I make rather large smoothies. In addition to the smoothie, add some fiber to your meal, like dry whole wheat toast, and you can go a long time without being hungry.
For my smoothies, I use non-fat yogurt -- I like raspberry, blueberry and peach, so I mix it up all the time; and a juice or two to help liquify (mostly, I use Cranberry (good for the kidneys) for the tartness, but if you want to sweeten it up a bit for the kids, add some OJ or apple juice to the Cranberry Juice. Those V8 Splashes can be good, but they are loaded with corn syrup). Throw in some frozen fruit and/or some fresh fruit, like Blueberries or blackberries-- full of anti-oxidents(kids typically dont like the seedy fruits like Blackberries and strawberries), bananas (potassium and can help lower blood pressure) -- if you freeze your own bananas, be sure that they are overly ripened before peeling and freezing; sliced peaches are great, as are raspberries.
If you want a little bit of the benefits from all the fruits and juices, add a little bit of everything. However, you can use just a couple of different flavors and enjoy it too, just be sure to change it up daily so that it stays fun. Some mixes will be better than others. The color of the smoothies can be funn, too. Add darker berries for more purple effect. I am craving a smoothie right now.
For a junior sized smoothie, add only one half of an 8 oz container and save the rest for the next day.
You can make smoothies without the yogurt, but the yogurt (dairy product) is the protein. The yogurt just adds a little creamy binder, but the smoothie will still taste good without it -- just add more frozen fruit, and less on the juice. Since there is so much natural sugar in these fruits, I really don't advise adding more sucrose and fructose via the fake juices. Just because it states, "100% real fuit juice," or, "made from real fruits," doesn't mean jack. Turn the label around and read the ingredients. If fructose or sucrose is one of the first three ingredients listed, place the product back on the shelf. -- That is my preaching for the day. ;-)
Thanks SJ. Good stuff. Our problem tonight was not using enough stuff. He thinks if we put a fruit he normally wouldn't eat in the smoothie then the whole thing is runt. We'll have to make them without him watching for a while
