Would you like a healthy, balanced smoothie that tastes like a dessert? Have it instead of a piece of berry cake, chocolate coffee cake, or decadent zebra cake? Here is my strawberry banana yogurt smoothie recipe that gives you just that. It’s high in protein and vitamins, low in fat, and most carbs come from fresh fruit. The best thing is that it’s absolutely delightful. My kids love it. They say it tastes like melted fruit gelato. There is nothing better than starting a day with this healthy and nutritious drink. I like to use a lot of strawberries in this smoothie. Strawberries are delicious on their own, and the extra berries really make this smoothie shine. I use two heaping cups of fresh strawberries per one cup of yogurt and one banana.
Plain Greek yogurt adds a bit of tartness. Adding two teaspoons of honey, maple syrup or white sugar will balance it out. If you like your smoothie even sweeter, add another teaspoon or two. What blender you use to make this smoothie really matters. To liquefy the ingredients in this recipe you need a powerful blender, like the ever popular, super-duper Vitamix 5200 Series blender, which claims to spin the blades at 37,000 RPM at peak power. I use my beloved work horse Waring Pro MX1000XTX XTREME commercial blender which costs less and delivers up to 45,000 RPM at peak power. A powerful, high RPM blender also helps break down seeds. I like how my Waring Pro Extreme easily pulverizes strawberry seeds so you don’t even feel them in your mouth when you drink the smoothie. The smoothies come out airy and velvety smooth, a pure enjoyment to drink.
If you have a standard blender, you may need to add half a cup of your favorite juice to achieve the desired consistency. This smoothie has a healthy amount of protein, 26 grams per the entire recipe, or 13 grams per serving. If you wish to up the protein content, add a couple of teaspoons of chia or flax seeds. A teaspoon will add about one gram of protein. If you have a high power blender you can just drop the seeds in the blender and it will take care of them with ease, you won’t even feel them. If using a standard blender, you may want to grind the seeds separately in a coffee or spice grinder before adding them to the blender.
To make the smoothie a little thicker you can add a cup of ice cubes. Ice is also a welcome addition on hot summer days, making the smoothie very refreshing. You may also substitute fresh strawberries for frozen ones. If you do, adding ice is not necessary as it will make the smoothie too thick. This is not necessarily a bad thing if that is what you are looking for.
