Healthy Breakfast Smoothie (2)

For a creamier version of the Healthy Breakfast Smoothie try this one:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Almond Milk

5 medium Strawberries

1/2 medium Bananas

1/2 Zucchini

1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed

5 pieces Frozen Mango Chunks

1 cup (large handful) Baby Spinach

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Cut banana and zucchini into chunks and place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 shake

Calories 229

Calories from Fat 59.0

Total Fat 6.56g

Sodium 136.78mg

Total Carbohydrate 40.51g

Dietary Fiber 10.49g

Sugars 24.35g

Protein 6.27g

Healthy Breakfast Smoothie (1)

I started thinking the other day, that I haven't been getting enough vegetables in my diet, but there is only so much I can buy without wasting it. I decided to try adding the vegetables I love for dinner, to my breakfast and see how I like it. Most of this recipe came from my mom, but I had some flax in my cupboard and decided to use it. The roasted flax seed overpowers the spinach and adds a nice nutty flavor, so it tastes like a fruit and nut smoothie, rather than a spinach smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 can Dole 100% Pineapple Juice (6 oz)

5 medium Strawberries

1/2 medium Bananas

1/2 Zucchini

1 tbsp Golden Roasted Flax Seed (whole seeds)

5 pieces Frozen Mango Chunks (Trader Joe's)

2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach (I think that's about a cup of spinach)

Directions:

Cut banana and zucchini into chunks and place everything except spinach in a blender and blend until smooth. Then add spinach and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Calories: 269

Dietary Fiber: 6.15g

Protein: 4.75g

Blueberry Muffins (from scratch)

Sunday morning I had a craving for blueberry muffins. I had previously purchased a ton of blueberries and didn't know what to do with them, so I froze them. Next time I think I'll double the recipe. The cinnamon topping on this was so delicious. I may even substitute the blueberries for a different type of fruit.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Yield: 9 muffins

Mini-Orange Crumble Top Muffins with Orange Butter

I got this recipe off the food network and tweaked it a bit. I made these delightful little muffins for my friend Cat's wedding shower. They turned out marvelously. Don't skimp on the orange butter. It's totally worth it.

Muffins


1 1/2 cups plus 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (9 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed

3 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 small muffins tins (with 24 (1 3/4-inch) wells), and set aside. In a large bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups of flour, the sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a bowl, beat together the egg, 8 tablespoons of the butter, the milk, orange juice concentrate, and 2 teaspoons of the zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, combining just until moistened and being careful not to overmix. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins, filling each halfway.

To make the crumble topping, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour, the chopped pecans, the brown sugar, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 teaspoon of grated zest. Mix to combine and sprinkle 1 teaspoon on top of the batter for each muffin. Bake until the muffins are set and golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes in the tins, then cool on wire racks. Serve with orange-butter on the side.


Orange-Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sweet orange marmalade

1 teaspoon honey

In a bowl, cream together the ingredients. Transfer to a decorative crock or small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until slightly firm. Serve with the muffins or spread on toast. Yield: about 3/4 cup

*Nikki I took these pictures for you, so you can make them.