tropical smoothie

sweet tropical flavors disappear quickly!

This morning we were all a little sluggish after celebrating Ryan's Winter Concert.  It was a lovely evening with impressive efforts made by the young musicians at the middle school.  Perhaps most impressive was how attentive a listener Ethan was!

Anyway - breakfast needed to be a simple affair hence our reliable smoothie formula (see super simple smoothies post) - this time with a tropical twist.  I rely on these so often, especially in the winter months when I am reaching for ways to pump up the vitamin quotient in our foods.  I put 1 T flaked Chia Seeds (Mila) into mine for extra energy.  Get those blenders out!

Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 overripe banana, sliced
1/2 c frozen pineapple, papaya (I used a Dole blend)
1/2 vanilla yogurt
1 c orange juice
1 T local honey

Cougar (our Maine Coon Cat)
investigates

Directions:
Blend till smooth.  My kids love theirs with a bendy straw.  Happy Sipping!

super simple smoothies

When weekday mornings get busy, I often rely on smoothies to get nutritional and high-energy foods into my kids.  (Cereal and toast can't fill them up on their own!) I have a standard recipe that I taylor to the fresh and frozen fruit I have on hand.  Once you make these a few times, you'll grow confident enough to eye-ball the measurements. Both Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and Mad Hungry's Smoothie recipes inspired us.  I'll share with you our smoothie formula and then the family favorite. 

Formula for Smoothies in Seconds:

1 serving of fresh fruit

1/2 c frozen fruit

1/2 c yogurt

1 c juice

1 T natural sweetener (optional)

1/2 c oats (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice or dice your fresh fruit.  

2. Place in the blender with frozen fruit, yogurt and juice. Add oats for an extra energy boost.

3. Whir until smooth.  Taste and if you prefer, sweeten with honey, agave or maple syrup . 

Family Fave ~ Banana-Mango Smoothie

1 ripe banana, sliced

1/2 (heaping!) c frozen mango chunks

1/2 'Banilla' yogurt (from Stoneyfield)

1 c orange juice

1 T maple syrup

Sweet, smooth and sunny!

Great for cold, dark, New England mornings in the winter!