Fruit Shake

In the 1980s I purchased a book called Fit for Life and followed the nutrition plan outlined in it, which was eating healthful food in proper combinations. Although I no longer adhere to the plan (and I really should - I felt fantastic while on it), I still use some of the recipes from the book. One of the recipes is for a fruit smoothie, and I love it because it is a frequent quick and healthy lunch for me and does not contain the yogurt found in most smoothie recipes. Although I love yogurt, I do not want it in my smoothie.

Adjust the amounts of juice and fruit to get the thickness you prefer, but I like mine the consistency of a malt or shake, hence the name "Fruit Shake". The density is achieved by using frozen fruit with fresh fruit juice. I never throw away bananas - I just freeze them for fruit shakes; and I do the same for many other fruits such as mangoes and peaches. For the shake pictured, I used orange juice, frozen banana, frozen strawberries, and frozen peach/mango puree.


Fruit Shake
adapted from Fit for Life Fruit Smoothie

1 cup orange juice or other fruit juice (freshly squeezed is best, but Simply Orange is good)
1 frozen banana, chunked
1 cup frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango, peaches (can use fresh)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place juice in blender with fruit for about 15-20 seconds or until smooth. May add more frozen fruit or fruit juice to achieve the thickness you prefer.