Breakfast Smoothie

I have never liked smoothies. I take that back-the now closed Coffeehouse Hollander in Altoona sold one brand that I loved the mango in, but they aren't there. And I am sure it wasn't as good for me as just making one at home would be. I ended up trying one Alton Brown had shown in his diet episode. I wasn't looking for his diet, but his smoothie recipe sounded better than a lot I'd seen. No yogurt-I don't like yogurt much. No greens-though I think this summer when I have it available locally, I may try some spinach in it. I know green smoothies are all the rage, but for me food has to taste good. Drinking my greens doesn't compute to good. I like my greens, I just prefer them sauteed or in a hearty soup. So, this is what we came up with. I tweaked Alton's recipe a bit to compensate for the fact that I have a large variety of fruit in my freezer, buying it up when blemishes get clearanced.

Breakfast Smoothie

In a blender combine:

4 oz whole, raw if possible, milk

4 oz juice, preferably acai, grape or pomegranate (our grape juice from this summer we canned has been great for this!)

1 frozen banana

4 oz frozen mixed berries

4 oz frozen apples OR more mixed berries OR watermelon

4 oz frozen orange fruit, like mangoes, peaches, cantaloupe, etc.

½ palm-full flax seeds

This is easier to blend if you assemble everything in the blender pitcher the night before and sit it in the fridge. Doing this also softens the flax seeds and makes them a little bigger, so they end up more like little bits of nuts and do, in fact, impart a nutty flavor. Blend it in the morning. Makes 24 ounces-which for me lasts me breakfast and lunch or breakfast and all snacks for the day.

(adapted from Alton Brown’s Buff Smoothie)