Have you noticed the birds are getting busy here in the Northeast? I love hearing them early in the morning because it means that we are closer to SPRING!! :) Yes, it's still early and we could get a wallop of winter in the next month but the weather has been mellow and even if it's a tease for us, I am looking forward to it!
For me that means I change my food prep a bit. Not that the grill has been closed all winter but I look forward to more seasonal fruits, veggies, salads, and smoothies! I love throwing what ever fruit I have into the blender for my kids who drink them without protest! I have a chapter in my upcoming book on "Efficient Cooking Methods" that helps busy moms use tools such as the blender for easy and healthy foods. Most of us don't realize all the jobs a blender can do for us! While I love to use them to mix up fun party drinks like Margaritas in the Summer they are really helpful in the kitchen in so many ways. You can incorporate natural whole foods while not losing any of the original flavors you may be accustomed to. Blenders are great for making smoothies, milk shakes, soups, dips and spreads, breads, all kinds of desserts and more.
One trick I use it for is hiding food from being noticed. When I make lasagna I like to add some kale to my sauce for extra nutritional value without being obvious to my family. You can certainly add a few leaves (depending on the size of the kale) without being noticed. I also love to add beans such as cannellini to my chicken noodle soup! I add some beans to the chicken broth and combine in the blender until smooth. It looks creamy and really adds a nice flavor with the benefits of the beans to those who would never ever eat a bean if put in front of them! You can pretty much add whatever you'd like to try in a recipe without it being detected if you use a blender with some great blender power. I've had many blenders over the years. Most of them don't last very long but if you are serious about using an exceptional blender, please take my advice and invest in the VitaMix blender. It is used every single day in my house (several times a day) and it's amazing!!!
http://www.vitamix.com/
Berry Delicious Smoothie
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Processing: 45 seconds
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| 1 cup (150 g) frozen pineapple |
| 1 (118 g) ripe banana, peeled |
| 1 cup (150 g) frozen unsweetened strawberries |
| 1/3 cup (50 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen |
| 1/3 cup (30 g) cranberries, fresh or frozen |
| 1/2 cup (120 ml) ice cubes |
| 1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and slowly increase to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached. |
Stay tuned for the green smoothies in my next blog!
Be Well,Krista
Coming soon:
"Winning the Game: The Busy Mom's Manual to Refueling Her Athletic Family in Six Easy Steps"
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