Lately, I have gotten really into smoothies and juices. Not in a juice-fasting or cleansing sort of way, but in a supplementing all the water I drink way. It’s nice to have something other than coffee and water once in awhile, and juices and smoothies are much better for you than soda. Plus they taste good — I love all the fruit mixes.

Of course, buying the premade ones at the store adds up fast, especially when your kids discover how delicious they are and want some too. Yea. That happened. The premades come with a hearty price tag that just makes them impractical for frequent purchasing. Making them at home? It’s way better — less expensive and you can totally control what flavors go into them. It’s nice to have that control sometimes.

For my Chilled Tropical Smoothie, I set out to make a smoothie with the flavors of the islands that’s refreshing and satisfying. Score.

This smoothie has ice, but isn’t icy. Instead, once blended it’s a smooth, ultra-chilled drink that is so refreshing and delicious you’ll want more. And more. The combination of pineapple, mango and coconut milk is just amazing … and it’s lactose-free with the new Yoplait Lactose Free yogurt. Kind of awesome, especially if you need to avoid lactose (I don’t, but I know plenty of people who do).

What’s your favorite variety of smoothie?

Chilled Tropical Smoothie
serves 2-3

1 6-oz cup Yoplait Lactose Free French Vanilla Yogurt
1/4 cup pineapple chunks (fresh)
1/4 cup mango chunks (fresh)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup ice

Combine the yogurt, pineapple, mango and coconut milk and puree until smooth. Add the ice and blend to smooth again.

Enjoy immediately.

——————

Disclosure: This recipe was created for Yoplait. I was compensated for its development, but not for posting it on my blog. That was my choice.

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.

Banana-Milk Chocolate Crackle Milkshake
serves 2 (8 oz portions)
Recipe from Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes

1/4 cup whole milk
1 large very ripe banana, peeled and cut into quarters
1 2/3 packed cups vanilla bean ice cream
1 oz milk chocolate, melted and still warm

Add the milk and banana to the blender and blend briefly, for about 5 seconds, leaving the mixture still chunky. Add the ice cream and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the blender running on low, drizzle in the milk chocolate. It will harden on contact, leaving little bits of sweet, smooth chocolate all throughout.

Serve immediately.

—

Now, who wants to win a signed copy of Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes?

Giveaway Closed!

Congrats to Lynda, the winner of this cookbook.

Disclosure: The prize for this giveaway was provided by Hellman’s because of my affiliation with their Club Sandwich program. That didn’t influence the content of this post. In fact, I already owned a copy of this book and made the shake from my own (sadly unsigned) copy. Hellman’s gave me two signed copies, but I already gave one away to the biggest Bobby Flay fan in my family, leaving one for this contest. That is all.

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

Lemon-Limeade
serves 6
adapted from Simply Recipes’ Perfect Lemonade Recipe

1 lemon
3 limes
1 cup water
1 cup organic sugar
4 cups cold water
ice

Juice the lemon and limes together. Pour into a pitcher and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of water with the sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. You are making a simple syrup to flavor the Lemon-Limeade. Once the sugar is fully dissolved into the water, remove it from the heat and pour into the pitcher.

Add the 4 cups of cold water to the pitcher and stir well. Add ice, as desired, to chill or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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?

Be sure to check out the other ELB bloggers for their can’t live without things too.

• Cate O’Malley from Sweetnicks
• Joanne from Eats Well with Others
• Chris Arpante – Melecotte
• Jenna – Stop, Drop and Blog
• Casey – The Starnes Family
• Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
• Claire – Cooking is Medicine
• Jen – NJ Epicurean
• Rivki Locker – Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
• Jennifer Schulz – Lick-a-Plate
• Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
• Gwen – Simple Healthy Family

Faux Caramel Latte
serves 1

6 oz strong hot coffee
1 tbsp low-fat milk
1 tsp sugar
whipped cream
caramel

Pour the coffee into your favorite coffee cup — the one that makes you smile in the morning. Stir in the milk and sugar. Top with copious amounts of whipped cream and a generous (in moderation) drizzle of caramel. Drink immediately.

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.

]]> http://sarahscucinabella.com/2010/07/13/cooking-with-kids-smoothies/feed/ 1 http://sarahscucinabella.com/2010/06/14/cooking-with-kids-mango-iced-tea-recipe/ http://sarahscucinabella.com/2010/06/14/cooking-with-kids-mango-iced-tea-recipe/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:46:38 +0000 Sarah W. Caron http://sarahscucinabella.com/?p=2691

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.

Easy Mango Iced Tea
yields about 1 gallon

8 cups water
16 mango black tea tea bags
8 cups chilled apple juice
ice

Boil the water. Add the tea bags and let brew for 10 minutes.

While the tea is brewing, add the apple juice to a 1 gallon pitcher.

Strain the tea bags using a heavy duty spoon and a fine mesh strainer. Discard the used tea bags. Pour the brewed tea into the pitcher. Add enough ice to make it one-gallon. Chill until ready to serve.

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.

Simple Pomegranate Spritzer
makes 1 drink

ice
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup ginger ale

Add several cubes of ice to a stemmed glass. Pour the pomegranate juice in. Then, add the ginger ale (yes, the order in which you make this totally matters).  Do not stir. Serve immediately.

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.

I tasted the 360 Vodka and found it to be smooth and clean. I’d almost call it a pleasurable experience. However, I am not in the business of sipping vodka so I figured I would test it in something more natural to me. The real test: mixing it with a mixer (chocolate peppermint). How was it? Really good . . . The vodka complimented the flavor nicely, which is always a good thing.

For the balance of the bottle, I set about making some vanilla extract. In a few weeks, it will be ready. Some of my long time readers might remember this post from last October. I had seen a pictorial of making vanilla extract at home and was inspired to do it myself. I ordered the beans and was all set . . . except I was very pregnant and didn’t get to that before the baby came. So the project waited, and waited, and waited . . . until now. But don’t worry, more on that later. This is about the 360 Vodka.

What I love: 360 Vodka is environmentally-conscious. It blends well into drinks.

What I didn’t love: I wish 360 Vodka would have sent the press kit and the vodka together so that there would only need to be one Fed-Ex run to my house instead of two (they arrived a day apart).

Would I buy it? Yes. It’s smooth. It’s a good mixer. And it’s environmentally friendly, What more could you ask for?

*Note* 360 Vodka is not organic, but the company has a good reason for that.

According to a spokeswoman:

McCormick Distilling went through a lengthy process to decide the organic grain issue after coming up with the idea for an eco-friendly vodka.

What they discovered is that organic grains are not available near the McCormick facility, so the truck’s emissions and costs involved in transportation would have been considerable. Instead, they decide to use locally grown grains (from farms in northeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri). As a result, McCormick is able to support local farmers and minimize fossil fuel emissions.

Another reason they chose to go with locally grown grains is that organic grain farming yields smaller crops, so with the volume of supply needed to make distilled spirits, the costs would have been prohibitive (both in the production process and, ultimately, for the consumer).

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!

Pomegranate Lemonade
serves 4
recipe from Bon Appetit – February 2008

2 cups lemonade (I prefer Stew Leonard’s brand here in Connecticut, or Simply Lemonade)
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup pomegranate juice (I used POM brand)
ice

Pour lemonade, club soda and pomegranate juice into a nice pitcher. Stir lightly. Add ice. Pour into nice, clear glasses.

NOTE: Bon Appetite suggests adding a tablespoon of vodka per glass for an adult version of this tasty drink. Wehad it virgin though . . .

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.)