Mango Lassi - July's Selection from The Book Club Cook Book ‪#‎thebookclubcookbookCC‬

I received a copy of The Book Club Cook Book to help with a year-long exploration of the books and recipes it highlights. All opinions and experiences are my own. 

There is something very delicious and refreshing about a good Mango Lassi. Though I have never been able to travel to India, I had the opportunity to enjoy some pretty impressive Mango Lassis while living and working in Japan.

There was a little restaurant called Spice Kingdom in Takamatsu, Japan that I would often stop by for lunch or dinner. Amazing Indian food made by a family of expats bringing the flavors of their home country to a little city in southern Japan. Spice Kingdom was actually a favorite of many assistant language teachers and the restaurant was not far from our central office. After workshops or training we would head over as a group to Spice Kingdom.

Now, rural Oregon can't boast many Indian restaurants, In fact our first one opened just a few years ago, so my first experiences with good curries and fresh baked naan came from Japan. I know, Japan of all places!

Since returning to the US, I have attempted making naan, curry and even an occaisional Lassi, but this recipe is the best ever for the iconic thick and sweet drink.

This recipe comes from The Book Club Cook Book and was chosen as our first selection for Camilla's Book Club Cook Book Cooking Crew. Camilla, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, brought together 11 food loving bloggers to take turns choosing books, recipes and sharing the fun. You can check out all the talented bloggers' sites below:

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Tortillas and Honey

Adventures in All Things Food

A Day in the Life on the Farm

The Spiffy Cookie

The Pajama Chef

Life on Food

Cheese Curd in Paradise

Mostly Food and Crafts

Things I Make (for Dinner)

This recipe called for two ingredients I hadn't worked with before. It requires Mango Pulp (I have always just used canned or fresh mango pureed up in the blender) and rosewater. I left out the rosewater for this drink, but I did special order the mango pulp from Amazon. If you live in a larger area you might even have an Indian food section at your favorite grocer.

Mango Lassi is an easy recipe with few ingredients. The results though is perfection! (Okay, minus the rosewater...)

You only need 5 ingredients and 2 others are optional. You can find the recipe on pg. 200.

This month's recipe selection was inspired by Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. I didn't have a chance to read this month's book, but the reason is because I am preparing (and furiously reading) my selection for next month when I will be the hostess. 

Be sure to check back here on the 1st for my recipe announcement and open invitation to come read and cook with us for August. I promise it will be sweet and enjoyable. Everyone is welcome to play along.

Check out these other recipes:

Saag with Tofu

Mango Lassi Frozen Treats

Giveaway

And to kick-off the event, Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authorsby Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin.Giveaway runs from July 1st till July 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Camilla received a complimentary copy ofThe Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp to use in this year-long project plus the opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Freezer Pops

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Yoplait®. The opinions, experiences and text are all mine.

Summer came fast this year and this past week it has been really hot! Here in Oregon we are not used to all the triple digit weather and the forecast shows no relief coming. I had promised my kids a trampoline for summer and it arrived just in time for these sweltering temperatures to hit.

Despite the heat, my kids have been trying to get in as much time bouncing as possible. We have a misting hose set-up near one side and that helps, but when my kids come back inside in the afternoon they are both hot and hungry. I created an easy snack to give them both energy and cool them off at the same time! These Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Freezer Pops with Yoplait are easy to make and perfect for a hot day of fun.

That is definitely my idea of wholesome summer snacking!

We love Yoplait yogurt in this house. I really enjoy Yoplait Greek, but my husband is a traditionalist, he always choosesYoplait original. We found all our favorite flavors on our last shopping trip to Walmart. Walmart carries Yoplait Original, Light, Greek, and Gogurt®.

I grabbed a couple containers of Lemon Burst, my absolute favorite, to pair with local fresh blueberries and a little granola for added crunch. Whenever I make a dish with blueberries I always add a little lemon zest or juice. The two flavors complement each other so well!

And after a hot day of hard play, nothing is better than a cold, creamy yogurt freezer pop to cool off with.

Gather up your supplies and let's make some freezer pops!

To speed up the freezing process, I love to use frozen blueberries in my freezer pops, but you are welcome to use fresh, frozen or freshly frozen as you have available.

I wanted a little added crunch in these freezer pops, so I added a little maple almond granola to the bottom of my freezer pop tray as well as sprinkle the top with just a bit more before inserting the sticks to freeze.

I love how simple these are to make! My kids are always excited about frozen treats, and on hot days like these, this is how I like to snack on my favorite Yoplait yogurts.

Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Freezer Pops

You will need (makes 10 freezer pops):

• 3 - 6oz Yoplait Original Lemon Burst yogurt
• 1 c. blueberries
• 1/2 c. of your favorite granola

Mix together the yogurt and blueberries.

Sprinkle a little granola in the bottom of each mold before filling. Sprinkle a little more granola on the top before replacing the lid and inserting sticks.

Freeze for at least 4 hours or until hard. To remove, run the bottom of the mold under a little tap water till loosened.

Enjoy!

Be sure to keep an eye out for in-store demos for Yoplait in select Walmart stores the weekend of July 10. If you get a chance to attend, I would love to hear all about it!

What ideas do you have for wholesome snacking this summer with Yoplait?


This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Yoplait®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Digging into a Satisfying New Yogurt - #LandofPlenti

My days are packed with to-do lists, wish lists, obligations, routines and requests from my family. From the moment my eyes open in the morning, with a little help from a vocal 2-year-old, till that blissful moment my head hits the pillow and I melt into bed, there is plenty to keep me busy.

One of the hardest things for me is to remember to eat and stay fueled throughout the day. Grabbing breakfast and even lunch can be a challenge some days. Working from home adds a new dimension of difficulty to my situation.  I often don the hat of a short-order cook to keep my picky eaters happy, then there is naptime to manage, the meal's dishes to tackle, etc.

But now I have a new option for grabbing a quick meal or snack...

I picked up these new Yoplait Plenti at my local Fred Meyer (Kroger store). I love Greek yogurt, and I really enjoy mixing in fruit and other items like nuts and grains. This yogurt comes with whole grain oats, flax and pumpkin seeds. Yes, it is the yogurt that just comes with more! 

So I can save precious time hunting around the pantry for add-ins, I can grab a cup of Plenti for everything I need to enjoy a fulfilling snack or quick meal.

Plenti is the same amazingly smooth yogurt you would expect from Yoplait, But, in this case, more is more... you get MORE in each bite, MORE flavor, and MORE texture. And yes, it has taken just one container of yogurt to leave me feeling satisfied because it contains more than your average container of Greek yogurt.

Now, I love the Black Cherry, Blueberry was nice, too. But, you can find a variety of Plenti flavors at your local Kroger store:

• Plentí – Black Cherry
• Plentí – Blueberry
• Plentí – Coconut
• Plentí – Peach
• Plentí – Raspberry
• Plentí – Spiced Apple
• Plentí – Strawberry
• Plentí – Vanilla

So for a busy Mom with plenty on her plate already, Plenti from Yoplait is how I tackle those busy days. All I need to add is the spoon.

Look for all the great flavors at your local Kroger store and be sure to learn more about how Plenti is packed full of goodness on the Plenti Greek yogurt website.

Which flavor would you like to dig into first?

Baby Yogurt on the Go? Grab a Pouch of Stonyfield Organic Yogurt

I participated in a Blogger Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Stonyfield. I received coupons to facilitate my shopping trip and a promotional item to thank me for participating. All opinions and experiences are my own. #MC

Elliott took to eating better than I could have imagined. In fact, he is now an eating machine.

This was in stark contrast to my previous two children. After visits to the feeding clinic with my oldest and arsenal of eating tools and tricks, I was ready to give this little guy my all. Of course, he didn't need any extra help.

I waited to start feeding till he showed an interest... and an interest he had. Our pediatrician suggested starting him off with yogurt. So I did and we haven't looked back.

Of course, since Elliott doesn't have any food restrictions I wanted to find only the best food for him to start on. That lead me to Stonyfield Organic and YoBaby yogurt. We already enjoyed the Stonyfield brand in our home, but I loved the YoBaby containers. Vanilla and peach have been a big hit so far.

But have you ever tried to travel with a carton of yogurt? I promise it can get messy.

Now I can get the same YoBaby Organic Whole Milk Yogurt we love in a squeeze pouch. Am I the only one who just loves the squeeze pouch trend?

Squeeze pouches weren't as common (I don't ever remember seeing them!) when my older kids were young. Now I fill their lunches with pouches of apple sauce or other goodies. The beauty is no spoon is necessary and the cap can go back on to save leftovers for later.

Stonyfield is the first company to create a refrigerated organic yogurt pouch, and all of their  pouches contain pure organic ingredients and never have high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors. Nice, right?

I was able to find YoBaby in both Blueberry and Vanilla flavors. We have given Elliott the Vanilla yogurt before, so I knew he liked it. I like it, too! Today though, we tried out Blueberry.

Elliott mildly tolerates us feeding him. I promise that I can't squeeze it onto a spoon fast enough to keep him happy. See the little tear in his right eye?

At almost 11 months old he has been able to figure out pouces pretty quickly. That frees my hands to enjoy my own breakfast.

Now, these do have to be refrigerated, but they would slip into a small cooler for short trips and I plan to take them when we head shopping or for a meal out. My son is just between stages right now. He doesn't want pureed baby food and wants to feed himself more. Because I am picky about what Elliott eats, this yogurt is a great choice for us.

Elliott is a big fan. Which flavor does he prefer? I have no idea. He goes through the pouches too fast to tell. I have tried both and love them equally. What I love is the thick and creamy texture of Stonyfield yogurts. They are great for eating straight or in our morning smoothies.

Now I am on the hunt for the YoToddler and YoKid organic yogurt pouches. I haven't been able to locate them locally yet, but I am going to request them at our regular grocery store. 

Check their site store locator to see where you can find these great pouches near you. And connect with Stonyfield on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to hear about new products and promotions.

Have you seen the Stonyfield organic yogurt pouches in your area?