Orange Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie aka the Strawberry Citrus Squeeze

We woke up to snow this morning! Snow! Now, I know many of you are wondering what the big deal is but come on, this is Vancouver in late February...it doesn't snow in late February in Vancouver. The last time I remember it snowing this late in February was three years ago.Of course, it won't last long before the rain asserts its dominance because this is Vancouver after all!

This smoothie is so simple but it is truly one of my favorite smoothies. Just strawberries, an orange, pineapple and water aka the Strawberry Citrus Squeeze. It is so refreshing and light tasting! To me, it's summer in a glass...if only I could find my sun glasses...and the sun....and it would stop snowing!

Makes 1 large smoothie.

Ingredients

4 strawberries
1/2 cup pineapple
1 medium orange, peeled
1 cup ice cold water

Instructions

Throw in blender or Nutribullet and blend until smooth.


Other smoothies you should try:
Green Goodness
Avocado Strawberry Smoothie
Blueberry Mango Smoothie
Blueberry Banana Tofu Smoothie
Pomegranate and Kale Smoothie
Strawberry Muesli Smoothie
Detox Lemon Spinach Smoothie
Avocado Chocolate Smoothie

Fruit Salad Lower Fat Muffins

Pineapple, banana, apple and strawberry add up to a fruit salad muffin!

These muffins are my new favorite go to treat. They are lower in fat than regular muffins and have quite a bit of fruit in them. The kids love them as a school snack and I like them with a cup of coffee (ok my husband doesn't like them but that's because they contain bananas!). The original recipe came from Anne Lindsay's cookbook, New Light Cooking which has quite a few delicious recipes to try. I've added different fruits and spice to my version but kept the whole wheat goodness of the original.

Makes 12 muffins. They will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days but you can freeze them for up to two months! Each muffin contains about 200 calories, 5 grams of fat and 3 grams of fibre, and 4 grams of protein.

The dollop of jam adds a nice burst of flavour.

Ingredients
2 c whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 c berry sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c mashed banana
1/4 c grated peeled apple
1/4 c finely chopped strawberries
1/2 c crushed pineapple (drained)
1/4 c milk
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c fruit jam

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Lightly spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray (according to Anne Lindsay, lower fat muffins tend to stick to paper liners!)
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, flax, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl slightly beat egg.
5. To the egg, add vanilla, all fruit, oil, and milk.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and stir to just barely combine (if you over stir the muffins will be tough!).
7. Divide batter evenly amongst 12 muffins tins. Make a small well in the centre of each and add a little fruit jam to each.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes.

These muffins stay moist thanks to the fruit!