3 Ingredient Smoothies, 2 Ways

     With the sun out in full force today I was inspired to make one of our favorite summer treats: smoothies. I know there are like a bagillion smoothie recipes out there. This is not one of those "super power" "super foods". It is, however, yummy, not terrible for you, and above all simple. This recipe has 3 ingredients and I'll be able to make a smoothie and a dessert treat all from one preparation.

     I think a blender may be the best tool for the job. We don't have one so I use our food processor and it works great. You could also use an immersion blender (stick blender, shaft blender). You just want to make sure you've got something with a good blade.

3 Ingredient Smoothie

Frozen berries or fruit of your choice

Plain yogurt

Juice of your choice

Step 1:  Add about 1 cup of frozen fruit, 1 cup of yogurt, and 1/4 cup of juice to the processor. You can eye this out. I'm making enough for two girls and a little extra. You can play with the ratios to get desired consistency. Start with only a little juice, it's easier to thin a smoothie than to add more yogurt and berries...then you'd have too much.

Step 2: Blend. I like to pulse the processor at first and make sure the berries are moving, then just let it go. Pour and enjoy!

     Now for making the dessert treat. You know I love my freezer so I pour the extra smoothie into my silicon muffin pan and stick it in the freezer. In a few hours they are frozen I pop them out and put them into a plastic container to store.

     Tonight we'll have a real treat. It's essentially sorbet, which pairs so well with chocolate! My girls will be in heaven. These "smoothie sorbet rounds" freeze pretty hard, harder than the yogurt discs we've already made for sure. I recommend taking them out of the freezer for a few minutes before serving so that you can get your spoon through them .

     So, for all of 5 minutes prep and make time I had a healthy snack and desert for the kids. As an added bonus my hubby really likes these too! There are so many different combinations. It all depends on the fruit and juice you choose. Stick with the plain yogurt either way, it's just a thickener not really a flavor adder. We tend to lean more toward the berry blends but we do love one with pineapple juice, and frozen mango too. In the summer I'll make one before I walk the half hour to work. I look so trendy and hip with my smoothie and it costs a fraction of what the boutique smoothie shops in town charge. It's great for giving me the energy I need to make it through a long bartending or serving shift.

Hurry up Summer, I'm ready.

Simple City Sam