Summer is here and we've been making lots of frozen treats.
We recently tried a new popsicle idea called Zipzicle. They are like push-pops, and you fill them with whatever you want. More on that later!
This grape slushie is easy to make and Sophie really enjoyed the lime. You could also use lemon.
Ingredients:
1 cup organic frozen grapes
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 organic lime
Directons:
Add frozen grapes, honey and juice of 1 lime to a food processor or vitamix. Blend and serve!
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Spring is here and with it, warmer days! I've been wanting to make something with lime and every time I go to our natural grocers, I see limes and I want to buy them.
And at random times, I have the coconut song stuck in my head by Harry Nilsson.
Doesn't this happen to anyone else?
Put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both together,
Put the lime in the coconut, and you'll feel better
Thanks to both Harry Nilsson and my urge to buy limes, I came up with this quick popsicle recipe that Sophie has really been enjoying.
Coconut Lime Popsicles
Makes 6
free of: dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, tree-nuts
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup organic coconut flakes
1 can organic coconut milk (full fat, 13.66 ounces)
7 tablespoons fresh squeezed organic lime juice (about 5 limes)
1/2 cup organic maple syrup
Directions:
Add coconut flakes to high-powered blender and blend briefly until the flakes are very fine shreds (almost a powdery consistency).
Add coconut milk, maple syrup and lime juice.
Blend just enough to mix the ingredients.
Add to popsicle molds, and freeze for 4-6 hours or until frozen completely.
* You can buy finely shredded coconut in place of the coconut flakes, but that's what I had on hand this time. Larger flakes would be good in the popsicle too, but would add a different texture.
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Mango lassi is traditionally a yogurt-based drink with indian spices. I didn't use yogurt and I didn't put in spices this time. If you want to use spices, you can add a mix of nutmeg, cinammon and cardammom to your taste.
This smoothie is really simple to make, and the coconut milk makes it thick and creamy... very similar to a mango lassi with yogurt.
Instead of using yogurt, I used coconut milk ice cubes. To make them, you blend organic thai kitchen (full fat) coocnut milk with maple syrup to sweeten, and freeze in ice cube trays. We store them in ziplock baggies to use for smoothies and ice cream.
To make this coconut mango lassi, I peeled two organic yellow mangoes and used a serrated knife to remove the flesh from the mango pit. I added the chopped mango to our vitamix, along with 10 ice cubes of frozen coconut milk. I blended on high until it was thoroughly mixed. It comes out thick, creamy and ready to eat with a spoon!
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We have been drinking coconut water for several years now and Sophie loves it. Our brand of choice is Amy and Brian's coconut water, because 1) we like the taste and most importantly 2) we have spoken to them on the phone to verify that it is produced in a gluten-free and nut-free facility (they only produce coconut juice).
So, what benefits do you get from drinking coconut water?
Coconut water is very hydrating to the body because it is high in electrolytes, especially potassium. It even can take the edge off of hunger, making it a great snack if you are waiting for lunch or dinner.
Amy and Brian's coconut water won us over by its great taste, and of course, that it's allergy-safe for us. We often buy it by the case because it's more affordable that way. Of course, some of you may be thinking: it's in an aluminum can, is that safe?
There is evidence that shows that there can be harmful side effects of long-term exposure to aluminum. I believe in always being cautious, and it does make me wonder about the correlation between the consumption of canned food items and alzheimer's disease. (If anyone has more knowledge of this, please feel free to leave a comment!)
There are many coconut water brands out there (some are not safe for us, O.N.E brand coconut water produces a cashew flavor) and some are in tetra paks. While tetra paks are thought to be safe, they cannot be recycled.
Do you drink coconut water? What's your favorite brand?
*this review is not sponsored by Amy and Brian's. It is purely my opinion and I did not receive any free samples nor was I asked to post about it.
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Sophie liked this milkshake so much that she started drinking it before I had a chance to snap a photo. We love bananas around here, and we especially like that if you blend frozen bananas (in the vitamix or food processor) it comes out just like soft serve ice cream. But this time, I added coconut milk to make a milkshake because sometimes you just need to drink out of a straw. Am I right?
No Frills Banana Coconut Milkshake
NO: dairy, gluten, soy, processed sugar
Ingredients:
3 frozen bananas
1/2 cup organic thai kitchen coconut milk (full fat)
dash of cinnamon
1 tablespoon raw honey
a cool straw
Directions:
Blend in vitamix or similar high-powered blender
Pour into a cup and serve with a straw! Good for one person or two to share.
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We really love smoothies in our house, especially green smoothies.
To make a great smoothie, you really just need a few ingredients. For added nutrition, we like to add some type of green vegetable to our smoothies. Spinach is an excellent choice for smoothies, but often times we also use kale. The smoothie pictured in this post had kale in it from our CSA.
The key is to have a good balance of green vegetable and sweet fruit so that you end up with a smoothie that will satisfy even the most picky palate. Our smoothies have been kid tested and parent approved. We've even shared our smoothies with those that aren't used to eating anything green (basically!), and gotten a thumbs up.
So once you have your greens in hand with a sense of power and excitemet to be making your family a nutrition-packed drink that will no doubt make them jump up from the kitchen table and do every chore in the house with lightning speed, you must remember the crucial greens-to-fruit ratio. Basically, you want a bit more fruit than greens.
It helps to have a basic smoothie recipe. You can check out our green smoothie recipe to get a better idea of what makes a good smoothie. After you make it a time or two, then you can start tweaking the recipe to make a variety of smoothies. We often add mango, peaches, frozen grapes, plums, etc. You can double the ingredients to make more. We usually make a smoothie for the day in our largest vitamix container. And we don't always use coconut water, the majority of the time we simply just use water.
My daughter Sophie loves green smoothies so much that if I forget to make one, she reminds me!
The other day I made one for myself with our small tribest "personal blender" that doesn't make very much,. Sophie had already had one earlier, so I thought she probably wouldn't want more.
Boy was I ever wrong.
Sophie: "Is that a green smoothie?"
Me: "Yes....." (I just knew where this was going!)
Me: "Do you want some?"
Sophie: "Yes!"
So, I devy it up and give her about half.
Sophie: "Is that all?"
Me: "Well...yes...but I can make more."
Sophie: "like, a lot?"
I made another. :)
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My friend Debbie, over at The Gluten-Free Dish, recently posted a recipe for her Energizing Spring Smoothie. It got me thinking about one of our favorite - and simple - green smoothies.
And green it is, perfectly so. Green happens to be my favorite color, but that's not the real reason we like this smoothie so much. It tastes good, with just the right amount of spinach for a good helping of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Folate.
Green Smoothie
a generous heaping handful of organic spinach
1 organic banana
1/2 - 1 cup of coconut juice
Add to a blender and process until it's completely liquified.
Serves 1 adult and 1 kid, double for a larger crowd!
**We also like to add fresh orange juice to this smoothie recipe!
Warning: side effects may include, but are not limited to, a green moustache
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Sunflower seeds contain linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. The seeds are also good sources of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin E, B Vitamins, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc. If that isn't enough, they are also rich in cholesterol-lowering phyotosterols (phytochemicals naturally occuring in plants).
The best way to eat sunflower seeds is raw, not roasted. Raw sunflower seeds have not been heated or treated with salt. You can find raw hulled sunflower seeds at your local natural foods market.
Absolutely great as a drink by itself, added to cereal or smoothies, or simply topped with spices (cinammon, cardamom and nutmeg) and devoured along with some pumpkin spice bread.
-heather
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1 organic mango
2 small organic carrots
1 stick of organic celery
7 ice cubes
Add water to get blending started then adjust to desired consistency
Add lime for zing! This is a nice refreshing drink for the summer time. It was hot today, but deceivingly overcast. It looked like a nice day outside, but it was a hot one. Thankfully, the hot temperatures don't last long here.
-heather
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