Berry Smoothie
Recently, I have replaced several meals each week with a smoothie. A well balanced smoothie will replace you meal with adequate nutrients and calories. I love vanilla and black cherry smoothies or vanilla berry mixes. With the holidays recently passed, I have some cranberries on hand that I wanted to use. Fresh cranberries are too sour for a pure cranberry smoothie so I experimented with a blueberry and cranberry drink.
I use a Magic Bullet Blender
Magic Bullet Blender
blender is very handy for making smoothies, dips, sauces and dressings. The instruction booklet gives you a tremendous list of items that you can make with this cute little gizmo that go far beyond most imaginations.
If you have never ventured into the smoothie blending arena, you will be surprised how easy these drinks are to make. You need a liquid such as milk or water, a protein such as peanut butter or protein powder (I like 100% whey protein) and fruit. You can use any kind of fresh or frozen fruit that you like.
Most fruits will blend fully, like blueberries, bananas and peaches, while others may leave seeds behind, such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Often cranberries will blend to a fine size but is still slightly chunky in the finished drink. If you like you smoothies to have a slushy consistency or if you are using only fresh fruit, add a handful of ice cubes to your drink to thicken. Other ingredients that I like to add are plain greek yogurt and ground flaxseed.
How to Make a Cranberry / Blueberry Smoothie
Cranberries
Fill your Magic Bullet Blender
Berries & Flaxseed
After the smoothie ingredients are loaded into the Magic Bullet cup, screw on the blender blade, attach the cup to the base and mix. As you begin to make smoothies on a regular basis, you will discover the amounts of milk, fruit other ingredients that you like and the level of ice that defines the perfect texture. Sometimes I add a few big scoops of plain greek yogurt to make the drink creamy.
