Classic Smoothie Recipe

One of the easiest, healthiest and most flavorful snacks you can whip up for your kids is a smoothie! I worked on a recipe that is basically a sugar-free cooked eggnog base that you can do many things with-you can add fruit, cocoa powder, chia seeds, flax meal, you name it. The kids think it's the greatest treat ever-and they don't even know how good it is for them. Full of protein from all of those eggs, calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus. About once a week, I make up the base recipe and then use it whenever I need a snack idea. Also a great breakfast idea (and they eat their eggs in a new way). And you don't have to buy any expensive powders or mixes!

For the sweetener, I use a product called Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener- https://www.lakanto.com/

All natural, gluten-free, non gmo, zero calories, zero additives, vegan and a 1:1 sugar replacement. I found it easily in our local Safeway also. I really, really like it in this smoothie. There are so many ways you can use this amazing sweetener, especially if you have diabetes or health concerns. OR if you just like to prevent your kids from getting all jazzed up on sugar!

You will be seeing many more recipes from me with it!

Classic Cooked Eggnog

Ingredients:

6 Eggs

1/4 cup of Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups of whole milk divided (or whatever milk you have on hand)

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1.) Crack the eggs into a large sauce pan and stir with the salt until they are all beaten up. Stir in 2 cups of the milk. Use a candy thermometer attached to the side of the pan to watch the temp.

2.) Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Make sure you get in all the cracks of the pan so the egg doesn't consolidate there. Cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F, about 15 minutes. You don't want this to boil and when it reaches temp, remove from the heat.

3.) Stir in sweetener, remaining 2 cups of milk and vanilla. Stir until the sweetener gets dissolved.

4.) I put the mixture into glass canning jars without the lid until they cool in the fridge. Once it's cooled, you can use it in a smoothie and put the lid on it. Here's a picture of what that base looks like.

Chocolate Flavored Eggnog Smoothie (pictured first):

To make your eggnog base chocolate flavored, put 4 Tbsp of cocoa into a bowl along with an extra 1/4 cup of sweetener. When the mixture gets hot, pour a little of it into the bowl with the cocoa to make a slurry. Stir out the lumps and pour into the pan with the base. Stir vigorously. This will be an automatic base for a smoothie and all you need to do when you're ready is pour into the blender with some ice and a banana (makes it really good).

To make a fruit smoothie with the base:

1.) Put about 1 1/2 cups-2 cups in a blender (depending on how many servings you want).

2.) Add 1/2 cup ice and whatever fruit you like. I add frozen strawberries/berries, banana, chia seeds.

3.) Blend on high until smooth. Try it out! If you like a little sweeter, add more of the sweetener or a teaspoon of honey. It won't need much else.

4.) Pour into cups and enjoy!

Hope you like this recipe and use it as an idea for a healthy snacks for the kids!

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