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Food from the Beach House: “Kyle’s Classic” Smoothie

Posted by | July 02, 2015 | BAMBINOS | 9 Comments

smoothieA couple of weeks ago I overheard K & O talking with a bunch of their friends about their favorite foods. They were each telling each other their “Top 3 Favorite Foods.” I was totally cracking up. Because like most 10-11 year old kids, most of the boys were listing pizza, chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers. Owen and Kyle’s lists were quite different. I wasn’t surprised to hear Kyle say, “Joe’s Shanghai Soup Dumplings,” as his #1, and “Haitian Steak Frites” as his #2, but I was sort of shocked when he listed “Smoothies” as his #3. I knew he loved them, but I didn’t know he loved them that much!

I make smoothies for the boys almost every day during the summer. (And then, in the dead of winter, I make Mango Lassi for them, but that’s a whole other post for a whole other time.) Kyle’s absolute favorite smoothie is the classic Strawberry-Orange-Banana. Here’s the How To:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Bananas*
  • Frozen Strawberries (you can freeze fresh berries, which I often do; or you can just buy them frozen… which is often cheaper… check your store’s prices)
  • Orange Juice (we drink the good stuff when we’re drinking OJ straight up, but I buy jugs of cheap OJ just for smoothie making)
  • Plain Yogurt (I use Greek yogurt because I like to boost the protein content of the smoothies)

*About the bananas: You can use fresh or frozen bananas. It is Kyle’s opinion that the riper the banana, the better the smoothie. So, this is a great way to use up starting-to-turn bananas! When I have a banana (or a whole bunch) that is starting to get too ripe, I slice them all up and freeze them in freezer bags (I do 1-2 bananas per bag). This way, they’re ready to pop out of the freezer and into the blender at smoothie-making-time.

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TO DO:

Throw it all in the blender and blend it! That’s all folks. The amounts of each ingredient are dependent on what you like and how much you’re making. When I make smoothies for K&O (just the two of them), I use 2 bananas, a couple handfuls of strawberries, about 1+ cup of yogurt, and about 2 cups of OJ. If you like it more strawberry-y, use more berries; if you like it more yogurt-y, use more yogurt, etc.! Slurp up and enjoy!

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P.S. Why, yes, of course I bring my Vitamix to the Beach House! Who doesn’t?!?!  ;0

P.P.S. In all seriousness, the Vitamix is uber expensive, but uber worth it if you can swing it. It is, truly, my most valued kitchen possession.

P.P.P.S. K & O have been loving smoothies for a long time. Check out this post (click!) I wrote in 2007 (when they were just 3!). That was then (ahhh! look at my babies! and look at how small their smoothie cups were!)~smoothiesThis is now (yesterday)!IMG_9068

 

9 Comments

  • Stacey says:

    Sounds yummy! I try to get my daughter to drink smoothies because she’s our pickiest eater and she loves smoothies. I typically do a handful of frozen strawberries, 8 oz of water, some yogurt, ice cubs (love it thicker), banana, spinach and sometimes some fibre powder too. I like adding spinach because it’s hidden and it’s the only way I could ever get a leafy green veggie into her.

    • Heather says:

      Yes to spinach! I also do a lot of kale smoothies! I like kale & blueberry as a combo. I also throw whole apples in there often (with the vitamix, you can put the skins in and all). We also do lots of mango smoothies. Owen’s favorite smoothie is coconut, pineapple, mango. I never do fibre powder, but I often do protein powder — Protein powder is a great way to pump more protein in for kids who need it (ADHD, etc.). Thanks for reading, ~Heather

      • Stacey says:

        I do protein powder for myself but I should sneak it in for the kids. I’m using VegEssential which is vegan based and a little gross to the kids. I added fibre when my daughter would get constipated (she is the one who hates most veggies.) We have a BlendTec and I definitely use it for my smoothies. I like it nice and thick so I always add ice/frozen fruit.

  • Jen says:

    I’m a huge smoothie fan too and I make them almost exactly how you do (plain greek yogurt, frozen bananas, frozen strawberries, and I sometimes add frozen blueberries or peaches). The only difference is that I add milk instead of OJ. Anyways, the only other thing I add (in addition to your recipe) is vanilla and almond extract, both of which I get in Haiti (I add about 1 tsp of each when I’m making about 20 ounces of smoothie). It sounds like you’ve already got a great thing going and don’t need or want to change it, but if you ever want to change it up a little, consider adding the vanilla & almond! Hope y’all have a wonderful summer!

    • Heather says:

      Jen! I’ve never used flavorings/extracts in any smoothie– I will have to try it! But more importantly — what is the Haiti~vanilla/almond-extract connection????? Why do you get them in Haiti? Now I’m super curious!!!!!!!!! ~Heather

      • Jen says:

        Hi Heather–I buy vanilla and almond extracts in Haiti and bring them back to the U.S. with me. They’re super cheap–like $1 for a 10 ounce bottle. The bottle says that it’s super concentrated and to use one quarter to one half of the amount the recipe calls for, but I always use the same amount (I love vanilla and almond flavor). For a regular sized smoothie, I use about 1 tsp of each. I have a lot of extra right now and I’d be happy to send you guys a bottle of each kind. E-mail or FB message me your address and let me know when you’ll be back home and I’ll send them your way.

  • Nicole says:

    Heather…you don’t know about Haitian vanilla? Man, it is the best…and I buy it for $3 for a 12 oz bottle! The almond is also excellent and pretty cheap as well.

    • Heather says:

      No, I had no idea about the Haitian vanilla! This is like a whole new world opening up for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
      I’m super excited about this!
      ~Heather

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