Summer Berry Smoothie

I am so excited that summer is here... all these fresh fruits in the markets have been tantalizing my eyes and making their way into my kitchen. It's taking some effort to not just eat fruit for every meal! For breakfast, I thought - hey I haven't had a smoothie in the while. The Husband is gone, so I felt a little bad knowing he'd be jealous, but... there are overripe bananas... lots of berries. The conditions are perfect!

Smoothies are really easy (with a blender) and you can make all sorts of flavors. I think a good base for any smoothie is a mixture of ripe bananas, a dash of milk, and a dash of juice. On top of that, you just need to add any fruit you can think of! It will be delicious.

We love bananas. I like them with little brown spots or even more ripe than that, without any touch of green. The Husband likes them green! I thought it was crazy but it turns out I keep running into these green banana people EVERYWHERE. Which are you? :) Still, to cook with - for instance in a banana bread or in a smoothie - ripe bananas are tops! I read somewhere that if you notice your bananas are on their last legs but you have no immediate use for them, just peel them and pop them in a freezer back and they will keep in the freezer. This is perfect for the base of a smoothie - it's already cold!

Here's what I had for breakfast.

Summer Berry Smoothie

(I'd say triple, but I really only put in 2 or 3 strawberries just for fun. hehe)
Makes 2 servings

1 very ripe banana

2 cups fresh* fruit (I used 1 of each: fresh raspberries and blueberries, plus 3 strawberries)

* Frozen can also be used, just watch for added sugar if you're trying to avoid that. This is a great use of frozen fruit!
1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup juice (I used pomegranate blueberry, one of my favorites. Orange, apple, cranberry,... they all work here)
1/8 to 1/4 cup granulated splenda until the smoothie is at your sweetness level (sugar obviously works here too!)

4 or 5 ice cubes

In a blender, add all ingredients and blend to desired consistency. Add more splenda if needed.

Pour into a glass and enjoy!!! What a fabulous way to start the day - healthy, too.