Fizzy Grapefruit Slushy!

It’s summer, it’s hot and I’m ready to beat the heat with ice, cold, frothy goodness! I came up with the idea in the blink of an eye–not only did it hit the spot, but how can you resist the lovely pink hue of this deliciousness?

Fizzy Grapefruit Slushy

Here’s my recipe for a great, quick and easy Fizzy Grapefruit Slushy:

1 medium grapefruit
1/2 to 1 c lemon (or plain) mineral water
1 to 2 c (more or less) ice!!!
2-4 drops of stevia extract (or any sweetener of your choice, to taste)

1. Cut your grapefruit, carefully removing the segments ONLY (no pith) and place in a bowl/cup.
2. Place ice, mineral water, grapefruit & stevia into a blender–mix!
3. ENJOY!

Obviously this recipe is SO simple! I find that my smoothies and slushies blend MUCH better with store-bought ice and/or ice crushed before blending (I’m manifesting a Vita-Mix! lol)… so feel free to tweak this however you wish–it was DEFINITELY a nice treat on a hot day!

Hawaiian Kine Papaya Starberry Smoothie Bowl

In the lyrics of local Hawaii recording artist, Brother Noland, I’m “a coconut girl in a high fashion world…” LOL

Hawaiian Kine Papaya Starberry Bowl

If I haven’t already mentioned this, I’m originally from Hawaii–born and raised, Native Hawaiian. I grew up with tropical fruits, papaya being one of those essential local fruits. Both of my grandmothers ate one half to one whole papaya almost every other day. In fact, one of them was a serial papaya purchaser. She’d go to the farmer’s market and come home with like 12 papayas! LOL

Papaya is an incredible fruit. It’s very nutritious and the enzymes are great for the digestive system. I knew this beforehand but upon looking up the calorie count, I stumbled upon some great info at the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association’s website. Apparently the papaya is ranked among the top 5 most nutritious fruits by the Center for Science in DC.

I won’t name names but I will ONLY eat Hawaiian papaya… I’ve tried other papaya before and frankly they smell like vomit and taste… well, let’s not go there. Here’s a photo for reference as to what type of papaya I recommend (disregard the blueberries, lol). I do NOT recommend that you purchase any papaya that smells funky–that’s just… no.

Fresh Papaya & Frozen Blueberries

Hawaiian Kine Papaya Smoothie Bowl
1/2 fresh papaya (reserve 1/5 of the papaya for garnish, optional)
1/2 to 3/4 c frozen blueberries (plus 5 or so on the side for garnish, optional)
1/2 c non-fat kefir (or almond milk for a lower calorie/less dairy option)
1/2 c 0% fat Greek yogurt
2 T flax meal

Garnish
2 T chopped raw macadamia nuts
1 to 2 T unsweetened shredded coconut
reserved papaya
reserved blueberries

p.s.-I used the word “starberry” in place of blueberry because Native Americans referred to it as such (due to the star shape at the top of the berry) and besides… I love stars

Acai Bowl & Gluten Free Griddle Cakes (2)

A Bowl of Acai w/ Gluten/Grain Free Griddle Cakes (2)

Breakfast is a running theme for me, isn’t it? I swear, I’m going to add other recipes–I promise! I have a tendency to stick with something until I’ve perfected it, luckily, I think the following recipe for gluten/grain free pancakes (I like ‘griddle cakes’ better, I’m a Southern girl in my heart, lol) is getting there.

This recipe, in particular differs from the first one in that I actually enjoyed eating it… remember the last batch that totally sucked? Yeeeah, this one was SO much better! Go ahead and click on the link if you’d like the recipe for the Acai Bowl. Otherwise, without further ado…

Coconut Flour & Flax Meal Griddle Cakes with Almond Butter & Raspberry Preserves

This recipe makes 2 medium/small pancakes so double it or triple it accordingly

Coconut Flour & Flax Meal Griddle Cakes

2 T coconut flour
1 T ground flax meal (soaked in 1 to 2 T drinking water, you may omit the water if you want)
1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t Himalayan Pink Salt (or any good sea salt)
1 egg (beaten for a good 2-3 minutes before adding to mix)
stevia extract to taste (I used 2-3 drops but you may omit or add a bit more if you want)
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T to 1/4 c almond milk depending on the type of consistency you prefer (I use Almond Breeze or Whole Foods 365 Brand)
*coconut oil or butter for the griddle

As a note, these pancakes will be a little “mealy” due to the flax meal but I love the texture of flax so it was fine for me. It also could have been a BIT more moist but who’s complaining, really? I just love that I can eat healthy, gluten/grain free pancakes! These also came out MUCH more fluffy and light in comparison to the first batch, which obviously made me very happy.

Also, I created another recipe for griddle cakes using almond flour and coconut flour which I will be posting in a few days… That one came out even better and has a couple of special ingredients which I think you’ll find pretty interesting.

Coconut Flour Flax Griddle Cakes with Almond Butter & SF Raspberry Preserves

Now isn’t this just the sweetest little short-stack of pancakes EVER?! I paired my griddle cakes with a gorgeous dollop of fresh roasted almond butter and Smucker’s Sugar Free Raspberry Preserves (I put a tablespoon of it in a small pot with about 1/2 T of water to thin it out a bit) which, I know… Splenda is ‘no bueno’. I don’t like Splenda and I really didn’t want to “go there” in buying it but it was the best option that I could ‘live’ with for the time being. Until I have my own place and can dedicate time to making my own sauces and compotes, I’ll deal… so please forgive me for that! LOL

Anyway… I sincerely hope that you enjoy this recipe, I know I did!

Many Blessings & Warm and Fuzzies in your Bellies!
Kapua