Smoothie Criminal

I struggle with getting in enough (what is enough, really?) fruits and vegetables on any given day. I love fruit, but it's tedious to cut/clean it at work, and I don't want apples or other items to brown or dry out if I prepare ahead of time. What's a girl to do?

Blend.

I love where my awesome blender comes into this equation. I have disposable cups and straws handy so it feels like someone made my morning smoothie at the gym snack bar or Jamba Juice, but I get to put in my own ingredients and know what is in my food (or beverage, in this case).

Here are some of my go-to smoothie recipes:

Peach Faux-shake

Flesh of two peaches (no pit, no skin); I cleaned these when in season and froze them

1 small container of Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt
2 T skim milk
1 T brown sugar
3 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients. I think it helps when your fruit is already frozen (be careful of any frozen fruit with added sugars). Blend this until smooth and add more milk as needed. The flavor is awesome and it feels like you're having a peach milkshake.

Bonus: Add 2 small pieces of crystallized ginger to make this a Ginger Peach Shake!
PP+ 3

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

1 cup sliced ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 small container Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt

1/2 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons whole wheat graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 cookie sheet)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 ice cubes

Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm (about 1 hour). This is great to do before your bananas are too ripe. Place frozen banana and remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately.

Fall-tastic Pumpkin Banana Smoothie

1 small container Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt

3/4 cup canned pumpkin, chilled

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 T brown sugar

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/8 t ground nutmeg

1 ripe banana, sliced and frozen

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Garnish with dash of ground cinnamon, if desired. Serve immediately.

Call to the Tropics Smoothie

1/4 cup orange juice

1 small container Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt
2/3 cup unsweetened frozen mango chunks

1/2 pineapple, chopped (great use for canned pineapple!)

3 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

I love having this as a 'mocktail' when entertaining in the summer time. It's fruit, fun, and filling (that last part is great tool for not grazing the appetizers table!).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

1/2 cup skim milk

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 frozen sliced ripe banana

1 small container of Oikos Greek Vanilla Yogurt

3 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Having your banana frozen gives a creamier texture and keeps your smoothie cold without adding too much ice.

Tip: You can make this even chocolatier (yes, that's a word) if you find a low-fat Chocolate Yogurt. Hard to find, but great when you do! I've also heard Mocha Yogurt is great with this too.