Fruit Smoothies

We were recently at an event with another couple.  We started talking about wedding gifts, and I said how we loved registerring for all manners of kitchen gadgets & appliances.  But I said one thing that I never use is the blender.  The husband said that he uses his every day.  "Really?!" I said. "On what?"

It turns out they are both health-conscious marathon runners.  And he makes himself a fruit smoothie almost every day.  He said he had perfected his favorite blend, and I went straight home and tried it myself.  Add the following into your blender:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 vanilla yogurt (frozen)
• 1 banana
• 5-6 frozen strawberries
• Bunch of fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

He told me that if you take the lid off the frozen yogurt and microwave it for 20 seconds it will be the perfect consistency.  I like to have the frozen berries, milk, and spinach toward the bottom of the blender.  Then top it with the banana and frozen (regular) yogurt.

Blend it all together and you're good to go!  He doesn't add any ice. The frozen yogurt and frozen berries give it that cold and frothy consistency you really want from a smoothie.  The spinach is disintegrated into tiny little green flecks.  You can't really even taste it. It really is added for more nutrients.  But I like to think the little red & green flecks floating around a white smoothie reminds me of Christmas.

It really is delicious.  You could use this as a meal supplement if you're trying to loose weight. But I like it in place of a snack on a night after we have been to the gym.  Everything in there is good for you.  So I don't feel the least bit guilty for finishing off a nice tall glass of this.  I think I have had it 4-5 times already this week.

...so now our blender is finally getting some use!