Homemade Green Monster Juice

I acquired a used juicer for a great price from our local yard sale group on Facebook (check your area for one near you, they're great!) and decided to give it a try. This was my first ever juicing recipe and I have to say it was delicious and sweet  BUT strong of ginger so just use a teeny piece (I used about 1"! eek!). This make about 3 1/2 cups worth. Since I am diabetic I have to watch my sugars including those naturally found in fruits so I drank about 1 cup worth and left the rest for my oldest. I have a few more recipes I want to try so watch for those coming soon!

Homemade Green Monster Juice

2 apples

1/4 pineapple, peeled

2 handfuls spinach

1 banana

1/4" fresh ginger (more if you like)

1 mango, peeled, seeded

1 kiwi

Add to juicer and drink. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

My container is too small, will use my big measuring cup for now on.

I heard placing a plastic bag in the compartment makes for easier cleanup. Sure does work! I also read that using that pulp in other recipes is great too.

enjoy,

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie

I'm part of a Facebook smoothie group, and this is one non green smoothie that was posted. I love all the ingredients and in smoothie form it's just delicious. No one knows there's avocado in it either! I made this after our big hike up the mountain, it was refreshing and filled me up for a few hours.

Strawberries and Cream Smoothie
adapted from my smoothie Facebook group/via #SmoothieAlchemy 

2 cups strawberries
1/2 large avocado
1 banana
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1-2 cups coconut water

Add all ingredients to a blender, blend well. Serves 4-5.


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enjoy,

Frozen Whipped Cream with Stove Top Hot Cocoa

I know this is from Christmas, but I am still trying to play catch up from not having my computer for over a month. It is still cold out there so I think this will still fit in. I made this for Christmas morning, and having the frozen whipped cream ready for use was great, the kids loved that. This is a nice warm creamy treat to have while you sit and relax on a cold chilly weekend. 

Stove Top Hot Cocoa

from The Girl Who Ate Everything

6 cups milk 

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 

1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups heavy cream 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a large pot combine all of the ingredients over low heat. Keep mixture over low heat for 30-40 minutes whisking occasionally until chocolate is fully melted and incorporated with the other ingredients. You can add milk here to adjust to your chocolate preference. Give it a good whisking before serving to get it nice and frothy. If you have an immersion blender, that works great here. 

Serve immediately or pour into a slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve. 

Top with whipped cream, crushed candy canes, marshmallows or sprinkles.

Frozen Whipped Cream Dollops

from The Creative Momma

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pour cold whipping cream into bowl of mixer. Using whisk attachment whisk, on medium speed, whip until it begins to thicken and you see soft peaks form. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla, continue mixing until well incorporated.
Take your whipped cream and spoon individual servings onto plastic wrapped lined baking sheet (I used my frosting tip/bag). Sprinkle with coarse decorative sugars/sprinkles if desired. Place in freezer for 2-3 hours or until completely frozen. Move to airtight container and store in freezer.

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enjoy,

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix

For Christmas this year I made a few different goodies to hand out, mostly candy types. My kids love hot cocoa and often love to get into the can of cocoa and make the recipe from the back. Well I thought this would be a nice treat to have on hand, ready to measure out saving any messes they make. This was really great, I used 1 1/2 TBL of salt not the full amount in the original recipe, I'm not a salty fan of most foods. You can still taste it just fine. Making the caramel is easy however you will need a food processor to pulverize it into powder, which almost killed mine, poor machine lol. I gave away this to family as gifts since it makes a lot.


Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Mix
From Pennies on a Platter
Yield: 32 servings

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups good quality cocoa powder
1 to 3 tablespoons good sea salt (My preference is 1 1/2 TBL)
1 cup dry milk powder
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
10 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or use your silpat); set aside. Heat the 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar in a large heavy pan, over medium heat, without stirring. When the sugar begins to melt, take the handle of the pan and swirl it to melt without burning. The sugar might seem to crystallize, but it will eventually melt to a deep amber color. (Can take 15-20 minutes, so be patient.)

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the vanilla. Whisk the caramel until smooth again, then immediately pour it onto the lined baking sheet. Allow it to spread without touching it. Set aside and let the caramel harden, at least 1 hour (mine took less time).

When ready to make the mix, use the back of a large spoon to tap the caramel several times into small broken pieces that can fit into the feeding tube of a large food processor. Turn the processor on, and while running, feed the caramel pieces into the tube so the processor pulverizes the caramel into a fine powder. Continue to add the pieces, a few at a time, until it is completely powder (a cloud of caramel dust will float out of the tube and it will sound like it's going to break your machine lol). Turn the processor off and follow the next steps to complete the mix.

Add the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate, into the food processor with the caramel powder. Replace the lid and process until smooth. Add the chocolate to the bowl and process again until the mixture is a fine powder.

Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place for up to one month. To serve, stir 3 tablespoons mix into 1 cup hot milk.

caramel ready to harden

caramel being pulverized into powder

caramel powder

time to enjoy a cup on this cold morning

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enjoy,