Blackberry Smoothie

The nice warm weather is in full swing, and so I'm drinking a lot more smoothies. I don't like turning on the A/C in the apartment when it isn't really nasty hot out. So to help keep cool, I've been making smoothies like this for breakfast or lunch.

Blackberry Smoothie
Makes 1 generous servings, 4 Points+ each

What You'll Need:
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries*
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup fat free milk
2 1/2 Tbs sugar

*Buy frozen ones or put toss them in the freezer for a couple hours. Them being frozen means you don't need icecubes, which I prefer.

The Process:
    Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until a smooth, liquidy consistency is achieved. The blackberry seeds are a little bitter, so you may want to adjust the sugar a little bit to taste.

Serve in a nice tall glass and sip to prolong the cooling effects.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Now that the weather is turning nice, having hot oatmeal for breakfast has fallen to the wayside in favor of something cold and refreshing. I give you: delicious and easy smoothies. With all sorts of things coming into season, I'm sure I'll be trying many variations soon.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
Makes 2 generous servings, 4 Points+ each

What You'll Need:
2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries*
2 ripe bananas
1 cup fat free milk
4 Tbs sugar

*Buy them frozen or cut the tops off fresh ones and just toss them in the freezer for a few hours. They have to be frozen, because that replaces the need for icecubes. In my opinion, using ice just waters down the smoothie, so I avoid using it whenever possible.

The Process:
    Put all ingredients in blender. Blend until a smooth, liquidy consistency is achieved. For my blender, I've found that putting the strawberries on the bottom and using the ice crush setting first works best. You may have to experiment a little with your own blender to get that nice smoothie consistency every time.