Yummy Mummy Monday: 3 Tips for Delicious Smoothies + Recipes

I’m excited to have my friend Jena back with this yummy post all about smoothies! They’re a great meal on- the- go for busy Moms & families and a perfect chance to get in some valuable nutrients (I love her idea for using frozen kale pucks!). I’m going to keep my intro simple & hand it over to Jena… 🙂
I want to start by sharing 3 tips I’ve learned that take smoothies from good to great. And two involve the freezer:
1. Ice.
It
may seem obvious to smoothie veterans out there, but in my household we only
recently made the life-changing discovery. Seriously. You know the days when
you try a different smoothie combo and you end up choking down a barely
palatable, somewhat warm (from blending) concoction? If you had added ice, it
would have been 100% easier to swallow that green awfulness.
2. Dates. 
What could possibly have made
the afore-mentioned awful smoothie more digestible? Dates. They are a great,
non-processed, natural sweetener to take the edge off less palatable flavours.
3.
Freeze your greens! 
We are lucky enough to have a garden that produces more
kale than we know what to do with. This summer I started freezing it for
smoothies, and I haven’t purchased fresh kale all winter! If you don’t have a
garden, buy it when it is in season, cheaper and local, and freeze in batches. To
do so you simply blanch it, and then freeze in little pucks. Simply grab a puck & add it into your smoothie every morning. *High five*, I just saved you enough money to
go to the movies and buy a huge bag of non- GMO popcorn! 😉
4. (Bonus!) Invest in a good blender.
When it comes to making smoothies I
can’t emphasize the importance of a good blender enough!!! We used to use a Magic Bullet and now that we have a Blendtech, we can’t afford shoes for our
youngest child, but our smoothies are amazing. It’s the difference between
choking down an unblended strawberry or a smooth ride.
Mr. Nico enjoying some yummy healthy smoothie goodness!
See below for  two of my favourite smoothie recipes. Simply toss all of the ingredients into a blender until smooth & enjoy!
Each recipe makes one large cup of deliciousness

 Banana Butter Smoothie 
1 banana
1 heaping spoonful of peanut or almond butter
1 pitted date
1.5 cups of almond milk
1 scoop of hemp protein powder
1 puck of frozen kale (or a small handful of fresh)
4 ice cubes
½ tbsp of chia seeds

 

 Cucumber,
Ginger, & Green Apple Smoothie 

( Great for digestive problems!!)
 ¼ cup of cucumber

½ a Granny smith apple
2 thin slices of fresh ginger
1 date
1 puck of frozen kale or spinach (or a small handful of fresh)
1.5 cups of coconut water
5 ice cubes
Protein powder optional

PS- These are great for pouring into reusable pouches as mobile snacks for your little ones (like these ones from Little Green Pouch).


Looking for more great snack ideas? Check out the blog’s Yummy Mummy Recipes page! I can’t wait to share more posts from Jena soon- stay tuned!

February posts sponsored by Little Dreamers Consulting

Yummy Mummy Monday: Baked French Toast

With Valentine’s Day around the corner I thought it was time to serve up something sweet on Yummy Mummy Monday. Since I wanted a fresh idea, something a little different, I asked my girlfriend Bronwyn from Momma B’s Treats if she had any ideas (check out her recipe for gluten free brownies 3 ways here). She gracefully shared this delicious take on a classic brekkie with me. If a date night isn’t an option this year, how about making breakfast into your Vday date? A date that includes pjs and breakfast? I’m in.
Yummy Mummy Recipe: Baked French Toast
My favourite part is that I can make this the night before and a delicious breakfast is ready in the morning! 
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp. corn syrup
3 apples or 2-3 bananas, peeled and sliced 
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup milk (coconut or almond milk also work great)
1 tsp. vanilla 
6 slices Texas Toast or 12 slices of your favourite bread
Directions:
1. In a microwave safe bowl melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar and corn syrup to butter and mix until smooth. 
3. Pour into 9×13 baking pan.
4. Arrange sliced fruit on top & sprinkle with cinnamon. 
5. In bowl beat eggs, milk, & vanilla together. 
6. Dip bread into egg mixture, then place over fruit (set up 2 deep in dish). 
7. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. 
8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes (or until corners and top are golden brown).
Since there’s already sugar, you don’t even need to add syrup when you serve, it’s all ready to go!
Tip: Cut it all in the pan along the bread lines, then flip the pieces upside- down onto a plate to serve. 
<3 Momma B
A big hug to my friend Bronwyn from Momma B’s Treats for sharing this sweet brekkie with us! Click here to check out her website & find her on Facebook!
January posts sponsored by Little Dreamers Consulting

Yummy Mummy Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I was busy this past weekend baking up a storm. With lots of dietary changes in the family I’ve been searching out even healthier versions of my recipe favourites. While it isn’t necessary for me, I try and go gluten free when possible; the same goes with sugar and salt. It’s amazing the difference you’ll notice over time once your taste buds have adjusted to purer flavours.
Anyways, enough about that. One of my all times favourite recipes is banana bread. I hate, hate, HATE throwing out food, so inevitably my freezer becomes a stockpile of produce- including bananas!- that I saved from a wasted fate in our compost. With hubby of gluten, and my sis- in- law off gluten, eggs, and dairy, I thought I’d try some alternative versions of this classic recipe. I made four loaves, each with slight variations, and was very happy with the results. You’ll see my notes below to help guide you with the different options.

Yummy Mummy Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf (approx 16 1/2 slices)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour– swap out regular flour for a gluten free option
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup chocolate chips- skip these if you want a dairy free version
2 cups mashed, ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter melted- swap equal amount of apple sauce for a dairy free version
1/4 cup milk- try almond or coconut milk for a dairy free version
2 eggs-  you can swap 1/4 cup apple sauce per egg


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line a baking pan with parchment paper (use one that will give you the desired shape- mine is approx 4″* 8″)
2. Using 2 bowls, mix dry ingredients in one and wet ingredients in the other
3. Combine all ingredients and mix well
4. Pour into baking pan and bake for 50- 60 minutes (or until a wooden skewer can be poked in the middle and comes out clean

I hope you love this! (PS check it out as muffins!)

Yummy Mummy Recipe: Frozen Banana Coconut Yogurt Bites

Ok ladies, since my Apple Chips post was so popular, I thought I’d offer up another snack recipe that’s easy, healthy, and great to grab when you’re on the go!

This recipe comes from my friend m4keshiftmichelle. If you haven’t already, check out her Youtube channel. She has videos for a ton of fun DIY projects & has started featuring recipes!

I love how quick & easy this snack is to make and it’s easily adapted for different preferences (how about swapping the yogurt for peanut butter?)

Image Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgRwHgx-U7s 

Yummy Mummy Recipe: Frozen Banana Coconut Yogurt Bites

Ingredients:

1 bunch bananas, sliced
Greek yogurt
Shaved coconut

That’s all I’m going to say. Check out the video for the rest! 🙂