5 Smoothie Recipes For Quick Meals

Smoothies make a great grab-and-go meal when you need something filling but not over the top.

We love making smoothies because you can grab them and go. A bit of prep, a bit of noise and then toss it all into the freezer and you can have a week's worth of breakfasts or lunches that are healthy and filling ready to go.  If you do it right, you can even use them to lose weight. We're not promising crazy results, we're looking at recipes that are shown to be filling, taste good and are actually healthy for you. 

The one universal tool that you're going to need for this list is a blender. It doesn't have to be the most expensive blender on the market,  you just need it to be powerful enough to chop through frozen fruits, vegetables and ice. As to those fruits and veggies. While fresh ones are fantastic, you can work with frozen just as easily. Finally, we did something we don't usually do and that's given the calorie count for each recipe.  We've done that so that you can see how much goes into these and make your choices accordingly. Keep in mind that calories aren't necessarily bad so much as  a "my body needs x number of calories to function." 

Now, on to the smoothies.

Peach Crumble Smoothie

  • 1/4 c rolled oats

    1/2 Banana - Frozen is best so that they chill everything

    1 c peaches - Fresh is best, but the frozen is tasty and easy to get hold of.

    1 c milk - You can swap out cows milk for any other type that you like, including almond milk which turns out very nicely, and lowers the calorie count further. If you do decide to go with almond milk, we suggest upping your vanilla to 2 tsp.

    1 tsp brown sugar

    1/2 tsp cinnamon

    1 tsp vanilla

  • With this one we're going to start with a choice. Do you like boba? If you don't know what boba tea is yet, consider instead whether you like texture in your smoothies. If the answer is yes, go ahead and skip this step.

    If the answer is no, then you need to take your chia seeds and add them to your oats and toss both into the blender. Pulse those until you end up with a fine powder, dump it into a bowl and set it to the side.

    Next up grab your pears and blueberries and toss those into the blender. You can take your choice on whether you want to add in the juice of the pears or not. If it's for a dessert smoothie, we think it's a great idea. If not, you might want to avoid that idea.

    Now add your powdered goods back in and blend till smooth. Congrats, Smoothie!

Tropical Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats

    2 large peaches (Frozen is fine, fresh is better.)

    3 cup frozen mango

    1 medium banana (Ditto on the frozen vs fresh)

    1/4 cup Greek yogurt

    1/8 cup orange juice

    1 cup coconut water or almond milk

  • Start by adding your oats to the blender and pulsing until your oats are a fine powder. Pour them into a bowl and set them aside.

    Then, if you're working with fresh bananas and peaches you're going to need to slice up the banana and pit and slice the peaches.

    Next, toss your fruit into the blender and let it go. Add in all of the other ingredients together and blend till smooth. For your blogger, this is a full meal thanks to the addition of the oats. Make sure to test it yourself before you rely on it though.

Peach and Mint Smoothie

  • 2 large peaches (as per everything else, you can use frozen and be just fine, although yes, fresh is better. If it's the right season we suggest trying both white and yellow peaches and see which you like better.)

    ½ cup plain yogurt

    12 large fresh mint leaves (no, dried really doesn't work here)

    2 teaspoon lime juice (fresh is always better, but if you can't, bottled will work just fine)

    12 ice cubes (or you can play around and add more. This is for how thick you want your smoothie to be.)

    2 teaspoon honey or your sweetner of choice, but it really does taste good with clover honey

  • Alright! Grab everything and chuck it into your blender. Hit blend until it's smooth. Enjoy!

Irish Cake Smoothie

  • 1 1/3 cup Rolled Oats

    4 tablespoons Flaxseeds

    5oz Frozen Spinach

    1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

    1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

    2 1/2 cups Water

  • This is a surprisingly filling recipe, although we're still trying to wrap our heads around /why/ it is.

    Start off by putting both your rolled oats and the flaxseed into your blender and pulse until you've got a fine powder.

    Add in your spinach, ginger, cinnamon and water and mix until smooth.

    Thanks to the amount of water this is a thinner smoothie than others on the list, but it will give you plenty of get up and go.

Blueberry and Pear Smoothie

  • 16 oz frozen blueberries

    1 14 oz can of pears

    2 Tbsp of chia seeds

    1 cup of rolled oats

  • In your blogger's house, this is one that's turned to often, as bananas are actually pretty easy to freeze. Just slice them up when they're at peak ripeness and toss them into the freezer in a freezer safe bag or container. Then you can use them as you need, rather than worrying that they'll go bad.

    When you're ready to make your smoothie, don't just toss everything in at the same time. We suggest starting with the rolled oats. Pulse those until you have nothing but powder left so that it mixes into the smoothie more easily. Dump that into a bowl and set it aside. Now add in your frozens and your milk, and blend until smooth. At this point you can add all of your other ingredients in, including the oats, and blend until smooth. If you find that you want the smoothie to be thinner than it is, feel free to add in more milk, keeping in mind that that is going to boost the calorie count.

For any of the recipes we've shared, you can make adjustments, in fact, we suggest that you do. Take them and try out more of one thing and less of something else. Add in more oats if you want to be full for longer and less if it's meant to be just a light snack between meals. 

All of these can be stored in one of two ways, depending on the space you have.

- You can get yourself a silicone ice mold (choose your shape and depth preference), pour in the smoothies and let them freeze, then transfer those into a freezer bag or container for easier storing. 

-Alternatively, you can freeze them in freezer safe glasses/jars so that all you need to do is transfer them to the fridge 24 hours before you plan to drink them and let them defrost that way. 

Both options work, and it's really just dependent on how much freezer space you have available. 

You've probably noticed that our recipes have a LOT of peaches in them. That's because peach is a super sweet fruit that's easy to freeze and get your hands on year-round, but it's hard to overpower. So it works well with different vegetables and other fruits that you want to work into your diet. 

If you try out any of our recipes, please let us know how it goes! We'd love to hear from you in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.  


If you're turning to smoothies because your stove is currently not working (rather than the Texas heat..) we can help. You can give us a call at our office ((214) 599-0055), or reach out via our contact page to set up an appointment. At Appliance Rescue Service, we'll work with you to figure out what the problem is and get your home running smoothly again. 

Sunday Summer Dinner: Shrimp Croquettes and Creamed Peas

A meal to fill every "down home" craving under the summer sun.

This is a fantastic meal for a Sunday, it's been hot for weeks and you need something to break the intensity of it. It's not something cool that's going to help though, but instead something savory and rich to celebrate the summer. Croquettes so piping hot they burn your lips even as they melt in your mouth. The pop of fresh sweet peas in a cream sauce to brighten and balance against the savory depth of the croquettes. This is summer, now let's get cooking. 

Ingredients:

Croquettes:

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp finely chopped yellow onion

1/3 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c milk

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

3/4 lb of shrimp (deveined and shelled) finely chopped

1 cup fine dry bread crumbs, or panko 

2 large eggs 

3 cups peanut oil, for frying




Creamed Peas:

2 lbs fresh green peas, shelled

3 Tbsp salted butter

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 c milk

1 tsp salt

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Tools: medium skillet, wire whisk, pie pan, two cookie sheets, parchment paper, colander, one deep heavy pot, slotted spoon a roll of paper towels. 




A pile of shrimp, shelled and deveined but still raw

courtesy of shutterbug75

Start off by setting your skillet over medium-high heat. Add in your onion and saute until softened, but not yet clear, roughly 3 minutes. Use a wire whisk to stir in your flour. Cook the roux for 1 minute and stir in the milk slowly, stirring continuously. Cook the mixture until it's really thick, stirring it constantly for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and add in lemon juice, salt and pepper. 

Allow the roux to cool slightly and then stir in your shrimp. Let it cool until you can handle it and then shape the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball, or 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Lay them out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet so that they don't touch. 

Place your breadcrumbs into a shallow dish like a pie pan. Take your second pan, crack open the eggs and beat them thoroughly, then add in 1/4 cup water. 

Fresh sweet peas sit in a pile with two pods cracked open to show the peas still inside.

courtesy of piviso

Bring your croquettes over to one side of the eggs and breadcrumbs and set your empty cookie sheet on the other side. You'll be double coating the croquettes, to make sure that they hold their shape as they cook. Start by rolling the croquettes in the crumbs, pressing firmly. Then roll them in the egg mix, use a spoon if you have to, to get everything coated. Now go back to the breadcrumbs and again make sure everything is coated.  Set this one on the empty sheet. Repeat the process until all of your croquettes have been coated. Toss the parchment paper from your now empty sheet and use it as a cover for the full one.  Set the croquettes aside, it's time to make the creamed peas. 

We know, the concept sounds weird to some people. We know, but we promise, it tastes so much better. So, bring 1 pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in your peas and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the peas are tender enough to pierce with a fork but not to mash. Drain them into a colander and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in your flour, making sure to break up any clumps. You want the roux to be smooth and lightly browned, it takes about a minute. Slowly whisk in your milk, stirring carefully and continuously. Continue cooking the gravy over meidum heat, stirring often. Add in your salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Next stir in the cooked peas and then cover the pot, setting it aside. You want to keep the gravy warm, but not to keep it cooking. Now for frying the croquettes. 

A deep pan of oil shimmers slightly, with a thermometer sitting in it, measuring the temperature.

Courtesy of Hans

Set your oven to preheat to 150*F, and pour your oil into your heavy pot. Use a digital thermometer to check as you bring it up to 375*F. 

Once your oil has come up to temperature, add in 10 of your croquettes at a time to cook, until they're golden brown. This isn't really a "timed" thing, so much as a "watch them carefully" thing. When they're done, use a large slotted spoon to scoop them up, drain the oil and transition them to paper towels and allow them to stay warm in the oven as you cook the rest. Take a moment and allow the oil to come back up to 375* before you add any more croquettes to the pot. Doing this makes sure that the croquettes cook quickly and evenly rather than soaking up the oil, becoming greasy and sodden. Repeat the process twice more to finish off all of your croquettes, making sure to not overcrowd the pot. 

Golden croquettes topped with a dusting of parsley sit on twisted wire racks to cool in a shallow pan

Courtesy of Allybally4b

Serve up 4-5 croquettes with the creamed peas on the side or on top, depending on preference. The peas add a sweet note that cuts through the oil, giving the meal a nice balance. This is great served alongside some fresh green beans and cornbread for a terrific Sunday dinner during the summer. And, if you end up having any extras, you can always eat them cold the next day, or toss them into oil for five minutes to reheat them. 


Do you like this picture of a Sunday dinner? Let us know over on our Facebook page or in the comments below. As always we'd love to hear from you and find out what you think of the recipe! 




If you wound up here because your dishwasher isn't getting the pots from this recipe clean, we can help. Working on appliances is our specialty and we want to make sure yours are working properly. You can give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out to us on our contact page. Wherever you live in the DFW area, we're here to help. 




Orchard Bread, The Whole Year Round

Using different fruits you can make this tasty treat all year and celebrate the turn of the seasons too!

What's filling, sweet, and easy to carry and won't make you feel like you have a car tire around your middle? Orchard bread. Call it fruitbread, fruitcake, cherrybread, orchard bread, whatever you like. The basic concept is the same. Lots of delicious dried mixed fruits + a sweet bread base.  It's delicious, it's wonderful any time of year, and if you wrap it properly, you'll be able to eat it before it turns into a doorstop. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup golden raisins

3 Tbsp amber rum

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

kosher salt

It doesn’t have to be this particular brand, but you want to make sure that it says unsulphured on the bottle so the recipe turns out right.

1/3 C packed brown sugar (dark or light will work, but we suggest light) 

1 1/2 cups packed dried strawberry halves 

1/3 c dried cherries

1/3 c dried cranberries

3 c walnut halves, lightly toasted 

3 eggs

2 Tbsp unsulphured molasses (so this recipe wouldn't work with blackstrap) 

2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Tools:

small microwave safe bowl, 9x5 inch loaf pan, parchment paper, large bowl, whisk, a small bowl (doesn't have to be microwave safe this time), silicon spatula, tin foil.

To start off, grab your small bowl, and toss in your golden raisins and rum. Cover them with a plate and microwave until their warm, not steaming, roughly a minute. Set that to the side, keeping it covered and check back on it in 15 minutes to give it a stir, and then again at the 45 minute mark. Leave it alone for a further 15 minutes, making it roughly an hour in total. At that point the raisins should have absorbed most of the rum. Drain off any liquor that's left to either use again at another point, or drink it yourself if you're over age. 

Now preheat your oven to 300*F and make sure that there is a rack in the middle of the oven. Grab your loaf pan and parchment paper. Measure out two sheets of parchment paper, one going lengthwise and one going crosswise. You want enough paper here to push down into the corners of the pan and still have 'handles' hanging over the sides. Start from one corner and work to all of the others, slowly smoothing the paper into the corners so that it's flush. Any bumps or wrinkles in the paper or going to lead to bumps or wrinkles in the bread. Use a stick of butter and apply a layer to the parchment paper, making sure to coat everything within the pan. 

Next up, grab your flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 tsp of your salt and then your brown sugar of choice. Whisk all of it together in a large bowl and make sure to break up any clumps as you go. Set aside your whisk and add in your strawberries, cherries and raisins and toss to coat everything. Add in the walnuts and toss again to combine and coat the walnuts. 

Take a clean small bowl and your whisk and beat together the eggs, molasses, and vanilla until everything is well mixed. Now grab your spatula and add your fruit-nut mixture, folding and mixing to combine and coat all of the pieces with the batter. You want to make sure that there aren't any pockets of dry ingredients on the bottom or at the edge of the bowl. Pour the batter into your loaf pan, scraping the bowl to get any remaining bits into the pan. Tap the pan against the counter several times to release any air bubbles, and use the spatula to smooth the top into an even layer. 

Bake the cake for an hour, rotating the pan after 30 minutes. If your bread is browning too much at the halfway mark, you can cover it loosely with a tent of foil. When the top is a deep golden brown, it's done! Remove it from the oven and place to pan on a wire rack to let it cool. 



When it's finally cool, grab the handles you left yourself and remove the loaf from the pan. Use a bread knife and cut it into thin slices and serve. IF you have any leftovers, they can be wrapped well in wax paper and store it in an airtight container for a week at room temperature. 

You can serve it with various butters or fruit jams for a delicious snacks or breakfasts. You could also work up a quick icing with milk and powdered sugar and drizzle it across the top. 

Courtesy of Peggychoucair



So, what do you think? Are you up for doing some experimental baking this weekend? What other fruits would you add into the mix? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook. 


If you ended up here instead because your stove isn't working properly, give us a call! You can get hold of us at ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our website to set up an appointment that works for you.

Ginger-Pear Braised Beef

A dish sure to impress, warm, savory and sweet, all at once.


I Don’t Care, Take Me To The Recipe!


You need something nice enough to impress guests and delicious enough that they’ll remember it rather than be bored by more ‘traditional’ guest meals. The answer? Go old-school. Grab a hunk of beef and cook it with ginger, cider, and pears to give it a delicious, warm taste that they won’t forget, but that hasn't been done a million times over. 


Ingredients: 

3 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt 

Fresh ground black pepper

2 Tbsp neutral-tasting oil. Ex vegetable, canola, or grapeseed

5 yellow onions, thickly sliced

1 tsp dried thyme, crushed

2 tsp ground ginger

1 ½ Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup sparkling hard cider, pear, or apple (although pear is preferred) 

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 ripe (but still firm) Bosc, Bartlett, or Anjou pears

¾ tsp cider vinegar

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley 


Tools Needed: 

Knife, cutting board, kitchen twine, Dutch oven, large bowl, slotted spoon, paring knife, peeling knife. 



Start off by grabbing your pears. You’re going to peel the skin off, core them and then chop them into 1-inch pieces. 


Next, grab your beef and set it on a cutting board. Dry it with paper towels and then tie it into a uniform shape with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals. So your best bet is to start off by wrapping one long strand around the length of the brisket to get the ‘mid line’ and then going at 2-inch intervals up that, so you end up with something similar to a corset around your brisket. Now season liberally with salt and pepper. 


Take your Dutch oven over to the stove, put it on medium-high heat, and warm 1 tbsp of your oil until it’s shimmering. Add the beef to the pot and cook until it’s deeply browned on the bottom. This should take 3-4 minutes, so set a timer and walk away. You don’t want to bother the meat during this process so that you get an even crust on that side. When the time is up, and it’s reached a deep brown, turn it and repeat this for the other three sides. Remove the brisket from the pot and set it aside in a bowl. 



Keep the pot on medium-high and add the remaining oil, and warm until it’s shimmering. Add your onions and an additional 1 tsp of salt and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally until your onions are softening and releasing liquid. (This should be roughly 4 minutes.) Turn the heat down to medium-low and keep cooking for an additional 15 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot; turn the heat down as needed so that your onions are simmering and not burning. Seriously, “burn” does not taste good in this recipe. Add the thyme, ginger, and flour and continue to cook, stirring until the onions are sticky and golden, roughly 5 minutes. Add your cider, broth, and ½ tsp salt. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen and dissolve any browned bits. 


While that’s going, open up your oven, and move a rack to the lower middle, then preheat the oven to 300*F. 



Add the beef back into the pot, and make a slight ‘nest’ in the onions for it. The onions and aus-jus in progress should cover ¾ of the meat. Put the lid on the pot, place it into the oven and allow it to cook for 1 hour and 35 minutes. After that, you’ll add in the pears, stirring them very slightly into the onions. Return the pot to the oven and continue to cook covered until the beef is extremely tender. This should be roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes more. 


Transfer your beef to a cutting board, and using a large slotted spoon, move the onions and pears onto a serving platter; cover loosely with foil to keep warm. 


Pour the liquid from the Dutch oven into a measuring cup and let it rest for 10 minutes, or until all of the fat rises to the surface. Tilt the cup to the side and use a soup spoon to skim off the fat and dispose of it. (Or, if you’re like us, drizzle it over your dog’s food.) Add the vinegar and most of the parsley to the liquid and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. 


Finally, cut the twine off of your brisket and cut it against the grain into ½ inch thick slices. Place the meat on the platter with the onions and pears, pour the juices over the meat and serve. 


If you’re not sure what to have as a side dish, we’d have to suggest roasted sweet potatoes and a fresh loaf of crusty bread. 


Now that you’ve tried it, what do you think? Delicious, right? Let us know over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you. 



Mushroom Forest Pinwheels

The Perfect Treat for A Spring Day

I Don’t Care, Take Me To The Recipe! 


These savory mushroom pinwheels are perfect for a picnic to enjoy the change in the seasons. Whether you’re looking at the sunset or just having friends over for a movie, this is a great treat.


Ingredients:


Filing: 

12 ounces crimini or shitake mushrooms, finely chopped *see note at the bottom

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 shallots, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme 

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground black pepper


Dough

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

1 Tbsp baking powder

1tsp sugar 

½ tsp kosher salt

6 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated

¾ cup buttermilk, cold

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled 

1 egg 

Truffle oil for brushing 


Tools: food processor, silicone spatula, frying pan, cutting board, knife, large rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper or a silicone liner, multiple bowls of different sizes, a whisk, a wooden spoon, a grater, pastry brush, a serrated knife, 


Recipe:

Making the Mushroom Filling: 

Toss your mushrooms into a food processor and pulse eight times for one second each. This will give you finely chopped mushrooms. 


In a skillet over medium heat, melt your butter. Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring consistently until they begin to soften, roughly 2 minutes. Add your mushrooms and ¼ tsp salt, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook. Your mushrooms will release liquid and that will evaporate with further cooking. This takes between 9 and 12 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat, add your Parmesan and stir to combine. Taste the mix, and if needed, add salt and pepper. Grab a plate and spread the mixture into a thin layer to allow it to cool to ambient temperature.

 

Preheat your oven to 425*F and move a rack to the middle of the oven. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. 


Making the Dough: 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Once those are evenly mixed, add the grated Gruyere and whisk to combine. 


In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and melted butter to combine. (Important Note: The butter will clump, it’s ok. Don’t freak out.) Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour. With your  wooden spoon, stir the mixture until it forms a sticky dough. Its going to still have chunks at this point, that's fine. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until it holds together and is mostly smooth. do NOT over-knead. Seriously, if it’s holding together, you’re good. 

Pick up the dough and lightly sprinkle more dough underneath if needed, as well as over the surface. Roll or pat the dough into a 12 by 18-inch rectangle and brush any excess flour off. 


Take your mushroom filling and evenly spread it over the dough. It’s going to be a very thin, patchy layer. Turn the dough so that the longest side is facing you, and roll the dough into a very tight and even roll. Pinch the seam along the entire length of the roll to seal it shut. 


Using your serrated knife, trim off the very ends of the roll and discard them. You want to have the roll mostly flat at the end. Cut the roll into 1 ¼ inch pieces, coming out with roughly 14 rounds. Arrange them, cut-sides up on the baking sheet. You want to have about 2 inches of space between the rounds. 


Use a small bowl to mix your egg and 1Tbsp of water together then brush the top and sides of each round with the mixture. Pop the sheet into the oven and bake until golden brown. You’ll want to cook them for 9 minutes, rotate the pan, and then cook for another 9 minutes. 


Allow the rounds to cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish. If you’re using truffle oil, this is the point to brush them with a light coating. You can serve the rounds at room temperature or toast them lightly in the oven at 300*F for 8 minutes. 


You can also store any leftovers in an airtight container for several days, reheating as needed. Not that we expect many to be leftover after the first serving. 


*If you choose shitake mushrooms, make sure that it’s 12 oz after they’ve been stemmed. While the stems of the crimini mushrooms are perfectly fine to include in the recipe, the shitakes are not. 


So, what’s your opinion on this one? Does it sound tasty enough for a weekend attempt? Or are you still a little unsure? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you. 



And if maybe your appliances are making you make some faces, give us a call. We can't fix it if your face gets stuck like that (thanks, Mom) - but we can do something about the machines. You can get hold of us at our website, or by calling us at ((214) 599-0055).