Bob's Red Mill Protein Powder in a Smoothie

I was so excited when I found out that Bob's Red Mill had a protein powder. I went to the store yesterday and found it in the bulk section. I was so happy to give it a try. I had it in my morning smoothie it was wonderful. I am excited to do some more recipes with it. The fun begins.

Ingredients

1 C cashew milk or other milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 apple
1 C fresh spinach
1 T chia
3 T Bob's protein powder

Directions  Serves 1

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender starting with the liquid. Blend until smooth.
Enjoy!

Mango Tango (No added sugar)

Making smoothies is a lot of fun because you can use your imagination coming up with the right combination. I love this smoothie because it tastes great, and you need no added sugar. That is a nice bonus.

Ingredients

1 C Water
1 C Ice
1 C frozen Mangoes
1 frozen banana
2 tsp chia *optional

Directions  Servings 1

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender. Pulse and blend until smooth.  Serve

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. 

Fresh Fruit Fool (Dairy Free)

We have been busy around here. Britney as I mentioned had a beautiful little boy named Henry. To join her 3 other boys. He is a sweet cuddly baby. She is a busy mama. he reminds me of how my newborns looked. It it truly a miracle each time a new little one joins our family. I had fun taking care of her 3 other boys while she was in the hospital. I appreciated the help from other family members. I love being a Grandma. This picture reminds me of Britney when she was a baby. I love him already. Britney and her husband Blake are great parents to their boys. 

I recently learned about this English dessert called "Fruit fool" It usually has custard or whipping cream folded into the fruit. I decided to make it healthier with whipped coconut cream. I also added chia for added nutrition. I added no sugar. I just enjoyed the natural sweetness of the fruit. It was delicious. I love finding ways to eat more fruits and vegetables. Here is a great way to eat fruit. The lime juice was a nice addition. This could make a great breakfast too. 

Welcome Henry!

Ingredients

1 kiwi Peeled and chopped up small pieces

1 banana cut up

2 T lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

1 C mangoes cut up (I used frozen)

2 T chia * Optional

1/4 C whipped coconut cream*

1 tsp vanilla

cut up kiwi and mangoes for on top

Directions  serves 2

1. Place kiwi, banana, lime juice, lime zest, and mangoes in a bowl together. Stir them up so the juice covers all the fruit. (You could also puree the mangoes if desired. Fruit fool often has fruit puree. ) Stir in the chia and set the bowl aside. 

2. * Making the coconut cream. Chill a can of coconut milk at least 5 hours in your fridge. (I have found in the winter storing my coconut milk in my cold storage my milk hardens without having to put it in the fridge. :) After it has chilled scoop out the thickened milk off the top (do not use the liquid on the bottom.) Whip up the cream with mixer or blender. Add the vanilla. Then fold into the fruit. 

3. Scoop into dishes. Garnish with additional fruit if desired.  Enjoy a wonderful treat!

Cranberry Orange English Muffins

It is always fun to eat a muffin whether it is for breakfast, lunch, brunch or even a snack. These are a wonderful whole grain muffins that have a fun addition of fruit. These would be easy to freeze in airtight container to have for later. 

Ingredients

3 3/4 C whole grain flour (I used spelt)
1 T +1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C sugar or sweetener of your choice
5 oz of dried cranberries
2 medium bananas smashed
2 T fresh orange juice
3 tsp orange zest
2 1/2 C almond milk
2 eggs beaten
6 T coconut oil melted
dried oatmeal to sprinkle on top

Directions  makes 2 dozen

1. Heat oven to 400. Mix all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir until all combined with whisk or fork.
2. Stir in the cranberries.
3. Make a well in the mixture and pour in bananas, orange juice, zest, milk, eggs and oil. Stir until just combined. Don't over stir.
4. Grease muffin tins or use paper cups.
5. Scoop batter into cups. Sprinkle a little dried oatmeal on to each muffin before cooking.
6. Cook for 25 to 30 min. Take out of oven and cool on cooling rack.
7. Serve with warm with butter, honey, or jam.

Crustless Banana Cream Pie (Healthy Version)

My families favorite pie is banana cream pie. This is a great way to enjoy the flavor without the crust.  Which is a great way to cut down the calories and still enjoy the great taste. I am not a big fan of pie crust so this is a great choice. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

4 Tbsp. sugar or honey
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. milk
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. butter 
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can of coconut milk (refrigerated overnight or up to 6 hours)
1-2 T desired sweetener (I used honey)
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 chopped up bananas

Directions  serves 4-5

1. Stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small saucepan. Gradually add milk. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until mixture thickens and becomes bubbly. Lower heat and cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. 
2. Beat egg yolks gently. Take a small amount of cooked mixture and stir it into egg yolks to temper egg. This will prevent eggs from becoming scrambled in your pudding. Return egg yolk to the mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to a slow boil. Cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
3. Cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put cut bananas in the bottom of the dishes. Transfer pudding into dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate for an least 1 hour.

To make coconut cream

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 sweetener honey and vanilla. Cover with plastic. Place in the fridge. 

3. Scoop cream on to chilled pudding right before serving. . Place additional cut up bananas on top. Serve.

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

Chocolate Banana Cream Pudding

My family has always enjoyed chocolate pudding with bananas in it. This is a healthy way to make it with out any cooking and with a low amount of sweetener. It tasted creamy and yummy. The chia in it was a nice way to thicken it. 

 Ingredients

1 14 oz can coconut milk (full fat)
2 frozen bananas
2 T cocoa
4 T honey or vegan sweetener
2 T chia ground
1 chopped up fresh bananas

Directions     Serves 2

1. In a blender blend milk, bananas, cocoa, and honey until all smooth.
2. Then blend in chia until all smooth.
3. Pour in serving dishes.
4. Chill a couple hours until to desired thickness.
5. If desired serve with chopped up bananas. Yum!

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!

Mango Green Smoothie (Naturally sweetened)

This was so wonderful. It was naturally sweet with all of the fruit that was in it. It was a refreshing delicious afternoon snack. It left me with a very satisfied feeling. You will love it.

The leaves were from a walk up the canyon yesterday. The colors are so amazing right now. Enjoy today. I hope you have a great weekend.

Ingredients

1 C almond milk
1 C frozen mangoes
1 1/2 frozen banana
1 apple core removed peel on
juice from a naval orange
2 T chia
1 handful spinach

Directions   serves 2

1. Put all of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Serve at once. YUM!

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!

Peach Quinoa Smoothie

This  is delicious and great for a quick breakfast or a yummy snack. The flavors combination is perfect. It was a refreshing treat.


Ingredients

1 C almond milk or milk of your choice
1 C frozen peaches
2 frozen bananas
1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 C cooked quinoa

Directions   Serve 1-2

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and blend until all smooth.
2. Serve right away.

Banana Raspberry Swirl Sundae (Dairy Free)

This is wonderful guilt free treat that whips up in minutes. So easy and so good. It is dairy free as well. I can never have too many raspberries and the bonus is they are so good for you. :) YUM! You can double it if you want to make more.

Ingredients

1 frozen banana chopped up
4 T Raspberry jam or  Raspberry Chia Jam

Directions  serves 1

1. Blend and pulse the banana until all blended.
2. Scoop into dish and swirl in the raspberries. Enjoy!

Frozen Banana Quinoa Bites

It has been a long time since I have had a chocolate covered banana. These little bites brought back fun memories of eating them. It is fun how you can eat certain foods and it can take you back to certain memories. These are yummy protein snack to boost your energy.

Ingredients

2 mashed ripe and soft bananas
1 C cooked quinoa
1 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 C ground up cashew powder or cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 T honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 T coconut oil
1/4 C dark chocolate chips
1 T coconut oil
1/4 C cashews chopped up

Directions  Makes about 10

1. In a medium sized bowl blend together, bananas, quinoa, oatmeal and cashews.
2. Then stir in vanilla, honey, cinnamon, and oil.
3. Put in freezer or fridge for about 20 min to harden up.
4.Take out of fridge or freezer and form into balls.
5. Place back in the freezer to harden about 30 min
6. In the meantime soften the chips and stir in the oil. Place in fridge to thicken a little.
7. Take the bites and the chocolate out of the fridge.
8. Roll the bites in the chocolate and then the nuts.
9. Place on greased cookie sheet or flat pan.
10. Once they are frozen eat and store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer.

Chunky Monkey Smoothie (No added sugar)

By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by National Dairy Council and the Quaker Oats Center of Excellence and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

One more post today for the National Dairy Council and the Quaker Oats Center for Excellence.  We love the ingredients that are in this. The smoothie turned out so refreshing and yummy. You are going to love it!

We love oats. They are sometimes easy to overlook when you are trying to eat whole grains. They are so familiar that we sometimes forget they are a legitimate, amazing whole grain.

Oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain, which makes you feel full longer. They also contain beta-glucans, which have been proven to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and therefore lower heart disease. Oats are okay for people who are looking to avoid gluten as long as they are certified gluten free.

Ingredients
1 C milk of your choice
1/2 C old-fashioned oatmeal uncooked *
3 T peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 frozen bananas, chopped up
1/4 C dark chocolate chips
garnish with chopped up dark chips

Directions   serves 2
1. Blend milk and oatmeal, peanut butter, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour in bananas and blend until smooth.
3. Pour in chocolate chips and blend to desired consistency. I like keeping the chocolate slightly chunky. Garnish with additional  chopped up chocolate chips if desired.
* You can add the oatmeal at the end with the chocolate chips if you want the oatmeal chunky.

An InLinkz Link-up

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.

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!

Banana Cream Dream (Healthy)

So my brother in law last weekend got a banana cream shake that he loved. It made me start dreaming about how I could make a healthy version of that. Here is what I came up. It was creamy and dreamy. My son who claims he hates coconut even liked it. (I think the texture of the coconut is what bothers him the most.) I love bananas. No added sugar and dairy free too. 

This is a wonderful refreshing drink you will love, and so easy to make. 

 Ingredients

2 frozen bananas chopped up
1/2 can of coconut milk full fat (chilled if you have time)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and blend until creamy and dreamy.

(If the milk separates when you chill make sure you get the solid pieces and a little liquid.)

Refreshing Dole Whip With Banana (Sugar Free)

So the weather is heating up this is a delicious guilt free dessert. I Love it. We ate Dole Whips in Hawaii but I guarantee they where not as healthy. The flavor is not sacrificed. It was so refreshing and easy. I served it with some cut up strawberries and it was wonderful. Pineapples are so good for you (read about benefits here), and you will feel like your enjoying a touch of Hawaii. Aloha! 

 Ingredients

2 C frozen unsweetened pineapple (I used canned)
1 1/2 frozen banana cut in pieces
1 tsp vanilla *optional
Cut up fruit *optional (I loved it with sliced fresh strawberries)

Directions serves 2-3

1. I put the pineapple in the freezer to freeze it only took a couple hours. If yours is not already frozen.
2. Then place the pineapple and banana in the blender and blend and stir until nice and creamy. *Optional you can add the vanilla at the same time. Either tastes good.
3. Scoop into bowls and serve at once or store in freezer until ready to serve.
4. Serve with sliced fresh fruit if desired. Yum!

Naturally Sweetened Protein Drink

So I was craving something healthy for dinner but not feeling like eating the typical dinners I make. So I came up with this recipe. I love that It is naturally sweetened by fruit. When I was making it tonight and taking pictures of it I had Britney's 15 mos old with me. He recognized it was something he wanted to partake in. He started to say "Dink, Dink. " His persistence paid off and he got His "dink" He loved it. It made me happy he was craving something healthy. He is a busy little boy, and very cute. He has a sweet smile and disposition. This would be great on a hot Summer night (Easy clean up and doesn't heat up the kitchen) too, or anytime of the day.

Here is the cute little boy with his Daddy!

Ingredients
2 oranges peeled broken apart
1/4 C frozen raspberries
1/2 C frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 C washed spinach
1 T hemp seed Bobs Red Mill
2 T chia
1 T flax seed
1/2 C water

Directions
1. Pour all the ingredients in the blender and let it whirl until nice and creamy. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Split Smoothie and Graduation Day!

Yum!

It was a happy day celebrating our son Derek's graduation. He is a great young man. It is weird to be all done with high school graduations. I am sure we will be a part of grandkids graduations some day. We love having family times together. We had most of us together. We were missing a few. Life is really about family. We feel so grateful for our family. 

That is what life is all about family!

I love love that you can throw a few ingredients in the blender and and let it whirl and you can make a delicious healthy drink. This one was so good and healthy too. It gave me some extra energy when I was starting to wind down after getting up early. It is a winner. Have a sweet weekend. We are enjoying the sandal weather.

Ingredients

1 C almond milk
1 1/2 T natural peanut butter
1 T cocoa
1 frozen banana
1 T chia
1/4 C vanilla yogurt or plain
* optional handful of washed spinach

Directions serves 1

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender starting with the milk.
2. Turn on the blender and let it whirl until all smooth.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Here is a yummy chocolate peanut butter chia pudding.