by Priscilla Benfield

Created on: May 17, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

Smoothies are a great way to get your daily recommended serving of fruit in an easy and delicious way. Your kids will love it too. The natural sweetness of the fruit and creaminess thanks to non-fat yogurt will please any finicky kid. Get your blender ready to go!

Smoothies can be made from almost any fruit or combination of fruits. Fresh or frozen, fruit is fruit. If using frozen fruit, let it defrost overnight in your refrigerator. (make sure to place the bag of fruit in a bowl) Experiment with different fruit combinations. The choices are endless.

Adding yogurt is a good way of adding calcium to your diet. Low-fat or non-fat yogurt, whatever you choose works fine. Purchase the large container of plain or vanilla yogurt to make it more economical. Yogurt can also be Vitamin D fortified but unless it says so on the container it probably isn't.

Soy milk is another healthy choice to add to your smoothies. Plain or vanilla, whatever you have on hand is fine. If the smoothie is a little thick you can add fruit juice. Use orange,apple,grape or any juice that will compliment the fruit you are using. Be careful of the sugar content in fruit juices. You are trying to make a healthy drink so read the label and see what you are really adding. A low-sugar juice that might not taste good alone will work well in this smoothie recipe.

Getting started: Most blenders can accommodate about 32 ounces of liquid. While blending you want to not exceed 30 ounces at a time.

Prepare your fruit by cutting into pieces. For example: a large strawberry should have the top cut off and then sliced in half. Bananas can be sliced into thick chunks. Peel and slice kiwi fruit. Wash fruit and remove any stems or skin.

Possible fruit combinations: strawberry and banana, blueberry and banana, mixed berries, papaya and banana, kiwi and strawberry, strawberry, blueberry and banana, mango, pineapple and papaya

Recycle empty water bottles by filling them with smoothies. Leave a little room to shake before you drink it for a grab and go smoothie.

Put 1 cup of yogurt into the blender. Add 1 cup of fruit and blend. Add another cup of fruit and 1/4 cup of liquid. Soy milk or juice. Blend again. Add another cup of fruit and blend until smooth. This should give you close to 30 ounces of smoothie. Pour into glasses or containers and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers.

Tips: 1 banana equals 1 cup of fruit. Bananas do have a strong flavor and might over power some fruits. Add 1/2 cup at a time until you are satisfied with the flavor combination. If you prefer a thinner smoothie use less yogurt and more of your choice of liquid. If you cannot have yogurt, substitute fruit juice or soy milk.

This smoothie recipe can be altered to please any tastes or dietary restrictions. The important part is that you make it yourself, it has no added sugar and it is a healthy drink that is great anytime of the day.

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