Better Than Orange Julius

This is an original recipe we made up this afternoon for FHE:

Prep: 5 minutes
Yield: about 6 cups

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
16 ice cubes

Blend together until smooth, serve immediately.

Homemade Irish Creme

Prep/Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 liter

1 3/4 cup Irish whiskey
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy whipping creme
4 eggs
2 Tbsp chocolate sauce
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

In a blender, mix all ingredients until just blended. Do not over mix! Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one month. Shake before serving.

Tips and Tricks
The almond extract is optional. My husband has also left out the eggs and found that the texture of the drink did not change much.
Make It Healthier
The heavy creme is a must. This beverage is very rich, so drink it in moderation.
How Kids Can Help
Measure ingredients, place in blender, push buttons.

Holiday Wassail

Prep: 30 minutes
Yield: About 20 cups

1 gallon apple cider
27 whole cloves
8 cinnamon sticks
1 quart pineapple juice
1 can (6 ounce) frozen orange juice concentrate

Put all ingredients in a crock pot & simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips & Tricks:
Garnish each mug with a slice of orange. You can even toss quartered citrus fruits into the crock pot, peels & all.

Orange Soy Milk Frappes

Prep/Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup orange juice
5 ice cubes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients; cover and process for 3-45 seconds or until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses; serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks
This is a fast and easy way to start your day. I uses Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk and it tasted almost like dessert. I also omitted the salt.
Make It Healthier
Use 100% orange juice. Omit salt. Use light soy milk.
How Kids Can Help
Add ingredients to blender. Push buttons on blender.

Nutrition Facts
1 cup equals 70 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 98 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 0 fiber, 2 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
1/2 starch, 1/2 fruit

Iced Cranberry-Mint Tea

Prep: 20 minutes + standing
Yield: 2 quarts

4 cups water
2/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
8 lemon herbal tea bags
3 1/2 cups reduced-calorie reduced-sugar cranberry juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
ice cubes
lemon slices, optional

In a large saucepan, bring the water, mint and sugar to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags. Cover and steep for 15 minutes.

Discard tea bags. Cover and let stand 45 minutes longer. Strain and discard mint leaves. Stir the cranberry juice and lemon juice into tea. Serve over ice with lemon slices if desired.

Tips and Tricks
Rather than boiling the water on the stovetop, I use a Pyrex bowl and cook the water mixture in the microwave. Use caution when removing the bowl from the microwave. Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow in your own garden.
Make It Healthier
Using low-cal low-sugar cranberry juice cuts 31 calories from each serving.
How Kids Can Help
Measure ingredients. Add teabags to hot water.

Nutrition Facts
1 cup equals 34 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 4 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein
Diabetic Exchanges
1/2 starch

Fruity Punch

Prep/Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: about 2 quarts

2 cups orange juice, chilled

2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled

2 cups sweetened pink grapefruit juice drink, chilled

3 cans (12 ounces each) ginger ale, chilled

Combine the first three ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. Just before serving, stir in ginger ale. Serve over ice.

Make It Healthier

Use diet ginger ale.

How Kids Can Help

Pour liquids into pitcher. Stir.

Crab-Topped Tilapia

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

4 tilapia fillets (5 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted, divided
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce for chicken
dash hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 pouch (6 ounces) premium crabmeat, drained
4 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs, divided

Sprinkle tilapia with pepper and salt. Place in a baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a small nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the celery, onion and garlic in two teaspoons butter until tender. Stir in flour and thyme until blended. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

Remove from the heat; stir in mayonnaise until blended. Stir in crab until and 3 tablespoons bread crumbs. Spoon onto fillets. Toss remaining bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over crab mixture.

Cover and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Tips and Tricks
I never have celery on hand, so I substitute a pinch of celery salt and omit the rest of the salt. Line baking pan with foil for easy clean up. If you don't have Worcestershire sauce for chicken, substitute regular Worcestershire sauce in the topping.
Make It Healthier
Use trans-fat free spread. Omit salt.
How Kids Can Help
Chop onion and celery with food chopper. Measure dry ingredients. Spoon crab topping over fish fillets.

Nutrition Facts
1 fillet equals 248 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat) 106 mg cholesterol, 618 mg sodium, 10 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 32 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
5 very lean meat, 1 fat, 1/2 starch

Blood Orange Berry Punch

Prep/Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts)

1 package (12 ounces) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1 3/4 cups blood orange juice (about 7 medium oranges)
2 cans (6 ounces each) unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled
4 cans (12 ounces each) diet ginger ale, chilled
1 medium blood orange, thinly sliced, optional

Mash raspberries; strain, reserving juice and discarding seeds. Just before serving, combine the raspberry juice, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Stir in ginger ale. Garnish with orange slices if desired.

Tips and Tricks
If you don't want to juice the oranges yourself, many stores carry blood orange juice in the bottle. Check on the aisle with non-refrigerated juices.
How Kids Can Help
Mash the raspberries, mix the juices.

Nutrition Facts
1 cup equals 69 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 24 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein

Diabetic Exchanges

1 fruit

Beef and Wild Rice Medley

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup julienned green pepper
2 1/4 cups water
1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice mix
1 small tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

In a small bowl, combine the first three ingredients. Sprinkle over beef cubes. In a large saucepan coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook beef in oil until no longer pink; drain. Stir in celery and green pepper; cook 2 minutes longer.

Stir in the water and rice mix with contents of seasoning packet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 23-28 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in tomato; heat through. Sprinkle with onion.

Tips and Tricks
I omitted the celery because I usually don't keep it on hand. The first time I made this, it was good, but the meat was chewy. So now I precook the meat in my slowcooker with 2 cups of beef broth to make it tender. This also skips the browning in oil.
Make It Healthier
Use a leaner cut of meat. Use less of the seasoning packet with the rice to reduce sodium.
How Kids Can Help
Dump rice and seasoning into pan.
Suggested Sides
french bread and green salad

Nutrition Facts
1 cup equals 327 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated fat),63 mg cholesterol, 626 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 26 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
3 lean meat, 2 starch, 1/2 fat

Three-Fruit Smoothies

Prep/Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 3 servings

2 cartons (6 ounces each) fat-free reduced-sugar cherry-vanilla yogurt
1 small banana, halved
3/4 fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp honey
15 ice cubes

In a blender, combine the yogurt, banana, blueberries and honey; cover and process until smooth. While processing, add a few ice cubes at a time until mixture achieves desired thickness. Serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks
Smoothies are a great way to get fruit into your diet and also a way I get my picky son to eat fruit that he normally won't touch.
Make It Healthier
Add some wheat germ or ground flaxseed while processing.

Nutrition Facts
1 cup equals 130 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 69 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
2 fruit