Nothing extraordinary, but here's a simple, reliable smoothie recipe. The idea comes from my son's "Patrick Smoothie". He's likes to put crushed ice in a cup and add about 1/2 milk and 1/2 orange juice.
Strawberries are used here to give the smoothie a thick texture, in place of bananas. Milk is used as the liquid, rather than yogurt. It works very well when eaten freshly prepared. Storing leftovers is less ideal, but is mentioned at the end of the recipe.
A couple of comments about milk: First, ultra pasturized milk is showing up on the grocery shelves more and more frequently. Is this a safety concern or for economic reasons, i.e., due to the extended shelf life? Ultra-pasturized is on the list of substances that "may contain MSG," so I avoid it when I can conveniently do so. I'm also not keen on killing more things in the milk that are beneficial to us with the higher heat used to ultra-pasturize. Second, I've switched to full fat dairy. The dietary mantra for the last few decades has been to use low fat and fat-free foods. Sounds fine, if that's the natural state of the food. Distrupting the balance of nutrients and structure of a whole food that contains a fat in it's natural state doesn't sound like a good idea, though. I haven't gained any weight and feel good after eating meals.
Store bought frozen fruit doesn't work well if it's been sitting in the freezer too long. Whenever available, I like to use locally grown frozen fruit. It tastes good. Directions are given below for freezing fruit. Storebought wins over on convenience, though.
2:1 ratio of whole milk to frozen strawberries + optional other fruit
glop (or 1 t to each 2 c of smoothie) of vanilla extract (see "vanilla extra" blogpost, storebought is fine too)
optional: dolop maple syrup or other sweetener
1. Use store bought frozen fruit or freeze your own. To freeze fruit: Strawberries and blueberries are easy, good ones to start with. Arrange pieces of fruit the size you'll be using on a cookie sheet (or whatever is flat and will fit in your freezer) so individual pieces don't touch each other. When frozen, store in a ziploc bag. Use within a year.
2. Blend milk and frozen fruit in a blender, using at least twice as much milk as fruit. Two fruit combinations work well, such as strawberries and peaches or strawberries and blueberries. It's easy to wing it with the quantities. If the smoothie isn't mixing well, add more milk.
3. Add vanilla extact and, optionally, add maple syrup or other sweetener to taste.
4. Storing leftovers: it's best not to have leftovers. Rather than throw away extra, the smoothie can be stored in the fridge. It separates, so isn't great. It can be put stored in a ziplock leftover container in the freezer, too. This allows storing as long as needed, but requires some time to thaw before enjoying.
Strawberries are used here to give the smoothie a thick texture, in place of bananas. Milk is used as the liquid, rather than yogurt. It works very well when eaten freshly prepared. Storing leftovers is less ideal, but is mentioned at the end of the recipe.
A couple of comments about milk: First, ultra pasturized milk is showing up on the grocery shelves more and more frequently. Is this a safety concern or for economic reasons, i.e., due to the extended shelf life? Ultra-pasturized is on the list of substances that "may contain MSG," so I avoid it when I can conveniently do so. I'm also not keen on killing more things in the milk that are beneficial to us with the higher heat used to ultra-pasturize. Second, I've switched to full fat dairy. The dietary mantra for the last few decades has been to use low fat and fat-free foods. Sounds fine, if that's the natural state of the food. Distrupting the balance of nutrients and structure of a whole food that contains a fat in it's natural state doesn't sound like a good idea, though. I haven't gained any weight and feel good after eating meals.
Store bought frozen fruit doesn't work well if it's been sitting in the freezer too long. Whenever available, I like to use locally grown frozen fruit. It tastes good. Directions are given below for freezing fruit. Storebought wins over on convenience, though.
2:1 ratio of whole milk to frozen strawberries + optional other fruit
glop (or 1 t to each 2 c of smoothie) of vanilla extract (see "vanilla extra" blogpost, storebought is fine too)
optional: dolop maple syrup or other sweetener
1. Use store bought frozen fruit or freeze your own. To freeze fruit: Strawberries and blueberries are easy, good ones to start with. Arrange pieces of fruit the size you'll be using on a cookie sheet (or whatever is flat and will fit in your freezer) so individual pieces don't touch each other. When frozen, store in a ziploc bag. Use within a year.
2. Blend milk and frozen fruit in a blender, using at least twice as much milk as fruit. Two fruit combinations work well, such as strawberries and peaches or strawberries and blueberries. It's easy to wing it with the quantities. If the smoothie isn't mixing well, add more milk.
3. Add vanilla extact and, optionally, add maple syrup or other sweetener to taste.
4. Storing leftovers: it's best not to have leftovers. Rather than throw away extra, the smoothie can be stored in the fridge. It separates, so isn't great. It can be put stored in a ziplock leftover container in the freezer, too. This allows storing as long as needed, but requires some time to thaw before enjoying.