice.

Strawberry Macadamia Spinach Salad

It is a regular at our house to have spinach salad with our Sunday dinner. I like to add some changes, and have some variation. Yesterday I was having a b-day dinner for my oldest son, and this is the salad I served. It was yummy with barbecued steak. It was so wonderful to use the barbecue and get the wonderful flavor that it adds to the meat. I love this time of year! =) I feel spring in the air. My trees have blossoms on them. Is Spring happening at your house too? I hope so!

Ingredients:
3 c spinach
1 bunch of green onions chopped up in small pieces
1/2 C to 1 C sliced strawberries
1 C macadamia nuts chopped up
3 T sweetener of your choice (I used sucrant)

Dressing:

1/2 C strawberries sliced
1/4 C olive oil
1/8 C vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T sweetener

Directions:
1. In a small frying pan on the stove heat up sugar and nuts. Cook until the sugar melts. (The sucrant did not melt as well as other sugars. It thickened, and I sprinkled the thickened sugar along with the nuts on the salad). Cool before adding to the salad.

2. Toss the spinach in with the green onions. Lightly toss in the strawberries. Then sprinkle the nut mixture on top.

3. Pour all the ingredients for the dressing into the blender and blend for 2 min. Yum!

4. I decided I liked everyone adding their dressing on their own. Keeps the salad more fresh looking.

* Sorry my good camera is broken. So the pictures haven't been as good lately. Hopefully I can get the other camera fixed soon.

Multigrain Strawberry Banana Muffins

It was fun to get some glimpses of the royal wedding today. She looked beautiful! The elegant dress looked gorgeous on her. I love to be a part of romance. I think everyone enjoys it to different degrees. It brought back memories of watching Princess Diana get married. I remember enjoying watching that as well. At the time I wasn't married, but was looking forward to it in the next couple years. Now watching this wedding many years later, I am married, and enjoy the wedding with new insights. I love being married! It is wonderful to find someone that fills my life with so much happiness and joy. Watching this wedding, and others makes me think about my own marriage, and the day I got married. It also makes me think of ways I could be a better wife. Love is such an important part of each of our lives. It was a fun morning. The words keep coming to my mind, "Every girl is a princess" and I believe it! :)

Yesterday it was fun to try, yet another muffin. I was pleased with the result. I think I liked them even better this morning. It was fun to mix 5 different grains into them as well. It is nice when it can be healthy and taste good at the same time. I also read some good reminders on how to make better muffins.

Tips to improve your muffins:

1. Don't ever beat them with a mixer.
2. Fold the ingredients together. Stir around 20 times. The batter will till be lumpy.
3. Beat the wet ingredients separately in a separate bowl.
4. Using a cookie scoop works great for scooping the batter into the muffin pans. It helps to keep me from over stirring.
5. Avoid over baking them.
6. Remove them from the pan quickly after taking them out of the oven. Leaving them in the pan, they will continue to cook and dry the muffins out.
7. If you are adding frozen berries to your muffins, do not thaw them before adding them. They will be mushy.
8. Mixing the berries into the flour, before adding the wet ingredients helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan, and keeps them separated nicely.

Ingredients:

1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C plain yogurt
2/3 C honey
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
4 over ripe bananas mashed
1/4 C banana liquid
2 C strawberries fresh or frozen in small pieces or perserves
4 1/2 C whole grain flour or  mixed whole grains*
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Directions: made 46 small muffins Bake at 350

1. Place peeled bananas in a glass bowl. Cover it with plastic, and microwave for 5 min. Strain out liquid (which should be about 1/2 C). Pour the liquid into a saucepan. Boil the liquid until it equals 1/4 C. Set aside to cool.

2. In a medium sized bowl, beat with a wire whisk, eggs, honey, oil, vanilla, mashed bananas and liquid from bananas. Set aside.

3. Whisk in a separate bowl flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then gently fold in the strawberries until they are completely covered with flour.

4. Then fold in wet ingredients. Stir around 20 turns. The batter will be lumpy.

5. Scoop with cookie scoop into greased pan.

6. Bake 10 to 12 min if they are small muffins. Just till barely golden.


* (I ground 2 C spelt, 1 C kamut, 1/4 C buckwheat, 1/4 C amaranth, 1/4 C brown rice I had a small amount left over.)