6 Delicious Fruit Smoothie Recipes

    Every once in a while my little guy gets a hankerin' for some "Boester Juice". No this isn't a typo, he actually pronounces it "Boester Juice". I think it's so cute, I can't bring myself to correct him. But since we don't have a Booster Juice in this corner of the world, I am left to make something similar myself.
    I often keep frozen fruit in my fridge, so it's just a matter of deciding what I want the Smoothie to taste like. Today I threw some frozen strawberries, frozen mangoes, frozen banana, kiwi, pineapple and a peeled red apple into my blender. Next, I had some raspberry yogurt that was fast approaching it's best by date, so I tossed that in there too. I added some cranberry juice (because that's all I had on hand), as well as some water to help the blender along, and started the blender to liquefy. And that's all it takes to please my five year old.
    This is also something that I eat as a post gym snack. I'll fill the blender pitcher with whatever ingredients I have laying around, blend it up, pour out a portion for the little guy and then add some protein powder for myself (protein will not harm your child. I just feel it's something he doesn't need to add to his diet). This usually keeps me full right up until lunch time. If you are being conscious of your calorie intake, it is important to know that a smoothie is generally a meal replacement. It should not be used as a beverage to accompany a meal.
    I use frozen banana's when I make smoothies. When the banana's have been blended from frozen, they create a creamier texture than those that have been just tossed in at room temperature. This way I also have a use for banana's that are starting to over ripen. There's only so much banana bread someone can eat. Peel the banana's that are starting to show brown spots and cut them into chunks. Put the chunks into a resealable plastic bag and pop it in the freezer.

Fruit Smoothies

    Here are 6 smoothie "recipes" that I often play around with;

(Adapted from The Ab's Diet by David Zinczenko)

Summer Smoothie:
2/3 cup frozen strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup cubed honeydew melon
4 oz low fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup 1% milk
2 tsp. vanilla protein powder (optional)
3 ice cubed, crushed

* Makes two 8oz servings

PB & J Smoothie:
3/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup 1% milk
2 tsp. peanut butter
1 medium banana
1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries
2 tsp. vanilla protein powder (optional)
4 ice cubes, crushed

* Makes two 8oz servings

Halle Berries Smoothie:
3/4 cup instant oatmeal, nuked in water or fat free milk
3/4 cup fat free milk
3/4 cup mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
2 tsp. protein powder (optional)
3 ice cubes, crushed

* Makes two 8oz servings

Banana Split Smoothie:
1 Banana
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/8 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup 1% milk
2 tsp. protein powder (optional)
6 ice cubes, crushed

* Makes two 8oz servings

(Adapted from Janet and Greta Podleski's Eat, Shrink and be Merry)

Fuzzy Peach Smoothie:
1 carton (6oz) peach yogurt
3/4 cup 1% or skim milk
1/2 cup each frozen banana and frozen peaches
2 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (optional)

*Makes two 8oz servings

Peanut Butter Bananarama:
1 carton (6oz) vanilla yogurt
1 cup ice cold water
3/4 cup frozen banana chunks
3 Tbsp. natural peanut butter or almond butter
handful of crushed ice
1/3 cup vanilla protein powder (optional)

* Makes two 8oz servings

    There is often some of the smoothie mix left over. Instead of tossing it away, I pour it into convenient popsicle moulds I found at the Dollar Store. I have convinced my little guy that these healthy snacks are actually "treats". He gets pretty excited when he gets to eat a popsicle.

Smoothie Popsicle's ready for the freezer.