Yogurt Fruit Smoothies

How to Make Perfect Smoothies

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:23:00 +0000

Here are Tips to Making Your Smoothies Perfect

Make your Smoothie Healthy

There are lots of small substitutions you can make to lower the fat or sugar content of your smoothies. Use skim or soy milk instead of regular milk, or frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. Yogurt contains beneficial bacteria which are not at all harmed by being blended up with ice or frozen fruit.

Do not use fruit juices as your liquid base. Fruit juices tend to have high sugar content. You can even use coffee or green tea. Coffee goes particularly well in smoothies made with banana, nut butter, and/or cocoa powder. Green tea is a great match for strawberries or peaches. Plus coffee and green tea contains antioxidants that are beneficial to the body.

To make the smoothie a bit more substantial, add some extra protein powder, wheat germ, or brewer's yeast. You can also boost the protein content of your smoothie by adding a chunk of tofu or a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter or other nut butter. Peanut butter goes particularly well in smoothies that contain bananas.

Don't try adding raw egg to your smoothie. There's a slight danger of salmonella poisoning with uncooked eggs. Add 2 tablespoons of flax, chia, or hemp seed to add some extra fiber, protein, and a nice helping of omega-3 fatty acids.

If you're adding flax seed to your smoothie, drink them within twenty minutes or so. Flax seed contains a lot of soluble fiber, which tends to absorb liquid and form a gel. That's great when it happens in your body; not so great when it happens in your glass. So If you're not going to be drinking your smoothie within twenty minutes or so, you may leave the flax out.

You can use Cocoa Powder to add protein to your smoothie. Cocoa powder is jam packed with flavanols-the compounds that make chocolate good for your body. It's low in calories, contains no sugar, and is virtually fat-free, unlike chocolates.

Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder for a heart-healthy boost. Cocoa powder tastes good in smoothies made with bananas and/or nut butter. Try to avoid "dutched" or alkalized cocoa powder, which has less than half the flavanol content of regular cocoa powder.

A great way to sneak another serving of vegetables into your day is throwing in a handful of raw spinach or other leafy greens into your smoothie. Although it turns your smoothie a bright, virtuous-looking green color, you can't really taste them.

Greens go well with strawberry or peach flavored smoothies. However, if the milk or yogurt in your smoothie is your primary source of calcium, you might want to have the greens at a different meal because greens that contain Oxalates such as spinach, can interfere with your ability to absorb calcium.

Best Fruit Selection

If you use frozen fruit, your smoothie will be thick and frosty, like a milkshake. Frozen bananas are great for this because they contain pectin, a sort of fiber that makes the smoothie extra creamy-tasting. If your bananas are getting a little too ripe, freeze them to use for smoothies. Just remember to peel your bananas before tossing them in the freezer or you'll have a hard time peeling them once they're frozen!

Frozen berries are also great in smoothies, as well as peaches and mangoes. Add about one serving of fruit to the blender. If you prefer to use fresh fruit, add a couple of ice cubes as well.

Perfect Blending

Add the liquids to the blender first, to prevent it from binding up on the frozen fruit and getting stuck. Don't put too much in your jar or your blender will never achieve proper circulation, even with the most powerful motor. Put in just enough so your blender can achieve proper liquid circulation in about 30 - 45 seconds.
Then whiz everything in the blender on high until it's completely blended.

If your smoothies are coming out thinner than you'd like, add a few more ice cubes to the recipe. If your smoothie is too thick, you may be using too much frozen fruit or too many ice cubes. Thin it by adding a bit of water or even a splash of green tea or coffee.

Get the Perfect Juicer

Machines with a 1/3 to 1/2 horsepower rating are better able to quickly and efficiently process tough vegetables, like beets. A large feeding tube (at least 3 inches wide) eliminates the need to cut up produce and makes cleanup easier. And a stable base with evenly distributed weight can prevent leak-inducing vibrations. Try the Breville Juice Fountain Compact BJE200XL, which was also highly rated by Consumer Reports.

If you have more fresh fruit than frozen you may want to add a few extra ice cubes to give the smoothie a cooler temperature and better texture. Mixing ice with fruit makes the smoothie cool, delicious, and refreshing.

To grab a smoothie on the go, make them up ahead of time. You can freeze a smoothie and thaw it out when you want it. You'll need to allow some space in the container because your smoothie will likely expand when freezing.

Dress up your smoothie with all kinds of extras: flax, chia, hemp, or any fruit toppings of your choice.

Sunrise Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:20:00 +0000

A healthy great-tasting fresh fruit yogurt smoothie

2 medium bananas, peeled, cut up and frozen
1 cup fresh or unsweetened frozen strawberries
Fresh strawberries (optional)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
6 to 8 ice cubes

In a blender, combine bananas, 1 cup strawberries, juice and yogurt. Cover; blend until pureed.

With blender running, add ice one cube at a time through feed tube, until desired consistency. You may garnish it with strawberries. Serves 3 or 4.

Reduce Risk of Excess Belly Fat through Magnesium-Rich Foods
Banana is high in magnesium. A diet rich in magnesium reduces risk of excess belly fat, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar- the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

Orange Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Here's a delicious and tropical Orange Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

1 cup of orange juice
5 ripe strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup of milk
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup of natural yogurt
3 ice cubes

Place ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Makes 2 glasses. Serve.

Oranges are loaded with disease "phyt-ing" phytochemicals. Flavonoids, which are found in oranges, act as antioxidants and may protect against heart disease. According to a Finnish study, women with the greatest intake of flavonoids had half the risk of dying from heart disease compared to women in the study with the lowest intake.

Cherry Berry Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:41:00 +0000

1 cup low-fat cherry yogurt
1 cup frozen, pitted cherries
1/4 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cups frozen, unsweetened blueberries

Combine the yogurt and cranberry juice in a blender. Add the cherries and berries.

Blend until smooth. Makes about 2 & 1/2 cups, serves 2.

Speed fat burn with Cranberries. The ascorbic acid in cranberries helps thin liver bile, making it easier for the organ to emulsify fat so so it can be quickly flushed out of the system rather than stored in cells.

Cherry Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:36:00 +0000

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cherries, frozen
1 banana
1/2 teaspoon stevia
4 ice cubes
3/4 cup water

Add water, yogurt, cherries, banana, ice, and stevia into the blender in that order. Blend until smooth. Serves 1-2.

Cherries are rich in melatonin said to destroy "free radicals" which are toxins believed to cause or worsen diseases. Cherries may lower uric acid levels when consumed daily.

Strawberry Cereal Low-Fat Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:06:00 +0000

A delicious, healthy, and figure-friendly Strawberry Low-Fat Yogurt Smoothie

1/2 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
2/3 cup skim milk
1 medium bananan

1/2 cup low-fat multigrain cereal
honey, cereals and fruits

In a blender, 1/2 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt, 2/3 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup fresh strawberries and 1 medium banana; blend until smooth.

Add 1/2 cup low-fat multi-grain cereal and blend for 5 seconds. Add honey to sweeten, if desired.

Garnish your smoothie with cereal or fruit, or both! Makes 2 servings

Plain cereals are relatively low in calories but serving it with ingredients like whole milk can more than double the calorie content of cereals.

Enriched cereals are high in iron, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin, along with other B vitamins.

Banana Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 13:28:00 +0000

1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 banana sliced
4-5 strawberries, hulled and cut in half
2 cups ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Eating lots of yogurt can help to strengthen bones and teeth because yogurt is high in calcium. Plus Yogurt is not fattening. Plain yogurt contains one third of the fat than one piece of apple pie does.

Peachy Dream Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:18:00 +0000

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peaches
1/2 banana
1/2 cold water
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Protein powder used as an ingredient in a morning smoothie is a nutritious breakfast for those who cannot tolerate solid foods in the morning but realize the importance of consuming a healthy breakfast.

Banana Yogurt Cream Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:13:00 +0000

One scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 ripe banana
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 Tablespoon half-n-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

The potassium in bananas helps your body maintain fluid balance in blood and tissue cells. Potassium is also an essential mineral for protein synthesis and the building of muscle because it stimulates nerve impulses for muscle contraction.

Blueberry Peach Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:45:00 +0000

1 whole banana -- frozen
1 cup frozen peach slices
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon wheat germ

Place banana, frozen peach slices, blueberries, yogurt and wheat germ in a blender and process until smooth. serves/makes 2

Savoring Berries can oust mart snack attacks for 4 hours and help you shed 5% of your body weight in 6 months. The credit goes to dozens of blood sugar stabilizing antioxidants. Blueberries are so packed with them, just a half cup daily can boost your blood levels by 100%.

Double-Peach Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:38:00 +0000

1 cup(s) peeled, sliced peaches
1 cup(s) peach juice or nectar, chilled
1/2 cup(s) vanilla low-fat yogurt
3 ice cubes

In blender, combine peaches, peach juice, yogurt, and ice and blend until mixture is smooth and frothy. Pour into 2 tall glasses.

The scent that makes you skinny effortlessly! Simply smelling a peach can help you shed 24 pounds this month without dieting, report scientists at Chicago's Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Sweet scents trick the brain into feeling full, so food intake drops, says study author Alan Hirsch, M.D. The effect is so powerful, subjects lost up to 6 pounds per week, says Hirsch.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:25:00 +0000

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries
1 c. milk
2 c. strawberry ice cream or strawberry frozen yogurt

To thaw strawberries, fill the mixing bowl with warm tap water. Place the unwrapped package of strawberries in the water. Let stand 10 minutes or until the strawberries are thawed.
Put the strawberries and the juice into the blender container. Cover with the lid and blend until smooth. Add the milk. Cover and blend until smooth again.

Scoop or spoon half of the ice cream or yogurt into the strawberry mixture in the blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Turn off the blender and scrape the sides with a rubber scraper as needed. Add the rest of the ice cream or yogurt. Cover and blend just until smooth, stopping the blender and scraping as needed. Pour into glasses.

Keep your heart healthy with Strawberries. This juicy jewels contain folate, a nutrient that helps lower homocysteine levels to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Mango Papaya Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:32:00 +0000

1 mango (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, pitted, and chopped coarse
1 papaya, peeled, seeded, and chopped coarse
2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus 4 lime slices for garnish
3 tablespoons honey, or to taste
1/4 teaspoons almond extract

In a blender blend the mango, the papaya, the yogurt, the lime juice, the honey, the almond extract and 1 cup ice cubes in batches until the mixture is smooth and blend in another 1/2 cups ice cubes if desired to thin the smoothie mixture to desired consistency.

Divide the mixture among 4 chilled large glasses and garnish each smoothie with a lime slice.

Serve.

Deliciously rich in anti-oxidants, potassium and fiber, an average sized mango can contain up to 40% of your daily fiber requirement.

Mangos are high in fiber, but low in calories (approx. 110 per average sized mango), fat (only 1 gram) and sodium.

Berry Blue Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:18:00 +0000

2 cups fresh or slightly thawed frozen blueberries
1 (8 ounces) container low fat vanilla yogurt
1 (6 ounces) cups milk
1 (12 ounces) can pineapple juice
3 tablespoons honey
12 to 16 ice cubes
Place all ingredients, except the ice cubes, into container of electric blender and blend on high until smooth.
With blender running, add 2 to 3 ice cubes at a time through the center opening in the lid until all ice cubes have been added.

Blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoying 1 cup each day can boost insulin sensitivity by 7%, And that translates into a 42% drop in erratic blood sugar, binge eating and weight concerns, USDA studies suggest. The credit goes to cyanidin, kaempferol and phenolics. "This phytochemicals activate the brain's satiety center, so you feel full on far less food," says Guttersen.

Mango Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:14:00 +0000

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, chopped -- (approx. 1-1/4 cups)
3/4 cups milk, skim -- chilled
1/4 cups nonfat vanilla yogurt
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ice cubes
Pinch of salt
Fresh mint sprigs

Combine all ingredients except mint in blender.

Blend until smooth and creamy. Garnish with mint.

Deliciously rich in anti-oxidants, potassium and fiber, an average sized mango can contain up to 40% of your daily fiber requirement.

Mangoes are high in fiber, but low in calories (approx. 110 per average sized mango), fat (only 1 gram) and sodium.

Island Escape Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:57:00 +0000

2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
1 cup sliced mango
1 cup sliced and peeled papaya
1 tablespoon pina colada mix
1/4 cups kiwi
1/2 cups ice

Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Researchers found that obese adults who ate three servings of fat-free yogurt a day as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost 22% more weight and 61% more body fat than those who simply cut calories and didn't bone up on calcium. Yogurt eaters also lost 81% more fat in the stomach area than non-yogurt eaters.

Strawberry Lemon Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:04:00 +0000

1 cup low-fat yogurt
1/2 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups strawberries
1/2 cups ice crystals
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoons lemon rind / zest

Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

Look vibrant with lemons. The Vitamin C in these tangy fruits is vital to the production of collagen, the connective tissue that keeps skin smooth and firm.

Keep your heart healthy with Strawberries. This juicy jewels contain folate, a nutrient that helps lower homocysteine levels to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Date Yogurt Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:17:00 +0000

1/2 cups chopped dates
1 banana, chopped, (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cups crushed ice

Combine dates, banana slices, and orange juice in a blender and puree until dates are finely chopped.

Add yogurt and ice, blend until just combined.

Dates are highly beneficial in the treatment of sexual weakness. A handful of dates soaked in fresh goat’s milk overnight should be ground in the same milk in the morning. A pinch of cardamom powder and honey should be mixed in this preparation. This becomes a very useful tonic for improving sex stamina and sterility due to functional disorders.

Pineapple Yogurt Whirl Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (kikat) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:37:00 +0000

6 ounces can pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cups water
1/2 cups skim milk
8 ounces carton vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups ice cubes
Pineapple wedges, for garnish

In a blender container, combine the pineapple juice concentrate, water, milk, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla.

Blend mixture until smooth. With the blender running, add ice cubes slowly through the opening in the lid and blend mixture until slushy.

Pour into tall glasses and decorate each serving with fresh pineapple wedge.

Enjoying a daily yogurt snack has been shown to suppress up to 95% of cold sore outbreaks in clinical studies. Researchers credit Lactobacillus Acidophilus. It also helps prevent future cold sore outbreaks.