Root Beer Floats!

Who says vegans can't enjoy creamy, sweet goodness? Not us!  Every now and then, I love to make root beer floats for my family.  They are so simple, it's kind of silly to post a recipe.  But, think of this as a gentle reminder or encouragement to not give up the stuff we loved as kids or before we became veggie.  Drink on!

Here is my float.  As you can see, I don't have fancy tall glasses in which to serve them, so we used our Magic Bullet mugs.  I do have the long spoons for iced tea, though, which work great for scooping out ice cream.  And, of course you gotta have the crazy straw!

Here it is again from how it looks as I'm aiming for that straw.  Mm-mmm goodness.


Root Beer Floats

Ingredients:

Vegan vanilla ice cream - we used Soy Dream
Natural root beer soda with no corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors - we used Hansen's

Directions:

In a large mug or glass, scoop two large scoops of ice cream. Top with root beer.  Wait for the fizz to die down a bit, and add some more root beer.  Enjoy with a spoon and straw.  Feeds five hungry vegans or however many you have in your home.

Review: POM Juice

A little while ago, POM Juice sent me a box of sample pomegranate juices to try. What I liked right away about this company is that there was no expectation of a review. They just wanted me to try their product, and if I liked it, to post some recipes using it. Well, a homeschooling family on one income does not turn its nose up at free food! So, we were all very excited when our package came. I wasn't sure how pomegranate juice would be accepted by the children, since the last time we had it was a few years ago, and I think the flavor was just too strong for them. However, time and free juice changes perceptions, so please see the pictures with a review below.

We all liked the cute little bottles the juice came in. We received eight, and they are one cup each.

So, the big test would be the actual undiluted flavor of the juice. I was very surprised to see that my girls took to it. I think the small jars appealed to them just as much as the flavor did. Little JK was not impressed with the flavor. It was still strong for me, but I kept my mouth shut because I was just so happy to see my girls drink it down. G didn't have a juice; he just waited for the recipes.

Here are some POM-apple-flax muffins that I threw together. The recipe is nothing to write home about because the muffins came out chewy, but I don't think that can be attributed to the juice. As a matter of fact, the juice didn't have a real flavor impact on the muffins. We just all knew it was in there, so we felt healthy eating them.

Here is a POM smoothie that I made up in the blender: POM juice, a banana, a cup of frozen blueberries, soy protein powder, and ice. This was delish!

All in all, POM was a success in our home. With my children, I've come to realize that I can get them to eat things that they otherwise wouldn't have tried, if I put the food in a "cute" package somehow or presentation. I think the same was for POM. If I buy POM, I'm going to invest in these bottles. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking I should have saved them to refill - rats!

Anyways, good for your health and good for your taste buds, POM passes here.