Pumpkin Cinnamon Lassi

*These products were given to us free to sample as members of the Chobani Parents Club. All opinions are my own. #Chobani #ChobaniKids

Oh glorious autumn....the cool crisp weather, the falling leaves and the delicious flavors of the season! I am not a fan of winter at all but fall.....I love, love fall. I wish after Fall we can skip winter and proceed to spring so that after the bright reds, yellows and oranges of autumn we will immediately be treated to the delightful sight of vibrant green. 

Green Mango Smoothie

When it comes to tropical fruits - the Mango reigns supreme in the Philippines. I grew up with mango trees in our backyard. I have memories of my grandma smoking the mango tree. She would rake the dried leaves and twigs in our backyard into a pile under the mango tree and light a small fire - the purpose is to get the smoke up into the tree. Some say it's because the smoke drive the bugs away from the precious fruits that they love to nibble on. I don't know if this is scientifically true but that tree has always given us bag loads of mangoes. 

Blueberry Green Smoothie

I love Green Smoothies! I have tried it only recently (just a few months ago) and now that I have been drinking it regularly, almost on a daily basis for my breakfast....I can never seem to get enough of it. When people ask me what the taste is like, I always say, it's really just like a regular smoothie - nope, there's no bitter taste of Kale or Spinach but just a sweet-tangy flavor of the fruits and berries with a hint of nuttiness from the Flax seeds and the Peanut Butter.

Raspberry and Banana Green Smoothie

I have mentioned in a previous post that I have been doing a Detox Diet and I have used Dr. Oz. Three-Day Detox Cleanse. I finished the strict 3-Day Detox last week and while it was really tough, am glad I survived. This week I am continuing it but not as strictly as the first time. What I would do is replace 1 or 2 meals with the Smoothie and then continue as usual.

Apple and Lime Green Smoothie

This week I have started a Detox Diet using Dr. Oz' 3 Day Detox Cleanse. It's all liquid for three days and am now surviving :-) my second day. Amazingly, I didn't feel as hungry as I thought I would be though caffeine withdrawal did give me some headache. And I must say it's quite a challenge not to want to chew on food especially when I see a lot of yummy food everywhere! :-)

Strawberry Banana and Orange Smoothie

Strawberries were on sale this week so we bought a lot! I have made my Fresh Strawberry Cake three times just this week but I still had enough berries for a smoothie. Also, I had some Bananas and Oranges that I can use too. Of course, using bananas in a smoothie is a given for me - it lends sweetness and creaminess and when used frozen you actually don't need to add any ice to the smoothie. However, I haven't attempted much on using Orange Juice and since I have so many Navel Oranges and they really need to be used up I thought I ought to just try and see how this three fruit smoothie will come out.

Needless to say, the kids love it and had a enjoyable time drinking it! I didn't even put any sweetener at all. Try this all-natural and truly yummy Strawberry Banana and Orange Smoothie - perfect for breakfast or anytime!

Ingredients

 

2 frozen Bananas, sliced
1 cup Strawberries,  tops removed
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice from 3 Oranges (about 1 cup)
1 cup Plain Yogurt
Sugar or your favorite Sweetener (optional)

Procedure

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses or jars. Serve immediately. Enjoy!!!

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Kiwi Banana Smoothie

Simplicity is beauty as they say and this is exactly how I feel with this 2-ingredient creamy and yummy Kiwi-Banana Smoothie! If you have super-ripe and sweet bananas that are either fresh or frozen and your Kiwis have ripened so that they are quite sweet too, instead of super-tangy, then combine the two together in a blender and voila - this is what you get - a truly healthy sweet beverage that is enjoyable and guilt-free! It was already sweet that I didn't have to add any sugar at all and that's how good it is. Do yourself a treat and make this smoothie today!

Blueberry, Pear and Mango Smoothie

In our family, we try to incorporate a lot of fruits in our diet, after all it's one of the best sources of nutrients particularly the much need anti-oxidants which berries, particularly, blueberries contain! Often, I find that the best way to encourage my kids to have their fruits is through a smoothie so I try whenever fruits are on sale to make a new smoothie once a week. These were the only fruits I had at this time but I thought it's still possible to combine them in a yummy smoothie.

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

 

I am a happy mom because I don't have much of a problem when it comes to asking my kids to eat their fruits. They love fruits and I don't even need to ask them, they ask themselves if they want some fruits for snacks. I try as much as I can to give them better snacks and since they always want something sweet - fruits are always the best options.

 

Summer or not we always have fruit shakes or smoothies in our house. Before I came to the US, my shake and smothie combinations were very few and mainly included mangoes, bananas, papayas and avocado and occasionally guyabano (sour sop) - all tropical fruits and flavors. They are all wonderful of course, there's no doubt. But now that I reside in the US - I have all the berries that are otherwise not available in my native land to turn into wonderful smoothies.  Yay!

 

I saw some Kiwis the other day in our grocery store and then some lovely strawberries were on sale too. I thought that these two fruits with contrasting colors and texture might result to a great smoothie when blended together. I added as usual some applesauce to sweeten the smoothie and sort of balance the tartness. I think it worked well for they were gone in seconds when my two tots got a hold of them! That's what I call sucess! Enjoy!

 

Ingredients 



2-3 Kiwi fruits, peeled and chopped

1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries (chopped)*

1 cup Applesauce

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 

Honey or Brown sugar, about 2 Tablespoons or to taste

Procedure

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Process till smooth. Pour into glasses or jars and serve immediately.  Enjoy.

*Note: I pre-cut the strawberries because they are frozen and it's more difficult to blend/purée them when they are whole. I usually place them on the bottom of the blender to make it easier. Pulse until the strawberries are all broken down and smooth and then process as usual. Enjoy!

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Blueberry Banana and Applesauce Smoothie

Our friend Linda from Project Healthy Ever After hosts a  weekly Smoothie Tuesday Party at her lovely page. There you not only get so many delicious and nutritious smoothie recipes, you also learn about tips and tricks on how to make the best smoothies. One of the tips I learned from her page as shared by one of her readers was - never to use any ice on your smoothie so as not to dilute its taste.
I always used ice in my smoothie and I have never had a problem with it - though I must admit if you put just a little too much ice or perhaps a little more liquid (like milk) then you end with a watery smoothie or a slushie instead. So I thought I'd put this tip to the test with my latest smoothie creation -  Blueberry Banana and Applesauce Smoothie. Instead of using ice, I used frozen bananas and blueberries.

Sometimes when my bananas get too ripe and I don't have the time to make banana bread or muffins - off it goes to the freezer for later use. Now there's a perfect reason to use these frozen bananas. I also for the first time used yogurt instead of the usual milk and then to add another layer of flavor to the mix I decided on the last minute to add some Applesauce. Wow - this smoothie is divine! The flavor was truly more robust when there's no ice. Wonderful! My husband and little William laid claim to the smoothie once it was done! Good thing I took the photos first or else I would not have any proof of how yummy it is! Try and enjoy this for breakfast or as an afternoon pick me up!



Ingredients

2 Frozen bananas
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened Applesauce (if sweetened you may not need to add any sweetener at all)
1/2 cup yogurt (plain)
1 Tablespoon - Honey or Agave Nectar (or to taste)
1/4 cup milk, or as needed


Procedure

Peel the frozen bananas. I find the potato peeler or a small knife useful to remove the frozen skin.
Chop the bananas into smaller pieces.

Place the chopped bananas, blueberries, applesauce, yogurt, sweetener and a little milk on the blender. Process until smooth. It will be quite thick but I love it that way. Add more milk if necessary. Adjust the sweetness to your taste.

Pour into a glass or jar. Enjoy immediately!

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Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

I love peanut butter! In the Philippines, one of my mom's co-teacher make homemade peanut butter ever so often and we always made sure that we place an order so we get a jar or two of this favorite spread of ours! It's the  kind of Peanut Butter that I always imagine Peanut Butter should be - creamy, a little sweet and of course with the peanut oil floating on top to characterize its genuineness. For me, that's still the best peanut butter I have ever had and will always crave.

I have never thought though that the day would come that I would not only use peanut butter as a spread or for cooking (which is pretty common in the Philipines and most of Asia) but as an ingredient for a beverage. I can't drink peanut butter. Sounds awful, doesn't it?

But I have seen quite a few Peanut Butter Smoothies around and I have been intrigued ever since. So today to finally put this doubt (as to whether you can use peanut butter in a beverage or not) aside, I made my very first Peanut Butter Smoothie. I love texture in food so I used the crunchy Peanut Butter and yes, the kind with the floating oil on top!

My reaction - how could I have waited this long? I thought the only good smoothies are the pure fruity ones - mango, bananas, strawberry, avocado, soursop or a combo of any of these, just to name a few. Now this Peanut Butter smoothie has truly gone up the list and has knocked down one or two fruit smoothies in the process!

Of course, Peanut Butter is not complete without its sparring partner - the banana which add to the creamy flavor and gives it the smooth finish!

What a delightful smoothie! Use this recipe as a guide and then adjust as you please. I usually never measure a smoothie and depend on my taste buds for taste and texture.

Ingredients

2-3 ripe bananas (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup  Crunchy Peanut Butter (or to taste, I ended up adding more!)
Milk (begin with 1/2 a cup and then add more as needed)
1 Tbsp Agave nectar (or your favorite sweetener)
Ice (eyeball it)
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

*If your bananas are frozen, you probably don't need ice or only a few cubes. Just chop the bananas first so it's easier for the blender to break it down.

Procedure

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. If bananas are frozen, I place them on the bottom of the blender just like I would put ice (if using) on the bottom too. Process till everything is smooth and to your desired texture or consistency. I use the Smoothie/Milkshake button on my blender. Adjust the sweetness to your taste. Enjoy!

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Papaya and Raspberry Smoothie

Here's another lovely smoothie that you can do when you find ripe papayas in the grocery. Try blending it with raspberries and you'll come up with not only a healthy beverage but something that your taste buds will love! Try it!

Ingredients

2 cups ripe papaya, chopped
1-2 cups raspberries
1 cup crushed ice
Sugar or honey, to taste

Procedure

Place all the ingredients in the blender, with the ice at the bottom.
Process till smooth. I use my shake/smoothie button for this.

Note: If you wish to have a creamier version, add some milk (1/4 cup or to taste). When I fancy a Papaya Shake instead of a smoothie then I definitely add milk. :-)

 

 Transfer to a glass and enjoy!