Sorry my blog posts have been a bit few and far between lately. At least it feels that way. From a few weeks ago through almost Thanksgiving is crazy for me. My day planner seriously looks ridiculous. I keep not having time to cook and/or post. And its driving me crazy.
Since I haven't had much free time lately I've been creating new smoothie recipes. I love a quick breakfast I can take on the go that's also healthy and delicious. This smoothie is all of the above, plus only contains 4 ingredients! It's a yummy no-brainer.
My frozen cherries are nice and sweet (without added sugar). This smoothie is perfectly sweet even though the only sweetness comes from the cherries. Make sure your cherries aren't too tart or you might want to add a bit of vanilla yogurt for the sweetness. Can I say sweetness a bit more? Yeah, I guess I can. :)
I like to toss a frozen cherry or two on top. They sink down and I eat them last. I love cherries, these are better than normal because they're nice and cold and have a layer of chocolate smoothie covering them. Yum...
Jack is going through a phase where he INSISTS on using a spoon for every meal. Yes, even smoothies. He's very civilized (read: nerd). Although, I gotta say, watching a kid eat things like crackers and cheese with a spoon is pretty entertaining.
This smoothie is Jack approved.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
serves 2
ingredients:
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 cup frozen cherries
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup almond milk
ice cubes (optional)
directions:
Dump all ingredients in the blender and puree. Optional ice cubes will make the smoothie thicker and icier. Drink immediately. Enjoy!
I NEVER remember to eat breakfast. I make it for everyone else, but mornings are when I wander around the house getting everything done. It's gotten to the point where I had to put a sticky note on top of the coffee maker reminding me to eat breakfast. Because of course I would never forget my morning coffee.
My best bet for breakfast is a grab and go option. I love things like cinnamon rolls (obviously), but I'm either busy or I don't want anything too filling. This drink is perfect. Filling, easy to grab, and delicious.
To make this drink even easier and quicker in the morning I dump all the ingredients into tupperware in the fridge the night before. That way the chia is easier to blend (having had all night to plump up), and all I have to do in the morning is dump one container's contents in the blender. Simple.
I normally end up making a double batch though. Everyone always asks for "just a few sips", and that adds up quickly!
I love having a super thick smoothie that fills me up and gives me hours of energy, especially when it feels and tastes like I'm drinking a chocolate shake (for breakfast. Yay!)
This is the average meal for Jack and me on days when Liam is at preschool and Jeff is at work. They almost always end up with bits of sandwich, plus a train (or two) and a cat on the table with us. Plus Jack always decides that whatever I'm eating is what he wants. We'll be eating THE SAME THING, but mine is in a different container than his, so...
If I'm using a cup, plate, bowl, etc. that looks like he could easily break it then Jack wants it even more. And heaven forbid I try to help him hold it. Nope.
He stills makes me a little nervous, but he hasn't broken any dinnerware yet *sigh of relief*. I'm happy to share. :)
Chocolate Protein Smoothie
makes 1 large or 2 small servings
Ingredients:
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
1 scoop protein powder (I prefer vanilla flavored whey)
sugar to taste
1 banana, frozen
ice (optional)
Directions:
For best results combine all ingredients overnight in the fridge. In the morning pour out into a blender. Blend thoroughly. Enjoy immediately.
note: Ice is only needed if you do not use a frozen banana, or if you want an extra cold and icy smoothie.
If you make the smoothie entirely in the morning it might take a little more blender time to break up the chia seeds.
We don't eat fast food very often. It's usually a special treat, or a "well, we're already out of the house, starving, and have no food at home". Of course you wouldn't know it by talking to Liam. He acts like we go all the time, and will point out every "Donald's" location he sees.
I'm not really a fan of fried foods, and I try to make everyone happy with their food, so I thought I'd make some healthy versions of fast food instead. I came up with
baked chicken nuggets
baked fries
chocolate covered strawberry shake (smoothie)
I used sweet potatoes for this recipe, they're just what I had on hand. Russet potatoes or yams could be used instead. Whatever you prefer.
Peel the potatoes and slice them up. I like mine like steak fries. Bonus if you cut them like steak fries because they take the same cooking time as the chicken so you can bake them for the same time.
Once the potatoes have been cut stick them into a freezer bag and season. This makes the seasoning distribution so much more even.
I always let the kids shake the bag. Next time I might have to video it. They get really into it!
Classic breading station for the chicken. Get a bowl each for flour, beaten egg, and seasoned breadcrumbs. Work left to right covering fresh defrosted chicken pieces one at a time in the contents of each bowl. Try to keep your fingers out of the contents as much as possible or you'll end up with "monster hands". Liam thinks that part is hilarious. Place the chicken pieces on a parchment covered baking sheet when they are ready.
Once the potatoes and chicken are prepped, bake together at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. If you want to you can broil them for 2 minutes at the end for extra crispiness.
This is one of Liam's favorite ways to have chicken. I only make it this way occasionally. I don't want him to get too used to the idea of "fast food style". :)
You know how people say that a great way to get kids to eat healthy is for them to cook their own food? Liam's hands down favorite chicken is when I give him carte blanche of my spice drawer and let him season a whole chicken breast for himself. My little string bean will inhale the whole thing that way! Crazy.
This meal all came about from a few days ago when we had NO groceries at home, we were doing a million errands around town, and Liam was being an angel (I know, right?). I promised him I'd split a milkshake with him on our way home, but the closet McDonald's milkshake machine was broken. Liam was devastated, so I told him I'd make him one at home. He had his heart set on strawberry, and I figured that would be the easiest flavor to make healthy anyway...
baked fries
ingredients:
4 medium potatoes (russets, yams, or sweet potatoes)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel potatoes and slice steak fry style
place potatoes slices in freezer bag with oil and seasonings. Shake well.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes.
(optional) broil for 2 extra minutes for crispiness.
baked chicken nuggets
ingredients:
3 defrosted chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2 eggs, well whisked
1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs (I like Italian seasonings)
2 tbsp parmesan
2 tbsp olive oil
garlic, salt, pepper, basil, chili powder to taste
directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set out 3 bowls in a row. Left to right fill with flour, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs with seasonings and olive oil.
Have a parchment covered baking sheet set out in easy reach of the bowls.
Quickly dredge chicken in the bowl contents left to right, keeping your fingers as clean as possible. Place finished chicken on baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes. Outside should be golden.
chocolate covered strawberry "shake"
ingredients:
12 oz. strawberry Greek yogurt
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup milk
1 tbsp honey (optional)
directions:
Place all ingredients in blender and blend! Pour and drink. Depending on the sweetness of the strawberries, honey may or may not be utilized.
Liam is a smoothie addict. I'm pretty sure that he would eat all his meals in smoothie form if we let him. I figure if I'm already making a smoothie for him I might as well make enough for everyone. Between me getting bored quickly using the same recipe all the time, and my available ingredients always changing I am always looking for new smoothie ideas.
This recipe was adapted from one I found on the Self magazine web site. They have some great ideas, but I usually have to alter them a bit until I get them how I want them.
I really do not think of myself as a hippie, so I had to laugh a bit at this smoothie recipe. It calls for both almond milk and chia seeds, both things I currently had on hand. I had some almond milk on my freezer left over from the last time I made it here. Almond milk freezes really well. If you don't have any, that's fine. Just use regular milk.
I totally forgot to take pictures of the process, but really it's a smoothie. How many photos can you really take of a few ingredients sitting in front of a blender?
The kids (and I!) loved this smoothie. It wasn't too sweet, but you couldn't taste the carrot-y vegetable taste. Both kids sucked theirs down in a second and Liam tried to beg seconds. I probably could have made a second batch without worrying about it going to waste. Considering I only got to drink a third of this, it was pretty filling too!
This might be the quietest they have every been while awake and in the same room.
Note to self: it is difficult to take a photo of yourself holding a smoothie plus two wiggly boys. And brush your hair first!
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wake-up smoothie
by Liesl August-28-2014
a delicious fruit and vegetable smoothie that will keep you filled up all morning.
Ingredients
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
8 oz can pineapple chunks including juice
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 carrot
1 banana
1 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
1. Throw all the ingredients in a blender together. Turn on high and leave on for about 2 minutes, until everything is pureed. Pour into glasses and drink immediately. If your blender isn't very strong cut up the carrot before blending to help.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1-3 servings
Liam loooves smoothies. Jack thinks he's a big kid so he wants to eat everything Liam does. For most foods this is no big deal, but it became a problem for smoothies. I put milk in Liam's smoothies instead of juice (to thin it out), but Jack isn't old enough to drink cow's milk for another few months.
The solution? ALMOND MILK!
But... I didn't have any. So I decided to make some. As usual, I was too lazy to take both kids to the store (other parents should understand this!), but I checked my freezer and found a bag of almonds. Woohoo.
This actually turned out better than I was hoping, because in addition to the almond milk, which turned out great, I now also have several cups of almond meal to bake with. Score.
This was actually really easy, messy too, but clean up was really quick so no biggie. And I ended up with half a pitcher full of almond milk.
Start out by soaking two cups of almonds overnight in a bowl of water on the counter. Make sure to add enough water because the almonds will swell. Don't freak out when the water changed color. It will darken and maybe turn slightly cloudy.
Dump the water out and add the almonds plus four cups of fresh water to the blender and turn on high for 3-5 minutes. I know that sounds like a long time but think about it. You're pureeing nuts.
When the almond mixture looks smooth turn off the blender. Get out a pitcher, or other container for your milk. Over the top put a sieve and a square of cheesecloth.
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth. Do this in multiple small batches so over don't overload your sieve or the cheesecloth.
Let the liquid drip down into the pitcher.
When all the liquid has come out on its own squeeze the cheesecloth and twist it to release all the available milk.
The solid almond meal left in the cheesecloth looks like this.
Get a lipped baking sheet covered in parchment paper to start offloading the almond meal.
When there is only a tiny bit of almond mixture left in the blender add half a cup of water and blend for a minute. Pour it into the cheesecloth.
The finished product. See what I mean though? Messy. All it took was two swipes of a sponge though and the counter was shiny clean again.
I ended up with about two cups of almond meal. Spread this out on the baking sheet and bake until it dries out. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Or toss it if you don't want to bother with it.
The whole product.
The almond meal fresh from the oven.
This is my super simple smoothie that both boys can enjoy.Just strawberries, blueberries,and almond milk.
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almond milk
by Liesl July-28-2014
Fresh almond milk with almond meal by-product
Ingredients
2 cups almonds
4-5 cups water
Instructions
1. The night before put 2 cups of almonds in a large bowl on the counter covered in plenty of water. The almonds will plump up and they need to be covered completely. The water will darken and possibly cloud the next morning.2. Dump out the water and put the almonds plus 4 cups of clean water into the blender and blend on high for 3-5 minutes until there are no noticeable pieces.3. Get out a large pitcher and cover it with a sieve with a large square of cheesecloth over top. Pour the almond mixture into the cheesecloth in small amounts and let it drip down into the pitcher. Once the liquid has drained on its own squeeze and twist the cheesecloth to get all the available liquid out. The leftover solids are almond meal. Dump them out onto a lipped baking pan with parchment paper. Continue to pour the mixture into the cheesecloth until there is only a tiny amount left in the blender. Add half a cup of water and blend for a minute. Pour into the cheesecloth. You now have almond milk! The almond meal on the baking pan should be spread out and baked at 350 for 20-30 minutes until it dries out. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1/2 a large pitcher
You know your kid is self sufficient when you get out of the shower and hear "Mommy! I have a surprise for you!", the sentence that ALWAYS makes me nervous when Liam says it, walk to the kitchen and see this...
Luckily he was waiting for me to plug in the blender because he knows he's not allowed, but then he's not supposed to climb onto the counter either. Hmm...
What's in a toddler made smoothie you ask? Apparently anything he could reach. He included an orange (with peel of course. No knives yet!), some Crystal Light iced tea liquid concentrate, and some olive oil. Three of his favorite things. Yeah, he has weird tastes for a little kid. Not that he has ever combined these three flavors before. By the way, he not only pulled out the blender, filled it, and set it on the stand with the lid fully on, but he pulled a little cutting board out of the drawer for me! I love the thought processes of kids.
I complied with his pleas to help him off the counter gladly, and he immediately put his hands up towards the blender and yelled, "Ta da!"
Naturally.
Once I rinsed the iced tea concentrate and olive oil out of my blender (sorry kiddo!) I added back the orange. Peeled this time around. I pureed this before adding the other ingredients because sometimes the pulp and other fruity pieces need a little extra blender time.
Once my orange was pureed I added two small frozen bananas, a cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt, and two scoops of vanilla cream whey protein powder. If you don't have frozen bananas, just use room temperature ones and toss in several ice cubes.
This smoothie is very thick and creamy. If you prefer yours to be a bit less so, just add a little orange juice to thin it out a bit while keeping the yummy flavor.
Can't smile. Too busy drinking. :)
ingredients:
1 orange, peeled
2 small frozen bananas
2 scoops vanilla cream whey protein powder
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt (I love Tillamook)
directions:
1. Puree the orange solo. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until liquified. Add a bit of ice cubes, or orange juice to thin your smoothie out or make it icier. Drink immediately.
