My Favorite Smoothie Recipe

  Hello, friends! I have a delicious smoothie recipe to share with you guys! I have been trying to eat a lot healthier and so I've been eating a lot more fruits and vegetables. To start my morning off right, I like to start with a protein and vitamin filled smoothie. This is great, because it has a ton of nutrients, energizes me throughout the day, and tastes delicious! 

The Steps In Creating the Smoothie (In Pictures):

The Recipe: 

You Need:

1 Frozen banana

A handful of berries (It doesn't matter what berries you have!)

1 TSP Oats (For grit)

1 TSP Peanut Butter (For protein)

3/4-1 C Milk (Eyeball this)

**I also like adding spinach or kale (a handful) but I ran out!**

Blend all of these ingredients in your blender until reaching the consistency you would like.

**Isn't the Skinnygirl Blender awesome? It's so easy! I recommend!**

(Not Sponsored)

  I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Let me know if you want to see more recipes like this! Enjoy! 

Tropical Smoothie Recipe

Hello, friends! No matter what the weather, I like cold drinks. I love Frappucinos, iced coffee, and smoothies in the winter time. It's honestly the weirdest thing. One of my favorite smoothies to make is inspired by a Blogilates post that I saw on Instagram which is a "Healthy Orange Julian" smoothies recipe. This is very simple to make and only requires a few ingredients. 

Ingredients

1. 1 clementine
2. 1 banana
3. 3/4 C milk
4. 1 C of ice
5. 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel one clementine and break it apart slightly. Place it in the blender.
2. Follow up the orange with a banana broken into chunks. Place the banana in the blender as well.
3. Use a measuring cup to measure out 3/4 of milk (any kind is fine) and pour it into the blender.
4. Reuse the measuring cup to trap 1 c of ice and put it in the blender.
5. Blend the mixture together until an icy, smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Add a little sugar if you like a sweeter smoothie. If not, go au natural and drink it as is.

This is a really refreshing and delicious drink! I hope you try it! If you do, let me know in the comments below! See you all later! 

-Love Ling

Monkey Bread Recipe

  Hello, fri- the- ends! How are you doing today? I hope you are hungry, because I have a delicious recipe to share with you today! I found an amazing recipe for monkey bread, which is a cinnamon roll-esque pastry. I made them this morning and I was so impressed by how they turned out! They were gooey, moist, and delicious. Ahhhh! I want one right now! This is how mine turned out: 

And here is the link for the recipe --> http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Monkey-Bread-Made-Easy/Detail.aspx

** It says to bake them for 20 minutes, but I took mine out at 13. If I would have kept it at 20, they wouldn't have been as tasty, so make sure that you watch them and take them out when they get golden brown. 

Enjoy this recipe! It's amazing and so easy to make!

-Love Ling

Apple, Feta, and Walnut Salad Recipe

  Hello, friends! It's been a while since I've done a recipe post, so to make up for it, I have two for you! I have this one right here, which is a really simple salad recipe that's nice and light, perfect for the summer! The next one should be posted in about a week and will be a surprise! Let's get on to this recipe, shall we? It's the perfect blend of salty and sweet, but it's also really healthy! 

Serves 2

**I doubled this recipe for my 4 person family, and it was way too much! If you're looking to serve 4 with this salad as a side dish, the amount of ingredients should be fine. 

You will need: 

• 100g baby spinach
• 1 red apple
• Handful of candied walnuts
• 50g crumbled feta
• 1 TB apple cider (or apple juice is fine) 
• 1 TB wholegrain mustard
• 3 TB olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Part A- Salad Preparation

• Star by rinsing and drying your spinach. Go ahead and place it in a big salad bowl

• Next, chop up your apple into smaller little niblets. Set them to the side after you're done. 

• Then grab your handful of candied walnuts and place aside. 

• Measure out 50g of crumbled feta and set aside. 

Part B- Dressing

• Next, mix the apple cider/juice, olive oil, mustard, and salt and pepper in a bowl. This will be your dressing. 

Now just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy! 

Alright guys! That is the salad recipe that I have to share with you today! I hope you try it out, and let me know what you think! 

-Love Ling

DIY Caramel Frap

Hello, friends! My, my this has been a busy week!Luckily, the weekend is fast approaching. Let's just get through Friday, folks, then we're home free! To get you through that home stretch, I have a recipe for you today! How many of you like Starbucks, or just coffee shops, in general? I happen to adore them, and one of my favorite drinks are the Caramel Fraps. They're dessert mixed with caffeine, love it! I actually have a really great recipe for you guys that will allow you to make one for yourself, without having the hassle of going out and getting a frap yourself. This will not only save you time, but also money! Here's how to make it:

Serves 2 Medium Drink Sizes

Ingredients

• 1/2  C cold coffee
• 2 TB Torani Caramel Syrup
• 2 TB Sugar
• 1/2 C Milk
• 2 C Ice
• Whipped Cream (optional, but totally not)

1. Go ahead and make yourself a good ole cup o' Joe. In order for this recipe to work, the coffee needs to be chilled. You can do this either by refrigerating it or mixing the hot coffee with some ice.
2. Combine the chilled coffee, milk, sugar (to taste), caramel syrup (only $5 for a bottle), and ice in a blender and blend until all the ice chunks are gone.
3. Then, just pour it into a cup, top with whipped cream and sip!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! It's super easy and delicious! If you have any other requests for drink recipes, let me know! 

-Love Ling

Healthy Banana Icecream!

Hello, friends! Who loves ice-cream? I know I sure do! A whole lot! Like, a lot. Unfortunately, we all know that this frozen treat isn't at the top of the healthy list. If only there were a way to have healthy ice-cream...oh wait! There is! This blog post is inspired by health blogger, Blogilates. Here's the recipe for healthy ice-cream:

Ingredients

• One frozen banana
• 1 TB of peanut butter
• 1 TB almond milk/dairy milk/soy milk

Directions

1. First, you'll want to go ahead and freeze your banana. I like to put one in a sandwich bag, cut it into slices, then place it in the freezer. That way, it's a lot less messy and is easier over all. 
2. After your banana is sufficiently frozen, get out a blender or food processor and pour your banana chunks into it.
3. Add 1 TB of peanut butter for that extra kick. If you're allergic to it or just don't like it, this can be left out. 
4. Turn on your blending device and blend until the banana chunks are smooth and ice-cream like. If you have trouble getting them to blend, add that tablespoon of milk and blend some more. 
5. Pour your ice-cream into a bowl and enjoy!

This dessert is roughly 100 calories and tastes amazing. I hope you enjoyed it! Add extra fruit or toppings for more pizazz!

-Love Ling

Shamrock Shake Recipe

Hello, friends! I'm sure you're familiar with the amazing, once a year milkshake at McDonald's: The Shamrock Shake. Not only is this drink delicious in its sweet mint flavor, it's festive green color is awesome. Today, I'm going to teach you how to save some money and trips to McDonald's by giving you my Shamrock Shake recipe. 

Ingredients: About one pint, a small in McDonald's sizing

1. 2 big scoops of vanilla ice-cream
2. 1/2 c of milk
3. 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
4. 1-2 drops of green food coloring
5. Whipped cream (optional)
6. Green sprinkles (totally necessary, but optional)

How To

1. Get out a blender and scoop two big scoops of ice-cream into it.
2. Pour in 1/2 c of milk. Add more or less depending on how thick you want the drink.
3. Add in a teensy weensy 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract. This stuff is STRONG, so use sparingly.
4. Squeeze out a couple drops of green food coloring. This step has no effect on the flavor, but increases the authenticity of the shake.
5. Blend until thoroughly mixed
6. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and sprinkles. 
7. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this super easy recipe and that it was helpful. Now you can have Shamrock Shakes year round! 

-Love Ling

Snow Cream Recipe

  Hello,friends! It is still snowing where I live! I don't know how long I am going to be house bound due to the snow, but I am enjoying the beautiful, blowing flurries. Yesterday's snow adventures included building a snowman and sledding, but today, the snow is a lot more powdery and soft. My sister and I decided to take advantage of this and make snow cream. We had never made it before, so I looked up a recipe online to see how. Here's the recipe




Ingredients

1. A big bowl of fresh snow
2. 1 c milk
3. 1/3 c sugar
4. 1/2 tsp of vanilla
5. Any extra toppings

Instructions

1. Set a bowl outside while it's snowing and wait until it's full of snow. You can also scoop fresh snow into the bowl.
2. Pour in the milk, sugar, and vanilla into the bowl and stir it until all the ingredients are fully mixed
3. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!

I find that snow cream is very similar to a vanilla slushy. It's very light, but at the same time, very filling. I highly encourage you to make this delicious treat!

-Love Ling