Frozen Banana Cantaloupe & Strawberry Smoothie ...

So, what do you do when you only have, a little of this and a little of that?? Make a delicious smoothie! .. Today I had less than a 1/4 of cantaloupe left after juicing the other day. having the thought of a smoothie on my mind, I wanted to use the rest of this cantaloupe. While rummaging through the freezer, I came across several frozen bananas. Hmmmm?? Bananas and cantaloupe, what else can I gather? Yep, my favorite fruit, strawberries goes well with everything!

Now, I'm all set to make the perfect smoothie for breakfast. The simplest of ingredients can make up the best smoothie for you to enjoy. 

1 1/2 frozen banana

1/4 cantaloupe cut into chunks

7 fresh strawberries

 1c almond milk

Blend all ingredients in blender on high for 2mins and serve. Makes 2 10oz servings ...

This smoothie is great to enjoy for breakfast, lunch or an after dinner treat. Which ever you prefer have fun blending the different fruits ... 

~ENJOY! ♥

 

Fresh Cucumber Juice ....

It amazing how we grow up believing the store bought juices are the best way to get our liquid intake. Over the past year I have been revamping my eating habits. What I choose to drink on a regular basis has been getting an overhaul as well.

Growing up we always had the choice of water, milk or kool-aid with our meals. With the occasional pitcher of fresh tea or lemonade, that was made during the summer holidays. After being gifted a juicer, I thought, what in the world am I going to do with this? Granted it set in the basement for several years. It wasn't until I purchased a raw drink from a middle eastern  restaurant when I decided to pull it out.  Why pay for something I could make myself ...

The mixing and blending of fruits and vegetables can be delicious. As well as a stand alone drink such as cucumber. Not only are cucumbers good for you to eat, they are good to drink also. No it's not like the sugary drink some of us grew up on. It's cool and refreshing.

After  getting the hang of it, and not dreading to wash the juicer out, I enjoyed what I was embarking on. Fresh juice made by  my own  hands, anytime I wanted some. This was amazing to me. Naturally I wanted to explore more juices. Now, my juicer is no longer in the basement tucked away collecting dust. It's on the counter, ready to go at all times ...

6 Cucumbers

Wash and push through juicer

this will yield 1 quart of juice. Chill and ENJOY! .. 

So if you are unfamiliar with juicing, please, do your research and try your hand at it. I think, you will enjoy it just as much as I do ....

Happy Juicing

~ ♥ ~

Watermelon Apple & Strawbery Pump It UP juice ...

just after getting over an upper respiratory infection, I wanted something to give me a little lift. The recipe for this juice came to mind.  I'm such the lover of  fresh strawberries, so, I picked some up at produce market over the weekend. After enjoying a few with my grand daughter I had to have them in a juice or smoothie.

This juice is so smooth, you'll want to add to your regular morning routine. Don't be afraid to purchase a few organic items as you peruse through the fresh fruit and vegetable section of the market.

Sometimes the price for the organic can be a little cheaper than the regular stocked fruits. As you look around, compare prices. You and your family will enjoy the switch ..

Something about the color of red gets me going. It could because red is my favorite color ...

2 Organic Brayburn Apples cored

2 cups of seedless watermelon 

10 large organic Strawberries

push all fruits through the juicer, alternating each fruit for even distribution of the juices ... 

pour in your favorite glass and ENJOY! .. 

Happy Juicing

~ ♥ ~

Blueberry Pomegranate Pomegranate Blueberry Juice Smoothie ...

This smoothie is definitely for the "Blueberry Lover" and yes, I happen to be one.

the Good thing about blueberries is that, you can buy them in bulk and freeze them for the off season.So don't be afraid if you catch a good sale to stock up, just make sure you purchase some good freezing containers.

Not only are blueberries good to eat, they are good for whole body antioxidant support. 1 cup of blueberries per day provides 14% of the daily recommended value of fiber and 1/4 of the recommended value of vitamin C. Aside from being low in calories, blueberries provide many other beneficial health qualities that would be rewarding to your health ..

Great ways to enjoy these delicious blue pearls ... 

1. Toss a hand full on top of your hot/cold cereal for added flavor.
2. add them to your salads
3. mix them in your yogurt or cottage cheese
4. in a bowl all by themselves
5. freeze and add them instead of ice to chill your drinks 

For this smoothie you'll need:

1 1/2c Frozen Blueberries
1c Frozen Yogurt
1c Blueberry Kefir (Lifeway)
1c Tropicana Pomegranate Blueberry Juice

Blend all ingredients until smooth and ENJOY! ♥

Vegetable & Chicken Noodle Soup ...

The hardest time here in Michigan is when we are transitioning from one season to another. Some one forgot to tell the weatherman it was Spring here. This is a nice soup you can have on any given day of the week. My day, just happen to be on a chilly-warm Monday. Any one living in or on the outskirts of Michigan, know all to well what those days are like.

Growing up, chicken and noodle soup was one of my favorites soups that just happen to come out of a can. Yes, Cambell's Soup was our soup of choice. Back then it had tiny bits of carrots in it. The many flavors were, chicken & noodle, chicken & stars or chicken and rice ...  Here's a savory & hearty soup that will help you to get through the chilly time of the day. Fresh and homemade always win over the canned soup in my house. Here's why ...

Prep Time: 2 1/2hrs - 3hrs

1/2 chicken cut into pieces or 3-4 chicken breast

4 boiled eggs 

1/2 green pepper diced
1/2 onion diced

1 16oz  box of chicken stock

1/2 package of egg noodles  

2c of frozen mixed vegetable

Mrs Dash lemon pepper season

Boil chicken, onions and green pepper in chicken stock until chicken falls from the bone or breast are tender, about 2 1/2hrs (you can also cook chicken in a crock pot). In separate pot boil up the eggs and set aside. Remove bones from chicken and cut chicken into bite size pieces, place back into the pot. Add noodles and frozen vegetables to the pot and simmer until the noodles are tender. Chop boiled eggs and mix into the pot. Bowl up and sprinkle on the Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper or the seasonings of your choice and ENJOY! .. 

Asparagus Delight ...

As a kid asparagus was not on my favorite things to eat list. Growing up on junk food, I cringed at the looks of anything healthy. Believe it or not, I still have all my original adult teeth with "NO" cavities. In Health class, we learned the importance of staying healthy. I learned to eat a more balanced diet that included the four basic food groups. After becoming a parent, I didn't want my children to become accustomed to junk foods, so I learned even more about healthy eating.

Which brings us to today. As I begin to age my eating habits has changed dramatically from years ago. I love asparagus, as well as many other vegetables that I would have normally passed over. This drink that I am about to introduce you to, I know you're gonna love. Let me start by showing you the ingredients ...

10 Asparagus (don't forget to remove the woody end)

15 Strawberries

3 Green Pears

push all ingredients through the juicer. Alternating each ingredient. Stir and ENJOY! 

Just because you may not enjoy eating a vegetable or fruit, doesn't mean you can't enjoy a nice drink filled with them. Once you try your hand at juicing you will enjoy the taste and the freshness of juicing. Experiment and have a ball! ....

 

Happy Juicing

~ ♥ ~

Morning Sunrise Juice ...

I love it when I can be an inspiration to someone. It brings joy to my heart and soul. This juice was inspired by my mom. For the past year I have been helping her to become more health conscious. I do have to say it's been a great journey for us both.

Today while speaking to her, she confessed that she had not been using her juicer because she thought it was broken. While enjoying a glass of juice I had made over the weekend, she felt determined to see what the problem was. Noticing that she was not closing the lid tight enough, she was able to make a nice juice for herself today. My mother has reach the glorious age of 85, and she is enjoying the finer things of life and health.

She was so happy to figure out the problem and make this wonderful juice. After telling me all that she had put in i had to make one up for me to enjoy ~.*)) ..

Here's a list of things you'll need to get this juice going ...

 

  1 Cucumber

3-4 Celery Stalks

3 Apples

6 Carrots

1 Plum 

push all ingredients through juice, stir and ENJOY! ...

ENJOY the Juice of Juicing! ... ~.~)

 

 

Pink Lady, Pacific Rose Apple & Carrot Juice ...

Not always being so quick to grab a soda pop, it's refreshing to make your own juices with out all the additives. I can remember my grandmother having an apple press machine that would make applesauce as well as juice. We use to play with it as kids and I had gotten my hand stuck in it. My grand mother lit in to us too. She had one of those trees that she'd get switches off of . That day wasn't a good one for me ...

Today we are presented with modern technology of a juicer. If you don't own one, I suggest you make that investment.  Yes they are nice to have, especially if you are trying to become healthier. Trust me the investment pays off. Have you seen the prices on some of those juices?? Over time, the price of store bought will have paid for your juice several times over. That's just my opinion.

Wash and clean your fruit very well. For the apples I like to core them before adding to the juicer. I have an apple slicer and corer (all-in-one). It makes for easier handling of the apples. Snip the ends off the carrots and toss 'em down. There is no need to remove the skin ...

To make this juice you'll need: 

2 Pink Lady Apples - washed and cored
2 Pacific Rose Apples - washed and cored
4lg Carrots - washed with ends removed
1nub of Ginger - skinned

Push all ingredients threw the juicer making sure you alternate the apples and carrots with juicing the ginger last. Stir and pour into your favorite glass/goblet. 

Juicing is a good way to introduce your children to vegetables and help them to get their daily amounts. It's easier for some to drink their vegetables than to eat them ...  

                

Happy Juicing

~ ♥ ~