Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Belly Blasting Smoothies

smoothies, healthy smoothies, smoothie recipe

We're into smoothies around here. Not only are these delicious, they're super good for us, and they only take about 2 minutes to make. 

PLUS, if you make one of these three for your breakfast or lunch, they're low in calories but full of protein, so you'll be full until your next meal. 

I'm not into cleansing or fasting, but these smoothies do seem to do as they say - belly blasting, metabolism boosting and detoxifying. I always feel good after I have one, and I'm pretty sure that if I'd lay off having leftover spaghetti for breakfast (don't judge!), I'd probably lose some weight!  Plus they're certainly a lot better for the kids than a bowl of Lucky Charms.

My kids, especially my picky, on-the-go teens, love these smoothies. (In fact, my 15 year old daughter just told me that she didn't want school to end because she'd miss her smoothie in the morning! I told her I think I can manage to make her a smoothie ~ even in the summer.) 

So, without further ado, here are the three super delicious smoothies that we make, and I hope you'll love!

BELLY BLASTING MANGO SMOOTHIE

1/2 cup frozen mango cubes
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 packet sweetener if you want it sweeter 
4 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender or "magic bullet", until well combined. This takes about 1 minute. Serves 1. 

METABOLISM BOOSTING BANANA-MOCHA SMOOTHIE

1 large frozen banana

1/2 cup cold coffee (leftover is fine)
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Nestle)
1 tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
1 packet sweetener if you want it sweeter

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This takes about 1 minute. The result for this smoothie is just like a milkshake, and the kids favorite of all. Serves 1.

DETOX BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 cup plain low fat yogurt 
1 cup frozen blueberries 
1/4 cup fat free milk
4 ice cubes
2 TBSP honey

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This takes about 1 minute. Serves 1.

TIPS: 
  • Freeze bananas. I buy bananas, and when they're ripe, I chunk them up and put them in baggies in the freezer. 
  • I buy Dole frozen fruits - they have all sorts, but my favorites are blueberry and mango (just because of how high in anti-oxidants these two are)
  • Add sweetener at the end - only if you want it sweeter. You can use honey if you prefer. 
  • If the smoothie is too thick, I add a splash of fat free milk and blend to incorporate. 
smoothies, healthy smoothies, smoothie recipe

Do you make smoothies? What do you add yours to up the health benefits?


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6 comments:

pedtastic said...

Yum! Looks so delicious! I'd love it if yo shared this on Worthwhile Wednesdays http://thecraftiestallie.blogspot.com/2014/06/worthwhile-wednesdays-23.html
~Allie

Unknown said...

Thank you "Pedtastic"! They are yummy! I will be over! julia

Unknown said...

Great smoothie recipes! We love smoothies, too, but we don't make them as often as we should. I always use a banana and honey yogurt, then I just build on that. So easy and satisfying, you can't go wrong!

Unknown said...

Hi Charlee! thanks for stopping by - honey yogurt sounds good! I'll try that! Julia

Unknown said...

I love smoothies.
Today I posted a recipe for Strawberry plum smoothies... but after I took the picture I put it back in my blender and added a handful of spinach to make it healthier. And then I drank my breakfast.
I just knew the strawberries and spinach wouldn't give me as pretty of a picture for my blog. Ha ha.
I also sometimes add dry oatmeal, peanut butter (which I see you do), and ground flaxseed.
Thanks for the new ideas.

Lou Lou Girls said...

I'm going to make these! Pinned. Hugs! Lou Lou Girls