Monday, February 17, 2014

Is It A Smoothie Without A Blender?

Did you ever want a smoothie, and not have a blender available?
This is a problem.
By definition you need a blender in order to acquire a smoothie, I checked...


smooth·ie

 [smoo-thee] 
noun Informal.
1.
a person who has a winningly polished manner: He's such a smoothie he could charm the stripes off atiger.
2.
a thick beverage of fruit pureed in a blender with ice and milk, yogurt, or juice.
                                                                                           copied from Dictionary.com

I miss the blender when I'm at school. First week of summer I live off of smoothies and shakes to make up for the lack of them during the school months. But during school, I can improvise.
I've developed a smoothie-like drink that does the trick when you just need the refreshing and healthiness that is a smoothie. It consists of contraband frozen berries from the caf, and almond milk I keep in my room. I sometimes add protein powder if I'm in the mood, and maybe even a bit of sweetener. It is a quite satisfying and convenient treat, and something I will continue making, even without my beloved blender.


(please excuse the below-par photography...I'm banking on the paper hearts as a distraction) 

Blender-less Smoothie:
1 1/4 C frozen berries of choice, I use raspberries and blueberries
1/2 C almond milk
1 scoop protein powder (chocolate would be fun to try!)
1 t sweetener of choice

Put the frozen berries in a cup. Allow them to defrost a bit, until the berry juice begins to form puddles at the bottom of the cup. Pour in almond milk, add protein powder and sweetener if using. Now, with a fork, mash and stir the mixture.

Of course the berries will not be pureed like a blender. In fact  most blueberries will stay very much intact, though the raspberries tend to break apart. This is just fine by me and is kind of fun in a way. I like to eat all the blueberries first and then sip the rest of the smoothie through a straw.
The beauty of this smoothie, besides the color, is that it is very versatile. You can add however much fruit, milk, or protein powder as you want. I would even suggest using orange juice, yogurt, or even banana that has been frozen and defrosted.
It is completely customizable.

So, by definition...
this is a thick beverage,... check.
made of fruit,... check.
pureed in a blender....okay, no.
with ice, milk, yogurt, or juice;... check...well, it's made with ice-y berries, that make the milk icy-y.

So, this is 3/4 of a smoothie, I suppose. But whatever it is, It is tasty, healthy, and easy, meaning I will continue making it!
I'll be taking this to go..

Cheers,
     Suzy

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