Cool It by Lucretia Schanfarber

Chill out on hot summer days with frosty fruit smoothies. Bursting with all the juicy goodness of fruit, smoothies rehydrate and nourish while they satisfy and soothe your thirst. Best of all, they’re quick and easy to make at home.

Be creative. All you need is a blender, ice, and a steady supply of basic smoothie ingredients. Here are four fruit smoothie recipes to get you started:

Blueberry Banana Blast

2 cups (500 mL) organic apple cider or apple juice
1 cup (250 mL) organic blueberries (fresh or frozen)
7/8 cup (220 mL) crushed ice
1 small ripe banana, sliced

Place all ingredients in a blender. Press blender lid firmly in place. Blend on high speed until smooth and frothy. Makes 2 large smoothies.

Quick tip #1

Get in the habit of putting your over-ripe, unpeeled bananas in the freezer. Use these frozen bananas to add flavour, texture, and frostiness to your smoothies. To use, remove frozen, unpeeled banana from the freezer and hold under hot tap water until the peel softens enough to remove thoroughly. Small bananas can be added to the blender without cutting, but large ones need to be cut or broken into a few pieces.

Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie

2 cups (500 mL) organic orange juice
1 cup (250 mL) organic strawberries (fresh or frozen)
7/8 cup (220 mL) crushed ice
7/8 cup (220 mL) plain, organic, low-fat yogourt
¼ tsp (1 mL) pure vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender. Press blender lid firmly in place. Blend on high speed until smooth and frothy. Makes 2 large smoothies.

Mango Tango

1 cup (250 mL) mango or passion fruit juice
1 cup (250 mL) pineapple juice
7/8 cup (220 mL) crushed ice
1 fresh mango, peeled and sliced
1 fresh peach, peeled and sliced
juice of one small lime

Place all ingredients in a blender. Press blender lid firmly in place. Blend on high speed until smooth and frothy. Makes 2 large smoothies.

Quick tip #2

Just before cutting and squeezing the juice from citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits), place the fruit on a cutting board or counter. Firmly roll the fruit back and forth with the flat palm of your hand until the fruit is softened. This rolling motion gently releases more of the juices.

Cranberry Chiller

1 cup (250 mL) organic cranberry juice
1 cup (250 mL) organic white grape juice
1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen raspberries
7/8 cup (220 mL) crushed ice
Organic raw sugar to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender. Press blender lid firmly in place. Blend on high speed until smooth and frothy. Makes 2 large smoothies.

Keep it cool this summer. Indulge yourself, your family, and friends with delicious, guilt-free fruit smoothies.

Smoothie Shopping List

The basic steps for making blended fruit smoothies are easy to follow. Just keep your fridge well-stocked with a wide variety of organic smoothie ingredients, and you'll always be ready to create your own summertime thirst quenchers. Here's a handy shopping list of smoothie ingredients:

bottled or frozen fruit juices, unsweetened (apple, cherry, cranberry, grape, guava, mango, orange, passion fruit)
milk, soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk
cocoa powder
sweeteners (honey, raw sugar, maple syrup, molasses, stevia)
yogourt (plain, and unsweetened)
fresh and frozen fruits (bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mango, oranges, papaya, peaches, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries)
protein powder
fermented soy powder

About The Author

Lucretia Schanfarber began her career in natural health care more than 30 years ago. She is recognized for her many contributions in promoting the principles of natural healing as a writer, editor, and radio broadcaster. Lucretia writes about health and healing, organic gardening and environmental health and is a regular contributor to alive magazine. Visit http://alive.com for related articles.