Recipe: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I’ve been treating myself to a Panera smoothie every Friday during the summers for a few years now.  I like that they’re made with yogurt, but the added sugars?  Not so much.

Then I got Ellie Krieger’s So Easy last weekend to kickstart my weekday dinners.  I was in a rut.  While thumbing through it I saw several smoothie recipes.

Reading through them I realized how easy it is to make a smoothie at home.  Even before work!  Now I’m hooked.

Here’s a recipe for one of my favorites.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

adapted from Ellie Krieger’s So Easy

1/4 cup of wheat germ

7 almonds

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup fat free french vanilla or plain yogurt (I get the 32 oz tubs from Stonyfield)

1/2 frozen banana

5-6 frozen strawberries

1 cup ice (for me, this is 13 ice cubes)

The order here is important – it took me a few tries before I got a smooth drink.

1. Put the wheat germ and almonds in a blender.  Blend on high until the almonds are minced into drinkable pieces.
2. Add the yogurt and milk.  I don’t use a measuring cup.  First I spoon in the yogurt, then I pour in the milk until it hits 8 ounces.  This is morning time and I’m going for quick prep and minimal clean up.  Blend on high to combine.
3. Add the banana and strawberries.  Blend on high until the fruit is well-chopped.  I sometimes need to stir with a spoon mid-way through to move the frozen bits.
4. Finally, add the ice cubes and blend on high once more.  Again, I’ll sometimes need to stir it up with a spoon to dislodge any frozen bits.

Pour into your favorite drink container.  Since I drink this in the car during my commute, I needed to find an insulating cup that didn’t drip from condensation.  My Aladdin Double-Walled to-go Tumbler, 20-Ounce does the trick!  And it comes in my favorite color – pink (and a few others too).  It does get a bit of condensation on it when I use it in humid weather on the patio, but stays completely dry during my commute.  My smoothie stays frozen, my tummy gets full and my outfit stays drip-free.

A great start to my day.