Orange Energizer Smoothie:

I love smoothies, but I'm also a little picky about them. I normally prefer smoothies that have veggies in them, and only one or two fruits. Otherwise, they taste SO sweet to me, that I can hardly drink them.
Enter: The Orange Energizer Smoothie!!!!

When I found this recipe, they were talking about how it's a great energizer and stress buster. I had everything for it, so I through it together real quick.

I was actually REALLY surprised how good it was! Everything was in perfect balance - not too sweet, but sweet enough...perfectly creamy...it's just good!!

Smoothies are SO perfect for the hot days of summer that are coming up.
Hopefully none of my summer-loving family is reading this, but, I personally dread the heat of summer, and love the negative degrees of winter. Sorry! But I love this smoothie so much, that I am actually looking forward to enjoying it on a nice, hot day!

I love to drink a smoothie before and/or after I workout too, and this is probably by far my favorite to drink before a good run or any kind of workout.

I've had one about every day this week, I think!! Hope you give it a try!

2 bananas, cut into 1-inch pieces and frozen

1 orange, peeled and cut into chunks

1 carrot (or 6-8 baby carrots) cut into chunks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup milk

Place all ingredients in order listed in a Blender or NutriBullet.

Blend until smooth. Makes 2 large servings!

Note:

-PLEASE use frozen bananas...it seriously makes this smoothie!!!

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie:

I really like smoothies, but some of them are SO sweet. 

I was craving a good smoothie the other day, but didn't have some of my normal smoothie staples.

I found this recipe and decided to give it a try!

It was super flavorful and filling, and had just the right amount of sweetness!

I hope you try it out!

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup plain or strawberry yogurt (greek yogurt or regular)

1 banana, sliced

1/4 cup quick oats

1 tblsp. honey

1-3 tablespoons water, if needed

Place all in the NutriBullet or blender and blend until smooth.
Add water until desired consistency is reached.

Serve!

Cherry Limeade:

Happy Valentines Day!

Here's a bonus recipe this week in honor of this special day!

 

I LOVE cherries, as long as they're fresh, but cherry flavored things are not my favorite at all. However, I really liked this drink! It didn't have a big cherry flavor, but was still surprisingly yummy! It would be perfect for in the summer, but it would also be cute for Valentine's Day too!! 

Hope you try it out! 

 

 

 

1 (12 oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate

1 (2 liter) bottle Lemon-Lime Soda

1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries

 

Place limeade concentrate and the juice from the cherries in a gallon pitcher (save the cherries for something else later). Add a small amount of the Soda, and blend together with an immersion blender. Add the rest of the Soda and stir together. Serve over ice!

 

Frozen Hot Chocolate:

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Psalm 100:4

 

I love Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

In honor of Thanksgiving, here is a bonus recipe this week. I hope you enjoy it!

It might sound kind of strange, but it's really good!! Cold, yes, but good!!!

I loved it and if you like hot chocolate, I think you will enjoy it too!

It has such an unexpected taste and it's just so yummy!

I hope you give it a try!

 

 

For approximately 3 servings:

3 cups ice cubes

1/2 cup hot chocolate mix

1 & 1/2 tblsp. sugar

1 & 1/2 cups milk

Whipped topping, optional

 

For a single serving:

1 cup ice cubes

3 tblsp. hot chocolate mix

1 & 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup milk

Whipped topping, optional

 

Place all ingredients, except whipped topping, in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into serving glasses and top with whipped topping, if desired.

Serve!

 

Fresh Lemonade:

It might seem like an odd time of year to be talking about Lemonade, but we had some fresh lemons that weren't getting used, and lemonade sounded good. There's a lot of recipes out there, but this one is fast, easy and delicious! So if your having the winter blues, go get some lemons and make lemonade!!!

 

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 gallon of cold water

2 cups fresh lemon juice

Lemon slices, if desired

In a small saucepan, bring sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil, whisking until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Pour the gallon of water and the lemon juice into an extra large pitcher or container. Add the sugar/water mixture and stir all together. Add lemon slices if you want. Chill for a couple of hours.

Note:

-This was good right away, but it was WAY better the next day.

-The reason, I don't have a picture, is because this is a very light-colored lemonade! It just looked like a glass of water! But take my word for it, it didn't taste like water!!!

Orange Julius:

Have you every tried an Orange Julius at the mall or Dairy Queen or someplace? Well, they are pretty expensive, so the only one I've ever tried is a free sample!!! When I saw this recipe, I was so excited to try it out and even more excited when I realized that I had all the ingredients for it!!! It was SO yummy! We'll definitely be making this again! I hope you give it a try and enjoy it too!



1 (12 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar

Place everything in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into serving glasses and serve!

Note:
-You want the orange juice to be frozen. If it's not, then you'll want to add ice cubes to the blender after you blend everything else together. Otherwise, it will be watery and not have the frosty goodness!
-Get a little creative and try it with grape juice concentrate instead of orange.