Tag Archives: raspberry

Girls’ Night In – Trop50 Raspberry Acai Sipper with Coconut-Mint-sicles

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You’re invited over to work up a sweat to old-school aerobic DVDs and Girl s CrossFit WOD. After well, enjoy healthy refreshments including a delicious mocktail made with Trop50 Raspberry Acai!

Oh, it’s always good to get together with my girlfriends. However, we’re not the head-out-to-a-bar types or even really much of book club babes, but the one thing we have in common is that we all like to run, workout and reward ourselves with healthy refreshments!

denise austin

My idea of a fun “Girl’s Night In” is inviting my besties over for some fun, maybe putting in a retro workout DVD like a Denise Austin or Jane Fonda – oooh, break out the leotards and leg warmers. However, though my friends don’t care, hosting at my house might mean having to clean up and move the furniture around for our lunging, lifting, buns-of-steel fun. So, instead I’m recommending we meet up for “Girl’s Night In” at the CrossFit box, no sweaty men allowed.

After the old-school aerobics, we’ll kick up the fun with a girl-powered workout – oh, I don’t know, maybe something like this Girls’ Night WOD below:

women's crossfit workout

As for refreshments, there will be no heavy lifting – just some fresh veggies and dip, some deviled eggs and easy to make smoothies and drinks featuring Trop50 Raspberry Açaí juice.  I was very excited to learn that Trop50 has the great taste and goodness you expect from Tropicana, but with 50% less sugar and calories and no artificial sweeteners. Each 8 ounce serving has loads of antioxidants, more than a day’s worth of vitamin C and is a good source of vitamin E — all for only 50 calories and 10 grams of sugar.

rasperry acai sipper with coconut mint ice Check out the gallery of drinks at the top of the post that feature Trop50 Raspberry Açaí along with some healthy smoothies I like to make at home. Although whipped up without alcohol, these drinks still taste special and celebratory without the next-day headache and regrets. While the “idea” of an adult beverage sounds appealing, my body always rebels – I try to remember that everything I eat or drink is either fueling performance or feeding disease.

Here’s a special sipper I’ve developed with Trop50 Raspberry Açaí. It’s so light and refreshing after a workout and I love how it’s keeps the fun in motion  — dip and swirl the frozen pop around and enjoy! Pre-freeze the “mint cubes” the night before and playing bartender will be a breeze.

Trop40 raspberry acai drink

Raspberry Açaí Sipper with Coconut-Mint-sicles Recipe

  •  2 10 -12 oz bottles coconut water
  • Mint springs
  • 10 small wooden skewers
  • 2 tbsp. colored cocktail rim sugar
  • 1 59-oz bottle Trop50 Raspberry Açaí

Pour coconut water evenly into 10 large ice cube molds, small ice pop molds or small Dixie cups. Top with mint leaves. Place in freezer for about 1 hour until firm enough to hold wooden skewer or ice pop stick upright. Continue to freeze until solid.

Wet the rims of 10 glasses; dip rims in cocktail sugar. Pour beverage evenly among glasses (just under 6 ounces per glass). Remove mint pops from molds and place one in each drink. Garnish with additional mint, if desired.  Serves 10.

coconut mint ice cubes

Coconut Mint-sicles for your Girls’ Night In drink!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more inspiring ideas, visit the Trop50 collection on Foodie.com

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Trop50 via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Trop50.

 

 

Cottage Cheese, Please! Lemon Chia Tea Cakes with Berries Recipe #GlutenFree

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The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Daisy Cottage Cheese.

Today, it’s cottage cheese, please! But, as I kid, I expressed my displeasure with this curd-style dairy product with the same gusto that was reserved for having blood drawn, getting grounded, having to babysit my brother instead of hang out with friends  — no, please, please, please don’t do this to me!  Crying, screaming, gnashing of teeth and so on. Boy, how times change! I barely wince at a needle prick, never get in trouble with my parents anymore and would welcome the opportunity to spend more time with my brother.  And . . . as you probably have guessed, I now love cottage cheese!

berries daisy cottage cheese container 700

When I headed down to the store to get my carton of Daisy Cottage Cheese, I noticed that the brand has rolled out new packaging – it’s so catchy with the white carton, blue lid and signature flower. It’s easy to figure out if you’re buying delicious full-fat Daisy (dark blue lid) or low-fat Daisy (light blue lid) — these little details matter, especially if I’m in a rush! But a great carton isn’t the only #DaisyDifference when it comes to stacking up this product against similar seeming cottage cheese brands on the shelves.  Daisy Cottage Cheese just plain uses better ingredients (and fewer) than the competition. Made from only four ingredients, this stuff is straightforward and simple – just the way it should be. I feel confident serving Daisy to my family knowing it isn’t gunked up with unnecessary additives, preservatives and thickeners.

Nutrition Label for Daisy Low-Fat 2% Cottage Cheese

Nutrition Label for Daisy Low-Fat 2% Cottage Cheese

What I’ve found as a mom and athlete is that cottage cheese is a great way to pack a wallop of protein into any meal of the day– even snacks and treats! Did you know that a ½ cup serving of 2% Daisy Cottage Cheese has just 90 calories and 14 grams of protein – getting me well on my way to achieving my daily protein requirement.  As a runner and fitness enthusiast who often works out two times a day, I require extra protein to help my body recover and rebuild muscle.  It’s so easy to add cottage cheese to a smoothie, a salad, or on top of a baked potato – I even blend up cottage cheese to transform it into a creamy sauce and silky, smooth baking ingredient.  Plus, since our family is on a budget, I really appreciate the value that cottage cheese offers as a protein source.

In honor of spring and all its fresh flavors, I whipped up this yummy batch of Lemon Chai Tea Cakes with Berries. It’s a healthy dessert that is balanced with protein – actually, I think it would also be great for breakfast!   As a bonus, this recipe is gluten-free and doesn’t have a lot of added sweetness – only a bit of honey and lemon curd. 

lemon cake cottage cheese

Lemon Chia Tea Cakes with Berries Recipe

  • 2 cups gluten-free oat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cup 2% Daisy Brand cottage cheese
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup lemon curd
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Sauce and Garnish

  • ½ cup 2% Daisy Brand cottage cheese
  • ¼ cup lemon curd
  • Blackberries and raspberries
  1. In large bowl, mix together oat flour, baking powder, chia seeds and salt until combined.
  2. In blender, mix together cottage cheese, lemon juice, lemon curd, honey, vanilla, eggs and oil until smooth.
  3. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring until just combined but not over mixing.
  4. Spoon batter into 4 free-standing paper baking cups (4” diameter) or 8 standard size muffin tins.
  5. Bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center pulls clean.
  6. While muffins are baking, make sauce by adding ½ cup cottage cheese and ¼ lemon curd in blender; blend until smooth.
  7. To serve, spoon sauce over cooled tea cakes and top with berries. Serves 4.

low fat daisy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t Miss the Twitter Chat with Daisy Cottage Cheese

Find out how to “Power Your Way Through the Day” with cottage cheese, a versatile protein source for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks – as well as for workout fuel and recovery. I can’t wait to learn more about the benefits of cottage cheese from the experts and find out some of the Fitfluential community’s favorite recipes.

Twitter Chat:
Hosted by: FitFluential
Date: April 10, 2014
Theme: Power Your Way Through the Day
Time: 9:00 pm EST
#DaisyDifference

“Me Time” with Pure Leaf Tea & Raspberry Chocolate Apple Rounds Recipe

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raspberry apples tea

I love my family, but sometimes a little “ME” time is necessary mandatory. After go-go-going to support my family in every imaginable way including cooking, chauffeuring, homework helping, hugging, and bring home the bacon bits, I need a little escape from my reality. Whether it’s a few minutes stolen from laundry time to read a book (although sometimes have trouble getting through a magazine) or an entire hour “appointment” scheduled into my calendar for the gym or running through the trails, these “just-for-mom” moments help me to decompress so that I can power up to be a better person and parent – and that’s good thing!

SAMSUNG

Another good thing is nourishing myself with a healthy snack during my “ME” time. With three teenage boys in the house who inhale food faster than my Dyson collects the crumbs, I sometimes have to resort to labeling and nearly locking down my healthy snacks (yes, they’ll even devour the nutritious stuff). When I brought home a bottle of Pure Leaf Iced Tea to review, I knew the Raspberry flavor would be popular and I had to insist threaten “hands-off” until the photos were taken and “I” got the first taste!

Can you believe it? I did get the first taste as I poured a cool, crisp glass full as a rehydrating beverage after a run around the neighborhood while they were in school. The Raspberry Pure Leaf Tea sure got the attention of my taste buds with fresh-brewed tea leaves picked at their peak and all natural raspberry flavor.  I’ve never been able to make iced tea the way my mom did when I was growing up in Arizona, but this tea gives her secret family recipe a serious run for the title of Best Iced Tea Ever – actually I think Pure Leaf wins (sorry mom). It’s sweet without being too sugary and the raspberry flavor mingles nicely in the blend without overpowering like some sort of berry bully – meaning, the tea still tastes like tea, just better!   By the way Pure Leaf also has other fruit flavors (such as Peach and Lemon) as well as an unsweetened version.

pure leaf ice tea holding glass

I might joke around about “the stress” of juggling the duties of a job, parenting kids and being a wife, and keeping up an athlete’s training schedule,  but the straight up truth is that I have an amazingly blessed life. When I do take some time to sit back and put things in this perspective, Pure Leaf adds just a little extra “goodness” to the day.  Of course, I can only sip so much tea before I work up an appetite; my recipe for Raspberry Chocolate Apple Rounds makes the perfect accompaniment.

Healthy raspberry apple snack

Raspberry Chocolate Apple Rounds Recipe

  •  1 medium apple
  • 3 tablespoons chocolate-flavored nut butter
  • 2 teaspoons almond slivers
  • Handful raspberries

Directions: Cut apple crosswise in approximate ¼” slices; carefully remove circle of seeds and core in center with paring knife. Spread chocolate nut butter over the top of each apple slice. Garnish with raspberries and almond slivers.  Serves 2.

Pure Leaf Logo AuthorPostsFrom the Brand: Pure Leaf is real brewed iced tea, which means it’s brewed from REAL tea leaves picked at their freshest, never from powder or concentrate. The result is a refreshing iced tea with perfectly balanced aroma, body, and flavor.

 

 

Learn more at http://www.facebook.com/pureleaf.

pure leaf tea popcorn and books

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Pepsico via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Pepsico.

Take-Out Makeover – Baked Chicken Spring Rolls with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

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baked chicken spring rolls raspberry chipotle sauce

Get that crispy crunch of an egg roll with virtually none of the fat with this yummy Baked Chicken Spring Rolls with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce recipe. A lightened up version of a take-out favorite, this snack or light dinner option can be made at home snippity-snap, quicker than the delivery guy can even get to your front door.

Inspired by the vegetables already in my produce bin, this recipe is easily adaptable to whatever colorful vegetables (and maybe even fruits for the daring) you need to use up. For convenience, I like a pre-prepared sauce for my spring rolls; Fischer & Wieser Raspberry Chipolte Sauce is a favorite.

Baked Chicken Spring Rolls with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Recipe

2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried, ground ancho chile powder
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 large red onion, diced
6-ounces cabbage blend (I used a coleslaw bag)
¾ cup fresh corn kernels
3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley (more for garnish)
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried, ground ancho chile powder
2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast (already cooked)
12 square (7-inch) spring roll wrappers
3/4 cup Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, for serving (I used Fischer & Wieser brand)
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In large sauté pan heat up sesame oil over medium-low heat and add chile powder and garlic; sauté for 2 minutes. Add red onions and corn and sauté for 3 – 5 minutes until somewhat softened, but not soggy. Sir in the cabbage, lemon juice, and soy sauce and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for another 2 – 3 minutes. Stir chicken into vegetable mixture. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 5 minutes.

spring roll veggies

Arrange the spring roll wrappers on a dry work surface then place 1/3 cup of the mixture in the center of each wrapper. Roll the wrappers snuggly around the mixture, folding the edges inward. Before your final fold, dip fingers in water and then moisten the outer edge of the wrapper to seal the spring roll shut.

spring roll collage

Line a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat nonstick baking mat and line up spring rolls. Brush the tops of the rolls with olive oil then bake them for 25 – 30 minutes (rotating half-way through) or until golden brown and crisped. Remove the spring rolls from the oven and serve them immediately with warmed raspberry chipotle sauce.

spring rolls ready for oven

Makes 12 spring rolls.

Nutrition Information:

baked chicken spring roll nutrition info