I adore making smoothies! They are so delicious, nutritious, and one of the first things I ever got really creative with. With lots of fruit, yogurt, and very little sugar, how can you go wrong? If you are a beginner in the kitchen--or even an expert--making smoothies is a very low-risk way of learning how flavors go together. There's no heat or chopping required--just a good blender.
Super Smoothies
2 cups frozen fruit
1 (6 oz) container yogurt (my favorite is Yoplait Key Lime)
1/2-1 cup of milk, depending on preferred thickness (or if you get really excited, coconut milk)
2 tablespoons sugar or honey (depending on sweetness, I usually taste before adding sugar)
Put all ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend! You might have to pulse a few times until the fruit is broken up. Let whir on high for about 30 seconds to make sure the smoothie is really smooth. Sip slowly to prevent a headache.
Okay, you might have noticed the "frozen fruit." This is the exciting part: it can be any kind of fruit you like! Here's my most successful smoothie fruits:
bananas
raspberries
strawberries
blueberries
peaches
pears
The fruit doesn't necessarily need to be frozen. But by freezing the fruit, the smoothie ends up really really thick and cold, without needing any ice. Ice can make your smoothie watery, which I really don't like. If you're freezing fresh fruit for smoothies, peel them, core them, make sure it's washed. Cut into 1" cubes or so, lay out on a tray lined with wax paper, and freeze. When frozen solid, transfer fruit into bags marked with the date and what it is (you can even portion out your 'smoothie mix') and store back in the freezer for the long haul.
Note--you can make the smoothies even healthier by adding a tablespoon or two of ground flax-seed or other types of protein powder. Some people like to put a handful of spinach leaves in theirs. I've made mine with cucumber in it as part of the fruit, with great success (I didn't freeze the cucumber). Really people, the sky is the limit!
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Rick is our in-home smoothie maker. He does a great job. We like to put our smoothies in the mugs with water in them, that you freeze, I know you know what I mean. :) Then you don't have to add anything to keep it from melting or getting watery. It actually thickens it up, at least around the edges.
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