Tropical Fruit Smoothies

Well, this post feels a little inappropriate.

After a gorgeous sunny Sunday, and a stormy but warm Monday, I woke up to SNOW today. Argh. I'm so irritated. The trees are starting to bloom, the grass is getting greener everyday, I'm starting to get tan lines, and now this? It's so much easier to envision yourself on a Hawaiian beach with this smoothie next to your beach chair when it feels summery out. I guess we'll all have to pretend today, hmmm?

These are one of my healthier smoothies. Mostly fruit, a little juice and yogurt, and a hefty tablespoon of coconut oil. You'll be surprised how much coconut flavor you get out of a little bit of oil. Mixing the coconut oil with pineapple and orange lends the perfect tropical flavor combination. I spent the whole week experimenting with using frozen fruit and frozen bananas in lieu of ice. Nothing against ice, but you can get a much better texture out of a smoothy if you skip it. I pretend the frozen fruit is my ice. It makes for a velvety smooth consistency with no crunchy ice chips. I hate crunchy ice chips in a smoothie.

I already know what some of you are going to say about ice chips. That's about the blender. Indeed. My blender model is circa 2001. I bought it the summer before I started college. It's a bright red Kitchen Aid I acquired for $20. And it still works! It's no Ninja or VitaMix, but it cost $20. I'll also tell you that "Smoothie Week" is the first time I've used that blender in my entire relationship with the hubby. That's almost 8 years. I use my food processor for most everything I need. It just so happens you can't make smoothies in the food processor (according to the hubby). With the amount that I use a blender, it'll be a while before I get a high-quality one. The point of this paragraph? You don't need a fancy blender to make smoothies. All of my smoothies are made out of my cheap-y blender, and they still turned smooth and delicious. 

Besides "Smoothie Week", we've got another project underway on the homestead. We are getting a driveway this week! The hubby and I have really approached life differently since we moved to Kentucky. The experiences that drove us here are also driving us to stay out of debt as much as possible. We put a 20% down payment on our home, and any projects done around the house we are paying for in cash. Which means we have to save to have that cash on hand, and the big projects will get done in time. We've got 2 projects on hand for this summer:

1. Concrete- we are getting the driveway poured. We are also getting a walkway to the front door as well as steps onto the front porch. With the work being done, we are also getting a concrete pad poured in the backyard that will function as a patio until the day we decide to build our deck. I'm super excited, especially about the walkway and steps. Currently, we open the garage door and let guests in through the garage when they come over so they don't have to walk through the muddy yard. Needless to say, my entryway is under utilized. Well, not for too much longer!

2. Fencing- We'll be fencing in the backyard. Part of the backyard, actually. We've got what we call "The Front Lot" which is separated from most of our property by a large ditch. We plan on fencing in the front lot later in the future, and putting goats and chickens out there. The small section we are fencing in this summer is mainly for the dogs and our garden. But soon we'll be able to open the back door, and let the dogs out with no worries.

The forms have been set, and the lines marked for concrete. Due to the weather today (grrrr), there will be no concrete. The driveway should be done tomorrow or Thursday, however. I can't wait! Pictures will be soon to follow :)

Happy Tuesday!

Ingredients (makes 2 smoothies):

1 cup pineapple, cubed

1 orange, peeled and sectioned

2 frozen bananas, sliced

1 cup orange juice

1 (8 oz) pineapple Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

1 large tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Distribute between 2 glasses, serve immediately.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday