drink Archives - Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Healthy Green Smoothie

Big Sky, Little Kitchen — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 17:29:25 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

The dawn of a new year traditionally invites people to clean the slate, so to speak. And many folks use this as an opportunity to introduce healthy practices into their lifestyle. (Happy New Year, by the way!) While I’m a huge proponent of living mindfully and healthfully, I’m also not one to push for diets or fads or changes that cause you to just beat yourself up. That’s the opposite of healthy. All that said, if you want to introduce some better choices into your routine, whipping up this healthy green smoothie is a great way to start!

And when I say whip it up, I mean whip it up. This delicious smoothie comes together in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients! The recipe was made even quicker by the fact that I took advantage of Albertsons‘ DriveUp & Go for a super convenient way to shop.

As I mentioned above, the smoothie requires just five ingredients — a banana or two, frozen peaches and frozen mangos, spinach and some water. As someone who is mindful about what I put into my body, I opted to use O Organics® brand peaches, mangos, and spinach, which are all certified USDA organic.

But what does that actually mean? According to the USDA’s website:

USDA certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.

Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest. Prohibited substances include most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Pesticides are no joke, so when I can’t grow my own food, I purchase organic to avoid ingesting a dangerous pesticide cocktail.

This healthy green smoothie makes about one large serving or two small ones so you can share with a friend. I love it because it’s an easy way to get some greens into my system, without needing to eat them in a salad. And, I can assure you, this smoothie in no way tastes like spinach. It would also be a great way to sneak greens into kiddos, too! (I’ve heard some folks get their kids excited by the green color and tell them it’s a Shrek drink – smart!)

Overall, this recipe is light, bright, and fruity. If you’d like to add a little extra protein in your drink, feel free to toss in a bit of plain, low fat greek yogurt and just increase the water so your smoothie isn’t too thick.

Once you’re ready to go, throw all your ingredients into a blender, puree away and you’re set! Enjoy at breakfast, as a healthy snack, or (my personal favorite), after a workout.

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to score these ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Healthy Green Smoothie

Prep time

3 mins

Total time

3 mins

Whip up a healthy green smoothie in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Makes: 1

Ingredients

1 to 2 bananas (I usually opt for 1)
½ cup O Organics frozen peaches
½ cup O Organics frozen mango
A couple large handfuls of O Organics baby spinach
4 to 8 ounces of water, depending on how thick or thin you prefer your smoothie
4 ounces non fat, plain greek yogurt (optional)

Instructions

Add all your ingredients to your blender, layering heavier ingredients at the bottom.
Add enough water to blend, and enjoy!

Pineapple-Peach Mojito Mocktails

Big Sky, Little Kitchen — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 18:59:45 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

Montana seems to have finally gotten the memo that it’s summer, and the temperatures are thankfully beginning to get a bit warmer after a long, cool spring! With these warmer temps, it’s only natural to crave a refreshingly cool, summery drink to chill down after a hot day in the sun. And my recipe for pineapple-peach mojito mocktails (featuring two new flavors of Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water) will certainly do the trick!

First things first, this is a ridiculously easy recipe to make – you need just five ingredients and you’re set to go! Sugar, fresh peaches, fresh mint, peach flavor and pineapple flavor sparkling water! That’s it!

If peach and pineapple aren’t your thing, keep in mind that Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water is unveiling a bunch of new flavors, including Peach, Pure, Apple, Pineapple, Caffeine Lime, Caffeine Blood Orange and Caffeine Grapefruit. Discover savings and more great items like this here!

I used two cans of peach and two cans of pineapple sparkling water. However, you can get away with just four ingredients by using four cans of a single flavor. For instance, four cans of peach or four cans of pineapple. But I personally love how these two flavors mix together.

Muddling the fresh mint leaves and freshly sliced peaches is and important step to meld the flavors, so don’t skip it! If you’re unfamiliar with what muddling does, “to muddle” means to press the ingredients against the side of the glass with a muddler. Muddling is an essential step in many summer drinks that use fresh produce and herbs because it helps to release the flavors of the fresh ingredients so they bind with your drink better. If you don’t own a muddler (I admit, I don’t), you can muddle the peaches and mint in this recipe either with the back of a wooden spoon, or even a pastry blender. I used a pastry blender and it worked great!

Some of you may also find yourself wondering if mint and peach really go well together. I’m here to answer that question with a resounding, “Yes!” The way this drink is put together ensures that the mint flavor isn’t overly strong – it simply adds a refreshing profile to the overall drink. I promise you, it won’t remind you of toothpaste! (And that is a very good thing!)

On a very hot day, I’d recommend chilling your sparkling water beforehand to make the coolness of your drink last longer (along with the help of the ice cubes, of course).

If you’re someone who’s trying to be more aware of your sugar intake, you could also easily reduce the amount of simple syrup included in the recipe and this drink would still be delightfully tasty, just a little less sweet! Just adjust the sparkling water to taste to account for the reduced simple syrup volume.

Also, did you know that Safeway offers Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop? I haven’t personally used the service, but saving a little extra time is always something that’s worthy of being explored!

Overall, I’m a huge fan of this recipe. It’s quick to put together, unbelievably pretty, really refreshing, and would be such a nice treat to serve at a barbecue or get-together. Or, heck, just for yourself after a day floating the river! And, adding your alcohol-of-choice to this drink would be exceptionally easy, too if you’d prefer more of a cocktail and less of a mocktail.

If you don’t drink it all in one go, it also holds up well over a couple of days in the fridge. You’ll lose some of the “sparkle” of the sparkling water, but there’s still a slight “zing” to it, and the side bonus is that the flavors have even more time to meld, blend, and really do some great things.

I shopped at Safeway in my local area to find these new Soleil flavors, but you can also find Signature SELECT Soleil exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons. These new flavors are available at most stores within the Intermountain Division. Be sure to ask a store near you if they carry these flavors!

And lastly, enjoy!