I’m in this weird limbo where I want to make chili and eat all the pumpkin things but also really want to hold onto summer foods! The produce is just so good! The colors are spectacular! Serve all my meals outside!! This smoothie made me think summer, buuuut would also work well in the off-season with frozen peaches. Gasp! I know. It isn’t the time of year to buy anything besides fresh/local. They’re one of the best frozen fruits and I’ll be honest, my peaches came from the grocery store for this one. After a weekend away in Maine I was doing a late night grocery shop and wanted all the fresh things!

I added yogurt for the cream factor, as well as protein. The banana and cauliflower are both mild but add some fiber without overpowering the peaches. The ground flax seed is mostly tasteless but adds omega-3s for heart health. Registered Dietitians at work said they must be ground…otherwise you won’t process ’em, you’ll just host them until they depart. I pop them into the coffee grinder.

Peaches & Cream Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 peaches, sliced
1/2 banana
1 cup frozen cauliflower
1 cup ice
1 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
splash of milk

Directions:

Chop the peach, banana, and add everything into a blender.

Blend & enjoy!

Frozen peaches might actually be even better. I KNOW! Don’t say such things. I like smoothies to be cold, frosty, and I’m not sure I’d taste the difference of a frozen peach and a fresh one here. I might have fallen deeper in love if it were colder. I only had 1 small ingredient frozen: cauliflower, then I added some ice.

I had some leftover wine that wasn’t the greatest. I jazzed up a wine spritzer that was just so delightful for a warm night viewing of The Bachelorette. Whether part of Bachelor Nation or not, this drink is perfect for the summer. The spritzer has such a bad rap but it is just what a Monday-night-bachelorette viewing needs, or day-drinking, or a light Sunday-funday, or for that not-so-great wine.

Wine Spritzer with Pomegranate Lemonade Ice Cubes

Ingredients (for 2 drinks):

pomegranate lemonade ice cubes
4 oz white wine
3 oz ginger ale

Directions:

Mix lemonade and pomegranate juice and pour into an ice cube tray. Freeze 6+ hours or overnight. Then add to a glass.

Add in the wine.

Top off with the ginger ale.

Enjoy!

I loved that as the “ice” melted, it added another flavor to the drink. The ginger flavor + the wine was so good and then the pomegranate and lemonade added slow additions of other flavors. It became a little bit like sangria. Need a mocktail? Go for gingerale with the ice cube flavors!

This smoothie is gently green, with the mint & lime flavors of a mojito! This is like a baby step into adding greens into a smoothie. The green-ness seems appropriate and that you expect it to be green! I used frozen pear, but banana, apple would be fine too – shoot for something mild so the mint and the lime can really stand out.

Mojito Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup frozen pear
bunch of mint leaves
1/2 lime: squeezed for juice & zested

Directions:

Add spinach, yogurt, and milk to a blender and blend very thoroughly.
Then add in the frozen pear, mint, lime juice, and lime zest.
Blend and add more milk if it is too thick for your liking.

Enjoy! I loved that this was creamy from the milk and yogurt while fresh from the mint and lime.

Strawberries have been suuuper cheap lately so I brought a huuuuge container and boozed some up. This takes a bit of lead time to flavor the vodka but throw it in a jar a few hours (or a few days before) and cocktail time will be here soon enough.

Strawberry Cucumber Vodka Cocktail

Ingredients (for 4):

~4 oz vodka
1/4 cucumber, sliced
1 1/2 cups strawberries
3/4 cups water
3 tablespoons sugar
simple syrup: 1/2 cup water + 1/4 cup sugar
~8 oz tonic or soda water

Directions:

Add the vodka and cucumber slices to a glass jar and give a shake and let refrigerate for 4+ hours (mine were in there 48 hours!).
Over medium heat, cook the strawberries, 3/4 cups water, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Allow to cool, and blend or combine in a food processor. Refrigerate.
In the strawberry pot, cook the 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and refrigerate. (This saves you an extra pot to wash, and “scents” the simple syrup with strawberry flavor from the remnants on the pot.)
When serving, shake together the the strawberry “juice”, 4 shots of cucumber vodka, and ice.

Add some ice to each glass, and ~2 oz tonic per glass, then pour in the strawberry mix.

Cheers!

I loved this. The cucumber flavor was there to totally take over the vodka flavor. If cuke is your jam, you could even make cucumber simple syrup! This is drink is cool, sweet, refreshing, and delightful. I’ll totally make this again! Make a big batch in a pitcher or pour a tray of glasses for your next party!