Get through the Summer heat with this Blueberry Lemonade Frozen Cocktail that combines the best of both worlds: slushies and vodka.
Today, I want to talk about learning.
Something that has absolutely nothing to do with Summer (which is the vibe these Blueberry Lemonade Frozen Cocktails are giving off), and in fact, is basically the total opposite (you know, since school is out over Summer. I’m funny, okay.).
The other day, I had an issue with my email system. It had been so long since I’d set it up, that I’d forgotten how to do what I was trying to do – something that took me hours to figure out the very first time I did it. I sat there, sifting through pages, becoming increasingly more frustrated. About to give up, I typed a message to my friend asking for help, knowing they’d done it before and could guide me through. Just before I was going to hit send, I realized that I was doing the very thing that so many people these days do, and it drives me insane: immediately seeking answers from someone else before exhausting all resources.
Had I really tried hard enough yet? Did I really need someone to give me the answer?
This day in age, we have so much at our finger tips. We’re spoiled. Can you imagine growing up with typewriters? Or with encyclopedia’s that you’d have to physically sift through to find an answer to your burning question? The fact that I’ve even just said those two things shows how lucky we are in the year 2016.
So, I came to my senses, erased my message, and kept digging. Eventually, I’d found the answer (which was, in fact, ridiculously easy and right in front of me). It took me a while, but when that happened to me, I learned something. Not only did I learn something, but I taught myself something.
And trust me, I know it’s frustrating to feel like you simply cannot find what you’re looking for. I’ve been there about five million times. And yes, I ask for help from time-to-time. I am guilty of the very crime I am condemning. Sometimes I cannot find my answer, and other times I simply want an answer from a human being with opinions, experience, and perspective.
But I truly believe that one of the best parts about doing something you’ve never done, is what you learn along the way. Correction: what you teach yourself along the way. Without pressure, you’ve got no diamonds, so what good are any of your lessons if the answers are handed to you?
[Tweet “What good are any of your lessons if the answers are handed to you?”]
The blog and business journey I have experienced thus far is priceless. I have spent hours upon hours immersing myself in this world of WordPress, SEO, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Photoshop, CoSchedule, social media, web 2.0. And food blogging? Don’t get me started. Recipe development, cooking, food photography, recipe writing, editorial planning, I could go on. Every single one of these things I could not do three years ago, and many of them I didn’t know existed.
To my fellow bloggers: let’s think about that for a second. Think about how much you have learned since purchasing your domain. You probably didn’t even know what a domain was before you took that step. Now look at you.
While it may feel like a pain in the ass to exhaust your resources, buckle down and find the answer yourself, I promise it’s more rewarding, and you’ll feel much more accomplished in the end. Ask if you must, find if you can (and you probably can).
Blueberry Lemonade Frozen Cocktails
On that note, let’s talk about these cocktails, shall we?
For this recipe I used my NutriBullet 900 watt blender – it worked wonders. This was my first time using it to form a “slushie” texture, as I normally use it to make smoothies or juices (that thang is POWERFUL), and I was so surprised to see how well it worked. It blasted through the ice but left enough to form a slushie!
For my recipe, I pulsed the blueberries and mint together before adding to the lemonade slushie. However, you can simply muddle them if you prefer to do that instead. OR, you can blend them all together with the lemonade. I wanted to separate the textures then gently combine them, but it doesn’t really matter – whatever tickles your fancy. I’ve always wanted to say that.
This cocktail is
Sweet
Refreshing
Sour
Crunchy (ya know, ’cause slushie)
Healthy (’cause blueberries lol jk)
[Tweet “This Blueberry Lemonade Frozen Cocktail is what you want by the pool this Summer”]
- 12 ice cubes
- 1/2-1 cup of lemonade (begin with 1/2 cup, add more as needed)
- 1.5 oz vodka (1 shot glass)
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 6 mint leaves
- In a nutri-bullet or blender, add ice cubes, 1/2 cup lemonade, and vodka. Blend until slushie-like texture is formed, adding lemonade as needed.
- Pour slushie mixture into cups and place in the freezer while you prepare remaining ingredients.
- In your bullet or blender, add blueberries and mint leaves. Pulse until well-combined.
- Remove slushie mixture from the freezer. Pour blueberry-mint mixture into slushie and mix well.
- Garnish with mint leaves/stem.
Join the conversation:
Tell me about a time you overcame odds and used your determination to find the answer to something.
What is your favorite fruit to add to smoothies or juices?
Did you like this recipe? Pin it for later!
Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen says
Oh yes oh yes. I think we’ve briefly chatted about this before. I agree, it is so much more rewarding finding the answer for yourself! And yes, been there with searching and googling and playing around with whatever I was trying to accomplish for what seemed like hours. Some days you just want an out, but other days if you work hard enough, the answer really is right in front of you. Awesome post, Christina! And I am thinking I need to bust out my bullet for some DRANKS. Dayum these look good!
The Blissful Balance says
I just love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I figure it out myself! Thanks Ashley <3
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
The other day someone casually asked me “how do you even start a blog?” and I didn’t have a quick answer! I did it–clearly I’ve done it–but it had been so long that I didn’t know what to say (which is kind of embarrassing). Also, if they REALLY wanted to know I could have given them an answer but…. it’s crazy how much learning you do just to set up a blog. Even when we think we don’t know the answer, deep down we usually do (<–so deep).
The Blissful Balance says
I have gotten that question before. It’s so vague and such a loaded question that I’m just like uhhhhhh idk. hahah there is SO MUCH to blogging that one cannot simply answer that question!
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
Oh HEYYYYY next cocktail to make!! Stunning photos, Christina! My favorite fruit to add to smoothies is definitely frozen banana. I know that’s pretty boring, but you can’t beat a classic.
The Blissful Balance says
Thank you!! Hey, frozen banana, the classic. Can’t make a smoothie without it!!
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says
I make a similar recipe with strawberries. The berries and mint are lovely! And yes, learning on your own can be rewarding except for when you’re trying to figure out photoshop and feel like the dumbest person on earth especially when you’re an IT consultant and usually good at figuring things out.
The Blissful Balance says
YUM strawberries would be so good, I love strawberry lemonade. As for photoshop, I felt completely stupid when I first started. All it takes is a lot of playing around, and a lot of tutorials. I still use YouTube tutorials all the time for help, it really does teach you!!
Georgie @ Healthy Pears says
This looks delicious! Def cocktail season! The berries in Oregon are amazing right now!! So adding a tonne of raspberries and strawberries to everything! Figuring out this blogging business has been something I’ve done a lot on my own, still trying to figure out a lot but slowly getting there!
The Blissful Balance says
It is so amazing when berries are in season, they are so delicious and like you said, I want to put them in everything ha! Blogging is a HUGE learning process. Been doing this for almost 3 years and I still have so much learning to do.
ACKTIVE LIFE says
Lately I have loved adding a mango to my smoothie…I put half into the blender and then dice up the other half and put it in the bowl…I love the sweetness and how thick it makes the smoothie. It is DELISH!
The Blissful Balance says
I always add mango! Well, frozen mango. I agree it helps with the thickness!!
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
I’m definitely guilty of this sometimes, but I’m the type of person that HAS to do everything myself and figure it out on my own, so I try to only ask for help if I’m seriously stumped. Especially when it comes to my blog – maybe it’s a pride thing, but I want to know that it was ME who figured it out, set it up, etc. Also, srsly digging these cocktails.
The Blissful Balance says
Haha yeah I like that feeling of accomplishment that comes with the hard work I put toward teaching myself things. Thanks girlfriend I could use one of these already lmao
Claire @ My Pink & Green Life says
This looks so refreshing! Sometimes I do get to feeling down on myself about blogging because I feel like I’ll never learn how to do it like the pros–but you’re right, I have learned so much since I set up my first blog and I’ve discovered that the friends I’ve made through it are hands-down the best part of the whole thing.
The Blissful Balance says
Everybody started knowing NOTHING! That’s the amazing thing! There is so much to learn, but we are all capable of learning it. Just keep going, that’s the key!
Jen @ Florida Illustrated says
Looks refreshing. I can’t decide which to try first- this or one of your sangria recipes.
The Blissful Balance says
Ha thanks Jen!! Both are super refreshing, I could use one right about now LOL
Valencia @ Life of a Vegaholic says
I know on the outside looking in blogging may look pretty easy to some, but once you start your own blog and start to take it seriously you realize that there’s a lot that goes into it. You pretty much have to learn terms & lingo like SEO, unique visitors, bokeh, etc that may have been foreign to most prior to entering the bloggerssphere. It’s amazing how much you learn from starting your own blog & It’s awesome to feel this sense of community among other bloggers. It makes you feel less along in this big bloggerssphere and you can make great friends along the way
Valencia @ Life of a Vegaholic recently posted: June Favorites 2016
http://lifeofavegaholic.com/post/146570894116/june-favorites-2016
The Blissful Balance says
Blogging is SO MUCH more than what people assume! Totally!! And yes, the best part of blogging has been the friends I’ve made along the way – something I never thought/knew would happen. It’s been so rewarding <3
Emily says
Oh boy, I can’t believe just how appropo this was tonight, because it’s something I’ve been thinking over a lot. I don’t want to be an entitled or spoiled person, but… I act like that way too often. The example you gave of going to search out the answer so that you could learn something new is something that I’ve seen in so many of my blogger friends. That’s why you do things so excellently, and those hours of work and learning you’ve done are really paying off Christina. I’m encouraged by this, because it gives me hope that I can grow through challenges . Challenges are what push us to discover, learn, and grow. And those cocktails look so refreshing!
Ben says
Great job being persistent with blogging/wordpress/google analytics and everything else you taught yourself. The experience you gain by doing something hard, whether you fail or succeed, is not something that’s ever wasted. I enjoyed your cocktail recipes…especially this blueberry drink – keep up the great blog!