Raspberry Smoothie

Well it has been sometime since I last posted here.  But most of the smoothies are following a pattern of being close to or much the same.  A little road block on the imagination.

I usually don't use preserves such as jams or jellies unless homemade.  Honey or Peanut Butter is fine for this lad.  However I did break down recently to a name brand preserve being on sale and couldn't refuse to pass it up, for use in a smoothie. 

So here we go.

1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup Apple Juice (100%)
1 banana
2 tablespoons Red Raspberry spread (Welch's)
3/4 cup Raspberry Yogurt

Start blending on low progressing to high.  Hold on high for about a minute.

Yields 4 servings, of a delicious creamy raspberry smoothie.      

The extra spread increases/enhances the raspberry yogurt flavor.  Definitely a delight to savor for the taste buds.

Rating a high 8 (it was definitely a repeatable one)

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Apricot Smoothie

For this one I used fresh stewed apricots.  For the stewing I had cooked the apricots without any added water using a microwave and either lightly sweetened them with either Honey or Fructose.
So the stewed mixture is only Apricots lightly sweetened no added ingredients.

3/4 cup stewed Apricots
1/2 cup Vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup Whole milk

Blend first on low progressing to High.  Yields 2 servings

Another repeater, worth 8 (if you like apricots that is).

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A Pomegranate

There may be a similar post on this one, but this one is just another variation.  All Juices used are always 100% juice.

1/2 Cup  Vanilla Yogurt (in this case the Dannnon's Activa )
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Juice
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup Orchard Apple Kiwi Strawberry

Blend on High.

Makes 3 servings.  This is definitely a repeater and thus around a 8 rating.  The Pomegranate taste still comes through but is knocked down.

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Chilled Pomegranate Raspberry

A good healthy drink with a good supply of Antioxidants.

1 Cup.        Milk (used organic 2% for this mix)
1/2  Cup     Pomegranate and  Raspberry Juice
1/2 cup       Raspberry Yogurt
1                 Banana
12 ice cubes

Combine all in the blender.

Start on a low setting working up to high setting.

Yields 4 cups of Frothy cool smoothie (any ice chunks left will settle towards bottom)

Rates 7+ to 8.

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TVP Macaroni Italian

Had some TVP (Texture Vegetable Protein ) around and loads of Macaroni.

Time to spice some things up.

1 box of Macaroni and Cheese - discard the cheese package (for me it's no problem my stomach can't handle the processed cheese)
    Cook the Macaroni as per directions

Add about 1 cup TVP
Cook till TVP thickens pour out remaining fluids
Mix in about 4 0z*. Zesty Italian dressing
1/2* teaspoon Ground Sage
1/4* teaspoon Basil Leaf
1/2* teaspoon 1 step Beef seasoning
1 6 oz. Tomato Paste
Seasoning salt  couple of dashes


* Note all measurements are approximates as I don't measure but go by feel (this can be dangerous to the taste buds at times).

Makes about 3 servings. 

The TVP adds thickness to the Macaroni, but with the spices you will not know it's meatless.

Delicious = yes.

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Pancake Toast

Something different.  Inspiration hits in the kitchen.

Can't think of a creative name, but it's Pancake Toast.

I started the evening to premake my pancakes for the morning, at 4:30am I really don't feel like cooking.

I had a generic Flavorite brand of Pancake and Waffle Mix (Buttermilk version).

The normal directions called for 2 cups mix and 1 1/2 cups water.  Well the creative juices got going, and a raid on the fridge and spice cabinet was in order.  So here it is.

1 1/2 cups water
2 heavy teaspoons of Sweeten Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Buttermilk (dried version)
6 very heaping teaspoons of organic Quinoa Flour.
3 good shakes of Cinnamon (probably about 1 or better teaspoons)
2 teaspoons Fructose
Blend all the above in a blender  than add

1 cup Flavorite Pancake Waffle Mix

Now pour into a mixing bowl

Preheat a lightly oiled cast iron skillet to 400 degrees F.

Now pick your favorite bread.  For me it's multigrains.

Drop a slice into batter, flip the bread to coat the other side (won't be able to dip so easy).  Drop the bread/pancake mix into the skillet and cook.  Watching for the classic Pancake bubbles won't happen, about the time the cooking starts to crust the top, flip.

Enjoy.  As is or as regular pancakes.

These are thicker and definitely more filling then either Pancakes or French toast ( I could easily devour about 6 slices of French Toast but 2 -3 of these are satisfying).  The taste was good and definitely worth repeating.

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Talking with God

COMMUNION_  JEFF.IN  V-10 N-1  SUNDAY_  62-0204
  47    Now, you do not commune by radio, because you cannot talk back, or television. But when you can by telephone, because you are communing one to another; it just isn't one side. It is... I cannot commune with you now, because you do not talk back. So therefore, it would not be coming to hear a minister deliver his message. That would not be coming together to communing. Communion would not be that... If you come just to commune with the minister, you'd call him to one side, or any individual, and commune with him or she.
But to what we come into communion, is for each of us as individuals to commune with Christ. That is communing. Then communing is not altogether one doing the talking, us doing all the talking, but waiting and seeing what He says back to us.

COMMUNION_  JEFF.IN  V-10 N-1  SUNDAY_  62-0204
  49    Now, there's where, many times that we make our great mistakes is we do all the talking and don't wait and give Him a chance to answer back. We go sometimes, say, "Lord, I would that You would do so-and-so and so-and-so. Amen," and get up and leave. Now, that really isn't communing. That's going and asking a favor. But when you stay long enough until He answers back, that's when you're getting communion, communing with the Lord. Now, and a great way to commune is to be agreed; you must agree upon certain things. Now, and it's strange that sometimes when we get those things...
Eating is associated with it. Now, you take business people, when they want to make a business deal, they'll invite somebody out to dinner, and after they are set down and eat, and then talk with one another. A good salesman, usually he cannot talk to a person on an empty stomach. It's best to wait till he is feeling good, and then after he has his breakfast. Don't get up there and get him out of bed and tell him about something you got to sell him, but wait till he has his breakfast and--and is set all right in condition.

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Creamy Strawberry

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup half and half (no counting calories here - we put that little book aside for consciouses sake)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup pineapple, orange, strawberry Dole Juice blend (100% juice)
8 large strawberries (3/4 cup)

Blend from low to high in stages. Allow to thoroughly blend the strawberries in.

Yields 2 Creamy servings

A simple very Strawberry

1 tablespoon Cream
1 cup whole milk
a Dozen medium to large strawberries

Combine all the above ingredients into your blender. Start from low setting and work up to high in several short stages. Results 2 servings of a Creamy Strawberry.

Add sugar to taste before blending if you want more sweetness.


Tip: As a kid, mum would cut cantaloupes in half, spoon out the seeds and replace them with a few scoops of Vanilla ice cream. Hmmm, delicious.
A healthier alternative is to use Vanilla yogurt. Not as rich tasting as that Ice cream but still wholesome goodness.

Cranberry and very Raspberry

1 cup Cranberry - Raspberry Juice
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup raspberry Yogurt
2 small bananas

Drop, pour all into blender. Cover (you'll regret it if you don't)

Start on low, and work up your settings to high.

Blend for a couple of minutes to thoroughly mix in the bananas.

Yields 4 servings.

With the raspberry yogurt, the raspberry flavor from the juice is further enhanced. The bananas taste is slight, and tend to thick the mixture.
Overall a very good smoothie my personal rating is 8+, definitely a repeater.

Thick and Fluffy Chocolate

Al right, it's not always fruit based I do. I happen love my chocolate milk, and just pouring or spooning in the chocolate mix in milk and stirring with a spoon isn't good enough for this kid.

Why? Well for one there is always some settling out of the chocolate mix to the bottom. Well the blender creates a more thorough mix with less settling.

However smoothies tend to be thick. And Chocolate milk shakes have a little fluff. Mixing just milk and chocolate yes does add that little bit of froth but can we get it a bit more frothy and longer?
Ah the inquisitive scientific mind starts to thinking.

The experiment with the passion fruit and gelatin was successful. Let's take it the next step to Chocolate milk.

Here we go


2 packages Knox gelatin
1 cup water very hot water
2 cups milk

dissolve 2 packages in hot water
Stir in Milk and let set in Fridge.


Alright now the fun part or finale.

1/2 cup Gelatin milk mix
1/2 cup liquid milk

Start on low and add chocolate syrup/mix to taste.
Proceed up the blender settings to high and blend for about 2 minutes or till gelatin portion thoroughly mix.

Yields a thicker and fluffier drink.

If you let it sit for awhile the gelatin starts thickening and firming it up again.

Tip: For those of us who like salt, and care to spend a little extra try Real Salt. It is mined salt but contains the trace minerals we need. At one time I tried a product put by a MLM called Ionyx (they are out of business, but another company promotes a similar product). It was a Great Salt lake product - again having a lot of trace minerals.

For me, especially the ionyx minerals, has been beneficial. My joints tend to stiffen up, but maintain a intake of 5-7 drops of Ionyx in my smoothies, keeps me good and limber.

A simple Passionfruit based smoothie

Did I say simple, well nearly.

This one requires a little preparation time.

2 packets Knox non flavored gelatin
2 cups Orange Passion fruit Juice (100% juice - I really don't like the cocktail stuff just more sugar in your diet).

Warm up juice and dissolve the gelatin. Set in Fridge and cool to set.

Now we get to the simple part.

1/2 cup gelatin Passion fruit
equal portion liquid Orange Passion fruit.

Blend on low first, increasing speed to highest.

Viola. A smoothies with a creamy look, like and frothy. (almost too light).

Good for the Heart

Occasionally I get bold and experimental and venture into other avenues.

This time while grazing for bargains (which helps the experimental side of me) , I picked up a quart of "organic oat ' a non dairy beverage as a delicious alternative to soy.

No I am not a health nut, at least I don't view my self that way. I have been know to devour a 10 ounce bag of chips without any problems - on rare occasions. But I do like oatmeal, and porridge a lot. So I figured this wasn't too bad a loss. The bargain only set me back about $1.50. So no major loss on the experiment.

So here goes another delicious and nutritious smoothie. Definitely for the heart.

1 cup 'organic oat' drink - from Pacific Natural Foods (there is their free pitch)
1/2 cup raspberry yogurt
1 cup 100% Pomegranate Juice

Blend on high and enjoy. Serves about 2 1/2 servings.

Definitely a repeater. The tart tasted of the raspberries is mellowed out a little with the Pom. Slight oat taste, but for the most part one wouldn't know.

Personal rating 7+


Fast food tip: Pita pizzas, simple and quick to prepare only limited by your imagination.

1 Pita pocket - spread tomato sauce (preferably spaghetti sauce) -cover with some mild cheddar cheese. Bake in oven for about 5 minutes or till cheese bubbles - (uses a cookie sheet or stone underneath to catch the melted cheese).

That is the simplest version, add meats or whatever else you want plus different cheeses. Immediate success with hungry children.

Hey I did that, after taking three boys on a field trip. Stopped at my house and feed them. As a bachelor it was a immediate success, each kid had two pita pizzas each. I couldn't keep up hardly.

The Berry Heart

Well another good one for a stressed out heart, and perky to the taste buds is using Pomegranate and Raspberry premix. The sharp yet sweet tastes against the pom is good.

Here we go.

1 cup whole milk - yes I like large portions, kinda like a kid getting a large milkshake
1 cup 100% Pomegranate & Raspberry Juice (Pom being the main ingredient)
1/2 cup strawberry yogurt - some more berry flavor add with the goodness of yogurt.

blend on medium and then kick to high for a frothier mix. Pour and enjoy the berry flavors with the goodness of Pomegranate.
Yields about 2 1/2 servings.

For extra thickness you can add one banana, but it tones down the berry flavors a bit, and gives a filling serving. Without the banana my personal rating is 8+ with 7+.

Definitely one of my better mixes.


While growing up as kid and a teenager, I never considered eating a pomegranate. Thou two of my sisters would frequently get one, and enjoy them. Always thought it such a seedy fruit. Well the years have worn, and yes I finally broke down in recent history and tried the fruit straight. It is good, but seedy. Prefer the juice, I can get right to the business quick.

The pomegranate is bursting with antioxidant rich flavonoids.

A couple of links for the pomegranates (hint there are two links on this word - at the front and back)

The Antioxidant

Well it's been a little while, since my last post. Dogged by a severe OS crash on my main computer. A serious illiness, requiring a fresh install, and recovering my critical data. But all is well. The system had been bogging down for a while, and my antivirus checkers couldn't find anything wrong (use one manually). No mysterious files either. More in lilely something I did, or maybe a bad cable for my harddrive (replaced that too).

So my stress level was up a bit. Shouldn't have been. But once we crashed, and started rebuilding the OS, we approached it calmly (after some prayer time).

So it was appropriate that last weeks smoothis was full of Antioxidants, they do help your cells rebuild (too), from stress.

So here it is

1 cup Whole milk (gives a creamier flavor)
1 cup 100% Blueberry juice with Green tea (Huh I say, did they steep the tea in the blueberry juice? If not than they are wrong on the 100% have to check this one out)
1/2 cup Cherry yogourt (cherries are another good source of antioxdiants but not near as high as blueberries)

Blend medium, than to high to froth more (of course don't forget to cover the top of the blender prevents some nasty results).

It was a good mix, did try a banana too on occassion, but better without the banana.

Cherry-Banana-Apple smoothie

Today's smoothie was a smash hit for the taste buds. Still a good one but not high ranking. Personal rating 6+

1 Cup apple juice
1 cup whole milk
1 banana
1 glop of cherry yogurt (about 1/2 cup)

Blend on high, yields about 3 cups

It was still a very filling blend.


Software tip:
Want to try a linux system but too afraid too.

How about LiveCD of Ubuntu. Download http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download or request a CD.

Burn the download image, and set your computer to boot to CDROM, and you can try it out before installing it.

Raspberry-Orange-Banana

Today's smoothie, on a personal level would be rated a 7+ on a ten scale.

Part of the purpose of this blog is to track those smoothies that where good, OK, grander, not so good at least to my taste buds.

So here it is.

1 cup apple juice
1 cup whole milk (yes I like my whole milk you may choose another substitute).
1 fresh orange (peeled)
1 banana (of course peeled)
A glop of raspberry yogurt (about 1/2 cup yogurt - I never really measure my ingredients just toss in what I think is good)

Blend till smooth, and for extra smoothness put it on high for last couple of minutes.

Yields about 2+ to 3 servings, (all of which I enjoy, usually for my breakfast)

Blend till smooth, and for extra smoothieness put it on high for last couple of minutes.

Yields about 2+ to 3 servings, (all of which I enjoy, usually for my breakfast)