Monday, 6 October 2014

Fruit Smoothie Ideas

Use your fruit smoothie as a delicious and nutritious breakfast substitute.


Fruit smoothies are a healthy way to get a serving of fruits into your diet, especially for people who do not like eating fruit on its own. The possibilities for flavor combinations in smoothies are almost endless, as long as you have a well-functioning blender. Unlike commercially-made smoothies, homemade smoothies allow you to control the amount of sugar, fat, and dairy in each drink, as well as the quality of fruits and juices you put into your smoothie. Add this to my Recipe Box.


Strawberry-Banana Smoothie


Strawberries and bananas together make delicious smoothies, which may be why this particular flavor combination is so popular for grocery store yogurt, as well as commercially-made smoothies. Strawberries are often found in both the fresh as well as the frozen sections of your grocery store (the only difference in your smoothie is the price), and fresh bananas are relatively cheap year-round. Combine 1 cup soy milk with 1 cup strawberries and 1 cup banana; blend until the mixture is smooth and thick.


Antioxidant Power Smoothie


High concentrations of antioxidants can be found in many fruits, and these antioxidants help prevent your body's cells from long-term damage. Make a smoothie high in antioxidants by combining antioxidant-rich berries and juices. Because acai berries and pomegranates tend to be expensive and difficult to find in most grocery stores, look for acai and pomegranate juices to add to your smoothie. Blueberries and blackberries are also very high in antioxidants, and are easily found in the frozen section of your grocery store. For an antioxidant-rich smoothie, add 1 cup pomegranate juice to 1 cup thawed blueberries and 1 cup thawed blackberries.


Tropical Smoothie


Plenty of fresh and frozen fruits are reminiscent of tropical flavors that can be blended to make a tropical-tasting smoothie. Coconut milk helps make your smoothie delicious and creamy, but is pretty high in fat content and calories. Coconut water is naturally low in calories and sugar, and can be a good, low-calorie substitute to add coconut flavor without the excess calories. Make a smoothie with 1 cup coconut water or coconut milk, 1 cup thawed frozen peaches, ½ cup bananas, and ½ cup fresh or frozen mangoes.


Creamy Smoothie


Although all-fruit smoothies are delicious in their own right, sometimes a smoothie is infinitely more satisfying when there is a touch of creaminess in the mixture. Low-fat, sweetened yogurt can help add this creaminess and thickness, as can soy milk. And, although bananas are fruits, adding bananas can make your smoothie feel thicker and creamier without adding dairy products. Make a creamy dairy smoothie with ½ cup 2% milk, ½ cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1 cup strawberries, and 1 cup peaches.

Tags: your smoothie, grocery store, commercially-made smoothies, fresh frozen, high antioxidants, into your