Strawberry Milkshakes {Dairy-Free}

Who doesn't love a milkshake? Since today's weather is nice and warm in the mid-80's, I thought milkshakes would be the perfect after school snack for the girls! So, while I was at the grocery earlier today, I bought fresh strawberries with a plan in mind. Just scoop up your ice cream {dairy-free, of course}, add fresh strawberries, maybe a tablespoon or two of Strawberry Syrup {Target brand is dairy-free} and some soy milk {or Almond Milk} to get the desired consistency. Mix in a blender or with a quick prep mixing stick {as pictured} and voila! We have smiles all around the table.

Strawberry Dip {Dairy-free}

Several days ago my sister posted this strawberry dip on her blog. I love all things cream cheese, so I didn't even have to taste it to know it was delicious. I knew I wanted to make some for my family so I began thinking about how I could make this dairy-free. And here it is...

{photo courtesy of lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com}

Strawberry Dip {dairy-free}

1 jar (7oz) marshmallow cream

1 tub (8 oz) Tofutti Cream Cheese {I buy mine at Whole Foods}

1/2 pkg (or more) strawberry gelatin

Mix together first two ingredients until well-blended. Add in 1/2 pkg of strawberry gelatin (or more depending on how you like it). Mix well. Serve with fruit or graham cracker sticks. YUM! This would be great in a lunchbox with fresh fruit!

Feels like Summer...

...and that means the children's stomachs are a bottomless pit. At least that's how they act. So, I've begun stocking up and brainstorming again for healthy snacks for the hungry little people in this house. My goal for this summer {in the food category} is to only have healthy foods on hand for daily snacking. Of course, this dessert-loving mama will always have an emergency sweet treat on hand, but for snacking purposes we're going healthy. This should accomplish 1 of 2 things. Either they will 1) learn to eat and love healthy snacks or 2) they will not ask for a snack every 15 minutes. Either way, it works out good for me. So, this week I'm going to try to post some healthy snack ideas for summer!

Let's start the week with Strawberries!

Just get some fresh, juicy strawberries - wash them and serve them up with a little packet of Truvia {natural sweetener}. My girls love to put their own "sugar" on their berries and one packet of a natural sweetener works great. There's no guilt or 'accidental dumping of sugar' with the individual packets.

Make a yummy dairy-free Strawberry Shortcake.

Make some Strawberry Scones.

Do some fruit kabobs and serve with dairy-free whipped cream!

Or serve fresh strawberries with this Dairy-Free Chocolate Dipping Sauce {below}:

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

1 T Tofutti brand sour cream OR 1 T almond milk

Melt together in a small saucepan or in the microwave at 30 sec intervals. Serve!

Stay tuned for more healthy, but yummy treats for summer!

Strawberry Cornmeal Scones {Dairy-free, Egg-free}

Ever since watching the Royal Wedding, I've had scones on my brain. So, I set out on a quest to find a great scone recipe and I think this version hits the spot! I've had scones only one time in my life when I visited London and that was too long ago. I found some great-looking recipes, and then I adapted some to fit what I wanted. Here you go!

Strawberry Cornmeal Scones {dairy-, egg-free}

Nonstick Cooking Spray

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2 T granulated sugar

2 T packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 T cornstarch

1/3 cup cold Smart Balance Light butter, cut up

1/2 cup Almond milk + 1 T lemon juice {this is a substitute for buttermilk}

1/4 cup All-Fruit Strawberry Jam

Preheat oven 450. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch. Cut in butter until flour mix resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center. Pour in almond milk/lemon juice mixture. Stir with fork just until moist.

Add strawberry jam to mix. Stir gently, 3-5 turns until incorporated. Use large spoon and drop dough into 12 mounds, 1 inch apart. Bake 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden.

Drizzle a powdered sugar/lemon juice icing over the top. {1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tsp lemon juice} Serve warm.

Strawberry Banana Smoothies {Dairy-free}

Yesterday, I made these for my girls for an after-school snack and I scored big!! Because I don't make them often, {I don't know why, thank you for asking} they thought these were the most awesome snack and I was their favorite mom {not to mention, their ONLY mom}. These are super easy and now that I remember that, I will keep them on my list of healthy after-school snacks.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothies

Fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

1 banana, peeled and sliced*

4 oz. soy yogurt, in vanilla or plain {coconut milk yogurt works, too!}

4 oz. almond milk {plain for less sugar content}

crushed ice

*you can substitute a frozen banana instead of using ice.*

Makes 2 or 3 servings - and serve it with a straw! Everything is better with a straw!

Put all ingredients in blender and pulse until you get the consistency you want. I use a Cuisinart handheld Quick Mixer and it is perfect for this job. This is a great one to let the kids help with, too. For added protein, you could add some soy protein powder, but I haven't personally tried it so I cannot vouch for the taste.