Make at Home Easy Banana Smoothies

To think at one time I was uneducated on how to make a great smoothie! Sounds so funny to me now but what we don't know... we don't do. Creating a "base recipe" with ingredients that are readily available and affordable is the key to sustaining healthy eating habits. My base for smoothies is frozen bananas - they are always affordable, available and in my opinion not necessary to purchase organic (because the fruit is protected by skin which is discarded). I buy bananas every week and there's always a few that become spotted or over ripe. Keeping a gallon zip lock bag in the freezer for banana pieces at all times is my solution! I break the over ripe bananas into thirds and add them to the freezer bag... think of it as a "smoothie bank." When they stick together, just give the bag a good slam on the counter and they'll break up.

Using bananas as the base I supplement with frozen berries or tropical fruits, keeping the overall cost down. For the liquid portion I use kefir or yogurt, you can also use milk or almond, hemp, or rice milk. I like kefir best for its high protein and pro-biotic benefits. I keep the sugar as low as possible so I NEVER add sugar or sweetened juice, I find that the sugar in the fruit is more than enough. Cinnamon and nutmeg are a wonderful addition to pretty much any smoothie for flavor and health benefits! When berries and tropical fruits are in season, they are more affordable, so I buy then and freeze for later. Make this a regular part of your shopping and kitchen routine, this way you are buying a little at a time and constantly refilling your smoothie bank.

Based on personal experience starting and keeping healthy eating habits requires simplicity and preparation. Don't overwhelm yourself with supplements, powders, and expensive frozen fruit smoothie mixtures. Start simple, start easy, start something you can stick with for life! GO!