7.13.2009

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!

4 comments:

Laura said...

My smoothie is exactly the same, minus the fiber supplement! But, I usually use the strawberry/banana/orange juice or some other combo variety to add even more fruity goodness. Yay summer!

Julie said...

Combo fruit juices sound like a great way to add more flavor. I'll have to try that!

(And I second that yay for summer.)

Andrea Cooley said...

you're a girl after my own heart! i have a freezer full of bananas and berries. have you tried the green monster smoothie yet?

Julie said...

I haven't tried the Green Monster yet, but I bookmarked your post on it so I can try it soon. I've heard rave reviews from a number of people so I better get on that ...