Strawberry Cheesecake Green Smoothie + Green Smoothie tips

Tired of hearing about green smoothies? Yeah, so am I. BUT WAIT! They are the easiest way for me to get a ton of greens down in one sitting. I've been making them for many years. I started making them in my food processor because my blender just couldn't handle it. Now we use a Cuisinart blender and it has changed my life. I don't see the day coming anytime soon when we can afford a Vitamix, so if you're like me, you need to figure out how to make them in your blender.

Tips about greens:

1. Use spinach if you are a beginner. Spinach is cheap and doesn't disturb the taste of the fruit in your smoothie very much. When you're ready to branch out, start adding a little variety of greens like kale or chard.
2. If you use lettuce, you will probably be able to taste it.
3. Kale works best if you stuff your blender full of kale, add enough water to cover the kale, and then blend just the kale and water up first before adding anything else. Same tip applies for swiss chard.
4. If you like the green ice cube method- (which I don't because I don't know exactly how much spinach I'm consuming and something about breaking down the spinach and freezing it makes me think I've destroyed the goodness) Try to use about a 6:1 ration. 6 cups of spinach, 1 cup of water.

Tips for a delicious green smoothie:
1. Don't be afraid to add a lot of fruit at first. As you get used to the taste, start adding less and less fruit until you are accustomed to a greener taste.
2. Frozen bananas help give the smoothie a nice, creamy consistency.
3. Frozen fruit works great because it keeps the smoothie cold and creamy. If you use fresh fruit, don't worry about cutting off the leaves, peeling, or removing the core.
4.  Make it big enough to fill you up! My green smoothies are usually between 26-32 ounces.
5. Nut butters and Greek yogurt are a great way to beef them up with some protein.
6. If your blender is having a hard time blending, just continue adding a little liquid at a time until it stops getting stuck at the bottom.
7. Be patient! Making a green smoothie in a blender takes some time. Let it run and run and run until it has reached a smooth consistency.
8. If you have a food processor, try using that if your blender tends to get clogged with fruit at the bottom.
9. Get creative!
10. Don't be shy with the greens- add 3 huge handfuls to each smoothie.

My favorite combos:
1. Banana + 2 pears + 1 C strawberries
2. Blueberries + almond butter + banana
3. Peaches + orange juice + strawberries
4. Banana + strawberries + Greek yogurt
5. Banana + peanut butter + cocoa
6. Strawberries + frozen cranberries + frozen raspberries

Strawberry Cheesecake Green Smoothie 

• 3-4 handfuls of spinach or 3-4 cups of kale
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 cups frozen strawberries or fresh strawberries with stems intact
• 1/3 C Greek Yogurt (I recommend Fage for it's superior taste and protein content)
• dash of pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In your blender, combine spinach/kale with enough water to blend it up. After greens are sufficiently blended with water, add fruit, yogurt, and vanilla. Blend. Blend. Blend.  

1950's Rich Waffles

When I say Rich Waffles around my husband, he starts drooling and then he starts asking what he can do to help me make them. Since I am dedicating the next several recipes to my sweetheart, this one is for him. These are by far his favorite waffles.

I found this recipe in my 1950's Better Crocker cookbook and although it suggests using bacon fat for an even richer taste, I usually follow the regular richer instructions which call for an extra egg and extra Crisco, just cause we like to eat healthy at our house :)


These waffles should be served at a fancy restaurant. I would serve them to the President if he came to my house for breakfast. They really are rich. I've never had a waffle that compares. Not even the special malt waffles I used to eat at the 4-star ranch I used to work at compares to these.

Don't think about it, just make them for breakfast, or for a late night snack and I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

3 Eggs

1 1/2 C Buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 C sifted flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C melted shortening. That's right, pull out the tub-o-Crisco. (The cookbooks says "Fresh bacon fat is good in waffles.")

Instructions:

1. Beat eggs well.

2. Beat in the remaining ingredients.

3. Pour batter into heated waffle iron. Makes 8 waffles. Now go impress your family with your waffle skills.




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Apple Cheesecake Oatmeal

Who doesn't love a good bowl of oatmeal for breakfast? I could name a lot of people including my husband and my sweet mother who would rather eat real ants on a log than oatmeal. BUT. I LOVE oatmeal and at one point in my life ate it for breakfast every morning for about 2 years.

Over the years I have perfected the art of cooking oatmeal and when I'm in a hurry, I use the microwave. This recipe was inspired by the Granny Smith apples in my fridge and leftover cream cheese glaze from a spice cake I made for some friends.

The secret ingredient is the egg. I don't add an egg every time but if I'm turning my oatmeal into a dessert, I always add the egg. It adds protein of course but it also turns the oatmeal into a custard like texture. I can thank my wonderful MIL for this little trick!

Ingredients for 1 serving

• 1/2 C slow cook oats
• 1/2 C finely chopped Granny Smith Apple
• 1 Egg
• 1 1/4 C Water
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Dash of Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese Glaze (*Full recipe Below)

Directions

1. Start by finely chopping your apple using your Vidalia Chop Wizard that you have purchased by now after realizing how much it will change your life.

2. In a deep bowl, combine the water, salt, oats, cinnamon, apple, and egg. Mix thoroughly until the egg is incorporated into the mixture. (Don't be scared of the egg, I promise it's good!)

3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't boil over. Stir again and microwave for another 30 seconds if needed to reach desired consistency. Let stand for 3-4 minutes.

4. Once your oatmeal has reached its desired consistency, drizzle cream cheese glaze on top and enjoy!

* The recipe for a FULL batch of cream cheese glaze is:

• 1/2 block of lowfat cream cheese
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 3 C powdered sugar
• 1-3 Tbsp milk

1. Cream butter and cream cheese.
2. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
3. Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time until it reaches a glaze consistency similar to honey. 

This makes enough glaze for a cake so if you are making some just for oatmeal, I would say use equal amounts of butter and cream cheese measured in tablespoons and then enough powdered sugar and milk to make a small amount of glaze.

Printable Version

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Berry Topping

I've been cooking from my Volumetrics cookbook lately and was surprised at how delicious and fluffy these pancakes are. I love a good pancake but then you have to put syrup and butter on them and then it just feels like you dessert for breakfast. Don't get me wrong, dessert for breakfast is AWESOME but I needed something a little more healthy while still getting my pancake fix. The berry sauce is incredible and replaces any need for syrup.

Ingredients:

Pancakes

• 1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 C lowfat buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Berry Sauce

• 1 1/2 C unsweetened frozen berries, thawed (original recipe calls for raspberries, I used mixed)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the pancakes,

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until just combined, the batter will be lumpy.
2. Drop by 1/4 C onto a hot griddle and when bubbles appear on the edges, flip. A serving is 2 pancakes.
3. Pile high on your plate and dig in.

For the berry sauce,

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. A serving is 2 Tbsp of berry sauce. 
2. Top pancakes with 2 Tbsp berry sauce and 1/2 C 

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