Sunshine Fruit Smoothie

I love smoothies but I don’t like to deal with the store-bought ones – they’re generally too sweet/rich/thick for my taste.

At Smoothies-R-Us (generic smoothie establishment), they hand me an over-priced 32-ouncer.  I want a little smoothie. Not two pounds of smoothie. I drink and drink and drink and manage to bring the level down by a half-inch. Puleeeeze.

Tis the season for strawberries. They’re everywhere.

And they’re making multiple guest appearances on my posts.

Strawberries ready for smoothie action

OK, I was generally not the kind of person to mess around with beverage-making, specifically, smoothie-making at home.

Pick a yogurt: plain or vanilla, Greek or Regular

But I have seen the light.

I yust love that emulsifier. (I sometimes speak creatively. It’s one way I entertain myself.)

Fixin’ up a Smoothie

Thanks to my friend Kimberly for showing me (and us) the way (as Peter Frampton says sings: I want you to show me the way-hey every day…) to delicious homemade smoothies and a major thank you to her for the frozen banana tip!

Using frozen banana chunks eliminates the need for ice. Since we’re not using ice, we don’t have to compensate for the addition of water by adding more sugar. I can easily sweeten about 12 ounces of smoothie with a scant teaspoon of a mild honey.

You have five seconds: Name That Fruit

To peel or not to peel? That is the question. I tried it both ways and you know what? PEEL, baby, PEEL!

So how do you keep those peeled banana chunks in the freezer? In a zip-loc bag. But then they form a big clump and you have to give them a big HOCK (translate: bang) on the counter. That’s ok, especially if there are a few aggressive  feelings you want to release. Very good. Or if you’re a pacifist, maybe wrapping single serving chunks of banana in plastic wrap or waxed paper (I’ve always liked waxed paper – it’s been around forever and it reminds me of home) will work for you. Kimberly, can you  weigh in on this? Any volunteers to provide suggestions on your favorite smoothies?

I already had frozen bananas on hand waiting for (I thought) Banana Bread. But sorry,oh beloved banana bread, I have officially discovered justification for ALWAYS keeping bananas in the freezer.

And I don’t have to pull out (read: clean) the blender. After years of it sitting on the counter, I finally put it away. There!

Smoothin’ that smoothie

When you have it around, choose fresh fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mango, peaches, melon. You get the picture. Kimberly likes to add a small natural (no added sugar) fruit cup (the kind you might pack for lunch) to the berries. I didn’t have that in the house but I will try that method. For this round, I used, in addition to the banana, strawberries with a bit of leftover melon.

Sunshine Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

Directions:

Pile fruit into container (or if preparing a few servings, pile into blender).

Add yogurt, milk and honey. Pulse emulsifier (or blender) and scrape down sides until well blended. Play with the amount of milk (or substitute juice) to achieve the effect you like. Keep at 2 T. milk for a thicker smoothie. Add another tablespoon or two for a thinner result.

Makes 2 small or 1 large serving.

Enjoy!

Won’t you take me to Smoothie Town?