Cranberry Chai Smoothie

Fall in Jacksonville, FL is a bit schizophrenic.  For example:

Three days ago the high was 71 degrees.

Yesterday is was 89 (90 with the heat index)...and Bo asked me if I wanted to go to the beach.  

Yes...it is mid-October and we talked about going to the beach!

Some people might be thrilled with a mid-October day that is 89 degrees.  

Me?!

I miss the Aspen leaves changing to bright yellow in Santa Fe.  

Source

I miss dressing in layers.  

(My poor scarves, coats, and boots are gathering layers of dust.)

I miss wanting hot oatmeal in the morning.  

I miss craving pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce.  

Oh wait, I still crave those things...even when it is 90 degrees outside!   

So what is the solution to both respecting weather schizophrenia AND quenching my food cravings?!

Why, a smoothie of course!

But not just any smoothie.  

This smoothie is cold enough to cool off even the hottest summer day, AND is exploding with antioxidant-rich fall flavors.

WIN-WIN!

Cranberry Chai Spice Smoothie
Serves 1

1 very ripe frozen banana
1/2C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4C Oregon Chai Sugar Free Chai Tea Latte Concentrate
1/4C homemade cranberry sauce (I used half stevia, half sugar)
1/2tsp xantham gum
3 dashes of cinnamon
3-5 ice cubes

Directions:

• Place all ingredients into a high speed blender.
• Pulse a couple of times to begin blending ingredients.
• Blend on high for 30-60 seconds until fully incorporated.
• Serve chilled, and topped with chunks of homemade Cranberry Orange Bread (Optional, but HIGHLY recommended!).

Bo and I can't seem to get enough of the Cranberry Orange Bread that I made.  In case you were wondering, I did make a few changes to the recipe, including:

• using White Whole Wheat flour;
• reducing the sugar to 3/4C;
• using lemon peel in place of the orange peel (Hey, I use what I have on hand!);
• substituting Smart Balance for shortening;
• leaving the cranberries whole instead of chopping them;
• not adding nuts; OH and,
• cooking it for 1 hour and 15 minutes (instead of 55 minutes...it took FOREVER to cook through!).

This bread has an incredibly delicious muffin-like texture that Bo and I loved!  We have eaten this bread simply with butter, crumbled it over yogurt, crumbled it over ice cream, and now used it as a topping for a smoothie.  In fact, I can't wait to go to the grocery store this weekend to buy several more bags of cranberries just so that I can bake another loaf!

So, if fall is having a difficult time coming out where you live, think about smoothies.  They are the perfect marriage for warm weather and fall flavors. :)

Question of the Day:

Do you ever make your own smoothies?  If so, what are some of your favorite flavor combinations?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Banana Melon Smoothie

Everybody knows that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I mean, honestly, the proof is in the pudding, right?!  I have more breakfast recipes on my blog (thus far) than any other type of recipe.  Granted, most of these recipes include oats; but what can I say?  I LOVE oatmeal.

But today's post has NOTHING to do with oatmeal.

Nope, there isn't an oat in sight.  

You see, yesterday morning I was craving something different for breakfast.  By 7:30AM it was already H.O.T. outside (over 95 degrees, with the heat index!).  Needless to say, I wasn't in the mood for my regular hot tea or hot chai.  Instead, I had an overwhelming craving for a smoothie.

But not just any smoothie...

...I wanted to incorporate the sweet, juicy, freshness of melon!

Sweet and bursting with flavor, this smoothie is the perfect way to start a summer morning off with a BANG!  The frozen banana makes it creamy, the flax gives it staying power (along with fiber, antioxidants, and healthy omega-3's), and the melon simply makes it delicious.  Feel free to use cantaloupe, honeydew, or any type of specialty melon.

Banana Melon Smoothie
Serves 2

1 large banana, broken into pieces and frozen
1 heaping C of melon (I used cantaloupe)
2T ground flax
1/4C orange juice
1/4C Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Directions:

• Add the banana, melon, flax, orange juice, and almond milk to your blender.
• Blend on the lowest speed first, and then gradually increase the speed.
• Continue blending for 1-2 minutes until thoroughly smooth.
• Serve chilled, as a snack, or alongside your breakfast of choice!

I decided to add flax meal to the smoothie for a number of reasons, but primary because flax contains significant amounts of fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.  It is also high in B vitamins, which is important for someone like me who doesn't receive those vitamins from animal protein.  If you want to learn more about the benefits of adding a tablespoon of flax to your morning smoothie, oatmeal, etc., just read here.

Question of the Day:


What is your favorite summer drink?  Is it iced coffee? A milkshake?  A smoothie?  Iced tea?  Orange juice?   Tell me all about it in the "Comment" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Indian Chai Tea

If you have been reading my blog for several months now, you might remember this post where I talked about my decision to give up drinking caffeine (Blasphemy, to some of you, I know!).  This decision wasn't an easy one, to say the least.  Regardless, I had my reasons.  In particular, I had started to experience some of the side affects of my addiction, including:

• when I didn't drink my latte first thing in the morning I would have an excruciating headache by 10:00AM;
• around 2:00-3:00PM I would experience a rapid energy slump;
• I was visiting the ladies' room much more than usual; and
• perhaps most disturbing, I was dependent on my latte fix every day...sometimes more than once a day.

As of today, I haven't consciously had anything caffeinated in over a year (Wow...have I really made it that long?)!  Believe it or not, I feel better and more confident in my decision than ever.  There was a point in my life that I thought I simply couldn't live without my morning cup 'o Joe!  Well, I'm living proof that "when there's a will there's a way"!

With that said, I still enjoy something warm and comforting first thing in the morning.  When I'm craving something extra decadent, I might whip up one of my hot chocolate recipes (Cinnamon Double Hot Chocolate or Vanilla-Maple Hot Cocoa).  But that's a rare occasion.  On most morning I drink hot tea...or lately, homemade Indian Chai Tea!

Recently, while flipping through a magazine on the airplane to Emily and Henry's wedding, I stumbled upon Padma Lakshmi's recipe for chai.  Since I don't like the sugared-up Starbucks version of the beverage, but I DO love ginger and some of the other spices in this traditional Indian drink, I figured I would give her recipe a shot.  Besides, she's Indian-American, so I figured she must know what she's doing.  Four batches and a few tweaks later (to make the recipe vegan-friendly) BINGO!

Now I can't get enough of the stuff!  

It's in my mug almost every morning!

Indian Chai Tea
Serves 6-8

8 cups filtered water (or tap water)
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 Ty-phoo Decaf black tea bags
2 C Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2T brown sugar, lightly packed
3T honey

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, combine the water, ginger, cardamom, and cloves.
• Bring to a boil, and then immediately reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add the tea bags, milk, brown sugar, and honey.
• Simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes.
• Remove the tea bags from the saucepan.
• Pour the mixture into a large pitcher.
• Serve hot, or cold over ice.

For a normal person, this recipe would make enough chai for approximately eight servings.  However, I like BIG OL' MUGS of chai every morning.  So, for me, this chai is gone in about five days!

Money shot.

All this talk of chai makes me feel like heating up a mug now!

(Yes, I know it's 12:39 in the afternoon.  

Who cares?  

It's always the right time for chai!)

Question of the Day:


I'd love to hear from you!  What is your morning beverage of choice (i.e. coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, chai, latte, cappuccino, orange juice...the list could go on and on)?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo