Pom-Berry Mango Smoothie
I love new recipes, but for some reason I tend not to get too experimental with smoothies. I think it’s because I have 3 that I love, and once I find something I truly love, I seem to want it all the time! :) I got inspired to make this one because of the Pomegranate Paradise smoothie at Jamba Juice (the only one I can have, incidentally).
This recipe is easiest to make in a Vita-Mix, but you can also make it in a regular blender — just make sure to thaw the fruit a good bit either in the fridge overnight or for 1 minute in the microwave (what I end up doing because I rarely take the time to plan ahead on smoothies).
Here’s what you need to make 1 large or 2 medium portions of smoothie:
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (if your blender requires more liquid, add 1/4 cup water to this)
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed (or 2 tbsp. if this is for 2 people)
- 2-3 oz. baby spinach (OPTIONAL) or other mild greens
Add all ingredients to blender canister. Blend according to the directions for your blender until smooth. Serve immediately.
Serves 1-2
Healthy eating notes:
This adds up to roughly 3.5 /4 servings of fruit. I tend to have one every other day, adding in the additional 1 tbsp. flaxseed to make sure I get the 1 tbsp. a day ratio we need to get in our omega-3s. (We need 1 tbsp. of flaxseed a day, plus DHA. And it doesn’t hurt to eat walnuts fairly often either — not only are they full of omega-3s and they’re utterly delicious!)
If you find that this isn’t sweet enough for you, you can skip the mango and add in a small banana instead.
Copyright 2009 Jennifer McCay
www.LeanGreenMama.com
I was wondering what the 3 smoothies you really love have in them. My daughter used to drink kale smoothies but has stopped agreeing to this now. I need some creative ideas . . .
Due to food allergies my son had, we have to do fairly boring smoothies these days. The one we do most is frozen cherries, banana, flaxseed and spinach (or kale) with water or soymilk as the liquid. This pom-berry recipe is probably my favorite of all, though, and I always used to use lots of baby spinach in it. You might also try just berries — strawberries, blueberries and either blackberries or raspberries with pomegranate juice, flaxseed and greens of your choosing, and perhaps a banana for creaminess. I also used to really like strawberries, blueberries, banana, a nectarine andalso pomegranate juice with greens and flaxseed, and the strawberry sorbet recipe here on the blog is another favorite too, though it’s not as nutritious (but it’s like a creamy, delicious milkshake without being unhealthy in the slightest!). Blueberry, banana and soymilk is incredible with a tiny splash of no-alcohol vanilla if the berries are sweet (but otherwise forget it!).
If I were struggling with a child not liking a particular smoothie, I’d get her involved if at all possible in choosing the ingredients — at the store if that worked out, even. I’d let her choose 2 types of berries, choose soymilk, nutmilk or pomegranate juice, add a banana or not … and that’s going to make a good basic smoothie. The more you add things like mango, orange, pineapple or even a little coconut is going to make the smoothie really special and delicious, but mostly they’re good anyhow as long as the fruit is ripe enough or you add in a date for sweetness.
–Jennifer