A Smoothie A Day -

What better way to start your day than with a frothing glass of goodness that is good for you. There is no hard and fast rule when making a smoothie. I prefer one that is filling and fulfills many of my daily dietary needs, especially necessary fiber. I find if I create the proper smoothie as my morning meal, I need nothing more to eat until mid-day. The only kitchen 'paraphernalia' you need is a blender. If making one smoothie I fill the blender half full. For two, I fill to the top.

My basic ingredients:

Fruit: This can really be anything on hand or anything I want from mangoes to blueberries. Some that I enjoy: bananas, papaya, apple, blueberries, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew, blackberries, raspberries, oranges you get the picture. These fruits can 'stand alone' or 'mix and match'. They can also be fresh, frozen or canned.

Juice: Again the choice is yours. I like mango/passion fruit but have used berry, orange, pomegranate, cranberry you name it. I use either bottled, frozen or the fresh varieties. With cut up fruit in the blender, I add juice to the top of the fruit.

Almond (rice or cow's) milk: I add almond milk because I read it is good for the brain, and I like it. The milk gives the smoothie a creamier texture. You may find you would just as soon leave it out. Fine! I add cup for a single and or more for a double.

Peanut, almond or cashew butter: I add a nut butter to give the smoothie some protein and also it satisfies my hunger for longer in the day. I find a heaping tablespoon for one and two heaping tablespoons for two gives the smoothie a nutty taste. I like to use the crunchy butter, you can choose smooth if that sounds better. Or, if this doesn't appeal to you skip it.

Yogurt: I use either plain or vanilla flavored, high quality yogurt. All yogurts contain acidophilus which is good bacteria for the belly. Activia by Dannon has added probiotics as do other brands you can find in your favorite supermarket or health food store.

Ground flax seed: Ahhh, the fiber. Fresh, ground flax seed has a wonderful nutty flavor and it is definitely a great fiber source. I add a nice rounded tablespoon for each smoothie.

Now this may sound like something you really don't want to do every morning, but believe me, I can't imagine a morning without it. It is something I look forward to each morning and can be easily consumed while I am on the run. The entire process takes no longer than ten minutes and cleanup is simply the blender pitcher.

If for some reason I am away from my blender - i.e. travelling on a sailing boat, staying in hotels, camping I find a plastic shaker bottle (mine has a stainless ball spring in it) works great for a simple version of the smoothie. In the simple version I use only juice, almond milk, yogurt and ground flax seed. Try it you'll like it! So will your tummy!

Learn more about this author, Sandra Johnson Pettigrew.
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