Merry Cranberry Orange Smoothie

This is one of my favorite Christmastime smoothies/drinks. It is healthful, packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, and satisfies that snacking craving. 
All you need is a handful of fresh Cranberries, some Orange Juice concentrate to taste, a few Ice Cubes, then fill the rest with Water. I use my Nutri Ninja to blend a single serving.
It is tart but I love it!

Strawberry Cream Smoothie

Another Smoothie favorite of my family.  This one fits more in the dessert category than a healthful meal since we use ice cream, but it is GOOD.
I used my Blendtec and did a full jar so the measurements are for quite a bit since my family is so large but you can modify it as you wish.  I just love that about smoothies, everything is to taste and relative, easy peasy!

Strawberry Cream Smoothie:

- 3 cups milk
- 1 whole peeled banana
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream or vanilla frozen yogurt
- 1/2 package instant vanilla pudding powder
- 2-3 cups frozen strawberries

Use the smoothie setting and it comes out beautifully.

Berry Orange Julius

I have been experimenting with smoothies lately and this is a mix that is a favorite with my husband. I call it...

Berry Orange Julius:
- Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (6-8 oz)
- Ice (1-2 cups)
- Milk (enough to fill the blender half way) (soy and powdered also work well)
- Tang Powder ( 1-2 Tablespoons)
- Berry Go-Gurt (one tube)
Mix it all together in the blender and your done.

I do it all to taste so I don't have measurements but for those of you who can't stand recipes without them, I included approximations.

If you don't have a Berry Go-Gurt, then a cup of frozen mixed berries can be used instead.
It is delicious!

Orange Dream Machine Smoothies at Home

The Orange Dream Machine smoothie from Jamba Juice is one of my favorites. Mike brought one home for me on our Anniversary but after all the sharing, I was left wanting more. The next night I decided to make one myself. I found this recipe and it actually worked!

Orange Dream Machine Smoothie:

ingredients- orange juice, soy milk, orange sherbet, frozen yogurt, ice

- Mix 5oz OJ
- 5oz Soy Milk
- 2 scoops Orange Sherbet
- 2 scoops Frozen Yogurt
- 1 scoop ice
- Mix in your blender until smooth

This sounded great! I soon discovered that I was out of orange juice and that I had no frozen yogurt. Rather than go without, I improvised. Know that you can use Sunny Delight in place of OJ, and for the frozen yogurt...I happened to have in my fridge a carton of orange/vanilla sherbet/ice cream mix that came on sale for $1/half gallon. Know that you can use vanilla ice cream in place of the yogurt (obviously, but not as healthful). We do keep soy milk on hand so this was not a problem and I think it adds some richness and creaminess but you can use regular milk. It was amazing. Even with my substitutes and not measuring anything, it was pretty darn close to the real thing.
Try it out!

Need Buttermilk?

Not many people keep this item on hand but it can make those pancakes or biscuits more flavorful. Here is a substitute I learned about that I always have available.

1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar

- Then, microwave it for 30 seconds. (Geneve's Tip)

Mixing Frozen Juice

I remember spending forever as a kid stirring and stabbing the frozen juice with a spoon trying to get it all mixed with the water. I have three methods that I like to get it mixed fast.

1 - Plan ahead. Put the frozen juice in the fridge over night to thaw first.

2 - The blender method. Put the frozen juice into a blender with 1/3 the water. Blend together then mix in the rest of the water. This is fast but it makes the juice very foamy and you have a blender to clean after.

3 - Use a potato masher to mash the frozen juice and mix with the water. It is very effective and the method that I use the most.