Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

We like muffins for breakfast.
Or rather, the kids like muffins, and I like making them the night before so that they are ready for breakfast and I don't have to make anything right when I wake up!
Since we're eating them for breakfast though, I try to have them be on the healthier side. It's not a 'health food' by any means, but it's definitely not the cakey 'muffins' they have at grocery store bakeries. I also like that these are not too sticky, so they're easy to pack for a snack or a lunch and they won't stick together.

2 c rolled oats (I threw them in the food processor and pulsed them a few times so they were  chopped a bit. This isn't vital, but un-chopped rolled oats can be a bit chewey)
2 c applesauce
1/2 c honey
1 c oil
3 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Put the oats in a large bowl with the applesauce, honey, and oil and mix. Let sit for a few minutes to soften the oats. Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended.
If it seems too thick, add 1/2 c water. (Depending on what kind of applesauce you have or whether you chop the oats it might affect the consistency.)

Bake at 375 for about 18 minutes for standard muffins or about 9 minutes for mini muffins.

"Russian Tea"

I'm really not sure where the name comes from, since there is no tea in it, but my brother (who lived in Ukraine for a while) said they do make something similar over there, so perhaps it really is  Russian!
We make this when we have sore throats. It's soothing and has some immune-boosting properties and it just tastes good!

The original recipe had sugar, but I've substituted honey, as well as increasing the lemon and orange juices...so my version is not as sweet but is more healthy. I have included both here for you, depending on whether you are looking for something healthy or just a sweet treat.


(original)
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups lemon juice
4 cups orange juice
6 cups water
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
In a large saucepan (4+ qt), combine the 2 c water with the sugar, and boil for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

(my version)
2 cups water
1 cup honey
1 cup lemon juice
6+ cups orange juice (I usually put in an entire can, reconstituted)
4ish c water (the water + orange juice should be 10 cups, give or take)
2 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp almond extract
You can dissolve and boil the honey and water first, or you can just dump everything in at once and bring it to a nice simmer. Honey will dissolve much faster and more easily than sugar does. ☺

Serve warm or cold.

Scrapple

This is a food that came down from my grandma, who serves it as breakfast. When I first saw it I was a little scared of it, it just seemed weird. But I tried it, and you know, it is pretty awesome. I swear it's southern, though my family isn't from the south so I don't know how we got it. But it's yummy!

1 c yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 lb pork sausage (can be raw, or cooked to drain the grease off--I always cook it)
1 can evaporated milk
1 onion chopped up fine
1 carrot chopped up fine

(Cook and drain sausage. Set aside.) Put cornmeal in a saucepan. Pour water over cornmeal, mix, and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Add milk, meat, and veggies. Add salt and pepper. Cook slowly until really thick, stir often or constantly to prevent burning.

Pour into loaf pan that's been rinsed in cold water (glass pan is best). Don't grease the pan, just get it very cold in the water. Then chill the scrapple in the pan for 2 or more hours (overnight is best).

Slice off pieces about 3/4-1" thick, dip in flour, and fry until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Conference Weekend Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls from scratch are time-consuming. They are super awesome, but time consuming. With the understanding that you'll be in the kitchen for a couple of hours, I totally recommend these.
 Twice a year a general churchwide conference is streamed on internet, and there is a two-hour session on Saturday morning (and several more over the weekend as well). During the Saturday morning session one day a few years ago, I thought "hey, I've gotta stay in this room for the next two hours, might as well cook something..." and so I did. And now it is a tradition that during Saturday morning conference, I make cinnamon rolls.
I usually make a massive batch, and freeze some,  and then I have easy rolls ready for another day a couple of weeks later. 

CINNAMON ROLLS makes 20ish rolls, depending how big you make them
(I usually triple this, and freeze about one batch worth)

1 1/4 c warm water
3 Tbs yeast
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c oil
Mix in a bowl until dissolved. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place for 15 minutes.

2 beaten eggs
1 tsp salt
5 1/4 c flour
Mix and add to above. Knead for 5 minutes.

Roll out with a rolling pin. (If you make a double or triple batch, you'll have to do half at a time.) Spread about 1/3c melted butter (per batch) over it and sprinkle with a ton of cinnamon and sugar. Roll up dough into a log. Slice and place into pans (I prefer to use a cake pan instead of a cookie sheet--it keeps the edges soft when the touch the edges and each other), let rest and rise for about 10 minutes, then bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.
(If you're going to freeze some, cut them, but don't let them rise--place them on a large pan with spaces between them, and put them into the freezer. After about an hour, when they are fully frozen, take them out and put them in a large container or bag to store in the freezer.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is my method for cutting cinnamon rolls. I've seen other people use scissors, and if you've got a method that works for you go for it, but this is what I do. Cut a piece of thread or dental floss that's about 20 inches long.

Lay it flat against the counter, and gently slide it under the end of the long roll.

  
 
Bring the thread up and cross it over and pull it snugly across itself to cut the dough.




Viola!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (I double this to go with the triple batch of rolls)
4 oz cream cheese (soft)
1/4 c butter (soft)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add vanilla and mix. Blend in powdered sugar.
(if you want to save a portion of this to freeze with some rolls, put it in a ziplock baggie and just stick it in the freezer...when you're ready to use it, just squeeze it around in the bag a bit, and then cut off a little corner of the bag and use it to pipe the frosting onto the warm rolls.)

And with that frosting, we always end up with a few of these
thanks kids

Granola

Take this recipe as a guideline...I have indicated things that I adapt, but honestly I do it a little differently every time, and I don't usually measure very carefully... I've been complimented on this granola many times. Enjoy!
Oh, and use a big bowl. A really really big bowl. Or do a half recipe.

• 14 cups of rolled grain (the original says 8 cups oat and 6 of wheat, but I usually do more like 10 oat and then a little barley, rye, wheat, whatever I have around. If you can't have gluten, you can do this with all gluten-free grains!)
• 2 c untoasted wheat germ (or not, if you don't have it or can't do gluten if you don't do it, then do the higher amounts of coconut and/or nuts)
• 2-3 c shredded coconut (do the larger amount if you don't do the wheat germ, or add nuts)
• 1-2 c nuts if desired (I like doing sliced or slivered almonds. You can also add them at the end, but I like them to get coated in all the good stuff...)
• 1 T salt (yes that's a tablespoon)
• 1 1/4 c brown sugar

Mix dry ingredients together. Then pour the following over the top.

• 1 c oil (I strongly recommend coconut oil--melt it before pouring it in)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 T vanilla

Mix the liquids into the dry ingredients until all flakes are moistened and separated. (It will seem like it's not enough liquid, but just keep stirring, it will work out I promise!) Spread the granola onto 2 cookie sheets and bake for 2 hours at 200* or until golden. Stir them every half hour or so to break up the bigger chunks and to make sure it dries out evenly. (But don't stir TOO vigorously or it will all be separated flakes with no awesome crunchy chunks!)

If desired, add dried fruit, seeds, nuts, etc. (I prefer to add a cup or two of sliced or slivered almonds with the dry ingredients, so they get coated and toasted.


Store in an airtight container.

Crockpot Omelet Casserole

I got this from a cookbook compiled from ladies at church, but I've modified it quite a bit since then. The original recipe was huge, so I've adapted it to serve about 6 people.
This has some 'western' ingredients, and we like them so we just do it this way...however I'm sure it would be good with olives, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, or whatever you like best in an omelet.
I didn't include a photo because the truth is this one isn't very pretty...the eggs especially end up looking quite weird. But it tastes great! It's convenient to be able to put it in before we go to bed, and then have a hearty breakfast waiting for us when we get up. We like to do it for Christmas morning.

• 2 cups of cubed potatoes (I like using red or gold, with the thin skins, or else peel them. Cut to about 1cm cubes. The original recipe called for using a bag of hash browns, if you do, we like 'country style' best)
• 1/2-3/4 lb pre-cooked meat (cubed leftover ham, sausage, etc)*
• 1 medium onion (about 1/2-3/4 c) chopped 
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4-1c, I often use frozen strips chopped up)
• 1-1 1/2 c grated monterey jack cheese
• 8 eggs
• 2/3 c milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

*the original recipe calls for ham. This last time we didn't have any though, so I used sausage and it was really good. The spiciness did permeate all the other foods, so the other flavors were not as clear...but it was still good!

I used a 4 qt crockpot

Chop all the ingredients. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the crockpot, followed by a layer of meat then onions, peppers, and cheese. Repeat the layering process two or three more times, ending with a layer of cheese.
In a separate container, beat the eggs, add the milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture around over everything in the crockpot, cover, and turn on low. Cook about 8-10 hours (we find it always gets done in the lesser time).

Veggie Gingerbread Muffins

I invented these as a good snack for my son to take to school. He loves muffins, but isn't so much into veggies...so I decided to put his veggies into muffins so that he would have something healthy and conveniently portable (and yummy!) all in one. I usually make them as mini-muffins, and a batch rarely lasts 24 hours. He has taken them as a class snack as well and said that everybody liked them.
There are two ways to make these muffins--one is with grated veggies (carrots or zucchini), and the other is with pureed veggies, such as squash or even baby food. There are a couple of other changes to make up for the textural differences between those two options, so read the recipe carefully! (Using the pureed veggies makes it an egg-free recipe.) The veggie taste is masked by the stronger gingerbread flavor, so you can use pretty much whatever veggies you want. I have done it with carrots, mixed veggies, and squash, but I'd love to hear about your experiences with other veggies!
As a note--this is a pretty potent gingerbread. We like it that way. However if you like a milder flavor, just use half the amount of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

mix
1 1/2-2 c grated carrots or other veggie
2 eggs
OR
7-8oz pureed veggies (carrots, pumpkin, squash, etc)
2 tsp vinegar

add
1/2 c oil
1/3 c molasses
2/3 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

mix well
add
2 c flour (I use whole wheat, as you can't tell in the gingerbread flavor)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 min for regular size muffins (10 min for mini-muffins)

Risgrot

"reese-grit"
Rice cereal, a recipe my husband brought home from Norway. I admit I wasn't thinking it sounded very appetizing, but it's really quite good.
It's traditionally served with butter and cardamom, but cinnamon or cinnamon-sugar is good too and may be a more familiar taste for some.



1 cup short grain rice (other white rice will do, but short grain is best)
1 1/2-2 cups water
1 cup milk
butter
cardamom, cinnamon, or cinnamon-sugar

Put water and rice in a saucepan and simmer until water is dissolved (or nearly so). Add milk and keep simmering until all is soft and liquid is gone. Keep a good eye on it so that it doesn't boil over or burn to the bottom of the pan!
Serve hot with butter and cardamom or cinnamon.

Rhubarb Crunch (or Strawberry-Rhubarb Crunch)

This is the only way I've ever really liked rhubarb. I have a tendency to eat it for breakfast, but it's also good a la mode.
The original recipe is made with just rhubarb, but I've found that substituting in as much as half strawberries (and cutting the sugar down by 1/3c per cup of strawberries) is also really yummy.

Makes 9x13 pan

1/3 cups brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup softened or melted butter
3 cups rolled oats
Mix together. Press half of the mixture into a 9x13 pan, reserve the other half for the top. (I often do closer to 2/3 in the bottom of the pan, as the under layer gets the juices soaked in and is better than the top in my opinion.)

6 cups finely chopped rhubarb
3 Tbs flour
1 cup white sugar
Mix flour and sugar together. Coat rhubarb by shaking them all together in a covered bowl (or just dump them all into a really big bowl and stir a lot). Put filling in pan on top of under-crust. Cover with remaining crust mixture.
Bake 1 hour at 350.

"Breakfast Cake"

Most folks in the world call these coffee cakes, but in a coffee-free household, I grew up calling it breakfast cake, because that was when we usually ate it. ☺
This cake--especially the sugar topping/filling part--is moister than most other coffee cakes I've had. I like it that way, but if you like the really dry/crumbly ones then this probably isn't the recipe for you. If you melt the butter in the topping, it will be moist but also sink to the middle or bottom of the cake. If you use just softened butter it will be a dryer topping and will stay on top better.
One of our favorite things to do is layer sliced peaches in the bottom of the pan before pouring in the batter (if you use canned, which I usually do, be sure to drain them first!)

[sorry I don't have a photo here, this was posted spur-of-the-moment specially for SamauriMom who needed a coffee cake recipe!]

Makes 1 8x8 pan (double recipe for a 9x13 pan) (I admit I usually do 2x the cake and 3x the topping in a 9x13...)

Cake
1 egg
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c milk
2 Tbs melted butter (the original recipe says shortening, but eww!)
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
Cream egg, sugar, milk, and butter. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well and pour into greased pan (over peaches or other soft fruit if desired).

Topping
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs flour
1 Tbs softened or melted butter
Mix together with a fork, and sprinkle over top of cake batter (or drop in more-or-less-even little blobs all over).

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Butter Cream Syrup

My dad's family makes this to pour over pancakes, waffles, crepes, or scones. It is simply decadent.

1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1 c sugar
1 1/2-2 c cream

(you can do this in any amount--the way my aunt actually gave it to me was "1 part butter, 2 parts sugar, 3-4 parts cream)

Melt it all together in a saucepan, blend well.
Serve warm over pancakes with fruit and slivered almonds. Or use in place of other syrup. Store leftovers (if you have any!) in the fridge.
Don't try to cheat and use milk. It's worth the cream. Trust me.

Danish Abelskiver/Ebelskiver

"Abel-sheever" or "Eebel-sheever"

First and foremost, you MUST have a proper abelskiver pan to make these. Mine is cast iron--I think they all are. If you don't have the right pan, don't bother trying to make them. It won't work. If you need one, you can get them here.

OK, so now that we have that out of the way, I've noticed that several countries seem to have their own variations on pancakes...there are crepes in france and johnny cakes in the southern USA, and abelskivers are the Scandinavian version. Like crepes and german pancakes, they are heavy on the eggs, and make a hearty breakfast if you can eat them slowly enough to feel how full you're getting!
I tried the recipe that came with my pan, but I prefer this one which I copied out here (I figured I should give the source link too)

Hubby says that in Denmark they actually make them more spherical--they pull each one up the side of the depression and cook it in 3-4 steps rather than just flipping it over and cooking it in 2 steps like I do. One day I may get up the energy to try that, but for now I just flip them over and they are puffy but not really balls. It's faster. ☺

4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup melted shortening
Scant 2 cups milk

Directions:
Beat egg yolks; beat in sugar. Combine dry ingredients. Add alternately with shortening and milk. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Fold into batter. Grease an Abelskiver pan (I put about 1/4tsp of butter in each depression). Heat until smoking. Fill depressions about half full.

When cooked on bottom, turn with two forks. (Some people use knitting needles to turn.) (I use a smallish spoon. There is definitely a learning curve to it, and I botched several batches before getting it straight...having a well-greased pan helps a lot.) Cook other side until cooked through. Regrease pan between batches (I use about 1/2tsp butter spread between the 7 depressions--just a tiny dot in each, although once you've developed a good seasoning on your cast iron then you'll only need to grease every 4th or 5th batch).
Serve warm with applesauce or sprinkled with sugar. We also like them with fruit + powdered sugar, fruit + whipped cream, or the boys like them with plain old maple syrup.



As with all my cast iron, I use only saturated fats to grease my abelskiver pan (in this case butter) because they put in a good seasoning (nonstick surface) and unsaturated fats will just break down. I also never wash it with soap--cast iron is porous and the soap will get into the pan and stay there (and then get into our food). I take the pan while it is still hot, and wash it with straight hot water from the tap. I have a (never-touches-soap) long-handled scrubby brush that I use if there is stuff stuck to the inside, but often a good rinse just gets everything nice and clean. Then just make sure the pan is fully dry before putting it away so that it will not rust. ☺

German Pancakes aka Dutch Babies

I grew up calling these German Pancakes. A few years ago a friend introduced them to me as Dutch Babies...I do like her idea of baking them in several small pans rather than one large one because the best puffy parts are always on the edges of the pan, but otherwise old habits die hard and I still call them German Pancakes.
My husband had never seen them before, and once when we were engaged we were visiting my family and my mom made these. He looked at the pans and thought it must be the bottom layer of some dessert, and was surprised to see everyone start eating it plain for breakfast...but once he tried them he decided it didn't matter if they were funny looking. ☺


1/4 c butter (don't try to cheat and use some fake margarine or something--you will really taste it so you want the real stuff)
6 eggs
1 heaping cup flour
1 cup milk

Turn on the oven to 450 to preheat. Put the butter in a 9x13 pan (or a couple of smaller ones) and put it in the oven as it preheats. If you took the butter from the fridge, cut it into a few pieces so that it all melts evenly rather than half of it melting and then burning before the rest finishes melting.
Beat the eggs until frothy (I like to just put them in the blender). Add the flour and milk and mix. Pour the egg mixture into the pan right on top of the butter, and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve with syrup, lemon juice and powdered sugar, or fruit and cream...the same kinds of things you would use for pancakes or crepes.

Grandma B's Buttermilk Scones

Grandma likes to make these for the family for Pioneer Day (the day when the Mormon Pioneers came into the Salt Lake valley...it's a big deal in SLC which is where she lives...it also happens to be today, July 24). She always insists on doing them in a dutch oven in the back yard, but you can fry them in a regular pan on the stove or in an electric frypan on the counter just as easily.
Yes, they are deep fried. Geeze, how could they be scones otherwise?!


1 qt. buttermilk warmed (you can also use regular milk with a couple Tbs of lemon juice to give the tartness
2 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 T. oil
1-1/2 t. salt
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. soda
8 C. flour

In a large bowl, soften the yeast in 3/4 cup of the warmed buttermilk. Add next six ingredients and stir. Add flour stirring to make a soft dough. (Dough will be sticky.) Allow to rise until double. Punch down, place lid on bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

Put a small bit of test dough into the oil as it begins heating--that will keep things from exploding on you (so says Grandma at least!) and also you can look at it to see if your oil is the right temperature for cooking. Gently lower little blobs of dough into the hot oil. As they get golden, turn them over with a long-handled something. When they are golden on both sides, take them out.
Serve with honey, butter, honey-butter, or jam...

Breakfast Bars

My husband and son don't like to eat when they first get up. However, by the time they are ready to eat, it's time to head out the door to school...so there were a lot of mornings with just grabbing a piece of toast or something. I knew they needed a more solid breakfast option, because then by mid-morning they were both getting the munchies and snacking on unhealthy things, leading them to not be hungry for the good lunches I worked to make. It was a vicious cycle, and it needed to end...so I came up with these!
This recipe is vague on purpose--it is intended to be high-protein and the saturated fats and whole grains make it filling, but the specific ingredients can easily be adapted for your preferences and needs.

I don't measure anything in this recipe, and it's never quite the same twice. Amounts here are estimates, but feel free to interpret them loosely...
1 stick (1/2cup) butter (or coconut oil, or peanut butter)
2/3 cup brown sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
2ish cups rolled, cracked, or sprouted grain, or leftover hot cereal (cracked wheat, sprouted wheat, rolled oats, 10grain cereal, leftover cream of wheat, etc)
1 Tbs cinnamon (add with flour or sugar)
1-2 eggs
1 or 1 1/2 cups milk (I use powdered and add extra powder for the extra protein)
2ish cups whole wheat flour
1/2-1 cup fruit, dried fruit, or nuts (raisins, craisins, chopped apples, walnuts, etc)
1/2 cup leftover mashed potatos or potato flakes/pearls (potato gives a feeling of fullness)
optional additions: protein powder, cod liver oil, etc

In a large saucepan over med heat, melt butter and brown sugar until dissolved. Add raw grains and some liquid (to soften grains). Stir until well moistened. Add dry ingredients (and additional wet ingredients if/as needed) until the mixture is about the consistency of cookie dough.
Dump the big blob into a 9x13 pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at 300 for about 30 min, or until it turns a bit golden. It should still be soft, but not mooshy.

Variations:
apple craisin oatmeal is one of my favorites
pumpkin raisin might be good! just add some canned pumpkin
raisin walnut
???
whatever you love best!

Oatmeal is Awesome

Beware, for this post contains several hidden recipes!

I love oatmeal. It is so versitile! It is also a lactagogue (meaning that it increases milk supply for nursing mothers) so that is just an extra bit of grooviness right there!

Here are some of my favorite things to do with oatmeal:
**standard cooked oatmeal for breakfast.
**coconut oatmeal one can of coconut milk, 2 c of rolled oats, soak overnight in the fridge. In the morning, heat on the stove, adding a little additional milk as needed for texture. Quicker and sweeter than regular oatmeal.
**in fruit crisps, cobblers, and dutch apple pie topping.
**in muffins and breads.

Leftover oatmeal is just as good! It makes a delicious and hearty addition to pancakes, waffles or muffins. My 7yo is also fond of 'oatmeal pancakes' wherein I add a little flour to the leftover, congealed oatmeal, and then make patties and fry them up in a little butter. Serve like pancakes, with syrup or jam. Yum!

Monkey French Toast

OK, so we'll start with the up-front honesty and just admit that I mostly stole this from Rachel Ray.

This is a stuffed french toast--that means you make some goomp to put in the middle, then squish it between two pieces of bread, then dip the 'sandwich' in the eggy stuff and fry it up...

MONKEY GOOMP (the stuffing part)
2 bananas
1/3-1/2 c peanut butter
a large drizzle of honey (maybe 1/4 c?)

Mix it together--a food processor works well, or an electric mixer...don't put it in the blender like I did the first time. You will regret it. Trust me. And mashing by hand won't get it very smooth.

If you're feeling health conscious, put it on wheat bread. If you're me, remind yourself that it's french toast, and supposed to be light, and put it on sprouted wheat or even *gasp* white. :-)


I should mention that I do not like bananas, nor most things with peanut butter in them...but I like this.

Ultimate Fruit Smoothie

A smoothie needs four things:
Something liquid
Something frozen
Something sweet
Something flavorful

I combine by using fresh fruit (flavor), frozen fruit (flavor, frozen), frozen juice concentrate (sweet, frozen), and yogurt or whole milk (liquid). (Sometimes I use yogurt AND milk, depending on the other ingredients and the proportions.) I don't like to use ice cubes, as that waters-down the flavor.
It is worth mentioning that not all fruits are created equal in the world of smoothies. I have found that grapes and melons make pretty poor smoothies. Apples give a strange texture if they are fresh, but are a great addition when frozen. Apple and grape juice concentrates are the best sweeteners--white grape and apple will not affect the flavor much either.

I love throwing a banana into almost any mixture. They are heathy, cheap, and add nice texture to a smoothie. I use them fresh at first, then they start getting a little brown, I put them in the freezer and use them frozen.

I start with a half cup or so of plain yogurt in the bottom of the blender, then add fresh fruit, then frozen fruit, then sweetener, then pour enough milk to just barely cover everything. (Note, if you have a lot of soft or juicy fruit, use less milk!)

Some favorite combinations:

Fresh peaches, frozen strawberries

Fresh kiwi, frozen strawberries, (can add fresh or frozen banana)

Banana and strawberry--either one fresh or frozen

Fresh raspberries, frozen apple

Fresh cherries, frozen apple, optional banana

Any mixture of berries

If you want to feel inspired, go down and look at the yogurt in the grocery store--any fruit combination that they make there is bound to be even better in a smoothie!

Pina Colada Smoothie

OK, this one still needs some refinement...but based on the first couple of trials, here's my new improved recipe.

1 can coconut milk or coconut cream (chilled)
1 can crushed pineapple
1/4 c sugar
6-10 ice cubes

Put the crushed pineapple (with it's juice) into the blender and pulverize it into oblivion. Well, at least blend until it's not chunky anymore (otherwise you'll have chunky smoothie, which is not very smooth...)
Shake coconut milk/cream (before opening can), and then add to blender, along with sugar and ice cubes. You don't need the sugar really, but my husband likes his smoothies pretty sweet. An alternative would be a little plain pineapple juice.
Blend until smooth!

(You can also toss in a banana for texture.)