Fruity Fix : Simple Smoothies

[The makings of a good morning: blooming buds (thanks to the hubs) and a berry-licious smoothie.]

I've been on a smoothie kick lately. I know blending fruit isn't groundbreaking, but I guess I forgot how good a smoothie can be. It's quick, it's easy. The worst part is cleaning up! (I'm not a fan of cleaning, if you couldn't tell.)

Anyway, I got over my dislike for cleaning the blender and concocted two delicious smoothies this week: A very berry banana smoothie. A classic, I'd say. And then a peach mango smoothie that was like sunshine in a glass. Seriously. Sunshine.

I make my smoothies like I make my meals. No measuring; just wing it. A handful or two of fruit, a splash of milk, one more scoop of yogurt... For me, the crafting is half the fun. Blend, taste, add, blend some more... Until it's just right.

For the berry banana smoothie, I used frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries), a frozen small banana (cut into chunks), plain Greek non-fat yogurt, unsweetened almond milk and a little bit of mango "fruit smoothie" juice. I used restraint when dumping in the berries because I really wanted the banana flavor to shine through. I love banana.

For the peach mango version, I used frozen sliced peaches, a generous scoop of mango sorbet, plain Greek non-fat yogurt and unsweetened almond milk. I also added a little of that mango smoothie juice to help thin out the mixture, which was very thick thanks to the sorbet, while keeping that mango flavor.

The peachy mango smoothie was so rich and thick and creamy that it felt a little criminal, like I was having an ice cream shake! Granted, there was a spoonful of sorbet in there but overall it was a sweet afternoon treat that I could feel good, not guilty, about.

Do you enjoy making smoothies? What's your favorite concoction?

I, for one, can't wait to use the leftover raspberry sorbet in our freezer to blend up something amazing.