Blueberry smoothies and I have a love-hate relationship. Love: incredibly delicious and full of good things for your body. Hate: can be quite messy re: kids, and never quite got over my first experience with morning sickness, which involved a blueberry smoothie. Unpleasant.
Regardless, smoothies are basically our go-to summer essential. Crappy day? Smoothie. Hot day? Smoothie. Don’t feel like making a full-blown meal? Smoothie. Want to make your kids feel super special in two minutes or less? Smoothie. Sneak some vitamins/greens/other things we won’t mention to the children who won’t eat them? Smoothie.
The possibilities are nearly endless.
Recently, we may have also discovered a way to make smoothies even more epic. How is this possible, you ask? The same way that magical transition from sleepless nights with a newborn to a full night’s rest is possible. Magic, I tell you.
That’s what it’s going to feel like when you set this awe-inspiring smoothie down in front of your kiddo for the first time.
So let’s get to it.
First off, you need not one, but two smoothie recipes–preferrably ones that pair well, and have some fresh seasonal ingredients (like these Fresh From Florida ones). Our fav so far is this glorious combo of mango and blueberry, but I won’t judge if you choose something different. And really, you don’t need full-blown recipes as much as a core ingredient swap. For instance, basically all of the smoothies we make have either an orange juice or milk base, then some frozen fruit and some fresh fruit (and possibly a bit of vitamins or spinach if we’re feeling sneaky). So the mango smoothie is OJ and frozen peaches and fresh mango, and the blueberry smoothie is OJ and a frozen strawberry/blackberry mix and fresh blueberries. Adjust your amounts as desired, but we usually add the chunky stuff first (half/half frozen and fresh–by volume, not quantity–is a good ratio) and then fill 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the chunky stuff with the liquid.
Now that you’ve made both smoothie recipes, we get to do the fun part. Grab your serving containers of choice (but something with clear sides is a bonus, as this is just as much a visual as a sensory explosion), and pour each one half full with the first recipe. Then fill them the rest of the way with the second.
Now grab a butter knife (or other long pointy thing) and glide it straight down along the inside of the side of the glass to drag a bit of the top smoothie into the bottom one. Repeat around the glass as desired.
You can also do diagonal lines, or circular swoops, or an alternating layers thing–feel free to get creative–the contrast of the two colors will make just about anything look cool. Add some garnishes (like a slice of contrasting fruit) to the tops for good measure, if you’re serving to adults and want to make it look extra-awesome.
Then watch your kiddo (or whoever you’re serving) have their eyes grow wide when you set it down in front of them.
Best. Day. Ever.
The thing that really makes smoothies for us is the freshness of the ingredients. Just about anyone can pull a bag of frozen fruit out of the freezer (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but picking a gorgeous little basket of blueberries from a farmer’s market… The experience alone is priceless. That’s just one of the reasons we’re so excited about Fresh From Florida, and their sponsorship of this post. Growing up in Florida and experiencing the culture year-round, I think there’s no better season than fruit-picking season.
To locate some Fresh From Florida ingredients for your next smoothies (or get some other great recipe ideas), check out their website. And tell me your fav smoothie combos in the comments below!
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