Water Punch

Water Punch
• 5 quarts of chilled water
• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp. citric acid (I have only been able to find this at Orson Gygi's)
• fresh lemon, lime, or orange slices (optional)

In a punch bowl or large container combine water, sugar, lemon extract, and citric acid. Stir until sugar is all dissolved. Then add citrus slices to float in the punch and make it look pretty.

Amb's Super Green Spinach Smoothie

I got this recipe from a neighbor of mine and I've been making them and meaning to share but haven't yet so here I go. I love it and they are a perfect breakfast for me. I happened to have all the ingredients in the house when she sent the recipe. Here ya go-

In a blender add water and spinach (the kind that comes out of the big Costco bag - pre-washed). For water put about 3/4 cup, for spinach fill the blender up about 3/4 of the way full. Blend. (It will look very green.)

Then I add:

1 Banana

1 container of peach yogurt, Fat Free (6 or 8 oz)* or any flavor you have in the house.

Orange juice 1 cup or you can do 4-6 oz of the concentrate because there is so much water with the spinach.

About 2 cupfuls of frozen mixed berries. (Costco has a big bag for about $10). I've been using blueberries and it makes it really yummy. I'm sure any type of berries work.

Ice cubes (about 4-5) but use more if you use fresh berries instead of frozen.

I found the trick is to blend everything then add the frozen berries. That way they don't the stick together and make it hard to blend. With blueberries it's really dark so beware of possible stains. LOL

I divide it into 2 1/2 servings, but the whole blender is full and the full amount is about 470 calories. But I only end up drinking 230 calories.

I figure I should be eating lots of both spinach and berries anyway. Also I was having a yogurt for breakfast anyway so it works for me. Enjoy!

Frozen Cranberry Margaritas

1 can (11 1/2 ounces) frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
2 cans (12 ounces each) lemon-lime soda pop
5 cups water
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice


1. In 3-quart plastic container, beat all ingredients with wire whisk or spoon until well blended.
2. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours until slushy. Serve in margarita or cocktail glasses.

Cranberry-Apple Spritzer

2 cups chilled dry white wine, nonalcoholic wine or apple juice
1 cup chilled cranberry-apple juice
1 cup chilled sparkling water
Apple slices, if desired
Fresh mint sprig, if desired

1. Mix wine, juice and sparkling water.
2. Serve over ice. Garnish with apple and mint if desired.

Home Made Root Beer

Grandma's Super Secret Root beer
(from the back of the root beer concentrate box.)
Homemade Root Beer
1 1/2 Cups Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Root Beer Concentrate
1 Bottle (1Liter) Cold
Soda Water, Seltzer OR Club Soda
Bring Water to a boil in medium saucepan
Stir in sugar until dissolved.
Add Concentrate; stir until well mixed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly pour
soda into root beer mixture until well blended.
Makes 6 cups.
We added dry ice just for fun.

Groovy Green Smoothie

Groovy Green Smoothie from Stacy again. I've not tried this one so if you have...let me know!

"A great way to get your kids to eat greens! You will be amazed by this yummy fruity smoothie. Experiment with different amounts or types of fruit and make your own."

PREP TIME 10 Min
READY IN 10 Min
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 banana, cut in chunks
1 cup grapes
1 (6 ounce) tub vanilla yogurt
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS-Place the banana, grapes, yogurt, apple and spinach into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, stopping frequently to push down anything stuck to the sides. Pour into glasses and serve.

Amazing Zucchini Smoothie - lactose free!

Janie's Amazing Zucchini Smoothie - this recipe was posted on my friend, Stacy's blogspot. She and her cute hubby did a large garden this year and found this recipe. Her kids love it!

"This is a low calorie smoothie that tastes great! It helps keep you full, so it's great for dieters and it's lactose free!"

PREP TIME 5 Min
READY IN 5 Min
Original recipe yield 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 zucchini, cubed
5 ice cubes
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons granular sucrolose sweetener (eg. Splenda™)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS-Place the zucchini, ice cubes, orange juice, sweetener, and vanilla extract into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, about 1 minute.