Satisfying Summer Smoothies

By S. Alison Chabonais

Fruit smoothies have come of age and gone mainstream to the point that they now rival coffees as a daily drink of choice. They’re quick, portable, filling and, of course, naturally nutritious. A whole day’s fruit quota can wind up delivering the goods in one delicious morning,midday or afternoon shake-me-up.

Googling “smoothie recipes” or “smoothies for kids” yields sufficient concoctions to keep us juiced up forever. And Amazon.com turns up treasures like The Ultimate Smoothie Book, The Original Smoothie Book and The Smoothies Bible, all chock full of options.

Still, we found that many smoothie fans experiment until they find one or two customized blends that they like exceptionally well. Then they stick with a convenient routine. For smoothie newbies, Natural Awakenings makes entry into this healthy habit simple by breaking preparation into five easy pieces. Then we offer a taste of the infinite possibilities with sample recipes.

Key Ingredients

Every smoothie begins with a half-cup of liquid in a blender. Creative possibilities include purified water, almond or soy or rice milk, juice or diluted juice concentrate, plain or fruit yogurt, kefir (an enzyme-enriched yogurt-like milk product), or soda water for a bit of sparkle.

Next we have the option of powering up with a scoop of protein powder. Flavors vary, but we hear that vanilla blends well with the taste of most fruits. Natural health advocate Gary Null likes aspartame-free plant-based protein powders. “I really like rice protein powder,” says Null. Some smoothie fans we know also toss in a bit of ground flax meal to add fiber.

Now comes 8- to 16-ounces of fun fruit. First, drop in a half-banana minus the peel to thicken the mixture. Follow with a choice of fresh or unsweetened frozen strawberries, blueberries, peach sections, red grapes, apple, mango, papaya and/or orange or other citrus fruit (skip any dairy with citrus). Even prunes work. Frozen fruit generally is most convenient, even in season. Just mix and match to taste.

Finally, add in crushed, chipped or chunked ice, to make the whole drink cool and deliciously refreshing. (May not be necessary if using frozen fruit). A universally desired thick and creamy texture requires maybe 5 to 10 seconds, up to 30 to 45 seconds, of mixing to ensure that ingredients are fully circulating and wholly mixed.

Bonus Tips

If a smoothie’s too thick, add juice or water. If it’s too thin, add fruit, yogurt or ice. If it’s too tart, add a little honey (but not for infants). If it’s too sweet, add a spot of lemon juice. Then it will be j-u-s-t right.

Note that more than half a banana overwhelms other flavors and makes any smoothie a banana shake. For a frosty drink, use frozen fruit. It’s a neat treat. Especially once one gets the feel of it.

Smoothies have come a long way since early days of chalky powders and funny aftertaste. Today’s whole foods movement now makes them tastefully all-natural. Street cafés make them hip. And conscious eaters everywhere make them at home.

Smoothies deserve their sterling rep. After all, “What you eat and drink has a dramatic impact on your life,” says British nutritionist Natalie Savona, author of the Big Book of Juices and Smoothies, “…not just how well you are now, but also your vitality, your future health and your state of mind.”

Sample Family Recipes

Note: try substituting with almond, soy or rice milk or yogurt.

Extreme Berry Shake ~ power up

2 C milk
1 C fresh or frozen pitted cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries
1 banana, peeled
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 C ice cubes
1 tbsp. rice or soy protein powder

In a blender, combine rice milk or soymilk, berries, banana, maple syrup, ice cubes and protein powder until smooth. Serve immediately.

Baby Boomer ~ tangy enzyme feast

8 oz. pineapple juice
1 C nonfat frozen vanilla yogurt
1¼ C crushed ice
2-inch piece of banana
½ C canned or fresh pineapple

Pour pineapple juice into blender. Add yogurt, ice, banana and pineapple. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Too Cool ~ orange-strawberry zing

8 oz. orange juice
1 C nonfat frozen vanilla yogurt
1¼ C crushed ice
2-inch piece of banana
4 strawberries

Pour orange juice into blender. Add yogurt, ice, banana and strawberries. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Raspberry Cream ~ better than childhood days

1 C orange juice
1 C raspberry yogurt
1 C vanilla frozen yogurt
Half a frozen banana (chunks)
1½ C frozen raspberries

Place all ingredients into blender in order. Blend on low setting for the first minute, then on high until smooth.

Mango Mania ~ nutritious treat

½ C milk
1½ C mango chunks, peeled
½ C vanilla yogurt (about 4 cubes, frozen)

Blend milk and mango. With the motor running, drop in yogurt cubes from the top. Stop and stir as necessary until mixture is magnificently mangled.

Peachy-Keen ~ peach lover’s fantasy

8 oz. peach juice
1 C nonfat frozen vanilla yogurt
1¼ C crushed ice
1-inch piece of banana
1/8 slice frozen peach

Pour peach juice into blender. Add yogurt, ice, banana and peach. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Downbeat ~ Orange and cranberry mix

6 oz. orange juice
2 oz. cranberry juice
1 C nonfat frozen vanilla yogurt
1¼ C crushed ice
3 frozen raspberries
6 frozen blueberries

Pour orange and cranberry juices into blender. Add yogurt, ice, raspberries and blueberries. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.

For Kids Only – fun with fruit

1 orange, peeled
2 kiwis, quartered
1 C strawberries, hulled & stemmed
2 passion fruits, quartered
2 tangerines, peeled & quartered
2 C spring water
1 banana, peeled
1 tsp. cherry concentrate
1 tsp. wild blueberry concentrate
12 ice cubes

Push kiwis, strawberries, passion fruits and tangerines through a juicer. In a blender combine juice with spring water, banana and cherry and blueberry concentrates. Blend well. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice and serve immediately.

Recipe sources: Better Nutrition Magazine, GaryNull.com, Today’s Parent (Evelyn Raab), ParentingTeens.About.com (Denise Witmer).