Guest Post : Lisa's Fruit Smoothies

Today's post is from my friend Lisa over at Recipe Hunter Lisa. Her blog was one of the first food blogs I discovered and one of my biggest inspirations for starting my own. Thanks for the post, Lisa!

I had a neighbor once who was a nutrition professor at a local university and she told me that the healthiest addition to anyone's diet it to start your day off with a fresh fruit smoothie every morning. I thought about that advice a lot and this year committed to having a smoothie for breakfast most mornings of the week. Not only does it fill me up better than cereal but it's healthier for me and my 2-year-old son loves them! I asked her what she puts in hers and she said she always has yogurt, milk and whatever fruit she has on hand -- fresh or frozen. This has given me a great base to work from and I have enjoyed experimenting with different flavors...which are endless with the variety of yogurts and fruits you can purchase. I'd like to share my top three favorite smoothies that I've created so far this year with Cassie and her fabulous readers.

*All of these recipes are for 2 servings

TROPICAL SUNRISE SMOOTHIE

• 1 orange, peeled and broken into segments
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup strawberries, halved
• 8 ounces of orange or strawberry flavored yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract (I strongly encourage coconut for that "tropical" feel)
• 5 ice cubes

Combine in a blender and pulse until smooth.

LEMON BERRY SMOOTHIE

• 8 ounces of blueberry or strawberry flavored yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries, halved
• 1 teaspoon powdered lemonade mix
• 5 ice cubes

Combine in a blender and pulse until smooth. (This recipe I was able to get posted on AllRecipes.com and you can check it out here!)

VANILLA BANANA SMOOTHIE

• 1 banana
  
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 8 ounces of vanilla yogurt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 5 ice cubes

Combine in a blender and pulse until smooth.