Fresh Start Smoothie

Do you ever have those days where you start out strong, with a new found determination to eat nothing but healthful foods from now on, only to find your resolve crumbling by about 3 or 4 pm?  This is me, ALL THE TIME!  So once I've eaten all the sugar my tummy can take, I tell myself I will start again tomorrow!;)  Here is the smoothie I start my healthful days with!  And it is gooood!  Btw, Have you ever heard of Trace Minerals?  They are a company who's mission is to bring needed nutrients back into our diets.  My Momma introduced me to them a few months ago and I'm sold!  The convenient little pack you see below is nutrient filled!  I love that I just add it too my smoothie and I'm getting a supercharged health punch that I wouldn't get eating vegetables and fruits alone!

 

All you need is:
1 1/2 cups fat free milk
1 medium banana
A good handful of frozen strawberries
1 greens pak(berry flavored)
Blend it all together at hi speed in your blender.  Pour it into a nice tall glass, add a straw, kick back and enjoy!


image and recipe by Kara

Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake

I've made this cake a couple of times now and it has always been a hit!  What could be more dreamy than moist vanilla cake and chilled and creamy raspberry white chocolate mousse?  If you would like to go the box cake route instead of scratch cake, by all means do it to save yourself some time!  I would suggest a white cake mix, using the whole egg version and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the batter.:)

 

 

Scratch Vanilla cake
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 ex-large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Pam 2- 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.  Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add in the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add vanilla.  Next alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk.  Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Pour batter into prepared cake pans and into the oven for 35-40 minutes.  Let cool for 20 minutes in pans before turning out onto cooling rack.  Now for the raspberry white chocolate mousse:


2 teaspoons plain gelatin
2 tablespoons water
3 oz white chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
another 1 1/2 cups heavy cream


Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow it to bloom for 10 minutes.  Put the 2/3 cup of heavy cream into a saucepan and allow it to come to a slight boil.  Put bloomed gelatin into hot cream and stir to dissolve.  Next, pour the hot cream/gelatin mixture into a bowl, over the chopped white chocolate.  Allow the white chocolate to melt completely.  Now stir in the seedless raspberry jam.  Whip the other 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to stiff peaks.  Fold the raspberry white chocolate mixture into the whipped cream.  Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge until ready to use.  Assemble your cake, putting a thick layer of the mousse in between the two cake layers.  Decorate the top using a large round or star tip to create rosettes around the perimeter of the cake and a large dollop in the center.  Garnish with fresh raspberries.  Store in the fridge.


images by Kara
     

Kitchen Facelift

Hey, Bri here. Sorry I wasn't around yesterday. My kitchen's in shambles. Want to see a picture?

We are getting new cab doors! And the island is getting a little more pimped out. Pimped out sounds like it's going to be bedazzled. Haha. It isn't- it'll just have a little more mmph! They are coming to install either on Monday or Tuesday. I'm really excited! 

Hope your weekend is jammin'! See ya next week!

image from my instagram, you can follow me at breezy_may

Brown Rice Pudding w/ a Hint of Coconut

We are big fans of rice pudding at our house!  We love the heartiness that the rice adds and the creamy vanilla flavor!  So several weeks ago I decided to whip up a batch using brown rice for a little healthy boost and a little coconut for a nice flavor switch up!  The results were fantastic!  I've made it several times since when we need something sweet and my kids can't get enough of it!  I'm quite certain that Ace would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I would let him!:)

 

 

Here's the line up:
1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked
4 cups milk, divided
1/2 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
First cook your brown rice according to the instructions on the package.  Just so we are clear, you will be using 3/4 cup uncooked brown rice to make 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice.:)  
Next, pour 3 cups of milk in a saucepan with the 1/2 cup coconut and the sugar.  Allow the milk to simmer over med-low heat for 5-10 minutes.  This is helping to infuse the milk with that amazing natural coconut flavor.  Once the milk has reached the scalding point, strain it through a sieve, into a bowl with a spout to remove the coconut.(if you want the added texture, by all means leave the coconut in.  We just prefer it more smooth)  Now poor the coconut infused milk back into the sauce pan.  Over medium heat, add the cooked brown rice.  Pour the remaining 1 cup of milk into a liquid measuring cup and crack the two eggs into it.  Whisk until combined.  Now, while stirring the milk/rice mixture vigorously with the whisk, VERY SLOWLY pour the milk and egg mixture into it.  You need to make sure you are whisking the entire time, otherwise the egg mixture will begin to scramble.  Whisk constantly over medium heat until the pudding begins to thicken.  This will take roughly 10 minutes.  Once the pudding has thickened, remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter.  Allow the butter to melt and then whisk to mix well.  Store in a clean tupperware with a lid until ready to serve!  Raspberries and fresh whipped cream are always good options on top!  Makes 5 servings approx!


Images from my phone
Recipe by Kara    

Bri's 3 Go-To Breakfasts

Happy Monday! How's it goin'? Want to talk breakfast for a sec? 

We keep breakfast really straight-forward around here. Not a lot of fuss and effort. My feeling is that everyday breakfasts should come together swiftly, be healthy and clean-up easily. I want to share with you three breakfasts that do just that. They are on heavy rotation at our house right now. My fridge and pantry are always stocked with the ingredients to make these. My girls and I love them! 

First up is our Breakfast Sundae. You can make this lots of different ways. It's basically honey yogurt topped with granola (we've also made it with blueberry and strawberry yogurt). Depending on what we have, we'll throw berries, bananas, grated granny smith apple, oats, raisins, and nuts on top. It's so yummy. My two year old doesn't like hers to get too chunked up with stuff, so I keep the toppings at a minimum for her.

Number two is plain Cheerios loaded up with sliced banana and milk. The bananas make it sweet enough that you don't have to add any sweetening. We love this breakfast and my girls ask for this the most!

Third is a toasted multi-grain waffle slathered with peanut butter. We sometimes top it with sliced banana or jam. I've even topped mine with raisins.  

I want to hear what some of your go-to breakfasts are! Please share!

images by Briana

First, let me apologize for the lack of recipe or diy in this post.  It's been hectic lately, but I will get on top of it!  Especially since Bri is currently "blowing me out of the water" with her creative ideas/write ups and amazing pictures!  I really need to STEP IT UP!  I hope you're all as glad as I am that the weekend is here.  I have a hot date tonight with my main squeeze, complete with scooter ride and dinner.  A great way to start the weekend if I do say so myself!  So, I shall shamelessly leave you with a few images of my little Q.  Who decided to speed through her first year of life, leaving a completely dumbfounded Mama in her wake!  I know I'm sentimental, but gosh dang, can she just slow down, like a teensy bit????

 

 

Have a great weekend!:)    

Cousin Day + Hand Mixed Ice Cream

Lily invited her cousin Grace up for a cousin day today. So far they've had a picnic, gone swimming, taken a bath, had a snack, watched a movie and eaten ice cream! When I told Randy all that they had been doing, he said: "I want to be four again." Haha. Being a kid is pretty great. And being a kid at the beginning of summer? Well, that is just about the best thing in the whole wide world.

I mentioned in another post that I hand mixed some ice cream Cold Stone style for dessert one night. It's right smack dab between hard pack ice cream and a shake. It's totally yummy. I made raspberries 'n' cream for the girls. I scooped vanilla ice cream out onto my cutting board and placed a few fresh raspberries on top, then just scooped and smashed the ice cream until it was mixed. 

Cute cuzzies.

And for me, I mixed in some lemon cookies. It was pretty naughty. 

I'm looking forward to trying some more kinds of hand mixed ice creams this summer. Here are some topping ideas dancing around my brain:

marshmallow creme

 caramel sauce

roasted/salted nuts

shredded coconut

any fresh or frozen fruit

peanut butter

oreos- mint, golden and regular (no brainer)

candy bars

lemon and lime zest (WORD TO YOUR MOM!)

Cookies

And the list goes on...

Hope your Wednesday is going swell, dudes. Thanks for popping in!

images by Briana

Brie + Raspberry Panini

Here's a quick lunch idea!  Grab some good quality bread, brie cheese, fresh raspberries and raspberry jam!  In that order!  Put it in your panini maker for a few minutes.  The cheese gets melty and has the perfect creamy texture.  The berries are slightly tart.  And the jam is sweet.  It's an irresistible combo!

Chili Nachos and Eating In Our Backyard

Sometimes I feel like I tell my kids NO all the day long. And lately I'm afraid I haven't been much of a fun mom. Is anyone else just ready for summer to get here and set up shop already? May sure is taking forever to get over with. And I only have one kid in school, preschool that is. Haha!

The other night, I decided to stop being such a boob and show my kids that I am capable of doing fun things. Randy was working late, so it was just us girls for the night. I made chili nachos and we ate them in our backyard on our striped picnic blanket. It was a jolly-good time. I also realized that nachos are a pretty perfect meal to eat in your backyard. The meal is one-pan and all you need are small plates, cups for water and some wet wipes to clean chili fingers. No fussing with utensils and multiple pots to dish from. For dessert I pulled out some vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries and mixed them together Cold Stone style and scooped it into cones. It was a good night and I'm excited to eat in our backyard more.

Here is how I made these delectable nachos, one cookie sheet pan will serve 4-6 people:

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

-Line a cookie sheet with foil. 

-Layer a thin layer of tortilla chips on the bottom, top with shredded cheddar cheese (I like tillamook medium cheddar- their colby-jack is also good for nachos). 

-Then top with another layer of tortilla chips. 

-Spoon hot chili over tortilla chips, top with more shredded cheese. 

-Bake for 7 ish minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Don't over melt the cheese in the oven, you want the cheese melted but still gooey, not tough.

-Top nachos with diced tomatoes, cubed avocado, and fresh cilantro. Serve some sour cream with them too!

Here's how I made the chili, I made this with things I already had in my pantry and fridge. Don't be afraid to sub in different beans or make do if you don't have something:

1.25 pounds lean ground turkey

1 bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 14-15oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 8oz can mexican tomato sauce

1 cup ish chicken stock (you could also use water)

1 little can tomato paste

1 small can diced green chiles

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

kosher salt to taste

In a large stock pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add turkey and brown. Making sure to break up the turkey into small pieces. Add onion and bell pepper, green chiles and minced garlic. Cook for five more minutes, or until turkey is completely browned. Add in tomato paste. Mix around. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken stock. Stir around. Add seasonings. Allow to simmer and reduce down for thirty minutes. If the chili is too thick add more liquid. If it is too runny, allow it to simmer longer. It needs to be thicker to spoon over the nachos. Before spooning over nachos, taste and add salt and more chili powder if needed.

*If you make one cookie sheet pan of nachos, you will have plenty of chili left-over (I only used about half of it). We used it for left-overs a couple days later and it was so delicious! If you make multiple pans, you should be able to get about 2 1/2 cookie sheet pans worth.

Thanks for letting me share these nachos today! I hope you find some time to make a pan of your own and that you get to enjoy them outside. Hope your Memorial Day weekend is a good one!

images and recipes by Briana

Lemon Drop Cookies

Okay you guys!  These cookies are perfect!  Soft and chewy!  Tart yet sweet!  You won't be able to eat just one or two OR THREE!  Three words:  You Are Welcome!!!!!

The line up:

Cream together:

1 stick butter

Zest of 1 lime and 1 lemon

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey(or just use another 1/4 cup sugar

Add and mix in:

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Add and mix in:

1 3/4 cups flour

A pinch a salt

Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.  Into a 325 degree oven for 10-11 minutes.

Once out of the oven and onto cooling racks make the glaze:

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Roughly 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar(or as much as you need to get a nice drizzly consistency!  I added the powdered sugar a little at a time and mixed with a whisk to avoid lumps.)

Drizzle tart glaze over cookies and enjoy! 

Original recipe from Sophistimom

modified by Kara

images by Kara