Category Archives: Drinks

Blueberry, Peanut Butter + Banana Power Smoothie

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Hey guys! Has it really been over a month since I last posted? Sorry for the silence, but it has been one heck of a month! So many things to do, and I guess blogging has fallen to the end of the priority list. To be honest, I still have some busyness coming up, so I can’t promise how often I’ll be posting, but hopefully I can get things together and start sharing more frequently soon!

But for today, I’m sharing with you something that I have been making consistently, almost everyday, even through the busy times. Blueberry, peanut butter, banana power smoothie.* I have even hauled my blender across the state twice, on a train, to continue making this smoothie. Truly my current obsession.

This smoothie is as tasty as it is healthy. I call it a “power smoothie” because of all the goodness in it. Let’s go over that:

Coconut water: Full of potassium and very hydrating.
Almond milk: I use vanilla, unsweetened. Besides adding a delicious vanilla flavor, it’s high in calcium and vitamins B and E.
Banana: More potassium! and so much more!
Blueberries: Antioxidants!
Peanut butter: Protein!
Chia seeds: Full of nutrients, antioxidants, protein, fiber and more. Eat chia seeds!
Spinach: Full of all the good stuff – nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants.

And that’s it. All real, whole foods that bring so many good things, and when combined, become a creamy, tasty treat! 

I’ve been making this for breakfast daily. I honestly never thought that just a smoothie would be enough for me for breakfast, but this one is. It keeps me full and I know that it’s probably the healthiest meal of my day – a great start. 

While each and every ingredient included in this smoothie is important to make it just what it is, if I had to stress one to absolutely not leave out, it would be the chia seeds. If blended long enough (I blend my smoothies a long time!), the chia seeds make the smoothie super thick and creamy, and it almost reminds me of ice cream. I like this smoothie so much more since starting to add chia seeds and it’s all because of that creamy, dreamy texture. A smoothie that reminds me of ice cream – can’t pass it up. 

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Blueberry, Peanut Butter + Banana Power Smoothie
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup coconut water
  2. 1/4 cup almond milk
  3. 1 banana
  4. 1 - 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
  5. 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  6. 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  7. Large handful spinach
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend, until completely smooth and creamy. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/
*Inspired by a smoothie sold at the Cedars House Cafe!

4-Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie

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Well, it has happened. 

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Pumpkin has made its way to The Dreaming Foodie for the season. 

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While I’m not usually one to stick to certain flavors, like pumpkin, at specific times of the year, I have been thinking of it more than usual lately. 

Maybe it is just the cooler temperatures. I can feel fall in the air. Maybe I’m more of a seasonal eater than I know. Maybe I subconsciously do crave pumpkin more in the fall.

Either way, I have had a pumpkin smoothie on my mind for awhile now. I do love pureed pumpkin. As soon as I have a chance, I plan on picking up a bunch of fresh pie pumpkins, roasting them, and keeping the puree on hand. For now though, I have this canned puree, and love it.

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Not only is pureed pure pumpkin delicious, it carries health benefits. Just Google it. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants — lots of good stuff for us. 

I don’t think a lot of people associate pumpkin with being a health food, just because it is associated with pumpkin pie. The pumpkin part = good for you, the pie part = not so much. 

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That’s why when I was making this smoothie, I wanted to keep it as healthful as possible. Pumpkin sure does taste good with lots of sugar added, we all know that from pie, but I want to save that indulgence for Thanksgiving. For an everyday treat, I want to keep it better for me. 

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I used bananas and yogurt to sweeten this smoothie. I needed no other sweetener, but if you desire a sweeter pumpkin taste, feel free to add a sweetener of your choice.

The only other ingredient in this smoothie is almond milk. Yep, that’s it. Four ingredients:

-Pureed pumpkin
-Banana
-Yogurt
-Almond milk

Oh, and cinnamon and nutmeg! That is what I used to spice my smoothie up a bit, but if you have pumpkin pie spice, that would be good too! And the amount is completely up to you. Spice it to your liking!

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Like many recipes I have been posting, this recipe is 1) super simple to make and 2) easily customizable.

This recipe is made easily vegan by using almond or coconut yogurt. I use this coconut yogurt and absolutely love it. The smoothie can be made sweeter, or spicier, to your liking. You can use any milk you want to – choose your favorite. And, the recipe I provide makes enough for one smoothie. It is so easily doubled, tripled, etc.

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Oh, and, if you are like me, you will love this smoothie topped with some extra cinnamon and a handful of granola! Yes, eat the granola off the top with a spoon and then sip the rest of the smoothie. Heavenly! 

If you’re looking for a pumpkin treat that is healthy and easy to prepare, you’ve got it! 4-ingredient pumpkin smoothies! 

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4-Ingredient Pumpkin Smoothie
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 1 banana, frozen
  2. 1/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
  3. 1/4 cup yogurt (I used coconut yogurt!)
  4. 1/2 cup almond milk (or your favorite milk)
  5. Cinnamon and nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice)
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high, until completely smooth and creamy. Add cinnamon and nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice) to your liking.
  2. Enjoy!
The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Peach + Cucumber Fresh Lemonade

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I’ve got a fresh, summery drink for you today!

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Oh, this lemonade is just so good.

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I’ve been drinking it non-stop. I really need to control myself.

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The inspiration for this started at market when I got a cucumber-basil fresh squeezed lemonade. It was so refreshing and delicious and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

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Fresh squeezed lemonade is always good, just as is. Lemons, water and a touch of sugar = the perfect refresher. But, when I tasted cucumber in my lemonade? It was next level good. Cucumber took the goodness of fresh squeezed lemonade to a new level of good.

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I knew I wanted to create a version at home so that I could enjoy this amazing drink anytime.

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I knew that I wanted to do lemons + cucumber, but when I thought of adding peaches, I could barely contain myself. I had to make this, asap!

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And let me tell you, the peaches take this to an even higher level of amazing! (Especially peaches from here :)).

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Remember pink lemonade? I used to drink it when I was little, and now that I think about it, what was the pink part of that lemonade? What made it pink and what flavor was that supposed to be representing? The peaches in this lemonade make it pink. But, something tells me that fresh peaches were not the pink in the pink lemonade from my youth. 🙂

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Now, cucumber in a drink does sound a bit strange. It’s not commonplace. But trust me, you will like it. I would bet that you will like it. Even traditional lemonade lovers. It tastes like fresh. It does not taste like vegetables. And, if you have any reservations at all, try scaling the amount of cucumber back. I do suggest using a whole cucumber, but if it scares you at all, try half a cucumber at first. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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I made this lemonade on Monday and have been enjoying since. I could see this being made for a family get-together or a little party and it being the perfect beverage option. Especially with this hot weather, it is the perfect refresher!

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Ingredients
I based the lemonade part of this on this recipe, from The Faux Martha
1 cup of fresh lemon juice (I used 6 lemons)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup sugar
For the peach + cucumber part:
3 ripe peaches, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup water
+ An additional 4 cups of water
Optional, but recommended, for serving:
Ice cubes
Sliced peaches
Sliced cucumbers

Start by juicing the lemons. You will need one cup of lemon juice and I used six lemons to get that. Set aside.

Add once cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the sliced peaches and cucumbers to a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend on high until the mixture is liquidy and no chunks remain.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the peach/cucumber mixture into the strainer. Let the liquid drain into the bowl. A small amount of peach/cucumber pulp will remain. (Discard the pulp or save it for smoothies).

Add the cucumber/peach liquid, lemon juice, sugar/water combination and the additional 4 cups of water to a blender and blend for several seconds, just to combine everything well.

Serve the lemonade with ice cubes, additional sliced peaches and cucumbers, if desired.

Enjoy!

Coffee Banana Date Smoothie

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My new favorite thing!

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(^^ No, that date is not my new favorite thing.) It’s the smoothie that the date goes in.

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I had so many titles to choose from for this post.

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First, I didn’t know if I should call it a shake or a smoothie. It is creamy in texture, almost like a shake. But, I thought, it’s too healthy to be called a shake. Let’s go with smoothie.

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I wanted to call it amazingly-simple-four-ingredient smoothie. Because really? Four ingredients made this cup of deliciousness? They did! Coffee, bananas, dates and frozen almond milk.

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And really, should I have just added almond milk to the title? That’s the only ingredient I used and didn’t add to the title. It just didn’t sound right.

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Also, I wanted to add the word vegan. Because I made a vegan smoothie sort of milkshake-y thing. If I were vegan (or on days that I feel like being one) this would be the perfect drink for a creamy milkshake/sweet tooth craving.

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Now, I don’t want to scare you away, but do you know how much I love coffee ice cream? Ice cream that tastes like coffee? That most people won’t go near? Yes, I love it. If you love it too, you will love this smoothie. There is a subtle flavor in this smoothie that reminds me of the ice cream. But! If you don’t love it, I think you will love this too. You probably wouldn’t even think of it if I hadn’t mentioned it. 🙂 Every ingredient pulls equal weight in this. All the flavors are noticeable, and just enough of each.

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This would be so good in the morning as a way to have morning coffee and breakfast all in one delicious and healthy smoothie. Or great as an afternoon snack (using decaf coffee, because if you know me, you know that I can’t drink caffeine past 10 or 11 a.m.).

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So, what do you think? Is this something you would try? Don’t be scared of the color. It’s delicious, sweet, healthy, refreshing, an energy-booster and vegan! I hope that you try and enjoy!

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Ingredients
2 bananas, frozen
4 frozen almond milk cubes (almond milk poured into an ice cube tray and frozen)
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
2 medjool dates, pitted

I started by add the bananas and frozen almond milk cubes to the blender. I blended them up, adding a little bit of the coffee, until it was very smooth. I then added the rest of the coffee and dates, and blended longer, until smooth again.

Enjoy!

Notes:
-Your blender may be strong enough to add all of the ingredients at once. I added them separately because mine is not high-powered enough to handle all at once.
-I froze my bananas a day in advance. I took 2 very ripe bananas, broke them into thirds and put them in a zip bag into the freezer.
-I also froze my almond milk a day in advance. Just pour almond milk into an ice cube tray and into the freezer.

How I Do My Green Smoothie

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Happy Saturday everyone!

I am going to stop posting regularly on Saturdays, but since I have taken several days off the last couple of weeks, I thought I would share something today.

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Let’s talk about green smoothies! Or smoothies in general. Or juices. I don’t have a juicer or Vitamix but I make my smoothies in a blender. And I want to hear your favorite smoothie/juice combinations!

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To start, let’s talk about the green part of the smoothie. I’ll tell you — I don’t really want to make and drink a smoothie unless it has spinach (or something green) in it. It seems not worth it to me. Sure, blended fruit and yogurt is good, but there are many other things I would rather be eating/drinking. Now, add spinach and it becomes much more worth it to me. I am now consuming a huge amount of leafy greens, easily! To start my day. Before I do anything else, I have an entire cup of raw spinach in me. Now that is worth it. If you haven’t had a green smoothie before, you really can’t taste the greens! How I can describe the taste is purely refreshing. The greens add this amazing feeling and taste of freshness, and I love it. Also, I haven’t adventured much past spinach, except for one time when I used kale. What kind of greens do you add to you smoothie or juice?

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Let’s talk taste/sweetness. I don’t love smoothies that are overly sweet. It’s like I’m having dessert for breakfast. I know, who doesn’t love that? Dessert-y things for breakfast. I don’t! I love oatmeal for breakfast, but not if it is overly sweet. Same with my smoothies. I don’t add any extra sweetener other than the fruit itself. And, like I said above, you can’t taste the spinach, but I feel that it counteracts even more of the sweetness, which is perfect for me. Do you like your smoothies sweet? What do you add to make it sweet? If I ever were to add extra sweet, I would probably add honey.

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Now on to texture. I like it thin. I want to be able to drink it without a straw. I want it to flow easily out of my glass and into my mouth. Almost juice-ish. But, like I said, my smoothies are technically not juice because I just use a blender. I try to get them as close to juice-y as I can. I tried a green smoothie from a local coffee shop about a week ago. It sounded so good. Spinach, avocado, banana and pineapple. Great combination. But, this smoothie was so thick. I took one sip and I loved the flavor, but the texture was way too thick for me. It is almost too heavy?  Like I get way too full drinking thick smoothies. I want to feel light and refreshed after drinking my smoothie. Not full and weighed down.

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Liquid. Every smoothie needs liquid. Juice is good, but not for me. It’s makes it too sweet for my taste and also in some cases, adds a lot of extra sugar and non-real ingredients. My preference is coconut or almond milk. Once I made the switch to coconut and almond milk, I haven’t looked back. My thoughts on dairy are the same as they are on gluten. I don’t have an allergy or intolerance, but it just makes sense to me to use the least amount as possible.* I would rather consume my dairy in the form of cheese, ice cream or other delicious creamy desserts. Let’s keep the dairy out of the smoothie (for me). I also add yogurt to my smoothie. I don’t add much, but I think it lends a creamy texture to the smoothie. I absolutely love this coconut yogurt. It is the best.

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Fruit. You need it (I think). Even though I don’t like too much sweetness, I do like some. And the natural sweetness from fruit is perfect. A mix of fresh and frozen is what I prefer. Frozen to give a bit of coolness and icy-ness to the smoothie. Fresh because, well just because it is fresh. I have been doing some kind of yellow or orange frozen fruit. Peach or mango, mostly. Peach is what I am loving right now. Does anyone freeze their own fruit? Is there anything special I need to know about doing it? Or do I just slice it up and put it in a bag and then to the freezer? Freezing my own fruit is something I have been wanting to do. For fresh, I have been doing some kind of berry – mostly blueberry or strawberry but I really want to try fresh blackberries!

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My favorite part of this blog is the sharing. I share with you and I love to hear what you would like to share with me as well. I do love the smoothie that I am drinking now, but I am ready to try some new things. So share away!

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Do you drink smoothies? Green smoothies?

What is your all-time favorite combination?

Do you like your smoothie thick or thin?

What kinds of things do you add to your smoothie to make it extra healthy?

*Interesting fact: Greg once told me that we are the only mammals that consume milk beyond the time that it’s needed from the mother for survival (unless it is given to a pet). He had a professor who didn’t consume dairy for that reason. That fact wouldn’t stop me, but it is definitely something to think about.

How I make my smoothie:

Ingredients
*This will make two smoothies (or one really big one). I make enough smoothie for two at a time. I drink one and put the other in the fridge for the next day.
1 cup coconut or almond milk
1 cup frozen peaches or mangoes
1/2 cup fresh blueberries or strawberries
1/4 – 1/3 cup coconut yogurt
2-3 cups fresh spinach

Pour the coconut or almond milk into a blender. Then add the frozen fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt and the spinach last. Blend on high for several minutes, or until everything is completely blended and smooth.

Enjoy!