Blackberry Orange Banana Smoothie

After a busy weekend running my kids around to soccer games and theater rehearsals, eating too much fast food, and enjoying a big Sunday breakfast, I woke up Monday morning craving a fruit smoothie.  My go-to smoothie is strawberry banana, but there were no strawberries to be found.  A quick survey of my kitchen revealed a pile of Clementine oranges in the fruit bowl, a bag of blackberries in the freezer, along with a stash of frozen bananas. 

Five minutes later, I was sipping a Blackberry Orange Banana smoothie.  It’s like having a milkshake for breakfast, without the guilt.  The yogurt adds a creamy texture and a bit of protein, making it a balanced breakfast that keeps me energized till lunch time. 

If you love blackberries, you might be tempted to use more.  But then the texture gets a bit seedy.  You can strain out the seeds, although that’s ambitious for a weekday morning.  Strawberries make a great substitute for the blackberries.  In fact, you can keep it simple and substitute a comparable volume of strawberries in place of the blackberries, oranges, and banana.

Fresh berries are fine, but frozen berries are even better because they’re convenient and make the smoothie cold and refreshing.  Likewise, you can use fresh or frozen bananas.  Whenever fresh bananas get over-ripe, I peel them and store in the freezer.  With berries & bananas in the freezer, I'm always ready to whip up a smoothie. 

Blackberry Orange Banana Smoothie

Fresh lemon juice and a dash of salt brighten up the fruit flavors, while a bit of sugar boosts the natural sweetness, though none of these ingredients are absolutely necessary.  I always keep plain yogurt in the fridge, but go ahead and use sweetened, fruit-flavored yogurt instead, in which case you may not need to add sugar.

• 2 small seedless, Clementine oranges
• ¼ to ⅓ cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 banana, fresh or frozen
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons water
• Juice from one lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• Dash salt

Peel the oranges and cut in half.  Check for seeds and remove if necessary. Put oranges, blackberries, and banana into blender.  Add yogurt, water, lemon juice, sugar, and salt.  Blend until fruit is thoroughly pureed. If you’d like a thinner consistency, add water one tablespoon at a time and blend again.  Taste and add more sugar if desired.  It’s more fun if you serve it with a straw!

Yield is about 1.5 cups (one big smoothie or 2-3 smaller servings)

Nutrition facts (1.5 cups): 296 calories, 8 g protein, 2 g fat, 167 mg sodium, 3 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber