Fruit Smoothie

Makes: 4 - 8 oz. smoothies

1 c. frozen berries
1 ripe banana, broken into several pieces
3/4 c. orange juice
1/3 c. milk
3/4 c. (6 oz.) vanilla yogurt

In a blender, place all ingredients with berries on the bottom. Blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes.

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Tips: This smoothie is one of my regular midday snacks. Here is another alternative, if you have a vanilla powdered drink mix, like Ensure or SlimFast use a scoop of the powder in your smoothie. (I use Juice Plus Complete Shake because it has great nutritional qualities.) If you do this you can opt for plain yogurt thus reducing the sugar in the smoothie. I put the powder in before the liquids so that they blend better. You can also use soy milk in place of cow's milk if you prefer. I purchase a large bag of frozen berries (sometimes strawberries, sometimes mixed berries) at Sam's Club. Lastly, since I make this smoothie regularly, I buy the large 32 oz. container of yogurt so I always have some on hand. This is a great way to get fruits into your kids even if you're on the go! I also shared this recipe at Kitchen Stewardship's Carnival of SuperFoods and MomTrends' Food Friday.

Recipe from Stacy.

Spiced Apple Cider

Serves:6-8

1 bottle (64 oz.) apple cider
1 1/2 t. whole all-spice
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 c. brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove whole all-spice & serve.

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Tips: This apple cider is great for the fall. If your group is not going to finish the whole half-gallon just use a funnel to return the cider to its original container and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to have a glass, simply pour into a microwave safe mug and heat for 1-2 minutes. I also shared this great fall recipe at Life as MOM's Recipe Swap and at A Southern Fairytale's Mouthwatering Monday.

Recipe from my mom, Kay.