It’s summer in L.A. And, while sometimes it’s difficult to tell what season it actually is in this part of the world (it’s endless summer here), this week we’ve been experiencing unusually high humidity, which makes it feel even warmer than normal. It’s times like this that I crave something cool and refreshing and quintessentially summery. Like….
Ice cream.
Wait, no. Something like ice cream, but that won’t add unwanted inches to my already ample thighs. This fruit smoothie fits the bill perfectly. It is like summer in a glass, and it’s cold and refreshing and guilt-free.
One of my favorite summertime activities is to visit farmer’s markets. I’m a sucker for all the beautiful fresh fruits, and tend to over-buy. So I cut up the fruit before it goes bad and freeze it for future use. Some of the fruit finds it’s way into pies or tarts. Some goes into jams or ice cream toppings. But most go into these smoothies – my favorite summertime treat.
I started with frozen peaches – about 1/3 of a cup. But you can really use whatever fruit you like, or what you have on hand. Be creative! Make a theme smoothie, like Hawaiian, or berry, or stone fruit – the sky’s the limit!
I then added about 1/3 cup of blueberries. I love blueberries for their powerful antioxidant punch. Plus, they turn the smoothie purple. And really, what’s more fun than purple food?
Top it off with strawberries. My favorite farmer’s market farmer has THE BEST strawberries. I usually by them by the metric ton.
Not really.
But I do buy a lot. In fact, my freezer is currently completely full of frozen strawberries from Mr. Favorite Farmer. (Not his real name.)
Fill the cup with a juice of your choice. I used a low-sugar orange juice for this smoothie. But I’ve also used mango juice, and mixed berry juice, and even some juices that had veggies hidden in them. All turned out delicious.
Now it’s time to blend. I have a Magic Bullet. I’ve had it for hundreds of years. OK, maybe not hundreds, but a long, long time. I know there are newer, more powerful individual blenders now that imply a stealthy ability to fight with a stick and throw blades with skill. But this one has lasted me through three moves, two roommates, and countless hot summer days, so I’m gonna keep it a while longer.
This smoothie is very thick, so you might need to shake it up, or turn it off and use a spoon to mix it up a bit.
Now all that’s left is to enjoy!
Here’s the full recipe.
Ingredients
1/3 Cup frozen peaches
1/3 Cup frozen blueberries
3-4 Frozen strawberries (more if they’re on the smaller side)
Low-sugar orange juice
Instructions
1) Add frozen fruit to individual blender glass. Use whatever frozen fruit you have on hand. If you don’t have frozen fruit, you can use thawed fruit, and throw in a handful of ice to up the chill factor. (Be sure your individual blender can handle ice. Some can’t.)
2) Fill glass with juice. Use the juice of your choice. I use the low-sugar variety because fruit already has a lot of sugar.
3) If you like a smoother smoothie, you can add a couple tablespoons of plain or vanilla yogurt to the mix.
4) Blend until smooth.
