If you want to beat the heat this summer with a refreshing and healthy treat – nothing tastes better than a fresh and cool fruit smoothie! Although there are many ready-made versions out there that are perfectly acceptable (and great if you are short on time), homemade smoothies allow you to control the ingredients and also find that perfect flavor combination. I have listed a few of my favorites but feel free to experiment (and you may come up with some real duds) but most mixtures are delicious and super easy to make too. So let’s get blending and as always, let me know if you try any of the suggestions. Please feel free to send us your favorite smoothie recipe – we love to try new combinations.
Before you get started, you really do need a great blender in order to perfect your amazing creations. The Red Waring Professional Bar Blender is a great option. It is so lovely to look at on the counter in it’s happy red shade and it blends your smoothies to perfection while also being a great value.
Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
The Strawberry-Banana Smoothie is great in the afternoon after a long day at the beach. Super healthy and refreshing.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana sliced
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup milk or vanilla soy milk
3-5 ice cubes
Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and pourable consistency.
Peanut-Butter Banana Smoothie
The Peanut-Butter Banana Smoothie is my personal favorite. I like the added protein boost from the Peanut Butter and the heartiness of it makes it feel like more of a meal than a snack.
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana sliced
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp honey
½ cup milk or vanilla soy milk
3 ice cubes
Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and pourable consistency.
Blueberry-Peach Smoothie
As it is blueberry season it would be great to make this smoothie with fresh picked berries for added freshness. Store bought or roadside fruit stands are fine too.
Ingredients:
½ cup fresh blueberries
1 sliced peach
½ cup vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp honey
3-5 ice cubes
½ cup milk or vanilla soy milk
Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and pourable consistency.
Smoothie Factoids:
Did you know that the Smoothie first became popular in the mid 1960s?
Did you know that it was not until the mid 1970s that the first trademark for Smoothies came out with the name “California Smoothie”?
Did you know that by the 2000s the Smoothie industry is a multi-billion dollar business?
