The Fountain of Fair Fortune- Universal Studios Orlando

Butterbeer. It's sweet, like cream soda, butterscotch soda. The cream on top, like melted vanilla ice cream that's been whipped to barely soft peaks. I like it cold and frozen. I didn't get to have it hot sadly. It's perfect to grab and wander around the Wizarding World and get lost.

At the bottom of this post is the Pumpkin Juice which taste like a spiced apple cider and pumpkin spices. It was way too sweet for me.

Butterfly Blush- Color Changing Sushies

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been so absent. I hope you are all doing well! My youngest recently had a birthday party and I wanted to serve something fun to go along with the roll your own spring roll bar we had. I thought about having a bubble tea/boba tea bar but I wasn't sure which flavors to offer and such. Looking in my tea cabinet I saw my jar of Butterfly pea flowers. I make tea with them and cook with them quite a bit. I though they would be fun to use.

Isalean Shake Recipes (Isagenix)

Isagenix Isalean Blueberry Cake Shake.

Hello everyone! It's been a while. School is back in session and I'm already behind on posting school lunches. I have a bunch uploaded and I'll get that post up soon. I hope you all are doing well. Is anyone else sending packed lunches to school? I'd love to see them. Today I'm sharing some shake recipes so keep scrolling...

Freezer Tip: Spa Water Add Ins

Quick freezer tip for infused waters here today! I usually drink water all day, with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Sometimes I'll infuse my water with herbs, fruits, and/or vegetables. It's refreshing and healthy!

Non-Dairy Creamer, Paleo Coffee Frappe

Non-Dairy Creamer that is Whole30 and Paleo compliant.

If you've been following my Instagram (@peasknees), you know that I recently finished my first round of Whole30. I had a whole month where I didn't drink any coffee. I drank tea twice with this "creamer" like this, and the rest of the time I drank my tea plain. I have to say I really missed my cups of tea in the afternoon with half and half and sweetener - which is normally one dehydrated Stevia leaf. I still miss sweetener but I found something I really enjoy in both coffee and tea. Cold or hot.  This doesn't taste dairy half and half. But it makes drinks creamy and adds flavor. It's really good.

Bubble Tea, Boba, Tapioca Pearls

Tapioca Pearls.

I've already posted these tapioca pearls in the Instant Pot with my Mango Lassi post, but now that its close to spring time I thought I would repost them alone. That way we can get ready for warm weather drinks. Do you like Bubble tea? What is your favorite? Smoothies? Tea? Iced coffee?

Masala Chai

I have for you a Whole 30 Masala Chai. Because it's a cold rainy day, and cold rainy day's call for a lovely cup of tea. Okay, any day in my book. But here we are. This original recipe can be found HERE. If you are eating paleo, add a little sweetener.

This recipe is easily scaled down to make one cup. It's about 1/4 cup water and the rest milks. I use one tea bag. Put everything in and cook in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes.

Click to find more Whole 30

Paleo

Primal 

recipes here on Give Peas A Chance, or use the search function. 

Thin Mints Milkshakes And Other Girl Scout Cookie Shakes

We have a girl scout in house and it's cookie season! My favorite is the Thin Mints, I try not to eat too many of them. I could eat a whole sleeve in one sitting and I used to. But I've been really good, maybe it's because there's such an abundance of them around here. I decided to make the kids some milkshakes for an after dinner treat the other day. These are simple and quick to make. They are also very yummy.

A Bee, and a Mango Lassi

I have a bee story for you that is directly related to this post, more on that below. But first things first. Mango Lassi, perfectly refreshing. Not sickly sweet, and easy to make. The method below is just a method, adjust flavors to your taste. The lassi I'm writing about is a sweet, not salty lassi.

Mango Lassi with Tapioca pearls.

Masala Chai

Masala Chai is one of my oldest child's favorite teas, it's also one of my favorites. In the Fall and Winter we'll make some in the cool mornings. I put some in a travel mug for her to take to school. This can easily be done on the stove top or in the pressure cooker. I started doing it in the pressure cooker because on the stove top it can boil over so you have to baby sit it a little bit more. Making sure you don't let the bottom scorch is another thing to watch for using the stove top method. But both methods yield a flavorful spiced Masala Chai, both easy enough for my child to do on her own. Granted the boiling over was an issue the first few times. But she got better at it as the school year passed.

Super Strawberry Cake and Shakes!

Is it strawberry season yet? I can't wait! I enjoy strawberries just by themselves. But I also think they are fantastic in this cake, which also has pureed strawberries in the batter. I also chopped strawberries and put them in the middle frosting layer.
Strawberry Freezer Jam is something DH grew up on. I haven't made it in ages!

Diva makes a mean Strawberry White Chocolate Milkshake too.
How do you enjoy your strawberries? What's your favorite Summer fruit?

I haven't blogged this cake, but I just took a vanilla cake recipe. Added strawberries and a tiny bit of strawberry flavoring. :) 

Strawberry White Chocolate Milk Shake

Young Living EO

Do you use essential oils? I admit my knowledge of essential oils before this post was very limited. It's still very limited. Before this, I used Tea Tree oil in baby wipe recipes and diaper wash, some oils for bath and body products, and even fewer in recipes! My friend Michelle however has been using Young Living oils for her and her family with such success that I'm interested in knowing more! Michelle has a great blog that can be found here called My Blue Daisy, it's a beautiful blog and has great allergen free healthy recipes. Her post on TRIED AND TRUE Essential oil recipes can be found HERE.

I'm impressed with the testing that's done on the Young Living oils, The plants used are grown organically, these oils are tested and only the purest oils are stocked and sold. I'm always in awe of the detail and care that God has put into creation/nature to bless us and help us. So many times I look back at the natural remedies that my mom used and shared with us. They worked. We tend to overlook things because they are "simple" and our needs are "bigger". Simple and natural that works is such a blessing!

I've been using the Lemon oil and the Lime oil in a nail oil that I made. The Young Living oils have a "true" clean scent. These are also safe for consumption, so I feel very comfortable putting them on my skin. Don't assume all essential oils that you buy are.

 I used the Lemon and Lime in my nail oil because of several reasons:

1. Clean citrus scent. It's true that the scent is uplifting. When I was a little girl and we would go on road trips my mom would peel citrus fruits and pass the peel around so we could sniff if it if we were feeling nauseated. My dad would sniff it while driving to help him stay energized and awake.

2. They help exfoliate the cuticles and promote healthy skin.

3. Lemon oil is cleansing.

4.   Lime provides antioxidants to the skin, which may reduce dark spots due to aging and acts as an insect deterrent.

I love my nail oil, I love that I know what's in it and even my thumb sucker can safely use it!

Here are some other benefits of the Lemon Young Living oil and more information-

How about this great recipe from the Young Living blog?

Delicious Limeade

2 cups crushed ice

1 cup water

Fresh fruit (strawberries, cherries, etc.)

1-2 drops Lime essential oil

That's it. I mean really, no ingredients, no colors, not artificial flavorings. How perfect is that?

Here is more about this company and Young Living oils from Michelle-

I am so impressed with Young Living. Before we started using essential oils for our family, I researched the leading companies on the market that dealt with 'pure' oils. I compared and contrasted and read quite a bit. Young Living came up the better choice each time, so that's how we ended up with YL. (Always do your own research, by the way.)
I really appreciate that the company tests their oils before they will use them or distribute them. Not only do they verify purity of the oils through mass spectrometry, but they do another test, too, called Optical Rotation / Chiral Columns. This is the test that truly verifies if a substance is truly plant material. If you are scenting a candle, then you might not care if you are using true lavender or something adulterated that just smells good. But if I'm soothing a burn or a gymnastics rip or diffusing lavender to help my children rest and focus or give relief from a cold, then it needs to be pure, unadulterated lavender steam distilled at low temperatures straight from the lavender plant. That's the only kind that is truly therapeutic. Testing for Optical Rotation is a big deal and it doesn't seem like any of the other companies do this.
Young Living is first and foremost an agricultural company. They farm responsibly and sustainably. They own much of their own farms from which they collect their plants for pressing or distilling. Not only do they use organic farming methods, they actually use their own oils to keep their plants healthy. Essential Oils are the life blood of plants. They are oxygenating and germ fighting on purpose, as designed. The more I learn about the science of essential oils, the more I am amazed at how big and amazing my God is. Plant science is fascinating.
Frequency - if you find a passion for oils, this is worth studying out. All life has energy, correct? Well essential oils have an electrical frequency. Young Living uses this information to create many of their blends.
Young Living truly cares about the end product. Many companies will distill, rinse and repeat. Collecting up to even the 4th and 5th distillate. Young Living only uses the first distillate from a plant as that is where the purest oil will be. They will turn oils away that don't meet their standard, even if it means allowing an oil to go to out of stock status while they wait on a pure oil to be collected. The more I learn about the integrity of this company, the more impressed I am. They have farms in Hawai'i, Ecuador, Idaho, France... and they even have partnerships in Africa for the best Frankincense.
Young Living is passionate about helping people get access to truly pure oils that enhance, soothe, energize and promote healing.

If you'd like to learn more about Young Living please contact Michelle

Disclaimer: I was provided a free sample/s of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. All pictures are from the companies site, unless noted.

More giveaways on Give Peas A Chance found HERE.

Grass Jelly Drink

I grew up drinking this. My mom would make it for us as a treat. So refreshing and cooling. The beautiful dark brown/black cubes of jelly is Grass Jelly. It doesn't taste like grass, if it does at all it's mild. Not sweet, not salty. It's cooling. Just slightly bitter, not much. Thicker than Jello, but a little less dense than say Jello Jigglers. You'll often see it being served in Boba tea houses along with beans, jack fruit, Boba/tapioca pearls.

Growing up my mom mixed this with a light simple syrup, sometimes steeped with Pandan leaves and lots of crushed ice. Often she would add a splash of soy milk. Sometimes we'd have it with coconut milk, and it's cream, and a simple syrup. Now, I drink it with almond milk and a simple syrup. Sometimes coconut milk, simple syrup, basil seed, and pandan tapioca.

Coconut Limeade Slushie

Coconut Limeade Slushie

This may be one of my favorite drinks lately on Give Peas A Chance. I may have squealed with delight when I threw it together and it was so good. That doesn't always happen when I throw stuff together. So, yay! This Coconut Limeade Slushie came about one day when the weather was messing with us around here. It was pretending to be all warm for a stretch, but it lied. Really. Moving on, I had a bag of limes and thought about making my Cherry Vanilla Limeade. I didn't have cherries which is fine, my mom didn't ever use cherries. But then I thought I wanted something creamy. So I threw this together in the Vitamix and it was YUM. SO very good, the girls and I slurped it up, and later that week I made another batch. DH wasn't home to enjoy the goodness. We sat outside, the older girls ran up and down the sidewalk with Pixie trailing behind on her Radio Flyer tricycle. Happy to have our "Summer toes" as we call them, in sandals. Then, it got cold again. Sigh. It's OK I can still have my Coconut Limeade Slushies.

Free Friday- Top 5 Posts on GPAC

Crepes filled with raspberries, bananas, Nutella, fresh whipped cream, and nuts.

I thought it would be fun to do a post that links the top five most looked at posts here on GPAC. I had a giveaway post in the top five but decided not to include it, however it was for a Plumbox from Pick Your Plum, I have another one of those open also! Go enter if you haven't already, and check the left side tab for more giveaway links.

Here are the top five posts here on GPAC, with date and number of views. Pictures are below, and above.

Crock Pot Spiced Holiday Wassail

A friend of mine (Becky- check out her site!) brought this over to our house when we had the Operation Christmas Child party. OK, not really this glass, but she brought some to the house. She had said there was apple juice, orange juice, and I think a pineapple/orange juice concentrate. Which she said she used part of a can of that. She also said there were spices. I didn't write it down. I don't have the best memory but it wasn't too much to remember. We had some friends over for Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday so I decided to make some. It's nice because you just throw it all in the crock pot. I added some spices and it was really good!

GPAC Pumpkin Pie Shakes (GF/DF options too)

 It's pumpkin season! I love pumpkin. These Pumpkin Pie Shakes are the BEST. It's like drinking a piece of pumpkin pie. I first posted them in 2008, HERE. I've made pumpkin pie, just so I could make these shakes. I'm serious. If you have leftover pie- I don't even know what that is, but if you have leftover pie, you can cut it into small slices and freeze them. The shakes stay nice and cold when it's frozen.

You can make these shakes if you don't have pie, or if you prefer a gluten free/dairy free option. Both are easy peasy. You can use Coconut Dream ice cream, frozen yogurt- plain yogurt frozen in an ice cube tray works awesome, any kind of milk you like. If you want the texture of crust, almond meal sprinkled on top of the gluten free shakes is yummy.

Almond Milk

This is so much better than store bought almond milk. I am not sure why I haven't made it more. When I was younger my mom would make soy milk and that was much better than store bought.  I'm not sure what my deal is. Especially since this is less expensive than store bought.

Because this is just almonds and water, use fresh raw almonds and good water. I say good water because we have to filter ours. It sometimes has a funny taste.

I don't sweetened my almond milk but you certainly can. This is good just as in, with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a little vanilla, in coffee, smoothies. I have tried it in cereal because I haven't been eating cereal.

Flavored Coffee Ice Cubes

So, you've made your "Sweet nectar of the gods", cold brew. Don't water it down with regular ice cubes! Freeze that coffee so you'll have coffee ice cubes. But try these different ideas. Perfect if you want to add flavor to your coffee, cool a cup of coffee down, add one to a cup of hot chocolate, or keep your iced coffee cold! OR use them for frappachinnos and mikshakes! YUM. When blending them up into a frozen drink add some cocoa nibs OOOOOO.

Freezer Tip: Freeze your ice cubes, them keep them in a labeled plastic bag or container to keep freezer odors from making them stale tasting. Find more Freezer Tips here.

Sweet nectar of the gods...

Magical coffee indeed. (Plus variations on ice cubes) I'm not a big coffee drinker, I don't drink a cup a day. I don't even drink a cup a week. We don't own a coffee maker, we do have an espresso maker- but I don't use it. I do love coffee when I'm out and about though. Then I love coffee. I'm a social drinker, LOL.

I do love iced coffee though. Vietnamese iced coffee especially. I think because when I was growing up my mom always ordered it when we went out for a nice big bowl of Pho. So I associate it with that comfort food. She would also make it at home, that and the Limeade I love so much. On hot summer days, I still remember the sound of the spoon hitting the sides of her big tall glasses. She would most likely be working out in the garden. She didn't let us drink coffee though as kids. My cousins and I would make coffee when our parents were gone though! With that one sentence I just threw everybody under the bus.