A Little Indulgence...

We've been focusing on healthy smoothie options, but today, we're going to splurge a little bit!
This smoothie idea was inspired by some delicious homemade ice cream I had at a friend's house this weekend. The ice cream was banana and chocolate chip, but we are going to tweak it a little bit for smoothie form.  Also, since we just tried blueberry banana, I thought we could add some diversity.
Today, we're going to try a strawberry chocolate smoothie.
For a delicious mix, try adding your desired amount of strawberries, vanilla flavored yogurt, ice and some melted dark chocolate chips. This is a delicious smoothie alternative to chocolate-covered strawberries! I suggest serving it with whipped cream and a few thinly sliced strawberries on top. If you're feeling like a a little extra indulgence, this smoothie would taste delicious with a slice of chocolate cake.
On this blog site, the writer explores a sweet and relatively healthy smoothie option--banana, peanut butter, and chocolate! Yum! This blogger's smoothie recipe sounds delicious and creative, and I am excited to try it! Be sure to check out other recipes of hers as well.

Valentine's Cabaret

Music department presents Valentine's Day treat

klahoma Christian’s Music Department premiered its annual Valentine’s Cabaret on Feb. 9, showcasing 10 of OC’s most talented vocal performance students.  The Music Department also opened the final dress rehearsal to friends of the performers on Feb. 8.  While some students performed in the Cabaret for the third or fourth year in a row, others made an impressive Cabaret debut.  

Students Madison Callaway, Hannah Faye Foster, Alyssa Jackson, Laura Vanderzee, Moriah Willing, Ryan Gonzales, Chris Jenkins, Reece Kingcade, Brett Vanderzee and Brian Wilcox on the stage for a series of moving solos, duets, and ensembles.   

“I’ve performed the past three years, and every year I have a fantastic time,” said Brett Vanderzee, a senior who performed with his wife, Laura.  “The cast always has a lot of fun and the show always turns out really well.  I enjoy the music selections every year.”  

See the online review from OC's newspaper, The Talon, here.

Something new

This year, the show featured songs from modern musicals ranging from “Les Miserables” to “Spamalot” to “Legally Blonde.”  Many OC musical performances do not include pieces from these newer musicals; students, including those who participated, appreciated this modern spin on a typical musical-medley show. 

Listen to one of the humorous duets from "Legally Blonde: The Musical" at this link.

“The songs where all 10 students sang together were the most emotional for me,” said Katelyn Jackson, a sophomore who attended the final dress rehearsal performance.  “It was really great to see some of my friends on stage, doing what they love, and singing songs that are timeless in their story and message.”

Telling a story through music

Each song told a unique tale of love, friendship, and freedom, and the performers connected these stories with narration explaining the importance of those three elements to a meaningful life.  In addition, students acted out the parts of the characters whose songs they sung, making the performance all the more real and relatable.  The final song, “Heart and Music,” from the musical “A New Brain,” summed up the experience of Valentine’s Cabaret, claiming that music tells stories of all kinds and relates to people with all backgrounds. 

Listen to a recording of the song, as recorded on Broadway, here.

“It’s so rewarding, to work really hard for something that you love to do,” said Hannah Faye Foster, a junior cabaret veteran.  “There were times when the practices were tiring and my schedule became busy, but being on stage and singing songs that the audience can relate to made it all worth it.” 

For information on past performances of OC's Valentine's Cabaret, see this older Talon article.

 

Got the banana blues...

Today, we're going to talk about my very favorite smoothie of all time: Blueberry Banana smoothie.  It's simple, but so delicious.  I think you'll find that the flavors really compliment each other.
Begin by adding one banana (or more, depending on how many servings you want to make. One serving typically = one banana), then add the desired amount of blueberries.  I usually add about a handful.  Then you can add your yogurt, milk, and ice; feel free to add some honey for extra sweetness as well.  With this smoothie, I recommend vanilla yogurt.  Oftentimes smoothies are just as delicious with the "Original" flavored yogurt, but I really prefer vanilla flavor for this one.  It's up to you to choose which brand fits you and your price range, but Yoplait has always been the perfect fit for me.
This is the perfect breakfast smoothie treat!  I love drinking them in the summer with a bagel and strawberry cream cheese for breakfast.  Also, they are great for the picky eaters in your household.  My younger sister is the pickiest of all picky eaters; she particularly dislikes most fruits and vegetables, as macaroni and cheese is her very favorite food.  This smoothie, however, became her favorite over the summer when I made them every morning.  Soon, she was asking me to make her favorite smoothie for her!
For another delicious breakfast smoothie recipe, check out this blog.  Her smoothies look delicious, especially since she suggests adding a little extra fruit juice!!
See you next time!
 

Funky Fresh Smoothie.

Today, we're going to try a fun and exciting flavor combination: kiwi, apple, and banana.  Kiwis are one of my favorite fruits, and my appreciation for them only grew during my recent trip to New Zealand, land of the Kiwis, Kiwi-birds, and, of course, the Kiwi-fruit.  Before traveling to the Kiwi-land, I had no idea that there were two different kinds of kiwis; I had always assumed the green one was the only one.  In New Zealand, and America, too, there are also golden kiwis.  The name explains it all, doesn't it?  They are simply delicious and golden in more ways than one.  So today, we are going to try a smoothie inspired by a delicious fruit salsa I had during my stay down under.
In Tonya's delicious fruit salad, she included chopped apples, kiwis (golden and green), bananas, and peaches, for all you fruit-lovers.  After adding a little extra sugar for taste, she gave us extra-sugary graham crackers to eat the fruit salsa with.  It was simply delicious.  I highly recommend it.  In honor of Tonya's yummy fruit salad, we will attempt to make an equally delicious smoothie using many of the same flavors.
Same as always, add your desired amount of fruit, yogurt, milk, and ice.  If you so choose, a little extra sugar really complements the kiwis.  For fun, make your smoothie extra thick and add a couple graham crackers to the cup for a fancy serving option or a delicious snack for yourself.  This kiwi-licious flavor combination cannot and will not fail you! If you're really feeling the kiwi spirit, check out this blog for other healthy kiwi recipe options.  It has some fun and unique ways to make kiwis, and it's great for those of us who are trying to stay healthy!
As the kiwis say, thanks, mate!

Tropical Getaway.

Although it's a chilly February in Oklahoma, it's always nice to imagine a tropical getaway on an island somewhere.  When enjoying the sand, surf, and sun, what could be better than a tropical smoothie to cool off a bit? 

Today, we'll be talking about one of my personal favorite flavor combinations--The Tropical Smoothie.  While a tropical smoothie could contain any tropic fruit, I tend to prefer the flavors of mango, pineapple, and maybe even a little coconut.  However, it's important to make due with what you have.  Kiwis are always a great tropical addition, as are guavas, if you have them.  For these types of smoothies, I prefer them a bit thicker, so I usually add a little more ice and a little less milk than usual.  If you're like me and enjoy the texture of coconut, you can throw in coconut shreds or slices.  Or, if you'd just prefer the flavor without the texture, coconut milk works great. 

I do feel that I should add a little disclaimer to this post; tropical smoothies are not the healthiest, since tropical fruits are so high in sugars.  For those of you who are choosing to drink smoothies for health reasons, these smoothies are not for you.  However, check out a health-food smoothie blog here.  She recounts her weight loss on smoothies in this blog post, so she has some insightful smoothie options.  I really enjoyed her ideas on weight loss, but I'm not much for green smoothies; I'll stick to fruits, please. 

Check back soon for more smoothie ideas and combinations!

The Classic.

Smoothies are the juice of life, and as a college student who has limited kitchen space, little to no time, and hardly any kitchen utensils, they are a life saver.  Not to mention, they're delicious.  As my younger sister and I like to yell across the house, in imitation of one addicting online game, "Let's get ready for some SMOOOOOOTHIE MOOOOOOVES!" Get your creative juices flowing, and try the game for yourself here.  We'll be trying out all sorts of yummy, funky, and crazy flavor combinations, so we'd better get ready for some smoothie moves, indeed.
Before we begin with the odd (and fun) flavors, let's start with a classic and one of my favorites: Strawberry Banana. It doesn't get any simpler or more delicious than that. The beautiful thing about smoothies is that you can always be creative with the balance of ingredients, thickness, flavor, etc.  So feel free to improvise as needed, and have fun with it!  Obviously, you'll want to throw a banana and several strawberries to your blender, along with your desired amounts of milk, yogurt, ice, and whatever other sort of supplements you wish.  I sometimes add a little protein powder, for example.  If you'd like to spice it up, you can always add some honey, Nutella, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and of course, a little whipped cream on the top doesn't hurt.  However, if you're looking to pursue the healthy route, the smoothie will be plenty sweet without these extra high-in-fat ingredients.  Smoothies can even be delicious with only fruit and ice, if you are a purist.
Check out other yummy smoothie options at this smoothie girl's blog.
Happy blending!