Beverage

Matcha green tea seems to be all the rage these days. During the summer, this is the drink I make after a day at the lake or pool, but also the one I make before jumping in my car to grab the kids from school (t-minus a few weeks!). As per usual, the mainstream coffee shops serving up matcha green tea lattes (iced or hot) are using highly processed, low quality matcha blend sugar bombs. Sugar is the main ingredient that is mixed with the green tea, so you cannot even order the drink unsweetened. The green tea powder is usually chunky and floating in the milk and ice, almost impossible to incorporate using their method. As you can see I am not a fan but I want to be!

Enter the homemade iced matcha green tea latte where you can control the quality of the matcha and the quantity of sugar. It only takes about 2 minutes to make! Our family has several members who love the flavor of matcha – I find it creamier, naturally sweeter and prefer it to regular green tea. It’s high in antioxidants – the kind that protects your cells from damage – sign me up! And, I also have noticed since I’ve incorporated matcha green tea into my regular routine, I do feel it has revved up my metabolism a bit, something this almost 45 year old appreciates.

There are many quality brands of matcha powder, but my favorite brand that I’ve been loving for quite awhile is Kyoto Dew Matcha Organic Ceremonial Grade Powder. It’s quite strong and a bit pricey, but this is the powder we use to make hot green tea as well, so we often choose the ceremonial grade. If you have plans for only iced lattes or adding it as an ingredient to smoothies (highly recommend and a family favorite), I recommend a more affordable and less strong culinary grade – it is meant to be used as a blended ingredient, and is a great choice if matcha is new to you. Brands I have used and enjoy are Jade Leaf Culinary Grade and Matcha Love Culinary Grade.

Almond milk and oat milk are my favorite non-dairy beverages for this (homemade almond milk being by absolute favorite but that’s for another day!), but regular cow milk is likely just as delicious. Either way, I hope you try this iced matcha green tea latte at home!

Cheers,

Christina

Another day, another smoothie in the Shoup House! After 15+ years we are still going strong with our smoothies. My kids regularly prepare a smoothie for themselves or the family, but over this past weekend I watched each of them prepare their own variety the minute they walked in the door from their respective sport or activity – it’s become second nature for them to do this. One was a cherry mango and flax blend – heavy on the Greek yogurt, another was blueberry and spinach with a scoop of vanilla protein powder, and the third was a peanut butter, banana, chia, and vanilla protein powder. All great choices!

We all have our favorites, and those change all the time, but I love that they can throw together these healthy and satisfying meals for themselves. In fact, often times the minute we get home from a trip, the first thing they do after emptying the car is to make a smoothie. It’s just part of their daily routine after so many years and variations. I just fear they’ve gotten so used to daily smoothies and the Vitamix they may be lost without one when they head to college… An excellent (crazy!) high school graduation gift perhaps? I can only imagine their smoothie bar set up in the dormroom.

My current favorite is this Everyday Protein Smoothie. It’s easy to prepare, always makes me full and satisfied and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. In fact, I drank chocolate protein powder (I love Primal Kitchen’s chocolate coconut fuel), banana, almond butter smoothies for years and years before tying a new flavor a few months ago – vanilla protein powder – and I love how versatile it is. I can add a nut butter and/or a banana like usual or I can add a bit of fruit like blueberries or blackberries, or skip the fruit altogether. Either way, it’s a healthy meal to take on the go – something we’ve been doing a lot these days as the kids’ schedules pick back up like it’s 2019!

Cheers,

Christina

Years before Jamba Juice was a thing, my hometown of Bakersfield had a local shop called Bagels and Blenders.  It was a favorite in our family and on occasion, we began our Saturday mornings before sports and activities with a stop here.  I still remember their Peanut Butter Bagel, an oblong shaped bagel with chunks of peanut butter throughout- something I’ve never seen anywhere else. Yum. They also had a giant list of blenders, aka smoothies, and those were delicious as well.  Before there was much talk of carbs, this seemed like a good concept. 

I distinctly remember thinking I was having a healthy breakfast! It was good fuel, for sure, but I cannot imagine what the crash would have been like with all those carbs…although I don’t really remember it being a thing.  It was the 80s and this was health food at its finest.  I have clear memories of our family making smoothies at home. With a family of 6, this was definitely a smart economic choice, which my parents were very good with. They usually consisted of fruit juice, frozen fruit and ice.  

Fast forward to the opening of Jamba Juice in the early 1990s and smoothies were everywhere. What town didn’t have a Jamba Juice? Their early menus consisted mostly of fruit smoothies that had juice, frozen fruit and often sherbet or frozen yogurt.  Basically – sugar, sugar, and more sugar.  But it had fruit! So we were all good…

The most recent menu at Jamba Juice doesn’t look much like it’s original menu.  The old saying –  when you know better you do better, certainly applies here. The offerings now, thankfully, have many more redeemable qualities such as non dairy beverage instead of fruit juice, Greek yogurt instead of sherbet or frozen yogurt, and combos of veggies and fruits.  It’s a refreshing treat that we can feel better about, but with the price of those jambas, it’s still considered a treat in our household.

The most healthy and economical option is to make smoothies at home.  A good quality blender such as the VitaMix is invaluable and a worthy investment if you’re a fan of smoothies. For over 15 years, with few exceptions, our family has made a smoothie every single day – it resembles many of those you now see at Jamba Juice, but always with a balance of fruit, veggie, protein and often with added fiber.  We’ve never used a recipe, so it’s been a challenge to measure out everything and think about serving size.  I tried my best with the posted recipes, but I suggest that you use them as a guide.  And before long, your family will come up with great combos that magically serves just enough for everyone to have a glass.  

Cheers,

Christina