Healthy smoothies

A real favorite of mine, I’ve been having a smoothie for breakfast, most mornings, for the past three years. What a lifesaver. I wanted to cut out some of the higher fat and carb options, such as cereals, breads, cheeses and meats. I also wanted very much to get more fruit into my diet.

However, living in a northern clime means that fruit is rarely at its peak. In frustration I seldom bought any except locally grown fruit at harvest time. The result was that I didn’t have much fruit in my diet. Enter the smoothie. Even if the fruit is not quite ripe or a bit soft, it doesn’t really matter. The blender is a great equalizer.

One of the terrific things about this recipe is that you really cannot mess it up. It’s truly a mix and match smoothie recipe that you can tailor to your likes, time availability and fruit preferences. Another wonderful discovery was that as the morning wore on, I wasn’t hungry. I really did not expect this to be so satisfying but I’ve found it to provide a great boost of energy to get through until lunch and it takes only 5 minutes to make.

I’ve read lots of books full of many, many recipes but it all comes down to what I’m going to give you here.

1) Select the liquid. I use soymilk, a no-sugar-added variety. There are also lowfat varieties available. If you are new to soymilk you might want to try one with vanilla; absolutely delicious and you’ll think you’re drinking a shake. If you prefer cow’s milk, choose skim. At first the transition might be difficult but after a week or two, you won’t notice, and especially not in this recipe. I use 12 oz, a cup and a half. So, pitch that into the blender.

2) Add some juice. Make sure it’s nice, pure juice and not just “fruit beverage” which contains very little real juice. Read the package; it’ll say 100% pure. Pick unusual combinations that will add depth to the final product. I like kiwi/cranberry or mango/passionfruit or a nice berry blend. Add 4 oz of that.

3) Select some fruit. I recommend that you stick with little or no-peel fruits, especially when time is a factor. Kiwi, fresh pineapple, pomegranate and mango are lovely but they are quite time consuming to prepare. Instead try any of these: green or red grapes (seeded, of course), canned pineapple, nectarines, plums, bananas, pears, apples, blueberries…you get the idea.

You can use frozen fruit but I don’t recommend you use frozen for both fruit choices because your smoothie will be too thick to drink and will have to be spoon-eaten instead. Pick two types to add, such as a banana and ½ cup of blueberries, or try 20 grapes and an apple…anything goes. Whatever you pick, it’ll be delicious.

4) Ground flax. You will need a coffee grinder as the flax must be ground to be of any use. And as a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, you really do want to get this into your smoothie. I generally grind about 2 tablespoons and throw that into the blender.

5) Add two ice cubes, if both fruit choices were fresh. If one was frozen add one ice cube. This will make the smoothie really cold and thicken it slightly. You’re done and your very healthy breakfast is ready! Yum.

Other variations to consider:

- when you have extra time experiment with other fruits which require more prep time

- vary the liquids: use one cup each milk and fruit juice

- get a B-complex vitamin and grind it just before the flax seed to add to the smoothie

- purchase some Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) and add according to recommended dosage on the container

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