Make your own smoothie shaker

I wanted to "invent" something NEW (sort of) that I could share that would be fun and easy - the idea is not my own original idea but the home version is my own idea (at least I hope so - haven't seen it anywhere).  I have seen those expensive Dole Smoothie Shakers in the grocery store and was really wanted to see if I could replicate the concept at home.

I came up with an at home smoothie shaker version that works fairly well - so far so good - and I thought I would show you what I came up with.

First you need to have a few items - I am always looking for uses for the ice cube trays (with lids) that I used to make my daughter's baby food.  This is a reason to bring those back out!!

Second - a mason jar or something similar.  The container needs to be "hard" so that when you shake, the frozen goodness breaks up and turns into a smoothie.  I originally tried a plastic container and it didn't do anything.

And last but not least, a food processor or something that will puree fruit.  (I will explain further).  I used my baby food maker.

Basically, here is what I did.

I had bananas that were getting really ripe (around three) so I decided I would try this out.  I pureed them but you can mash them with a fork or use a hand mixer.  Bananas are easy to mash up and are probably the best fruit to use for the at home version.  I recommend using ripe bananas or they are not going to taste is good and they will be too hard for this home version.

I also bought some strawberries that were on sale (buy one, get one) so I had a bunch.  I pureed them as well (not quite an entire pound).

I froze the mashed bananas, strawberries, and one container of Yo Baby Blueberry yogurt (you could probably use whatever you have on hand) all in the ice cube trays.  I kept everything separate but maybe you could combine as one mixture and freeze - I didn't try this - maybe next time.

I know it sounds like a little bit of work up front but makes a good amount that you can make quite a few smoothies without bringing out the blender every time you want to drink one.

Okay, fast-foward 24 hours once the fruit is frozen.

Here is how you make the "smoothie":

Get out your mason jar and add approx. three cubes of bananas, two cubes of strawberries, and two cubes of yogurt (makes about 8 oz of a smoothie).  Then I pour about 1/2 cup of apple juice over top (basically enough to cover the cubes) - less is better and then add more if you need to so it isn't too watery.  You can use any kind of juice you like - I am considering trying carrot or more of a vegetable infused juice in the future.

Put on the lid and SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!!! It takes some good shaking and I will be honest, we do still have some chunks of fruit (which I usually try to break up a bit w/ a spoon) but all in all, this works pretty well.

I have come to the conclusion that you have to use bananas and yogurt because of their consistency and how they melt easily - not sure if you can try other berries b/c I haven't done that yet.  I have wild blueberries so I may try those.

I did puree some spinach b/c I wanted to add some iron to the smoothie but I couldn't get the spinach to break up enough even after shaking vigorously.  I think there is too much water content in the spinach (almost like an ice cube) HOWEVER I have it now and don't want it to go to waste, so I am just going to thaw in the fridge and add it in - this step is not necessary but wanted to give a heads up.

These come out really good and are easy and quick to make once you have done the original prep work.  Good luck and if anyone tries other vegetables or fruit, let me know how it works.  I would like to sneak in more veggies for my daughter and even for myself - I am probably the worst!!!

This is my at home version - I am not a chef or scientist but I don't have too many fears in the kitchen - so if anyone has any suggestions or tips, please let me know!

Easy...Fiber One Cereal & Granola Bar

I found a recipe on another blog & from Pinterest for 5 ingredient peanut butter granola bar but I adapted it a little to make my own.  I wanted to add Fiber One cereal because fiber is good for you but I also have some of the cereal that I need to use up before it expires. (I don't eat Fiber One as cereal, I use it to make Hungry Girl faux-fried chicken, onion rings and even faux-fried fish).

4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup Fiber One Original cereal (crushed - I did this in the food processor - do not completely crush, just chop it up a bit)
1 cup peanut butter (melted in microwave) - I used regular peanut butter but I am sure any nut butter or natural peanut butter could be used - I didn't try this so not sure
3/4 cup honey (I used 1/2 cup honey and approx. 1/4 cup agave nectar) - ran out of honey - I also heated the honey a bit b/c it is much easier to work with.  The agave is a little runnier so I didn't heat it.
Cinnamon (a few dashes) - if I were to guess, around 1/4 tsp.  - You want a hint of it but don't want it overwhelming - just enough for someone to say, what is that...hmmm
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine oats, Fiber One cereal, and half of the chocolate chips (approx 1/4 now and another 1/4 at the end)
Stir in melted peanut butter and honey and/or agave (I am not sure what using all agave would taste like but it would probably work just fine)
Sprinkle in the cinnamon
I added a little more chocolate chips b/c the first bit that I added melted from the warm honey & peanut butter which is why I said add half early and half later.  The melted chocolate made it taste awesome but I wanted a little bit of chips to show for appearance and texture.

I had to give it a pretty good stir and even used my hands so that the granola was evenly coated.  You want it to be pretty sticky/gooey so that the granola sticks together and forms bars when you cut them.  If it is too dry, add more melted peanut butter, honey and/or agave.

Line a 13x9 pan w/ foil and spray w/ cooking spray or use non-stick foil (this is what I used).  Pour in the granola and press down.  Cover & refrigerate for 1 hour.

This is what they look like when you pull them out of the fridge.  Had to cut myself one - OBVIOUSLY!! 

Lift the foil from the pan w/ the granola on it.  The foil makes the granola easy to just pull out and cut into bars.  I saw this trick from Martha Stewart, I believe.

Granola bar - top angle

Granola bar - side angle

Sorry they looked kind of clumped on here but I promise they are really good!

I originally was going to store the bars on my cake plate on my counter but they started to soften up a bit & kind of get a little crumbly so I put them back in the fridge in a plastic container.

Some pics of my organization skills...

Dishwasher - CLEAN (using magnetic letters)

Not sure if everyone has these magnetic letters or not but my daughter plays with them on my refrigerator and I came up with the idea to write "clean" and "dirty" on the dishwasher with them because my husband is always asking, "are these clean or dirty?" so now I don't have to answer him because of course he will still ask :-)

Dishwasher - DIRTY (using magnetic letters)

FYI: I only have one set (got them from the dollar bin at Target during back to school) and one set will spell CLEAN and DIRTY.  How awesome is that??

Baking Products

I LOVE THESE OXO Pop Top Containers - actually I am rather obsessed with them.  Not sure it is a good obsession because THEY ARE EXPENSIVE.  I do try and get them at various places - when I get a Target gift card I buy one, or when Kohl's has Kohl's Cash, I use it for these.  Amazon.com has great prices too as well as Zappos.com.

I used the 4 quart size for flour, sugar, and powdered sugar.  The bigger the better for these bulkier items. I also store plastic (cheap) measuring cups inside as well.  I have nice stainless ones but these plastic ones were maybe a dollar or two for an entire set at Target (check the dollar store too).

I used the 1.5 quart size for light & dark brown sugar - probably could have gone bigger but these fit the one pound boxes and possibly more.

Then I used the .5 quart size for mini chocolate chips and regular semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I just got a bunch more of these containers for my pantry so I will show some pics later.  I am still not 100% in love with the pantry but getting there.  I want to get a few of the 2.4 quart size for snacks and some more of the 3.7 quart size for cereal.


Here are pics of what I did to my cabinet under my sink.

 I purchased a large lazy susan from Bed, Bath & Beyond (I believe it was $14.99) and a wire basket from there as well that hangs over the door.  I believe that was $9.99.  I like it because it holds quite a bit.








 The over the door wire basket holds plenty or bags and wraps (foil, press n' seal etc).

















Large lazy susan had to be strategically placed b/c things kept smacking into the garbage disposal and its cord but I moved it around as best as I could and put the taller items toward the middle.

I also keep a bucket under there that I throw dirty cleaning rags in until I wash them.  I don't like keeping those stored with regular laundry.


Another cool tip - use an old tissue box to store plastic grocery bags - I put a metal tissue box cover over mine to make it look better (I had it and wasn't using it).  I also used an old wipes container to put a sponge and a few misc. small items into it.

I have lots of other missions all around the house...more to come!

Haven't forgotten about the blog...

I haven't forgotten about writing.  I have actually been trying to accomplish Mission: Organization as my "try something new" and it has been a couple week long process AND I AM STILL NOT DONE!!

Sure, we all try to organize so I know this is kind of old hat but I really stink at it.  I love being organized and I can't manage to get it right.  My something NEW is really trying hard to organize right the first time and to stick with it.

I always buy baskets, bins, etc. and then stare at them.  I am really taking my time making sure I get it right the first time by measuring and picking the right "organization tools."

So why such an interest in organizing...

We are living in a small apartment and a little mess can look like a huge mess and at some point we are going to move again.  I hate packing and moving and I want to be organized so that the next time I am better prepared.  I also have toys everywhere from my daughter and I am running out of room for them all.  My husband doesn't help - he is pack rat and has papers everywhere.  I want to cut down on the paper mess and stay on it.  This isn't easy for me either - I am a "piler."  I stack papers in little piles and plan to "get to them later."  I am still doing it as we speak and I seriously need to stop.  It drives me crazy.

So here is what I have done...

As for the paper mess, I am still in the process of coming up with an ideal system but got a great idea from Better Homes & Gardens magazine (www.bhg.com) - January 2012 issue.  I tried looking for the article online but couldn't find it.  The article is titled In-Box RX and it gives ideas for organizing papers.

Basically I bought a file system that I hung on the wall by our desk.  There are three folders - one that says Do Now, Do Later, and Pending.  I also bought a separate bin as an Inbox.  So far that is about as good as it gets.  I am actually using the Inbox right now for the shredder pile.  That is my husbands job and as you can tell, it is not getting done.  He has papers everywhere and I don't know what we need and what we don't at this point.  I can organize from here on out but the current mess is all him - I cleaned up most of mine.

My best accomplishment is the cabinet under my sink.  It is a corner cabinet and kind of awkward but I bought a large lazy susan from Bed, Bath & Beyond and put all the cleaning items and what not on it.  It is awesome!! I also bought a basket that hangs over the cabinet door and it holds plastic bags, aluminum foil, and garbage bags.

I also have done a lot of reorganizing of our pantry.  I bought cheap plastic bins at target that are made to store shoes and I put those on the shelves for snacks and opened bags of "whatever."

I have done a bunch of other little odd and ends too.  I need to organize my thoughts (SERIOUSLY) and will post more ideas on here.

I am also working on the closets and want to tackle the garage.

I would like to post pictures but I am not queen organizer so if my ideas aren't as pretty as what others see out there, please don't hate :-) It is working for us (so far and sort of) and I guess that is all that matters.

Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Haven't been on in about a week (will write more later) but wanted to share an oldie but a goodie - one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes.  My family had the Mrs. Field's Cookbook (back in the day) and I have always liked the chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I love Mrs. Field's cookies and who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies!





Verdict: The key to this recipe is to bake low & slow but I do think the next time I will bake a few mins less.  These came out a little crunchier that I would have liked but still good!! I am used to baking in a convection oven and now our apartment has a regular oven so bake times vary depending on the oven.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Yield 3 1/2 doz
Bake 22-24 mins

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup (two sticks) salted butter (softened)
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz. package)

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt

In a large bowl, blend both sugars, softened butter, eggs, and vanilla (don't over mix)

Add flour mixture a little at a time to the sugar/egg/butter bowl but do not over mix.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet.

Bake 22-24 mins.  (next time, I may try only 20 mins or so and see.  The cookies continue to bake when you let them set on the baking sheet and cool.)

Enjoy!!!

UPDATE: I have started refrigerating the dough (few hours to overnight) and even freezing some of it before I bake it.  I am also baking at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  The cookies come out A LOT softer/chewier which is what we like better.