Slush Punch

Kelly MacQueen

1 C sugar
2 C water
46 oz. HiC Punch (fruit punch)
1/2 C pineapple juice
1 can frozen lemonade
2 liter 7-Up

Boil the water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add HiC punch, pineapple juice, and lemonade.  Freeze.  Add a 2 liter bottle of 7-Up to thawed slush.  Yummy!

Kelly MacQueen was Mommy's roomate in college.  Daddy, Mommy, Todd, and Kelly used to all hang out together.  Daddy and Todd were roommates for awhile.  Todd & Kelly got married 3 weeks before Daddy & Mommy did.  We had such wonderful times with the MacQueens.  Kelly brought this punch to a peer counseling function in college and it was so incredible!
Love Always,
Mommy

Egg Shell Water

Bulk Herb Store

Tid Bit on Eggshell and Bone Health

1. Studies have shown that taking eggshell with vitamin D3 improves bone mineral density. Egg shells have been used for the pain, and treating, of all kinds of arthritis and joint pain.

2. Pour 2 cups of hot water over 4-5 (free-range or organic is best) crumbled egg shells. Add 1 tsp fresh lemon juice or vinegar. Cover and let sit for 2 hours. Strain the shells out and put liquid in a clean glass jar with a lid. Take a sip of the liquid one or two times a day. Just because it works, does not mean you should take more than you need. So, slowly increase your dosage until pain is the gone. After that do not increase it. Some of us need more calcium than others, but remember our bodies cannot handle too much calcium.

3. Egg shells are high in Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Glycine, Gelatin, Collagen, and Other trace minerals.

Mommy has made this in the past and added 1 tsp to smoothies for 5 people.  Before Joshua could drink milk, this was so very important for him.  I want to made some more to add to our food.  Just be careful to not add too much!

Love Always,

Mommy

Chia Seed Gel

Cooking God's Way

Mix 1 part seed to 9 parts water. Allow to stand 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk again, and allow to stand about 10 minutes more. A gel should have formed. Store in the fridge where it will keep for 2 weeks.

The gel will add nutrients to your food, without changing/diluting the taste of your food. Add a couple teaspoons of the gel to your yogurt in the morning, which makes it tapioca pudding-like. Or make a Power Smoothie by adding a Tablespoon to your favorite Shake/Smoothie recipe.

Mommy will make this and add it to our smoothies.  It is a great way to boost the nutritional value without effecting the taste.  Chia is very high in iron and Mommy consumes a lot of chia seed gel when she is pregnant.  

Love Always,

Mommy 

Smoothie Hints

Smoothie Hints

Smoothies are a yummy and filling way to get all kinds of "good for you" things into your diet.  Here are some smoothie basics.

Use a combination of fresh and frozen fruit.  The frozen fruit will make it cold without diluting the flavor.  Bananas, as well as apples, are great for adding sweetness.

Choose just a couple types of fruit.

Add raw honey or maple syrup as a sweetener if needed.

It is so easy to add probiotics, some greens (spinach, lettuce, etc), liquid vitamin D, chia seed gel, egg shell water, ground flax seed, apple seeds, etc. to boost the nutritional value.  Hannah doesn't like green smoothies so if adding greens I usually make sure and use blueberries to make it purple instead.  :)

Raw milk, Kiefer, raw milk yogurt, or juice work wonderfully to thin the smoothie to the desired consistency.

Don't forget to add a splash of vanilla for extra yumminess!  :)

Very Berry Smoothie

Mommy created recipe

2 apples
2 bananas
10 frozen strawberries
small handful frozen blueberries
small handful frozen raspberries
small handful frozen blackberries
splash of grape juice

Quarter the apples and remove the stem.  Peel the bananas.  Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Mommy likes to make smoothies for breakfast or lunch.  They are never the same twice but Hannah liked this one so much she wanted me to write down what I did.  :)  It was really good!  Smoothies are a wonderful way to get all kinds of "good for you" stuff and still have it taste really yummy!


Love Always, 
Mommy

Strawberry Milkshakes

Modified from a recipe from Heavenly Homemakers

1 C. milk
1 C. heavy whipping cream
2 C. frozen strawberries
2 TB maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pour milk and cream into blender.  Add frozen strawberries, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.

What a fun breakfast!  We need to make these more often.  What a wonderful summertime treat.
Love Always,
Mommy

3-2-1 Lemonade

A MOMYS recipe

3 large lemons
2 C. sugar
1 gallon water

Thinly slice the lemons into rounds.  Layer the lemons and the sugar in a bowl.  Use a potato masher to mash and combine the lemons and sugar.  Allow to set for 10 minutes.  Put the mixture in a sieve over a gallon pitcher.  Smash the juice through the sieve.  Add 1 gallon of ice.  Chill and serve.

This is really awesome lemonade.  Mommy craved this when pregnant with Ezra and Jonathan.  We usually use more lemons than the recipes states.  This is very sweet and yummy!  Probably not the best drink in the world but a very yummy treat.
Love Always,
Mommy

Mommy Mocha Frapp

Mommy Creation

3/4 C. milk
2 TB baking cocoa
2 TB organic sugar
1 tsp. instant decaf coffee
1/4 C. chocolate syrup (homemade preferable)
2 C. ice

Put all ingredients except for ice in the VitaMix.  Blend to combine.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  Enjoy with a straw!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mocha Frapp
Add 3-5 large fresh or frozen strawberries, stems removed


This is so yummy!!!  Mommy loves this.  I like Starbucks Frappuccinos but they are expensive.  This is a great way to curb my Starbucks "wanter" for a whole less money.  :)   The homemade chocolate syrup is much better for you than the Hershey's syrup and it tastes awesome.
Love Always,
Mommy

Spearmint Tea

Sheryl Campbell

5-6 12"-18" twigs of spearmint leaves
generous 1/4 C. evaporated cane juice sugar
2 quarts of water

Cut the twigs of spearmint leaves. Pull leaves off stems and wash leaves. Put leaves in a glass 4 cup measuring cup and pour boiling water over leaves. Add evaporated cane juice sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Let steep for 20 minutes. Strain tea into a 2 quart pitcher. Fill pitcher up with water. Serve. Yummy!


The last time we went to Virgina (Nov. 2008) Rob & Sheryl Campbell graciously opened up there home to our family.  While we were there, Sheryl made this tea.  I have wanted to plant spearmint ever since!  :)  We just put our spearmint plants in the ground a couple of weeks ago and I just made our first pitcher of spearmint tea.  It is SO delicious!  Hannah and Daniel love it just as much as I do!  Really great stuff.  Yum!

Love Always,
Mommy

Hot Cocoa

The Wilkes Team

1 C. sugar
2/3 C. baking cocoa
¼ tsp. salt
8 C. milk
2/3 C. water
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large pan. Stir in milk and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and stir in extract. Serve in your favorite mugs with a few little marshmallows on top to finish it off.
Variation: Substitute raspberry, mint, etc. extract for vanilla extract for a yummy treat!
Yields: 9-10 servings

Our good friends the Wilkes Team in Virginia shared this absolutely wonderful recipe with us.  I always seem to gravitate to this warm drink on cold days.  Half a batch of this is perfect for Hannah, Daniel, and Mommy to enjoy!  This afternoon I think we will partake of this hot cocoa, play Upturn, and then watch our new Animals in the Bible DVD.  Sounds like a wonderful cold weather plan!

Love Always,
Mommy