Sunday Southern Days

I struggle with getting in enough (what is enough, really?) fruits and vegetables on any given day. I love fruit, but it's tedious to cut/clean it at work, and I don't want apples or other items to brown or dry out if I prepare ahead of time. What's a girl to do? Blend. I love where my awesome blender comes into this equation. I have disposable cups and straws handy so it feels like someone made my morning smoothie at the gym snack bar or Jamba Juice, but I get to put in my own ingredients and know what is in my food (or beverage, in this case). Here are some of my go-to smoothie recipes: Peach Faux-shake Flesh of two peaches (no pit, no skin); I cleaned these when in season and froze them 1 small container of Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt 2 T skim milk 1 T brown sugar 3 ice cubes Blend all ingredients. I think it helps when your fruit is already frozen (be careful of any frozen fruit with added sugars). Blend this until smooth and add more milk as

I have found the perfect party/weeknight/book club/entertaining/easypeasy dip. And all that you can do with it! This is a lightened up version of the traditional Buffalo Chicken Dips you will find out there. Keep reading below to find out ways to serve this dip, as well as how to turn the leftovers (like there are ever any leftovers) into Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas. Lite Buffalo Chicken Dip Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1/2 cup • PointsPlus: 3 Calories: 107.9 • Fat: 4.9 g • Carbs: 5.4 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 10.3 g 4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened 1 cup fat free sour cream 1/2 cup Franks hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you like) 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese 1 tsp white wine vinegar 16 ounces raw chicken breast Mix the first 5 ingredients together until smooth. Add the chicken and put this in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. Shred chicken breasts with two forks and serve warm. Makes 5 1/2 cups.   Serving Suggestions: Celery Sticks, Tortilla Chips, Cuc

Don't discount the power of the display of your items when entertaining! Think outside the box and use vases, boxes, color coordination, and more to get your party poppin'. Rainbow Fruit Kabobs Fruit buffet in large vases Lemonade in Mason Jars! (Made first appearance at our annual Fourth of July party this year) What candy buffet? It's all about the veggie buffet! I recommend this accompanied by various dips.

Mint Julep Cupcakes - yes, please. Ingredients : Cupcakes 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon mint extract 4 eggs 2 3/4 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1/2 cup bourbon (or whiskey) 1/2 cup Creme de Menthe Icing 3 cups sifted powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon mint extract 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 stick unsalted butter, melted milk   Directions: Cupcakes Preheat the oven to 350º F, and grease or line 30 cupcake cups. Combine salt, baking powder, and 1 3/4 cups of the flour. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and extracts in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add the milk and liquors to the batter, then the rest of the flour (1 cup). Mix as little as possible, just until the batter comes together. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.