Recipe: Silk Almond Milk Smoothies

The weather is warming up outside, we are seeing sunny (and rainy) days, and spring is officially here. Smoothies are a great way to combat the heat, and I love having them for breakfast in the spring and summer months!



Over the past two weeks, I’ve enjoyed a smoothie for breakfast almost every morning. I tossed around several recipes and came up with a few I think you’ll enjoy, too!

This was my first time to use Silk’s brand of almond milk and I have to say that I really enjoyed the texture – it’s creamier than other almond milk brands I’ve tried in the past.

To begin, all of my smoothies call for a ripe (or very ripe) frozen banana. They also call for ice and a creamy base – in this case, I used Silk Almond Milk. All three recipes are Paleo friendly, too (if you consider processed almond milk paleo…some things you just can’t help…) and are also all around 275-300 calories a piece!  (I also liked using Silk almond milk as an alternative to dairy milk because it contains fewer calories.)

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“Elvis” Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Silk Almond Milk
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ripe frozen banana
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 tbsp honey

Blend together in a blender, serve, and enjoy!



This smoothie is very chocolate-y and rich. If you would like to change it up a bit, only adding 1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder would work, too!

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Banana Cream Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Silk Almond Milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ripe frozen banana
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 tbsp honey

Blend together in a blender, serve, and enjoy!



If you know me, you know I love banana flavored anything! This was definitely a favorite of mine out of the three! :)

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Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Silk Almond Milk
• 1 ripe frozen banana
• 1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 cup of halved fresh strawberries

Blend together in a blender, serve, and enjoy!





So refreshing on a warm morning!

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Almond Milk isn’t the only product produced by Silk! In fact, they also offer products such as soy milk, cashew milk, dark chocolate almond milk (umm…yum!), coconut milk, even yogurt…the list goes on!

• Interested in more recipes? Visit Silk’s Smoothie Solution Landing Page where you can find a ton of great ideas for smoothies with a variety of ingredients!
• Want to know where to find Silk? Check out their product locator to find a Silk distributor near you!
• Would you like to save a little money while trying out this product? Sign up for Silk newsletter and receive a coupon!
  

What’s your favorite type of smoothie/favorite smoothie ingredients?


Disclaimer: This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine. Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

Recipe: Almond Butter Banana Waffles (Paleo)

It’s been a while since I shared a recipe with you guys. Several weeks ago, I said that I was attempting to find a mostly grain-free pancake/waffle recipe that I enjoyed. I’ve tried so many recipes in the past (paleo friendly, too) that I didn’t care for. After much trial and error, I realized the almond flour and/or coconut flour ingredient was throwing the texture off for me.

Last week, Paleo Grubs posted a recipe for freezer-friendly waffles (borrowed from Taylor Made It Paleo), so I thought I would give it a try. I tweaked the recipe for my own personal preferences, and I loved it!  These waffles are GOOD, y’all. Seriously…I actually want to eat them! They are so good in fact, I decided to share them with you today!

Almond Butter Banana Waffles (Paleo)
Adapted from: Taylor Made It Paleo

Ingredients:

• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup almond butter (or nut-butter of your choice)
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp arrowroot flour (I used cornstarch because it’s what I had on hand)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
• Optional: fruit for topping

Sidenote: I didn’t have arroworoot powder on hand, so I substituted cornstarch instead (which no longer made them paleo but that was ok with me. If you want a strictly paleo recipe, don’t substitute with cornstarch.)

Directions:

Pre-heat waffle iron to desired temperature. Gather ingredients.

Combine all ingredients in a food processer. Process until smooth.

Pour batter into waffle iron and voila! Easy as pie!

Top with your favorite fruit or syrup topping, serve, and enjoy!

Serving size: 6 waffles (depending on the size of your waffle iron); 250 calories per waffle

This recipe made six waffles for me. I was able to freeze the extra and I’ve been eating on them all week! Pop them into a toaster when you’re ready for breakfast and they are ready to go!

I enjoyed these waffles on Saturday with eggs and turkey bacon after my long run. The iced coffee was pretty delicious, too!

This week, I’ve eaten a waffle with my coffee every morning for breakfast. Know what would make these taste even better? A fresh fruit topping…sad times, I’m out of fresh fruit. I need to go grocery shopping, like bad.

Anyway, let me know if you try these out and what you think about them! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Are you a waffles or pancake kinda person?

Recipe: Paleo Banana Nut Muffins

Friday, a surprise came to Southwest Louisiana – a surprise in the form of ice and snow! Here in the south, we aren’t used to this type of weather – which caused roadways, bridges, schools, and area businesses to close. I work in an outpatient clinic and was told not to go into work, so I enjoyed a nice iced-in day at home!

After attempting to make a mini-snowman (my “snow” wouldn’t stick together as it wasn’t the powdery type), I decided to bake. I don’t often get the chance to bake…so I took my opportunity for what it was worth!

These little guys were so tasty, I decided to share with you!

Paleo Banana Nut Muffins
Adapted from: Paleo Grubs

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
• 1 tbsp honey or other sweetener of choice (may add more for additional sweetness)
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• (optional) 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts (the tbsp is for the topping) – I used pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 6 cup muffin tin with muffin cups.

In a medium sized bowl, mash the bananas together with a fork. Once bananas are mashed, add eggs, almond butter, honey (or sweetener of choice), coconut oil, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to combine. 

Once combined, add in coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, pecans or nut of choice (optional), and salt.

Continue mixing with hand mixer until all ingredients are blended well. Distribute the batter evenly – this makes enough to fill six muffin cups.

Sprinkle reserved chopped nuts on top of muffin batter (optional).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with a nice warm cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!

This recipe yields 6 muffins.

Gather ingredients – yes, I like my bananas THAT ripe. :0)

These muffin cups were perfect for a cold Winter’s day!

Mashed bananas

Note to self: cold bananas right out of the freezer will cause your melted coconut oil to harden (duh)…

Mix well!

Chopped pecans

Ready for the oven!

While the muffins baked, Madalynn and I watched a tiny bird who was seeking shelter from the cold in a plant on my patio!

Sweet bird! I had to remind Madalynn, “Birds are friends…not food!”

Speaking of food….

After 25 minutes of baking, the muffins were ready!

Delicious, moist, and wonderful – I enjoyed every bite. At only 160 calories per muffin, I allowed myself to have two!

(If you don’t find the muffins sweet enough, you could always add a drizzle of honey on top.)

These muffins didn’t make it through the weekend! :0)

What is your favorite type of muffin? Favorite breakfast food?

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles (Paleo Version)

Let me admit something before I begin.

Deep breath…ok, here we go.

I’m not a fan of Pumpkin flavored things.

GASP.

I know, right? I’m like the world’s worst Fall loser. When it comes to Winter and peppermint, I’m all on the bandwagon…but I just  can’t bring myself to get excited about Pumpkin Lattes and Pumpkin Coffee Creamer. I also don’t like Pumpkin Pie. What kind of American am I, anyway?

However…yes, there’s a however here…growing up, my mom used to make Pumpkin Muffins and I LOVED them. My love for Pumpkin Muffins spurred on my curiosity of Pumpkin filled Cinnamon Rolls, which I love and now make every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas breakfast. (Makes no sense, right? I know…I’m crazy!)

On Saturday morning, heavy rains and flooding in the area prevent my friends and I from getting out for our usual long run.  We even made national news for the large amounts of rain – more than 14 inches in just a few hours!

(This was taken a 7:30 a.m. – at 5:30 a.m., this road was completely impassible.)

SO, instead of running, I decided to cook breakfast at home. When you can’t run, eat, right? (BAD motto, Karen…bad motto.) Since the inside of my home thinks Fall is in the air (the weather finally agreed with me this weekend), I thought Pumpkin Pecan Waffles sounded like a great idea for breakfast!

I gathered the ingredients, then got to work!

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles (Paleo Style)
Adapted from The Turtlewoman’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon (pinch) nutmeg

3 eggs

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (your choice)

Directions:

Whisk together the dry ingredients: coconut flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: eggs, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and pumpkin puree.

Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix until the ingredients are well combined.

Heat waffle iron until ready, then pour half of the batter into the iron. (This batter will make two perfectly sized Pumpkin Waffles.) Once first waffle is ready, repeat process on 2nd waffle with remaining batter.

Serve with pure maple syrup, honey, or favorite topping. Enjoy!

Dry and wet ingredients. I mixed the dry ingredients, then poured the wet ingredients on top. I don’t follow direction well. Whoops.

Don’t you love my waffle iron? :0) Things taste better when they have a little Disney inspiration behind them – besides, Cinderella’s coach WAS a Pumpkin! Fitting, right? I thought so!

Done!

I enjoyed my Cinderella Pumpkin Waffle with a cup of hot coffee in my Princess Half Marathon mug and a bit of agave nectar (I ran out of honey)!

The second waffle was stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for breakfast on Sunday morning.

If you try these, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Are you a fan of Pumpkin flavored things? What’s your favorite Fall inspired dish/drink/dessert?

My Favorite Smoothies

Lately, I’ve been on quite the smoothie kick with Summer just around the corner. I love cold, icy beverages during the hot summer months…I even prefer my coffee iced! To beat the heat, I decided to share a few of my favorite smoothies with you!

My first step in creating a smoothie is to decide what type of fruit I’m hungry for…which usually involves one or more of the following: strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mango, or pineapple.

After gathering my ingredients, I then decide what type of liquid to put in my smoothie.

For me, this usually consists of coconut milk or almond milk…I’ve even used coconut water!

…and because I always have two ravishing puppies staring at me while I preparing my smoothies, I share a little bit with them, too! :0)

Last but not least, don’t forget a fun beverage dispenser to drink the smoothie out of! What better way to show off your hard work than with a fancy cup!

Now without further ado, here’s a few of my favorite smoothies!  I’ll start with my absolute FAVORTIE!

Salted Caramel Thickshake
Adapted from: Eat Drink Paleo

1/2 cup cold almond or coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp almond butter
1/3 frozen banana
2 dried pitted Medjool dates
1 tsp pure maple syrup or honey
A pinch of sea salt
A couple of ice cubes

Method: Process all ingredients in a blender until well incorporated. Enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Almond Smoothie
Adapted from: Fast Paleo

1 ripe frozen banana
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup plain almonds

Method: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until incorporated! Enjoy!
Note: I decided to add the almonds to this smoothie because I realized the calorie count of this smoothie was low with just the fruit and milk. Since this smoothie was my breakfast, I decided to add the almonds so it would carry me over to lunch! :0)

Pineapple Mango Smoothie 
Adapted from: My Kitchen :0)

1 ripe frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen pineapple/mango chunks (If using fresh, than 1/4 cup of each)
3/4 to 1 cup of almond milk
A few ice cubes

Method: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until incorporated! Enjoy!

Blueberry Almond Smoothie
Adapted from: My Kitchen :0)

1 cup of frozen or blueberries
1/2 to 3/4 cup of almond milk
1 tablespoon of almond butter
A few ice cubes

Method: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until incorporated! Enjoy!

If you’d like to make any of these smoothies “green”, feel free to add your choice of leaf! I’ve added 1 cup of spinach to the last three smoothies listed above and they have all been delicious! I’ve yet to try Kale in a smoothie, but that’s next on my list! I hope you enjoy!!

What is your favorite type of smoothie?