Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe
This delicious recipe was made possible by Vitamix. Blender was provided for my use but opinions expressed are my own.It’s so easy to use my Vitamix to make smoothies.
Lots and lots of yummy fruity goodness.
So I stepped outside of the box.
A little bit.
I still used fruit, but I told myself I had to make something else, despite the fact that there are THOUSANDS of different smoothie combinations.
So I made dressing - Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe.
You can drink it but I would recommend putting it on a salad instead.
| Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing |
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- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ cup frozen (or fresh) raspberries
- ¼ cup water
- Place all the the ingredients, in the order listed, into the Vitamix.
- Secure lid.
- Select variable on level 1.
- Turn Vitamix on and increase to level 5.
- Blend for about 30 seconds.
One of the things I love about the Vitamix is the versatility. You can juice whole foods to make a smoothie recipe, and even chop nuts for nuts butters and to include in a smoothie with almonds. You can mince onions and eggs, grate cheese and even crush ice. You can make frozen treats for desserts, make bread, soups, sauces and grind coffee.
The possibilities really are endless, all in a single machine!
If you don’t yet have a Vitamix, you can purchase one on Amazon.com. I have the 5200 but you can research which model best suits your needs: buy a Vitamix
It’s so simple and easy to make your own dressing from home!
What is your favorite type of dressing, maybe I’ll try that next?
Educational screen time with Kidobi
Our blog is participating in a sponsored blog ambassador program from Kidobi. As a part of this program we have received paid compensation for placement of digital advertisements and specific postings related to Kidobi.I marvel sometimes at how different my kids are. My son was reading at age 3. Literally reading. At age 4 he read our mortgage contract and even pronounced all the words right. Comprehension wasn’t there, of course, but he could READ the words. My daughter, on the other hand, is 5 and can only identify a few key words. But she is smart in her own way. She is the kind of smart that manages to get the dog blamed for messing up her room. She is sneaky smart.
What came so easy to my son, requires more effort on our part to help educate our daughter. We are always looking for tools and resources that will connect with her creative, mischievous ways, because she learns so much differently than our son did. She is not interested in having us sit there and teach her. She wants to learn by doing. By watching. By experiencing.
Kidobi helps us bridge the gap between our desire to help her learn and her obvious need to learn more visually and interactively.
About Kidobi
Kidobi is a Toronto-based software start-up that is on a mission to make screen time count. We are a diverse group of software developers, designers, researchers, and child development experts who share a passion for children’s media. We believe in the power of technology to be a force for good in our children’s lives. We work every day to make that belief a reality because we’re also concerned parents, just like you.
How Kidobi Started
A few years ago I noticed that my oldest daughter was having trouble with counting. She always skipped the number 13, so I thought I would go online and find some resources to help.
What would happen if a child’s screen time reflected their educational needs?
What if the content kids watched was based on things that interested them?
What if parents could influence the content their child watched on TV and online without spending hours pre-screening every single video?
What if the best practices developed by developmental psychologists and educational experts could be seamlessly integrated into children’s media?Kidobi was developed to answer these questions and make screen time count for as many children as possible. We envision a future in which parents, experts and content producers are partners in providing personalized, engaging and educational experiences for preschoolers.
How Kidobi works
Kidobi is geared towards kids up to around age 6 years old. When you log into your Kidobi account, you can add your children to your account and completely customize the content they will receive when using Kidobi. Kidobi analyzes the content available and only provides videos that meet your values and your child’s interests. You can even list things they absolutely don’t like to keep it from showing things you know they are not interested in.
Once you add your child and configure their settings, you are shown a channel screen that displays videos based upon the settings you applied earlier. Here you have a few options. You can choose the playlist wizard to generate a specific set of videos and set a time limit (if you would like). Or you can simply click a video to get started. The screen will change to a video player and their session will begin. The player gives you the option of turning on parental controls so your kids can’t close out of the player and tinker with other things on your computer.
I really do like the Kidobi concept. My kids can watch targeted shows that appeal to their interests and my sensibilities with age-appropriate and value oriented content. They don’t have to experience commercials and I feel more in control over what they are watching. I also feel like I can ensure there is more educational, cultural and creative value for the time invested.
How to get Kidobi
Kidobi is available on your PC, for Apply devices and on Android. You can create a free account which has some great functionality, and a paid account to view premium content is only $4/mo.
We will be using Kidobi over the next few weeks and will report back with feedback from my kids!
Follow Kidobi!
In the meantime, tell me about your kids. How do they learn best?
Eliminate the nag with CWIST
Our blog is participating in a sponsored blog ambassador program from cwist. As a part of this program we have received paid compensation for placement of digital advertisements and specific postings related to cwist.“Can I watch TV?”
“Go outside.”
“Can I play Wii?”
“Go play outside.”
“Can I have a snack?”
“Go find someone to play with outside.”
Does this conversation sound vaguely familiar?
I bet with summer around the corner, it will very soon.
When it comes to getting kids to be active, it’s often a challenge when they are surrounded by television, video games and all sorts of other stationary activities. As a parent it’s our job to ensure our kids don’t get caught up in things that keep them from being active and providing some structured motivation is a great solution to bribe motivate them to get moving, thinking and learning.
ENTER CWIST.
About CWIST:
cwist – kids’ challenges with a twist – is a parent-educator collaboration that provides an interactive library of educational, community service and outdoor challenges that help kids make a healthy connection between the things they want and the effort it takes to get them.
Our interactive library includes thousands of educational, community service and outdoor challenges for kids, contributed by parents and educators.
As adults we often set goals and promise ourselves rewards for those goals. Lose weight, go shopping. Get that promotion, buy a new car. The possibilities are endless. When it comes to our kids, when they want something it can be hard for them to grasp the “if, then” scenario. When they see something they like, they want it now. And as a parent in the store, you can come up with any number of ways to try and get them to understand but they still bother. They still nag.
With cwist you can eliminate the nag!
My Kids
Cwist allows you to add each of your kids to your account and add information about them (which is private) which allows you personalize each child’s individual goals and activities.
My Wishes
The concept behind cwist is simple. Your child chooses a “wish” which is something that they want such as a toy, electronics or a bike. But a wish can also be something more sentimental like a movie with Dad or time spent at a grandparent’s house. Whatever it is your child wants, they can “wish” for. You can use one of the 2,680 wishes already in cwist or you can create your own.
My cwists
After your child chooses their wish, they must choose one or more cwists with which to EARN their wish. A cwist is an activity or a challenge that helps your child learn, use their imagination or stay active. You can choose one of the 561 cwists or create your own.
Each cwist you or your child chooses gets assigned to a specific wish. You can have multiple cwists assigned to the same wish. Once the wishes and cwists are assigned, your kids can log into their individual cwist account and complete their cwists. They are taken step-by-step through the activity and once they are done, they receive a congratulations and you will receive notice that they completed the cwist.
You will have the option of granting their wish after they complete a cwist, or if they have other cwists assigned to the wish, you can wait until they complete them all before granting the wish.
Eliminate the nag!
I love, love, love the cwist concept. The platform is adorable and the fact that you can fully customize it and add your own wishes and your own cwists makes it very versatile and adaptable. As a parent I absolutely think that cwist will be a permanent tool in my parenting arsenal. I think it will help my kids learn the “if, then” concept and hopefully eliminate the nag!
For more information about cwist:
What would your kids wish for?
Berry Almond Smoothie Recipe
This delicious recipe was made possible by Vitamix. Blender was provided for my use but opinions expressed are my own.This recipe almost failed.
In fact, I think it did fail, briefly.
According to my kids it tasted great, but the process of making it was anything but smooth (no pun intended).
I guess it was a good experience because it tested the limits of my Vitamix 5200 and helped me get a really good feel for it’s limits.
Some things I learned:
- You cannot fill the Vitamix container with only frozen items and expect it to blend. It won’t. I promise. It’s not a cement mixer.
- Do not turn said container upside down after adding liquid to it. It will go all over the floor.
- You can salvage the smoothie.
- Your child is laughing AT you, roll with it.
My goal with this smoothie was to make it dairy-free. Because of the “cement” issues I had, I added some whole milk to salvage the recipe so the photos show a bit creamier than it will be if you follow the recipe. I did include instructions for the milk version, though, in case you prefer it creamier.
| Berry Almond Smoothie Recipe |
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- 2 cups fresh strawberries
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 small carrots (cut in thirds)
- ¼ cup blanched almonds
- 1-3/4 cups ice cubes
- Place all ingredients in Vitamix in order
- Select variable switch and 1 on the dial
- Turn machine on and turn dial to variable 10
- Flip switch to high
- Blend for about a minute (or until desired consistency)
My kids LOVED this. Love. Even my son who is picky about fruit and anything made with it. I don’t like raspberries so it was hard for me to gauge but between the 2 of them they finished the entire container of smoothie in a day, and asked for more. Again, ours had a thicker, creamier consistency than yours will because I had to improvise a bit because my berries were frozen. I included these alternate instructions in the recipe above using milk.
How to clean your Vitamix
After enjoying your smoothie, one of my favorite features of the Vitamix is how easy it is to clean. Add a drop of dish soap and warm water to the canister and turn it on high and run it for 30 seconds. It cleans most of the mess off the container, then I just need to take a sponge and was the top edge and parts of the lid that didn’t get clean. It is not recommended to put your Vitamix container and parts in the dishwasher.
Check our more of my Vitamix and Vitamix smoothie recipes:
Pineapple Blueberry Smoothie Recipe
Do you have a recipe that you would like to know how to make using a Vitamix? I am accepting ideas for future recipes so please leave a comment below with ideas and suggestions!
