Monday, July 13, 2009

Cooking Something You Already Know How to Cook: Smoothies

Yesterday, I rediscovered smoothies.  I’ve always loved milk, fruit, and yogurt, but I forgot how delicious and surprisingly different they taste together.  The inspiration came to me when I found my brother’s unused blender sitting in our garage.  Since it’s July, I was able to use fresh, local ingredients like strawberries and blueberries to make my smoothies. 

            This is the recipe that I used to make a chunky and sweet, classic-tasting smoothie:

 

A blender (you can find one for under $20) 

1 banana (a medium sized banana has fiber and potassium, as well as only 105 calories)

1 small handful of blueberries  

5 strawberries, sliced

Approx. ¾ to 1 cup 1% milk (don’t measure, just pour it in)

Approx. ¾ cup yogurt (consider buying a large container if you’re going to make more than one smoothie)

 

These ingredients made enough to fill one large drinking glass.  The recipe has approx. 2 servings of dairy and 2 servings of fruit.   

 

            Today, I made another smoothie that I could eat during the winter, when most fresh berries aren’t available.  It had two teaspoons peanut butter, one banana, and a cup of milk, which made it more smooth and creamy than the berry one.  The peanut butter also added a bit of protein.  Both recipes were filling and would be a great breakfast for me to bring along to class in the fall.  Another great aspect of smoothies is the cleanup.  Everything was mixed in one pitcher, which meant I only had to wash two dishes, including the glass that I drank it from!

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