1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup ice cubes
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1-2 Tablespoon agave nectar (depending on how sweet you like your smoothie)

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and combine until smooth.  Add more water or juice if you want a thinner smoothie.

The girls said that their drinks were the best they ever had – I have a feeling it is because they made it with love:)

Makes 2 large servings

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1 banana, peeled

Put everything in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Popsicle making at Jen's house

At our house summer is about popsicles.  I have become slightly obsessed this past week with them.  I pulled out all of our old popsicle molds and even took out the Zoku Quick-Pop Maker that I bought last year.  The Zoku is supposed to make popsicles in 7 minutes.  The concept is great and it does freeze the popsicles fast – but I almost always have a problem removing the pops from the mold.  I have even enlisted my husband’s help on this mission and he almost hurt his elbow pulling the frozen treats out.  Although it is a fast gadget, I’d save your money and just buy a few more cheap popsicle holders and make more at once so you always have them handy.

Last weekend we made coffee popsicles, grape popsicles and orange juice popsicles.  Today I made strawberry citrus popsicles.  All were so yummy and easy!

Coffee popsicles:  cold coffee, cream or non-dairy coffee creamer and some sweetener (we used So Delicious Coffee Creamer and agave nectar).  Mix and freeze.

Grape creamy  popsicles:  grape kool-aid and a little powdered vanilla pudding mix to make the popsicles creamy.  Mix it all up and freeze.

Orange juice popsicles:  freeze freshly squeezed orange juice.  Or use any orange juice – it all tastes good frozen!

Strawberry citrus popsicles:  fresh strawberries, fresh pineapple and a splash of orange juice.  Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until pourable.  Pour into containers and freeze.

Make any combination that you love.  Or use your leftover smoothies from breakfast!

Blend in a blender:
1 cup ice
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup water
2-3 Tablespoons agave nectar

Serve with a lime wedge or a sprig of mint.

Here is what we made this week.

1/2 banana
1 clementine, peeled
1 apple, cored and quartered
1 large handful fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup vanilla yogurt*

Throw in a blender and blend until smooth.

For a dairy free version, use a non-dairy yogurt.

Thanks to Nicola from www.gfreemom.com for sponsoring Detox January – a month of juices, smoothies and gfree soups.  Here is my recipe for a Green Goddess Smoothie.  You can add any type of yogurt but we use the vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt.

I usually add a quartered kiwi to our green smoothies.  I leave the skin on for two reasons.  First, it is loaded with fiber and second, most of the vitamins in a kiwi are found directly under the skin, so removing the skin also removes most of the vitamins.

Green Goddess Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup frozen green grapes
1 kiwi, quartered, with the woody ends removed
1 green apple, chopped into chunks (cored if you want)
2 cups spinach, rinsed well
1 6 oz. container vanilla So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt
water to thin out consistency if needed

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  If the smoothie is too thick, add water to thin it out.

When you think of chia seeds do you think of those chia pets that they sell during the holidays?  Well think again!  Chia seeds are a nutritious way to add fiber and Omega 3′s to your gluten-free diet.  Two years ago a man that represented the Salba company gave me a jar of their seeds.  I was never quite sure what to do with the seeds.  I used them a few times but never quite got the gist of the chia seed.  I understood it was nutrient-dense, but not how to use them well.

I have since learned how to use these nutritious seeds and here is some information about them, particularly the Salba brand that I previously mentioned.

Salba is the richest whole food source of Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber found in nature. Gram for gram, Salba provides eight times more Omega 3s than salmon, four times more fiber than flax, six times more calcium than whole milk, 30 percent more antioxidants than blueberries, and much more. Salba is all-natural, has no trans-fats, very few carbohydrates, and is certified Non-GMO, Vegan, Kosher, and Gluten-Free.

An easy way to incorporate chia seeds into your diet is to make a Chia Smoothie.

Tropical Chia Smoothie

Ingredients
1 cup Pineapple Juice
1 cup Orange  juice
1 cup Frozen strawberries
1 large banana
2 tbsp Salba® Whole Grain*

Place all ingredients into a blender adding Salba Whole Grain last. Blend until texture is smooth. Blending time is approximately 2 minutes or until the ingredients achieve the consistency of your preference.

*4 tbsp Salba Premium Ground Grain can be substituted

Ingredients
1 cup almonds, preferably raw
filtered water

Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with filtered water.  Allow to soak 8-10 hours or overnight.

Drain the water.  Rinse the almonds with fresh water.

Place the almonds in a strong blender with 3 cups fresh filtered water.  Blend until smooth.

Pour through a fine mesh sieve, a cheesecloth or a nut bag.

You  can drink the milk plain or use it to make hot chocolate.

Click here for how to make hot chocolate.

Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar, or more to taste
1 pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.  Stir until dissolved and combined.  Heat thoroughly for three to five minutes.  Serve!

It is not sweet and if you are using for a sweet purpose, such as a smoothy, you will need to add honey, agave, sugar, or a sweetener of your choice.

2 cups of raw cashew nuts
3 cups of cold

Place cashews and water in a blender with the lid covered.  Blend on high speed for at least one minute or until creme is smooth.  If your blender does not get the creme smooth enough, you can strain the creme for a smoother consistency.