Cherry Berry Power Smoothies

Let's talk smoothies.

I don't post a lot of smoothies. In my mind, they could be considered one of those things that doesn't even need a recipe. I always tend to hesitantly publish smoothie recipes, bracing myself for anyone that might comment that smoothies are hardly recipes. People do make those comments! Just the other day, (no names, y'all) a blogger posted a strawberry parfait that really was just strawberries layered with piped whipped cream, and someone left a comment on her post saying "Um, when did strawberries and whipped cream become a recipe?". I hate seeing comments like that. I mean, for one, even if I was thinking that myself, I would never say it. We all work way too hard on posts to be harassed by mean-spirited comments. And two, I started wondering if people thought that about my recipes.

It's a slippery slope. 

Sometimes, recipes are simple. 

Sometimes, you just throw everything in a bowl and stir. 

Sometimes, you salt a steak and throw it on the grill.

Somestimes, recipes have 2 ingredients.

Sometimes, you load all your ingredients into a blender and just hit the button. 

Do these facts make a recipe any less a recipe? No. Sometimes it's in the proportions of each ingredient that make the recipe. I remember making a Watermelon, Feta, and Mint Salad a couple of years ago. The recipe called simply for those 3 ingredients. There was a dressing that I can't recall right now, but I think it was something like lime juice and olive oil. Something simple. At any rate, there was a recipe. I used it for the dressing, and then said to heck with it. I just threw in indiscriminate amounts of watermelon, feta, and mint. The end result was, needless to say, disgusting. You need precisely the right amount of the ingredients in that salad to keep one ingredient from becoming overpowering. Because, let's face it, when you are talking about feta and mint, those are 2 pretty powerful ingredients. I needed a recipe to tell me how much of each ingredient I should use. 

I may try the salad again someday. Maybe.

So, yeah, this recipe is simple. But, it's a good one. I've been on a smoothie kick for awhile, basically since the January Chilean peaches ran their course. Time to wait for summer peach season. While I can't eat my beloved peaches for a snack, I can make a smoothie anytime. This is pretty much my go-to recipe these days, I cannot get enough of it. 

My recipe probably makes enough for 2 people. I usually drink it all myself though :-)

A key ingredient to my power smoothies- lots and LOTS of spinach. I stuff as much spinach as I can into my smoothies. At least 2 large handfuls. I don't eat a lot of meat, so spinach gives me a good dose of iron. I also need the fiber.

I'm one of those weirdos who doesn't use ice in their smoothies. I'd rather use frozen fruit. Lately I've been buying this "Cherry Berry Medley" for smoothies. It's a combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries. It is, for lack of a better term, amazeballs.  For this smoothie, however, I strictly used frozen cherries for the frozen fruit. Cherries also happen to have tons of fiber.

I also use fresh fruit in my smoothies. I typically just buy whatever berries are on sale. Any combination of berries will do, but my favorite is raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Although, I must admit, I can't wait till I have strawberries in the garden to use in my smoothies! Since I was using all frozen cherries this go-round, I decided to go with my classic favorite trio of berries. 

Load everything into the blender and-

Add juice! I'm obsessed with pomegranate juice. My other favorite juice to use is pomegranate lemonade.

Pulse, blend, hack, puree away...

And you're done! I like to add garnishes because they are oh-so pretty, but they are definitely not mandatory. 

A good way to get fruit and fiber in this short amount of time before peaches come back into season. At least for me :-)

That's it for me today. It's been a long, rainy week here which has translated into no landscaping being done. Argh. Spring is one of the more frustrating seasons, is it not? We wait so long for winter to give its last gasp, only to then sit and bite our nails, gnashing our teeth for summer. I'm just really anxious to get our flower beds in! And our fence. All that has to wait for the yard to dry out. 

Ah, patience, where art thou?

Have a great day everyone!

Ingredients (makes 1 large or 2 small smoothies):

3/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup mixed berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries)

2 large handfuls spinach leaves

1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen cherries

Directions:

1. Load ingredients into blender in this order: juice, yogurt, berries, spinach, and top with frozen cherries. Pulse to desired consistency. If you prefer a thinner smoothie, add more juice. Or add less berries or less cherries. Recipe as is makes a very thick smoothie, just the way I like them. 

Printable Recipe

If you liked this recipe, you may enjoy these-

Raspberry Blueberry Smoothies

Swirled Strawberry Lemon Smoothies

Green Smoothies