10 Cool Smoothie Recipes

Smoothies are easy to make and there are so many fruits and juices to experiment with, the possibilities become endless and exciting. Smoothies make a great snack or pick me up, or they can even serve as an instant meal for breakfast or lunch. Smoothies aren’t just for summer time, any more than a person who likes ice cream would only eat it in the summer time. Smoothies can be enjoyed year round. Always have some fresh or frozen fruit around and a bottle of juice and you are on your way to jazzing it up. A great smoothie is just a blender away from reach. Make sure you have a bag of straws too! One great and easy way to deal with ripe banana’s that just won’t get eaten, is to peel and cut them into chunks and then wrap in snack size food storage bags and freeze for future smoothies. They keep nicely in the freezer for up to 30 days. Always use at least one frozen ingredient in a smoothie to make it good and cold. That frozen ingredient can be frozen juice, or a frozen fruit or simply some ice cubes.

Here are some smoothie recipes to expand your repertoire of smoothie ideas.

Marvelous Melon Smoothie

1/2 cantaloupe or honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cubed.
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 cups apple juice
3 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Triple Raspberry Sweet Tooth Smoothie

1 cup frozen concentrated raspberry juice
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon raspberry jam
3 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Orange Apricot Wake Up Smoothie

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon Apricot Jam
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup orange juice
2 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Perfect Peach Pleasure Smoothie

2 cups milk
1 cup canned peaches including juice syrup
1 cup vanilla yogurt
3 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Banana Mix Up Smoothie

1 ripe banana, cut up
2 cups apple juice
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Zesty Pumpkin Power Smoothie

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Cinnamon Chocolate Smoothie

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 ice cubes

Directions:
Combine ingredients (except for chocolate chips) in blender and blend until smooth. Take chocolate chips and warm in microwave until soft and pour into smoothie mix. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Honey Crunch Banana Smoothie

2 cups milk
1 frozen banana, chopped
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 teaspoon of honey
wheat germ for garnish

Directions:
Combine ingredients (except for wheat germ) in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and sprinkle on some wheat germ and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Super Blueberry Smoothie

2 cups apple juice
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately with drinking straws.

Coffee Ice-Cream Smoothie

2 cups cold coffee
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
whipped cream

Directions:
Combine coffee and ice cream in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with syrup then whipped cream. Serve immediately with drinking straws.

Reference:

• Spiffy Smoothie tips: www.lasalle.edu/~jacobsc1/tips.html