Almond Joy Smoothie (Sugar Free)

Here is a fun way to enjoy the flavors of an Almond Joy without feeling any guilt. A candy bar in a glass.  The banana is added to add a nice natural sweetener without adding sugar. You can blend as smooth as you want if you don't want to have the texture. I liked a little texture in mine. 

Ingredients

2 C almond milk vanilla unsweetened

1 frozen banana (natural sweetener)

1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut 

1/4 C dark chocolate chips

1/4 C almonds

2 T chia * optional

* garnish with coconut and  crushed chocolate chips

Directions  serves 2

1. Pour all the ingredients in the blender starting with the milk. Blend to desired texture.

2. Garnish with crushed chips and coconut if desired. 

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate (Dairy Free)

This is a delicious way to enjoy to enjoy an Autumn Day. Loved the creamy pumpkin flavor. Great way to warm up anytime of the day. Love Love this. 

 Ingredients

1 1/4 C almond milk
2/3 canned coconut milk
1 1/2 T cocoa unsweetened
1/4 C canned pumpkin
5-6 T honey or maple syrup
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
*extra coconut milk or almond milk for on top

Directions    serves 2-3 

1. In a saucepan on medium low heat pour in everything except vanilla. Watch so it doesn't boil over. Beat together with a wire whisk, and heat for about 5 min.
2. Take off the heat and stir in vanilla. Top with milk and swirl around if desired. Enjoy a yummy treat. :)

*You could dollop whipped coconut cream on top too.

Blueberry Cream Dream (No added sugar)

Blueberries are wonderful because they have a natural sweetness. When you add them to recipes they add a natural sweetness so you usually don't need much sweetener at all. I love to be able to enjoy the natural sweet flavor of the foods when possible. I achieved it with this recipe. This is a refreshing drink and a great way to start your day.

Ingredients

1 C almond milk (vanilla unsweetened)
1 frozen banana chopped up
1C frozen blueberries
1 T chia

Directions  serves 1

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pudding with Candied Pecans (Low sugar & Dairy Free)

 I love this time of year when I start making more pumpkin dishes. I love to eat pumpkin all year long but, I it especially fun when the leaves start changing Fall is here. I noticed some beautiful red leaves as we drove home from our annual Labor Day weekend at the lake. I love being with my family enjoying beautiful scenery and warm water.

This pudding whips up fast and is low in sugar. You will love its wonderful creamy texture. This would be great to serve for the Fall holidays coming up. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 T honey or  4 T vegan sweetener
2 T cornstarch
1 3/4 C almond milk
1 egg
1/2 C unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 T honey or vegan 1 T sweetener
1/2 C chopped pecans

Directions     Serves 4

1. In medium sauce pan (off the heat) stir honey and cornstarch together until all combined.
2. In a small bowl beat together milk and egg.
3. Place saucepan on medium heat with honey mixture in it. Start stirring. Stir in the milk mixture slowly.
4. Let the mixture come to a boil stirring constantly. Let boil for 1 minute. Turn down the heat to low and let it cook stirring constantly 1 to 2 min.
5. Take off the heat and stir in pumpkin, vanilla and spices.
6. Pour into serving dishes and cover with plastic and let chill.
7. In the meantime put nuts and honey in a small skillet and place on medium-low heat. Stir and let them toast for about 5 min. The honey will nicely thicken. Take off the heat and let cool. Put in small bowl.
8. Garnish chilled pudding with nuts and serve. Yum!

Raspberry Banana Sorbet (No added sugar)

I am down to the last couple of days until my youngest son Derek goes to serve a mission for our church. I am soo happy for the growth that he is going to experience serving others. It will bless his whole life. It is not to say that he is not taking a piece of my heart with him. This is hard. I will miss him so very much. He is a great son and friend to me. My husband reminds me parenting is the art of letting go. It is not easy. I knew this day would come when I became a Mom 30 years ago. He has grown up to be a wonderful young man.

It has been really fun to create a lot of frozen fruit treats. A lot of them have no added sugar. Which makes them even better. This is guilt free and refreshing goodness. the tartness of the raspberries is balanced out by the natural sweetness of the bananas. Fast and easy to make which makes it even better.

Ingredients
1 C almond milk
1 C frozen raspberries
2 Frozen bananas chopped in chunks

Directions

1. Pour the milk in first and then the raspberries and bananas into the blender.
2. Pulse and stir until it is all creamy. Serve or put in freezer to harden.
3. Store in airtight container in the freezer. Enjoy!

Raw Brownie Bites

These are a healthy version of brownies that you get from a box. You can have them ready in the fridge when you get that craving. They are easy to make and taste great! Brownies with out the guilt. 

Ingredients

1/4 C almond milk
3 T chia *optional (So good for you)
2 1/2 T cocoa powder
1 T honey
1 T coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C cashew butter or almond butter (make your own)
1/4 C chopped up cashews

Directions

1. In a blender blend the milk and chia together to break down the chia.
2. Then add the cocoa, honey, oil, vanilla and butter. Blend and stir until all combined.
The mixture will be sticky. Place the mixture in the fridge about 30 min or less until it thickens up.
3. Grease hands with oil.
4. Place chopped nuts on a plate.
5. Roll into small balls (makes about 8). Then roll into nuts.
6. Eat or store in air tight container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding

My son Derek came home and told me he is all done with his classes. He graduates on Friday. We went to his tennis banquet last night. We are sad to see that 4 year chapter closing.  My season of having children at home going to school is over. I was reflecting on all the memories I have of the past 25 + years of having children in school. It is fun to think back on all of the school programs, helping in classes, school dances, tennis matches, home lunches, reports, report cards, teachers, graduation ceremonies, coaches, friends, bus rides, field trips. There are many cherished memories. I knew the day would come it is crazy to have it here.  As this chapter comes to a close I am thankful for my 7 sweet children that have been a part of those sweet memories. I love being a Mom. My favorite job in the whole wide world. I get sentimental in closing this chapter of life but, look forward to the chapter that is ahead. Life is good.

My little boy is not little anymore. 

So it was a great day to make some pudding. It is always a good day to eat pudding especially when it is a healthy recipe like this one. You can't go wrong when you mix chocolate and peanut butter together. Then adding in the chia is an added bonus.

Ingredients

2 C almond milk unsweetened vanilla
4 T chia
2 T peanut butter
2 T cocoa powder
3 T honey or 6 softened dates for vegan version
1 frozen banana  cut in pieces*optional

Directions serves 4

1. Pour all of the ingredients into the blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into dishes and chill in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight. 
3. Take out of the fridge and serve. Oh Yum!

Here is a chocolate peanut butter split smoothie with chia. 

Healthy Pistachio Green Smoothie

My son in law the other day was talking to me about a pistachio smoothie he enjoys at work. I decided to create a healthier version of it. It is a great way to add spinach to your day.  I am a big fan a pistachios. I was very pleased with the end result. I hope you enjoy it too. 

Ingredients
2 oz shelled pistachios
2 T honey
2 C almond milk
1/4 C plain yogurt * optional thickener
1 1/2 C spinach
1 1/2 or 2 frozen bananas
1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions serves 2
1. Pour pistachios into a blender and blend until they turn to powder.
2. Pour in the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Serve at once. Yum


*Here is a soft serve ice cream that tastes like pistachio ice cream.

 

Nutritious Pina Colada Smoothie (Nonalcoholic)

I know that Pina Colada is traditionally something to drink during the summer, preferably sitting on a beach or besides a pool. But this light refreshing smoothie could be a delicious treat anytime of year. It certainly tasted good today during a winter snow storm! Give yourself the gift of summer in the winter. :)

Ingredients
1 1/4 C crushed pineapple (unsweetened) drained
2 C vanilla almond milk or coconut milk
2 frozen bananas
1 C ice cubes
1 tsp coconut extract

Directions serves 2 to 4 
1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy a refreshing Treat

Healthy Orange Cream Smoothie

Orange Cream Smoothie

 I love oranges. I remember as a child having orange trees, and lemon trees in our yard it was so sweet.   Nothing tops an orange home grown. We even had naval ones. They were so juicy. I know I didn't fully appreciate it then like I would now. My daughter a few years ago got some home grown California oranges, and ate a couple of them at one time. Yum! So this may not taste like a home grown orange but it does taste really good. It has a very refreshing taste. 

Ingredients
1 C fresh orange juice
1 C almond milk or coconut milk
3 tsp honey
1/4 tsp orange zest
1/4 C plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1 C Ice cubes

Directions  Serves 1-2
1. Pour into the blender and blend until all ingredients are blended smooth.
2. Serve at once.

Whole Grain Chocolate Heart Bites



Whole Grain Chocolate Heart Bites

Silicone pan heart pan

Our fun continues finding fun healthy ways to celebrate and enjoy Valentines Day. One of our favorite holidays of the year. :) I found this darling silicone heart pan at WalMart. I couldn't pass it up. So I started coming up with recipes to fill it with. Here is one of them. They are a fun little bite size treat and they even are healthy, which is a nice bonus. The nice thing with eating whole grain is it fills you up faster, and so don't need to eat as many to get filled up. These are a cross between a cake and a brownie. YUM!

Ingredients
1 C whole grain flour (I used all spelt)
2 tsp baking powder
2 T cocoa
dash of salt
1/2 C almond milk
2 T coconut oil
5 T honey

Directions makes 24 small hearts or mini muffins
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Pour all the dry ingredients together and stir with a whisk until all combined.
2. Make a well in the middle and and pour the wet ingredients in the well. Stir until all combined.
3. Grease heart pan or you could also use a mini muffin pan.
4. Scoop into each hole until it almost reaches the top. Place in oven . Bake for 10 to 13 minutes if you are using a mini-muffin-sized pan. (You will have to adjust the time if you are using a different-sized pan. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.)
5. Let the pan cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Scoop out gently. A knife may help in lifting them out.
6. Cool on the wire rack. (You could dust them with powdered sugar if desired.) Enjoy!

Delicious Soft Serve Spinach Ice Cream (Tastes like pistachio Ice Cream)

I was so excited to discover this recipe. Pistachio ice cream is one of my Favorite ice creams. I think some of the reason are I used to buy it at Thrifty ice cream as a child and an adult. It brings back lot of fun memories. My husband and I also enjoyed fresh homemade pistachio ice cream when we were in Maine. It was divine. It is fun how eating certain foods can bring back a flood of happy memories.  

So I made this it took me back to those memories. It was sooo yummy. I loved it. It is a new favorite treat. Serve to friends, and family they will have no idea they are eating spinach. It is a pretty color for the holidays. A high power blender is probably needed to have it turn out the best. (My son even came back for seconds.)

Ingredients serves 1-4 depending on size

1 C almond milk (cold)
1/2 frozen banana
2 C raw spinach washed
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
1 tsp almond extract
2 C ice cubes

Directions

1.In the blender put ingredients as listed on the recipe. Blend and pulse until it is nice and creamy. You may have to stir it in the middle of the blending time.
2. Serve at once. Yum! DELICIOUS

Morning Berry Smoothie in a Jar

This Recipe Redux theme is Raising the Bar on Food in a Jar. Nowadays canning jars are just as likely to be used for something completely different than canning. You know what we use canning jars for the most?

Yep, that's right. Water. We love using them for that because it is an easy way to not only drink a lot of water (instead of making multiple trips to the sink to refill a smaller cup), but it is also a way to measure your water intake.

But don't worry, that's not our recipe. (Side note--I did see Martha Stewart once do a how to on the perfect glass of ice water . . . then realized it was for April Fools Day. Haha!)

Instead, we made a beautiful purple smoothie, just the kind that is great for starting your day off right. We like using the canning jars for serving smoothies because they are usually bigger than the typical cup, and they hold just that much more fruit and veggie goodness! And you can screw on a lid to take it with you.

Ingredients
1 1/2 C almond milk
1/2 C frozen blue berries
1/2 C frozen strawberries
1 frozen banana
1/3 C old-fashioned oatmeal
optional items to add:
1 C spinach
1 scoop of whey protein powder
1 peeled cucumber

Directions
1. Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Raspberry Peach Banana Smoothie (no sugar added).

It is warm around here. I am not going to complain because I love when the sun comes out and there is blue sky. It is fun to find ways to cool off. I have been enjoying the lake and sticking my feet in the river. I love water. It is so fun to enjoy the different activities of Summer. What are you doing to make it a great Summer.

This is another way to cool off by enjoying a smoothie and keeping it light at the same time. Frozen Fruit is a must in a smoothie if you want it nice and thick. :)

Ingredients

1 C almond milk
1 Cup  Sliced frozen peaches
1 C frozen raspberries
1 frozen banana
juice from 1/2 a lime
*If you want to make it green add a handful of spinach

Directions:
1. Pour in the milk first and then add the rest. Blend until smooth. 
* I couldn't leave out the raspberries. :)

Spelt Berry Oatmeal Apple Hot Cereal

I had fun making another spelt berry hot cereal. Here and here are 2 other ones I made a couple years ago that were really good too. It is fun to have different textures in your hot cereal. It also adds some added nutrition combining the grains. The grated apples added a nice natural sweetness too. It is a nice complete breakfast with the apple added.  This would be easy to make the night before and have ready for the next morning. You can store leftovers in an airtight container and eat cold or hot for a breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:
1/2 C spelt berries
3 1/2 C water
1 T coconut oil
1 1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal
3/4 C almond milk
2 big apples grated (I used pink lady)
1/4 tsp almond extract (You could also use vanilla)
1 tsp cinnamon (I used a zester and grated a cinnamon stick)
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg (or powder if you don't have the fresh ) 
sweetener added to taste (I added a small amount of honey)
* 2 T ground flax could be added when you add the oatmeal* optional
* You could also top it off with fresh fruit or chopped nuts.
 
Directions: Serves 5- 6
1. Pour spelt and water in medium saucepan and let it boil on med high a couple minutes. Turn down the heat and let it simmer about 15 min. The spelt will be tender but still have some firmness to it.
2. Stir in the oatmeal on medium low heat. Gradually add the almond milk. Let it all cook together about 7 min.
3. Pour in the grated apple, extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let cook on low 2 min.
4. Pour into bowls. You can add a little almond milk on top too. Store leftovers in air tight container. 

Healthy Strawberry Banana Chocolate Frosty

It is that wonderful time of year when everything is turning green. Yeah! I love being outside in the wonderful sunshine and soaking it in this time of year. This is a wonderful frosty treat that you can enjoy as the weather starts warming up.  I think it could taste great anytime of year

Ingredients:

2 C  unsweetened Almond milk (I used 3/4 C of kefir to replace 3/4 of almond milk)
30 Ice cubes
1/2  tsp vanilla
2 frozen bananas chopped up
5  frozen strawberries
*1 T unsweentened cocoa  (You could not use the cocoa and make it vanilla instead)
* 1 T honey If you want it sweeter.  I did not add this to mine.

Directions: Makes 3-4 servings
1. Pour in the liquid first. (You may have to make 1/2 the recipe at a time depending on your blender. I did it all at once with my Blendtec. ) Then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until all combined. Enjoy a wonderful frosty treat.

Mint and Chip Green Smoothie

I guess it smoothie week at our house. Britney gave me this idea. She had tried a version of this the other night. We both LOVE mint and chocolate. How about a healthy version of it? Yes! This really tasted great.. My family liked it. I hope you do too. :)

Ingredients:
1 C almond milk
1 1/2 frozen chopped banana
2 C fresh spinach
2 C ice cubes
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 T honey
1/4 C dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Pour in the milk first and then the other ingredients except chocolate chips on top. Blend until nice and creamy. Add the chips and just pulse a couple times to keep the chips in pieces.  Enjoy!

Orange Julius

I was talking to my friend Sabrina who always has great recipes. She gave me this one. I love it! It is such a natural tasting orange Julius. I love that it can taste great without the sugar. It is a great way to start your morning, or could be enjoyed anytime of day. Having grown up in California, I loved having fresh orange juice. We used to have oranges growing in our yard. I miss them. Thank you Sabrina, for another great recipe.

Ingredients:
1 orange peeled
1 T unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2  C ice
2 tsp sweetener * optional (depending on how sweet the orange is)
Directions: 1 serving
1. Blend the oranges, milk , and vanilla. Blend until all smooth.
2. Pour in ice and blend until it is at the desired consistency.  Serve. Yum!

Blender Whole Grain Spelt Banana Pancakes

I made these last night and they tasted so good. I loved the texture of them. It used to be that I wasn't a big fan of pancakes because they were so dry. I now have learned to really enjoy them. It is because I have found recipes that our not dry. Yum!

My grandson (picky eater) as well as the whole family loved them. It was so nice seeing them eat something that was loaded  with some great nutrition. We also had fried eggs with them. They balanced out the meal nicely. It was a great dinner. Enjoy your weekend.


Ingredients:
2 C almond milk
4 T flax seeds
2 ripe banana
1 1/2 C spelt flour
1/2 C kamut
2 T honey
2 T coconut oil
1 T baking powder
1 tsp apple pie spice
dash of salt to 1/4 tsp
toppings: bananas, blueberries preserves  buttermilk syrup  

Directions:
1. Pour into a blender milk, and flax seed. Blend a couple minutes. (until the flax seed all ground up)
2. Put the rest of the ingredients into the blender. Blend for a couple minutes until all combined.   
3. Let rest for 5 min and then pour on hot griddle. Cook until done on both sides.
4. Top with your favorite topping.

Almond Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

I went to a smoothie class and loved this recipe she shared with us. It has been so refreshing on the warm days we have been having lately. It is my new favorite. It is always a winner to combine chocolate and peanut. It is a chocolate frosty. This is a healthier way to enjoy it. :) Yum!

Ingredients:
1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal
1 to 1 1/2 frozen bananas (frozen makes it better) 
1 to 1 1/2 T peanut butter (natural)
1 T chocolate protein powder or cocoa powder with 1 T honey
1 C unsweetened almond milk
5-6 ice cubes
1 tsp vanilla * optional

Directions:
1. Pour it all in to the blender and blend till creamy. Enjoy!