Fruit smoothies are a healthy alternative to the fatty bacon and eggs breakfast or the sugary doughnut and coffee breakfast. The yogurt provides calcium and protein and the fruit vitamins and fiber. Smoothies take only a few minutes to make. If mornings are harried have all the ingredients measured and ready to go the night before. Commercial smoothie mixes are high in sugar. Decrease the amount of sugar by making your fruit smoothies from natural ingredients without added sugar. Add crushed ice to thicken the smoothie without adding sugar.
What You'll Need:
1 cup strawberries
Knife
8 oz. plain nonfat yogurt
Spoon
8 oz. unsweetened juice
1 cup crushed ice or ice cubes
Blender
Wash the strawberries and hull which is simply removing the leaves on the top. Cut large berries in half. Leave small berries whole. Put the yogurt into the blender. Scrape out the container with a spoon. Add the strawberries and juice. Plug in the blender. Pulse by turning the blender on and off until the strawberries have been pureed into the yogurt and juice. Add the crushed ice and turn the blender on high for
30 seconds. Makes three 12 oz. servings.
Use other fruits to vary the taste. Try peach and mango fruit juice or blueberries and cranberry juice. For a very low sugar smoothie, don't use juice. Slice the strawberries and then freeze on a cookie sheet so the slices stay separate. Slice the banana and freeze as well. Replace the juice with cold water and then add the frozen strawberries and bananas and yogurt.
If you miss the extra sweetness from sweetened yogurt, use the plain yogurt and add the artificial sweetener equivalent of a teaspoon of sugar. Or use yogurt that has been artificially sweetened in the first place.
Fruit smoothies are great for breakfast but you also need to add something with fiber so you won't be hungry later. The fiber slows down the digestive process so the sugar that's in the smoothie won't hit your system all at once. Pair the smoothie with a few whole wheat crackers spread with peanut butter. Add a handful of almonds to the blender before any other ingredient and blend until the almonds are ground to a powder. They'll give a pleasant nutty taste to the smoothie. Add ground flax seed for the same purpose or just grab a piece of whole wheat toast or a low fat low calorie energy bar.
What You'll Need:
1 cup strawberries
Knife
8 oz. plain nonfat yogurt
Spoon
8 oz. unsweetened juice
1 cup crushed ice or ice cubes
Blender
Wash the strawberries and hull which is simply removing the leaves on the top. Cut large berries in half. Leave small berries whole. Put the yogurt into the blender. Scrape out the container with a spoon. Add the strawberries and juice. Plug in the blender. Pulse by turning the blender on and off until the strawberries have been pureed into the yogurt and juice. Add the crushed ice and turn the blender on high for
Use other fruits to vary the taste. Try peach and mango fruit juice or blueberries and cranberry juice. For a very low sugar smoothie, don't use juice. Slice the strawberries and then freeze on a cookie sheet so the slices stay separate. Slice the banana and freeze as well. Replace the juice with cold water and then add the frozen strawberries and bananas and yogurt.
If you miss the extra sweetness from sweetened yogurt, use the plain yogurt and add the artificial sweetener equivalent of a teaspoon of sugar. Or use yogurt that has been artificially sweetened in the first place.
Fruit smoothies are great for breakfast but you also need to add something with fiber so you won't be hungry later. The fiber slows down the digestive process so the sugar that's in the smoothie won't hit your system all at once. Pair the smoothie with a few whole wheat crackers spread with peanut butter. Add a handful of almonds to the blender before any other ingredient and blend until the almonds are ground to a powder. They'll give a pleasant nutty taste to the smoothie. Add ground flax seed for the same purpose or just grab a piece of whole wheat toast or a low fat low calorie energy bar.
Dee Power
Get your free report Tips to Lose Weight Fast. Dee Power is the author of several commercially published books. She writes about weight loss, weddings and healthy dinner recipes
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