Family Favorites - June 2018: Fruit Smoothies (Fish, Soy, Wheat, Nut, Milk and Egg-Free)

This year, I decided to list a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month.  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the sixth Family Favorites recipe of 2018.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Fruit Smoothies.  This recipe is basically a re-share of my original Fruit Smoothies recipe with a few more tips and tricks included.  We've recently started making this recipe again frequently, and probably will throughout the summer (possibly daily, I'll wager, when it gets into July and August especially).

This is one of those recipes you can use year-round, but will generally use mainly in the summer.  It is super easy with very few ingredients, very customizable, is better for you than ice cream or popsicles, and is top 8 free (as long as all of your ingredients are)!  You'll be able to find a combination that everyone in the family will love, I promise! 

Fruit Smoothies

allergy-friendly frozen fruit of your choice 
such as berries, peaches, cherries, mango, pineapple, apples, banana, melon, grapes, etc. in any combination
(We normally use frozen mixed berries, but have used frozen tropical fruit blends, frozen mixed fruit blends, just frozen strawberries, frozen cherries, frozen blueberries, etc. - We've not found many combinations we don't like.)

allergy-friendly juice of your choice
such as orange, grape, cranberry, apple, pineapple, etc.

(We normally use white grape juice or orange juice, but have used others as well.  We just whatever juice sounds like it would taste good with the frozen fruit we've picked.)

allergy-friendly sweetener of choice (optional)
such as honey, maple syrup, sugar, agave, artificial sweetener, etc.

(We've used white cane sugar and honey in the past if we need added sweetness, but you can use your "go to" sweetener.)

1. Place desired amount (about a cup per person, generally) frozen (yes, it MUST be frozen) fruit in a blender.

2. Add enough juice to cover the fruit and blend until desired consistency. (Note: If you have a high powered blender like a Ninja, this will be a piece of cake and can take less than 30 seconds, but for other less powerful blenders, you may have to pulse the mix at first until it is slightly blended, then continue full boar (you can always just pulse the mix to desired consistency regardless of what type of blender you have, too, if you are afraid of over-blending).  I have used "Ice Crush" mode on other blenders in the past to make these smoothies, but you can play around with the buttons and see which works best for you. :)  Also, feel free to add more juice if you find the mixture is too thick or more fruit if  you think it is too thin.)

3. At this point the smoothies are good to go, but use a spoon to taste the mixture before you pour the smoothies into to glasses so that you can add a little sweetener of choice if you find the mix too sour and re-blend. (Note: I recommend starting with a small amount (less than a serving size of whatever sweetener you're using), blend, re-taste and add a little more at a time until you reach desired sweetness.)

One more overall note: Please keep in mind not to overfill your blender!  There is a max fill line for a reason!  If you are making smoothies for more than 3 or 4 people, you will probably have to make multiple batches depending on how large of a smoothie you want per person.  I suggest filling your blender no more than 1/2 full with frozen fruit the first time you make these to see how well your blender does and so you have plenty of room to add more fruit or liquid as needed.  Once you've made the smoothies a few times, you will know just how much liquid you'll need, how well your blender will perform, etc. and there will be a lot less guesswork involved! :)

Variations (Please keep individual allergen needs in mind when using variations!):

• What Juice Should I Use?  Here's my rule of thumb: Use flavors that sound like they'd work together.  You probably don't want grape and pineapple together, but grape and berry works well together.  Think of it this way: If you want tropical flavor, go with tropical fruit and tropical juice like orange or pineapple.  If you want berry flavor, go with berries and grape, apple or cranberry juice.  In the end, if you think the type of juice and fruit sound good together - go for it! :)
    
• Frozen Lemonade: If you would rather have a frozen lemonade, follow this recipe: Frozen Lemonade
     
• Yogurt Smoothie: If you want more protein or prefer yogurt in your smoothie, follow this recipe: Yogurt Smoothies
    
• Hidden Greens: If you want to sneak some greens (kale, spinach, etc.) into your smoothie, you can do that, too.  Just put them in with your frozen fruit.  Start off with a small amount and add more as you desire.
    
• Add Some Herbs/Spices:  If you like thyme, mint, rosemary, cinnamon or other spices/herbs with your fruit, feel free to add some to your smoothie mix with the frozen fruit.  I'd start with a small amount, blend well, taste, and then add more as desired.

That's all there is to it!  Super easy, extremely customizable, good for you, and great for a hot summer day.  I hope you will give these smoothies a try and that they become a family favorite for you, too!

~*~ Coming Soon! ~*~

On July 1st, I start a new monthly feature called "Essential Oils 101 with Jess" that will go live the 1st of every month!  I am featuring a guest blogger, Jess, who blogs over at Essentially Balanced.  If you've ever been curious about essential oils and are wondering if they are right for you and yours, you won't want to miss this monthly feature!