Who likes milkshakes? This girl! While I have never been a fan of those triple thick, can’t get it up a straw, milkshakes (hello, tummy ache!), I am a huge fan of the slightly thinner, creamy, cold variety. And this year, I finally learned how to make ‘em. Thanks to Bobby Flay.

Earlier this year, Shawn bought me a copy of Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Shakes and Fries, which is a great book — and perfect if you want to learn to make a mean burger, killer shake or … perfect fries. So it was using that book that I conquered my inability and started making awesome shakes. But just for me. Until today, I never shared.

What?

I was practicing!

Today’s milkshake was Bobby Flay’s Banana-Milk Chocolate Crackle Milkshakes from that cookbook. It’s a rich, creamy milkshake that isn’t too thick. It has the perfect balance of vanilla and banana, and is dotted with smooth bits of milk chocolate. It’s divine. And making it? It takes all of five minutes and just a few ingredients. Easy as it comes.

I tested the milkshake this afternoon while the kids were at school. Oh, it was good. So, seeing as I had extra ingredients, I decided to surprise my kids with shakes of their own when they got home from school.

I think they liked them. Seeing as there was nothing left when they were done.

Scrappy went for a look ...

Scrappy was disappointed. The little bellies were definitely not.
Are you a milkshake fan?

Click through and scroll all the way down for a chance to win a signed copy of Bobby Flay’s cookbook. Read the rest of this entry…

When Will returned to school on Monday, he wasn’t as excited as usual. “I want it to be summer, Mommy,” he told me. After a week of spring break, the sun finally emerged on Sunday and we had an amazing day filled with egg hunts and family and good food. I totally understand what he’s talking about — and I want it to be summer too. But it’s not quite yet.

Spring has arrived here. It’s finally warm. At the first sign of the upturn in temperatures, I threw open the windows and didn’t look back. A cool breeze comes in nearly all day long … and I love it. It’s that divine intersection of warm air and brisk wind.

Spring, so late in its arrival this year, is glorious. The birds are chirping, the flowers blooming, the grass growing (ok, maybe the grass, which already needs to be cut, isn’t that glorious). I’m inspired again. Yesterday, I turned up the music and scrubbed the kitchen before testing four recipes. Then, I visited with my cousins for a little while before picking up the kids from school.

When evening arrived, the sun was still bright and strong so I prepared a picnic. Will and Paige spread out a big blanket in our backyard and we sat around, eating hard-boiled eggs, Lemony Pasta Salad, strawberries, homemade bread spread with butter and ice-cold Lemon-Limeade.

The Lemon-Limeade seemed like the perfect drink to accompany such a simple, spring-y meal outside. The flavor falls somewhere between a tangy lemonade and a mild limeade. Served with lots of ice, it’s so refreshing — the perfect sip at the end of a long and busy day.

And in case you are wondering, it’s pretty darn easy to make too. Score.

More Delicious Drinks:

• Pomegranate Lemonade
• Mango Iced Tea
• Smoothies

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My journey to being healthier this year has meant giving up certain things like most fast food (good riddance), soda (though I indulge once in a while) and cutting way down on my sweets-intake. But one thing that didn’t make the chopping block? Coffee.

I savor my morning coffee. It’s a daily ritual, often drank either in bed or standing at my kitchen island. And it kicks off the morning for me. Giving it up? Out of the question.

Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011 today is all about what you can’t live without on your healthy journey. Coffee? That’s definitely my thing.

My favorite morning coffee is a caramel latte (or any variation of caramel, cream and coffee). It makes me happy. Look, I know they aren’t the best thing for me, but I love ‘em. Still, I can’t always run to my favorite coffee shop in the morning. Heck, the first six or eight weeks of this year made that near impossible with snow. So, one day I was dying for a latte and came up with a simple homemade version.

Oh, the deliciousness.

It’s super easy: hot, strong coffee, a little milk and sugar and top it off with whipped cream and caramel. It’s the perfect (easy, simple, no fuss required) homemade version for when you can’t get to the coffee shop.

What can’t you live without?

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If there is one thing my kids love, it’s options. So, when I suggested that we make our own smoothies this afternoon, they were both totally psyched. We were in the grocery store when I mentioned it and Will’s reaction was priceless. “Smoothies? Really?!? Yay!” Then, when they saw the array of ingredients spread out on the counter, they were beyond delighted.

I started out by asking each of them if they wanted a creamy or an icy smoothie. They both choose creamy, so we started with a half cup of plain yogurt each. Then, they choose their fruit (strawberries and pineapple for Paige and banana and strawberry for Will). Finally, we topped it off with a 1/4 cup of milk and blended it all to perfection.

They loved that they got to dictate the flavors and also blend the drinks themselves. I love seeing the sense of accomplishment when they do things like this. It makes every spill and drip 100 percent worth it.

They both loved their creations. Paige’s was lightly sweet with a flavor that made her say “Oh! Yum!” Honestly though, I wasn’t as big a fan of her combination (no matter — it only really mattered that she liked it). And Will sucked his Strawberry Banana Yogurt Smoothie down in record time. Yes, he loved it.

For my part, I made a Banana Pineapple Smoothie … a light, chilly, refreshing drink with coconut water, banana, pineapple and ice. It was A-MAZING. Totally a must-make.

What’s your favorite smoothie combination?

P.S. Cate and I joke about being on the same wavelength … so you’ll imagine my surprise when I checked her blog tonight. This was a total coincidence. But head over to Sweetnicks for a Pineapple Orange Smoothie Recipe.

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Our family is off having fun this week (check in Friday for pics, details and more!), so we’re pretty busy. But don’t worry: There is a whole great line-up of recipes that will post this week.

Today’s is a great, easy homemade iced tea. We all love iced tea and this one is a wonderful, refreshing one, perfect for any adventure. And hey, how timely! This month is National Iced Tea Month. Who knew that such a thing even existed!

This is a great, fast thing to make with children. My kids and I gathered in the kitchen this morning, measuring and counting out tea bags to get this ready to go.

It’s a fantastic way to practice counting skills and reinforce number recognition with your kids. We counted the tea bags by 2s, which is a great skill for my almost-5-year-old. And Paige, who is wise beyond her years, helped me figure out when I hit the four cup line on my measuring cup when measuring the water and apple juice.

As for the beverage itself? This is a ridiculously easy recipe for making iced tea. Sweetened with apple juice (a trick I picked up from my cousin when she introduced me to a fab Barefoot Contessa iced tea), you don’t have to worry about settling sugar or getting the proportions perfect since the measurements are just so easy. We use a funnel to make pouring the brewed tea way easier.

You’ll need a 1-gallon pitcher for this one. I picked mine up at Target. Splurge for a good one … the seal is so much better and you are way less likely to have spillage.

Off to our adventure … but be sure to check in this week — I have a great orzo recipe for tomorrow and a wonderful guest post on Wednesday. Total must-read from a fabulous blogger.

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Yesterday, we were just sitting down to breakfast when Paige said, “Mommy, water please?” (She’s two, so that’s a pretty darn good sentence!) Will echoed the request. Shawn laughed a little and said, “Kids who like water, well done, honey!” And really, they do love water. Paige will choose that above just about any other drink.

They are a lot different than I was. Growing up, I drank way too much soda. Seriously. We won’t get into quantities, but it was a lot. Too much. (Hey, it was the 80s, and many parents just didn’t know better. My kindergarten best friend brought soda in her thermos to school once. It exploded all over out desks … true story.)

My kids? Aside from Will having a sip maybe once (he wasn’t a fan), they don’t drink soda and haven’t really had it. And they aren’t interested in it either. I am so glad for that. I really don’t want soda to be their go-to drink like it was for me.

That said, on holidays, things are a little more lax. And considering that half of our Thanksgiving guests are of the under-18 variety, I like to have something a little special for them to drink. This spritzer fits that bill.

Since you are cutting tart pomegranate juice (I like the POM brand) with sweet ginger ale, it ends up with a nice not-too-sweet, just a little bite, flavor. And with the bubbles in a stemmed glass, it feels special too.

Will my kids drink this? Will might. Paige probably won’t. But if she does, that’s okay too. After all, it’s Thanksgiving – A special day.

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To my recollection, I have never talked about alcohol on this blog before. I don’t know why. I just haven’t. But even in a family cooking blog, alcohol can have its place. That’s why I said a quick yes when 360 Vodka asked if I would like to try their product. Of course I would. Vodka is fantastic in adult-time drinks for warm spring and summer nights.

360 Vodka is an environmentally friendly vodka that is four times distilled and five times filtered. The environmentally friendly aspect comes with its manufacturing. The bottle is made of 85 percent recycled glass, 70 percent of which was post-consumer waste glass. It has a 100 percent post-consumer waste paper label and comes in a 100 percent recycled cardboard shipping box. It also comes with a label that details its environmental impact.

How do I know all that? The company also sent along a comprehensive press kit. I have to say that it’s among the best press kits I have ever received. It is chock full of facts, quotes and came with a nifty little card that can be planted to grow flowers. Better yet, it’s all printed on 100% Post-Consumer Waste Paper too, keeping with the mission of 360 Vodka. Read the rest of this entry…

The latest issue of Bon Appetit came in the mail on the same day that I happened to buy a bottle of POM (you know, that pomegranate juice that everyone seemed to be talking about and using, um, yesterday — yes, I am a little behind on that trend). So anyway, it just seemed like fate when I flipped open the magazine and the first thing I saw was a recipe for Pom-Ade, or Pomegranate Lemonade. Totally freaky.

Both of those things happened a few weeks ago. But I didn’t end up cracking open the POM or trying the lemonade until my old partner in crime, Sonja, came to visit recently for lunch. (You’ve already read about several other things on the lunch menu – the delicious sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto and the yummy baby spinach salad with candied almonds.) This seemed like it would be a tasty mocktail for our lunch . . . and it was.

So, we sipped at this delicious, slightly bubbly and antioxidant rich drink (perfect for Sweetnicks‘ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays) while we caught up on life and career (did I mention that we met while working together at a newspaper and bonded over a horse assignment? It’s quite the story – but I’ll leave you guessing).

I will however share the drink recipe. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry…

When I was reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (in less than 24 hours) right after it came out, I had a hankering for a hot cocoa. Call me crazy, but despite the soaring temperatures and stifling humidity, curling up with a good book (oh my, was it ever good!) and a hot chocolate just screams relaxing reading to me (air conditioning helps too).

Let me harp on Harry Potter for a moment though . . . I love, love, love the book. In fact, I think Deathly Hallows is the best of them all. And in a few months, I will begin reading the series one more time – from start to finish. At least it won’t keep me up until all hours this time . . .

Anyway, back to the hot cocoa. My favorite method of making hot chocolate is to melt chocolate into milk. I love the richness that it creates . . . far superior to powdered mixes (though those have their place too). And I like using good chocolate – dark preferably. Sometimes a dash of peppermint extract is a nice touch too. This particular version is organic because by coincidence, I had a bar of Green & Black Organic 70% Dark Chocolate and a quart of organic skim milk on hand. (The whipped cream wasn’t organic though, I must confess.)

I definitely recommend making this whenever you want to curl up with a good book (or warm up on a cold day).

To make:

Combine 8 oz of organic skim milk with 1/2 bar organic chocolate and heat over medium until fully combined. Pour into a mug and let cool before serving. (You may want to add a little touch of sugar to sweeten it up, though I chose not to.)

Yesterday I gave you a primer on types of proteins. Today, I am following up with a little more info so you can decipher how much protein you need.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, millions of people around the world don’t get enough protein each day. Protein deficiency leads to a condition called kwashiorkor, which is characterized by tissue breakdown, failure to grow, immune deficiency, and respiratory and heart problems. If that’s not enough reason to get your daily intake of protein, I don’t know what is!

How much protein should you eat?
This does depend somewhat on how you eat. There are a lot of great resources about protein consumption for both men and women on the internet to help you learn what is right for your eating habits. For instance, this is a good read if you are on a low carb diet. The gist? The more protein you eat, the more calcium you need to counteract calcium loss. To figure out generally what is right for you, based on height, body frame and age, try this calculator.

Virgin Pina Colada Protein Shake
serves 1

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 cup ice
1 serving protein powder mix (1 scoop for mine)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Drink immediately.