smoothie queen :-)

i love smoothies. they are awesome for a quick breakfast to drink on the way to class, and they are a great nighttime study snack that is filling and sweet, but that doesn't have me crying for the gym. most smoothie recipes i have seen include more ingredients than needed to make for very complicated concoctions. so, here is a better way to make smoothies-- with less ingredients and with stuff you already have!

the secret: use flavored yogurt as one of your ingredients, rather than non-flavored yogurt and other sweeteners and fruits. flavored yogurt already has the fruit in it, as well as the sweetener. just don't go for the yogurts with tons of sugar in them, it defeats the purpose of this being healthy!

ingredients:

6 oz strawberry yogurt (dannon light and fit brand has the larger serving size yogurt (6 oz)-- it is the equivalent of 3/4 cup if you are using yogurt from a large container)

1 large banana

1/4 cup fresh blueberries

2 cups ice


steps:

1. Peel banana, spoon yogurt, and add blueberries to a blender
2. Add 2 cups ice and blend until smooth
3. If you like the smoothie thicker, add more ice (a few cubes at a time) and blend. If you like the smoothie more liquid-y, start with only 1 cup of ice and then add more ice (a few cubes at a time) if needed until you reach the consistency you like.


other combination ideas: (all with 2 cups ice)

- 6 oz strawberry yogurt, 1 large banana
- 6 oz blueberry yogurt, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/4 cup strawberries
- 6 oz blueberry yogurt, 1/4 cup pineapple chunks, 1 large banana
- 6 oz peach yogurt, 1/4 cup strawberries
- 6 oz peach yogurt, 1/4 cup strawberries, 1 large banana
- To any of these combinations, you can try adding 1/4 cup orange juice or 1/4 cup apple juice or 1/4 cup pineapple juice to add some flavor! (For example, strawberry yogurt, banana, and orange juice is a good mix!)

*Hint: I don't recommend using banana flavored yogurt; it tends to be more tart than an actual banana. I would always recommend using real banana for that ingredient!!

*Don't be afraid to try different mixes of fruit! If you have ever had fruit salad, you know that you really can't go wrong with any different combination of fruit!!!