The Perfect Fruit Smoothie

I am a woman who likes to blend. I also like to slice and dice. I own 2, count them 2 food processors and a blender. And I use them all regularly. Now I love my blender, however, every once in a while tragedy ensues. In our case, tragedy usually comes as a result of our concrete floor. Tile is more forgiving than concrete, so when the blender jar left my grasp and crashed to the ground, it shattered into a million little pieces. Tragedy.


Fortunately, it's not very hard to order a replacement jar, which I did. And it just arrived yesterday! So I'm back to blending on top of my processing, and in honor of the new jar I thought I'd share my recipe for the perfect fruit smoothie. This is a recipe that I've been perfecting for years, ever since Mom used to make us fruit smoothies every summer growing up. I've added a bit since those days, but kept the basic concept the same.

My first step is 1 scoop of Trader Joe's Protein Powder.


Don't go by the instruction on the container and put in 2 scoops, it will make your smoothie way too chalky. Do buy all your non-produce from Trader Joe's because they are awesome (I'll elaborate in future post). 1/2 to 1 scoop is perfect to give your smoothie that bit of protein to make it filling.

Next....1/2 cup Vanilla Soy Milk.


The problem with smoothies that you buy at Jamba Juice etc. is that they use a lot of sherbert or sugary yogurt in their smoothies, which tastes good but jacks up the calories like nobody's business. So to get that smoothness and a little sweet I use 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk at 70 calories instead of 200.

From here I usually throw in whatever berries are in the fridge that I'm afraid aren't going to make it to my cereal tomorrow morning. In this case it meant a handful of strawberries and blueberries along with the juice of 1/2 orange.



Now this next part is really key. I don't believe in adding ice to my smoothies unless it's really hot out because I think the ice makes it too watery. What can I say? I take my margaritas on the rocks too. So how to make it a smoothie and not a juice? I use at least a cup of frozen fruit. Be it mixed berries, strawberries, blueberries or, as in this case, 1/2 pineapple and 1/2 mango. The frozen fruit gives it the chill without watering it down.


Really, the more frozen fruit the better in my view. And finally, last but not least, 1/4 to 1/2 a banana, depending on how banana-y you want it to be.


Blend that baby up and you have an awesome meal in a glass.


Perfect for when you want a light lunch or hearty snack. Chock full of all those things that are good for you.

Oh and before I forget. Last night I made Quinoa Salad with Mango & Herb Marinated Shrimp from Well Fed. Forget what I posted earlier about the beet quinoa. Make this recipe as soon as you possibly can. It is fabulous, especially if you happen to love mangoes, which I happen to know at least one of my readers does. AND it's Bryan-approved, unlike my earlier concoction.

And finally, what's with the weather. I know it's global warming and all but LA is a desert. When did it become humid like Hawaii? Yuck! Give me back my dry heat and sunny skies!