Smoothies!

I know, I know. Who needs a recipe for smoothies? Well, I do, for one. I have repeatedly try to replicate at home smoothies I have had out, and always fail.

It is important to me to be able to whip up a good smoothie at home because my kids love smoothies and I find them to be a great way to get a bunch of nutritious ingredients into my kids quickly and easily. They may not always want to eat their broccoli, but my kids have yet to pass up a smoothie.

I found these recipes in Perfect Recipes for Losing Weight & Eating Great by Pamela Anderson. I really appreciate Pamela's no-nonsense approach to cooking and the fact that she offers variations at the bottom of each recipe. I made the Vanilla Fruit Smoothie recipe as written, but omitted the 1 cup of frozen fruit in the Chocolate Fruit Smoothie recipe. The verdict: My kids finished both smoothies and asked for more. A+ in my book.

Chocolate Fruit Smoothies
1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries, dark sweet cherries, raspberries)
1 medium peeled frozen banana
1 cup light chocolate soy milk
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional flavorings

Drop fruit of choice and banana into a blender. Whisk soy milk, cocoa powder, and optional flavorings in a 1 cup measuring cup. With blender on high, add soy milk mixture through feeder tube, stopping and stirring as necessary, until mixture is smooth. Pour into a glass and serve. Makes 2 cups, or 1 serving

Optional Flavorings:
Chocolate-Raspberry-Orange Smoothie
use raspberries for fruit and whisk 1/4 teaspoon finely granted organge zest into soy milk.

Black Forest Smoothie
Use frozen cherries for fruit and whisk 1/2 teaspon almond extract into soy milk.

Vanilla Fruit Smoothies



1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries, dark sweet cherries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, pineapple, mango) - I used Trader Joe's frozen mango chunks
1 medium peeled frozen banana
1 cup light vanilla soy milk
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Optional flavorings

Follow same directions as for Chocolate smoothie

Optional flavorings:
Raspberry-Orange Smoothie
Use frozen raspberries for fruit and whisk 1/4 teaspoon finely grated oranzge zest into soy milk.

Pina Colada Smoothie
Use frozen pineappple for fruit and whisk 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract into soy milk.