Blackberry Vanilla Smoothie

This is a very delicious smoothie.  I made this with rice milk and no yogurt for my husband because he can't have a lot of dairy.  There is some dried milk in the protein powder, but it is not enough to cause him problems.  If you have a sensitivity to dairy this would be a great option for you.

What you will need:

1 cup of Rice Dream Vanilla flavored Rice Milk (available at Kroger)
1 cup of Private Selection frozen Blackberries (available at Kroger)
1 medium banana, cut up into pieces
1 scoop of Vanilla Protein powder (I use ON 100% Gold Standard Natural Whey because there are no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners)

How to make it:

Place all items in the blender.  I usually add the milk first and then the protein powder so that the powder doesn't stick to the sides of the blender.  This way all the protein powder gets mix in well.  Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until your smoothie looks nice and thick.  Serve immediately.  This makes a great, quick and healthy breakfast, or your can freeze it in a freezer safe bowl and have a good frozen treat instead of ice cream.  Enjoy!

Quick, Easy and Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes

These pancakes are super quick to make.  They are also very healthy and easy.  You don't have to pre-cook the whole oats at all which makes this recipe something you can make every morning if you want.  You also don't have to use the quick cooking kind of oats.  I use regular whole oats because they just get blended up anyway.  I use my blender to make these.  It is very easy to mix all the ingredients together in a blender and then just pour the mixture right onto your skillet.  When your done, all you have to clean up is the skillet and the blender.  

What you need:

1 cup of egg beaters (egg substitute)
1 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup of Kroger Strawberry Vanilla yogurt (or your favorite strawberry yogurt)
2 cups of whole oats
1/4 cup of milk (if necessary)

How to make them:

Put all of your ingredients in the blender and turn on high until your batter looks smooth.  If the batter is to thick add a little milk to thin it out if necessary.  I use an electric skillet for cooking these but you can use a large pan on the stove too.  If using an electric skillet, turn it on about 275 F.  If your using the stove, set it to medium low.  Pour your pancakes right out of the blender into your skillet.  Cook until you see the bubbles coming up and then flip them over.  These pancakes will brown very nicely.  You can serve these plain and they will taste great.  You can also top with butter and your favorite syrup or whip cream and fresh strawberries for an extra special breakfast treat!  I usually get about 12-16 medium sized pancakes out of this batter.  You can freeze the leftovers for snacks, too!

Wheat Free Strawberry Walnut Bread

This is a simple bread to make and it tastes amazing.  It is a great, healthy bread that you can make and not feel bad about eating.  Berry season is coming and this is a great bread that can be made with any type of berry.

What you need:

3 cups of oat flour (made from whole oats ground in a food processor)
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/3 cup of egg whites
2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen strawberries, thawed, sliced (do not drain, the juice adds moisture to this bread)
1 cup of walnut pieces
2 teaspoons of Kroger Light Brown Sugar (for sprinkling on top of bread)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease 2 loaf pans.  Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Combine eggs, strawberries and walnuts and add to dry ingredients.  Stir well.  Divide batter between loaf pans.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the light brown sugar evenly over the top of each loaf.  Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  You can also watch to see if the bread has pulled away from the sides of the pan during baking.  That also means its done.  Cool in loaf pans for about 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool completely.  Serve plain, with fruit flavored cream cheese, or your favorite preserves.  Make a couple of these and stick in the freezer for those last minute guests.  Just thaw and serve (or if your like my husband, eat it frozen!).