MIXED BERRY SMOOTHIE

This berry smoothie is a perfect summer afternoon treat. It’s cool, refreshing, healthy, and bursting with flavor!

I have been making smoothies for my kids since they were little. It’s a treat that I always felt good about giving them. Not only are they a great way to get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables, but they are healthy and super easy to make. But smoothies are not just for kids; they are an adult favorite too!

One of the great things about smoothies is their versatility. Nothing is written in stone when it comes to making smoothies. I honestly never measured any of the ingredients for my smoothies until I needed to write a recipe for the blog. But I wanted to give you a starting point in making your smoothies. But even with the recipe I am sharing with you, the amounts are suggestions, and you can easily substitute any of the ingredients. I will even give you some suggestions on some substitutions.

What goes into this smoothie:

Frozen Berries: I prefer to use frozen berries because it eliminates the need for adding ice. I don’t like adding ice to my smoothies because the ice waters down the smoothie and does not add flavor. You can use any combination of berries that you want. I prefer a mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries.

Bananas: Bananas add to the smoothie’s creamy texture and are a healthy addition. If you don’t like bananas, you can always leave them out.

Yogurt: Yogurt also adds to the creamy texture of the smoothie without watering it down. Choosing a berry-flavored yogurt adds wonderful flavor to the smoothie. If you are aiming for a healthy smoothie, choose yogurt with less sugar. Of course, you can always use plain greek yogurt and, if needed, add a little honey to make it sweeter.

Milk: Smoothies need some form of liquid to thin them out. I don’t like adding water because it adds no flavor. Using milk adds healthy nutrients, creaminess, and flavor. Any milk will work. Almond milk is an ideal liquid; it pairs well with any add-ins. But you could use regular soy, rice, or almond milk.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

This berry smoothie is a perfect summer afternoon treat. It's cool, refreshing, healthy, and bursting with flavor!

4.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 5

Course Drinks

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

3 cups frozen, mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, or any mixture of these)
½ -1 banana (1 small or ½ of a large)
1 cup blueberry, strawberry, or mixed berry yogurt
½ cup milk (regular, almond, soy, etc.) more or less depending on desired thickness

Instructions

Add everything to a blender and blend until the ingredients are creamy and smooth.
If the smoothie is too thick, add more milk, a little at a time.
Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
**This recipe makes 2 to 3 smoothies depending on the serving size.

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BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

Scrumptious, fluffy, satisfying blueberry-loaded pancakes. This is breakfast done right!

In our house, we love pancakes for breakfast! Confession: the kids ask for them more than I am willing to make them. Not because they are hard to make, but because they will often ask for pancakes before I’ve finished my first cup of coffee. Now, if their request is timed right, this is one pancake recipe that I love whipping up! I usually have blueberries in the freezer, so pulling these pancakes together is quick and easy!

This recipe has one unusual ingredient that you don’t see too often in pancakes: VINEGAR! But it is key to getting the lightest and fluffiest pancakes. Did you ever make an erupting volcano when you were a kid? You probably used vinegar and baking soda to get that bubbly explosion effect. The same idea works in this pancake recipe. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and adds “lift,” creating a fluffier pancake. Vinegar is a surprisingly common ingredient in baked goods. It is often included in cakes and cookie batters, as it reacts with the baking soda giving those batters a “lift” as they bake. Don’t worry; you’ll never taste the vinegar. Only enough is used to create the reaction without leaving the sharp taste vinegar is known for.

For this Recipe:

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. If you do use frozen blueberries, do not defrost them. Thawed blueberries tend to be on the soft side, and when you fold them into the batter, they won’t hold up, likely leaving you with purple pancakes. Also, with frozen blueberries, make sure that you are cooking the pancakes long enough to cook the batter all the way through. Frozen blueberries will cool down your batter, and sometimes the batter around the frozen blueberries takes a little longer to finish cooking.

The steps to makes these pancakes are pretty straightforward:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well and add to the dry ingredients. Mix just until the ingredients are combined; do not overmix. Next, gently fold in the blueberries. Allow the batter to rest for about 5 minutes to give the vinegar time to work.
Meanwhile, preheat the griddle to 325° F. If you’re using a stovetop, start with your burner on medium and adjust as needed for a golden-brown pancake. Lightly butter the pan, if needed.
Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, scoop the pancake batter and pour it onto the griddle. Allow the pancakes to cook for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until the first side is golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook for an additional 1 ½ to 2 minutes, or until it is golden-brown and cooked through. Cooking times may vary depending on your cooking surface. The best indicator is an evenly golden-brown pancake. If you are still uncertain, cut one pancake in half to check that it is cooked all the way through.
Serve warm with butter and maple syrup. Top with additional blueberries.

Blueberry Pancakes

Scrumptious, fluffy, satisfying blueberry-loaded pancakes. This is breakfast done right!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Course Breakfast

Servings Pancakes

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½-2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Instructions

Mix milk, eggs, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to combine. Gently fold in blueberries. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. It should start to look bubbly, which is the vinegar reacting to the baking soda.
Meanwhile, preheat the griddle to 325° F. If you're using a stovetop, lightly butter the pan and heat over medium heat. Adjust as needed for a golden-brown pancake.
Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, scoop the pancake batter and pour it onto the griddle. Allow to cook for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until the first side is golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook for an additional 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until it is golden-brown and cooked through. Cooking times may vary depending on your cooking surface. The best indicator is an evenly golden-brown pancake. If you are still uncertain, cut one pancake in half to check that it is cooked all the way through.
Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

Notes

It works best to use fresh blueberries, but frozen will work too. Just be sure not to thaw them first.

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CLASSIC TAPIOCA PUDDING

Tapioca is a classic dessert that is simple, creamy, delicious, and timeless. Add fresh fruit, and you have a crowd-pleaser for sure!

Tapioca is one of those classic desserts that doesn’t get enough attention. It’s often forgotten with all the cheesecake, cupcake, and pie recipes floating around…Well, I am going to put tapioca front and center! I’m going to give it the attention it deserves!

Let’s start by answering the question, “What exactly is tapioca?” Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava root, also known as yuca, a plant native to Brazil, referred to as “mandioca,” and its starch is referred to as “tapioca.” It’s become a staple in many countries but has zero nutritional value and is often used as a thickening agent in many foods, like stews, gravy, and pie.

You can find tapioca pudding pre-made in the grocery store, but tapioca pudding is so easy to make, and I’ll be honest, so much better when it’s homemade! My mom made tapioca pudding when I was a kid, and we devoured it. Now I make it for my kids, who also devour it. I usually make a double batch so that it lasts more than one day.

There are several ways to buy tapioca – granules, small pearls, and large pearls. Granules are an instant, quick-cooking form of tapioca that will cook up quicker, but because they are granules, you will have less texture in your pudding. The next is small and large pearls, the only difference being the size. They both require soaking ahead of time. I prefer to soak the small and large pearls overnight. Soaking them overnight gives them a softer texture and allows them to cook up more quickly. My favorite is the small pearls…So I write my recipes using small pearls, but you can use any of the different types of tapioca. You skip the soaking step altogether for the granules, and with the small or large pearls, you soak the pearls overnight.

Tapioca is very versatile, I have had sweet potato tapioca, honeydew tapioca and pumpkin tapioca. I also have some variations of my own swirling around in my head, so expect to see those recipes soon. One recipe that I recently worked on was coconut tapioca with mango. It was so creamy and delicious, and the mango was the perfect complement to the coconut. It reminded me of mango sticky rice, a popular Thai dessert that uses coconut milk.

For this recipe:

In a small bowl, soak the tapioca in 2 cups milk. Stir and place in the refrigerator overnight. Soaking the pearls overnight allows them to soften up better without having a chewy texture, and they will cook up much more quickly.

After the tapioca has sat overnight, pour all the contents into a medium saucepan. Add the remaining 2 cups of milk, salt, sugar, and egg yolks to the tapioca, then heat on medium heat, stirring frequently. Bring the tapioca to a simmer. You do not want to bring the mixture to a boil because you risk scalding your milk. Instead, you want it to be steaming and see movement in the saucepan, but not a boil. Once you reach a simmer, turn it down to a low simmer (medium-low heat), and let it simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. It will begin to thicken as the eggs cook, and the tapioca absorbs more of the liquid.

As it thickens, you’ll want to check that your tapioca pearls are soft and no longer chewy. Take a small amount in a spoon, be careful because it will be very hot, and taste to check if the tapioca pearls are soft. You do not want your tapioca balls to be chewy or tough. If you need to cook it longer, cook for an additional 2 – 5 minutes and check again; repeat until done. If your tapioca takes longer than 15 minutes, make sure you haven’t turned your temperature down too low.

Once your tapioca is done, remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the tapioca cool for 15 minutes.

While the tapioca is cooling, prepare your egg whites. With a handheld beater, beat the egg whites with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. **Stiff peaks are peaks that do not collapse when you lift your beater (turn the beater off before lifting it, I’ve made this mistake…). This should only take a couple of minutes. Next, gently fold the egg whites into the tapioca.

You can serve the tapioca warm or chill it in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Top with the fresh fruit of your choice and enjoy!!

Classic Tapioca Pudding

Tapioca is a classic dessert that is simple, creamy, delicious, and timeless. Add fresh fruit and you have a crowd-pleaser for sure!

4.81 from 21 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 15

Course Dessert

Servings – 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients

1 cup small pearl tapioca, not granulated or quick-cooking
4 cups milk, divided
⅔ cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon (for egg whites)
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, yolk separated from whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Toppings

blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, or other fresh fruit
Shaved chocolate (optional)

Instructions

In a small bowl, soak 1 cup of small tapioca pearls in 2 cups of milk. Stir and place in the refrigerator overnight.
After letting the tapioca soak overnight, pour it into a medium saucepan. Add to the tapioca mixture 2 cups of milk, ⅔ cup sugar, salt, and egg yolks. Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently to keep milk from scalding. Once the tapioca mixture is simmering (do not boil), turn down the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly to keep the milk from scalding.
Carefully taste-test tapioca to be sure pearls are soft and no longer chewy. If you need to cook it longer, cook for an additional 2-5 minutes and check again; repeat until done. If your tapioca takes longer than 15 minutes, make sure you haven't turned the temperature down too low.
When the tapioca is done, remove it from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
While the tapioca is cooling, beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon sugar until stiff peaks form.
Stir 1 teaspoon vanilla into the tapioca and gently fold in egg whites until completely incorporated.
Serve warm or chilled for 4 hours in the refrigerator. To serve, divide tapioca into individual bowls and top with fresh fruit of your choice.

Notes

I write my recipes using small pearls, but you can use any of the different types of tapioca. For the granules, you skip the soaking step altogether, and with the large pearls, you soak the pearls overnight.

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