Some Sensational Summer Smoothies

As Madison and I were training for the half-marathon, we began to experiment with some smoothie recipes in an effort to get some good nutrition.  I tried a few on Pinterest, but as is my style, just came up with my own.  We have been making smoothies using this recipe ever since.  

We were unable to run the half-marathon this year due to me being so sick last week.  We are still cranking out smoothies every week though, because we have enjoyed them so much.  We just make them and freeze them in Mason jars.  

Tropical Smoothie

Tropical fruit (I used Great Value Mixed Fruit which has peaches, strawberries, mangoes & pineapple.  Costco has a good tropical mix too.)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp rum extract
milk

Fill the blender all the way full with fruit.  Add sugar and extract.  Fill the blender half way full with milk.  Add more milk, if necessary, to get your desired thickness.  Pour into Mason jars and fill up to the bottom of the neck of the jar.  This will leave room for the liquid to expand when you freeze them.  Freeze upright with a band and a lid on each one.

Mason jar smoothies

Tip:  Defrosting frozen fruit for a minute or two in the microwave before putting it in the blender will help your blender to mix the ingredients better and not get so bogged down with the frozen fruit.
 
Strawberry Mint Smoothie
 

Frozen Strawberries
5-6 fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk

Fill the blender all the way full with fruit.  Add sugar, mint and extract.  Fill the blender half way full with milk.  Add more milk, if necessary, to your desired thickness.  Pour into Mason jars and fill up to the bottom of the neck of the jar.  This will leave room for the liquid to expand when you freeze them.  Freeze upright with a band and a lid on each one.


Another great smoothie for the summer is the Orange Julius which you can check out the recipe for the Orange Julius here

How To Enjoy
 
Enjoy your smoothie by taking it out of the freezer and removing the band and lid from your Mason jar.  Heat in the microwave on full power for 1 and a half minutes to 2 minutes depending on how frosty you like your smoothie.  We use the lids and straws you can buy at Wal Mart or JoAnn’s Fabrics to put on the top of your Mason jar and secure with the band.
 
They are very filling as a breakfast substitute or an afternoon snack.  They are low fat especially if you use skim milk.  You could add protein mix to it if you wanted or use different fruit that you might have on hand.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we have.