Recipes for Smoothies, Including Chocolate Peppermint and Pumpkin Pie Varieties

Nothing says "healthy" like a smoothie. Whether you're on a diet, need a quick "pick-me-up," or just tired of the same-old sodas, a smoothie can be a refreshing treat. Here are my 5 favorite smoothie recipes.

1. Strawberry Orange Smoothie. ½ cup chopped strawberries, ½ cup orange juice, ½ cup crushed ice, ¼ teaspoon honey. Combine strawberries, orange juice, ice, and honey in blender. Blend until smooth. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

2. Pina Colada Smoothie. 1 cup frozen pineapple pieces, 1 frozen banana (peel banana before freezing,) ¾ cups milk, ½ cup frozen vanilla or strawberry yogurt, ½ cup orange juice, 3 tablespoons coconut. Combine all ingredients together and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

3. Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie. 6 cups fat free or skim chocolate milk, one 4-serving size pkg. instant vanilla or chocolate pudding mix, ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, Peppermint sticks. In a blender container combine half of the chocolate fat free skim milk and the pudding mix. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into a pitcher. Stir in remaining chocolate milk and peppermint extract. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To serve, stir mixture, pour into glasses. Garnish each serving with a peppermint stick.

4. Tropical Five Fruit Smoothie. 1 large banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered, ½ cup peeled and diced mango, ½ cup peeled and diced papaya, 1cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 3 ice cubes. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

5. Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. One 15 oz. can pure pumpkin pie filling, one 12 oz. can evaporated milk, one 8 oz. container vanilla low fat yogurt, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 3 ice cubes, whipped cream for topping. Combine everything (except whipped topping) into the blender and blend until smooth. Top off each glass with dollop of whipped cream.

Add a tablespoon of your favorite protein powder, and voila… an added boost. Smoothies aren't just for summer, either. You can serve them at your next holiday party (the chocolate peppermint ones are great for that) or if you just need a decadent treat that's not going to annihilate your caloric intake for the day. In some cases, you can get a full day's supply of fruits in one smoothie. Plus, they taste so good, you'll never miss what you're giving up… a larger dress size. Enjoy!