Smoothies!!!

A blender should be used for, if nothing else, smoothies (cheers, Valerie). Now, smoothies and I go way back. My household went through about seven years during which making fresh fruit smoothies was a twice a day occurrence. Our blender and a pack of bananas also traveled with us on vacation all over the country. Therefore, it is only fitting that my first blender post should be about smoothies.

By smoothies, though, I do not mean ice cream or sorbet with a couple cuts of fruit. No, by my definition that would be a milkshake or a freeze. There is a reason that smoothies are marketed as healthy things, even if a lot of the time the commercial versions are not. In a very simple form smoothies are healthy.

So for this post I have three smoothie recipes: the classic apple, banana, carrot, and orange, the mango lassi, and the (ok, a little less healthy, but great for after workouts) chocolate banana smoothie.

Apple, Banana, Carrot, and Orange (or the ABC ..O)

• 2 medium sized carrots washed or peeled with the ends removed
• 1 sweeter apple like a fuji
• 1 banana
• about 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• about 3/4 cup of orange juice

The instructions for smoothies is really part of their beauty: put everything in the blender, put on the cap, blend until liquefied. If you live in a place like a dorm where the walls are practically nonexistent, try putting a thick blanket or towel around the base of the blender to muffle the sound somewhat.

Mango Lassi

• 2 mangoes, peeled and pitted
  
• sugar to taste
• about 1 cup plain yogurt
• milk or water until desired thickness
• cardamom (if you have any) to taste
  

Those of you who read this blog often know I really dislike adding sugar to things, but when you are dealing with plain yogurt it's sometimes necessary. So...yep, put it all in the blender and go.


Chocolate and Bananananana

• 1 banana
• 1 packet of hot chocolate mix
• 1 cup of milk
• some ice cubes if it's warm enough...it was 19 degrees today, so no ice cubes.

Blender!

Anyone else have favorite smoothies?
Omnom! and yay for blenders!