Category: Beverages


Jun
2014

Strawberry Smoothie

categories: Beverages, Breakfast
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It’s EASY to make a homemade strawberry smoothie, with Greek yogurt, honey, fresh strawberries and banana! Cold, thick and creamy, you’ll enjoy this drink!It's EASY to make a homemade strawberry smoothie, with Greek yogurt, honey, fresh strawberries and banana! Cold, thick and creamy, you'll enjoy this drink!
It’s that time of year- yes, it’s strawberry season! Who wants a strawberry smoothie? I do, I do! Doesn’t that sound delicious? Well it does to me!

It gets pretty exciting here when the amazingly wonderful Hood Strawberries come into season in the great Pacific Northwest! People head out to the local U-Pick farms to grab big bucketfuls of these local delicious and sweet Oregon strawberries!

I love to go pick extra strawberries at a nearby U-Pick farm, to supplement what the small strawberry beds in my backyard garden produce each year. There’s just something about a creamy, cold morning smoothie, bursting with great strawberry flavor, that really gets me excited! Here’s a picture I took last year while out on a morning strawberry picking “mission”.

Picking fresh strawberries is a fun part of making a strawberry smoothie!
Whether you go pick them yourself, or you grow them in your own yard, OR you buy them from your local grocer or at a Farmer’s Market, a tasty strawberry smoothie is a GOOD thing!

Why Not Make A Delicious Strawberry Smoothie for Breakfast?

I love to have a strawberry smoothie for breakfast, especially as the weather warms up! They are also a great afternoon cold, healthy, and filling drink! In most of my smoothies, I use plain Greek yogurt, because I like the extra protein I receive from adding it to the drink.

It also helps to grow our strawberries in our little raised bed garden!  That way, I always have them fresh picked or flash-frozen to make a quick strawberry smoothie, year round!

Fresh strawberries growing in our backyard garden can be used to make a strawberry smoothie!A bucket of fresh strawberries can be used to make more than one strawberry smoothie!
So, no matter how you get your fresh berries for your smoothies, I hope you will give this simple, delicious strawberry smoothie a try. Have a great day. Cheers, and bottoms up!

Looking For More SMOOTHIE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few smoothie recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Strawberry Smoothie
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 
It's EASY to make a homemade strawberry smoothie, with Greek yogurt, honey, fresh strawberries and banana! Cold, thick and creamy, you'll enjoy this drink!
Category: Beverage, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: strawberry smoothie
Servings: 2 large servings (or 4 small)
Calories Per Serving: 157 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 10 large strawberries , sliced
  • 1/2 large banana , sliced
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (can use regular milk if desired)
  • 2 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 handfuls of crushed ice
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend for a couple of minutes until ice and all ingredients have been fully incorporated, and the mixture is smooth. If you want the smoothie to be even thicker, add additional crushed ice.
  2. Pour into 2 large glasses and serve!
  3. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Recipe Source: my head trying to think of new ways to use my strawberries!

Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Smoothie
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 157
% Daily Value*
Cholesterol 3mg1%
Sodium 69mg3%
Potassium 303mg9%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin C 37.9mg46%
Calcium 130mg13%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!It's EASY to make a homemade strawberry smoothie, with Greek yogurt, honey, fresh strawberries and banana! Cold, thick and creamy, you'll enjoy this drink!

 

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May
2014

Copycat Mocha Frappucino

categories: Beverages, Copycat Recipes
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Make your own version of a famous coffeehouse’s cold, creamy mocha beverage, with this simple and delicious Copycat Mocha Frappucino recipe!Make your own copycat version of a famous coffeehouse's cold, creamy mocha beverage, with this simple and delicious recipe!

I own five or six books by author Todd Wilbur in his series called “Top Secret Recipes”. They are such fun books in which to find some great “copycat” recipes. 

It’s a great way to fix a “very close to the original” (but for a fraction of the price) clone of a favorite food at home. This copycat mocha frappucino is one of those recipes found on his website.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Why Not Make A Copycat Mocha Frappucino At Home?

Made popular by the famous coffee chain that seems to be on every corner, these chilled coffee beverages (the bottled version you find in grocery stores) can really add up ($$) if you purchase them often.

Well, now you can make a copycat mocha frappucino at home, so you can grab one on the way out the door without having to make an extra stop on the way to work or a kid’s baseball game (and for a fraction of the cost!)

Bottles are filled with copycat mocha frappucino, and are ready to refrigerate, then drink!

We don’t buy these very often at all, but when we do, this is my favorite. So naturally, I was curious to try making these at home. This is the copycat recipe for the bottled version you find in the stores. They are very easy to make (and if helps if you happen to have a few extra bottles left over to package this in…I saved a few for this very purpose!)

Making This Coffee Drink

The copycat recipe calls for Natural Fruit Pectin (don’t let that scare you off), which is a fruit thickener, commonly used when making jam. It actually acts as a thickening agent in this recipe. I used it, but the original author of the recipe states that you don’t have to use it, if you don’t care about duplicating the texture.

Fruit pectin is used to make a copycat mocha frappucino.

The recipe also calls for espresso, but you can “fake it” with the easy to follow tip (found in the notes section of the recipe) and make your own. This is what I did, using the very easy instructions. The recipe, as written, makes 24 ounces, but can easily be doubled. Hope you enjoy this cold, creamy, mocha coffee beverage (how’s that for a description)!

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have the opportunity to make a delicious copycat mocha frappucino for yourself or for someone you love. Have a great day, and come back soon.

Looking For More BEVERAGE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of beverage recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureOriginal Recipe Source: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Starbucks-Frappuccino-Bottled-Version-Copycat-Recipe.html

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Copycat Mocha Frappucino
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Make your own copycat version of a famous coffeehouse's cold, creamy mocha beverage, with this simple and delicious recipe!

Category: Beverage
Cuisine: American
Keyword: copycat mocha frappucino
Servings: 3 (makes 24 ounces total)
Calories Per Serving: 163 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup fresh espresso (see Notes below for how to create your own)
  • 2 1/2 cups lo-fat milk (2 percent)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon dry pectin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Make the espresso. In a large bowl add the sugar, dry pectin and cocoa powder to the hot espresso and stir or whisk well until completely incorporated. Chill mixture.

  2. When espresso mixture is completely chilled, add the milk; stir until combined.
  3. Pour mixture into a serving pitcher or individual bottles, and refrigerate. Serve cold.
Recipe Notes

**How to make copycat espresso to use in this recipe**
Use 1/3 cup ground coffee and 1 cup of water in your drip coffee maker. Brew this once, then run it through again, using the same grounds. (this will make approx. 1/2 cup espresso needed). **Run a pot of water through coffeemaker when done, to clean machine.

NOTE: Original Recipe Source: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Starbucks-Frappuccino-Bottled-Version-Copycat-Recipe.html

Nutrition Facts
Copycat Mocha Frappucino
Amount Per Serving (1 (8 oz. portion))
Calories 163 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 97mg4%
Potassium 295mg8%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 385IU8%
Calcium 246mg25%
Iron 0.1mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Make your own copycat version of a famous coffeehouse's cold, creamy mocha beverage, with this simple and delicious recipe!

 

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Apr
2014

Blueberry Banana Kale Smoothie

categories: Beverages, Breakfast
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A healthy blueberry banana kale smoothie, with strawberries, almond milk and flaxseed is a delicious cold beverage treat for breakfast or any time of day!A healthy blueberry banana kale smoothie, with strawberries, almond milk and flaxseed is a delicious cold beverage treat for breakfast or any time of day!

Sometimes my husband and I don’t want a big breakfast. We simply want a cold, fruit and veggie smoothie, with lots of healthy fruits and veggies in it, like blueberries, bananas and kale! That’s how we both felt a couple mornings ago. We had gone out to eat the evening before and were still feeling rather full. We wanted something light and healthy for our breakfast.

After putting on our thinking caps (they’re really quite lovely!), we decided to make a healthy smoothie for each of us, full of fruits and veggies. What a great way to start our day…(drinking) something good for us, like this blueberry banana kale smoothie!

Scroll down For A Printable Recipe Card At The bottom Of The Page

Fresh Kale In Our Garden!

I went on a pillaging mission in our kitchen. The first thing I did was grab a couple frozen bananas (which I keep year round in our freezer), some frozen blueberries (leftover from my blueberry picking spree last summer), and a few strawberries.

Then I decided we needed something of the veggie variety to throw into the old blender to increase the healthy aspect of our smoothies. You can translate that to mean – I wondered how to “sneak” in a veggie before my husband knew what hit him.

Out into our back yard I went, and picked a handful of kale leaves from our garden (convenient, huh?). I carried the kale back into the house and had it blended the blueberry banana KALE smoothie before my husband had a chance to see it and opt out. Pretty sneaky, right?

Blueberry, Banana And Kale Smoothie / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Okay – So How Do You Make A Blueberry Banana Kale Smoothie?

After washing the kale and draining it, throw all the ingredients into a handy dandy blender and “blend away”. Truthfully, that’s it! You might have to rip some of the kale leaves away from the stems before adding, but this whole drink is ready in a couple minutes! Before I even knew it, we had 2 perfectly purple, delicious (and dare I say healthy?) breakfast smoothies. The blueberry banana kale smoothie actually tastes great, as well!
 
Guess what? *You (or your family) will never know the “super food” kale is in there…trust me.*  It’s a super cool way of “sneaking” vegetables into a delicious drink This blueberry banana kale smoothie is lip smackin’ good!
 

Blueberry, Banana And Kale Smoothie / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

The blueberry banana kale smoothie is cold, creamy, bursting with flavor AND it’s good for you! You don’t have to confess to anyone that there’s kale in there! Shhh… let’s just keep this our little secret, ok? I hope you will consider giving this fruit (and veggie) smoothie “recipe” a try. I think you’ll like it! I’ve already made these smoothies two times this week…Yum!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great day, and sincerely want to invite you to come back again soon, for more delicious family-friendly recipes.

Looking For More SMOOTHIE Recipes?

You can find all my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. You might enjoy a few of our favorite smoothie recipes which include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Blueberry, Banana And Kale Smoothie / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

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Blueberry, Banana, and Kale Smoothie
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins
 
A healthy blueberry banana kale smoothie, with strawberries, almond milk and flaxseed is a delicious cold beverage treat for breakfast or any time of day!
Category: Beverages, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blueberry banana kale smoothie
Servings: 2
Calories Per Serving: 223 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk (I've also substituted orange juice for this...quite good!)
  • 2 frozen ripe bananas , (if bananas frozen, you won't need ice. If room temp, add some crushed ice)
  • 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 cup kale , chopped (and large stems removed)
  • 6 strawberries
  • 1 Tablespoon flax seed (this is great fiber...helps fill you up...but is optional)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place the almond milk, bananas, and blueberries in the blender. (If the bananas are not frozen, add a small handful of crushed ice to the mixer).
  2. Blend until smooth.
  3. Add remaining ingredients; blend well. If it is too thick, add a bit more almond milk...you really can't hurt these smoothies! Serve and ENJOY!
Nutrition Facts
Blueberry, Banana, and Kale Smoothie
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 223 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Sodium 219mg10%
Potassium 739mg21%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 3460IU69%
Vitamin C 78.8mg96%
Calcium 262mg26%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!A healthy blueberry banana kale smoothie, with strawberries, almond milk and flaxseed is a delicious cold beverage treat for breakfast or any time of day!

 

Save