A smoothie is a blended, chilled, sweet beverage made from fresh fruit.

In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, or frozen yogurt. They have a milkshake-like consistency which is thicker than slush drinks, but unlike milkshakes, they do not usually contain ice cream, but can contain milk.

Smoothies are marketed to health-conscious people, and some restaurants offer add-ins such as soy milk, whey powder, green tea, herbal supplements or nutritional supplement mixes.

• Freeze fresh fruit that is in season to save money. Frozen fruit can be expensive, so this works well. A favorite fruit to add to smoothies is frozen bananas. To do this, peel the banana and break it into smaller chunks. Then freeze those chunks. It sure makes the smoothies more frothy and a much better consistency!
• Invest in a good blender. One of the main causes of people giving up on drinking smoothies is if your blender doesn't work well....it can get frustrating to have ice chunks floating around in your drink!
• If you add protein powder to your smoothie, look at the ingredient list and choose one that is low in sugar. Or try adding something like orange fibre instead.

• Stress Reliever Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberries are good source of vitamins and nutritients. These are things that stress can deprive us of and drinking fruit smoothies containing strawberries can help replenish us and keep us healthy.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups strawberries
• 1/2 cup strawberry nectar
• 1 pitted peach
• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt or strawberry yogurt if you don’t have the nectar.
• 2 cups ice

• Tomato Smoothie

Tomatoes are a great ingredient for a healthy smoothie recipe because of their antioxidant properties. Men in particular should add tomatoes to their diet to help prevent prostate cancer.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups (chopped) tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomatoe juice
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/4 cup (chopped) celery
• Tabasco or hot sauce to taste
• 2 cups ice

• Breakfast Replacement Smoothie

Trying to get out the door in the morning and eat a good breakfast is a tough combination, so finding a good smoothie combination is a good idea.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Fruit & Nut cereal
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (low-fat)
• 1 cup ice
• 1 banana
• 2 cups juice (orange, apple or whatever you like. I wouldn’t mind trying pineapple in this)

Blend and feel the energy!

• Banana Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

A smoothie for breakfast is a great way to start the day. This breakfast smoothie has a great taste and is, of course, great for you.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups fat free milk
• 1 peeled and sliced medium banana,frozen – wrap sliced banana in plastic wrap or place in a freezer storage bag – freeze several hours or overnight.
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, optional
• Cinnamon for garnish, optional

Preparation:

1. In a blender container combine all ingredients, except cinnamon.
2. Blend until smooth, about 20 seconds.
3. Pour into glasses and garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, if desired.

Makes two servings.

• Ginger Tropical Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
• 1/2 cup crushed ice, or 2 small ice cubes

Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth. Serves 1