Apple Pie Smoothie

Can I let you in on a secret?

I've never really liked apple pie. Or cherry pie. Or any kind of fruit pie.

Chocolate? Yes.

Pumpkin? Yes.

Apple? Nope.


But, I sure love this smoothie.

Apple Pie Smoothie
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1 apple
1 banana
1/2 cup apple juice
dash or two of cinnamon


Chop apple and banana. Add chopped fruit, juice, and cinnamon to blender. Blend till smooth.


This smoothie has quickly become a favorite...


...favorite...as in, I told my mom I would make it for her, but she couldn't wait 20 minutes for me to shower, so she made it herself.

Naked Remake Part 4: More Machines

I was having so much fun remaking Naked Juices, I got carried away and decided to come up with my own "machines."

Orange Machine
Yield: about 2 cups

1 mango
1 peach
5 baby carrots
1/2 cup orange juice

Peel mango. Chop fruit and carrots. Add fruit, carrots, and juice to blender. Blend till liquified.




Purple Machine
Yield: about 2 cups

1 cup blueberries
1 banana
1/2 cup grape juice
1 cup purple kale

Wash the kale and pull off the leaves from the purple stem. Blend leaves with the juice. Then add blueberries and banana. Blend till liquified.


Purple kale is quite tough so be sure to blend it thoroughly.



Naked Remake Part 3: Mighty Mango and Green Machine

I couldn't resist doing another round!


Mighty Mango
Yield: about 2 cups

1 mango 
1/3 banana 
1/3 cup orange juice  
1/3 cup apple juice
1/4 lemon

Peel and chop the mango and banana. Add mango, banana, and juices to the blender. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the blender. Blend till liquified.




Green Machine
Yield: about 4 cups

1 banana 
1 kiwi 
1 mango 
1 1/3 cup apple juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 cups greens
1/2 cup chopped broccoli 
dash of ginger (opt.)
1/2 teaspoon spirulina (opt.)

Chop the broccoli. Add broccoli, greens, and juices to blender and blend. Peel and chop the fruit and add it to the blender. Add ginger and spirulina. Blend till liquified.



I love what the Naked Juice website has to say about the green machine:



Some people can't seem to get over the color of green smoothies. Yesterday at work, someone saw me drinking one and asked what it was. After I explained its contents, "It's green," was all she had to say in response. No, exclamations of disgust. No emotion. Just, "It's green."

Enjoy the green!

Simply Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was younger, I looked forward to going to Great Harvest every Thursday with my mom. 

Why? 

Free bread slice? Nope. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. 

I don’t know what it is, but there is something about the combination oats and chocolate chips. I like it. I love it. I want some more of it. 

And now I can!


Simply Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Inspired by 2 ingredient cookies)
Yield: 10 cookies

1 cup oats
2 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup date paste (see here)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mash bananas. 



Mix in date paste and vanilla. 



Add oats. Add more if it looks too wet.



Add chocolate chips. 


Grease cookie sheet VERY WELL. (These cookies are extremely sticky!)

Scoop dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. (They won't flatten or expand, so place them as close as you want, and you may want to flatten them down before baking.)



Bake 17 minutes. 

Let cool.



Enjoy!




Perhaps with some almond milk...



Even my mom loved these. This woman takes her chocolate chip cookies VERY seriously. (She rejected wasn’t a fan of my other attempts.)


Simply Trail Mix

Everybody loves a good trail mix.


Whether your trail leads to a mountain hike or a study session, it's wonderfully delicious and convenient. I love taking trail mix to long rehearsals because it travels easily and I don't make a mess of myself eating it.


It's also very easy to make! You can mix and match any ingredients you like. Store bought trail mixes often have added salt, sugars, and candy, but make it yourself and you can use only the ingredients you want.

I made small batches; each one made about four servings that I divided up into snack bags. You can double, triple, quadruple the recipe if you'd like more, but I think these ratios work well.

Simply Trail Mix
Yields: 4 servings

1/2 cup any combination of nuts and/or seeds
1/2 cup any combination of dried fruit
1/4 cup add ins (opt.)

Mix them together in a bowl. Save in a large plastic bag or container or divide into small snack bags (easiest for on the go).


ideas for nuts and seeds:
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
flax seeds
hemp seeds
cashews
pecans
almonds
pistachios
walnuts
peanuts
hazelnuts
brazil nuts

ideas for dried fruit:
cranberries
raisins
goji berries
blueberries
dates
bananas
cherries
currants
apples
apricots
figs
mango

ideas for add ins:
coconut flakes
dark chocolate chips


A couple of my favorite combinations:

Apple Pecan
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup currants
2 dried apple rings torn into little pieces


Dried apples have a spongy texture that doesn't normally work well in trail mix, but I like it in this mix.


Just be sure to break the apple rings into small pieces.


Chocolate Coconut
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup walnuts
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon coconut




Happy trails :)

Naked Remake Part 2: Berries!

One of the best parts of summer? 

Berries!


If you don't have fresh berries, frozen work just as well. (Also, less expensive!) Some stores have a mix of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, a perfect combination for these smoothies. Make sure to defrost them before blending. 



Blue Machine
Yields: about 2 cups

27 blueberries (a little under 1/2 cup)
3 blackberries
1 banana
3/4 cup apple juice

Peel the banana and add all ingredients to the blender. Blend till liquified.




Berry Blast
Yields: about 2 cups

5 blackberries
4 raspberries
4 strawberries
1/2 banana
3/4 cup apple juice

Cut tops off strawberries and cut in half. Peel the banana. Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend till liquified.




Strawberry Banana
Yields: about 2 cups

20 strawberries
1 banana
1/3 cup apple juice
1/8 cup orange juice

Cut tops off strawberries and cut in half. Peel the banana. Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend till liquified. 



Enjoy :)