Summer Smoothies

Katie Bogue, R.D.

Fruit smoothies are the perfect summer food: nutritious, quick, and great-tasting! Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, smoothies are a great breakfast, snack, or meal. With all the fruits in season during the summer, like berries, mango, melon, peach, and strawberries, the hardest part is choosing what fruits to use.

A benefit of making smoothies yourself (besides saving a lot of money) is that you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to yield a smaller or larger size. Smoothies, though packed with nutrients, are high in calories, especially the big sizes they serve at smoothie stores. Did you know that a regular-sized smoothie can contain up to 500 calories?

Below is a basic recipe from Smoothie Central you can adapt to your likes and preferences. Trying to boost your calcium? Add milk or yogurt to the smoothie. Wanting to increase protein? Add peanut butter or soy protein powder. Watching what you eat? Cut the recipe in half.

1. Fresh, frozen, or canned fruit. Choose up to three:

Medium peeled orange, tangerine, or nectarine

1½ banana

1 cup strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries

1 cup cubed cantaloupe or honeydew

1 peeled kiwi

1 cup sliced mango or papaya

1 medium peach or apricot

1 cup grapes

1 cup cut pineapple

2. Juice (1/2 cup):

Orange

Grapefruit

Grape

Pineapple

Cranberry

Guava

3. Calcium-rich ingredients (optional, use 3/4 cup):

Low-fat milk

Soy milk

Yogurt

Low-fat frozen yogurt

Reduced-fat ice cream

4. Frozen treats (optional, use ½ cup):

Fruit sorbet

Sherbet

5. Protein supplements (optional, choose 1):

1 scoop soy protein powder

1-2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons ground nuts, like walnuts or almonds

6. Extras (optional, choose up to 2):

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

dash of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg

1½ teaspoon grated rind from orange or lemon

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