Watermelon Agua Fresca- Juggling Act Mama

I'm posting over at Juggling Act Mama again today; please stop over to say hi!

Biscoff Shakes

A smooth, creamy, and refreshing milkshake!  Flavored with Biscoff cookie butter spread, this shake is Mike's favorite snack!

When Mike and I got married, we thoroughly enjoyed registering for gifts.  It was the first time either of us lived on our own, so we really were starting from scratch.  We were completely blessed with all the gifts we received from our family and friends.

But we were slightly confused that a month after our wedding, our registry was showing that a blender had been purchased, but we couldn't find it in our house.  I couldn't remember receiving a blender and it wasn't listed on any of our gift lists we made for thank you cards.  We couldn't figure out if we had misplaced the blender, or if the registry was just incorrect.  We decided to wait until we needed a blender to buy one.

In December, we were at a family Christmas party and Mike's aunt came up to us with a gift.  She said it was a wedding present.  We were married in October, and had already received a shower and wedding gift from his aunt, so we certainly weren't expecting anything!  We opened up the bag and inside was a blender!  It turns out that Mike's aunt had purchased the blender for us, but she attended two weddings in October.  When she got our thank you card, she was confused that we thanked her for a set of glasses as she was sure she had given us something "bigger" (her words, not mine!).  Then she received a thank you from the other couple, thanking her for the blender.  She quickly realized that she had mixed up the gifts!  She felt bad about it, so she bought us a blender!

We had a good laugh about the confusion and were thrilled to have a blender!  We love to have smoothies for breakfast or snacks, so our blender has been used a lot.  So much in fact, that after 3.5 years of weekly use, the motor in our blender has called it quits.  A few weeks ago we ordered a new one, and let me tell you, Mike thought it was Christmas again!  He was so proud of our shiny blue Blender!

Mike is completely obsessed with Biscoff Spread.  We go through at least one jar a week!  Not too long ago, he suggested making a Biscoff shake.  Shakes are so easy to make, I wasn't going to complain about his desire for an easy snack!  We both loved these shakes, and now Mike requests them a few times a week.

I think we're going to have to buy stock in Biscoff...

Biscoff Shakes

Makes 2

Ingredients:

3 cups vanilla ice-cream
1 cup milk
1/3 cup Biscoff spread

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour into glasses and serve immediately.  Top with whipped cream if desired.

This post contains affiliate links.

Peach Lemonade

I am so excited!  Do you know why?  It's because I have a four day weekend, starting tomorrow!  But that's not the only reason I'm excited.  The best part is, Mike also has a four day weekend!  His work has been so busy for the past 6 months that it's rare he has more than just Sunday off.  So both of us having four consecutive days off together is something to celebrate!

We plan to spend Thursday in my hometown celebrating the 4th of July.  Then Friday, we've declared a "relax" day.  There are a few movies out that we want to see, so we'll probably hit up a movie and then spend the rest of our day doing whatever sounds fun.  Saturday, I have a baby shower (so excited!) and then Sunday we'll stick with our typical routine of church and dinner with my parents.  I'm so looking forward to spending some much needed quality time with my husband!

We've both been hit with the realization that our time together as a family of 2 is limited.  At my doctor appointment earlier this week, the doctor said our baby is ready to come, so now it's just a matter of time.  Mike and I plan to enjoy every minute together in these last few weeks or days before our baby arrives.

That being said, I hope that you'll understand when I don't post a new recipe this Friday.  I'll be spending the day with Mike!  And who knows, I might be able to spend a few minutes in the kitchen working on some new recipes.  I'm trying to stock pile some posts for when the baby is here and I'm too tired to think about blogging.  If you're interested in submitting a guest post to help me out during that time, I'd love to hear from you, just shoot me an email!

Now, on to this Peach Lemonade recipe.  I've loved peach nectar ever since my first trip to Romania, almost 8 years ago now.  On the plane we were served peach nectar and it was so unbelievably delicious!  Since then, any time I see peach nectar as an option at a restaurant (very rare in the states) or on the shelf at the store, I have to have it!  It's so sweet and tastes like you're biting into a juicy peach, minus the juice running down your chin.  When I saw a recipe combining lemonade and peach nectar, I knew it would be a winner.  I served this drink with dinner when we had our small group over a couple weeks ago.  It was a hit with everyone who tried it.  I know this will be another summer drink staple in our house!

Peach Lemonade

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 quart lemonade
1 cup peach nectar

Combine the lemonade and peach nectar.  Chill before serving.

Source: Shaken Together

Here's another delicious lemonade recipe that would be great for your 4th of July celebration:

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Banana Smoothie {In A Bag}

Do you ever wish you had more hours in your day?  Believe me, I sure do!  It seems life keeps going faster and faster, with no intentions of slowing down.  Oh, what I would give for just two more hours in my day!

But, since that doesn't seem to be a reality, I have learned to find things to simplify my life.  This week I've been sharing smoothie recipes with you, and today's recipe can be made two ways.  I'm sure you've seen the bags of smoothie ingredients in the freezer section at the grocery store.  This is my homemade version of those.

I bought a container of yogurt and filled mini muffin tins with a Tablespoon of the yogurt.  Then, I froze it to make little yogurt cubes.  I added those cubes to Ziploc bags along with strawberries and banana pieces.  Now, my freezer is stocked with smoothie bags and when I want a smoothie, I just need to put the contents of the bag and some milk in my blender and viola!  It's smoothie time!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie {In A Bag}

Makes 8 smoothie bags (8 smoothies)

Ingredients:
1 32 ounce container vanilla yogurt
8 cups strawberries
8 bananas, sliced
8 sandwich size ziploc bags
4 cups milk

1.  Scoop yogurt into the openings of a mini muffin tin, 1 Tablespoon of yogurt per opening.

2.  Freeze yogurt until solid, about 3 hours.

3.   Allow the yogurt bites to thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until they can easily be removed from the tin.  (I flipped my tin upside down on the counter and then hit the bottom with my palm until the yogurt bites fell out.  It worked well for me!)

4.  Place 4 yogurt bites, 1 cup of strawberries, and 1 sliced banana in each ziploc bag and seal.

5.  Store the smoothie bags in the freezer until you're ready to use them.

6.  To make your smoothie, place the smoothie bag ingredients along with 1/2 cup milk in a blender.  Blend until smooth.

If you just want to make a strawberry banana smoothie, not the smoothie bags, here's the recipe:

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 banana (fresh or frozen), sliced
1/4 cup milk
4 ice cubes, optional (use only if you're using fresh fruit)

Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

Spring has finally arrived and I am loving the warmer weather!  The scene above is where you can typically find me in the evenings.  Since Mike goes to bed so early, the dog and I have taken to heading outside so he can play and I can relax.  Few things are better than a sunny evening accompanied by man's best friend, a good magazine, and a cold drink.

I have to give Mike a lot of credit for the idea behind this drink.  A few months ago, we were at the movies and he was ordering pop and popcorn for us.  Knowing that I have to limit the amount of caffeine that I drink, he ordered a "special" drink for us to split.  He asked the concessions worker to mix lemonade and Sprite together, and it was delicious!  It has now become our go-to drink when we go to the movies.

We were at the store a couple weeks ago and I saw a new flavor of Sierra Mist--Strawberry Kiwi.  It sounded really good, so I picked up a bottle.  Later that day, Mike and his friend were working on my car's brakes and I wanted to make something refreshing for them to drink.  I thought of the Sierra Mist and then our special movie drink.  I decided I would make a big pitcher of Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade.

I happened to have some fresh strawberries and a lemon in the house, so I figured it would add those into the drink.  (Side note--be sure to wash your lemon before cutting it!)  The men really liked this drink, and I enjoyed it too!  I am sure this drink will be a staple in our house this summer!

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade 
 
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 quart lemonade (homemade or store-bought)
1 lemon, sliced
5 strawberries, sliced
2 cups Strawberry Kiwi Sierra Mist (you can use plain Sierra Mist, if necessary)

1.  In a large pitcher, combine the lemonade, lemon, and strawberries.  Refrigerate until you're ready to serve the lemonade. (The longer this mixture sits, the stronger the strawberry flavor will be.)

2.  Right before serving, pour the Sierra Mist into the lemonade. 

3.  Serve over ice, if desired.

*If you are planning to serve the lemonade immediately after preparing it, go ahead and add the Sierra Mist right away.  I just recommend waiting to add the Sierra Mist until you're serving the drink so that it doesn't go flat. 

Caramel Apple Cider

 

Are you ready for Christmas?  Is it looking like Christmas outside your window?  I don't know about you, but when it's cold outside, there's nothing better than a hot drink to warm you inside and out!

This Caramel Apple Cider is the perfect cold weather drink.  The cider is heated in the slow cooker, so the hands-on time is quite minimal.  Plus, your house will smell amazing while you're making it!  I served this at Thanksgiving and I plan to make it for our Christmas Eve celebration tonight.



Caramel Apple Cider

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 (64 ounce) bottle of apple juice
6 cinnamon sticks
8 Tablespoons caramel ice-cream topping

1.  Pour the apple cider into the pot of a slow cooker.  Add the cinnamon sticks.

2.  Heat on low for 6-8 hours, until the cider is hot and the cinnamon sticks have uncurled and are soft.

3.  Carefully ladle the hot cider into mugs. 

4.  Stir 1 Tablespoon of caramel ice-cream topping into each mug of cider right before serving.

Enjoy!

Hawaiian Cocktail

One of the best parts of a Hawaiian vacation is the views.  Absolutely breathtaking!

Another perk is the delicious drinks.  An ice-cold drink is a great refresher while you're soaking up the sun.  Of course, you don't have to be in Hawaii to enjoy a tropical drink.

I created this drink as part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemakers Program.  I was contacted and asked to create a drink using Sweet'N Low.  I searched some other blogs for inspiration, but struggled to find a drink that really looked good to me.  I decided to combine various aspects of other drinks, combinations of my favorites, into a delicous tropical drink.  I really liked using Sweet'N Low as a sugar substitute because it does not leave an aftertaste, and it doesn't add many calories to this drink.  Mike and I both enjoyed this and I think you will too!

Hawaiian Cocktail

Serves 2

2 ounces Vodka
2 ounces Triple Sec
2 ounces Coconut Rum
4 ounces Pineapple Juice (Unsweetened)
1 packet Sweet'N Low
1/2 ounce Lime Juice
2 cups diet Sprite

1.  In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, triple sec, coconut rum, pineapple juice, Sweet'N Low, and lime juice.

2.  Divide the mixture evenly between 2 tall glasses. 

3.  Pour Sprite over the alcohol mixture.

4.  Add ice and a lime garnish, if desired, before serving.

As part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker Program, I received Sweet'N Low samples and a stipend.

Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothies

It's strawberry season and it's warm outside, so Mike and I are enjoying many delicious smoothies.  Sometimes smoothies are our after-dinner snack, other times they're my breakfast or lunch, and sometimes we even have smoothies for dinner.  Mike and I both love smoothies, and I'm more than happy to whip up a fresh and healthy snack when we're in the mood. 

I rarely follow a recipe for smoothies.  Instead, I pour a mixture of yogurt, milk, and fruit juice into the blender.  Then I add in a few handfuls of whatever fruits we happen to have on hand.  Sometimes I'll even add in a handful of spinach or kale.  When Tina announced that this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge was smoothies, I was a little surprised--I honestly didn't realize that most people follow a recipe for smoothies.  I decided this would be a good chance to find out how other people make their smoothies, compared to my smoothies made with whatever I have on hand.

My first attempt was a failure.  Neither Mike or I liked it at all!  When I told Mike on Sunday night that we were going to try another smoothie recipe, he was not impressed.  He requested that I "make smoothies like you normally do".  He likes my smoothies :)  But, I had to complete this challenge and I had found another recipe that sounded fabulous--a Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie.  How could you go wrong with a name like that?

I found this recipe at Susan's blog, The Royal Cook.  She said it was a hit with her family, and I'm happy to say it was a hit with ours as well.  Mike said he wasn't too hungry when I made these, but he ended up drinking almost half of my smoothie.  I'd say he liked it!

ETA:  Thank you to everyone who voted for me.  My smoothie recipe was voted as the Ultimate Fruit Smoothie recipe for June's Crazy Cooking Challenge!

Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothies
Makes 2 large smoothies

You will need:
1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Greek)
1 cup milk
2 ounces cream cheese (I used Neufchatel)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 banana, frozen
2 cups strawberries, frozen
Combine all the ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth.

Top with graham cracker pieces before serving, if desired.
Source: The Royal Cook

What is your favorite smoothie flavor?
Also, don't forget the ultimate recipe each month is the one that receives the most clicks.  Please click on the thumbnail picture for my recipe to vote for me!

Cider Wassail

Happy New Year!  I hope you had an enjoyable and safe Holiday weekend!  We spent some time with family and friends, enjoying each others company, and of course, great food!

Today we are in the midst of our first winter storm here in West Michigan.  As I look out the window, the wind is gusting and blowing the snow all over.  It actually looks like we're in a snow globe.  It's days like this that I'm really thankful for my warm house, a thick blanket, and a nice hot drink!  I love the comforting feeling of a hot cup of Cider Wassail in my hands, warming me both outside and in. 

Cider Wassail
Serves 8-10 people

You will need:
8 cups apple cider
1-1/2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cinnamon sticks

Combine ingredients in your Crock-pot and heat on low for 2-3 hours, or until hot.  Discard cinnamon sticks and serve hot.

*This can also be made on the stove.  Just combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Discard cinnamon sticks and serve hot.

Hot Chocolate Mix

*I originally planned to share this recipe tomorrow, but since today is National Cocoa Day, I thought I better post today instead!

It's December in Michigan, so of course that means cold weather. Nothing warms me up on a cold winter day like a cup of hot chocolate!  The only thing better than a cup of hot chocolate is a cup of hot chocolate topped with homemade marshmallows...mmm!

This mix is so easy to put together and it would make a great gift for your friends!  I bought a bunch of adorable little Christmas containers (like the green one above) at Christmas-time last year, not knowing what I would do with them.  Then I recently bought some mini dehydrated marshmallows and these little containers are perfect for them.  Package the hot chocolate mix in a pretty jar, add a little container of marshmallows and you have a great gift.  Now if I could just remember to actually give them to my friends...

Hot Chocolate Mix

You will need:

3 cups powdered milk
1-1/2 cups sugar (if you have vanilla sugar, use that!)
2/3 cup cocoa
1 (3.9 ounce) package chocolate pudding mix

1.  In your food processor or blender (I used my bullet), grind the powdered milk to a fine powder.  (If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can skip this step.  I just do it to achieve a finer consistency.)

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered milk, sugar, cocoa, and pudding mix.

3.  Store in an airtight container.

To serve, stir 1/3 cup hot chocolate mix into 8 ounces of hot water. 

Pink Drink

We first had this drink at a "cousin's barbeque" this summer. It was so refreshing and delicious that I had to get the recipe, and bonus, it's super easy!

You will need:

1 packet Crystal Light Pink Lemonade Mix (use the larger packets to make a quart)
1 quart water
1 cup watermelon pucker
1/2 bottle pink lemonade vodka (I used Burnett's because it's cheap!)

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Pour into glass and enjoy! :)