Peach Banana-Berry Smoothies

Silas, my five year old, has just discovered his first loose tooth.  Loose teeth really give me the shivers. They are just plain creepy.  He is constantly wanting to show me its wiggly progress which makes me cringe.  His loose tooth has given him a bit of trouble when eating.  As the nice mother I am, I made these smoothies to give him an easy to eat breakfast (although maybe to expedite the loose tooth falling out process, perhaps I should be serving him whole apples to bite into...).

This recipe is obviously just a starting point.  Smoothies are a great opportunity to use just about any combination of fruits (and vegetables!) you have available.  Feel free to mix, match and customize!  I've gotten used to throwing in a handful of fresh spinach leaves and a spoonful of ground flax seeds to sneak in even more nutrition.  Those little extras are completely optional, but I can assure you that they blend right up and don't affect the flavor a bit.

Also, as I've been highlighting quick, weekday breakfasts, a smoothie recipe definitely needs to be included! 

Peach Banana-Berry Smoothies
makes about 3 cups
1 banana, peeled, frozen and broken into chunks
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 whole peaches or nectarines, pit removed and cut into chunks
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)
1 handful fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried (optional)
milk or fruit juice as needed

In the pitcher of a blender, place in order: yogurt, peaches, blueberries, banana chunks, spinach and flax seeds (basically, you want the more juicy kinds of fruit and any liquid on the bottom.  Blend on high speed, stopping and scraping down any stubborn pieces of fruit as needed, until smooth.  If mixture is especially thick, you can add a splash of milk or juice.  If it is too thin, a few ice cubes can help. Pour into glasses and enjoy, drinking through straws preferable. 

Note: I like to put any fruit that is starting to get close to past its prime into smoothies.  If I'm not going to use it right away, it's great to freeze it in chunks and have it ready to throw into the blender at a moment's notice.  Once bananas are overripe, I will peel them, place them in baggies and throw them in the freezer. 

Also, lots of surprising fruits are great in smoothies---try whole grapes, chunks of cantaloupe or honeydew, kiwi, peeled oranges, pineapple, kiwis, mango...I know a friend who always throws a few baby carrots into hers and another friend who puts raw beets into her smoothies (I hear they make it a lovely pink color, but I've yet to try). 

Mango Ginger Granola and Shortcut Greek-Style Yogurt

All I want to say about this post is that granola and Greek yogurt are two items that are pricey in the store and extremely easy and inexpensive to replicate at home.  Give these a try, you won't regret it.  They're becoming a staple in our house. Also, (as I am always the bargain-hunter) I wanted to share that the best deal on honey I've found is at Walgreens.  Every few weeks they will sell a 32 oz. bottle for $3.99 with an in-ad coupon.  Now that I've shared that, please leave some for me!  Finally, this granola would make a great edible gift for someone.  Put it in a pretty glass jar or cellophane bag and tie with a pretty ribbon.  They'll be impressed! 

Mango Ginger Granola
1/4 cup vegetable oil (canola)
1/4 cup agave syrup (or extra 1/4 cup honey)
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup chopped almonds (I just smashed whole almonds in a baggie with a rolling pin and really like the rustic texture that gave them but you can sub slivered or sliced)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 cup diced dried sweetened mango (can substitute other dried fruit such as raisins, cherries, apricots etc. or a combination for other varieties)

Greek yogurt for serving (see note)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Mix the oil, agave syrup, honey, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar and vanilla in a small bowl, whisking until smooth.  In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, sesame seeds, wheat germ and salt.  Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir, making sure everything is evenly coated. Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet.  Bake at 325 degrees, stirring occasionally for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool completely.  Toss in diced mango (or other dried fruit) and sunflower seeds.  Store in an airtight container.  Serve with Greek yogurt (or milk, or over ice cream or handfuls right out of the container...).
Note on Greek yogurt: Greek style yogurt is much thicker and smoother tasting than traditional yogurt.  Until a few years ago, I had never heard of the stuff, but now it is readily available and showing up in more major brands all the time.  It's higher in protein than regular yogurt and I really love its "spoonability."  That said, Greek yogurt is a bit pricey.

You can make your own cheaper, shortcut version by buying and straining containers of regular yogurt (of course you can make your own yogurt from scratch too, but let's not get to crazy today!).

To make shortcut Greek yogurt, line a fine-meshed sieve with a cheesecloth or paper towels and place over a bowl.  Spoon regular yogurt (we usually do plain, any flavor or milk fat will do) from a large container into the lined sieve and place in the refrigerator.

Allow yogurt to sit until desired consistency (at least a couple of hours).  The extra liquid will drip into the bowl underneath and the yogurt remaining will be thick and rich.  If you let it go for more than a few hours, it will get almost as thick as cream cheese (actually called yogurt cheese and good for some uses, but probably not for eating with granola any more).  Also, you can use the leftover liquid mixed with some milk in pancake batter. 

it was a hit with the small one (as seen by his scraping the dregs...)

Granola recipe heavily adapted from Bobby Flay's Mango Agave Granola