It’s hard to mess up a smoothie in my opinion. Once you get a basic formula down, and you’re using a blend of naturally sweet fruit with yogurt, milk or a little juice, then really the sky is the limit as far as combinations go. If you look in my freezer you could pretty much always find a few bags of frozen fruit ready to be put into a blender. Though I love to eat fresh fruit daily, frozen fruit is usually my go to when it comes to smoothies because I find that it makes them extra creamy and thick, and keeps them extra cold.

How do you make a smoothie with yogurt?

First, you need a blender! There are so many great blenders on the market these days. I’ve been using my Blendtec (affiliate link) for so many years, it’s high powered and worth the investment in my opinion (tip: buy a refurbished one if you can!). You could also use a Vitamix, Ninja, or Magic Bullet blender.

If your blender isn’t a high powered blender, then I suggest you let the frozen fruit sit in your blender jar a few minutes to defrost and slightly soften up to make it easier to blend. Always add your liquids to the jar first, then layer with your softest to hardest fruits to get a better blend.

Is Greek yogurt good in smoothies?

Yes! What I love about making smoothie recipes with Greek yogurt is the added protein. Greek yogurt typically has around 10 – 15 g of protein per half cup, depending on the brand. Depending on the flavor, it will have sugar and carbs too, so watch for that. If you are drinking a smoothie as a post workout drink your body needs the carbs so fruit and yogurt can provide them. A Greek yogurt fruit smoothie makes a great post-workout recovery drink!

These days, there are so many recipes that include Greek yogurt, the options are endless. I even went a little crazy and baked up a version of these Peach Yogurt Muffins for my kids (I really need to do that more often, why oh why don’t I like to bake?).

More smoothie recipes to try:

Refreshing Cantaloupe Smoothie

Cinnamon Pear Green Smoothie

My Green Smoothie

Strawberry Banana Smoothie | Add A Pinch

Pear Me Up Smoothie | Picky Palate

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Fruity Greek Yogurt Smoothie

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 smoothie
• Category: Beverage
• Method: Blender

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Ingredients

• 1 cup pineapple Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
• couple of splashes of your favorite milk (nut milk or cow milk)
• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup frozen mango
• 1/4 cup frozen sliced peaches

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Instructions

1. Place ingredients into blender starting with Greek yogurt and milk and ending with frozen fruit. Let sit for a few minutes to let frozen fruit defrost just slightly (for easier blending).
2. Blend and enjoy.

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These Breakfast Fruit Skewers were inspired by my friends at Produce for Kids.

It’s that time of year again – I’m happy to partner up with Produce for Kids to promote their healthy-eating focused campaign with Publix Super Markets. Last year’s campaign was able to provide 2.2 million meals to local families in need – that is pretty incredible work! Here’s how it works, the Publix and Produce for Kids campaign runs June 2 – June 29 and is supported by 13 fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers. With each Publix store purchase of any of these fruits and veggies from the supporting brands (see image for a list below), funds are donated to local Feeding America food banks. To stay up to date with campaign happenings be sure to join the Produce For Kids Campaign Page on Facebook (you’ll also have the opportunity to win $100 gift card to Publix!).

My heart is always behind any program or organization that promotes healthy eating and provides aid in feeding hungry families…this is why I love everything about Produce for Kids! Please support them any way you can – look for signage at your local Publix, find recipes on their website and and tag any healthy creations and ideas with #produceforkids.

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People often tell me they have trouble having breakfast in the morning and I have to tell you, I have never had that dilemma. If I don’t eat something before I fully start my day then I’m setting myself up for trouble, meaning I’ll probably binge on cheese and crackers at lunchtime or get a headache or just feel really off and cranky later in the day. I need my breakfast…and I truly believe it is the most important meal of the day.

Most days during the week I’m up very early to go to the gym and all I can handle at that time of day before a workout is a banana. I have a few regular breakfast I tend to make regularly for myself depending on time, this Blueberry, Banana And Peanut Butter Oatmeal being one of them. (Other breakfast favorites: Spinach and Egg Breakfast Sandwich, Refrigerator Oats, peanut butter Ezekiel toast and Cinnamon Pear Green Smoothie)

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So lately, not only am I trying to get back into the salad, I’m trying to get back into the smoothie. Smoothies are an awesome way to get in some fruits (and sometimes vegetables), protein and other good for you nutrition like calcium. Like salads, it’s easy to get into a smoothie rut – but so easy to get out of it too especially if you start to play around with ingredients and flavor combos.

I picked up some plain kefir last week and knew I wanted to make smoothies with it. If you aren’t familiar with kefir, it is very similar to yogurt (more liquid form), and can be found in the dairy aisle near the milks. It is high in protein and is a probiotic and if you use the plain version it is lower in sugar. It has a pretty tart flavor, like tart plain Greek yogurt, so if you are into the tart flavors at your fro yo shop then you will probably love how kefir tastes. Of course, you can add your sweetener of choice to your smoothie as well. I love the tart clean flavor of plain kefir so for me it’s a perfect base for smoothies like this Almond Peach Smoothie. I was introduced to kefir a few years back when I followed the 17 Day Diet, and use it in smoothies (like this Fruity Kefir Smoothie) pretty often.

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A couple of weeks ago, my baby boy turned ONE! It’s incredibly hard to believe a year has gone by since he joined our family last October. He’s a fun little guy, full of personality. He’s also most definitely the baby of the family and I think he knows it. He certainly knows how to work his magic on us!

My daughter and I had a lot of fun planning his party. I wanted to keep it simple, but that didn’t happen and instead it turned into a Pinterest/Etsy/crafty mama wanne-be Curious George themed party planning experience for me. If you know me, then you know that this is not normally my strength, I love parties but I tend to focus on the food more than the theme and decorations. It was the total opposite this time and I have to admit – I had a lot of fun with it. I will say, most of it pulled together at the last minute (like 5 days before) thanks to my super creative niece Sarah who happened to have every thing I needed to add the finishing touches to our Curious Micah birthday bash.

Gosh, this little boy is so loved. Our house was filled with family and friends and it was wonderful.

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The post Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Banana Bread {and some Curious George Birthday Fun} appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Once upon a time I was 30+weeks pregnant and said to myself more than a few times — I can’t wait to lose this pregnancy weight! It’s going to be fun, like a game! I’ve done this before, it won’t be hard! I’m going to walk with the baby in the stroller so much the weight is just going to melt off! I’m going to get fit in no time!

Clearly, I was a bit mental at the time. What in the world. Crazy pants.

Now here I am 20+ weeks post partum and I can not even believe how out of shape I am. I’m so low energy and just feel bleh all the time. Pair that up with not sleeping well most nights, I pretty much feel like a mess lately. Oh and it’s full on spring in Florida right now and let’s just say black yoga pants just aren’t cutting it anymore. Something has to be done here.

So I’m committed. I’m committed to exercising in some capacity every day (even if it is just a quick stroller walk with my baby). I need to be selfish with my workouts, it’s very important “me time”. I got back in the gym last week. I also got myself jogging a bit over the weekend (that felt GOOD!). Things have to change and it’s starting first with my attitude —

I need to be telling myself things like:

Just do it!
No more excuses!
and on the days I’m feeling down… What are you going to do about it? (this one is key)

So far it’s working.

I got this. But dang, it’s hard!

I’ve been making this kefir smoothie in the afternoons lately for my car ride to pick up the kids from school. It gives me exactly what I need to hold me over until dinner and I like to believe it gives me a little energy boost too. Micah’s not a huge fan of the blender so I have been avoiding making smoothies for a few months. Now when I turn the blender on I have to put on a really happy funny face to distract him from that “loud scary noise”. You gotta do what you gotta do right?

If you’re not familiar with kefir, it’s very similar to yogurt and can be found in the dairy aisle most likely near the milks. I discovered it a couple years ago when I was on the 17 Day Diet (…for 14 days). It’s a probiotic, has a good amount of protein and calcium, and is a great option for an afternoon snack. I personally like it’s natural tartness but feel free to add a little honey or sweetener of choice if that’s your thing.

Happy Monday!

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Did you all have a nice Easter weekend? I took some time off online the last couple of weeks, enjoying Spring Break with my fam. Hard to believe we are heading into the last 9 weeks of our school year here, I feel like the time after Spring Break always zips by and next thing you know it’ll summer.

But let’s not move too far ahead yet. Is it finally safe to say Spring has Sprung yet?? If it hasn’t yet by you, please, make yourself this smoothie, close your eyes and picture yourself somewhere warm and sunny. I promise, it will work. The weather seems to be cruel this year in parts of the country, I truly feel bad for anyone still dealing with low temps and even (I really can’t believe it) snow. It’s just not fair.

I’ve been in a major smoothie making mood lately. I love this time of year when it seems like our grocery produce section is bursting with so much color. I’m truly happy to see it, especially all the melons and berries. My favorite kind of smoothies are simple, a combination of fresh (and sometimes frozen) fruit, a splash of juice or water, and a handful of ice. I have learned that the order you put your ingredients into your blender really help how your smoothie blends – start with your liquid, then your softest or juciest fruits, then add the rest of your fruit and ice. You basically want to have a good base of liquid working in your blender base so that all your ingredients have a chance to incorporate without burning out your blender. I put all the ingredients in at the same time, just in layers following that order.

Hope you enjoy this bright and refreshing smoothie today!

And oh…by the way. I’ve got some happy and exciting news to share. It’s been hard keeping it a secret, and I’m finally ready to let you know that this upcoming September there will be a new little addition to the Aggie’s Kitchen family. Yep! You heard right….our little family is growing and we are thrilled. 🙂

I’m officially out of the first trimester cave I’ve been living in. I was hit pretty hard by the typical first tri stuff and am so happy to be finally feeling like my old self again this week! Food is my friend once again.

Especially smoothies just like this cantaloupe smoothie 🙂

Cantaloupe Smoothie

Yield: 1 smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 clementine or small orange, cut into segments or chunks
• 1/4 cantaloupe, cut into chunks
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 6 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Place fruit in blender starting with your softest and juiciest pieces. Top with ice cubes. Blend and enjoy!

More smoothies for you to love:

Cinnamon Pear Green Smoothie

Fruity Greek Yogurt Smoothie

You Are My Sunshine Smoothie

The post Refreshing Cantaloupe Smoothie (and oh by the way…) appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

…whatever you call them, these smoothies are g o o d for you.

I’ve been hooked on green smoothies for a couple of years now. I discovered them on a couple of healthy living blogs that I follow and after finally getting the courage to try one they have become a permanent member of the breakfast and snack category in this household.

My husband and son enjoy these smoothies as well…the only one who hasn’t bought into them yet is my daughter. I offer her one every time I make them and am sure one day she’ll come around. Last year, I set up a smoothie bar in my son’s PreK class room and was impressed when 18 out of 19 preschoolers voted this smoothie their favorite over a berry smoothie (we made both kinds in the class and had a taste test, then vote). The kids loved them, and their green mustaches too.

Enjoy your green smoothie for breakfast with a hard boiled egg and whole wheat toast, or for a post workout snack. I love having them in the late afternoon to hold me over before dinner.

I’ve seen them made a couple of different ways, but I pretty much make them the same every time. Fresh spinach is key, and so are ripe frozen bananas. I always have a ziplock full of banana chunks in the freezer…they are perfect for sweetening up smoothies and making them nice and chilled but not watered down with ice. Now, if you don’t have any frozen bananas, no worries, just add 2-3 ice cubes to the mix.

Best served immediately. Enjoy!

Green Smoothie

Yield: makes 1 smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain or unsweetened vanilla almond milk (go with vanilla if you have more of a sweet tooth)
• 1-2 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 ripe frozen banana (if your banana is not frozen, add 2-3 ice cubes)
• 1-2 tablespoons ground flaxmeal

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute.

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Would you be mad at me for posting this short and sweet like the recipe?

I made these for the family over the weekend after a nice grilled dinner.  I got the idea while flipping through Steamy Kitchen’s cookbook…was surprised to find them in there!  What surprised me even more is that I didn’t think of them myself!  These guys were so awesome…and such a great way to end a meal…practically guilt free.

Start of by laying your banana on its side, using a pairing knife gently slice through skin and banana making sure to not cut through to the other side.  Once you’ve made your slice, tuck in your fixings.  You can stuff them with whatever suits you…chocolate candy bars, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, caramels, coconut, chopped nuts.   The sound of it all is heavenly isn’t it?  Place them on hot grill over indirect heat and cook until soft and skins are black.  You have to check on them and touch them a bit.

We used what we had on hand…chocolate chips, coconut and toasted and chopped hazelnuts.  My kids were not as excited as Larry and I were…apparently the “melted” version of chocolate chips were not the same as the solid form.  And for my daughter who for some odd reason does not like chocolate, I took a chance and tried butterscotch chips on hers.  Nah.  So, Larry and I enjoyed ours and theirs….and we were absolutely okay with that.

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My little guy was definitely born with a sweet tooth.  I can tell you, he didn’t get it from me.  I, on the other hand, am more of a salty crunchy snack kind of person…I have no problems getting through a bag of sea salted pita chips dunked in spicy hummus…okay, let’s not talk about it (I have recently discovered I have a bit of an addiction…).

Since my son enjoys his sweets so much, I really try to keep some “better for you” sweet snacks for him in the house…granola bars, cocoa almonds (Emerald makes them – awesome!), and of course lots of fruit.  But what really makes my boy happy is a muffin.  He is over the moon when I tell him I’m going to bake up some muffins.

To keep my cookbook buying addiction under control lately, I’ve started to check out cookbooks from the library.  The last time I was there I saw my friend Liz’s kid friendly cookbook on the shelf and I was excited to bring it home.  I immediately looked to the baked goods section, knowing I had some very ripe bananas on the counter needing to be used up immediately.  I was very happy to find this Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe…and so was the little Muffin Man.

I made half the batch as written, and the other half I sprinkled shredded coconut over the tops before baking to make them a little more fun (for me!).  Sammy enjoyed both, but said he would save the coconut ones for me since they were my favorite.  🙂

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe from Meal Makeover Moms

(printable recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flaxseed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used regular sugar because I was out of brown sugar)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup 1% lowfat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
shredded coconut, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray
and set aside.
2. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and
salt in a large bowl.
3. Combine the bananas, eggs, sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir until
well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just
moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Top with each muffin with shredded coconut if using.  Bake about 20 minutes, or until the   muffins are light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool an
additional 5 minutes before serving. To make 24 mini muffins, bake about 14 minutes.

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