Mixed Berry Smoothie

Just in case you were wondering, my diet isn't made up entirely of cake and frosting! I know that is hard to believe since 99% of CIS focuses on butter, sugar, flour and more sugar! But truth be told I am very health conscious and eat a well balanced diet of fruits, veggies, proteins and carbs. I believe in eating a rainbow of colors in fruits and veggies and most mornings I start my day off with a huge bowl of fruit or my new favorite Mixed Berry Smoothie. I can't think of a more refreshing drink during these hot summer months than a fresh & fruity smoothie. Smoothies are the perfect way start to your day, make a healthy mid afternoon snack or can even be considered an after dinner dessert!

Fruit smoothies are such a wonderful source of vitamins and nutrients and the recipes can be easily adapted for your favorite fruits, juices and flavor combinations. My favorite smoothie right now includes strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. I used a combination of both fresh and frozen berries for this recipe and I love the deep purple color produced. The magic of smoothies is that when berries aren't in season you can always use frozen. Don't like all the berries, swop in a banana or some peaches, the possibilities are truly endless.

Mixed Berry Smoothie
(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:
-1 cup strawberries
-2 cups frozen mixed berries (I used raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
-1 cup orange juice
-3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
-3 Tbsp honey

• Place all ingredients in blender and pulse on high until combined.
• Pour mixture into 2 serving glasses. Add a straw and some fresh berries on top and enjoy!

What's your favorite fruit smoothie flavor?

Triple Berry Fruit Pizza

Fresh berries...my fridge is stocked full right now! YUM! Not only do I enjoy eating these luscious berries by the handful for a snack but I also like using them to garnish sweets! Growing up there was one go-to dessert we would make every summer...Fruit Pizza. Sugar cookie dough, cream cheese icing and fruit. It really doesn't get much simpler than that.

Our traditional fruit pizza was always in the shape of a rectangle and decorated with blueberries and strawberries to resemble the American Flag...does this sound familiar to anyone else? It seems like this was always our staple dessert for 4th of July weekend. It was so patriotic with the red, white and blue.

So with loads of fresh berries on hand, it was the perfect opportunity to make some Triple Berry Fruit Pizzas. This time around instead of one large pizza, I thought it would be more fun to create individual mini pizzas using a round cookie cutter. This would be such a fun dessert to make with the kids and a great way to encourage them to eat fruit too! Just slice up your favorite fruits and have them decorate away!

Triple Berry Fruit Pizzas
(makes 18 mini pizzas)

Ingredients:
-1 package Sugar cookie mix (or roll of refrigerated sugar cookie dough)
-1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
-1 cup Cool Whip
-Fresh Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (or whatever else you prefer)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  
• Prepare sugar cookie mix as package directs for roll out cookies.
  
• Roll out dough onto lightly floured surface and cut out mini pizzas using round cookie cutter. I used a 2 5/8" cutter.
• Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets and refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes to chill before baking. This will prevent the cookies from spreading when baking.
• Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before icing.
• In medium bowl mix together cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and Cool Whip until smooth.
  
• Spread icing on pizzas and decorate with desired fruit.
• Fruit pizzas are best enjoyed the day they are made. You can store in an air tight refrigerator for up to 2 days.
  

What fruit would you use to top your fruit pizza?

Caramel Apples

Granny Smith apples are my absolute favorite...I love their green color and their tartness! And when you combine them with caramel that is even better! Now let's make some caramel apples, shall we?


I came across these Caramel Bits by Kraft and thought this was a brilliant idea. These must be a new product because I have never seen these before...but they are definitely a lot less hassle than the traditional bag of caramel squares...you know the ones that are individually wrapped and as you unwrap them your fingers are getting all sticky and then the plastic sticks to your hands and you can't get it off. I think I will forever buy caramel bits for all future caramel melting needs.


That caramel looks so rich and silky and it melted in only 3 minutes on the stove.


You can't have a caramel apple without some chopped up nuts...


What is your favorite kind caramel apple: Just Caramel or Caramel with Nuts? Mine is definitely with nuts!