<< Back

8 Summer Smoothies: Delicious, Nutritional Powerhouses

July 12, 2021

Smoothies make great snacks or even a quick breakfast. You can pack a lot of nutrition in just one cup.

They take only minutes to make and the different flavor possibilities are endless.

Shannon Haynes, a registered dietician at Backus Hospital, shows you how to get started with some simple recipes.

You always need the following base:

  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt (use lowfat for most, but if trying gain weight use whole milk yogurt).
  • 1 cup orange juice or apple juice (optional, can use milk or water)
  • 1 large banana, fresh or frozen

From there you can add any of the combinations below to your base to name just a few possibilities. But feel free to make up your own using your favorite fruits.

Green Monster

  • 1 cup packed fresh baby spinach, or 1-2 handfuls
  • ½ avocado, with pit and skin removed
  • 1 cup diced frozen mangos or pineapples
  • ½ chopped, fresh apple with skins removed

Pina Colada Power Smoothie

  • ½ cup canned lite coconut milk
  • ½ cup frozen pineapple

Chocolate Peanut Butter

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

¼ cup peanut butter

(Use Milk, no juice)

Mango Paradise

  • 1 cup frozen mangos

Peachy Keen

  • ½ cup frozen or canned peaches

Bursting Blueberry

  • 6 ounces silken tofu
  • ½ cup frozen wild blueberries

 Strawberry Banana

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries

Banana Apple Shake

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

  1. In blender or food processor, place in ingredients as listed in above order. Puree for 2-3 minutes, until all ingredients are pureed smooth and there are no large chunks remaining.
  2. Serve right away. Remaining smoothie can be saved for about 24 hours, Smoothie can also be poured into popsicle molds and frozen.