Apple Pie Smoothie: A Probiotic Flu-Fighter

November 30, 2011 By 10 Comments

Five Flu-Fighting Foods

Today is our last installment of the Five Flu-Fighting Foods series.  We’ve covered Pumpkin, Breakfast, Green Tea, and Garlic as four natural ways to keep the sick bug away.  I’ve had so much fun coming up with yummy dishes for us to enjoy these amazing immune-boosting foods.  If you missed any of the previous posts, you can click on the following links to see my recipes, as well as all the great recipes from others!

Yogurt: A Flu-Fighting Food

Our last food that we are featuring as a flu-fighting food is yogurt. Yogurt is full of probiotics which are awesome at boosting immunity.  (Probiotics are also important for many aspects of your health, but we’ll talk more about that another time!)

We enjoy smoothies almost every morning made with either yogurt of kefir.  Kefir is a lesser known, probiotic dairy product that we just love!  It is very similar to yogurt, but is a bit more tart and a not quite as thick.  It actually has more probiotics than yogurt, but both yogurt and kefir will do a great job at filling your belly with good bacteria.

Make Your Own Yogurt!

The great thing about yogurt and kefir is that they are very easily made at home.  They are both so easy to make yourself, and by making them instead of buying them you will save a LOT of money.

My friend Stacy has a great tutorial here that shows you exactly how to make homemade yogurt.  This is the method that I always use.  I promise that it’s easy, and you don’t even need one of those fancy yogurt makers either!

To make kefir, you just add kefir grains to milk and let it culture at room temperature for 24-48 hours.  That’s it!  The kefir grains are reusable, so you only have to buy them once to make kefir over and over again.  As long as you take good care of them, they should last you a life time.

You can purchase kefir grains at lots of different places online, but I highly recommend the kefir grains from Cultures for Health.  They have wonderful customer service and wonderful products also.  I’ve purchased many items from them, and have always been pleased with their quality of products.

Apple Pie Smoothie (A great way to get in more probiotics!)

Today, I’m happy to share a delicious smoothie recipe with you.  We have a standard smoothie that we make almost every day that includes yogurt or kefir, blueberries, strawberries, banana, and sometimes oranges.  Occasionally, we like to mix it up and have a “specialty” smoothie for a special treat.  This Apple Pie Smoothie is one of our favorites!

Apple Pie Smoothie - Natural Immunity Booster

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Apple Pie Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain yogurt OR kefir
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce OR 1 apple (peeled, cored, and sliced)
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup
  • 1/2 frozen banana

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into 1 large glass or 2 small glasses.  Enjoy!

Note:

  • Your don’t have to use the maple syrup.  It will still be sweet without it, but the maple syrup gives it a nice flavor and makes it a special treat!

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Featured Links from the Garlic Link-Up

Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce from Nutmeg Nanny

Homemade Salad Dressing

Moroccan Vinaigrette from Whole New Mom

Garlicky Roasted Chickpeas from Katherine Martinelli

Be sure to check out the great Probiotic Yogurt posts shared by the other lovely ladies hosting this series with me.  They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

Now it’s your turn to link up your posts featuring yogurt (probiotics) below.  There are only two guidelines for participation:

1.  Your recipe must feature a yogurt (probiotics). Any entry submitted that is not featuring yogurt (probiotics) will be deleted.

2.  Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great recipes and posts as well!

This post has been shared at Fight Back Friday, Simple Lives Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, and Real Food Wednesday.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Wellness Tagged With: , , , ,

Vanilla Green Tea Latte: A Delicious Way to Boost Your Immunity

November 9, 2011 By 26 Comments

Five Flu-Fighting Foods

Forget the flu shot! This year, fight back with food instead! I’m excited to be joining the following 5 amazing bloggers in hosting a 5-week series that will arm you with recipes to stay healthy this season!

Come back each Wednesday as we reveal five different foods that are purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

What’s more, each post will be opened up to all our readers, who will be linking up their favorite recipes with these key flu-fighting ingredients, so you can get lots of ideas for creative ways to serve them to your family!

So far we’ve talked about Pumpkin and Breakfast – make sure you check them out if you missed them.  There are a ton of great recipes that are linked up with a lot of really great ideas!

Today we are featuring Green Tea as our flu-fighting food (er…drink!).

Green Tea is full of antioxidants and is great for boosting your immunity.  This article by Leigh Ann explains Why Green Tea is Considered a Flu-Fighting Food. 

So not only is drinking Green Tea great for helping you stay well, but it is also delicious!  Especially when it’s in latte form! 

This is one of my husband’s all-time favorite hot beverages.  I’ve only started making it recently, but it is quickly becoming a new family favorite.  Trevor said that it’s as good as hot chocolate to him, which is saying a LOT, because he is crazy about his hot chocolate! 

Vanilla Green Tea Latte

Vanilla Green Tea Latte

Yield: 1 large serving or 2 small servings

Ingredients:

Preparation:

  1. Steep the green tea bag in the 1/2 cup of boiling water for 4 minutes.
  2. While the green tea is steeping, heat milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it is very hot, but not boiling.
  3. Once the milk is hot and the green tea is done steeping, place the green tea, hot milk, honey, and vanilla into your blender.  Blend on high speed for 1 minute.
  4. Pour into mug(s) and enjoy while still hot.

Notes:

  • Feel free to adjust the honey to taste.  This is the perfect amount of sweetness for us, but it may be too little or too much for you.
  • The purpose of blending the mixture in the blender is to make the milk foamy and frothy.  If you have a latte maker, you could use the steam wand instead.
 

Featured Links from the Breakfast Link-Up

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Pumpkin Spice Granola and Pumpkin Smoothie (Yes, please!)

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Baked Blueberry Oatmeal (Oatmeal with a blueberry muffin taste!)

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Make-ahead Italian Strata (I love that this can be made up the night before. )

Be sure to check out the great Green Tea posts shared by the other lovely ladies hosting this series with me.  They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

Now it’s your turn to link up your posts featuring green tea below.  We each will be picking three different recipes next week to feature.  Be sure to join us next Wednesday to see the featured green tea posts and for a GARLIC link-up!

There are only two guidelines for participation:

1.  Your recipe must feature a breakfast recipe. Any entry submitted that is not featuring green tea will be deleted.

2.  Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great recipes as well!

 

This post has been shared with Fight Back Friday, Traditional Tuesday and Fat Tuesday.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With: , , ,

Apple Chai Muesli (Part of this Immune Boosting Breakfast)

November 2, 2011 By 13 Comments

Five Flu-Fighting Foods

Forget the flu shot! This year, fight back with food instead! I’m excited to be joining the following 5 amazing bloggers in hosting a 5-week series that will arm you with recipes to stay healthy this season!

Come back each Wednesday as we reveal five different foods that are purported to support your immune system in the fight against the cold and flu viruses that run rampant this time of year.

What’s more, each post will be opened up to all our readers, who will be linking up their favorite recipes with these key flu-fighting ingredients, so you can get lots of ideas for creative ways to serve them to your family!

Today we are not featuring a specific food, but actually a specific meal – BREAKFAST!

We all know that breakfast is an important meal, perhaps even the most important meal of the day, but why is this?

Benefits of Eating a Nourishing Breakfast

  • It jump starts your metabolism helping you to maintain a healthy weight.
  • It will keep you satisfied so you don’t binge on junk food before lunch time rolls around.
  • It will help take away cravings for the junk food.
  • It will increase your energy.
  • It will increase your concentration and productivity.

PLUS…

  • We are featuring it as part of our Five Flu-Fighting Foods series, because studies have been done that show that those who eat breakfast are less likely to suffer from common colds and the flu!  –Source

So if breakfast is not a normal part of your daily routine, now would be a good time to get into the habit of eating a wholesome breakfast to start your day off right.

Apple Chai Muesli

An Easy, Delicious, and Nourishing Breakfast

I am going to share a recipe with you for the quickest breakfast that you will ever make – Muesli!  It’s even quicker than those convenient boxes of cold breakfast cereal (which are not good for you, by the way!).  Okay, maybe it’s not actually quicker, but it is just as fast.  Plus it tastes much, much better! 

You mix it up the night before, pull it out of the fridge in the morning, and serve – that’s it! It really couldn’t be any easier, and it is absolutely delicious. Feel free to adjust the recipe to taste and try out different spices and add-ins.  The possibilities are endless!  Today I will show you how to make a personal favorite of mine – Apple Chai Muesli.

Apple Chai Muesli

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1 TBSP unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 TBSP raisins
  • 2 TBSP raw honey
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • Scant 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
  • two dashes ground nutmeg
  • small pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 apple, chopped for topping
  • Additional chopped almonds for topping

Preparation:

  1. Combine all ingredients except for apple and additional almonds (for the topping) in a medium sized glass bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
  2. Spoon into two bowls.  Top with apple and additional almonds.  Enjoy!

 

Be sure to check out the great breakfast posts shared by the other lovely ladies hosting this series with me.  They have some great stuff that you don’t want to miss!

 

 

Featured Links from the Pumpkin Link-Up

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Pumpkin Pie in a Glass (I tried this one out and it is very good!)

 

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Pumpkin Wedges (A unique way to serve pumpkin!)

 

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Pumpkin Chowder (This looks AMAZING, and I can’t wait to try it!)

 

Now it’s your turn to link up your delicious breakfast recipes below.  We each will be picking three different recipes next week to feature.  Be sure to join us next Wednesday to see the featured breakfast recipes and for a GREEN TEA link-up!

There are only two guidelines for participation:

1.  Your recipe must feature a breakfast recipe. Any entry submitted that is not breakfast will be deleted.

2.  Please link your posts back to one of the hosting blogs. This way your readers can have access to all of the other great pumpkin recipes as well!

This post has been shared at Pennywise Platter and Simple Lives Thursday.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen Tagged With: , , ,