Easy Raw Green Smoothie Recipe

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Have you wanted to try some of those interesting- looking green food smoothies that you are starting to see all over the place?

Well, believe it or not, we just tried one for the first time TODAY, thanks to poking around on the Vita-mix website. I was looking to see what new fruit smoothies they were talking about, and there it was…. a glass of bright green Raw food smoothie… We just had to check it out.

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I have seen all kinds of stuff about Kale being soooo good for you. All the vitamins etc…  One of our friends even made “Kale chips” in the oven and said they were great. But when I saw this recipe, I knew I was ready to give Kale a try.

The Vita-Mix ready to blend

The Vita-Mix ready to blend

Kale & Pear Smoothie (Adapted from the Vita-mix website)

What you need:

  • 1 Cup green grapes (we used red grapes from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1/2 pear
  • 1 banana, frozen
  • 1 cup Kale (we used those pre-washed greens from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 1/2 Cup water
  • 1 Cup ice cubes (they suggest two cups, but we were OK with only 1 cup)

Blend all these ingredients in the Vita-mix for 1-2 minutes. Simple and easy!

So you can see how thick and green this smoothie was…. sorta cool and yet a funny color for food, right?

Kale Pear Green Smoothie

Kale Pear Green Smoothie

But what you don’t see is how Delicious/ Yummy/ Fantastic  this drink really was. WOW we were sooo impressed!

All you really could taste was the fruit- and surprisingly to me, the pear (yep- that 1/2 pear ).  We were  amazed that that mixture of fruits and kale  was so sweet and good.

So if you are looking for a “cool” way to enjoy your veggies during the hot days of summer, we suggest that you try this recipe.

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Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment at the end of this post- What is your favorite smoothie recipe??

Click this link for more information on the fantastic Vita-Mix and other green smoothie recipes.

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How to Make Easy Coleslaw

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Trader Joe's Shreadding Cabbage for Coleslaw

Trader Joe’s Shreadding Cabbage for Coleslaw

We enjoy coleslaw almost year round in Tucson. Maybe it is the heat (yes… very likely) but it could be because we just love all the contrasts: crunchy veggies and creamy sweet-tangy dressing.  And we also like how flexible the salad is (you could eat it regular style, or experiment with stuff like apples or celery – whatever you liked).

Shopping at Trader Joe’s makes it easy to love coleslaw. They have the cabbage already sliced up in the bag, ready for what every dressing you wish.

Also when you make the dressing from scratch yourself, you will be amazed at how wonderful it tastes and you will not have another bottle in the fridge with some half-used up dressing for who- know- how- long!  (Then you have to guess if it is still fresh?? Eeks! This stuff is so simple to make you will just love it.

Here is a recipe for an easy, basic, Coleslaw Dressing (all measurements are guessed as I was just tossing them in the bowl…. Sorry….)

Goodies from Trader Joe's

Goodies from Trader Joe’s

What you need (for the dressing):

  • 1Tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup mayo
  • celery seed (optional, but AWESOME)
  • Salt and pepper

1 bag shredded cabbage.

How to:

1. Add the sugar and the vinegar into a bowl and whisk together until the sugar dissolves, 1 minute. Then add the mayo and some salt and pepper. Whisk again until smooth and creamy.

Whisking the sugar and vinegar for a minute

Whisking the sugar and vinegar for a minute

Add mayo and whisk until smooth

Add mayo and whisk until smooth

2. Toss ¾ of the dressing with the cabbage in a large bowl.  Then see if you need more dressing for your taste. (I usually add all of it). Taste some cabbage and see if you need more salt or pepper.

WOW that is it!!  We like to make our Coleslaw up a few hours before we serve it, just to allow the flavors to blend together.

Variations:

  • Add a teaspoon (or more) of Trader Joe’s Taco seasoning for a SW coleslaw
  • Add grated apples or sliced celery to the cabbage
  • Add grated carrots or sliced sweet onions to cabbage for color and sweetness

We hope you enjoyed seeing how easy it is to make coleslaw from scratch- how do you like to eat coleslaw? Do you add any wild ingredients or are you a classic coleslaw person??

Leave us a comment below and tell all!

Trader Joe’s Wine: Winnefred Chardonnay, 2009

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Trader Joe's Wine: Winnefred Chardonnay, 2009

Trader Joe's Wine: Winnefred Chardonnay, 2009

A Wine Moment with Delaina…the sipping continues….

Our Trader Joe’s had a Chardonnay that caught my eye the other day…. 

Winnefred Chardonnay 2009 was sitting on an end-cap, just calling me over. I am not sure what attracted me to the wine– if it was the “sassy” State Fair label (I love the State Fair) or the fact that it was $5.99, or maybe we (the bottle and myself) were just at the right place at the right time….

What I do know is what made me put it in the cart and take it home with me.

It was the label’s self description. Ok ….wait before you scoff…. let me quote some of the label. “A Stunning Chardonnay with notes of cinnamon toast, Clementine orange, honey, and pistachio hint at future pie-eating titles! As Winnefred walks away with the gold, we’ll relish this wine’s citrus-driven finish of ripe pear, fennel and lemon oil.”

Now how could I have passed that up.  Seriously!

I am after all a red wine drinker because I like complexity. So even though this wine is white it sounded and is complex.

I agree with the label’s self description, and maybe it was the power of suggestion but I think I even tasted the notes of cinnamon toast.

The label suggest pair this wine with pizza (and I would add pasta in general), BBQ chicken or pesto flatbread (all of these items, are deliciously found at Trader Joe’s).

I would also add that many dishes from India would pair nicely with this wine (I have not tried that just for the record. It just made me think,  hey this would be good with Chana Masala,  as I was drinking it.)

Check out my wine video for more information:

Thanks Trader Joe’s!  It is love at first… sip once again!

Cheers,

Delaina

Easy Strawberry Shortcake

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Easy Strawberry Shortcake

Easy Strawberry Shortcake

I always love to see ripe berries when I go to Trader Joe’s.  There is just something so “summery” about seeing all those containers of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Recently our Trader Joe’s in Tucson had the nicest looking strawberries. We even purchased two containers thinking…wow the look sooo good!

One plan that was starting to form in my mind on the way back from the store… strawberry shortcake!  While we did not have all the ingredients on hand for traditional strawberry shortcake, we think you will agree that the ones we made were, in their own special way, just marvelous.

Great items from Trader Joe's

Great items from Trader Joe's

What made our strawberry shortcake so unique? Well, we started by using the Trader Joe’s Baking Mix to make our shortcakes (great and easy shortcut!), and then we substituted Vanilla flavored thick Greek yogurt for the whipped cream (a decadent tasting substitute that is for sure!)

What you need:

Scones:

  • 1 ½ cups Trader Joe’s baking mix
  • 3 Tablespoons Sugar + extra for sprinkling (Trader Joe’s granulated Sugar)
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter (cold)
  • 1/3 cup milk (Trader Joe’s whole milk)
  • Dash Trader Joe’s pure vanilla extract

Trader Joe’s  0% Fat, Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Strawberries

How to:

Scones

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Measure baking mix into a bowl, and add the cold butter. Use your fingers to pinch and rub the butter into the baking mix, until it disappears. Add the sugar and mix lightly.

2. Measure out the milk and add a dash of vanilla extract to it. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.  Divide into 4 parts and spoon onto a foil lined baking pan (I sprayed mine with non-stick cooking spray first). Make sure you leave some room between these shortcakes- they really grew in the oven! Sprinkle the tops with sugar

3. Bake in the oven until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.  The next time I make these, I am going to leave them in the oven for a few minutes more- I would have liked them to be a bit more golden.   Let them cool to room temperature before you serve them

Strawberries

1. Wash, trim and slice the strawberries while the shortcakes bake.  Toss in a small bowl with a spoonful of sugar- and a dash of vanilla if you like (my secret ingredient).

To make your strawberry shortcakes:

Cut your shortcake in half, and place on a plate. Spoon some strawberries on top and then a spoonful of the yogurt. Add the top of the shortcake and more strawberries and yogurt.

Another way to serve these is to place some strawberries in a dish and crumble the shortcake on top and then add a scoop of yogurt.

These were simply fantastic- and the best part was that we had most of the ingredients in the house already – No special trip back to the store (Thanks Trader Joe’s!)

Give this easy recipe a try and let us know what you think!