Resolved: Eat more fruits and veggies every day!

Last night for Recipe Club we were to bring a new recipe for the New Year.  Our New Year's resolution is for ALL of us in our family to eat more fruits and veggies.  We've had 2 big Christmas bowls full of fruits available on the table, a drawer of veggies in the refrigerator and bags of frozen fruits and veggies to choose from.  Each child has enjoyed being the one to go with one of us to pick out the fruits and veggies.  With the purchase of  a Vitamix, the industrial strength blender Jamba Juice uses to make their smoothies, we are having fun concocting smoothies.  By the way, you can buy a Vitamix online at http://www.vitamix.com or at Sam's Club or Costco -- at least during the holidays.  I also came across a much less expensive type by Jack Lalane at http://www.healthmaster100.com.  The idea is to have a heavy duty type which will chop ice in seconds and puree most anything and has a variable speed so you can puree part and stir in pieces, if desired, especially for soups. 

My husband made a Smoothie for me to share last night.  He just sees what we have in the freezer and fresh and goes for it.  The key is to have a mix of fresh and frozen so it's thicker and colder.  He titled this New creation:

Triple Berry Tropic Smoothie

3 cups frozen mango chunks

3 cups frozen blackberry, raspberry, blueberry blend

2 fresh bananas, slightly spotted makes them sweeter

2 scoops of Whole Nectar smoothie powder http://www.wholenectar.com 

3/4 can of Dole Orange Strawberry Banana concentrate

I avoid adding sweetener.  I add spotted bananas as my sweetener.  Of course according to your taste or take on sweeteners you may try: 

sugar or splenda or honey or agave, etc.

Serve it frozen immediately.  It tastes best frozen right then, just like at Jamba, so it wasn't as tasty thawed by the time we got around to drinking it an hour later.   Also be ready to rinse, soak or wash your glasses immediately as it dries on quickly.   

So here's to "5 a day" in a fun way -- get creative and eat your fruits and veggies as smoothies and soups.