Super Yummy Strawberry Banana Nut Smoothie

Hi everyone!  Spring has sprung! With Easter just around the corner and summer not far behind, my thoughts have turned to my squishy waistline.

With fresh fruits and veggies coming into season, I decided to dust off the Nutribullet and make a few healthy smoothies. 

One of my favorite smoothies to make is one I call Banana Nut. It's full of healthy ingredients but tastes like a banana peanut butter milkshake.  Even Elvis would approve. I promise!

The smoothie has 2 cups of spinach, but has no spinach taste at all. The flavors of the peanut butter (boosted by flaxseed meal) and banana really win out. 

Recipe:
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup skim milk (or soy or almond)
1 T peanut butter
1 T flaxseed meal
1 banana
6 strawberries
Ice cubes

Layer ingredients in a blender.  I added mine in the order of the recipe. One tip: be sure to add the peanut butter somewhere in the middle. Otherwise, it may stick to the blender sides. 

If using a Nutribullet, be careful that your liquid does not exceed the max line. It's OK if the fruit/veggies do. 

Mix and enjoy!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great week!

Lovin' From The Oven: My Creative Scrapbook

Last year for Valentine's Day, my then 3-year-old and I made some yummy heart-shaped cookies using a strawberry cake mix. Cory loves to help in the kitchen, especially when sweets are involved!  Being a scrapbooker, of course I took a few photos along the way. 

These photos were a terrific excuse to break out some pink paper, something I don't do often when scrapbooking my little guy. But I couldn't resist here, especially since I had the terrific new February kit from My Creative Scrapbook in my hands.  The kit featured the sweet Yours Truly line from Pebbles Inc. 

I blogged about making these cookies last year. They use just three ingredients, plus a cream cheese frosting. The recipe is on that blog post if you'd like to try them. They are easy enough for a three-year-old, my kind of recipe!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Strawberry Heart Cookies From A Cake Mix

As we gear up for Valentine's Day, I wanted to test a new recipe.  I found this one on Pinterest and it sounded good. The cookies were also really easy: just three ingredients plus a cream cheese frosting.

After we mixed together the cookie ingredients (cake mix, eggs and shortening), we rolled them into small balls and pinched the ends to form a heart shape.

As the cookies cooled, we made frosting, then iced the cookies and sandwiched them together.

These were so fun and easy to make and look festive for the holidays.  I think the cookies would also work great as a single layer, iced with sprinkles, like a Christmas sugar cookie.

Here's the recipe.  It's by Mique Provost.

Ingredients for cookies:

Strawberry cake mix

2 eggs

¾ cup shortening (don’t use margarine)

Ingredients for frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

½  stick butter, softened

2 t vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Mix the cookie ingredients together.  Roll into balls.  Pinch one end to make a heart shape.  Bake for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Cool. 

Mix frosting ingredients.  Add powdered sugar slowly to form taste and consistency you prefer. You may need only 3 cups.  Frost cookies and sandwich together. 

Linking this to Tip Me Tuesday

Minestrone Soup: Kid-Friendly Meal

My favorite thing about January?  Soup in the Crock Pot!   There’s nothing better on a cold, dark night than a hearty bowl of homemade soup.

One of my family’s favorites is the tried and true Minestrone Soup.  My three year old loves this soup. It’s a great way to sneak some veggies into his diet.

I use this recipe from the little book that came with my Crock Pot.  I often change it a little, based on what's in the pantry, but the basic recipe is just killer.  

Ingredients:  

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup cabbage, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
30 ounces kidney beans, drained
29 ounces beef broth
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a Crock Pot except the macaroni and Parmesan cheese.  Cover; cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Add cooked macaroni the last 10 minutes.  When ready, add Parmesan cheese.

Festive Holiday Cookies: Candy Cane Blossoms

I love these pretty holiday cookies. They are so festive and easy to make. They follow the same idea as Peanut Butter Blossoms (peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses) but are made with a sugar cookie base instead. The Candy Cane Blossoms are perfect for families with peanut allergies or any family! 

Really, I will take any excuse to eat the Candy Cane Kisses.  They are sooooo good. Here's the cookies we made:

The recipe for the Candy Cane Blossoms is from Hershey's.  It makes 3 dozen.  

Ingredients:

1 bag Hersheys Candy Cane Kisses

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons milk

Colored sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove wrappers from kisses. 

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and egg in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternatively with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in colored sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press candy into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

We made three trays of cookies, one dozen each, and I learned a few tricks with each tray. White chocolate Kisses (Hugs, Candy Cane Kisses) melt faster than classic Hershey's Kisses. 

If you aren't careful, the Candy Cane Kisses will melt in the cookies as shown above. While they still taste great, the cookies don't look as pretty.  We got the best results by putting the Kisses in the freezer as the cookies cooked. 

Acorn Donut Holes: Quick & Easy Fall Treat

Here's a sweet treat for all the last minute moms (me!) who need something quick to bring to a gathering.  These Acorn Donut Holes are a super quick and easy treat sure to please young and old.  You can't fail with this one and they won't take more than 15 minutes to make. I originally saw this idea in Disney's Family Fun magazine.

Start with your favorite donut holes.  Dip just the tops of the donuts in warm frosting.  You can also use peanut butter or Nutella as an alternative. Add chocolate sprinkles. 

To finish the acorns, add a pretzel stick stem.  Put them on a platter and watch them disappear.  Side note: the squirrel is a tealight holder from Crate and Barrel. Love repurposing!

Ok, back to Monday's post. Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my Trendy Twine birthday celebration and giveway.  I used random.org to pick a winner.  

Mary Pat Siehl, you are number 12!  I'll click back to your blog to contact you.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.