Step 1: Choose fruit and juice Choose your fruit and fruit juice. A variety of flavors mixed together can make for the most satisfying smoothie—a few dashes of cranberry juice or a squeeze of lime may be just what that O.J. and banana combo needs. Step 2: Peel, pit, or de-seed fruit Peel, pit, or de-seed your fruit if necessary. Step 3: Put in fruit, add juice Put the fruit in the blender, and add the juice. For a sweet smoothie, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey. For a cold one, add 6 to 8 ice cubes. And for an extra health kick, throw in protein powder, wheat germ, bee pollen, or flaxseed. Step 4: Add milk, cream, or yogurt Add the milk, light cream, or yogurt to give the smoothie a rich and silky texture. Step 5: Blend Put the lid on the blender, and blend at a medium speed until smooth. Running your blender too high will turn your creation into glorified fruit juice. Running it too slow will leave behind large chunks of unblended fruit. Step 6: Taste Stop the blender and do a taste test, then make any necessary adjustments, adding yogurt or ice to thicken, honey to sweeten. Step 7: Pour and serve Pour your smoothie into the glass, and serve. The South American variant of the smoothie is called a “licuado,” as in “liquefied” or “blended.”

Technorati Tags: blender, blending, Drinks, eating, Fruit, healthy, preparing, Recipes, smoothies

Technorati Tags: a healthy kitchen, blender, bread, DESSERT, frozen, Fruit, Health, healthy, lose weight, nutrition, review, sandy, smoothies, soup, vegetable, vita-mix, vitamix, weight loss, whole foods