Pineapple Mango Chia Smoothie

It's smoothie time!

Winter is still a good time to have a smoothie, especially for breakfast.  What a great way to fill up with wonderful juices and fruit.

I know I've posted many, many smoothies before, but as part of my Eat Well 2013 motto, adding juices to your diet is good for you.  Fresh, natural fruit and vegetable juices can improve nutrition and help with weight maintenance.  They are wonderful to drink with and great to cook with as well.   I saw a great book the other day that gave me inspiration to make this drink.  It has some great recipes to incorporate juices into your diet.  

Juicy Drinks

So here's to the second healthy smoothie for 2013.

Two great flavors make up this smoothie.  Pineapple and mango gives it that tropical feel.  A great combination that will leave you wanting more. 

What's new about this?  The chia seeds. They are mottle-colored seeds with brown, gray, black and white.  They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and high in fiber which is very good for your health.  Chia seeds can be added to foods as a topping or put into smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt without altering the taste.  They also help you feel full faster, and are easier to digest than flax seed.  Good stuff!  You can find them in the bulk item section of Whole Foods or other stores such as Sprouts.  Try them, you will never know they are there, but will reap the benefits.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Mango and Chia Smoothie

1-2 servings

1/2 mango, cut in chunks
1 small container of Dole pineapple tidbits in juice
1 6 oz container of lite vanilla yogurt
1/4 c milk
1/2 banana
1 tsp chia seeds
1 cup of ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend on high until smooth.  Serve.

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins - A Valentine Breakfast

I made a special muffin just for my love on Valentine's Day!

When I think of Valentine's flavors, pink, strawberry, chocolate, and raspberry come to mind.  So I'm in a pink mood this year...and the delicate love it emits.  So why not make a wonderful breakfast treat for your loved one that's pink.

I remember a cookie I once had that was raspberry and white chocolate.  At the time I thought...this is Valentine's in a cookie!  One thing though was that the white chocolate made it a little two sweet for me.  So when I set out to make this muffin, I thought of that cookie and decided to leave out the white chocolate.  But to give it that moist decadent feeling I added sour cream to the muffin mix.  Heaven!  With the addition of raspberries I ended up with a beautifully moist, tart yet sweet masterpiece of a muffin.

Of course the cute little heart muffin papers didn't hurt!

What a special way to say "I Love You" than with these muffins.  They taste THAT good!  See for yourself...

The recipe makes twelve, but you can halve it if you would like less muffins.  Perfect for breakfast with some eggs and bacon.  A wonderful way to start off the day.  And made with love....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins

Makes 12

2 c flour

1 T baking powder

1/8 t salt

½ c sugar or ¼ c Splenda sugar blend

2 large eggs

1 c sour cream

6 T canola oil

1 t vanilla

1 c frozen or fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Stir to combine.  In another small bowl lightly beat eggs.  Add in sour cream, oil, and vanilla.  Beat slightly to mix.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Stir until moistened.  Do not over mix.  Fold in raspberries, being careful not to mash them.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Be My Valentine Dessert

The magic of  Valentine's day is upon us.  

How will you celebrate?  Will it be a lavish dinner out, or something quite at home.  Or perhaps not a dinner at all but a special day planned for the two of you.  We usually do something memorable such as a museum, or day out.  This year we're talking about attending a Flamenco concert...how passionate is that?

So in honor of that passion I thought I would bring you a dessert to make for your loved one that will knock their socks off.  I saw this wonderfully easy dessert over on Stonegable.  I absolutely love Yvonne's blog, so if you get a chance make sure to pop over and check it out for yourself.  She called it "Be My Valentine Dessert".  What a perfect name!  I knew I had to recreate it for MGG, and I did, and he loved it!

(see the medium and tiny puff hearts!  adorable...)

So here' my adaptation of her wonderful recipe.  It's very easy to put together.  The hearts are made from puff pastry, which you can make several days ahead and keep them in a storage bag.  Assembly on the big day is quick and easy.

I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this special treat.  I can't wait to make another one!!!

Look for a wonderful valentine breakfast muffin later in the week.  They'll put love in the forefront of your day!

Be My Valentine Dessert
adapted from Stonegableblog.com

serves 2

2 4" square puff pastry sheets, or 1 large sheet puff pastry
8 strawberries
1 T sugar
chocolate syrup
strawberry ice cream
whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Thaw puff pastry for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, cut all but 2 strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Gently mix and set aside.  Cut the 2 strawberries from the tip almost to the base in 5 slices and open like a fan.  Don't cut all the way through so the base stays together.

Place the puff pastry on wax paper on a work surface.  Using a large cookie cutter cut out 2 large hearts. You can also cut out several medium hearts, and several tiny heart for garnish.  

Put the pastry hearts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave a little room between each heart.  If the pastry is still cold you can now cook them.  If they are more like room temperature put them back in the refrigerator for 15 min, as cold puff pastry will puff better when cold.  

Bake at 400 degrees until they are puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.  The tiny hearts will only take about 10 minutes so if you are cooking those remove them after 10 minutes.  Cool the hearts completely. At this point they can be saved in an airtight container for several days.

To assemble: Gently cut the two largest puffed hearts in two.  I used a serrated knife so the pastry would not break.  Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the bottom of a small plate.   Put the bottom heart shell in the pool of chocolate and top with a scoop or two of the ice cream.  Place the sliced strawberries on top of the ice cream.  Add the top heart shell and drizzle a little syrup over the top.

Garnish with whipped cream, and a fan cut strawberry and medium and small heart puffs.