Drinks - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's Double-Post Tuesday. And since we need more than food, today's double post deals with drinks. Drinks? you ask. Yup. Check out the Homemade Ginger Tea and Cafe de Olla. Then check out the other four drinks. Enjoy!

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!

STRAWBERRY-PEACH COOLER

This comes from Diabetic Gourmet.

Recipe Yield: Yield: 2 servings Serving size: 1 cup

Source: The Diabetes Snack, Munch, Nibble, Nosh Book

Book Title: The Diabetes Snack, Munch, Nibble, Nosh Book

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup dry-pack unsweetened frozen strawberries

2/3 cup dry-pack unsweetened frozen peaches

3/4 cup orange juice

Directions

In a 2-cup measure or similar microwave-safe bowl, combine the strawberries and peaches.

Cover with wax paper, and microwave on high power 45 seconds to 1 minute to thaw the fruit slightly. The fruit should be icy but not hard.

Working with a small knife in the measuring cup, cut each peach slice in half.

Transfer the peaches and strawberries to a blender container.

Add the orange juice. Blend on low power to combine. Then increase power to high and continue to blend until the peaches are completely pureed, at least 1-1/2 minutes.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 105; Fiber: 3 g; Sodium: 2 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Sugars: 23 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 2 Fruit

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.

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.

CAPPUCCINO SLUSHY

This came from Weight Watchers, and begins, “This coffee-based slushy gives delicious new meaning to the term iced coffee.”

Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Serves: 1; Difficulty: Easy; Points: 4

Ingredients

1 tsp sugar

2 pinch ground cinnamon, or more to taste

1/2 C black coffee, Italian or French roast

1/4 C 2% reduced fat milk

1/4 C aerosol whipped cream

Directions

Stir sugar and 1 pinch cinnamon into coffee. Pour into ice cube tray; freeze until solid, about 4 hours.

Blend frozen coffee ice cubes and milk in a mini-food processor until slushy. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and a generous pinch of cinnamon.

CAFE DE OLLA

The recipe for this yummy coffee is from the December 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 47. It starts off, “Literally 'coffee from the pot,' this recipe offers a simple way to make coffee for a crowd, with a spiced twist that no one can resist.” Serves 8 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

4 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

4 allspice berries

4 whole cloves

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar or 4 oz. piloncillo (Mexican raw sugar cones)

2 cups medium grind, dark roast coffee beans

2 cups low-fat milk

1 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa, optional

Lightly crush cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice, and cloves with mortar and pestle. Place in resealable plastic bag, and pound with rolling pin. Transfer to large saucepan, and add sugar and 8 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add coffee, and let steep 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm milk in small saucepan, and whisk until frothy.

Strain coffee through fine sieve or coffee filter into pitcher. Stir in coffee liqueur (if using). Serve with frothed milk.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 80; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Cholesterol: 3 mg; Sodium: 35 mg; Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 16 g; Gluten-Free