banana & pb2 smoothie

i eat a lot of  bananas.  i'm prone to a lot of foot cramps and bananas are one of the only things that help temper them.  luckily, the are one of my favouite fruits and make amazingly creamy smoothies.  i whipped this one up after a visit to the gym and got to use my new glass straw!  lauren over at ginger is the new pink features these a lot and i've wanted one for a while.  i finally picked one up at a festival a couple weeks ago.  it makes drinking so awesome and it's eco-friendly!

• 2 bananas
• 5 ice cubes
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon of pb2

pb2 is a peanut butter powder with a lot of the fatty oils removed.  essentially you add water to create a peanut butter paste.  i like to use it in smoothies, cupcakes, icings, etc. to get the flavour without all the fat.

for this recipe, just toss everything in blender and blend until smoothie.  drink with a glass straw if you have one!

banana blueberry green smoothie

i love green smoothies, but i'll admit that i don't make them much over the winter. so three cheers for the warmer weather, so i can make lots of green smoothies without being chilled to the bone.

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1½ cups spinach (or any green)
• 10-15 raw untoasted almonds
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 ice cubes

like all my green smoothie recipes, i just toss everything in a blender. pulse a few times to help break up the ice, and then blend for approximately 30-45 seconds until everything is smooth and creamy. you may have to add a little more water to get things mixing.

beginner's green smothie

if you haven't tried a green smoothie, i suggest you give it a shot. they are uber-delicious and super nutritious. there are quite a few recipes online (just google 'green smoothie') - some are more complicated than others. this was the first one i ever made, and it remains one of my favourites. it tastes like yummy orange julius.

• 1 banana
• 1 orange
• 1½ cups fresh spinach
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/3 cup water

since there is no added sugar, use a ripe banana - with the little brown specks. if it is under-ripe, the smoothie will loose some of the natural sweetness.

put orange, banana, and water in a blender. blend fruit until creamy, then add the ice and spinach. blend until you have a nice thick smoothie (about 30 seconds). usually 1/3 cup water works for me, but add more water if your blender has trouble with the spinach and ice.

serve in a pink elvis glass, if possible. :)