Today it has been 4 years since I hit the submit button on my very first post. I can't believe it has gone by so fast. I had no idea in that instance that life would be changed forever. Looking back over the past 4 years I can see so much growth and learning. I love what I do and sharing with all of you. I am forever thankful that you continue to come and read my little ole blog. I started this blog as a way of sharing what I love, cooking and writing. However, it has become more than I could have ever imagined.
Who doesn't love mint and chocolate together? I keep frozen fruit in the freezer so I am able to throw together a healthy treat for my family with very little effort. Our local store has frozen fruit at a pretty decent price. When fresh fruit is not in season, it is a great alternative. Using frozen fruit prevents smoothies from getting watered down like it would with ice cubes. Most of the time I just throw a bunch of fruit in the blender with a few other ingredients and blend away.
Throwing in a good handful of baby spinach gives it the nice green color.
I like that I can throw a little green in the mix and my kids never know they are getting something a little healthier. To them, when I make smoothies, they are getting a treat.
Again, thank you for coming by and seeing what I share. Please accept this virtual hug to all of you.
Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothies
1/2 Cup of milk (any milk you choose is fine)
1/2 Cup of vanilla yogurt
1/2 Cup frozen pineapple chunks
12 baby spinach leaves
1 Tablespoon of honey (or more to taste)
1 drop of mint flavoring
1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips
Combine all the ingredients in the blender. Blend until desired consistency. Garnish with fresh mint and mini chocolate chips.
Do you ever have one of those moments when you want something and you "think" you have all the ingredients. Well I had my mind set on make this Cherries in the Snow from The Country Cook but I didn't fully read the directions when I went into the kitchen. You see, it needed a few hours to rest in the fridge and my tummy wanted something right away. So after a few minutes of feeling disappointed, I decided to throw something together with the ingredients. I didn't have any graham crackers BUT I did have some vanilla wafers I had been holding onto for while. I have been trying to make a banana pudding for the longest time. Either the bananas would go bad before I had a chance to make it or the family would gobble them up. So I gave up on making that for now. The family loved these and wanted more. My tummy was happy too. These literally took me just a few minutes to throw together. That is my kind of recipe.
Do you have a go to recipe for a quick family treat?
No Bake Mini Cheesecakes 1 small box of instant cheesecake pudding 1 container of whipped topping 1 can of cherry pie filling 12 vanilla wafers, crumbled Mix the instant pudding according to package directions. Gently fold in the container of whipped topping. Crush the vanilla wafers ( I place in a freezer bag and whack it with a rolling pin) and place in the bottom of your containers. Spoon in the pudding mixture. Top with the cherry pie filling. Enjoy.
Pineapple and coconut are two of my favorite flavor combinations. I tend to combine these flavors as much as possible, especially in the cold dreary months. It makes me think of warm summer days on the beach. That is super helpful on days like today that started off in the single digits. We could all use a little sunshine when it gets that cold out.
I was asked to make a recipe for the #MadeWithChobani project and my first thought was a smoothie. My favorite flavor is the pineapple and of course coconut is running in at a close second. My kids love yogurt but I find it harder to get them to eat Greek Yogurt. So sometimes I need to get a little more creative. These smoothies are just the ticket.
Our daughter is extremely skinny and actually her doctor wants her to eat more calories in a day. Sometimes that is easier said than done. Her suggestion was a bowl of ice cream before bed. That is a great suggestion but I know she needs a little nutrition in there somewhere throughout the day too. It helps to set this moma's mind at ease knowing she is getting just a little bit more protein when I give her one of these smoothies.
Are you a smoothie fan? What flavor combinations do you prefer? The possibilities are endless and can make eating right just a little more fun.
Are you a smoothie fan? What flavor combinations do you prefer? The possibilities are endless and can make eating right just a little more fun.
Pina Colada Smoothies
1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks
1 5.3 oz Chobani Coconut blended Greek yogurt
¼ cup almond milk, 2% milk, or whole milk
6 oz pineapple juice
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until
combined. Serve immediately.
Interested in more recipes from Chobani? There is a long list of great recipes on their website. Visit this link here ---> Chobani
Bring on the Red, White, and Blue
This Patriotic Punch is not only kid friendly, it is super refreshing. Using frozen berries helps to keep the drink cold on a summer day without watering it down.
It is super fun making fruity drinks to sip on to keep you cool on a hot summer day. Usually there is a pitcher of an adult fruity drink when we have guests over. But I thought, what about the kids?
This Patriotic Punch is always a hit with the kids. I pulled out the star cookie cutter to cut star shapes into the apples but if you don't have one, just chop up your apples. It will have the same effect and the kids won't even know the difference.
It can be made with ginger ale or lemon lime soda. It is amazingly refreshing during those dog days of summer.
But you can also make this into an adult version. Add a bottle of wine, or some tequila, vodka or rum. Just be warned- fruit soaks up alcohol.
This would make a great addition to your backyard sipping patriotic parties this summer.
Author: Served Up With Love
Patriotic Punch
Super refreshing punch to celebrate all the Patriotic holidays and it is kid friendly too!
ingredients:
1 bottle of apple juice
1 two liter bottle of Sprite
1-2 cups of frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 apples, sliced into 1 1/2" thick rounds.
instructions
Cut star shapes into your apples. With your apple stars cut, add frozen strawberries to the bottom of you pitcher, and cover with juice and sprite (in equal parts). Next, add your apple stars in on top of the strawberries. You'll want to line them around the sides of the pitcher so you can see them as a middle layer. Next, fill it up with more juice and sprite. Add frozen blueberries on top as a floating layer, and serve!
A favorite meal in our house is Pizza. So anytime I can make something that is similar I know it will disappear fast. Who doesn't love pizza?
We had an issue with my daughter eating pepperonis for a while but slowly we are introducing those back to her without any issues. Thank goodness because she really loves them. We really think it is an intolerance so we limit how much she eats.
I made this for an afternoon snack one Saturday and placed it in front of us and we just devoured it. Any of your favorite pizza toppings would work great in this. Or if you just like cheese, that would be just fine too! It is fun to eat too. Besides, what kid does not like to dip things?
This recipe is found in one of my favorite Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, Garfield... Recipes with Cattitude. I have made more recipes out of this cookbook than any other I have I believe. Such a great cookbook to add to your collection.
Author: Served Up With Love
Pull-Apart Pizza Bread
prep time: 5 MINScook time: 15 MINStotal time: 20 mins
A fun party appetizer the entire family will love digging into.
ingredients:
12 oz. tube refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 tablespoons olive oil
12 slices pepperoni, quartered
1 onion, chopped ( I omitted this as my family would not like it)
1/4 cup shredded pizza-blend cheese (I used mozzarella)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt
instructions:
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces: place in a bowl. Toss biscuit pieces with oil and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Add biscuits; toss well to coat. Arrange in a Bundt pan lined with well-greased aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden. Turn bread out of pan onto a serving plate while still warm. Serve with pizza sauce.
This is something that my Dad would make us growing up. I still make this for my kids every so often. I also consider this a budget friendly meal. I know this is not a healthy meal but every so often you just have to do it. I am trying as we speak to stretch our food as far as it will go this month. I went to the grocery store the first weekend this month and have only gone back for essentials like bread, milk, and stuff for the kids lunches. I do not know if we will make it that far but we will see. My cabinets are starting to look a little bare.
One time I sent my husband to the grocery store to pick up some beans and he came home with a can of baked beans... I have to say that batch was really good. So if you are looking to change it up a bit, there you go.
Beans 'n Franks
1 pack of hot dogs
2 cans of 28 oz pork and beans
1/4 Cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
Cut up the hot dogs and saute in a pan with chopped onion. Once the hot dogs are brown and onions cooked add the cans of pork and beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes and enjoy!
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