Hands down, one of my favorite non-alcoholic beverages of
the summer is a Smoothie! Just like most of America, I’m riding the new ‘health
kick’ wave so here’s a great way to enjoy a delicious snack, and yes I’m saying
snack, and be healthy. If you’re not into the health kick, which is completely
fine, smoothies don’t just have to be made with fruits and vegetables. They can
be made with chocolate and peanut butter.
Photo credit http://www.tablespoon.com/assets/recipe/r34012fp.jpg
A little history lesson on smoothies: Smoothies originated
in Brazil, the fruit capital of the world, yet were not the smoothies we know
today. The idea began to travel up through Latin America hitting Mexico in the
1950s before traveling up to the West Coast during the 1960s. The first place to
sell smoothies in the U.S. was the California Smoothie Company, then eventually
branching out all over the states.
Health Benefits of smoothies: There are all kinds of
vitamins and minerals found in smoothies. Like Vitamin C, potassium and foliate
found in citrus fruits. Vitamin C helps with your immune system, Potassium
helps main a normal blood pressure and foliate promotes healthy cells. In berry
smoothies there are antioxidants that decrease inflammation and phytonutrients
that help fight disease. In tropical fruits there are Vitamin C, potassium, foliate,
and manganese. Manganese helps keep your bones, blood sugar, thyroid glands and
nerve healthy.
Want to learn more about the health benefits, visit http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-fruit-smoothies-6124.html
Enough about the health stuff! Now down to the deliciousness
that is the smoothie. Smoothies are a blended, typically fruit drink, although
they can be made with other ingredients. Smoothies can have a base of milk,
yogurt or ice cream. Some popular add-ins to smoothies is soymilk, whey powder,
and green tea.
Here are two of my favorite kinds of smoothies!
Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie! Ready for the recipe!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
What you need:
1 ½ cups pomegranate juice
1 ¼ cup blueberries
¾ cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 ½ cups ice
How-to:
Place the pomegranate juice, blueberries, yogurt, honey and
ice in the blender. Turn on high and blend until smooth or you get the
consistence you desire. Then enjoy!
Recipte can be found at
The next is a Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie! I know it’s a mouthful but trust me it’s delicious!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 to 2 smoothies (depending on size)
What you need:
2 frozen, peeled, bananas
½ cup of milk
3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
¼ cup of old fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
or chocolate syrup
½ cup to 1 cup of ice
How-to
Add all ingredients into blender with the ice on top. Blend
until smooth. Then, Enjoy!
Recipe can be found at
Are you going to ride the “health wave” and blend a smoothie
filled with your favorite fruits? Or are you going to enjoy a chocolate
dessert-like treat?
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