Smoothies I've been making lately

I've been making a lot of smoothies recently!

I love whole organic yogurt, and find that the cultures and enzymes really benefit me. However, I'm obsessive about the taste and quality of yogurt. I cannot stand the fake yogurts that are so popular in the USA--they are full of artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and other toxic things, and they are not good for you, nor do they taste good.

My favorite yogurt brands that I can find here in the USA are Fage Greek yogurt (I eat the whole milk version), Cultural Revolution (I especially love their vanilla yogurt, but all of their flavors--and their plain--are excellent!), Liberté (it's made in Québec from Vermont milk--their lemon yogurt and coconut yogurts are my favorites!), Brown Cow (I especially love their maple and coffee flavors), and Cascade Fresh (their whole plain is really outstanding as a base for smoothies). I also love Spega yogurt, when I can find it, and I love to repurpose their adorable jars! I also love Texas-made Lucky Layla Farms' Drinkable Yogurts, and I love that it's made closer to where I live than any of the others. Anyway, I love to add yogurt to my smoothies!

I also love to add coconut water! I love its subtle taste and amazing hydration qualities. My favorite right now is the new Naked Coconut water. I also like O.N.E., but I recently scored two cases of Naked for a super-cheap price, so I'm really enjoying it right now! :)

For my smoothies, I usually use equal parts of yogurt and coconut water, and then add some fresh and/or frozen fruit. Here are some of my favorite recent combos:

cherries and blackberries
mango, peaches, and blueberries
banana, peaches, strawberries
peaches and blueberries
mango and avocado
cherries and blackberries
raspberries, strawberries, and mango

You can also add a dash of honey, if you want to make it a bit sweeter.

All of these smoothies are great! They are delicious, refreshing, and hydrating! Do you have any smoothies to share? Comment!

Juicing for a Smoothie

Today I made a variation on an awesome smoothie that my friend Diana forwarded to me from Martha Stewart, based on smoothie from Dr. Junger (got that? LOL)

Anyway, this smoothie calls for kale, but I hate kale. One time years ago, I juiced some kale, drank it, and immediately got sick from it. Since then, I just can't stand kale! So, here's my modification of the smoothie, which I highly recommend!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups soy-free almond milk (I use the Blue Diamond Natural Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened, because the almonds used to make it are grown in my home town and the surrounding area!)
1/2 cup coconut water (O.N.E. makes a good one, but I think it's a little pricey.)
1 handful of spinach leaves, juiced and then added to the smoothie
1/4 avocado
1/2 cup mango chunks (I used frozen today, because that's what I had, and it was fine.)
1/2 cup ice

Blend together until smooth. This makes two servings, so I had one serving for breakfast and another for a snack. It was very creamy, subtle, and delicious!

If you have smoothie recipes you like, please share them!