Breakfast of Tropicals! Pineapple, Coconut Protein Smoothie Recipe!

This week for #Torani Friday I thought it would be fun to make a delicious breakfast smoothie chock full of good things that will make you happy and get you going for a good start to your day!

We love the pineapple coconut combination in our house!  Everything from smoothies and drinks to savory dishes and desserts.  Pineapple and coconut go together like Forest and Jenny or peas and carrots or peanut butter and jelly.  This tropical combination is also one of my favorites for a breakfast smoothie.  This one is not overly sweet and hits all the right notes!  With the addition of protein powder this one will take you from breakfast to lunch with no problem at all.

I have used a good handful of ice, you can use more or less if that is your preference, a generous half cup of fresh pineapple that I diced really small, some pineapple juice about 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, 1/4 cup of organic whey protein, some coconut milk and Torani syrup in both coconut and pineapple.  I used about three pumps of each which ends up being just over a tablespoon of each flavor.

I used my Nutri Ninja drink mixer to whip up this smoothie but you could make this in any mixer or regular blender you have available.  I just tossed everything in and turned it on and let it run for about 30 seconds to make sure everything was smooth and creamy.

I garnished my smoothie with more flaked coconut and a little bit more sliced pineapple on the side of the glass for fun.  My recipe made enough for Rick and I to enjoy a smoothie for breakfast and we certainly did enjoy them!  

Because this is really an "idea" for a smoothie, the ingredient amounts can be adjusted to suit your taste and preference.  This smoothie was indeed, very smooth and not icy or frosty or thick.  If you like yours that way, add lots more ice.  You can even add coconut yogurt to make this thicker, tangy-er and boost the protein levels even more!  Like it sweeter?  Add more syrup.  You get the idea.  Make this your own.  But make it nonetheless.

Some of you may be saying "I can't believe she made a breakfast smoothie with that sugary syrup".  Well, you can believe it.  The way I see it is that Torani is made with pure cane sugar.  This is a simple sugar that is pure.  I have no problem adding a bit of this to my smoothie to make it even more delicious and boost the natural flavors that I have put in there to begin with.  You have to make the best decision for you and if you wanted to leave out the sweetener all together or sub out some honey or some agave, then go right ahead.  Your choice!

I hope you give this protein boosted pineapple coconut breakfast smoothie a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Sipping!

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

You can find Torani on their website here:

http://bit.ly/ToraniHome

You can get Bob's Red Mill Whey Protein here:

http://amzn.to/1NtoEFg

You can get Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Coconut Flakes Here:

http://amzn.to/1NtoEoR

This is the drink mixer I am using, the Nutri Ninja Blender:

http://amzn.to/225ePjt

Business Inquiries can be sent to:

info@noreenskitchen.com

Smooth Summer Sipping! Sparkling White Citrus Sangria Featuring Torani Syrups!

Since Cinco De Mayo was just the other day I thought it would be fun to continue the celebration and make a festive drink to share over the weekend!  This week for Torani Friday I am sharing a delicious sparkling white citrus sangria that is perfect for the warm months of summer ahead.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it up to two days ahead, and stow it in the fridge and you will be ready when your guests arrive!  No fuss, no muss!  Perfect party refreshment!

This starts with a bottle of white wine.  Since this is a white sangria, you will need white wine.  You may use the wine of your choice, however usually the recommendation is to go with a dryer wine like a chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pino Grigio but, if you are like me and like a sweeter wine, go with a moscato or in my case I have used a North Carolina wine from the Duplin Winery that is actually a sangria wine.  The wine I have used is made from native muscadine grapes and is delicious and sweet.  I believe this is all a matter of personal preference. 

Now sangria is a blend of wine and liquor,  not just wine that has some fruit tossed into it to make it pretty.  It usually has some added juice as well.  I have used a citrus infused vodka as well as Triple Sec, some lime juice and three flavors of Torani syrup, lemon, lime and tangerine.  This combination along with the other ingredients turned my Sangria the color of a beautiful summer sunset!  I added thinly sliced Granny Smith apple, orange, lemon and lime to the mix as well.

You don't have to have Torani to make this but it does make it even more amazing.  If you are not using the syrups, you can use a cup of granulated sugar instead.   Since I love Torani I developed this recipe so I could use mine.  You will love this!

If you want to mix things up look at the collection of syrups you have on hand.  Maybe you want to mix pineapple, strawberry and peach instead of my combination!  Make yours the way you love it!

Once you have everything all set in a container.  You can use a pitcher with a lid or do what I did and use a two quart jar with a tight fitting lid.  Give the jar a couple of good shakes to distribute everything and then set in the fridge for at least 24 hours but no longer than 48 hours.  If you need to keep this past 48 hours, you will need to remove the fruit or it will begin to ferment and make something you won't want to drink.  

To serve this delicious refresher, just pour over ice and add some sparkling water or club soda and garnish with additional sliced fruits.  Pop in a straw and enjoy!

I hope you will give this sparkling white citrus sangria a try in the coming warm weather months!  I hope you love it!

Happy eating!

You can find Torani on their website:

http://bit.ly/ToraniHome

You can find Duplin Winery here:

http://bit.ly/1YdJ0CM

Noreen's Kitchen

Sparkling White Citrus Sangria

Ingredients

1 bottle 750ml white wine of your choice 1 cup vodka 1/2 cup Triple Sec 1/2 cup lime juice 1 green apple, sliced thin 1 lemon, sliced thin 1 orange, sliced thin

2 limes, sliced thin 1/4 cup Torani lime syrup 1/4 cup Torani lemon syrup 1/4 cup Torani tangerine syrup 1 liter Club soda or sparkling water You can sub out 1 cup of granulated sugar for the syrups.

Step by Step Instructions

Add lime juice, Torani syrups, vodka, triple sec and wine to a 2 quart jar or pitcher with a lid.  Stir well.

If using granulated sugar be sure to stir well to dissolve.

Add sliced fruit to jar and put on the lid.  Give the jar a few shakes to distribute everything. 

Place the sangria in the fridge overnight. This is best if allowed to steep for 24 hours but no longer than 48.

Do not allow the fruit to remain in the jar longer than 48 hours. 

To serve, pour into a pitcher and add 1 liter of club soda or sparkling water and stir.

Pour  over ice and garnish with additional citrus fruit slices and mint springs if desired.

Get a printable version of this recipe on my website:   http://bit.ly/271ouLV

See how I made this recipe in my YouTube video:

Strawberry Lime Slush! Sipping Towards Summer! Torani Friday

Today I am making an awesome strawberry lime slush for Torani Friday!  Super easy to make and super delicious!  I have use Torani strawberry syrup and Torani lime syrup along with fresh strawberries and fresh lime.  In this case I put an entire lime wedge in, peel and all, to really get that lime flavor in the slush.

My goal here is to mimick the strawberry and lime slushy at Sonic and I came so close that I made it better!  The secret is the fresh fruit.  Instead of ice cream topping, the fresh berries and the fresh lime really take this to the next level as far as flavor goes.  

I have used my Nutri Ninja blender to make this but you can use any drink blender or a regular blender, I will say though, if you are using regular ice cubes, you should crush them first to make the process of the "slushing" easier.  If your fridge has a crushed ice option, then use that.  If not, simply crush your ice first.

Add the syrups to the crushed ice as well as the fresh fruit then top it all of with club soda or sparkling water or lemon lime soda.  Whatever is your choice, just make sure to pour enough water to come to the same level as the amount of crushed ice you have.

Blend until everything is nice and slushy, this will only take a few seconds.  Then pour into a serving glass or just pop a straw in the blender cup and enjoy!  I like to add more sliced lime and a fresh strawberry garnish if I am feeling fancy!

Don't limit yourself to strawberry and lime!  You can make slushes of any flavor you like!  You can even use whipping cream and vanilla and caramel syrup to make a creamy version of this slush.  Let your imagination be your guide and your collection of Torani is your only limitation!

I hope you give this strawberry lime slush a try and I hope you love it!

You can find Torani syrups on their website!

http://bit.ly/ToraniHome

You can see how I made this in my YouTube Video!

Happy sipping!

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