Mango Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Most of the time when I make a smoothie it’s really with no rhyme or reason. I just gather a bunch of ingredients that might go well together and dump them in the blender. Most of the time they include yogurt or milk, or a combination of the two. Often there’s fruit, sometimes a vegetable or two. Usually some ice unless the fruit is frozen, and then I cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Honestly, that’s what I did with this smoothie that I threw together a few weeks ago.

However, my family loved it. Even my husband, who honestly isn’t really the greatest fan of smoothies. They loved it so much that I had to write down what I used to make it so I could do it again. And again. And again.

Often when we buy fruit we buy a lot. We are a family of 7 on most days (with older kids and their schedules sometimes that can range from a family of 4 to a family of 10, depending on who’s home and who they’ve brought with them) and that usually means a small handful of bananas isn’t going to cut it. We need pounds of bananas. Except when it’s those busy weeks where folks are otherwise occupied, then we’ll end up with bananas that begin to brown.. and there’s really only so much banana bread one can make.

So I decided to start freezing our bananas before they go bad. Once they begin to brown and it looks like nobody will be eating them, I’ll just peel them and throw them in a freezer bag. Same with strawberries. A few month ago I bought a ton of strawberries. I had some grand plans for them, but life happened and I got busy so I decided to freeze them before they went bad. The result? Perfect ingredients on hand for endless smoothies! When the fruit is frozen, there’s no need for ice either! I had a mango on hand and some cranberry juice and decided, “Why not?”

Enter the Mango Strawberry Banana Smoothie. The result was delicious. Tangy, rich, with a hint of sweetness. I did add a bit of agave and a little bit of chia seeds, which I do add to most of my smoothies, but depending on your tastes you can skip one or both of those. Also, if you don’t have frozen fruit on hand, just add about 6 ice cubes. I leave the tops on my strawberries when I add them to smoothies. I also add things like spinach and kale to my smoothies (not this one) but if that grosses you out you can also cut the tops off your strawberries before freezing and/or before adding to the smoothie. This smoothie is very thick and cold, but you can add more liquid if you like yours a little runnier.

Don’t be afraid to make it your own!

Mango Strawberry Banana Smoothie Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 8 frozen strawberries
• 1/2 mango
• 6 oz cranberry juice*
• 1-2 teaspoons agave nectar*
• 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds*
• fresh strawberries, for garnish

Directions:

Add all ingredients (minus garnish) to a blender.

Pulse 2 or 3 times before blending on low, and slowly increasing the speed until the liquid is smooth.

Pour into a glass to serve, then top with a fresh strawberry to garnish.

Enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to make a smoothie?

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