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Dirty Soda – Blueberry Tea Healthy

Dirty soda is made healthy with tea. What about a blueberry green tea like this one that that has strawberry and rhubarb flavors infused? Oh… and coconut cream (healthy fat) that dirties this beverage. This could be an elevated virgin drink you pour in a celebrational glass.

Dirty soda with blueberry tea, strawberry soda, and coconut cream.

The pretty white is coconut cream that’s a healthy fat (MCT). If you’ve heard of MCTs, they help convert fat into energy and support metabolism.

They’re a natural energy boost that help you wean off energy drinks and old habits you no longer need… from cramming hard or finishing projects that tested you!

A cream soda is a good way to infuse new healthier habits, and one I dreamed up from a not-so-healthy, sugary cream soda can past.

Dirty soda with blueberry tea and wild blueberries.

But with a splish dash of coconut (milk) and a splash of fizzy seltzer water, or gut healthy prebiotic or probiotic soda, is going to be better for you than regular sodas.

The difference between prebiotic or probiotic sodas, is feeding the good bacteria gut fiber (prebiotic) or adding more good bacteria (probiotic).

Both are good for you and your gut where most your happiness is.

…And a better healthy low-sugar habit. That’s good if you’re learning the ropes to calm your sugar cravings which btw helps overall healthy and weight.

And a good switch off artificial sweetened diet and regular sugary sodas if that’s your daily rhythm… I did that in my 20s when regular and diet can sodas were the rage (and still are today!).

They were complimentary in the office I worked in and gave me the daily energy push I needed.

…so I couldn’t say no (I thought).

And the healthy alternative was water. Still is.

But water as the drink of life lacks taste.

(Not to mention, it’s a tad boring compared to tea-fruit’s juice-soda variety. Where whole fruit is naturally an anti-inflammatory choice, and you can choose an anti-inflammatory tea).

So I gradually switched from breakfast can sodas to coffee for morning. And then tea in the afternoon.

Those were quiet options back then (without coffee shops everywhere other than diners and convenience stores).

Coffee wasn’t yet touted as healthy like it is today, and where easy home making coffee cold brew is my jam.

But over the years, coffee and tea helped me gradually wean off diet sodas.

…And if you want to be healthier too, a modern dirty soda is how you can make a micro-switch habit to add in more healthy drinking ingredients to your overall daily consumption habits, where the body keeps score.

These are the ingredients I used for my blueberry healthy dirty soda tastes:

…Oh, and like a healthy smoothie you make, you can’t go wrong with your mixology skills.

Like, you can’t add too much or too little. Because naturally, you’ll adjust the liquids because your taste buds (or someone else’s taste buds) will tell you so.

And if the fruity foods and beverages you add in appeal to you, they will be great in a mixed soda mocktail like this virgin dirty soda.

Dirty soda that's put in a elevated celebrational glass.

Whether you choose strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, or lemon flavors as your favorite now… or a vanilla tea instead of a blueberry twist one. Either way, is up to you! And it’s more than just a soda.

…And with drink in hand, you can let it help put a smile on your face to commemorate this season of your life. Or use tropical fruit flavors in season to remind you of a swoonworthy  summer holiday place to get out of wanderlust feelings that can strike at any moment of the day.

Tea dirty soda that's good for mental health reminders and green tea has theanine.

…Like a lower calorie Virgin Pina Colada (without heavy cream) can.

And if you’re wondering if you should strain the healthy fat from the cream soda, my two cents is don’t bother, as that’s what makes this drink “dirty” and fun.

Some like to make a bigger head (foam), that you can do with a frother tool like you would use for making home cappuccino foam.

And if you’d rather have your soda less cloudy, or more clear and clean, then you can add no-fat milk to your soda tea juice. It’s a good way to get Vitamin D and minerals into your day. And green tea has L-theanine that’s healthy good especially for longer term focus.

And a great way to get your wildly superfruit berries in!

Dirty soda with blueberry tea, strawberry soda, and coconut cream.
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Dirty Soda - Tea Drink

Course beverage
Cuisine American
Total Time 5 minutes
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp blueberry tea
  • 1 tsp blueberry juice
  • 2 Tbsp seltzer water or Trader Joe's soda
  • 1 tsp coconut cream, liquid portion
  • berries for garnish

Instructions

  • Pour ingredients into a drinking glass. Optional: shake ingredients in a blender if you like. To make an extra foamy top, warm milk of choice and then use a frother tool to agitate and thicken.

Beet Green Smoothie – Sweet and Healthy

Beet green smoothie is a way to make a sweet and healthy smoothie you’ll love… that is so refreshing!

beet green smoothie.

You can have a healthy and deliciously sweet green smoothie that’s not a bitter one. It’s great for breakfast or a daily sweet break.

…You can beet that! 🫜

Where to get the beets? Find a local farm or farmers market. There you can find the greens directly from the source without having to grow your own garden or driving hours out of your metro city.

beet green smoothie from fresh beets and beet greens.

And beet greens are some of the healthiest greens on the planet.

They are full of anti-inflammatory ingredients like A, C, E vitamins.  Plus minerals including magnesium that we usually don’t get daily enough of compared to say, potassium that’s on many food labels.

But you shouldn’t go overboard with beets, as with most good things in life.

Even healthy foods are good up to a certain point. Moderation is the sweet spot. And a smoothie a day is one way.🧉

With fiber, this helps your gut and is good for healthy weight maintenance.

And if you have extra beet greens: you can make a nice anytime salad that’s similar to a spinach salad.

What will make it extra special, says my catering self 😊, is wilting the greens with heat and about a teaspoon of water. That softens the greens. And then to take the bland taste to an extra special WOW, add a few douses of garlic powder (I find fresh whole garlic too strong), pears or apples, and walnuts for a crunch.

Fresh farm salads don’t need a salad dressing, but if I were to add one it would be with balsamic vinegar and Buffalo mozzarella (or substitute with other mild white cheeses, and even cottage cheese).

But now it’s breakfast time… and a sweet breakfast smoothie will do! And a beet stalk is my new happy Twizzler.

These are the simple beet green smoothie ingredients: beet greens, natural peanut butter, and a banana.

The most pure peanut butter to buy that’s good for a healthy smoothie has just roasted peanuts and salt in the ingredients (that you stir).

And if peanut butter or banana is not your vibe, but sweet IS… beets also play great with berries! You can make a beet blueberry smoothie that has a punch or make an after fasting herbal rose beet smoothieschhweeeet and sweet!

beet green smoothie ingredients.

Simply blend and enjoy! Or add your other healthy goodies like chia or flax seeds and protein powders that are a healthy good smoothie ingredient opportunity. 💚

beet green smoothie.
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Beet Green Smoothie - Sweet and Healthy

Beet greens are a healthy way to make a sweet green smoothie.
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • blender or Magic Bullet

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup beet green leaves and stems
  • 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 medium banana
  • 1/4 cup milk of choice, or less to make a thicker consistency
  • flax or chia seeds, and protein/nutritional powders (optional)

Instructions

  • Blend ingredients.

Notes

You can change the smoothie thickness by how much liquid you add. If milk is not desired, you can also use water that's thinner.

Virgin Berry Tea Mocktail Drink – Mother’s Day

Virgin berry tea is a mocktail drink that can be made delicious for a special Mother’s Day drink.

Virgin berry tea mocktail drink for special Mother's Day.

Shaken, not stirred, you can easily make a mocktail drink like this with your Magic Bullet blender recipes and brunch waffles. You can shake the ingredients over your shoulder and this will create a smooth frothy tea beverage like this virgin berry tea drink that all ages can enjoy.

This goes well with at a brunch with berry lavender tea scone, berry shortbread no-bake recipe, blueberry cheesecake, lemon strawberry trifle, Belgian waffles, and even cardamom cookies (…that could be the card for mom?).

Happy Mother’s Day!

Btw, when my mom was with us on earth, she spent most of her working career as a dressmaker, so this light pink and purple color berry tea celebrates her life well and fits into the 2026 Met Gala’s Costume Art theme she would’ve liked. She never ate desserts with sugar, but had plenty of fruit.

…Oh, and if your mom is more a Mint Julep Kentucky Derby type, then you can try this Virgin Mint Julep tea drink anytime of day.

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Mother's Day Virgin Hibiscus Berry Mocktail Drink

This is a virgin pink and lavender celebratory and festive mocktail drink with healthy notes that any mom would love! The drink checks the boxes for the service and quality time love language mom as she kicks up her feet to sip on this special mocktail that can be made into a cocktail.
Course beverage
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • martini strainer or other strainer

Ingredients

  • blueberry tea
  • hibiscus tea
  • can of coconut cream (or heavy cream)
  • blueberries and strawberries
  • lavender tea bag

Instructions

  • Reserve the thickest part of the coconut cream. Then mix the thinner part of the cream to make a milk consistency that will be used for blending.
  • Combine brewed blueberry tea and hibiscus tea and milk consistency cream. Shake up and strain to create the lavender purple color layer. Optional: add berries to this layer if you wish.
  • Freeze the first layer.
  • Repeat the second step but omit the blueberry tea to make the pink color layer as red and white make pink. Optional: add berries to this layer if you wish.
  • Freeze the second layer.
  • Add the thick coconut cream to the top. Add a little of the milk consistency cream to make the thickness of choice.
  • Decorate with dried hibiscus and lavender tea leaves, and/or fresh fruit.
  • Enjoy and watch the drink change colors!

Virgin Blue Curacao Drink – Healthy and Light

Virgin blue curaçao drink is a light beverage that reminds me of the tropics and warmer poolside and beach weather, that seems to drift earlier and earlier. Or maybe, spring break that’s more of a calendar planned event.

virgin blue curaçao light healthy mocktail beverage drink.

The virgin drink is a citrusy sweet vibe that you can infuse with coconut water, pineapple juice (and orange juice).

Or you can give a tropical boost with passionfruit (less sweet), mango (more sweet), or both.

Fun fact: coconut water comes from baby coconuts and coconut milk comes from mature coconuts. And you can make your own homemade coconut milk from mature coconuts.

Because coconut water comes from baby coconuts, it has young, pure tastes… (a lot like when we were young coconuts 🥥). And it’s a hydrating water with electrolyte (minerals) that will help boost. It’s definitely a healthy substitute, instead of sodas.

To make the healthy blue virgin drink, blue spirulina is added as a super healthy antioxidant (anti-inflammatory) food. It’s also a natural blue food color that will give the turquoise blue in the virgin blue curaçao drink.

I first discovered the ingredient in a smoothie bowl that was called the Mermaid bowl. And it turned heads. It turned my head. Never thought a smoothie without a mermaid could do that. 🧜‍♀️

And you can source the blue spirulina ingredient online. It’s much easier now than it was 5+ years ago, when it wasn’t as common an ingredient.

You can also use butterfly pea tea, but it will give you more of a greenish hue, because it’s lighter and less concentrated. Whereas the blue spirulina is more concentrated and you want to use very little… maybe less than a pinch, but I wouldn’t touch the powder with your fingers.

Also, you don’t want to wear white in case it ends up on you, and then you can end up with a light blue or tie-dye blue and white shirt. 👕

But the azure blue spirulina color is amazing and the healthy benefits too, so the ingredient is worth the fun effort. 💙🩵

For 5 ounce drinks or larger, you want to add about 1/8 tsp (or just a wee bit of the powder that you carefully portion out that’s hard to measure).

An easy way: What you can do is dip your smallest teaspoon you have and tap it back in the bag. And then use what’s left on the teaspoon and stir.

That’s actually the first method. But it won’t dissolve the blue spirulina powder completely…

virgin blue curaçao refreshing mocktail drink.

So the second technique, is shaking. You can do this with a Magic Bullet blender capsule. Or any kind of shaker…where you shake over your shoulder like a champ.

Either way will do the job.

But I like the Magic Bullet because it’s easy and one less tool cup to have to rinse and clean.

Then when it’s fully mixed up, pour in your drinking glass.

You can add a little seltzer water or club soda if you want to give a fizzy mocktail finish. And of course, a zhugh like orange zest or coconut shavings… and voila!

virgin blue curaçao drink ingredients is coconut water, blue spirulina powder, juice, and regular or seltzer water.

This is one Virgin Blue Curaçao ocean-inspiring drink that’ll have you dreaming. 🌊 Curacao btw comes from the Spanish word that means heart ❤️💙 If you like this, you may like a light no-cream (but delicious) Virgin Pina Colada. 🧉Or a virgin pretty in pink mango blueberry mocktail. 💕

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Virgin Blue Curacao Beverage

This is a healthy and refreshing virgin blue curaçao mocktail beverage that can be enjoyed by all ages.
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • 1/8 tsp blue spirulina powder
  • 5 oz pineapple and orange juice combined
  • 2 oz coconut water
  • 1 oz water or seltzer water
  • shredded coconut and orange zest zhugh (optional)

Instructions

  • Stir in spirulina powder to juice and coconut water.
  • Shake in a Magic Bullet blender capsule or in a shaker.
  • Add additional water, or fizzy water.
  • Zhugh with coconut, orange zest, and/or cherry on top.

Easy Pecan Latte + How to Make Pecan Milk

Pecan latte is one that’s up the chic alley as pistachio lattes. You can use store-bought milks to make an easy coffee beverage or a smoothie that tastes like a German Chocolate Cake. But is healthy and easy to fall for!

For a latte, blending pecan milk with coconut milk will add to those pecan dessert tastes and give a more creamy experience with more flavor. But you can also sub or add with cashew or almond milk that are easy to find. 🛒

…And make your own easy homemade pecan milk.

Which btw, pecan milk is a great Magic Bullet recipe

And this is how to make pecan milk in 3 easy steps:

Step 1: Soak your pecans overnight.

Step 2: Drain the pecans, add fresh water, blend, and add to your cloth strainer. Oh, and remember to save your pecans because you will use those in the pecan latte smoothie recipe (below).🧋

Tip: if you can’t find cheese cloths or muslin that are more fancy kitchen supplies (that can be tricky to find in a pinch), you can use mesh bags (like the kind you’d use for delicate laundry) and store a couple in your kitchen supplies. Since those mesh bags have bigger holes, you can double up so the pecan bits don’t fall through.

And now you’re ready for the final step…

Step 3: Over a bowl or glass, pour the fresh water-pecans chopped blend into the (mesh) cloth strainer. And squeeze tightly so all that good wholesome homemade pecan milk flows through.

Unlike cow’s milk, you’re milking a bag for milk. 🥛

So easy and you may amaze yourself it works. It actually has a milk white color (compared to the soaked pecan water in step 1 that’s beige-ish color).

The first pour you can call the first press. 😊

That’s going to be the thicker milk (that can be used for foam and/or part of your pecan latte drink).

I took a photo to show you the difference in the milk thickness from the first and second press if you decide to make more pecan milk.

You can see the difference in the thicker (1/4 cup pecan milk) and then the more watered down pecan milk in the additional 1/3 cup made from 4 whole pecans:

pecan milk first pour and second pour comparison.
Pecan milk: 4 pecans make 1/4 cup thick milk and addt’l 1/3 cup thin milk

Then to make the pecan milk foam (or coconut milk foam that goes well in coffee or the German Chocolate Cake latte smoothie 🧋).

You can make foam effectively on your home stove.

Add your fresh milk (fresh-off-the-press) to a stove pot and place over your stove burner on medium-high heat. I find that pecan milk works better when blended with an even thicker milk or alternative milk like a plain unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk.

With your milk, when you get small boils (never understood why they would call those fish eyes… eww! 🤪), then you can turn your stove off or pull the pot off the stove. You don’t want to burn your fresh milk.

Turn your frother tool on into your pot of warmed milk. You’ll see foam develop. I find if you move the tool up and down a little you get more even froth.

Tools: You can purchase a basic hand-held frother tool for a few dollars (or pennies per drink for all the drinks you will make!). They’re like magic 🪄

…Along with a magic bullet blender (or similar) that makes life easy for Magic Bullet drinks, dips, and smoothie recipes.

These are two easy tools that give you a bougie drink without much effort!

pecan latte foam with mixed milks.

Tip: Don’t worry so much about the foam. For a latte drink it’s not as important as a feature like the foam on a cappuccino drink. Latte is more about the milk.

But if the foam is important to you, then store bought full-on coconut milk can be a better foaming source and more stable. I find it better than the “barista” labelled milks, but that depends on you and your tools.

However you make your foam, it will go down tasty! 😋

You can pour the remaining milk liquid parts into your dessert smoothie or coffee pecan latte drink.

Remember to reserve a little spoonful of foam until the very end like a barista does.

And now you’ve made an at-home barista drink, saving time and without having to walk out the door. Plus you save money (…remember the latte factor?). You’re the barista or drink maker.

…How cool, yes?

And from there with drink in hand, you can have a party! 🧋🧉

And of course a beverage like this will pair decadently with a sweet-ish chocolate-y dessert (…maybe for a Swedish Fika break).

When I worked in catering management, we often served decadent-oozing chocolate soufflé desserts at parties that were always a hit at special occasions and wedding dinners.

So I was inspired and made my gluten-free version of the individual chocolate cakes that are easy to make healthy and bake at home.

A dessert like this would go well with a coffee latte. Especially with flavored coffees with vanilla, coconut, or chocolate bits!

A latte can be served hot or cold (depending on the season and your Ayurvedic season happening in you).

Coffee is a healthy plant-based drink that you can make less acidic with an easy at-home cold brew coffee.

And if a pecan latte in coffee or smoothie form isn’t your thing for today, how about a tea party (for one, plus one, or more)? These days everyone loves teas. They’re healthy and comfortable.

You can make a light dessert tea with a pecan latte. This works well brewing a a light tea, like a holiday tea you can find in autumn weather that a sugar cookie would go great with.

The healthy and tasty pairing possibilities are endless. 🎉

Ready to make your easy pecan latte drink?

…Or try a decadent tasting (but healthy) German Chocolate Cake smoothie.

Both are sustainable plant-based healthy drinks that drink up all traces that it was there. You can use all the blended solid and liquid pecan parts. And poof… just like that, it’s magically gone! 😋

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Healthy Pecan Latte German Chocolate Cake Smoothie

This 12 oz drink tastes like a German Chocolate Cake Smoothie with a latte foam and pecans.
Course beverage
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • frother tool
  • pot for stove
  • cheese cloth or muslin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, cold
  • 1/2 cup pecan milk
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder, add more to taste
  • 1-1/2 Tbsp coconut powder
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 whole pecans for 1/4 cup thick pecan milk and smoothie "pecan butter.")
  • ground pecan bits, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and/or cocoa powder of zhughing
  • pecan milk foam

Instructions

  • To make the pecan milk (latte) with the pecans: soak pecans in water overnight. Discard the soaking water and blend the pecans with 1/4 cup fresh water). Pour and squeeze pecan milk through a strainer cloth (e.g. cheese cloth, muslin, or double wrapped mesh bag) over a bowl or glass. Save the blended pecans as the "pecan butter" for the smoothie.
  • Make the pecan milk foam: Add some of the fresh pecan milk made into a stove pot on medium high heat until small boils. Turn off stove and use frother tool to make foam from the warmed milk. Reserve foam for the top of drink.
  • Make the smoothie drink: Add all ingredients (except for the milk foam) to a blender and blend smoothly. Pour into a drinking glass.
  • Spoon foam that can be made from fresh pecan milk (or milk blend) to the top of the drink.
  • Zhugh with ground pecan bits, shredded coconut, cinnamon spice, and/or cocoa powder. Enjoy!