If you need your strawberry fix, try this smoothie!  It’s packed with  flavor and is not too sweet! 

What you will need:

• 1 banana
• 1 apple (peeled & chopped)
• 1 pear (peeled & chopped)
• 8-10 pieces of pineapple (chopped)
• 10 strawberries

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt (any flavor)
• ½ cup of orange or apple juice
• ice

Serving size: about 4 cups

Put your ingredients in the blender. Add the yogurt, juice and ice. Blend, serve and enjoy!

*Once again, I used a splash of apple juice instead of my usual orange juice for this smoothie.  I did not want a citrus flavor to disrupt the sweet combination of ingredients I chose to use.

A truly delicious smoothie that tames your cravings for sweets.  This smoothie is packed with flavor, the blackberries and banana play the major roles.  It has a rich texture that allows you to appreciate its distinct flavors even more.  This is an extremely satisfying smoothie and it would work great as a substitute for sugar filled snacks. 

What you will need:

• 1 banana
• 1 apple (peeled & chopped)
• 1 pear (peeled & chopped)
• 1 nectarine or peach (peeled & chopped)
• 30 blueberries
• 20 blackberries

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt (any flavor)
• ½ cup of orange or apple juice
• ice

Serving size: about 3 cups

Place your ingredients in the blender. Add the yogurt, juice and ice. Blend, serve and enjoy!

*I used a splash of apple juice instead of my usual orange juice for this smoothie.  I did not want a citrus flavor to disrupt the sweet combination of ingredients I chose to use.

Another sweet and sour smoothie, featuring more berries than the previous drink.  This recipe also includes pomegranate juice - which I like to fresh squeeze myself.  I will show the process I use to get pomegranate juice at the end of this post.  The main flavors of this smoothie come from the berries and pomegranate, although there is a delicious hint of banana and apple while the pear adds sweetness.

What you will need:

• 1 banana
• 1 apple (peeled & chopped)
• 1 pear (peeled & chopped)
• 6 strawberries
• 20 raspberries
• 20 blueberries
• ½ - 1 cup of pomegranate juice

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt (any flavor)
• ice

Serving size: about 3 cups

As always, put your ingredients in the blender. Add the yogurt, juice and ice. Blend, serve and enjoy!

*For this smoothie I used ⅔ cup of fresh pomegranate juice and Yoplait Light Fat Free “Red Raspberry” yogurt.  I decided to use a raspberry yogurt to have a consistent flavor within the drink.

Fresh Pomegranate Juice

Step 1: Get a pomegranate and rinse it.  You may also want to get a cup and some damp paper towels ready because this process can get a little sticky.

Step 2: Begin to roll the fruit against your counter top or table.  Apply some pressure so the seeds inside begin to burst.  Do not push too hard because this may cause the pomegranate’s skin to break which will cause a mess and make the juicing process much harder.

Step 3: Use your thumbs to pop any seeds that may have been missed in the previous step.  It is likely that there will be more whole seeds towards the top and bottom of the fruit.  At this point, the pomegranate should feel much softer than when you first started because the juice is collecting inside.

Step 4: Cut an opening in the skin of the pomegranate.  Face the opening toward your cup and let the juice trickle down.  There may be a steady flow for some time, but after a while you will have to aid the rest of the juice out with your hands.  Do this carefully by squeezing the fruit.

*If you notice some pomegranate seeds floating in the juice it may be a good idea to fish them out.  Pomegranate seeds have a bitter taste.

*The amount of juice you get will vary based on your technique and the size of the pomegranate.

This is a sweet & sour smoothie that will send your taste buds on a exciting ride. Serve this smoothie as a dessert after a large meal or gulp it down after a healthy breakfast to brighten up your morning!

What you will need:

• 1 banana
• 1 apple (peeled & chopped)
• 1 pear (peeled & chopped)
• 6-8 pieces of pineapple (chopped)
• 20 blueberries

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt (any flavor)
• ½ cup of orange or apple juice
• ice

Serving size: about 3 cups

Put your ingredients in the blender. Add the yogurt, juice and ice. Blend, serve and enjoy!

*For this smoothie I used ½ a cup of orange juice.  This was a good decision because the tangy flavor worked well with the sweet & sour flavors already in the mix. Two thumbs up, I literally could not stop myself from drinking it.

This smoothie has a very distinct taste.  I am a big fan of arugula so I try to add it into smoothies when I feel it is appropriate.  I thought arugula would work well with this mix; arugula salads often feature pineapple or strawberries.  Some people feel that arugula has a strong, bitter or peppery taste, but the blend of sweet and fresh ingredients minimizes the emphasis of the its flavor.  If you have never used pineapple in a smoothie, you will soon learn that it has a very sweet, powerful flavor.

What you will need:

• 1 apple (peeled & chopped)
• 6-8 pieces of pineapple (chopped)
• 6-8 slices of cucumber (remove the skin if you prefer)
• 3-5 strawberries
• 20 blueberries
• handful of baby arugula leaves

Optional ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons of yogurt (any flavor)
• ½ cup of orange or apple juice
• ice

Serving size: about 3 cups

Place your ingredients in the blender. Add the yogurt, juice and ice. Blend, serve and enjoy!

*I put the softer ingredients in the blender first because they break up faster and make it easier for the rest of the smoothie to mix together.  I add plain or vanilla yogurt and juice (usually orange) to all of my smoothies; these ingredients leave me feeling more satisfied once I am done with the drink. I tend to skip the ice because brain freezes are not for me.

Blend & Gulp is a blog featuring simple smoothies that you can make as long as you have a blender and some fresh ingredients. Feel free to mix and match the components to make each smoothie an even more delectable experience for your taste buds. Enjoy!