Sparkling Strawberry-Mint Limeade

A few things about this recipe:

1.  YUM!  I mean, I kinda knew I would love this recipe because, hello?  Champagne + strawberries + lime + mint!  That combo is just so yummy and perfect for sipping on a patio.

Food Rule 21 and Green Smoothies

(Lest you think I've gone off the deep end with my treats consumption, ha!)

I'm going to throw down some honesty here today.  That up there?  That's my breakfast every day.  Yep.  A huge green smoothie that I suck down while I'm sitting in traffic, on my way to work.  Why?  Obviously I'm capable of making other, more traditional items to eat.  But why am I eating 3 overflowing cups of kale and spinach for breakfast?

Because I'm waging a war on my acne.  There you have it.  My skin has the ability to go from allllmost clear to a disaster within a matter of a couple of days.  It's 90% of the reason I avoid dairy.  Dairy hormones and sugars make my acne (and body hormones) fly out of control, resulting in painful red bumps and cysts on my face.  Which then turn into dark scars.  It's not exactly a great way for a girl to go out in the world, especially considering that wearing a bag over my head isn't something I've been able to pull off.  (Yet.)

Now, I'm a firm believer in healing my body from the inside.  I've done just about everything for eliminating external irritating detergents and fabric softeners and body washes.  So, when my skin flares up, I know that something isn't happy on the inside.  After reading a bit about alkalinity and watching this video, I really felt compelled to get more greens in my diet.  Which is perfect for another Food Rule:

I've raved about greens in the past, but short of throwing them into every single dinner, I couldn't figure out a way to get more into my diet.  Until I started seeing Green Smoothies pop up everywhere.  They sound iffy at best - Spinach for breakfast?  Raw?  And you drink it??  Yes, indeedy, my friends.  And they taste really, really good.  Throw in a banana and some other fruit, close your eyes, and you don't even know it's loaded with leafy green vegetables.  I swear.

I follow this basic recipe for my breakfasts each morning:

Some Chia Seeds for omegas, fiber, protein, and energy
3 huge handfuls of greens - usually kale or spinach
1 fruit to make things sweet - a ripe banana or an apple
1-2 other fruits for flavors - raspberries and mango together are really good!

Note: If you add red or blue berries, your smoothie color won't be as vibrant green.  Because red + green = kinda brown in color.  Which equals disgusting photos, lol.  I didn't want to scare you away any more than I already might be, so I left the fruit for this recipe pale in color so that all you see is that gorgeous green!

What do you all think??

Are you already a Green Smoothie aficionado?

Tempted to come over to the vibrant green side of the fence?

With Bo in thinking that my breakfast is too whack to even consider? :)

My Hippy Roots are Showing,

         

Green Smoothie

2 Tbsp. chia seeds
1 c. water
3 c. kale, chopped with stems removed
1 c. frozen peach slices (unsweetened)
1 banana, sliced and frozen

Soak Chia seeds in water for at least 5 minutes, as you gather the remaining ingredients. Add ingredients to blender in this order: Water with soaked Chia seeds, kale, banana, and peach slices. Blend until smooth.  Makes one 24oz. smoothie.

       

Seriously, check this out.  These are the numbers for my recipe above:

It's a pretty great way to start the morning, am I right?!

Pink Porchcrawlers

Ohmy, these babies are easy to make!  The longest step is slicing the limes.  Seriously.  All you do is stir everything in a serving pitcher and pour over ice.  I'm assuming Pink Porchcrawlers got their name from the fact that the vodka is very well-hidden because you could increase the amount below and still be a-ok.  They're fun to make and fun to drink and perfect for a hot-weather get-together.

Enjoy!



Pink Porchcrawlers
adapted from Southern Living

1/2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries
2, 12 oz. bottles of beer, chilled
6 oz. frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate*
1/2 c. vodka
lemon and lime slices for garnish

Stir together the raspberries, beer, lemonade concentrate, and vodka.  Serve over ice and garnish with lemon and lime slices.  Makes 4 servings.

* Note: If you can't find raspberry lemonade concentrate, any flavor will do.  The most common form of this recipe used pink lemonade concentrate, but I opted for more raspberry flavor.

      

Watermelon Sangria

Is it still hot where you live?  All this back to school talk has me feeling as if Fall should be right around the corner, but the weather outside certainly isn't giving any hints of Fall just yet.  So, I decided to finally try out a couple of hot-weather party drink recipes, just in time for Labor Day weekend.

These Watermelon Sangrias are a fantastic way to use up that very ripe watermelon you've got sitting in your fridge.  Just blend it up, strain out the pulp, and stir in some booze.  It definitely tastes smoother and more watermelon-y if you let it sit in your fridge for a few hours (just like in traditional Sangria), so it give a little time to rest before serving.

Enjoy!



Watermelon Sangria
adapted from Serious Eats

4 c. cubed ripe seedless watermelon
2 c. white wine
1 oz. light rum
2 oz. Cointreau
2 oz. simple syrup
3 limes
ice
lime seltzer water, optional
optional garnish: additional watermelon and mint sprigs

In a blender, purée watermelon cubes. Strain into a large pitcher. Add wine, rum, Cointreau, and simple syrup and stir. Juice 2 limes and add juice to pitcher. Slice the other lime lengthwise and then slice into thin slices. Add lime slices to pitcher, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Pour into ice-filled serving glasses, garnish with additional watermelon and mint sprigs and top off with optional lime seltzer water.  Makes about 6 servings.

Ingredient Lineup:

Strain the pureed watermelon to remove excess pulp.

Salud!

      

Strawberry Mojitos

We have a small patch of mint plants in our window planter box, and one blazing hot evening, Bo got tired of my whining and whipped up these drinks for me us.  I love mojitos, and it seems like I've had some pretty terrible ones at restaurants and bars.  How hard could it be?  Not very, when you have Bo making them for you :)

Enjoy!

Strawberry Mojitos
adapted from A Cup of Mai

2 oz. simple syrup
3 fresh strawberries
5 mint leaves
1 lime
2 oz. light rum
soda water

In a chilled glass, muddle the simple syrup, strawberries, and mint leaves with the back of a spoon, crushing the strawberries and mint leaves well.

Squeeze the juice from the lime into the glass, add the rum, and stir well.  Fill glass with ice and top off with soda water.  Makes 1 drink.



Simple Syrup
adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

Whisk together sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is clear, approximately 3 minutes.

Cool syrup to room temperature and store sealed in the refrigerator.   Makes 1 cup (8oz.).

 

Bo's Famous Sangria

I decided to pretend that I was spending Spring Break on a warm and beautiful island, with nothing to do but read fluff books while balancing a delicious and fruity drink in my hand.  I also pretended to be ultra thin and tan and wearing the most flattering bikini ever.  Alas, I was only able to make the drink part a reality.  Sigh.

Ok, back to earth and this recipe - What's important to know is that while I do not like red wine, I love this Sangria.  You also need to know that it makes a lot - about 2 gallons' worth.  We like to make it in a cooler with a spout, so that it's portable, stays chilled, and doesn't make a mess when poured.  You can also mess with the amounts and kinds of fruit, and you'll pretty much never go wrong.

Enjoy!



Bo's Famous Sangria
1 1/3 c. Apricot Brandy
2 L. cheap Merlot (yes, cheap)
1 1/3 c.Triple Sec
12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 c. lemon juice
3/4 c. orange juice
2/3 c. sugar
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
2 limes, sliced
2 nectarines or apricots, sliced
1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
5 c. 7-Up or Sprite

Combine all ingredients except 7-Up and stir to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate overnight.  Stir in 7-Up just before serving.  Makes ~2 gallons.

It doesn't look as pretty in a plastic cooler, but it's so
much more convenient to haul around.

Cheers!

Organic Coconut Peanut Butter Cocoa Recipe & Review

Oh the weather outside is frightful..................

I feel like warming up the house with baking when a winter storm hits. However this isn't just a storm. This is a blizzard and we are getting 12-18 inches of snow! I didn't just want to warm the house. I wanted to wrap my hands around a hot mug and warm my soul with a treat.

Lucky for me a jar of Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter was delivered to me on Christmas Eve.  Let me tell you, I'm now a HUGE fan of Coconut Peanut Butter Cup Hot Cocoa!  This is a cup of dreamy-ness.
 
Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter is made from organic peanuts and organic coconut. Two ingredients: nothing else! No fillers, no binders, no sweeteners, and no preservatives. The peanuts are 100% organic Valencia peanuts grown organically by family farmers in New Mexico and Texas. Grown in the dry climate of the southwestern United States, these peanuts are certified organic and free from aflatoxins. The dried coconut is certified organic coconut meat from the Philippines from coconuts that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, their dried coconut products are not treated with sulfites to keep them white. Together, these premium organic roasted peanuts and the premium organic dried coconut are ground together to make a delicious and nutritious spread!

Coconut Peanut Butter Cup Hot Cocoa

4 - 5 servings

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 – 1/3 cup sugar/honey, more or less to taste*

Dash of salt

1/3 cup water

4 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup Coconut Peanut Butter

Combine dry ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk in water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 2 minutes. Whisk in Coconut Peanut Butter.

Add milk and whisk and heat until hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Serve topping with whipped cream.

*If using honey, use less then you would for sugar. Brown sugar may be used.

The wonderful people @ Tropical Traditions want to give away a jar of their Organic Coconut Peanut Butter to one lucky Money Saving Maine-iac reader!   Just hop over to Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Peanut Butter Review & Giveaway to enter.



   

My Trick or Treater's & Swamp Juice

 Every year my kids and I haggle over what costumes to buy - they usually win with good arguments like I am the one that has to wear it and didn't you always want to be something that you wanted when you were a kid...but this year I won!!

When I saw these 3 costumes in the right sizes the wheels in my mind starting turning.

The oldest and youngest were an easy sell but E wanting to be just like Av wouldn't be convinced unless I let him buy a sword just like Av's.

I think it was well worth it to say YES!

They look adorable!

Avery picked out something so super scary that I had to make Miss Maddy watch him put it on 6 times before she was convinced that it really was just Av.


In the spirit of Halloween I made these cool drinks for my kids - to bad I was unable to find the tapioca pearls since I think would have added a ton more gross factor...but they were still pretty good.

Next time I make them I am only going to use lemonade since we didn't care for the seltzer water taste.

I was so surprised by how realistic the gummi fish looked in the drink...it had oxygen bubbles and everything.

Swap Juice
Disney's Family Fun

Ingredients:
1/2 cup small tapioca pearls (found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)
Food coloring
4 tablespoons sugar
8 gummy fish
Seltzer water
Lemonade
8 gummy worms

 
MAKE THE EGGS:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes.


COLOR THE EGGS:
Divide the pearls, with the remaining water, between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food coloring (we used 3 drops of yellow and 1 drop of green in one bowl, and 4 drops of blue in the other) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixtures, then allow them to sit uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse the pearls with cold water.


ASSEMBLE THE DRINK:
Spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with seltzer water, then add a splash of lemonade. Place a gummy worm around a spoon as shown.

Taking It Easy

It's a crisp Autumn day here in Maine.  The sun is shining, the wind is blowing and the leaves are falling.  It feels like a perfect morning for a warm mug of spiced cider.

 For ease I like to make ours in the coffee pot and the pour it into a carafe.  This way family members of all ages can help themselves with out the worry of using a ladle.

Hot Spiced Cider

Ingredients:

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon whole allspice

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 small orange, quartered with peel

 apple cider

 

 It's been a year since we've brewed this and I forgot that last year I used the mesh brew basket filter instead of the paper filters.  If you brew yours in the coffee pot like I do I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using the mesh filter instead of the paper filter.  It takes FOREVER with the paper filter!

 Waiting for the first cup of the season.

 Delicious.

* This year we pressed our own cider! 

  

Taking It Easy

I am not above a bit of deception. David has a "thing" for MacDonald's Mocha Frappes. I knew I could build these at home but David wasn't so sure I could duplicate them. So I set out to deceive him. All in good fun of course!

To duplicate a MacDonald's Mocha Frappe you need these key ingredients:

*
1 Cup Coffee Ice Cream
1/4 Cup Milk
Whipped Cream
Chocolate Flavored Syrup
*

Frappe the 1 cup of ice cream, milk and about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate syrup in your blender until smooth. Pour into a clean MacDonald's Frappe cup. Layer on the whipped cream and drizzle on the chocolate syrup.

Voila!
(He NEVER knew the difference!)