Product Highlight: THRIVE Sour Cream Powder

I'm one of those people who almost never has sour cream in the refrigerator.  For one thing, when I do buy it for a specific recipe, about half of the container almost always ends up growing mold.  And getting tossed.  Which irks me a lot.  But for another thing, and I don't even understand how this happens, but it almost always does (or rather, did)...  When I make my grocery shopping list and need sour cream for something, that is the one ingredient I seem to forget to write on my list.  It has happened multiple times. 

One time, in my pre-THRIVE days, I was so desperate, I started calling people within walking distance of my house to see if they had any I could borrow (in an effort not to make a special trip and waste gas).  Well, my mom just so happened to have some, but it was a rigamarole to get it, since she was at work and I had to get to the hidden house key, etc.  All of this with an infant in tow. 

So yes...  Sour cream is one of those things in my house-hold.  And when I learned I could get THRIVE Sour Cream Powder...  Well, I knew that was going to be stocked in my home store permanently!  I can't even tell you how many times it's saved the day.  I love it. 

So I figured I'd feature it today, so I can tell you all about THRIVE Sour Cream Powder -- why I love it and just a few tips from my own experiences.

Shelf Life:  THRIVE Sour Cream Powder can sit on your shelf unopened for 10 years.  That is awesome.  Once you open it, you'll want to use it within 1 year, though, to make sure it has maintained it's original nutrients and such.  (This is all under ideal circumstances, of course.  If you live in a place of higher humidity, the opened shelf-life may decrease somewhat.)  Because we do not use sour cream frequently in our household (hence the fresh stuff always going bad when I managed to have it), I find that a pantry can size is perfect for us.  However, it is also available in the #10 can size, if you find that you use sour cream frequently.

Ingredients:  Sour cream powder (cream, cultures, & lactic acid), Cultured nonfat milk solids, & citric acid. CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE.  It is also pasteurized.


Tips:  When I make the THRIVE Sour Cream Powder into Sour Cream for use on Taco Salad or something similar, I tend to add the water a little at a time to get a consistency I like.  I don't necessarily follow the measurements on the can.  When I am mixing it in with other things, though, I do follow their suggestions for ratio.  Such is the case when I use it for Chicken Divan.  I would also suggest, if you plan to use it as a topping (like fresh sour cream), that you refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes (but preferably overnight), as this will help thicken it more and be more like what you are expecting.

Caution:  If you think of this as something you would mistake for fresh sour cream, you will be disappointed.  It is different.  My husband says it has more of a buttermilk flavor to it than sour cream flavor.  And it isn't' quite as creamy (especially if you don't refrigerate it).  However, many people have made it to use as a spread -- like cream cheese -- and love it that way. 

As with so many things, your tastes have a lot to do with how you will feel about this product.  For me, it has been a meal-saver, gas-saver, and time-saver!  I love the product, and plan to use it in place of fresh sour cream pretty much exclusively.  My next attempt will be to do some baking with it!  Using it in baking is actually one of the top suggestions for this product!

But if you're interested in seeing how I've already used it in my daily life, here are a few recipe links for you :)!

Chicken Divan
Jar Meal: Sausage Zuppa Toscana
Taco Soup (as a topping)

If you'd like to have some THRIVE Sour Cream Powder in your home store, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or head over to my website (www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla) and place your order in a few easy steps!

Happy THRIVEing!

Raspberry-Peach Rolls with a Simply Peach Glaze

So I'd had thoughts of this recipe brewing in my head for some time.  And since I took advantage of the Big Deal Sale we had this month, I finally got my THRIVE Peaches to make it happen!  I had reservations, as this fell under the category of "Hila experimenting in the kitchen" and I'm still a tad new at the whole experimentation game (I do love to follow a recipe!).  But after talking over my idea with my husband and getting his advice...  I decided it was worth a try.  And unless it turned out like charcoal, we'd be eating it!  Can't let those delicious THRIVE Peaches and THRIVE Raspberries go to waste!

Good news!  It wasn't charcoal!  Even better news:  It was a total success!  My husband had 3 big ones.  And is now down for a morning nap ;).

I'll do a step-by-step with pictures at the bottom, but sometimes I know people just want the recipe and I usually hate scrolling through the long version when I'm looking at other people's recipes ;).  So here is the recipe (I am not responsible for making up the dough recipe, though I did THRIVE-alize it a bit.  The original dough recipe can be found here.  But I did develop the "innards" of this ;)).

RASPBERRY-PEACH ROLLS with a SIMPLY PEACH GLAZE

Dough:
1 cup THRIVE Instant Milk (prepared)
1/3 cup butter
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar*
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour* (plus more for kneading)
1 teaspoon salt*
3 THRIVE Whole Eggs (3 tablespoons egg powder + 6 tablespoons water)

Filling:
2 cups THRIVE Peaches
1/4 cup THRIVE Raspberries
1/3 cup white sugar*

Glaze:
1 cup THRIVE Powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix
3 tablespoons THRIVE Instant Milk (prepared)

For the dough:  Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it barely bubbles.  Remove from heat and melt butter in milk.  Allow to cool until lukewarm.  Pour into large mixing bowl and add yeast.  Mix and allow yeast to dissolve in milk and butter mixture.  Add sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt, and eggs.  Mix until well-blended.  Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls into a ball.  Turn dough out on floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, adding flour as necessary (this was about another 1/4 cup or so for me).  Oil a large bowl and put dough into bowl, turning to coat with oil.  Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled in size (anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on temperatures).  Turn dough out onto a clean, dry surface and roll dough out to approximately 11x14-inch rectangle. 

For the filling:  Place peaches and raspberries in a blender or food processor and process until powdered.  Pour into a small bowl and add 1/3 cup sugar.  Stir to mix all ingredients together.

For the glaze (I recommend making this while the rolls are cooking):  Add all ingredients (powdered sugar, Simply Peach, and prepared milk) together in a bowl and whisk until a glaze forms.  Set aside until rolls are done baking.

For the rolls:  Sprinkle filling evenly all over rolled-out dough, leaving a 1/2" bare at one "short" edge of the dough.  Brush that bare strip with water.  Beginning with the other short edge, roll tightly all the way and then pinch seams at the wet dough end.  Cut into 12 equal parts (I do this using string or floss, as it prevents flattening) and place into a greased 9x13 pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, take rolls out of the refrigerator and allow to set for 30 to 45 minutes (making sure rolls have doubled in size...  You may have to let them sit out longer -- but not too long!  Ours were out a little too long ;), hence the popping out rolls!).  Preheat oven to 375.  Bake loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until rolls are done.  Drizzle with glaze while still hot.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

So here are some step-by-step pictures:

Filling mixture sprinkled over dough rectangle.

Dough rolled up and sealed.

Cut rolls, covered with plastic wrap and ready for the fridge!

After rising and sitting out for a while in the morning (ours sat out a bit too long, so they over-big!).  I almost forgot to take this picture, hence the inside-the-oven picture ;)).

Simply Peach Glaze is ready to go!

The finished product!  So yummy!

One thing I learned is that I'll probably add a little water to the Simply Peach drink mix in a saucepan in the future to melt the sugar crystals in the drink mix.  The glaze was a little grainy from the sugar that didn't melt as I made it above.  So it was just a little learning thing for me ;).  Still tasty, though!  And a delicious treat for a lazy Saturday morning!

If you're interested in enjoying any of these awesome products to make this recipe -- or a million others! -- contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website:  www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla.

Happy THRIVEing!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm always looking for new ways to use the amazing THRIVE Peanut Flour.  And I'm always looking for an excuse to make cookies ;).  It's a pretty great combination!  Plus this is my 100th Blog Post at THRIVEing With Nilla!  So why not celebrate with some delicious cookies!?!

So I adapted a recipe I had and came up with something a little bit new -- and THRIVEalized! 

These were so yummy -- both before baking and after!  (I love cookie dough like no other...  Which is why I love love love THRIVE Whole Egg Powder!  No raw eggs, so I can eat the dough guilt-free while pregnant!!!

PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup THRIVE Shortening Powder (plus 2 tablespoons water)
2 tablespoons THRIVE Whole Egg Powder (plus 4 tablespoons water)
1 teaspoon THRIVE Pure Vanilla Powder
3/4 cup white sugar*
3/4 cup brown sugar*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup THRIVE Peanut Flour
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour*
3/4 cup whole wheat flour*
1 cup oats*
1/2 10-ounce bag chocolate chips (or to your preference!)

Cream together butter, THRIVE Shortening powder and 2 tablespoons water.  Add sugars and cream until well-blended.  Add THRIVE Whole Egg Powder + 4 tablespoons water and THRIVE Pure Vanilla Extract Powder.  Mix until well-blended.  Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips.  Check dough.  If it is too dry, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches cookie-dough consistency.  When dough is all mixed, gently stir in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet about 5 minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely. 

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

I took these to my book club my book club meeting last night and received several compliments, so I am counting it a success!  The peanut flour is not strong, especially once the cookies are baked, so the peanut flavor is definitely understated, but still there.  I might play around with the recipe some more in the future and see what happens when I add a little more peanut flour ;).  Because I do love chocolate and peanut butter together!

In other fantastic news...  There are even more reasons to celebrate!  THRIVE Life just announced a hosting promotion going on between now and the end of May!!  Party hosts have a chance to receive an additional $75 in free product in addition to the regular host benefits for parties with at least $600 in sales which are held between now and May 31st!  It's a great time to host a party and earn bonus freebies, so if you've ever thought about it...  Think about it some more -- and then contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to book your party!

Happy THRIVEing!

Quick, Refreshing Drinks!

Today my little munchkin and I had a play-date at a local park.  It was a beautiful day -- and we needed to get out anyway!  My husband is working the awful graveyard shift, so we try to leave the house every morning for a few hours in the interest of allowing him to get some solid sleep.

But that's not really important ;).

So as part of our play-date, we were doing a picnic lunch!  And I decided I wanted to take a quick, refreshing drink to enjoy!  So I played around with my THRIVE Life ingredients and came up with something yummy and fast which blended wonderfully during the hours it waited to be enjoyed!

I just grabbed a pint-size mason jar, tossed in some THRIVE Simply Peach drink mix (2 tablespoons, since that's the recommended amount for one cup water), and then added a small handful of THRIVE Pineapple Chunks and a small handful of THRIVE Raspberries!  Dropped in a couple ice cubes, just to keep it chilled, and then shook it up!  Oh yeah...  And don't forget the water ;).  I filled it with cold water to the neck of the jar -- and then I shook it!

And by lunchtime, the fruits were all nicely rehydrated and had added their wonderful flavors to the peach drink mix.  It was so yum!  And so easy!

And so customizable!  I'm looking forward to trying this with some other combinations in the near future!!!

Interested in adding some of these items to your Home Store?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!

Jar Meal: Chicken Tortilla Soup

We have another fun jar meal party coming up on May 5th -- Cinco de Mayo!  And to celebrate, we are making Mexican-inspired soups -- in a jar!

But naturally, I wanted to test out this recipe and see how it looks in the jar and how it tastes in a bowl :)!

So tonight, my family enjoyed Chicken Tortilla Soup!  And all I did when it came time to prep dinner was bring 8 cups of water to a boil, dump in the jar of ingredients and simmer 15 to 20 minutes!  And I definitely love the ease and speed of that!

Pictured is the prepared jar with most of the THRIVE ingredient cans!  I actually didn't have any THRIVE Green Chilies on hand, but my friend Rebekah did, so she dropped some by for me.  But I didn't have the can for the picture ;).  So there's most of the cans at any rate ;).

Just a close-up of the jar.  Very pretty, don't you think!?!  So here are the ingredients in the order I placed them in the jar:

1 cup THRIVE Chopped Chicken
2/3 cup THRIVE Green Chilies
1/2 cup THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 cup THRIVE Tomato Powder
2 teaspoons THRIVE Chicken Bouillon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup THRIVE Sweet Corn

To prepare, add contents of jar to 8 cups boiling water.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.  Top with your favorite toppings:  tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, green onions, salsa, etc...  *If you prefer a higher fat content in your soup, you may consider adding a tablespoon of olive oil to the water when bringing it to a boil.

And when you're ready to eat, it tastes delicious and looks like this!

This was as definite win in our household!  I'll be making it -- in a jar for easy meals on busy days! -- again and again!  If you'd like to have one (or more) of this jar meal on hand, join us at my house on May 5th anytime from 7 to 9 p.m.  Just drop on in!  Plus you can sample all these delicious recipes -- and more -- while mingling and visiting with others!  It's sure to be a great time!  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com for more information and location!

Or you can order the ingredients and make your own jars at home!  Just visit my website: www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla or contact me to place your order!  Remember, the BIG DEAL Sale is still going on through Monday, so now's a great time to get great prices on these ingredients!

Happy THRIVEing!

Being a THRIVE Life Consultant -- Q&A

I've recently had some lovely ladies express interest in the consulting side of THRIVE Life.  They have great questions about the business; and I thought it would be useful to answer them here as well as individually for each of them!  Because sometimes people have questions but don't want to ask -- or aren't sure what their questions even are!

And if you have a question about being a THRIVE Life Consultant which I don't address here, please message me and ask!  I'm always happy to help people learn :).

In recent months, THRIVE Life has re-vamped their whole Consultant plan.  And it is amazing.  I would say if you've ever considered being a consultant, now is the time to look into it further!  The perks for joining are phenomenal, and the kits to help you get started have new prices -- and a new variety of products!  So here are a few of the questions I've received:

1.  What is the annual fee for being a consultant?  Zero!  You do not pay annually to be active as a THRIVE Life consultant.  And I think that is amazing!  Until this question was asked of me, I never even knew that other direct sales companies charge an annual fee.  So this was a great learning opportunity for me, and I'm thrilled to be able to come back with that lovely number of ZERO!

2.  So what does it cost to become a consultant?  I think this question must be answered with two sub-categories, if you will.  First of all, you need to buy your consultant kit.  There are 3 different kits from which to choose, depending on what you want your consultant business to look like.  You may not want to actively go out and do parties -- and that's okay!  There is a kit made just for you! It's called the "Social Seller" kit (it is the least expensive kit at $129 plus tax and shipping).  But you may want to hit the ground running and make this business work for you.  And that's great too!  There's a kit that is more extensive just for you!  You can learn more about these kits by following this link. Your kit will include amazing foods along with paperwork to help you get started!  The second half of the answer is in regards to the Q.  Every consultant is required to have an active Q to receive commission (or be in active consultant status).  There is a $50 per month minimum Q budget for consultants.  Basically this means you order at least $50 worth of product (food, emergency supplies, etc) each month.  

3.  As a consultant, what would I be required to do?  Is there a monthly minimum in sales I need to achieve, etc?  As a consultant, once you order your kit, your ONLY requirement is to have an active Q with a minimum budget of $50 a month in order to be an active consultant.  You are NOT required to hold parties or sell the product.  

4.  What if I want to quit being a consultant?  You simply cancel your Q and you are no longer a consultant.  

5.  What are some of the perks of being a consultant?  You can earn commissions on your own Q for anything over $50 (not including shipping) as well as any other orders your place yourself outside of your Q.  You can share the product with friends and family and earn free and half-off (retail price) products as well as commission just by sharing with those closest to you who may be interested in the awesome THRIVE Life products.  And if you want to actively sell the product and make it your business, you have the potential of stocking your own home store for free.  You are also a member of the Q Club as long as you are an active consultant, regardless of your budget.  For non-consultants, Q Club membership is free with a minimum $100 budget or an annual fee of $79.99 with any budget under $100.  The Q Club allows you to earn points for your Q purchases which can be redeemed for free product when you reach certain point accumulations.  And one of the biggest perks for new consultants is what's called the double-dip.  When you buy a kit and sign up for a Q, you can get host credits for those purchases, which translates into free -- and usually half-off -- product!  And, of course, anything you do as a consultant is on your schedule and you can choose how involved you want to be.  That's a great perk, in my opinion, because when I was in my first trimester of this pregnancy, I was so tired and felt pretty crummy every afternoon.  I was able to put my THRIVE Life business on the back burner until I felt better -- and that was okay!

6.  How hard is it to sign up to be a consultant?  It's super easy.  You can go to my website (www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla) and click on "Join My Team" under my picture.  This enables you to input all necessary information without having to give me anything you may not want me to have (like your SSN).  You can also always contact me, but I know I prefer doing things on my own and keeping some information as private as possible, so I make sure people know how they can do that!

I have definitely loved being a THRIVE Life Consultant.  I have started having a better -- and bigger -- variety of foods in my home store; and I've also become more adventurous in the kitchen.  It's been a lot of fun for me to try new things and see what I can do with my "food storage."  I've loved sharing things with others and helping them learn a variety of ways they can become prepared.  For me, being a consultant made sense, since I wanted the variety offered by THRIVE Life in my food storage/home store anyway!  I joined back when the kits were a little different and a bit more costly, and I was still able to pay off my initial outlay (which I chose to include my 3-month Q commitment of $100 -- which was the minimum commitment at the time -- as what I needed to pay back) in less than 6 months.  And that was doing things at a pace I felt comfortable with and also while I was going through my rough months of early pregnancy and didn't put a whole lot of effort into my business.  For me, it has been an enjoyable journey.

I just wanted to share a little bit of information for anyone who may wonder, especially because with the new kits and their prices, this is a great time to start!  And if you have further questions, please feel free to contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!

Product Highlight: THRIVE Potato Beads

Some days I need easy!  And today was definitely one of those days!  As the due date for our little baking bun draws ever nearer, there are simply more appointments and more things to get done.  Today was our "Stork Express" visit where we get pre-registered at the hospital.  So I wasn't feeling like spending a lot of time in the kitchen in the evening, especially because I had some appointments to keep after dinner was all done.

Today I relied on my THRIVE Potato Beads to round our our dinner with a delicious side dish!  And, to be quite honest, I've been relying on these Potato Beads quite a bit lately.  They are just so easy to use and so quick to make!  I follow the recipe on the can -- generally.  But we discovered that we like our potatoes a bit moister, so I always increase the water to 2 cups and keep all the other ingredients (milk, butter, salt, pepper) the same.

Because these potato beads are so easy to use, I literally had my side dish (mashed potatoes) ready from start to finish in the same amount of time it took to cook the biscuits!  It was a beautiful thing :).  Particularly since I threw all this together at the very last minute.  I love not having to peel or chop potatoes and wait for them to boil and soften.

I also love that I can have my sealed cans of these on the shelf for up to 8 years and they still maintain all their nutrients!  Or that I can open them and have the can's contents last up to a year!  I can't say that about regular potatoes (and I have had plenty of moldy ones to prove it!).

The Potato Beads are pre-seasoned, so they do have a higher sodium content than the regular Mashed Potatoes available through THRIVE (which I also love -- and just stocked up on more during the BIG DEAL sale going on right now!).  But my sister-in-law raved over these; and when she found out they were being discontinued, she stocked up.  So I wanted to try them.  They are delicious and fast -- just what I need!  Yes, they are being discontinued, but they are still available until the stock runs out.  So if you think you'd like to have some in your home store for those crazy busy days, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or shop my website:  www.thrivelife.com/thriveingnilla

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Our family loves pancakes.  We have them for breakfast at least once a week.  But sometimes 2 or 3 times a week!  We keep a variety of pancake mixes on hand, just for this reason.  We definitely love the THRIVE 10 Grain Pancake Mix, and we are super-excited about the changes that have been made to it, so it is now among the many non-GMO products THRIVE Life offers! 

And it's on special this month!  The perfect time to stock up!

But that isn't actually the pancake mix I used today.  Today I used a regular store-bought mix and jazzed it up -- a lot!  It wasn't a special celebratory day or anything.  I just felt like trying out some fancy "special" pancakes with the new -- and completely amazing THRIVE Peanut Flour.  I realize I've been posting a lot of recipes recently with the Peanut Flour, but that's because I am simply amazed by the versatility of it; not to mention how easy it is to use and clean!

I would have never thought to add peanut butter to my pancake mix without this great product.  I got the idea, because many people enjoy peanut butter spread on their pancakes.  So I thought, "Why not step it up and put peanut flour in the pancakes!?!"  And it was so easy to do!  I just tossed some in with my other dry ingredients, and oila!

And these were yummy.  So yummy, I didn't even use syrup.  And my toddler snarfed all of hers down.  Quickly.

OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES
2 cups all-inclusive pancake mix*(we used Krusteaz brand)
3/4 cups oats* (I used old-fashioned, but quick would work fine too!)
2 tablespoons THRIVE Peanut Flour
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips (this depends on how many chocolate chips you want!)

Add all dry ingredients, except chocolate chips, to a medium-size bowl and whisk together to combine.  Add water and whisk until well-blended.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Pour batter onto prepared skillet or griddle and cook according to pancake mix directions (or to your preferences ;)).

When I make pancakes, they are usually 6 to 7-inches in diameter.  This recipe yielded 5 pancakes that size.

I'm definitely making these again!  So easy, and so yummy!

The Peanut Flour is also on special this month!  It is a perfect time to get some!  Through April, it is $15.09 for a #10 can, which will make a little more than 11 1/4 cups of fresh peanut butter however you like it (you control the salt, sugar, and oil!).  And just for comparison purposes, 2 large jars of JIF peanut butter from Costco are 10 3/4 cups of prepared peanut butter without the ability to control the sugar, salt, and oil  (fat) content!  I can't remember the cost of the peanut butter at Costco right off hand, but I'll make a mental note to check on Tuesday and post it!  But the 5 year unopened shelf life on this peanut flour is a great thing, because it's a lot longer than store-bought peanut butter!!

It's a great time to stock up on some great things with THRIVE Life!  Not only are the 10 Grain Pancake Mix and the Peanut Flour on sale this month, but everything is being discounted for this months BIG DEAL Sale!  It's still going on through April 20th, so if you want to take advantage of the sale and bulk up your home store, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com!!!

Happy THRIVEing!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie -- Again!

I know, I know...  I've posted this recipe before.  But now, with the amazing THRIVE Life Peanut Flour, I've made it a new way -- and we love it!!! 

Gone are the days of messy measuring with peanut butter!  Having to clean measuring utensils used for measuring peanut butter became one of my least favorite things to do.  In fact, because I disliked it so much, I pretty much stopped measuring in most cases.  I'd just use a huge dollop of peanut butter on a spoon.  Which means I sometimes didn't have enough peanut butter, and I sometimes had too much!  Now, clean-up is super easy!

I also love that I can omit extra salt and sugars in this smoothie now.  And even the extra fat!  And yet, I still have the potential for peanut butter in my long-term home store (unopened, this is good for 5 years!  Can't say that about regular peanut butter!), because with a few ingredients (oil, salt, sugar), I can make up my very own peanut butter the way I want it to taste using this peanut flour!  So all in all, I'm seriously loving this brand new product!

So though I've shared the recipe before, here it is again, with the peanut flour!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SMOOTHIE
1 cup fat free milk*
1 frozen banana, sliced
1 tablespoon THRIVE Peanut Flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon sugar* (you can adjust to your preferences)

Put all in a blender (or regular mouth mason jar a blender attachment will fit on ;)) and blend!

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

This is an amazingly filling smoothie.  And so delicious, as I'm sure I've mentioned before.  Easy to throw together -- and even easier now with the Peanut Flour!  In fact, my munchkin just woke up from her nap, so guess what we're having for a little afternoon snack :)!

Want to try some of this amazing new product?  Contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com or visit my website www.thrivelife.com/THRIVEingNilla -- or add it to your Q this month, if you're a Q customer!!!

Happy THRIVEing!

Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake

I definitely loved my broccoli in March!  Not that I won't love it every month ;)...  But it was March's Q-Pon item, so I was thrilled to use it in a lot of my recipes.  One recipe I tried out was the recipes that comes on the #10 can of THRIVE Broccoli:  Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake.  What's not to love about an easy, cheesy vegetable dish!?!

As you can see, we kind of dug in before I remembered to take my picture ;).

As usual, one of the things I love most about my THRIVE Life foods is that I don't have to clean and chop vegetables!  All of the veggies for this dish were a scoop, dumb, rehydrate and go deal!  (That's my absolute favorite when it comes to onions, by the way...  I can't even tell you the last time I purchased a fresh onion!)

I also love that these veggies stay usable in the can for a long time.  Usually around a year, once the can is opened (much, much longer when the can is sealed -- 25 years!).  The other day, I threw away a whole crown of fresh broccoli, because we hadn't gotten to it yet and it had molded all over.  It made me sad, and sort of annoyed.  What a waste of money!  I don't have that problem with my THRIVE Broccoli! 

So here is the recipe for the Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake as I made it (which means I just left out the cream and added 2 extra tablespoons of milk, because I don't usually have cream on hand):

BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER BAKE
2 cups THRIVE Broccoli
1 cup THRIVE Cauliflower
1 tablespoon THRIVE Chopped Onions
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour*
1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk*
1 teaspoon salt*
1/2 teaspoon THRIVE Chef's Choice Seasoning (which I forgot to picture, but used!)
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese*

Reconstitute vegetables in a bowl by barely covering with water.  Drain excess water.  Melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in milk and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.  Mix in seasoning and half of cheese.  Mix in vegetables.  Place mixture in greased 8x8 baking pan.  Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

*Denotes other ingredients available through THRIVE Life.

Don't forget, the BIG DEAL sale begins on April 9th -- and ALL THRIVE Life goodies are on sale!  You won't want to miss out, so contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com to place your order, or you can simply go to my website and order (but the sale prices will not be visible until April 9th): http://www.thrivelife.com/thriveingnilla.

Happy THRIVEing!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Last night we had our first jar meal party!  We were blown away by the success of this event -- and we already have had multiple requests for another one!  So we have one in the works ;).

But as part of the "party" (which was really meant to be more of a 'come and make a jar meal' thing), I made some delicious peanut butter cookies featuring THRIVE Life's all new -- and all amazing -- Peanut Flour!

I have used this in 3 different recipes so far, and I love it.  I am getting more of it this month with my Q!


I made about 40 of these cookies for the event.  I came home with none!  And the best part?  They were so simple.

I halved the original recipe, which is a Chef Todd creation and can be found here.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon THRIVE Whole Egg Powder plus 2 tablespoons water
1 2/3 cup THRIVE Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix
2/3 cup THRIVE Peanut Flour
2 tablespoons water

Add softened butter to a mixer and whip until light. Add whole egg powder and water and mix until blended.

Add cookie mix and peanut flour and mix together. Add water and mix until dough forms

Scoop onto greased cookie sheet and press with a fork dipped in sugar.

Bake at 350F for 8 minutes.

I made smaller cookies and still came out with about 40.  They were delicious!  And my husband's comment was that he noticed they weren't super sweet, and he really liked that!  I told him it's because the THRIVE Peanut Flour doesn't have the added sugar!

The Peanut Flour is now available to add to your Q!  And if you aren't on the Q, but still want to get some of the peanut flour, contact me at THRIVEingNilla@gmail.com.

Want to see the other great specials this month?  It's all about the baked goods!  And THRIVE Life has re-vamped their Coconut Macaroons (now gluten free!), Fudge Brownies, and 10 Grain Pancake Mix making them all non-GMO!  Check out the specials for April here!

And that's not all!  April is going to be a BIG DEAL!  There is a huge sale -- everything on sale -- starting April 9!  I'll have pricing information starting tomorrow, and you won't want to miss out!

Happy THRIVEing!