My Favorite Smoothies!

 

 

I don't know many people who don't like a good fruit smoothie, do you? The great thing about them is your options are endless of what you can put in it. I am pretty horrible about skipping meals. Breakfast? Almost never. Lunch? umm...some of the time lol. I know, I know... "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"...and..."you need to eat to keep your metabolism up". Ok, well, that is why smoothies are great! They are pretty quick and easy to make, and even when you're not feeling hungry, somehow, these still go down well! Today, I thought I would share two of my favorite, that I make quite often!

Smoothie #1

All you need is...
a blender
1 cup strawberries (I used frozen)
1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
1 cup yogurt (I used strawberry but plain can be used also)
2 cups vegetable/fruit juice (I used Bolthouse Farms- tropical + carrot)
1 tbsp. raw honey (for a natural sweetener)
1 cup water (can use almond milk also)
(Totally optional, but I like to add a touch of whipped cream on top!)

Blend all of this together until you know it is nice and smooth! This makes a full blender full, so it is more than enough to share with 2-4 people! This has a very berry taste and feels more like you are having a treat than a healthy smoothie! It is sweet (naturally because of the fruit and raw honey) and delicious! My son loves this drink too, and I love providing this to fulfill his fruit needs of his diet.

Smoothie #2

All you need is...
a blender
1 cup strawberries (I used frozen)
1 cup pitted black cherries (I used frozen)
2 bananas
3 cups vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup chia seeds (or this Chia and Hemp seed Combo, as I used here)

Blend all of this together until you know it is nice and smooth! This makes a full blender full, so it is more than enough to share with 2-4 people! This one has a very delicious, rich flavor! The black cherries are probably the strongest flavor. You can play around with the amounts of different fruits if you'd rather more or less of something. This option is great for fiber and protein! Makes a very healthy breakfast or fast lunch if you are on the go! Why not fill up a to-go cup and take it with you! So much better than stopping for a greasy burger and fries!

Wait, what are these seeds you stuck in there?!?

 

Let me include this little side note if you are not familiar with chia seeds. Chia seeds are packed with antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron; boosting energy levels and helping you stay fuller longer. They are high in fiber, protein, and Omega-3. There really is no taste to them, and this is something I will sometimes add to smoothies strictly for its health benefits. This product I recently found, which contains a combination of both Chia and Hemp seeds, is a good option. Hemp seeds actually contain 50-75% more protein than Chia seeds. Since I'm not one to eat a lot of meat (I actually used to be a vegetarian for a number of years) I like that this allows extra protein in my diet.

 

What kind of smoothies do YOU make?