{smoothies}

(image via google image search, i drank my smoothie too fast to remember to take a picture :))

Smoothie season has officially begun!

We love smoothies in our house. Sienna and I just had a yummy one: melon/mango juice with frozen bananas and mangos. Sunny yellow smoothie for a sunny day. :)

In case some of you have never made a smoothie, here are couple of tips:

*Put juice in the blender. I fill mine approximately 1/3 full.

*Then start adding frozen fruit/berries, not too many at a time.

*Make sure you cover the blender before you turn it on. (duh :))

*Blend until smooth.

***The most important thing is to watch the blender while you keep the motor running. You have to make sure the juice is moving constantly. If it's not and the motor makes lots of noise, you're about to kill your blender. I might have some experience of that. Might. :) If fruit gets stuck in the blades, use a long wooden spoon for example to unstuck it before you turn the blender on again.

*Keep adding fruit/berries until you like the consistancy of your smoothie. We like them quite thick.

*Freeze pealed banana chunks in freezer ziplock baggies. I find that bananas make the smoothies nice and creamy (and sweet!). You can freeze any other fruit/berries in the same way. Or buy them from the grocery store's frozen section as I do. Costco sells huge bags for a reasonable cost.

*Make sure you use a good quality juice, not those sugary "fruit drinks". Pure juice only. We like to use either apple juice or mango/melon juice but you can use any juice.

So easy. So healthy. Kids love smoothies!

Try different combinations of juice/fruit/berries. You can add yogurt or milk too. Or protein powder or what ever you wish. :) You can even "hide" some veggies in there for picky eaters. Some people add ice cubes in their smoothies but we don't. I find that when I use frozen fruit/berries, the smoothies are cold/frozen enough. Ice just dilutes the taste. But if you don't have frozen fruit/berries and you want a smoothie, then use ice cubes and fresh fruit/berries.

There you have it. Have a fun smoothie season! :)

ps. +27C today.