Summertime Smoothie Recipes

Summertime is the perfect time for smoothies! They are a great alternative to ice cream and can fill your sweet tooth craving with natural goodness.  Fruit juice or yogurt based smoothies are loaded in nutrients and antioxidants.  Plus, they are easy to make and you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand.  Whenever I have more ripe bananas than I can use, I throw some in the freezer for future smoothies.  For even extra nutrients, you can add a small handful of spinach leaves to berry smoothies and you won't even taste the difference!  Other examples of healthy add-ins are all-natural whey protein powder, ground flaxseed and bee pollen.

The instructions for the below recipes are to put all of the ingredients in the blender (break the frozen bananas into three or so pieces) and blend until the desired consistency is reached. Pour into a glass and serve immediately.  If you prefer a thicker consistency, add more fruit or less liquid. If you like it thinner, do the opposite.  The recipes listed will yield an amount for one large smoothie or two smaller ones.  You'll find that smoothies with fruit and ice will be more refreshing and thirst quenching, while ones with yogurt will be more rich and dessert-like.  Try different combinations and use your favorite fruit or juices for unique flavors!  Below are some of my favorite recipes, you can share yours on the The Natural Mommy Blog Facebook Community

  

For the dairy used in the recipes, I suggest using organic milk and yogurt.  Buying organic is especially important in dairy products as the genetically engineered bovine growth hormones used in all non-organic American dairy (unless the milk is labeled "“NO rBGH”) increases a person's cancer risks in addition to other disorders.  (Experts Dr. Michael Hansen from the Consumers Union and Dr. Samuel Epstein from the Cancer Prevention Coalition assert that milk from rBGH-injected cows contains substantially higher amounts of a potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1 as well as higher levels of pus, bacteria, and antibiotics.)

I recommend whole milk and yogurt for the smoothies as numerous studies reveal that a balanced diet including these actually leads to greater weight loss than a diet of skim or non-fat milk or yogurt.  For example, a 2005 study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine followed almost 13,000 children (ages nine to fourteen years of age) for three years.  They found that weight gain was associated with drinking reduced-fat and skim milk. 

If you have food allergies or are lactose intolerant, you may substitute the dairy with other healthy options such as almond milk, rice milk and coconut milk.  Regarding the honey used in the smoothies, please note that honey should never be given to a child under one year of age.  Other all-natural sweeteners that you could substitute are stevia, xylitol (birch syrup), date sugar and maple syrup.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 Cup Frozen Strawberries
1 Medium Frozen Banana
1 Cup Whole Milk

Citrus Berry Smoothie

1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berry
1 Cup 100% Orange Juice
 

Berries 'N Cream Smoothie

1 Cup Frozen Berries (Mixed Berries, Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries work well)
1 Cup Whole Milk

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

1 Medium Frozen Banana
1 Cup Whole Yogurt, Vanilla Flavored or Greek Yogurt
2 TBS Honey
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
1 Pinch Cinnamon (Can add more to taste)
(For extra chocolately

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

1 Frozen Banana
1 Cup Whole Yogurt, Vanilla Flavored or Greek Yogurt
2 TBS Peanut Butter*

¼ Cup Non-Fat Milk

*Almond and cashew butter are even healthier alternatives but can be more difficult to find and tend to be pricy. When selecting your brand, be sure to choose either an all-natural or organic variety with sugar instead of the typical high fructose corn syrup.  If you don't mind it not being as sweet, it's even better to select peanut butter made with one ingredient - "peanuts". Once you get used to peanut butter not tasting sweet as we have been conditioned to, you should enjoy the pure nutty taste.

Mango Apple Smoothie
1 Cup Frozen Mango
1 Cup 100% Apple Juice

Peach Smoothie

1 Cup Frozen Peaches
1 Cup 100% White Grape Juice