Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Smoothies (Happy, Mom?)

At my mother's request (which cannot be ignored), I will post a few smoothie recipes today. I have a smoothie for breakfast a few times a week--sometimes with oatmeal on the side, sometimes alone. I mainly use a fruit+yogurt+milk+occasional extra flavor formula.



I make them with an immersion blender, which I'm afraid is on its last legs, but you could use any blender. If I had to make a recommendation (and I don't have to, but I will anyway), I think the Magic Bullet blender is particularly drool-worthy. However, it has some drawbacks. It is pricey, especially considering that it only blends small portions at a time. It seems useful mainly for drink blending--so it may be worth it if that's your primary blending need. I do a LOT of blending/food processing, and I have a kitchen policy against singular-task items (think: melon baller, panini press, avocado slicer). My current blender consists of a hand-held motor piece which attaches to three different components: a food processor, electric mixer, and the immersion blender. It's versatile, simple, small, and gets a LOT of use.


On to smoothie recipes! If you still have local summer fruits in your freezer, bless your frugal heart. If you are getting fresh local fruits already where you live, I hate you. I've moved on to Wegman's frozen fruits. Here are some of my favorite recipes:


Mixed Berry Smoothie
Combine and blend:
1/2-3/4 cup frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries
1/3 cup yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp honey (Make sure your honey is local and organic! Bees are dying, people!)
Dash of salt (and I really mean just a dash)


Peach-Blackberry Smoothie
Combine and blend:
1/2-3/4 cup frozen peach slices and blackberries
1/3 cup yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of salt


Cucumber Melon Smoothie
Combine and blend:
1/2-3/4 cup sliced frozen cucumber and cantaloupe (honeydew would work, but I like cantaloupe better)
1/3 cup yogurt
1/3 cup milk
dash of salt
(Add some fresh dill for a more savory treat)


Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Combine and blend:
2-3 tbsp homemade chocolate syrup
3-4 tbsp peanut butter
3/4 cup frozen yogurt
1/3 cup milk

And when it's late April and it snowed this morning and you've totally given up on eating locally until the asparagus comes up...

Shamefully Tropical Smoothie
Combine and blend:
1/2-3/4 cup frozen mango, pineapple, strawberries
1/2 cup orange juice
dash of salt
tiny splash of hot sauce

These make about one serving each, but they are very approximate measurements, so feel free to play around with them--adding more of what you like and eliminating what you don't. What are some of your favorite smoothies recipes? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

7 comments:

  1. I stay low carb so my two favorite recipes are not very sweet but very satisfying once you get used to it:)

    1/2 to 1 banana (depends on how big the bananas are)
    1/2 C. frozen mixed berries (unsweetened)
    1 C. low fat plain yogurt (I love Stoneyfield Farms)
    splash of OJ or apple juice for sweetener
    mix with handblender and top with a sprinkle of low carb granola, I like Bear Naked Fit the best.

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  2. Next one...this is very low carb and I used to do this one a lot during my last pregnancy as I had gestational diabetes.

    1/2 banana
    1-2 tsp. vanilla
    2-4 tsp. all natural organic crunchy peanutbutter or almond butter
    1 C. full fat (I needed the extra calories at the time, now I use the low fat) plain yogurt (again the Stoneyfield farms)
    Mix and enjoy

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  3. Hot sauce in a tropic smoothie? You're a very weird girl.

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  4. Amy: Those sound delicious! Bananas really put the smooth in smoothie, don't they? They are so hard to resist for a smoothie-lover who tries to buy local produce only! You could leave the honey out of any of the recipes I listed (I often forget it anyway) for a lower carb smoothie. There's no avoiding the sugar with the chocolate one, but we just call it a "dessert smoothie." :)

    Merry: Try it! Just a couple drops. It really kick-starts your day!

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  5. Hi Eileen :-)
    I make the same mixed berry smoothie but instead of yogurt I do silk & ice. & I usually throw in a fresh banana to mix it up!
    <3Shaina

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  6. Thanks, Eileen, and Amy! I appreciate it and I will try some of these as soon as I stop traveling in a few weeks. - Mom

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  7. I can't wait to try the chocolate once I get over this virus!

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