A note about bananas: When I add a banana to a recipe, I take a fully frozen still-in-the-peels banana & cut the outer skin off with a paring knife while it's still frozen. This keeps the banana very firm and adds texture to the smoothie without requiring ice cubes. If you choose to let your bananas thaw long enough to peel (or if you freeze them in chunks and they end up freezer burnt) you won't get the exact same results.
Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie or Pudding: Inspired by The Blender Girl's Sweet Potato Pie in a Glass: 4 small sweet potatoes, cooked & cubed (about 3-4 cups, I baked mine in the microwave) 3 c vanilla almond milk 6 ice cubes 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. ground ginger 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 frozen banana 1/4 tsp. sea salt If you, like me, are using freshly baked sweet potatoes that are still warm, you may want to add a few more ice cubes. Ours was room temperature and luxuriously thick and smooth- making me realize how amazing this would be as a fall pudding. It's very filling and satisfies my sweet tooth while giving me a serving of veggies- what more could I ask for?! Raspberry-Pineapple-Banana: (sugar free) 1/2 can (about 1 cup) pineapple rings/chunks/tidbits in 100% juice and half the can's juice as well 1 cup frozen raspberries 1 ripe or overripe banana (can be frozen, but may need to add a little more pineapple juice or water if it becomes to thick for your blender) Blend together & enjoy! The thick frothy texture also makes for great popsicles. Banana-Mango-Pineapple: 2 cups almond milk (or milk substitute of choice) 2 frozen overripe bananas 1 cup frozen mango chunks 4 rings canned pineapple (about 1 cup) with a splash of the 100% juice All ingredients can be adjusted to taste. Using fresh rather than frozen banana or mango will reduce the slushiness/thickness so you may want to throw in a few ice cubes. | Best Frozen Strawberry Lemonade: 3 cups water 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup ReaLemon 100% lemon juice (from concentrate) Blend together & then add: 2 cups frozen strawberries. This is an absolute favorite, it is so much better than putting sliced strawberries into lemonade and letting them set. Drink it right away because it's cold and has a surprising slightly bubbly consistency that makes it seem fancier than it really is. This also tastes GREAT frozen in a popsicle mold. Homemade Frappuccinio/Iced Latte 1 1/2 cups almond milk (you could sub your favorite milk) 6 ice cubes made of leftover coffee (or to taste) 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (to taste, don't sub standard "table syrup" or it won't be the same!) Blend until ice cubes are in chunks pea-sized or smaller. Taste, adjust by adding more coffee ice cubes or syrup as desired. You could stir in LOTS of variables to this one: a few dairy free chocolate chips, a dash of cinnamon, some vanilla extract, etc. This is a great simple base recipe. Peanut Butter Banana (can add Chocolate = heavenly) 2 medium frozen bananas 1 cup almond milk (vanilla or original) 3 T. peanut butter Optional to make a delicious chocolate smoothie: 1 tsp. cocoa powder + 1/8 tsp. salt See note about bananas at top of this post. Blend all ingredients until smooth & enjoy. |