Fruit and Veggie Smoothie

Most nights before dinner I do a mental tally to track how many fruits and veggies I've had throughout the day, and most nights it's not much of an uplifting experience. I'll be honest, sometimes my food 'pyramid' is dismally out of balance. Heavy on the carbohydrates, low on fruits and veggies, you know the drill. And while I've never been much of a fruit juice or V8 drinker, I am a big advocate of the smoothie.

I've had quite a few people ask me what eating at my apartment looks like on a daily basis. Most of the time, dinner is nothing worth writing home about. If I end up short on the mental tally of fruits and vegetables, it's not uncommon for me to sit down to a dinner of steamed broccoli and whole wheat toast, a sweet potato and green beans, or a smoothie like this one. That's being a food editor for ya. Not all that glamorous when no one is watching. :)

So while this smoothie is not exactly dinner party fare, it is great for you. You'll notice there is spinach in the recipe. No, it's not a mistake - spinach is my favorite veggie to blend into smoothies because of its mild flavor. And while I'm not an advocate of 'sneaky cooking,' this is your opportunity to sneak a few extra vegetables into your kid's or spouse's diet. The single serving recipe below delivers 2 servings of fruit, 1 serving of vegetables and only 310 calories. Upping your fruit and veggie count doesn't get any better than that.


Ingredients:
*1/2 cup water (or milk, if desired)
*1 cup light vanilla yogurt (such as Dannon Light and Fit)
*1 cup frozen spinach
*1 medium banana
*3/4 cup frozen mixed berries
*4 ice cubes
*2 tsp. Splenda, Honey, or other sweetener (optional, I used Splenda)

Instructions:
*Blend all the above ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Madison