Fruit Smoothies

Yea for strawberries!!!

Boy are they ever in season, only $1.25 for a carton full of ripe strawberries!  I've been buying them up like crazy and freezing them for smoothies.  If you have never tried to freeze strawberries the best way is to wash and remove the stems with a knife, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, and after a couple of hours you can put them all in a ziplock bag.  I also like to buy up tons of bananas when they go on sale and freeze them too (make sure you peel the bananas before you freeze them).  With the bananas you can just put them straight in a ziplock bag as they won't freeze together.  So much cheaper than buying frozen fruit.

I like to keep my smoothies simple and to the point. No added sugar or juices ... just fruit and milk.  This is our after workout treat, or our morning treat, or our "Hey its a great day!" treat.  Basically we would have this all the time if we could. :)

Fruit Smoothie for two

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen bananas 
• 6-8 frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 3-4 cups milk (or till the milk covers at least half the fruit in the blender)

Pulse in blender first, then gradually increase speed till all smooth.  Add more milk if you don't want it too thick.  Have fun & play around with different kinds of fruit!

Delish Cold Remedy a.k.a "Witch's Brew"

Jeff & I have been fighting a cold for a couple of days so I decided to whip out the big guns....a drink I've made in the past that has always made me feel sooooo much better and is really fun to make. The name "Witch's Brew" came from my roommate Melissa who came home from work one night to find a large pot of all sorts of interesting things boiling on the stove and me cackling over it (granted I was cackling from the cold but you get the picture). 
The Ginger in this gives such a nice little kick and is so soothing for your tummy. Jeff was really digging it.

Witch's Brew

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raisins 
• One large ginger root (about 4 oz)
• 24 oz of honey (two honey bears)
• 1 cup Lemon Juice (or 6 fresh squeezed lemons)
• 1 1/2 cups Pure Orange juice, not from concentrate (or 4 fresh squeezed oranges)
• 1 gallon purified water

1. Put water in a large pot on high heat.  Peel and grate the ginger root.

2. Add grated ginger, honey, & raisins to pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat & simmer uncovered for an hour, occasionally skimming foam from the top.

2. Cool, strain, & place in a tightly closed container in the fridge overnight. You can either throw out the raisins or snack on them :)

4. Add the orange & lemon juice the next day and drink up! Stir before pouring each time.