Drink Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Busy Moms Helper

Ultimate Smoothie Recipe Round Up

May 2, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

As the weather gets warmer, Hubby and I move towards smoothies for breakfast. A LOT! But I can’t have the same thing over and over again, so I went on the hunt for enough smoothie recipes to really give us a variety. For all YOU smoothie lovers out there, here’s my Ultimate Smoothie Recipe Round Up!

One thing I love about smoothies is that they keep me fuller longer, which ~~prevents~~ helps me to not snack as often. I even enjoy them as an afternoon pick-me-up, when I get that after lunchtime drag. (please tell me I’m not the only one who feels zombie-ish in the early afternoons!) Since Hubby and I are attempting to improve our diet (drastically), I’m sure many of these smoothies will make an appearance in our home for more than just breakfast! Now on to The Ultimate Smoothie Recipe Round Up!

Now THIS looks like a perfect breakfast! Check out these Blueberry ‘Cream’ Oatmeal Smoothies from Healthy Smoothie Recipe.

Oh, for the love of peanut butter, you’ve got to try this Healthy Peanut Butter Breakfast Smoothie from Mindfully Frugal Mom!

I’m all for planning ahead, especially for breakfasts (I’m so not a morning person!) so I’m definitely giving these Frozen Smoothie Packs from All Things Katie Marie a try ASAP!

Just look at that photo….I’m already drooling for 15 of the Best Smoothie Recipes from Passion for Savings!

One of Hubby’s FAVORITE smoothies, this Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie uses real pumkin and banana.

My friend over at Creative Green Living posted this Watermelon Coconut Water Refresher Smoothie, and I HAD to try it. DEFINITELY refreshing and delicious!

There’s SO MANY recipes in this round-up from Rachel Cooks that look so delicious, can’t wait to work my way through her 50+ Juice & Smoothie Recipes!

So maybe it’s just me…but those strawberries look SO DANG GOOD! This list of 10 Amazing Smoothie Recipes from My Frugal Adventures has such delicious variety, it’s truly ‘amazing’!

I love the hint of almond in the Tropical Strawberry Smoothie!

Again, my love of peanut butter got the best of me, luckily! Here’s 15 Healthy Peanut Butter Smoothie Recipes from My Natural Family.

I love adding blackberries to smoothies, especially when it comes out so beautifully purple like this Blackberry Banana Bliss Smoothie from Creme De La Crumb.

Sober Julie had me at ‘cheesecake’ with her Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie!

This Clean Eating Mango Chai Smoothie from The Gracious Pantry is now on Hubby’s MUST TRY list…he can’t wait to try it!

Who could resist this Healthy Apple Pie Dessert Smoothie from Green Thickies?! Not me!

Since my kids seem to suck any energy I may have clean out of me, this Energy Boost Fruit Smoothie from Sober Julie may become a regular addition to my meal plan!

Although Hubby isn’t a fan of coconut, I love this fresh Coco-Orange Smoothie to kickstart my day!

I use to hate green smoothies, but have learned to make them the right way so they may look green, but taste amazing…..so I can’t wait to make my way through these 15 Quick & Easy Green Smoothie Recipes from Green Thickies!

Still one of my favorite dessert-type smoothies, is this Copy-Cat Strawberry Julius!

A Night Owl Blog is amazing, and she hit it right on the mark again with her 50 Smoothie Recipes! Drool!

And last, but not least, is this Cherry Berry Smoothie, with a nice mixture of delicious berries!

The WORST Hot Cocoa Ever

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Yes, you read that correct – WORST Hot Cocoa Ever. I’ve been gathering recipes for the past two weeks for homemade hot cocoa (not using a store bought mix), and trying all of them. My PLAN was to list the top five favorites.

The Worst Hot Cocoa Ever, plus some GREAT Hot Cocoa Recipes / Busy Mom's Helper

EPIC FAIL!!!

I tried literally a dozen recipes, and they all turned out absolutely AWFUL! Like dump-down-the-drain type of awful. I’m sorry, but if my little 7-year-old even says “Mom, do I have to drink this?’ then it’s REALLY BAD hot cocoa.

Hubby about cringed every time I had to dump more down the drain, wasting all those ingredients. We were actually EXCITED to just bring out the store bought stuff tonight!!!

So although it was a HORRIBLE DISASTER – Don’t Despair!!!

Here are 10 Hot Cocoa Recipes from bloggers I completely trust, and would honestly recommend 😀

Red Velvet Hot Chocolate from Six Sisters’ Stuff

5 Amazing Cocoa Recipes from Our Best Bites

Sugar Free Hot Cocoa from Pint Sized Baker

Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate from No. 2 Pencil (posting at Tatertots & Jello)

Homemade Hot Cocoa Kit from i hear naptime

Our all-time favorite Winter Drink - White Chocolate Hot Cocoa!!

White Chocolate Hot Cocoa from Lil Luna

Heather’s Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Nutella Hot Chocolate | Just My Crazy Kitchen #nutella #hotchocolate #recipe #yum

Nutella Hot Chocolate from Cupcake and Bacon

Homemade Hot Cocoa recipe with homemade frozen peppermint whipped cream hearts

Homemade Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Whipped Cream from Shugary Sweets

Hot Chocolate Martini from The Kitchen is my Playground

So there you have it – TEN potential recipes for you to give a try.

If you have a homemade cocoa recipe you want to share, please comment and let me know!

2013 Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes

January 3, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

Okay all my fellow foodies, this may the list you’ve been waiting for – the 2013 Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes! You clicked on, repinned, and viewed these recipes more than all the others, so they must be AMAZING!

Best of 2013 Series: Main Dishes, Sides & Other Tasty-ness / Busy Mom's Helper

Have I let on how ‘geeky’ my family is? I mean, on here my kids (including Hubby) all go by our superhero names: Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern…..so that should be a pretty good clue. However, my hubby pointed out that I’ve reached a top level of Nerd when we go to a movie and a superhero-type (Avengers, Spiderman, etc.) trailer comes on, and I giggle excitedly like a little school girl. Ya, I’m a nerd.

That being said, I’m DYING now that I’ve seen the 2nd Hobbit movie. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!! And I can’t just go read the book, because many have pointed out there’s characters and events in the movie that aren’t in the book at all – so if I read it, I’ll just be confused. ARGH!!!

Anywho….I hope you’re all having a fun and relaxing (can ‘motherhood’ and ‘relaxing’ be used in the same sentence without ‘isn’t’?) holiday season! Here’s the 3rd installment in the Busy Mom’s Helper Best of 2013 Series: Main Dishes, Sides & Other Tasty-ness!!!

Slow-cooker Caramel Apple Cider

Cheesy Pesto Stuffed Chicken

Cake Mix Rolls

Cherry Chocolate Bars

Dr. Pepper Slow-Cooker Roast

Cinna-Orange Muffins

(these were a guest post at Simply Sweet Home)

Balsamic Chicken Skillet

Pumpkin Breakfast Smoothie

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip

Ham & Egg Cups

Fire-Roasted Fall Pasta

French Toast Bites

What do YOU consider the Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes?

Stay tuned for more in this series:

Bring on the Sweets
Non-Recipes

Recipes (this post)

Coconut Orange Smoothie

January 3, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

Can you believe school is almost out for the year? We’re making some summer plans for visiting family, and it’s starting to hit me how close things actually are. Crazy how things kind of just go really slow for awhile, then all of a sudden BAM BAM BAM with a bunch of things all at once! For example, it’s almost the end of school, then a few weeks later we’re visiting family out of state for a few weeks, then almost immediately after returning our house will be complete and we’ll move in…..and then school starts again. Crazy, but fun! For a little afternoon pick-me-up, try this delicious (and tropical – we can dream, right?!) Coconut Orange Smoothie!

Coco-Orange Smoothie / Busy Mom's Helper

I’m really getting into the hot-weather months lately, especially since it’s in the 90’s here the past few days. One of my favorite ways to cool down is a nice smoothie, and my kids sure don’t mind that! I like to mix it up, though, and definitely go by what produce is on sale that week. Oranges are one of those things that seems to always (or at least almost always) be on sale, so I tend to use it in a lot of smoothies. This one is a smooth blend of oranges and coconut milk, but the coconut milk could easily be changed out for plain milk. My hubby hates coconut, so his are made that way.

Ingredients
2 Oranges, peeled
1 Banana, peeled
2 cups Spinach
6 oz. Coconut milk
1 tray Ice cubes

Directions
Blend everything in your blender. Pour into two serving glasses and enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cider

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Okay, I’m not a cold-loving person…..and I grew up in northern Utah. Winters just aren’t my friend. That’s one of many reasons we moved to Texas (we have yet to see how we like the HOT of summer here), to avoid the wintry snow and cold. The one good thing about cold weather? Curling up with a nice cup of Caramel Apple Cider. I love it! So when my friend mentioned making it IN A SLOW COOKER, I thought ‘perfection’! With a touch of caramel, it ALMOST had me missing the snow back in Utah.

Ingredients:

64 oz. Apple juice
4 Cinnamon sticks (more or less, depending on preference)
Whipped cream for topping
1/2 jar Caramel sauce
Additional Caramel sauce for drizzling

Directions:

Cook the apple juice and cinnamon sticks in the slow cooker on High for about 4 hours.
Remove the cinnamon sticks prior to serving. Stir in the Caramel sauce (about 1/2 jar).
Be sure to serve in heat-proof cups, because it will be hot! Top with whipped cream and a drizzling of caramel sauce.

Notes: I went through a whole jar of caramel sauce for one batch of caramel apple cider, but my friend says she only uses half total. So base it on your preference. Obviously, I love caramel! Also, after about 4 hours I turn it to ‘keep warm’, so I can just get another glass still hot when I want throughout the day. If the cup has been sitting awhile, stir it before drinking, as the caramel and cinnamon tend to separate.

Cherry Berry Smoothie

January 19, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

Many years ago we had a house that had a HUGE, old cherry tree in the yard, so we loved finding different recipes that called for cherries. One of my favorite was this tasty Cherry Berry Smoothie, because it was super refreshing, full of fruity flavor, and a healthier afternoon snack option!

Cherry Berry Smoothie / Busy Mom's Helper

Ingredients:
1 cup Frozen tart cherries, pitted
1 cup Low fat milk (we used skim)
½ cup Plain lowfat yogurt
4 tbsp. Blueberries, not frozen
2 tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
Sprinkle of cinnamon (about 1 tsp.)
16 Ice cubes
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Garnish with almonds, walnuts or cherries, if desired.

Notes: I found it’s easier to blend everything except the ice cubes first, then put those in and finish blending. Makes 4 8-oz servings. 164 calories per serving (based on 1% milk).

What do YOU consider the Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes?

Ingredients:

Directions:

Would you rather try this Cherry Berry Smoothie for snack, or a quick breakfast recipe?