The Smoothie life

Want to have a filling but healthy breakfast ? Then you have to try my favorite awesome smoothie, really simple to make; just follow the directions and you are good to go.

Cherry Vanilla breakfast smoothie

* 1 cup Frozen Cherries (not in syrup, try organic if possible)
* 1 cup Frozen Strawberries (not in syrup, try organic if possible)
* 1 Tbsp ground flax seed (organic food store or WildHarvest)
* 2 Tbsp wheat germ or wheat bran (seriously, they CAN NOT taste it!)
* 2 small scoops fat free vanilla frozen yogurt
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 cup of 100% cranberry juice
* 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Blend until smooth; add ice to thicken or juice to thin, as desired.
This smoothie provides excellent basic nutritional needs for children to get going in the morning. Makes two servings!

Want a sweet and healthy way to start off your Thanksgiving breakfast? This smoothie, packed with superfoods, is the answer. It's low fat and chock-full of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
Pumpkin Smoothies

* 4 whole wheat graham crackers (squares)
* 1 cup frozen banana slices
* 1/2 cup ice
* 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (unsweetened)
* 1-1/2 cups orange juice
* 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla soy milk
* 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
* 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Put all ingredients in a Vita Mix or regular blender in order listed and blend until smooth. Optional: Garnish with additional graham cracker crumbs.

Serves 3.

Per serving: 206 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein, 199% Vitamin A, 101% Vitamin C, 11% c

Nutritious and versatile, smoothies are an excellent way of grabbing a quick meal, especially at this time of year when luscious summer fruits are about to come into their own. Smoothies, long popular in health-conscious California, make the ideal breakfast, lunch or snack, especially for those on a diet, as they are generally low in fat and calories. And many summer fruits are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, to protect against free radicals, as well as providing fibre and upping your daily fruit intake to the recommended five portions.

The best approach is to use whatever fruit is in season and make up your own combinations: try to balance tart and sweet fruit, plus fibre-rich bananas, mangoes and pineapple with watery fruit like strawberries, kiwi fruit and oranges. Add yoghurt for creaminess and calcium, and ice cubes for extra chill, but only if your blender has strong enough blades (a gentler and quieter alternative is to use crushed ice).

If you have a glut of fruit in the garden, or if you have been extra-greedy at a pick-your-own farm, smoothies are the ideal way of using up lots of fresh fruit. If you are feeling adventurous, add a little grated fresh root ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla extract to the blender. The only equipment you will need is a blender and you will have a glassful of goodness in just a few seconds.

You can't beat yogurt for healthy protein and bone-building calcium. And, like other low-fat dairy foods, yogurt may also help you lose weight, research suggests. For a summertime snack or family breakfast, make a batch of smoothies.

"It's really easy, and you don't need a recipe," says Zelman. "Smoothies are very personal, so you should try different combinations."

Use any fruit juice and/or dairy (like plain nonfat yogurt or skim milk) for your "liquid." Generally, you need a half-cup of each liquid, plus a handful of ice.

Bananas are a key ingredient in smoothies. Store ripe or overripe bananas in your freezer just for smoothies. Throw them in the blender frozen; they'll make your smoothie very creamy.

Add another soft fruit: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or mangoes. Experiment!
Mango-Banana Yogurt Smoothie

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
Handful of ice
One frozen ripe banana
One chopped ripe mango

Blend until nearly smooth -- and enjoy!

I found the smoothies absolutely delicious, easy, quick, and very filling. I along with many others say they feel healthier and very satisfied on the plan. I lost 7 pounds in the first 3 days and 15 pounds in the first week! I continued to lose an average of 3 to 4 pounds a week for several weeks and I am now 30+ pounds lighter! Try it and you will be amazed and so pleased at how fast this plan works. It worked for me and it can work for you.

It is real easy, what I did was have a healthy fruit smoothie for breakfast combined with maybe a Banana on the side and then for lunch I would have a Large Salad with diced Chicken or just without, low fat dressing and maybe some cottage cheese on the side and then for dinner I would have a smoothie again, lots of fresh fruit mixed in there.

Depending on what you toss in them, smoothies offer a wide range of immediate heart-saving, muscle-building, brain-juicing, mood-boosting benefits. We provide the building blocks and the blueprints -- all you need to do is liquefy.

BRAIN BOOSTER SMOOTHIE

The berries here aren't just super food for your brain; they offer an important cancer-fighting bonus.

1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c fresh or frozen raspberries
1 c pineapple OJ
1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 c ice

BERRY BERRY SMOOTHIE

Using all unsweetened fruit, this recipe delivers an antioxidant whallop without the sugar.

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries

3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1 cup soy milk or 1% milk

MEMORY AID SMOOTHIE

This low-calorie smoothie is a good source of fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. Blueberries in particular contain compounds that can help prevent cataracts, cancer, constipation, and memory loss.

1/2 c orange juice

1 pint nonfat vanilla or peach frozen yogurt

2 1/2 c sliced peaches

3/4 fresh or frozen blueberries

Greens are so important in today's world, with all of the toxins out there it is important to get plenty of greens in you and what better way to do that then with
a Tasty and healthy green smoothie. Here is just one of the many ways you too can go green.

Basic Green Smoothie

3 or more cups of washed organic leafy greens (spinach, romaine, collards or a combination of the three)
1 cup of freshly squeezed juice from an orange
1 frozen banana
1 tbsp of golden ground flax

Toss in a blender and blend until smooth

If you want to have a healthy heart and good blood circulation throughout your body, you need to regularly supply your body with flavonoids, which are natural nutrients that have antioxidant properties.

Raw, organic chocolate is one of nature's most flavonoid-rich foods. When eaten on its own or with other healthy foods, raw, organic chocolate can help keep your cardiovascular system strong and healthy.

The following heart healthy chocolate smoothie recipe makes for an excellent breakfast or post-workout meal. While it doesn't contain the same amount of caffeine that a cup of Joe does, it provides loads of nutrients that can significantly boost your energy.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds, soaked for 3-5 hours
10 small dates or 4 large Medjool dates
3 tablespoons raw, organic chocolate powder
4 frozen bananas (slice into small pieces before freezing)

Directions:

Use a Vita-Mix blender or any other strong blender to blend almonds with one cup of water; blend until almonds are completely broken down into almond milk.

Add another cup of water, dates, raw chocolate powder, and banana slices to the almond milk in the blender. Blend until ingredients turn into a thick smoothie that resembles ice cream. Pour into tall glasses and enjoy these delicious, heart healthy chocolate smoothies.

Note: For an extra boost of flavor, add a touch of pure vanilla extract or a small piece of vanilla pod before the second blending.

The quantities listed in the ingredients section produce approximately 2 large servings.

Blueberries and bananas are blended with antioxidant-rich acai berry juice in one of my favorite smoothie recipes.

You don't need a special smoothie maker to make these antioxidant-rich fruit smoothies. Just use your Vita Mix, blender, or food processor.
Blueberry Banana Smoothies

* 2 cups frozen blueberries
* 2 very ripe bananas -- not frozen
* 8 oz. acai berry juice, such as Bom Dia Acai Berry Cacao
* 4 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt

Combine all ingredients in your blender or VitaMix and blend until smooth.