When son was still living at home, he was a real fan of Jamba Juice, our local chain smoothie shop. The three of us would often go together when we were out and about, and occasionally on the weekends, I'd try whipping up my own versions at home.
For Christmas, I got a nice new blender. Back story - I've kind of had a history of getting a new blender every few years, always on the lookout for the perfect one. Well this new one is by Waring, with a square glass jar, and a simple on/off switch. I've kind of been eyeing this one a while, as I remember it being very close to the one my mom used when I was a kid. (And what I most remember her making with it was milkshakes! We even had milkshake glasses!) I digress . . .anyway new blender + bag o'frozen fruit = smoothies on Saturday.
Basically, when I make smoothies, I also scour the kitchen for random ingredients, so if there's just a little orange juice in the carton, in it goes, or a lone banana, same thing. My basic "recipe":
milk and/or juice
frozen fruit or fresh
a tub of yougurt
a splash of (usually) almond flavoring
I start with liquid on the bottom, then add everything else, stirring, tasting, adding along the way.
When using fresh fruit, I'll toss in half a dozen ice cubes at the end. Another great idea is when you have bananas you don't use, throw them in the freezer - they are a great add to homemade smoothies! Really, any assortment goes. Some are better than others, but they're all healthy, tasty, and a nice treat that's kind of special.
What a wonderful smoothie! Glad your husband brought home and item not on the list! COOL!
ReplyDeleteMmmm, my husband loves smoothies! I buy the so-ripe-they're-almost-brown bananas at the store for 39-cents, cut them in half and freeze them. Add some frozen strawberries and blueberries, plus juice and almond milk, and he's got a (marginally) healthy breakfast.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I'm done with this linky...I'm off to make a smoothie and put frozen berries on my TJ's list. :) Going to check out that blender too. hehe
ReplyDeletelooks yummy, we have the blendtec blender, my husband uses it every day, me- not so much, but when I do MAKE smoothies, they are so GOOD!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing posts on blogs, that are not quilty posts but you still see some lovely quilting projects in the background. :)
ReplyDeleteBut the smoothies too, I like how they look! Mmmmm.
My kids love smoothies, and I love throwing in the random bits of produce we have laying around. I pretty much always throw in spinach, too, since you can't really taste it. If I weren't so cold right now I'd go whip one up for a snack! The almond flavoring is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteThose look sooo good!!! I will have to try making some!
ReplyDeleteWe've been in the Vita Mix smoothie mode for at least a couple of months now. Jer gets in these "modes"...so we've been having smoothies at least two or three times a day. More juice drinks than true smoothies. He doesn't usually include yogurt or milk. His favorite has a whole grapefruit. A bit tangy for me. His usual includes whole pealed orange, lemon, banana and either a pear or an apple, without the seeds. This morning he put in a couple of carrots...last week we had cucumbers a couple of times. If there is spinach in the fridge---or kale, it will likely end up in the noon or evening juice. He and Mike (son) dream up concoctions every time we get together. Mike is really into "JUICING". I think we're a bit healthier this winter...and Jer's blood sugars have been down, so we can thank all that fiber he's been drinking for that!
ReplyDeleteThe milkshakes...hmmm. Your sweet mama is so wise and wonderful. I'm thinkin a chocolate peppermint milkshake would be tasty! Good thing to do with those left over Christmas candy canes. Thanks for the "shake" reminder.
mmmm.... i want one right now!
ReplyDelete