Drinks - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with drinks, since we do need something yummy to drink (besides the usual fare). Today's drink recipes include Homemade Ginger Tea and a Caramel Cappuccino Shake. Enjoy!

COPYCAT STARBUCKS CARAMEL FRAPPUCCINO

This is from Delish, and begins, "The caramel frappuccino is the most iconic Starbucks drink. It's sweet, strong, and drizzled with lots of caramel. The drink is easy to make at home and makes the perfect little afternoon pick me up."

Yields: 2 servings; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 c. cold, strong-brewed coffee

3/4 c. whole milk

1/2 c. caramel, plus more for serving

1 c. ice

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions

Blend coffee, milk, caramel, vanilla, and 1 cup of ice until smooth, thick, and icey. Add more ice, if necessary to reach desired consistency.

Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream. Drizzle with more caramel sauce.

TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE

This comes from the American Heart Association, and begins, “This sweet, delicious smoothie includes both fruit and vegetables.”

This recipe (along with a photo) can be viewed online at https://recipes.heart.org/recipes/2094/tropical-green-smoothie. Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon flax seeds

1 cup coconut water

1 teaspoon honey

1 orange

3/4 cup frozen mango chunks

1/2 banana

2 handfuls, about 1 ounce handfuls spinach

ice (until consistency you like)

Directions

Put Coconut water, spinach and honey in the blender until blended.

Place the rest of the fruit in blender and blend until smooth.

Add ice until desired smoothie consistency.

POWER UP SMOOTHIE

This comes from My Daily Moment, and begins, “Frozen fruits blend together to give this smoothie texture and chill, as well as a wide range of essential vitamins and nutrients. This is a great way to get your motor running in the morning.”

enough for 2 people.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup(s) milk (can use skim, 1%, or Lactaid milk)

1/2 cup(s) strawberries

1/2 cup(s) cherries

1 sliced banana

1/2 cup(s) peaches

1 cup(s) any flavor yogurt

Directions

Put all the fruit into a blender; pour in the milk and yogurt. Blend at high speed for 45 seconds or until smooth. Pour and serve!

HOMEMADE GINGER TEA

This is from Jolinda Hackett on The Spruce Eats Jolinda wrote, “Wondering how to make a simple and easy homemade ginger tea? Why go out and buy stale old tea bags when you can easily make your own fresh and homemade ginger tea at home using fresh ginger? Treat yourself to a cup of piping hot ginger tea, a healthy drink that's great for digestion.

”Here's how to make the tastiest and most soothing and healing ginger tea you've ever had! There's really no comparison.

“This healing ginger tea recipe actually comes from the raw food and natural health retreat center I used to work at in Thailand, where we served it to our guests bright and early every single morning, seven days a week. The secret to the perfect healing ginger tea? Lots and lots of fresh ginger, simmered for a long time to bring out the flavor, and the lime, which compliments the ginger perfectly, and plenty of natural agave nectar or honey for a refined sugar-free sweetener (or you might prefer it unsweetened, depending on your health goals - It's still delicious, I promise!). Try this simple ginger tea for an immune system boost or for an invigorating way to start the morning.

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 15 minutes; Yield: 2 servings of ginger tea

To check this out online, click here.

Ingredients

About 2 inches of fresh raw ginger (use more or less, depending on how strong you want it!)

1 1/2 to 2 cups water

1 to 2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar, to taste)

Optional: 1/2 lime (juiced, or to taste)

Directions

First, prepare the fresh ginger by peeling it and slicing it thinly to maximize the surface area. This will help you make a very flavorful ginger tea.

Boil the ginger in water for at least 10 minutes. For a stronger and tangier tea, allow to boil for 20 minutes or more, and use more slices of ginger. You really can't over do it, so feel free to add as much ginger and simmer it for as long as you want.

Remove from heat and add lime juice and honey (or agave nectar) to taste.

The secret to making a really flavorful ginger tea is to use plenty of ginger-more than you think you will need-and also to add a bit of lime juice and honey to your ginger tea. You will also probably want to add more honey than you think you will need as well.

Enjoy your hot ginger tea! A homemade ginger tea is excellent in soothing stomach aches and in aiding digestion.

CAPPUCCINO COOLER

This was in a Weight Watchers' email several years ago. The recipe begins, “There's no need to pay the small fortune that your corner coffee bar charges for a frozen concoction when you can make this smoothie. If you like your coffee strong, omit the sugar.”

POINTS® Value: 3; Servings: 1; Preparation Time: 6 min; Cooking Time: 0 min;Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt

1/4 cup black coffee, but brewed espresso preferred, cooled to room temperature

1/4 cup ice cube(s), about 3 cubes

1/2 tsp sugar, superfine

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

In a blender, combine all ingredients; puree until smooth.

Pour into a tall, chilled glass; sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if you like.

CARAMEL CAPPUCCINO SHAKE

This is from an old (10+ year old) Weight Watchers email. The points are from 2006.

The recipe begins, “It's hard to believe this luscious shake is nearly fat-free. You can easily double the recipe and share some with the rest of the family.”

POINTS® Value | 4; Servings | 2; Preparation Time | 8 min;Cooking Time | 0 min; Level of Difficulty | Easy

Ingredients

1 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt

1/4 cup fat-free skim milk

1/2 tsp instant espresso, powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup lite whipped topping

2 Tbsp fat-free caramel topping

Instructions

Blend yogurt, milk, espresso powder and cinnamon on high. Pour into two glasses. Top each with 2 tablespoons whipped topping and 1 tablespoon caramel topping.