Recipe for a Healthy Fruit Smoothie

A fruit smoothie is a yogurt based drink that offers a healthy alternative for a snack, a dessert, or as a breakfast alternative. This is a very versatile drink, not only can you add your favorite fruits, you can also add nutritional supplement powders to meet your dietary needs.

I have to admit that my husband and I are getting rather addicted to the world of fruit smoothies. And during my search, I've found that there are many different ways in which to create a smoothie. Our own experiments have led us to create variations of this simple smoothie.

• 1 frozen banana cut into chunks

• 1 frozen apple peeled and cut into chunks

• 1 cup of frozen blueberries

• 1 cup of Vanilla Yogurt

1. Add the blueberries and apples into the blender and blend.

2. Then add the frozen banana chucks to the mix and blend.

3. Add 1 cup of vanilla yogurt. (You can also use plain yogurt. My advice is to use plain or vanilla to suit your own taste.)

4. Blend until thick and creamy.

Another way in which to make the same smoothie is the addition of ice. This is what I call, the head freeze method. Why? It gives you an instant "head freeze", of course.

• 1 frozen banana cut into chunks

• 1 frozen apple peeled and cut into chunks

• 1 cup of frozen blueberries

• 1 cup of Vanilla Yogurt

• 1/2 cup crushed ice

1. Add the blueberries and apples into the blender and blend.

2. Then add the frozen banana chucks to the mix and blend.

3. Add 1 cup of vanilla yogurt.

4. Blend until thick and creamy.

5. Add 1/4 cup crushed ice and blend. Once the ice is blended in the mixture, it is time to serve.

Note: If you use Plain Yogurt, you can add 1 tablespoon of Agave Syrup to the fruit mixture.

Not all fruit are created equal when it comes to storing your drink in the refrigerator.

If you choose to store a smoothie in a refrigerator, do the following:

1. Place the smoothie in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

2. Place in the refrigerator set at around 40 degrees. Store for no longer than 24 hours.

Will storing your fruit in the refrigerator cause the fruit to discolor? Yes, it can. It really depends upon the fruit you use. For instance, as a banana ripens it turns brown. As you might expect, the color and texture of a smoothie with a banana as one of the ingredients will turn brown within a day after putting the drink in the refrigerator. However, though the color and texture of the drink may change, it is still safe to drink a smoothie with discolored bananas, though it may not be as appealing to the eye.

You can freeze your smoothie. Some have stated that they did not like the texture or flavor of the smoothie after freezing it.

1. Place the smoothie in an airtight container.

2. When you are ready to eat it, slightly thaw and blend to the consistency that you want. I have kept smoothies in my freezer for about a week without any noticeable change in flavor.

A healthy fruit smoothie is a nice excursion from the typical method of eating fruit. In fact, it creates a healthy drink that includes complex carbs, fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients, if you choose to add additional nutritional supplements. And, the best part, the fiber it contains, does not taste like cardboard.