Mango Berry Banana Smoothie

1 1/2 cups frozen mango (or peach)
1 cup frozen blueberries (or other berry)
2 bananas, unpeeled
2 1/2 - 3 cups unsweetened, plain soy milk (or other milk of your choice)
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds

Place all in the blender and puree until smooth. Add more soy milk to get your desired consistency or to stretch it out for one more person to enjoy!

Makes 5 1/2 - 6 cups of smoothie (enough for two adults and two children)

Cheers!

Raspberry Leaf Iced Tea with Lemon

This iced tea is great and is loved by all people - not just pregnant mamas (although there are great benefits to expectant and postpartum moms). I enjoy it most with lots of ice and a thick slice of lemon. This can treat a craving for any sweet drink but provide you only with benefits. The amount of loose leaf tea you use is up to you. I find myself going back and forth between 2-4 tablespoons per quart.

DIRECTIONS:
-Bring one quart (4 cups) of water to a boil.
-Place in heatproof container (I like using my one quart Pyrex measuring cup) with 2-4 tablespoons of dried loose raspberry leaves. Seep for 10 to 15 minutes.
-Strain tea into a storage container (I use a simple one quart Kerr canning jar).
-Let cool and place in the refrigerator.

To serve:
Pour tea over ice and serve with a thick slice of lemon.

Iced Tea....Still Experimenting

'Tis the season for iced tea. I love coffee. I love cold press on these warm days, but I'm trying to focus on weaning myself from coffee...just a bit. I'm starting with a good two or three days a week without coffee.

A year ago, when Aksel was a mighty large baby still in my belly, I began drinking iced raspberry leaf tea. I kept reading in book after book how raspberry leaf tea has so many tremendous benefits throughout pregnancy and lactation.

Now, I am experimenting to make my favorite iced citrus green tea. A few weeks ago, I had such a thing at the Riverview Cafe and LOVED IT! I started with orange as my first citrus to infuse, which I enjoyed. But, I think it could be better. I plan to experiment with lemon and lime next, as well as a combination of all three.

INGREDIENTS:
4 green tea bags
2 quarts of water
citrus of your choice

Bring to a boil two quarts of water. Steep the tea bags as long as you desire - as little as 10 to 15 minutes or until the water cools to room temperature. When the water cools to room temperature transfer to a storage container and place in refrigerator. To serve, pour individual glasses and add a thick slice of citrus squeezing the juice as you drop it in. Serve over ice.

p.s. Lemon is AWESOME in iced raspberry leaf tea.

Cold Press!

My newest homemade vice is cold press. I am loving it so hard. I was determined to create a cold press that I would crave and could replace my yearning to walk to a coffee shop and treat myself to ice coffee. I searched for some concoctions around the blog world and found the one for me.

Using the grounds to cold water ratio I found on VillageCoffeeCafe I seemed to have found my match. To make life even simpler, I use my french press. Now I don't have to wash it every day, but I make a batch of cold press concentrate and it lasts me most of the week.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup coarsely ground french roast coffee beans (or other bean of your choice)
4 1/2 cups cold water

Step 1 - place beans and water in french press. Stir. Leave overnight. I throw this together after dinner, so I don't forget. I'm often in a dazed coma after the babes are sleeping.

Step 2 - press in the morning and pour into a storage container. I just use a good ol' Kerr canning jar.

Step 3 - drink it! What you've made is a concentrate. First, fill your glass with ice (coffee ice cubes if you're an over-achiever) then fill half way with soy milk, milk, or water. Then continue to fill your cup with cold press. I enjoy a drizzle of pure maple syrup to sweeten.

As I tell my nearly 3-year-old, "Coffee makes me a good mommy."

Enjoy!