Who’s excited to get back to gathering with friends and family and living life like we used to (ok maybe more cautiously now like no more double dipping)…..ME ME ME ME!

I’m so excited to take you through my latest brand partnership with V8 and show you how to make this summer fun and a bit more nutritious which I think we all need coming off a year + of quarantine and isolation!

Even before I started my partnership with V8, I have loved V8’s focus on providing nutritious options in easy, delicious and convenient ways. So, when I was first introduced to V8 Fruit & Vegetable Blends Healthy Greens and V8 100% Vegetable Juice, I was excited to give them a try – because honestly, the flavors alone sounded so tasty, and I loved that they were affordable and a convenient way to get my vegetables and vitamins in for the day. Even better, my kids also love them!

As we come out of the pandemic, many of us have a variety of hesitancies around gathering again. V8 has given me one less thing to worry about, allowing me to focus on special moments with my friends and family, while knowing that I’m indulging in a way where I’m properly fueling my body.

This summer, I’m not giving up all the sweets and decadent dishes BUT I am so excited to build V8 into my gatherings to make things a bit more nutritious! Both Healthy Greens and the 100% juice flavors are made with at least a serving of vegetables in every 8 oz and are filled with vitamins, plus they also taste great…so let the fun begin! I’m going to show you how to entertain…and make it healthy!

Beet Bloody Mary: Makes 1 tall glass.
Ingredients:
1 plum tomato
1 stalk of celery
Juice of 1 lime
V8 Beet Ginger Lemon Juice (2 cups total)
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
1 Tsp prepared horseradish
1 shot of Liquor (Optional): Tequila, Vodka or Gin
Garnishes (Optional): Lemon, Celery Sticks, Feta stuffed olives, mini pickles
Directions:
* Rough Chop one plum tomato, Chop one celery stick and add to a blender. Combine with the juice of 1 lime and 1 cup of V8 Beet juice and liquify.
* In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp of Kosher Salt, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning. Pour onto a small plate. Rim the glass with lime to make it wet and turn it into the mixture on the plate to cover the rim with the flavored salt.
* Fill the glass with ice and grind some pepper over top.
* Shake in a few drops of hot sauce (or more if you like it really spicy)
* Add in 1 tsp of prepared horseradish
* Add in 1 shot of your favorite tequila or vodka.
* Strain your blended mixture and add 1/2 cup more beet juice to it. Pour over the ice mixture.
* Garnish with Lemon, Celery Sticks, Feta stuffed olives and mini pickles.

Ritual Mocktail - makes one tall cup:
Ingredients:
About 1 cup of V8 Beet Ginger Lemon Juice + an Ice cube tray
Ice cubes
1 oz. pineapple syrup from a can of pineapple rings
1 oz. Ritual Gin
1 can of Tonic Water
Garnish (Optional): Freeze dried lemons, edible flowers, Fresh Mint
Directions:
**Pour V8 Beet Ginger Lemon juice into an ice cube tray the night before**
Into a cocktail shaker add:
* Ice cubes
* 1 oz. pineapple syrup from a can of pineapple rings
* 1 oz. Ritual Gin
Shake well
* Add 2-3 of your V8 ice cubes to a glass
* Pour the shaken mocktail mixture over top
* Top with Tonic Water
* Garnish with freeze dried lemon, edible flowers or fresh mint

Fruit Juice + Yogurt Popsicles:
Ingredients:
V8 100% Vegetable juice (your favorite flavor) - about 2 cups
1 small container of plain yogurt
1 Tsp of honey
Directions:
* Fill a set of popsicle molds a 1/3 of the way with your favorite V8 100% Vegetable Juice and then let these set in the freezer for about 2 hours
* While they freeze, mix one small container of your favorite plain yogurt with 1 tsp of honey and then add to a small plastic bag and snip the end
* Take the molds out of the freezer and pipe in the yogurt mixture another 1/3 of the way
* Put back into the freezer to set for another hour
* Pull out of the freezer and fill up with juice
* Let set fully for up to 4 hours or overnight and then enjoy!

Super Powers Shaved Ice:
Ingredients For the syrup:
1/2 cup V8 Healthy Greens
1/2 cup Sugar
Garnish for shaved ice (Optional): Sliced fresh fruit, Mint
Directions:
* Combine 1/2 cup healthy greens with 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and then turn to a simmer for at least 20 min or until thick. Remove from the stove and cool completely.
* Make a cup of shaved ice and pour the syrup over top.
* Garnish with fresh fruit and an umbrella

V8 Fruit & Vegetable Blends Healthy Greens and V8 100% Vegetable Juice drink pouches
This is just a super fun way for kids to enjoy their juice…
Ingredients:
V8 100% Vegetable juice - your favorite flavor(s), at least 1 45oz jug
Assortment of your favorite fruits to slice and freeze (ie. Pineapple rings, dragon fruit, grapes, Oranges, etc)
Drink Pouches + Reusable or paper straws
Stickers to decorate the drink pouches
Directions:
***The night before you plan to serve these juice pouches, slice your favorite fruits, line a baking sheet with wax paper and freeze the fruit on top of the wax paper over night***
Set up a sticker station so the kids can decorate their pouch before they fill up.
Add your fruit ice cube alternatives (that you froze last night) to each pouch and fill your favorite V8 juice!
For a fun way to serve…fill a snow tube with ice and add your drink pouches into the ice to stay cold.

However you plan to celebrate this summer, please stay safe, stay hydrated and slather on that sunscreen!

xo

This is a paid partnership with V8. All thoughts and opinions are my own.