July 6, 2011: Good Morning Fruit Smoothie Recipe

I’ve been on a real fitness kick lately so I can tone up and shed a few pounds (could my upcoming 30 years high school reunion have anything to do with it?). Every morning I get up and wake up my niece and we go for a brisk walk in the park or around the house (OK, she jogs and I do spurts of walking/running). When we get back home, sweaty and tired, I whip up a fruit smoothie for a delicious way to start the day.

Although I often mix up the specific ingredients, the basic recipe is as follows:

Fruit Smoothie

1 cup diced fruit*
1 cup ice
1 container light Activia yogurt
½ cup fruit juice* (or fruit juice concentrate for a thicker, icier concoction)
½ cup 2 % milk or coconut or almond milk

Throw the fruit in your blender and pulse until pureed (add the juice at this time, if necessary). Add ice and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue to blend until there are no more chunks of ice.

*Try a variety of fruits and juices. Some of our favorites are pineapple or mango with orange-pineapple-mango juice or coconut milk, peaches with apple strawberry juice, bananas and strawberry with apple strawberry or orange juice. Since there’s so little yogurt, the flavor doesn’t really matter but we enjoy peach or raspberry. You could also use plain yogurt with a bit of vanilla extract to reduce calories.

February 14, 2011: Last Minute Valentine’s Day Breakfast Recipe

So it’s Valentine’s Day and you haven’t gotten anything special for your sweetie? How about treating him/her to breakfast in bed?

Here’s a menu for a special breakfast to make your special someone (yes, it's a work day but if you get up early enough you can still make this breakfast and have enough time to get to work):

Fresh fruit compote
Heart-shaped pancakes
Warm, real maple syrup with toasted pecans
Sausage links or bacon
Fresh-squeezed orange juice
Garnish the breakfast tray with a small vase of fresh (or artificial) flowers, the morning newspaper, and a cloth napkin tied with a red or pink satin bow

Pancakes From Scratch

2 cups flour
3 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup milk
2 T. melted butter
1 cup fruit (optional) such as blueberries, finely chopped apples, strawberries, etc.

Mix together dry ingredients. Combine eggs and milk and add to flour mixture gradually, beating just until smooth (do not over-beat). Stir in butter and fruit, if using.

Heat a griddle and brush with oil. For extra special Valentine’s pancakes, use a metal cookie cooker in a heart or similar shape (or simply pour three round blobs in the approximate shape of a heart on the griddle). Place the cookie cutter on the griddle and spoon pancake batter into the shape. When the batter is bubbling (you see a lot of air holes that gradually decrease in volume), remove the cookie cutter and flip.

Makes 2 dozen small pancakes.

Serve with warmed maple syrup (the real stuff is best, although it’s expensive) and butter. You can also top with sifted powdered sugar (use a paper doily to make a pretty pattern) for a fancy touch.

Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy the love!