Smoothie Recipes

I had a request for my favorite smoothie recipes. If you choose the right ingredients, smoothies are a great way to have quick healthy meal. Use fresh or plain frozen fruit, low fat Greek Yogurt for extra protein and keep the added sugar to a minimum. Here are my favorites, just place all ingredients in blender and mix well:

Chocolate PB Smoothie - makes one large serving
1/2 cup plain low fat Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup low fat milk or almond milk
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's Special Dark is my favorite)
1/2 very ripe banana (fresh or frozen)
1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (Sunbutter works great too!)
1/2 cup of crushed ice
1 -2 Tbsp Wheat germ (optional)

Banana Fruit Smoothie - makes two servings
1 banana (fresh of frozen)
3/4 cup of frozen berries
1/2 cup of plain low fat Greek yogurt
1 cup of low fat milk
1 dash of pure vanilla extract

Strawberry Spinach Smoothie - makes 1 serving - complete meal in one cup!
1/2 c plain low fat Greek yogurt
1/2 c low fat milk
1/2 c fresh spinach
1/4 c wheat germ
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 tsp vanilla extract

Make your own, use what you have - choose one from each group:
Fruit: 1/2-1 cup of fresh/frozen fruit such as berries, banana, melon, pineapple, peach, mango. If using fresh fruit, add 1/2 cup of ice.

Liquid: 1/2-1 cup of any of the following: low fat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk, orange juice.

Thickener: 1/2 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt (plain yogurt) or silken tofu (I am not a fan of soy  myself, but if you like it, it will work well here)

Optional Flavoring: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon/orange zest, coconut flakes, drop of tiny drop of maple syrup or honey.


General Tips:
If you have fruit that is getting very ripe, freeze it before it spoils. I do this all the time with bananas. Peel the banana, break it in half and put in freezer bag then toss in freezer. These are perfect for smoothies. You can do the same with melon, berries, pineapple, etc. This helps save money by reducing waste and makes thick and yummy smoothies.

Enjoy!!