Day 147 : Islander Smoothie

I often make a parfait using similar ingredients, and in fact I believe I have shared it here, but today I just felt like having a drink for breakfast.  Normally I have fresh ingredients on hand, but today I was down to some I had frozen from before and I didn’t want to deal with thawing and then cutting them so into the blender they all went.  Add a bit of milk and you are left with a nice thick, creamy, and island inspired smoothie!  Even better yet… it’s healthy!

Sorry for the boring shot… as I said I didn’t have any fresh ingredients for garnish and the frozen one broke in half when I tried to slice one side.  It may look boring but it tastes great I promise!

Islander Smoothie

Serves : 1                      Time to make : 3 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1/2 large banana sliced and frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 container (I think about 6 oz) vanilla greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup low fat milk
• 2 T. shredded coconut (sweetened)

Directions :

1. Combine banana, pineapple, yogurt and milk in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
2. Add the coconut and blend until combined.

Day 82 : Island Mojitos

Day 2 of not being able to get around or move…. so that means another quick recipe for tonight.  Sorry for another quick intro and review but typing is not helping my back at all!  I love mojitos, and have had quite a few different versions, but tonight I decided to just wing it and come up with a new one altogether.

This is a very strong flavored and sweet mojito.  If you prefer a less sweet drink you can certainly just use club soda, or cut back on the limeade, but once in a while I like a little sweet in my day. You could also just use fresh lime juice rather than the limeade, which would afford you more control over the sugar levels.  If you do that just add a bit of sugar to taste.

Island Mojitos

Serves : 2           Time to make : 10 minutes

Ingredients :

• green sugar (for rims)
• lime juice (for rims)
• 4-5 T. limeade concentrate
  
• 4 sprigs fresh mint, chopped
• 2 oz. pineapple rum
• 1 oz. coconut flavored syrup
• 12 oz. lime sparkling water
• ice, crushed
• sugar (just enough for muddling the mint)

Directions :

1. Dip rims of glasses into a bit of lime juice, and then into the green sugar.  Place in freezer to chill glasses.
2. In a small pitcher, muddle the chopped mint with a little bit of sugar to release the flavors.
3. Pour in the limeade, rum, and syrup, stirring to combine.  Add the sparkling water and give it another stir.
4. Fill glasses about 1/3 – 1/2 of the way with the crushed ice and pour drink over top.