{Pina Coladas!}

Happy Saturday!

I finally made those pina coladas yesterday afternoon and they were soooo good–definitely the perfect way to start the weekend! It finally feels like summer weather this weekend and if its hot where you are, these are the perfect way to cool down. And if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine your own a nice tropical beach somewhere. Well, I did say almost!

Here are the stars of this tasty island drink:

I had picked up a pineapple at Costco earlier in the week and it was perfect when I cut it up yesterday–it will make a great addition to my smoothies this week!

I went to 3 different grocery stores searching for coconut cream but was only able to locate cream of coconut in one of the stores and when I looked at the list of ingredients–coconut milk, sugar, and a bunch of artificial thickeners and preservatives–there was no way I was putting that in my fresh, homemade pina colada. As a substitute, I just added a little greek yogurt which worked perfectly to add a bit of thickness. Anyone know where you can find any real coconut cream? If you do, let me know!

Do yourself a favor this weekend and make yourself this treat and relax!

Pina Colada Recipe:
Makes 28oz, or just under 2 pints

Print recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh pineapple
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
2oz shot spiced rum
8 ice cubes

Steps:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for about 2 minutes. Enjoy!

{Homemade Margaritas}

What goes better with fish tacos than homemade margaritas?!

If you’ve never made margaritas from scratch before, be warned that it does take a bit of labor but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never want to make any other kind! The ingredients are really simple: fresh limes, agave nectar, 100% agave tequila, and a little ice. It’s really important to make sure the tequila is 100% agave but after that, a higher price tag doesn’t change the quality.

I think the fresh lime in these makes the margaritas–I love the sourness you never seem to get out of pre-made mixes.

You ready?

Okay, so here’s what you need. For each margarita, you’ll need four limes, 2 tablespoons of agave nectar, 2 ounces of tequila, and 4-5 ice cubes.

You’ll also need a cocktail shaker and a muddler. I got mine at cost plus for about $10 and it seems to do the trick just fine.

Now that you have your ingredients and tools ready to go, here’s what you do:

First, slice two of the limes in half and squeeze the juice into the cocktail shaker. Add the two tablespoons of agave nectar and 2 ounces of tequila.

Next, cut the remaining two limes into quarters and add to the shaker. Muddle the mixture for about 2 minutes, making sure you remove some of the pulp from the extra limes. Strain the mixture through the cocktail strainer into a glass and discard the solid limes.

Return the mixture to the cocktail shaker with the ice and shake continuously for about 30 seconds.

Finally, strain your margarita into a glass and serve immediately.

See that wasn’t too hard, was it?

Recipe:
Makes 1 amazingly delicious margarita

*Adapted from Alton Brown

Print recipe!

Ingredients:

4 fresh limes
2 ounces 100% agave tequila
2 tablespoons agave nectar
4-5 pieces of ice

Steps:

Now that you have your ingredients and tools ready to go, here’s what you do:

First, slice two of the limes in  half and squeeze the juice into the cocktail shaker. Add the two tablespoons of agave nectar and 2 ounces of tequila.

Next, cut the remaining two limes into quarters and add to the shaker. Muddle the mixture for about 2 minutes, making sure you remove some of the pulp from the extra limes. Strain the mixture through the cocktail strainer into a glass and discard the solid limes.

Return the mixture to the cocktail shaker with the ice and shake continuously for about 30 seconds.

Finally, strain your margarita into a glass and serve immediately.

Next stop, pina coladas!

{Smoothie}

I have a smoothie for breakfast most mornings. It’s light enough for the morning but still filling, protein rich, and always seems to stay with me until lunch! I often add some Green SuperFood for a little added nutritional benefit.

Smoothie Ingredients:

1 Banana
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 cup Trader Joe’s Frozen Berry Medley
1 scoop Amazing Grass Berry Flavor Drink Powder  (Green SuperFood)
1 cup Almond Milk

You can switch it up just by adding whatever fruit, fresh or frozen, you happen to have on hand, or by adding a bit of juice. I bought a pineapple this weekend, so I used fresh pineapple chunks in my smoothies for most of this week–delicious!!