by Buzz author Peggy Chambers
My son is a marathoner. Yes, that junk-food junkie that I raised now runs marathons and is teaching his old mom a few new tricks about healthy living. After some coaxing, his father and I are now drinking smoothies – homemade, yummy, healthy smoothies. They are made of greens, fruits and super foods full of anti-oxidants.
The base of the smoothie is a frozen banana – loaded with potassium. I buy bananas at the grocery store for $.99 in a bag of soft, unsalable fruit. After peeling them, I put them in a bag in the freezer and they are ready for a smoothie anytime. Any other frozen or fresh fruit will add to the flavor and color.
Most women don’t get enough calcium, so I start the smoothie with skim milk and add the frozen fruit to the blender. 
The final and most unusual ingredient is a handful of fresh greens – kale is a super food that I find bitter in taste. However, the taste can be overcome with enough other flavors blended in. I buy a box of organic mixed greens and add them at the last minute to the smoothie after all others have been blended. It makes it a light green shade. And you can always make a salad out of the leftovers.
What other things could you add to your smoothie that is healthy and tasty?
SMOOTHIE
6 oz skim milk
1 frozen banana
1 clementine or orange, peeled and sectioned
1 handful of frozen mixed fruit or berries
1 handful of mixed green (especially kale)
Mix frozen fruit with milk in a blender and then add fresh fruit. Finally, add fresh greens – the color will change but the taste will not. You can add a tablespoon of flax seed or wheat germ if you would like.
Makes 2 servings and tastes best when curled up with a good book.
Peggy Chambers is the author of Bra Wars and Glome’s Valley, wife, mother, grandmother and lover of great classical literature. She writes everything from dark dystopian comedies to children’s books. Finder her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BraWars, Twitter @ChambersPeggy or her website for a weekly blog http://peggylchambers.wordpress.com/
I’ve never added greens but I will try that soon! We are lactose-intolerant so we LOVE to use almond or coconut milk. I’ve had a vita-mix for ten years and raised my babies on these smoothies! What we don’t drink goes into those Popsicle freezer things.
Smoothies are definitely big on my writer wellness list this year. I’ve tried the frozen jamba juice packages (too expensive long-term) but I’m figuring out how to make them on my own (frozen fruits and add apple juice) and then I add either wheat germ or flaxseed.