Hello, and welcome back to the garden! Its time to put some Smoothie flair in our garden fare, to help you embrace the hot Summer days. Today its all about the summer spoils, and creative ways to transform what treasures we find at the market into something new and delicious- but, in the Summer, that can be a challenge. I find so many fresh and beautiful ingredients at the farmers market, but then I want to bake it, broil it and/or roast it, all of which requires firing up my oven. For the most part, we here in the Pacific Northwest do not have air conditioning, so heating up the oven in a house that is already quite warm can be an unappealing option. So, usually, I turn to my slow cooker, and either my indoor or outdoor grill, or even my stove top, in order to get the job done. But, by far,my favorite way to eat in the Summer is a raw, or cold preparation that is quick and easy as well as nutrient rich and delicious. So our first addition to the Summer garden menu is my go to Summer breakfast- the Smoothie.

All of my Smoothies follow a basic template. A leafy green veggie, a fresh banana, a protein source, some frozen fruit, a seed, and a liquid. Here are four that I have created, that I make quite often.

Cherry Berry Almond Smoothie- Frozen berry blend of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and cherries. Almond milk, baby spinach, banana, vanilla protein powder and flax seed.

Tropical Coconut Smoothie- Frozen tropical mix of pineapple, mango, papaya, strawberry and guava. Coconut milk, baby kale, banana, protein powder, frozen coconut meat or coconut butter.

Supergreen Hemp smoothie- Frozen peaches and strawberries. Hemp milk, and super greens mix of chard ,baby kale and baby spinach. Two bananas, hemp protein and hemp seed.

Nutter Butter Banana Smoothie- Frozen strawberries, Cashew milk, baby spinach, 2 bananas, protein powder, PB2, almond butter, and flax seed.

Here s what you will need for all four:

Super Summer Smoothies

Yields 2 serving

Shopping list and Ingredients:

The Greens- 2 cups of any of the following in any combination:

Baby spinach, chard, and baby kale.

The fresh fruit-1 or 2 bananas depending on recipe

The Liquid Base- 2 cups of any of the following:

Cashew milk, almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk. *I sometimes just buy the small unrefrigerated boxes in the 1 QT/32 oz sizes of Pacific brand Cashew, Hemp and Almond.

The Frozen Fruit- 2 cups of any of the following:

Frozen strawberries, peaches, dark sweet cherries, berry blend (raspberry blackberry blueberry), tropical blend (pineapple mango papaya guava)

The Protein- One serving as written on packaging of any of the following:

Protein powder, PB2, almond butter, coconut butter

The Fiber- One Tablespoon of any of the following:

Flax seed, chia seed, hemp seed, coconut meat

Once you get to the blender and start assembling your smoothies, you can mix and match any of the above ingredients to create all sorts of delicious, well rounded flavor combinations! Its really up to you what ingredient from each category you add into the mix. There really are no rules. As long as you put something in from each list, you will end up with a balanced, and filling nutrient rich smoothie. So, let your creativity flow, and let me know what yummy combinations you come up with!

When layering in all of your chosen ingredients, its best to leave the frozen fruit for last, since it is heavy and will help weigh down the other ingredients for better blending. The calories on the smoothies will vary depending on which components you add in, but if you keep track as you go along, its easy to stay on top of the final number. I tend to do the math before it all goes in so I can make any adjustments to the recipe ahead of time.

So get out there and enjoy what is left of your Summer! But don’t forget to come back to visit us here at the garden, because we’ve got two more Summer meals to round out the season! Lunch and Dinner are up next with our cool and crunchy chopped salads, and then for dinner we will be firing up the grill for a savory barbeque flair on a Summer’s Eve.

And as always, “lettuce” know what you think and plant your questions and comments here in the garden.

Thanks for visiting us here at The Enchanted Garden Goddess, and we will see you next time when our Summer will be coming to a close, and all of our Fall recipes are just around the corner!