By Silvye on December 19, 2009
Start with the Fruit
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Some fruits will make a tastier shake than others. It’s generally a good idea to stick with the softer types of fruits like bananas and grapes because they tend to blend up easier. A banana will puree much faster than an apple or a pear, for example. Berries are great in shakes and are available fresh in the summertime and frozen year round. Any type of berry will do, but strawberries and blueberries are commonly used. Some fruits that aren’t as common in shakes but are really tasty are mangoes, kiwis and watermelon. If you do want to use apple or orange juice I would suggest either juicing this separately or simply using store-bought fresh or concentrated product. By experimenting a little, you’ll likely find several yummy combinations.
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You can certainly keep your shake purely fruit but it’s nice to add a little something just to give it some texture so you get that “shake” sort of sensation while drinking it. Bananas, again, are a good place to start because they taste good, are loaded with potassium and provide a natural thickener. But you can also blend in a little nonfat yogurt or kefir to bulk up your shake and give it some “oomph.” Honey makes a nice additive as well; it adds some thickness and a little extra sweetening. Some folks also like to blend in protein powders or other supplements; the taste of the fruit tends to mask the taste of some powders.
Add a Little of This and That
Blend It Up
Blenders are great when it comes to whipping up fruit shakes. They do the job quickly and are super easy to clean.Put the ingredients in a quart-size canning jar and stick the immersion blender right in and blend away. You can also drink the shake right out of the jar when it’s done, so it’s really a one-stop sort of deal. A regular blender, or even a mini-food processor, will do the trick just as well; it just takes a little more clean-up effort in the end. One quick note about blending frozen fruit: it can be done just as easily as fresh, you don’t really even need to thaw it if you have a good blender. It might change the texture of your drink to use only frozen fruit, and if that bugs you, you can stick it in the microwave for a few seconds just to soften it up a bit before blending.
Posted in Fruits
By Silvye on December 19, 2009
Rich and Creamy
Bring a bit of Caribbean flavour to your home – without the rum!A very tropical drink to enjoy in the setting sun with your loved one.Here it goes:
- 50ml coconut milk
- 80ml pineapple juice
- 80ml mango juice
- 1 small banana
Peel the banana and place in a blender with the juice and coconut milk. Add in some ice and blend for 10 seconds. Pour in a large glass and serve with a straw with a garnish of sliced pineapple on the rim.
Posted in Juices
By Silvye on December 19, 2009
The alcoholic version has a strong kick. This alternative is all sweetness and light, fresh and fruity with a little sparkle of your effort it will make a great dessert to drink:
- Half a lime
- Half a lemon
- Half an orange
- Ginger ale
- Sugar cubes
Dice the lime, lemon and orange into small pieces. Place the pieces in the bottom of a glass. Add a sugar cube to the mix and plenty of crushed ice. Top the glass with the ginger ale and garnish with a sprig of mint after some stirring the mixture thoroughly.
Posted in Virgin Cocktails
By Silvye on December 19, 2009
This is a delicious concoction perfect for a hot summer day – or anytime, really. It’s very simple – anyone can do it! So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
Things You’ll Need:
- Ice
- Strawberry Daiquiri Mix
- Pina Colada Mix
- Blender
Put some ice into a blender.make a twisted mix of sounds
Pour in a cup of Strawberry Daiquiri Mix.
Pour in a cup of Pina Colada Mix.
Blend it up!
That’s it! Enjoy this icy treat!
Note: You can change the amount of mix you put in according to taste. You can also blend the daiquiri first, and then the colada so you can create a multi-colored glass of goodness. Enjoy!
Posted in Virgin Cocktails
By Silvye on December 19, 2009
Daiquiri has become a toned-down dessert drink, and a non-alcoholic PEACH daiquiri conforms to this sweeter image. Read on to learn how to make a non-alcoholic peach daiquiri.
Things You’ll Need:
- Canned peaches
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- Ice cubes
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring
- 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring
- Ice cubes
- Canned peaches
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/3 cup milk
- Step 1
Open the can of peaches. Do not drain off the liquid. Pour the whole mess straight into a blender.
- Step 2
Measure out the lemon juice and add to the peaches. Follow with the ice cubes, milk and rum flavoring.
- Step 3
Grind that pre-daiquiri mixture until it is smooth and easy to pour.
- Step 4
Fill two glasses with the mixture.
- Step 5
Serve the non-alcoholic peach daiquiri immediately
Posted in Virgin Cocktails
By Silvye on December 19, 2009
(an excellent non-alcoholic punch)from my opinion.It makes a great recipe for any ocasion or just for a lil bit of taste on your mouth in the refreshing morning to start a new day of your life.
1 pint orange juice
1 quart cranberry juice
2 lemons squeezed -or- 2 ozs. lemon juice
4 quarts ginger ale
Combine juices with ice and chill. Pour into a punch bowl over a block of ice.*
Add ginger ale.
Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Serves 44 in punch cups.
*We like to make a special block of ice for this. Use a salad mold, if you have a Tupperware, shaped mold, you are in luck; the ice slides out miraculously.
Freeze it halfway full of water, place some maraschino cherries on top of that layer of water; freeze briefly, then fill the mold with water and freeze completely. This is functional and attractive.
Posted in Virgin Cocktails
By Silvye on December 16, 2009
Lemons, yummm! Most of us immediately think of lemon flavored foods and of course lemonade when we hear the word “lemon”. But did you know there are uses for lemons outside the kitchen? Read on for new uses, new recipes, and fun information about all things lemon!
Lemon juice is about 5% (approximately 0.3 mole per liter) citric acid, which gives lemons a tart taste, and a pH of 2 to 3. This makes lemon juice an inexpensive, readily available acid for use in educational science experiments. Because of the tart flavor, many lemon-flavored drinks and candies are available, including lemonade.
There are a variety of ways that lemons and their juice can be used around the house. Check out these personal care uses:
*Lemon juice applied to the hair can supposedly naturally lighten the hair.
*Apply lemon juice to facial blemishes for an acne treatment.
*Lemon is used in some facial masks for refreshing the skin.
*Raw lemon can be used as a short term deodorant.
*Mixed with honey, lemon juice can be used as a cough suppressant
*Lemon juice with it’s high acid level can be used as a disinfectant.
Posted in Fruits
By Silvye on December 16, 2009
The blueberry is an indigenous North American species with deep roots in our history
Blueberries (actually bilberries—a close cousin) also have a place in the annals of European folk medicine. Their roots were brewed into a tea believed to help relax women during childbirth and bilberry syrup was thought to be a cure for coughs. Another health legend is the association between bilberries and good eyesight
They were the first to use the tiny blue berries, both fresh and dried, for their flavor, their nutrition, and their healing qualities.
Unlike the larger cultivated blueberries usually sold in supermarkets, Wild Blueberries are tiny and really are wild;
Rich in Antioxidants
All it takes is a half-cup of Wild Blueberries to deliciously satisfy one of the recommended “five-a-day” servings of colorful fruits and vegetables. Some of the most powerful antioxidants are highly concentrated in the deep blue pigments of Wild Blueberries. What’s more, Wild Blueberries contain more antioxidants than their cultivated cousins. Antioxidants are the “natural zappers” of free radicals; the unstable oxygen molecules associated with cancer, heart disease, and the effects of aging. USDA studies have measured the antioxidant activity of more than 40 fruits and vegetables and ranked blueberries #1.
Here are a few suggestions to get your blueberry juices flowing:
Whirl fresh or frozen blueberries in your morning smoothie and sprinkle
them on cereal.
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Heat blueberries in maple syrup to pour on pancakes or waffles.
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Sprinkle dried blueberries on chicken salad.
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Perk up your yogurt snack with a handful of blueberries.
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Shake up your trail mix with dried blueberries.
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Substitute dried blueberries when a recipe calls for raisins.
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Add blueberries to a peanut butter sandwich and call it a PB-and-BB.
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Stir blueberry juice into iced tea or lemonade.
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Freeze blueberries and blueberry juice in ice cube trays to add to juice.
Posted in Fruits
By Silvye on December 16, 2009
- Squeeze at least one fruit drink a day. In this way you eat about 3 to 4 fruits so you can fulfill your daily need;
- Put some ice cubes in the blender with your juice. This cools your fruit drink quickly in summer;
- Put a little bit of banana in your juice mix and blend it like a milk-shake. This gives your fruit drink a certain softness and reduces the bitterness (caused by grapefruits for example);
- Take sweet fruits to blend. Use citrus fruits (oranges, red-grapefruits) as a basis and mix it in the blender with the sweet fruits of your choice. You can squeeze a jar of orange juice that you keep in the fridge and blend it with the fruit of your choice when you want to.
Detoxification
Be careful if you’re not used to consuming much fruit, your body could start to detoxify and you even could feel worse than better in the beginning
Posted in Fruits
By Silvye on December 16, 2009
- Apple juice is a delicious, refreshing juice made in your kitchen
- Diluted to single strength, shall be clear, natural in fresh apple fragrance and free from any other flavors.Fruit juices are results of extracting the ones coming from fruits
3 carrots (wash well and remove the green tops)
1 apple (wash well and cut in chunks)
1 celery stick (wash well)
1 small bunch of fresh mint leaves (add to your desired taste)
Process all ingredients listed through your juicer.Experiment with the mint until you discover the amount you like in this juicing recipe.Great immunity boosting juice. Enjoy!
Posted in Juices