Fruit Smoothies

Pineapple-banana smoothie

It finally happened to me...I'm officially addicted to smoothies! I was looking for something filling for breakfast because I wasn't enjoying my hot oatmeal during the summer months. I bought a KitchenAid blender (that I love) and knew I would end up using it to make something delicious! This led me to my current smoothie experiments and they are simply awesome! These are my 3 favorite smoothies (so far): pineapple-banana, banana-vanilla and peach-vanilla bean. 
So try something new and let us know your favorite fruit smoothie ideas!

Pineapple-banana directions:
1 cup V8 Splash Smoothie juice (tropical colada)
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 banana, peeled
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 tsp coconut extract
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Banana Vanilla Smoothie

Banana-vanilla directions:
1 banana, peeled (fairly ripe)
1/2 c vanilla soy milk (or milk of your choice)
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped insides
1/2 c crushed ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Peach Vanilla Bean Smoothie

2 peaches, fresh and sliced (I left the peeling on)
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1/2 c 1% organic milk (or any milk of your choice)
1/2 vanilla bean, sliced down the middle and the insides scraped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c crushed ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Enjoy a blessed July 4th holiday as we thank those men and women that have made our freedom possible!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Ice Cream Sundaes

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! We have been busy with projects, gardens and birthday parties! The favorite party idea this month was an ice cream sundae bar. I'm not sure who loved it more, the kiddos or the adults! This is super simple and you can use as many goodies as you want (or have on hand) for the toppings!
We started with a half-gallon each of our favorite soft serve ice cream, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. We served 12 people and had some ice cream left over. I bought some glass ice cream sundae dishes at our local Goodwill store, they're so cute!
I used small dishes for the toppings and set them on the bar. For the super heroes party, I had some extra material to place under the goodies.

You can serve fruit, nuts, sprinkles, flavored syrups, mini-m&ms, chocolate chips, cherries for the top, whipped cream, crushed cookies and your personal favorites!
Enjoy a blessed day!
Love and peace,
~Simply Tammi

A New Look for a Used Bistro Set

After our long, cold winter I decided I wanted lots of color on my deck this summer. I started by sewing bright, new cushions for our patio set. (I'll be posting simple directions for those later). I had some left over material and Mom graciously offered her vintage bistro set for my DIY project!

The seats and backs were attached with screws so I removed the screws and threw away top layer of the old fabric. I left the layer underneath that was previously on the cushions because it is easier to recover and I didn't need to replace the wood seats, backs or foam. I used the circles as my pattern for my new outdoor material.

I added 2 inches of material and cut out a circle for the seat pattern. I used a staple gun to attach them to the wood seats. I attached the covered seats to the chairs using new screws rather than the old rusty screws. I followed the same process for the backs of the chairs.

If you find a used bistro set and need a fresh look you can also spray paint the set before you recover the seats. I love how my recycled bistro set turned out and sometimes the older, vintage sets can be sturdier than some of the newer sets.

Enjoy a blessed day!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Chicken Satay

I am so excited to share this recipe! I have been recording past episodes of the Nate Berkus Show and I was so happy to find Jamie Oliver and one of his healthy chicken recipes. So I had to try it immediately and guess what? It was awesome! The ingredients are fresh and healthy, which I love! You probably know that I adapted the recipe with ingredients I had on hand. I also grilled my chicken instead of using the broiler. So get your food processor out of storage and try our new family favorite!
Satay:
1/2 - 3/4 bunch of cilantro, even the stalks
1 red chili pepper or 1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 clove garlic
1/4 cup peanut butter, (homemade peanut butter is my favorite)
Soy sauce to taste
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peel and slice
1 small shallot or 1/2 medium red onion
1 lime, zest first then squeeze the juice into the mixture
Place all of these ingredients into the food processor and mix until they resemble a paste-like texture. Take about 1/2 of the sauce from the food processor and save to serve with the meal. The rest will be used to spread on the chicken.

Chicken:
8 chicken breast tenderloins or cut 4 chicken breasts into pieces, I use my hands and coat each chicken piece with the satay sauce and place them on the grill. I turn them several times but for the small pieces it only takes about 10-12 minutes.


Boil noodles according to package (I use organic lo mein noodles but you can use any pasta or rice). I rinse mine and toss with about a teaspoon of sesame oil. I serve mine chilled rather than hot.

Place 1 T honey in a small skillet and add 3/4 c unsalted raw cashews. Turn heat on low-medium and stir cashews and honey until the cashews are light brown in color. Remove from heat and let cool.

Garnishes:
Romaine lettuce leaves
Fresh lime, cut into slices
Satay sauce
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, rough chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Honey roasted cashews

garnishes

Can serve it with lettuce on the side

I serve my chicken satay in romaine lettuce leaves. I start with some satay sauce, noodles, soy sauce, cilantro, chicken and squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top. Then I add the roasted cashews. 

If you want to try something new and healthy, this is perfect!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Love and peace,

~ Simply Tammi