Cranberry Orange Smoothie

Delicious!  Get cranberries in November and then freeze them so you can enjoy this year round.

1 cup cranberries
2 oranges
1/3 cup orange juice concentrate
2 cups vanilla yogurt
2 cups ice
1-2 cups water (depending on thickness you prefer)
1-2 TBS agave, to taste

Blend all ingredients except agave.  Add agave last to taste.

Ginger Tea

Fresh ginger is great for soothing sore throats and respiratory infections.   It's also excellent for colds and flu, digestion, nausea, motion sickness, gas, bloating, and menstrual cramps.  I used to think it tasted like flowers, but it doesn't really.  It tastes like ginger and it's kinda spicy! 

Ginger Tea:
To peel ginger, use the edge of a spoon.  That makes it easy!
In a small pot, add 2 cups of water.  Peel 1" of ginger and then grate it into the water.  Simmer on med. low for 20 min.  Remove from heat and strain.  Add honey to taste.  Can also add lemon if desired.

If you feel like you are getting sick, make up a batch and sip it through the day.  You can also rub this on sore muscles.

You can take a ginger bath.  Add tea to bath.

Homemade Gatorade

Soccer season is upon us.  I find it awfully ironic that we are encouraging our kids to get good exercise and then they get junk food for snacks.  I wanted to get a good gatorade sub that my kids would be happy to give up the junky kind for!   

1 qt water
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp CALM powder (optional, provides calcium/magnesium minerals)
1-1/2 c. Grape juice (or other flavor)
1-2T sweetener (agave, honey or equiv amount stevia)

Mix it up and drink it!

Option:  I've used the juice drained from juice-sweetened canned fruit too.

Orange Julius

Our "healthier" alternative for holiday breakfasts like Easter & Christmas. I make two batches in my blendtec, since doubling the recipe won't fit in the blender.

3/4 c. Orange Juice concentrate
1 C. Milk
1 C. water
1/4 C. less about 1 TBS Agave (1/2 of 1/3 a cup is what I used.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. ice cubes (about 10-12)

Toss it all in the blender and blend till smooth.

Chocolate Milk

I tried to come up with a healthy chocolate milk that was quick and easy and also didn't have cocoa chunks in it. I came up with this tasty version that the kids really enjoyed!

1 TBS cocoa powder (or cacao)
2 tsp agave nectar
1 c. milk (preferably raw milk)

Put the cocoa powder in the bottom of a 10-12 oz. cup. Pour in agave nectar, and stir to make a paste. Add a little milk. Stir until the paste is dissolved, then add the rest of the milk.

Variation: Make molasses milk. Pour a little milk in the cup. Add 1-2 tsp organic unrefined molasses, stir till mixed. Add the rest of the milk and stir.

Berry Green Smoothie

It took me almost a year to work up the nerve to make a green smoothie and try it. And then I wondered why I waited so long. The whole family loves these. You need a powerful blender like a vitamix or blendtec otherwise you won't be too happy with the results. This is my basic mix in a 6 cup blender. Measurements are VERY approximate as I usually just toss stuff in.

1/2 frozen banana
1 c. frozen berry mix (I get triple berries from Costco)
4-5 frozen strawberries
1 whole peeled orange
1/4 lemon (washed, with peel on)
4-6 c. washed greens (about 1/2 the pitcher full)
2-3 TBS coconut oil
2 TBS flax seed
2-3 cups water as needed

Put it all in and blend it up! Number 4 on the Blendtec. About greens: start with spinach as it'll be the most mild. Kale and chard are good too, but romaine lettuce is decidely NOT good. I've tried the spring mix from Costco (removing the bitter endive) and sometimes it's good, but last time it was horrible, so that's kind of more of a wildcard. Put more frozen berries in when you first start out to get a deep purple color and it will look more appetizing.

Try different fruits after a while, and your family won't even care if it's a pukey green color because they know it'll taste good. I make two pitchers full for our family of 7.