To be honest, I didn’t used to drink them very often. I had a hard time finding combinations that I liked, and I almost always want a hot breakfast, not cold.
But a few years ago, I finally started figuring out mixes that we really liked, and now we make smoothies year round – even in the winter! On cold mornings, I just pair a smoothie with something else hot like eggs or toast or oatmeal.
One of our all time favorite smoothie mixes? It’s a little sweet, a little tropical, and pretty green. Also a great way to get in some fruits + veggies with breakfast!
There’s a frozen fruit mix we’ve found that we LOVE – it’s a mix of frozen peaches, pineapple, mango, and strawberries, and that’s what we use in our smoothies almost 100% of the time.
But the other secret? I buy a big bag of spinach + baby kale mix and throw it in the freezer, too. Once the greens have frozen, I crush them up in the freezer bag and then we’ve got greens ready to go. So easy! And this is one way that Nick is okay with some kale in the smoothies. Whenever I’ve tried using kale (even baby kale) raw/straight from the fridge, the flavor is MUCH stronger than when we freeze it beforehand.
Plus, once the greens are frozen, I don’t have to worry about them going bad before we have the chance to use them, so it’s saving us money and waste, too!
Stonyfield and Hamilton Beach recently paired up together for bloggers to test out this little single serve blender, and I had the chance to try it out.
I normally make smoothies in a much larger blender, so this one was nice because it helped me keep my portions just right. I could have this on my own in the morning, or Nick and I can easily share a smoothie from this little blender, too.
I really like that it takes up so little space on the counter AND that the blender container also serves as a to-go container for busy mornings. I’ve only used it a few times so far, but I’m really liking it!
And Hamilton Beach and Stonyfield want to share this little blender with one of you, too!
Want to win your own single serve blender and some Stonyfield coupons to try out your favorite smoothie recipe?
To enter:
– Tell me your favorite smoothie mix
Want extra entries?
– Tweet about the giveaway and tag @HamiltonBeach @Stonyfield and @branappetit
– Tell me the first smoothie you would whip up if you win!
Still on the fence about adding greens to your smoothie? This is the perfect mix to start out with. There's enough fruit to cover up any flavor from the greens, but enough greens that you get a good mix of fruit AND veggies in your morning drink!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Stonyfield Plain Whole Milk Yogurt
1 cup frozen spinach/baby kale mix
heaping 1/2 cup frozen fruit mix (pineapple, peach, mango, strawberry)
1/2 cup orange juice
Directions:
Pour the water into the blender. Add in the yogurt, frozen greens, frozen fruit, and orange juice.
Pulse the mixture a few times until the fruit starts to break up. Blend until all the greens and fruit are broken down and the mixture is smooth, adding a little more water or juice if needed.
*Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. Prize is provided by Stonyfield and Hamilton Beach. As part of the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club, I had the opportunity to try out and review this blender from Hamilton Beach and received yogurt coupons, as well. All opinions and recipes are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting brands that support us!
Finally, the snow and ice has melted and the grass is slowly turning green.
This means that spring is coming! Nice weather is on the way! I can stop wearing socks for a while – which would be really nice considering that, at 32 weeks pregnant, it’s a bit of a struggle to get them on before running out of breath.
And with spring on its way, that means one thing: Easter.
Is Easter a big deal for you, too? My family has always celebrated Easter together, not only as part of our faith, but also as a time to soak in the changing seasons and start enjoying time together outside.
As kids, we always had egg hunts before church and treats, but I never remember having or making hot cross buns. In fact, for years I didn’t even know what they were! Turns out, hot cross buns are spiced, sweet rolls – usually with currants or raisins – and marked with a cross on top that are typically eaten on Good Friday.
As usual when starting to work on a new recipe, I looked up tons and tons of classic, traditional recipes and then figured out how I wanted mine to turn out. Lucky for me, Bob’s Red Mill had recently sent me some of their all purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour, so I did a mix of those in these buns PLUS traded in the traditional currants for diced, dried apricots and chewy dried cherries.
For an extra kick of flavor, I soaked the dried fruits in orange juice before adding them to the dough and used orange juice in the frosting. That little bit of citrus made such a difference! When spring finally hits, having that little punch of citrus – in these or any dish – automatically makes it feel lighter and brighter and perfect for this time of year.
Prep Time: 2 hours (mostly for dough rising time - hands off!)
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours (mostly hands off)
A fun twist on a traditional Good Friday treat, these hot cross buns are punched up with sweet orange juice and perfectly chewy dried cherries and apricots instead of the normal currants.
Ingredients:
Rolls:
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 and 1/4 cups milk
3 eggs, 1 separated
7 Tbsp butter, room temperature
2 and 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 cups Bob's Red Mill all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour
Icing:
1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp orange juice
1-2 tsp milk, as needed
Directions:
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.
Mix the orange juice with the dried fruit and raisins, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave about 30 seconds - 1 minute, just until the fruit and liquid are very warm. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
When the fruit is cool, mix together all of the dough ingredients (minus one egg white from the separate egg) except the fruit, and knead, using an electric mixer or bread machine, until the dough is soft and elastic. Mix in the fruit and orange juice mixture.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It should become puffy and rise, but it may not completely double - that's okay!
Divide the dough into tennis ball-sized pieces (a heaping 1/3 cup scoop makes about the right portion). Shape them into balls and place them seam side down in the prepared pan.
Cover the pan, and let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they've puffed up. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Beat the reserved egg white with a splash of milk and brush over the tops of the buns.
Bake the buns until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Once the buns are completely cool, mix the icing together and top each bun with icing in the shape of a cross.
Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post – and thank you guys for supporting brands that support us! For more delicious recipes and a coupon for $1.00 off any product, please visit BobsRedMill.com!
I wish I was exaggerating, but our entire yard (and driveway) is a huge slab of ice. All the nice snow we got last week was covered with more snow/sleet/freezing rain this past Saturday, and then completely froze overnight, leaving us with an ice block outside.
You know it’s bad when your dog is sliding around and can’t find a place to go to the bathroom.
I was hoping the worst of winter would be behind us, but it doesn’t seem like it. I think there’s more snow in the forecast for this week, and the ice layer on our driveway is so thick that it’ll probably be there until April.
And that means it’s the perfect time for soup!
I am really, really tired of this weather, so getting excited about food is one of the few things getting me through right now.
It was so cold last week that my office at work never got about 55/60 degrees WITH the heat on AND two space heaters going! When it’s too cold to do anything outside, a great pot of potato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich can easily be one of the best parts of the day.
The best way to make a creamy potato soup even better? Start it with some brown butter. And then top it with spicy candied bacon.
The veggies are cooked in a mix of brown butter and olive oil, adding a touch of toasty/toffee-like flavor to the soup, and the cayenne + brown sugar on the bacon is just the right amount of sweet and spicy for the savory soup.
If you’re like us right now – stuck inside because it’s cold and dark and icy – this soup is the perfect meal to have simmering on the stove. I was really sad when we finished this off. I think it’s going on the menu again later this week!
Not all potato soups are created equal. I love a big pot of creamy potato soup, and this batch takes it to the next level. The added depth from the brown butter in the soup base and the sweet & spicy bacon on top are just what you need for a little twist on your typical potato soup.
Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups broth
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Lay the bacon on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the bacon with the brown sugar and cayenne pepper.
Bake the bacon for 12-15 minutes until crisp. Remove from oven and let cool while the soup cooks.
While the bacon is cooking, heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Let the butter melt and continue to cook until the butter starts to brown.
Once the butter is golden and smells toasty, add in the olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 3-4 minutes, then add the diced potatoes. Cook another 5 minutes.
Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are starting to get tender.
Mix the flour and milk together until smooth and pour into the soup. Cook another 7-10 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the soup is starting to thicken.
Either pour most of the soup into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the majority of the soup.
Pour in the cream, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add more salt + pepper, if needed, to taste.
This will definitely go into the bucket of “basically so easy that you don’t really need a recipe” BUT these little bites turned out SO delicious that I couldn’t wait to share!
I love making dessert. I love having dessert. I love having other people make me dessert. And some times, I love digging into a really time consuming dish and lengthy recipe that takes work because you not only end up with something to eat, you have a sense of accomplishment.
But other times, you need something quick. Easy. Something you could probably do in your sleep. And those desserts need to be just as tasty! Not everything needs to take as long to make as croissants, but you should always – always – be happy when eating dessert, no matter how much work it takes.
These little strawberry bites are right up my alley for busy weeknights or an impromptu get together or for a romantic night in.
My newest favorite yogurt is Stonyfield Petite Crème – have you tried it? It’s almost like a cross between greek yogurt and crème fraiche. Super silky, hardly tangy, and not completely fat free (thank goodness – I’m also on a whole milk yogurt kick right now, and I have no plans of getting off that train). You can tell that it’s still yogurt, but it’s not so tart that it makes you pucker, which makes it perfect for using in desserts!
You don’t have to sweeten it as much (or at all) to get a good balance in the dish, and the tiny bit of tartness is perfect with sweet strawberries and semi-sweet chocolate.
These little bites are the perfect end to a meal - or great as an afternoon snack! They're not too sweet, and they're still good for you, but it's always nice to have a little chocolate.
Ingredients:
10-12 strawberries
1 container Stonyfield Vive La Vanilla Petite Creme yogurt
1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Cut the tops and greens off each strawberry, then carefully cut out the majority of the core. Also, slice the bottom of the strawberry off so it can stand up on a plate.
Scoop spoonfuls of the vanilla petite creme into half of the strawberries.
Stir the cocoa powder into the rest of the petite creme and stir together.
Fill the rest of the strawberries with the cocoa-mixed yogurt.
Top with chocolate chips and serve.
I am part of the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club and love to spread the word about their products! This post is not sponsored, although I did receive yogurt to try/use. All opinions/recipes are my own, as always. Thanks for supporting brands that support us!
