Smoothie Love

I'm hooked on fruit smoothies for an after-workout, working-away snack. Specifically, I love smoothies loaded with fresh fruit.


In order to avoid letting beautiful, fresh berries go bad, I occasionally pop them in the freezer for this very purpose. This summer I've built up a bit of a stockpile of locally grown, frozen blueberries and strawberries.

I also have a container full of frozen bananas, because every once in a while I forget to eat them before they get too soft, and this way they don't go to waste.

Freezing the fruit is the best way to go in my world because then you don't have to throw in any ice, which waters down the deliciousness and doesn't always blend well.

Measuring smoothies isn't exact by any means, so pardon my lack of specifics. Here's what you do to create my favorite berry concoction:

1. Dump some yogurt in the blender (I typically buy big containers of Stoneyfield Farm Low-Fat Vanilla for this purpose)
   
2. Toss in a half or whole frozen banana
3. Add a handful of frozen strawberries and a handful of blueberries (or whatever other berries you have on hand—and if you have some fresh berries that aren't frozen yet go ahead and toss them in too)
   
4. Shake in a tablespoon or so ground flaxseed (for fiber, lignans, and omega-3s—don't worry, you won't taste it)
5. Pour in orange juice to almost cover all the other ingredients
6. Blend until thick and almost smooth
7. Enjoy!

I could drink this combo of ingredients pretty much every day, but if you have a foolproof smoothie recipe that you think beats the socks off mine, please do share. As you may have guessed by now, I'm always up for trying new recipes!