For The Love of Smoothies!

I was first introduced to smoothies in South Carolina when I worked at a little organic foods grocery store/cafe. I am so glad to have discovered them there because I've never had smoothies that good since...at least my first experience was the best and I can make them the way I love them!

The key to a great smoothie - USE FROZEN FRUIT! and LEAVE THE ICE IN THE FREEZER!

For those of you who are trying to beat the heat, what better way than with an ice-cold fruit smoothie? (ok, water would be better but smoothies just taste so good!) Soda and Sugary Drinks aren't going to cut it and they don't carry the nutritional weight that a smoothie does.

In my quest to eat healthier by leaving the over-processed, chemical laden foods on the shelves, I have rediscovered my love for smoothies! Our bodies can process liquids easier and more effectively than solids (great reason for chewing up your food better) so liquefying fruit in a blender is going to aid your digestion process, helping you absorb more of those wonderful vitamins and nutrients.

For those of you with children...what an incredible way to get them to eat healthier! These smoothies taste like milk shakes and are a great summer treat...not to mention the kiddies can play outside after drinking one of these without having all that milk and sugar sitting on their guts!

Better yet, there is no exact recipe...you make it how you like it. Just follow some simple guidelines and you can make whatever flavor smoothie suits your taste buds!

#1. Purchase simple ingredients first...bananas, strawberries, peaches. These are great starters for beginner smoothie makers. You can spruce it up later with kiwi, pineapple, berries etc, but this is actually my favorite...just the basics.

#2. Purchase apple cider...it's a completely different flavor than apple juice when making a smoothie. You can usually find small 1 qt jugs or even 1 pt jugs in the grocery stores or at farmer's markets.

#3. Purchase a box of the snack size zip-locks.

#4. Chop your fruit into bite-size pieces. Bananas - about 1"-2" segments. Strawberries - halved or quartered (if they're big). Peaches - 1"-2" chunks.

#5. Place 4-5 pieces of fruit in each snack size baggie, squeeze out as much air as possible, place in freezer for several hours or overnight.


Those are the basics!

~ Now for the assembly ~

~ Pull fruit from the freezer and break up while it's still in the baggie until all or most of the individual pieces are separated. It's important that you use bananas in every smoothie...it's the base - the most important part of the smoothie.

~ Place fruit from each baggie into a blender (You're using the smallest snack size baggies so one baggie of bananas and one baggie of strawberries and one baggie of peaches makes a good size smoothie for one adult - after you make the first one, you'll have a better idea of how much or how little to add to make the right size for you or your children).

~ Pour in about 1/2 C of the apple cider and liquefy in the blender with the lid securely shut. If the mixture seems to thick (not breaking down and rolling through the blender blades smoothly) then shut off the blender, add another 1/4 C of cider and continue blending.


THAT'S IT!!! Pour into a glass and drink! Parents ~ got any of those old Popsicle molds or Dixie Cups and Popsicle sticks? Pour the blended mixture into these small containers and pop back into the freezer for a frozen sweet treat on a stick!! Did I mention they were healthy? Ssshhh!


Now, once you're a pro at this, start adding different fruits and even nuts (if you like little crunchy bits in your smoothie). There's also a variety of add-ins that you can...well...add in to your smoothie if you're into that sort of thing. I'm talking natural herbs and such that promote holistic lifestyles. But for me - the basic smoothie is my favorite and I hope it becomes yours too!


Please Note - Wash all fruits well before cutting and freezing! If possible, purchase fruits that are organic - pesticide free!

Enjoy!

Shannon

Do you have a favorite concoction or recipe for smoothies? Send it to me by email or through the comments button below and I'll be sure to post it here! Thanks!