Wassail

Wassail

One of my all-time favorite winter drinks. I've made Wassail one way for SO MANY YEARS. That recipe found HERE, is great and long lasting but FULL of sugar.

However, I need something healthier -especially since the name Wassail comes from the words
Waes Hael
(one historical version anyway found here)
OR
Ves Heil Hal
(another historical link here)

That said BOTH mean Good Health.

So I found 4 similar recipes that had varying amounts and differing spices.

Putting them together I created two amazing recipes - both the same taste but for differing budgets.

Wassail

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 sliced oranges
2 sliced lemons
1 qt Apple juice or cider
2 C Cranberry juice

1 qt Orange juice

1 tsp Cinnamon
3 Cinnamon sticks
2 tsp whole cloves
2-inch fresh sliced ginger
1 tsp Allspice

2 C Pineapple juice

1 cracked whole nutmeg

Add all ingredients into either a crockpot/slow cooker or large stock pot on low for several hours to allow the spices to flavor fully.

~~~~~

Now for the budget-friendly version of the above recipe, you can buy frozen concentrate of apple, orange, pineapple & cranberry juice.
One qt of apple cider was almost 6.00 yet a frozen 100% apple juice was 1.20.
I used 2 frozen apple concentrate, 2 frozen orange concentrate, 1 pineapple & 1 cranberry then added almost 2 quarts of water and the rest of the ingredients.

Coffee Ice

Left over coffee made into Ice Cubes.

This is not really a new idea.

I just jazzed mine up a bit by freezing them into shapes. Our family LOVES coffee milk. These added to lightly flavored milk - chocolate syrup, tsp vanilla, dash of stevia.... and a few of these and YUM!

I found both of these small molds at Ikea for a dollar each - the Ice popped right out and a rinse was all that was needed to clean them!

Quick, easy, thrifty and yummy!

Coffee Creamer

 French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

14 oz. Sweetened condensed milk
14 oz. Milk (any - including soy, almond ect)
2 tsp. Vanilla

1 quart mason jar. I used a washed out, wild coyote Blue Cheese dressing jar.
Add all ingredients into jar - shake well (stirring works also)

Very yummy!

Next time however I am going to do it a little different.

I will substitute the milk for a 13.5 oz. can of lite coconut milk.
I think it will add to its allure - especially since my favorite creamer is coconut!

Breakfast Shake!

 

Shakes are one of the best or worst drinks you can have for breakfast.
If you add tons of sugar, shake packets or high fat products a shake every morning is not going to help you out.

However if you have an immersion blender/magic bullet or even a regular blender a shake a morning can be quick, easy and healthy!

First off is stocking up on the right products.

I change up my liquids - I float normally between, milk, pineapple juice or horchata.
Sometimes I will even combine them.

Fresh & frozen fruit with no added sugars.

Non fat Vanilla Greek yogurt (must - really its amazing!)  


Then comes my "secret" ingredients. The ones you can't taste, see or smell once they have been blended together.

1-2 tsp of Flax seed oil

1-2 tsp. Lecithin Granules

& 1/2 dropper of Ginkgo

Add a bit of this, a dab of that, frozen items on top - always the last items in and voila - sweet, thick, rich, creamy and healthy!

This does so many things for your body! Skin, muscles, blood, intestinal track... amazing! 

Also if you are anything like me, starting off my day with such a sweet treat curbs my desire for sweets later on - also helping keep me moving forward on a healthier path!

With my immersion blender (that I love!) this literally takes two minutes. One to assemble and one to blend and pour!

I am also of thinking of adding in a tsp of gelatin for nail & hair health. Will let you know how that works out!

Edit 9/14/12

I love adding in half a packet of gelatin! Really helps my nails and thicken the shake.

I also have started to add 1/4-1/2 tsp of Chia seeds - they are amazing and very healthy! Its best if you soak them in your base liquid for at least 10 minutes before making the shake so that they absorb enough to digest better in your tummy.

Reduce & Re-Use that's also Good for you!

For several months now I have been getting my milk from our local dairy delivered once a week, fresh to my door step.
Then right before Thanksgiving my best friend bought me the Soda Stream.


With both I get HUGE health benefits as well as amazing amounts of green/eco saving numbers.

Heathwise
For the cola ~ I can make my syrup with Stevia & a slight bit of Agave which is MUCH MUCH better for you and MUCH lower glycemic levels.
For the milk ~ its cold processed instead of pasteurized. The bonus is the FDA and state laws require so many levels of testing and health procedures for "Raw" milk. Safety laws that are NOT applied to pasteurized milk. One article I read called it the difference between live clean milk and the sterilization of dirty milk.
Now not all raw milk is equal. If you have a local trusted reputable dairy I say look into it!
Also with cold processed milk you get the live healthy bacteria that helps your intestine track vs. pasteurized which has been boiled til every bit of bacteria good and bad is dead.

Eco/Green wise
For the Cola ~ I save plastic by not buying it in bottles and cans but reusing the same 3 BPS free bottles over and over and over.
It save's all the gas and electricity to make & transport the bottles and soda.
For the Milk ~ Since they re-use the bottles that save a ton of plastic. Also since its local it saves all the gas and packaging of transporting long distances.
Not to mention supports local business as well as organic & green products.

See - Good for you - Good for the Earth!

Orange Pinapple Syrup

So far from the two syrups I have made from Prairie Moon beverage concentrate. The Root Beer has a 4 star rating and the Orange Pineapple a 3 star.
For those not familiar with my rating system each member of my family gets a vote - making the highest rating a 4 star. The orange pineapple was too sweet for me, its good, but really gets over powering after a few sips.
Both syrups I made following the Stevia and Agave directions. Something I highly recommend!
You need 1 oz. of Syrup per 1 Lit. of carbonated water. If you make it following sugar or other sweeteners you need 2 oz. of syrup per 1 lit.

We love Prairie Moon, flavorings, pricing and how quickly they shipped!
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves soda but wants to control quality and sugar not to mention help the environment!

Home Made Syrup for Soda Stream

My new Soda Stream Jet is amazing and I love it! The flavored waters are very light and if you add 1-3 drops of Vanilla Stevia they are sweet without any bad sugar additives! The orange flavor with the stevia tastes like orange sickles! YUM!

I looked on their website and I want to try their natural sodas as well as their teas. However, to buy enough to make shipping worth it (my local stores don't sell those) it would cost well over a hundred dollars.
Not something I really want to shell out right before the holidays!

So I went searching online! I found a great blog by "Former Chef" and the three syrup recipes that they have made thus far for their Soda Stream.

1st Recipe
Ginger Syrup for Ginger Ale

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup palm sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups water
4 oz peeled and sliced ginger (I started with 6-7 oz whole fresh ginger)
2 tsp cardamom pods
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp peppercorns
3 ea. star anise pods

In a small pot, combine the sugars with the water and add the peeled and sliced ginger. I used the palm sugar (in the photo at the top) because I had it, but you can also use 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white .
Toast the whole spices in a saute pan until they just begin to brown and become fragrant. Add them to the sugar and water mixture and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.
Allow to steep until cool. At this point you can strain it into a clean container and store it in the refrigerator. Chill.

For me, 2 Tbsp of syrup with 12 oz soda water and some ice makes a very refreshing glass of ginger ale.

2nd Recipe
Tummy Tamer Soda Syrup Recipe:

peel from 1 orange, cut off white pith
juice from 1 orange, about 1/4 cup
1 oz fresh mint, rough chopped
2 oz fresh ginger, sliced 1/8″ thick
2 Tbsp toasted anise seed
2 cups Sugar
2 cups Water

In a small saute pan toast the anise seed for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Cut the skin off an orange with a sharp paring knife and then carefully cut off as much of the white pith from the skin as possible. Cut the same orange in half and squeeze the juice out of it.

Slice the ginger into 1/8 ” pieces and rough chop the mint.

Combine sugar and water in a small heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a low simmer and stir until sugar dissolves. Add in the orange peel, orange juice, mint, ginger pieces and toasted anise seed. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let syrup steep as it cools.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer and store in a clean container in the refrigerator.

For the soda I usually combine about 2 Tbsp of the syrup with 12 oz soda water

3rd Recipe
Lime Syrup

2/3 cup lime juice (about 1.25 lbs key limes)
2 tsp. lime zest
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups sugar

Combine all ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes and cool. Serve with sparkling water over ice.

I have not had a chance to try them out but I will be sure to review them as well as photo them (probably not as good as the original) when I get a chance!
Also I found two books Homemade Soda - 200 recipes  & Homemade Rootbeer that I will be getting!
I will share photos, ideas and ingredient lists (not exact amounts as they are copyrighted) but a general feel - enough that you will know if you want to buy the books or not!

Home Made Lemonade

Sorry I am just learning how to make my own photo montage in a cheap program!

The key to making lemonade is math. Having the right equations. Squeeze your lemons - add equal amount of sugar as lemon juice then add 3 to 4 times the amount water depending on taste.
If you like a thicker sweeter use three times the water if you like a thinner but refreshing tasting add four times the water.

Kids take on it? - They love it and both begged me not to sell it on the side of the road as they wanted to drink it.
My question is have they ever seen me sell anything off the side of the rode?
Didn't think so!

Membrane Fluidizer Cocktail for B

Membrane Fluidizer Cocktail for blood type B

(not sure what for other blood types)

1 tbls. Flaxseed Oil

1 tbls. High quality Lecithin Granules

6-8 fl oz. Fruit Juice

Best Juices to use

cranberry 

grape

pineapple

papaya

Do not worry as nasty sounding as it is this is quite tasty.

This is supposed to help kick off my weight loss.

In one week I have lost 2 pds, with this I might lose 3 by next week.

This would be nice as I am going in to renew my license.

Pork Chops, Mixed Potatoes, Salad & Water!

Its alright you can ask,

 the answer is yes! This was as good as it looks!

First 

Start your pork chops

This time I cooked mine in oil, pepper and crushed garlic

Next

Fresh mint, frozen berries and Water!

Make the sauce for the pork

Make a fresh salad

Bake potatoes (I started these before the pork)

Serve the flavored water

removed cooked pork to set

Add sauce to pan with pork drippings.

Serve and you have a full dinner like the one photo'd above!

YUM!

For the link to the Recipe please click here.

 70. Pork Chops Linked Here

Fun with Water!

Am I having fun with water? I think so!

Yesterday to jazz up my water I added a handful of cut strawberries to my water pitcher placed it in the fridge and then drank when thristy.

YUM! 

My daughter is SO addicted.

Today I stepped it up a notch.

I added two sprigs of fresh mint!

Now if you want a more strawberry and lighter mint taste only use one sprig.

Me I love the way the two flavors battle over your taste buds!

Quick Banana Shake!

One yogurt drink
half a banana
a handful of frozen berries

Mix in a blender for a minute and YUM!
I hate to say it be really its as good as the 5 dollar shakes you buy at the mall!

Addicted to Tea

Yes I know another product review, but hey I don't have a kitchen right now so cooking is a little hard.

Arizona green tea with ginseng and honey, even my BFF has the cover of this bottle memorized.
Why? Because if this one isn't in the store I don't buy.

Normally... which is where, of course the story starts.

This week my BFF saw my disappointment for my store being out of stock again and helped me decide to try the store knock off brand.

YEW! YUCK! GROSS!!!

Alright the Arizona Tea group has created a delicate blend of the three flavors, its smooth, sweet, light and best of all the tea is tasty.
I can say this with all sincerity as I am a tea connoisseur, re ally I even have my favorite tea shipped to me as its only made one place in the world.

The big blue store chain that will remain nameless, although, most people can guess who, must not drink the item before selling it. They sell a Green tea with honey and ginseng, the tea tastes between old and burnt, and the ginseng is too heavy so it leaves a sharp after taste that they try to cover by adding to much honey.

Seriously?

I dumped the offending product down the drain and replaced it with two bottles of Arizona. Reaffirming that some things can be duplicated (mac and cheese, cleaners, and cheap frozen pizza), but not everything. Some products can not be replaced and are not worth the thirty cents you might save.

Chai Tea and Diet helps

This is an amazing tea! Its a Caffeine free, gluten free, all natural tea.

Chai Tea

One cup hot water (boiling or pre boiling)
One tea bag of the Bengal Spice Tea
1/4 C. milk
1 tsp. sweetener (sugar, honey, whatever your personal preference is)

This makes a very tasty sweet Chai tea, one that I am now in love with! I highly recommend this drink!

Now I found a great article tonight featuring 25 great dieting tips.
Run by check it out and get some wonderful ideas!

Wassil or Russian Tea

my mess

Ok this is a long story but when I was growing up my Mama was given a Wassil mix from our neighbor as a Christmas gift. We loved it so much that Mama asked for the recipe our neighbor then explained she had bought it from a co-worker who had since then quit.

After that both mama and our neighbor started trying out different recipes for this fabulous drink. Several years and many recipes later they both fell in love with this recipe.
Which is made using easy to get American ingredients (nice for me since this is very popular in Sweden, Russia ect) the first couple of recipes they tried had harder to get ingrediants.

 

When its almost done but not mixed it looks like this!

When its all mixed up it looks like this!

Then add around 2 tbls to a large cup of hot water.

Stir and enjoy!

Yummmmm!!!


Wassil or Russian Tea Recipe


Mix together in a large container

2 cups Tang

1 1/2 cups Sugar

3/4 cups Instant Tea

1 pkg Jello (any flavor) I prefer the new tropical fusion however orange or lemon work well too)

3 Tbls Lemonade drink mix

2 tsp Cinnamon (ground)

1 tsp Allspice (ground)

1 tsp Cloves (ground up - can use fresh just grind your self I personally have a an electric coffee grinder just for grinding spices!)

Make sure to have a tight lid, as this should last you a full winter, even if you share with a friend!

Labor Day Treats

I found a post on the web titled "A full Labor day picnic in five fifteen minute dishes." They were just too good to pass up. So I am trying four out of the five as my BFF is allergic to tomatoes and its my belief that they will be a hit!

This blog is mainly my virtual cookbook, in case of fire, flood or other damage this will be where I keep a stored record of my favorite dishes. Not to mention the odd, "Oh that looks really yummy!" Treasure that I find online and want to keep a copy of until they have been tried. I will then review and add into the Yes! or the No! Categories that will be made later.

First up on the list for today minus the yummy photos is!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 10 minutes

1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup shredded carrots
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2 teaspoons light ranch dressing
1 small whole-wheat sandwich bun
1 leaf romaine lettuce

Combine chicken, carrots and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Spread ranch dressing on the bun. Top with the chicken mixture and lettuce.
Makes 1 serving.

Per serving: 323 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 4 g fiber; 729 mg sodium; 456 potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (100% daily value), Selenium (56% dv).

Active time: 15-25 minutes | Total: 15-25 minutes | To make ahead: Cover and chill for up to 2 days.


Broccoli Slaw

4 slices turkey bacon
1 12- to 16-ounce bag shredded broccoli slaw or 1 large bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 8-ounce can low-sodium sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely diced red onion (1/2 medium)

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. (Alternatively, microwave on High for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.) Drain bacon on paper towels. Chop coarsely.
2. If using whole broccoli, trim about 3 inches off the stems. Chop the rest into 1/4-inch pieces.
3. Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add water chestnuts, onion, bacon and broccoli; toss to coat. Chill until serving time.

Makes 8 servings, 3/4 cup each.

Per serving: 80 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 3 g fiber; 297 mg sodium; 181 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value).


Strawberry - Raspberry Sundae

Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 10 minutes

1 cup strawberries, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup raspberries, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt

Puree strawberries and raspberries with sugar and lemon juice in a blender. Serve over frozen yogurt and top with sliced strawberries and raspberries, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 130 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 2 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber; 65 mg sodium; 293 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (45% daily value), Calcium (20% dv).

Cherry-Mint Spritzer

Active time: 10 minutes | Total: 10 minutes

1 cup pitted fresh or frozen (thawed) cherries
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
8 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
3 cups cherry-flavored seltzer

Divide cherries, mint leaves and sugar among 4 glasses. Mash everything together with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in lime juice. Fill glasses with ice and top with seltzer. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 63 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 2 mg sodium; 130 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (15% daily value).

Also just for fun check out the 10 tricks for improving your memory!