Hearty Fruit Oatmeal Smoothie

This smoothie recipe is quick and easy to make and has the added benefit of being a filling, healthy, portable breakfast.

I take a smoothie with me and sip it on my way to work.  It's delicious and keeps me satisfied until lunchtime.

The smoothie is simple to make and with most of the prep work done ahead of time it's ready in less than 5 minutes.

The full recipe makes about 24 ounces and 500 calories.  That's enough to fill you up or to share for a lighter treat.  

I normally buy enough fruit for a week's worth of smoothies.  Then prep and freeze them all together in a zipper bag so they're ready to go in the blender every morning.




Hearty Fruit Oatmeal Smoothie

1 Small Banana, cut into chunks and frozen
10 Medium Strawberries, frozen
1/2 Cup Other Fruit Or Berries, cut into chunks, if necessary, frozen
1/4 Non-fat Plain Or Vanilla Yogurt
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats*
2 Teaspoons Unflavored, Non-Thickening Fiber*
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Raw, Organic Honey* Or
1 Tablespoon Natural Maple Syrup
1 Cup Cold Water

In a blender, combine the oats, fiber and cinnamon.  Blend on high for about 10 seconds to pulverize the oats into a coarse powder.

To the blender add the honey/syrup, yogurt, frozen fruit, and water.  

Blend on high until smooth.   Pour into a glass or to-go cup and enjoy.















*don't use quick oats as they are super processed.  The less processed the oat the more good stuff remains intact.  

*the additional fiber adds no flavor or bulk but does help keep you full longer and aids digestion.  (Metamucil, Benefiber, Fibersmart or similar)

*make sure you get raw, natural organic honey from either a local beekeeper or from a health food store.  Most of the honey sold in grocery stores are from questionable sources (like China) and have most or all of the healthy pollen stripped from it.  Even if it's labeled as all-natural or raw it's probably not due to loose federal regulations regarding honey.

*use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup which is nothing more than flavored corn syrup and lacks the flavor and health benefits of real, natural maple syrup.

Stewed Peaches

Stewed peaches are a great topping for ice cream or cheesecake.  Yummy over oatmeal or grits.  They are also good served over poultry or pork to add some sweet to the savory!

Peel them or not.  Personally, I don't think it's worth the work.  What's a little fuzz among friends?




Stewed Peaches

2 Peaches, Pit Removed and Sliced Into Wedges

1/2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter

1 Tablespoon of  Honey

1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1-2 Tablespoons of Water

In a large pan melt the butter and honey over a medium heat. (I use raw honey with the comb and all.  It's a healthier honey and lasts almost forever)

Add cinnamon.

When the butter and honey begins to bubble, add peach slices and stir them around in the pan to coat each slice.

Add 1 tablespoon of water, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 10 minutes. Check the peaches about half-way through, stirring gently and adding another spoonful of water if the pan looks a little dry.

The end result should be soft peaches in a small amount of thick syrup.

Print Recipe

All men's gains are the fruit of venturing.

Drying Fruits and Vegetables with a Dehydrator

Fruits and vegetables are cheapest when they're in season. Drying them is an inexpensive way to preserve them so you can enjoy them throughout the year . . . to be enjoyed as a snack by themselves or to be used in recipes.

Dried fruits are excellent to add to trail mixes or used in baking. 

When I have an over abundance of tomatoes from the garden I like to dehydrate them and pack them in a good quality olive oil.  Then you not only have the dry tomatoes to used in cooking but you also have the added benefit of a yummy tomato flavored oil for cooking with.

Although you can certainly dry foods in your oven, a dehydrator is much more energy efficient for this purpose. 

Dehydrating fruits and vegetables is extremely easy . . . all you need is time and most of that is waiting for the food to dry out; 8-12 hours of drying time on average

You should start with good quality fresh fruits and vegetables . . . overripe, bruised and otherwise deteriorated produce do not preserve well.

Clean, hull and slice all fruits and vegetables.  It’s important to make sure the slices are consistent to make sure that everything dries at the same rate.

Foods that discolor when exposed to air . . . like apples and potatoes . . . can be blanched or treated with citrus juice to preserve color.  Harder vegetables should be blanched for about 5 minutes in boiling water to speed up the drying time.

You can add salt, sugar or spices, but I prefer to dry fruits and vegetables without adding extra ingredients to preserve their natural flavors.

Load the dehydrator trays with sliced fruit and vegetable slices; do not to overlap them because this slows the drying time.

Turn your dehydrator on immediately after loading to start the dehydration process. Consult the owner's manual for recommended drying times, but expect the process to take between 8-12 hours on average.

As you reach the end of the drying time, check your fruits and vegetables frequently for dryness.

Dried fruits need to go through an additional conditioning period before they are ready for storage. Place them in loosely packed jars, and shake once a day for 7-10 days to ensure the remaining moisture is evenly distributed between the dried pieces. If condensation appears on the jar, the fruit needs to be returned to the dehydrator for further drying.

Place all dried foods in air-tight containers or freezer bags; and store in a cool, dry and dark location until you are ready to use them.

Firewater Friday - Six Truths in Life

Watermelon Daiquiri


4 Cups Peeled Seeded And Cubed Watermelon
1/2 Cup Light Rum
1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Triple Sec
Ice Cubes


Freeze watermelon in a shallow pan at least 6 hours.

Combine frozen watermelon, rum, lime juice, and Triple Sec in container of an electric blender; process until smooth, stopping once to scrap down sides.



Add enough ice to bring mixture to 5-cup level; process until smooth.


Repeat procedure, if necessary, until mixture measures 5-cups.


Serve immediately.

Firewater Friday - I dripped it carelessly. Ah! I didn't know, I held opportunity

When I was a little kid, eating ice cream was more than a special treat . . . it was a rarity.   Not because my parents were fruity-tootie   crunchy-granola health nuts or any of that nonsense . . . it’s because yours truly could not consume an ice cream cone without the majority of it ending up smeared all over my face, dripping down my arms and inevitably winding up all over my clothes.    I’d get all excited and as goofy as a deadfallen jaybird ⁽¹⁾. I licking lick made and slurping away and the next thing you know I was a big ol’ mess . . . but as cute as a betsy-bug!  It must have made my mother madder than a peach-orchard boar ⁽¹⁾!

This could NOT have been an isolated incident . . . I find it highly improbably that I was a prodigal ice-cream dripper extraordinaire!  Really!  

A little research vindicates me . . . or the little kid that I used to be.  There are lots and lots of inventions that’s sole purpose it to prevent melty ice cream cones from making a big mess.

Check it out . . . 

This one is simple in design and yet, conceivably, effective.  Although, what's to prevent the liquidated ice cream from dripping over the edges?  Perhaps this is for the more advance user?

This doesn't look like anything more than a vacuum cleaner bag with the ring cut off . . . I hope it's from an unused bag!  Ugh.

Okay, now we're getting somewhere . . . this one not only holds the cone but captures the drippy goodness.  Not only is a mess prevented but you can savor the flavor after all the melting is said and done!  Sweet!

This is more my style . . . a high tech ice cream licking device.  Not only does it hold the cone and capture melted ice-cream but it spins the cone for you . . . less work and more enjoyment.  Jolly good!

⁽¹⁾ When fruit falls to the ground it is usually already over ripe.  The very sweet fruit comes in contact with all the 'wild' yeasts present on the ground begins to ferment very quickly.  This process continues until virtually all the fruit has finished fermenting.   Animals happen along and eat these intoxicating noms and get ‘goofy as a deadfallen jaybird’ and ‘madder than a peach-orchard boar’.

 ________________________

Although ice cream cones made of metal, glass or paper have been in use for centuries, the first true edible conical shaped cone for serving ice cream was created at the St. Louis Worlds Fair by Ernest Hamwi in 1904. His waffle booth was next to an ice cream vendor who ran short of dishes. Hamwi rolled a waffle to contain ice cream and the cone was born.

 ________________________

Frozen Banana Daiquiri

6 Oz. White Rum

2 Oz. Crème De Banane Liqueur

1 Fresh Lime, Juiced

1 Tsp. Rose's Lime Juice

2 Bananas, Peeled And Chopped

Crushed Ice

Banana Slices, For Garnish

Pour the rum, Crème de Banane liqueur, fresh lime juice, Rose's lime juice and chopped bananas into a blender and process at high speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Add 2 cups crushed ice to and blend for an additional 30 seconds.

Transfer the drinks to glasses.  

Garnish each glass with a banana slice and serve immediately.