Book Review: Super Smoothies

Ever since I became pregnant with my first son, I have been enjoying the smoothie recipe I found in one of the pregnancy books. My kids tend to favor my husband's smoothies (he prepares them with milk and fruit and the little guys love to help), but I have stuck with my standard recipe (3/4 c. skim milk, 1/4 c. orange juice, 4-6 oz. yogurt, frozen fruit - usually bananas and strawberries or pineapple).

Last week, I stumbled upon a gem of a book at the thrift store. Even in skimming, I knew I couldn't pass it up. Although I have yet to try one of these recipes, it was tremendous fun reading the book.

The first forty pages are chock full of nutritional information. The authors, twin sisters Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford, offer ten tips for super smoothies, fruit and vegetable glossaries (outlining the various benefits of each fruit and vegetable suggested for use), a listing of a variety of binding ingredients, nutritional information and advice on preparing ingredients for use. Several of the tips I plan to use include using flavored ice cubes (teas, juices, etc.), using fresher ingredients and incorporating some new binding ingredients (like silken tofu - don't know if I'll like it, but am planning on giving it a whirl - literally!).

The recipes, themselves, are divided into categories like: "Energy Elixirs," "Immune Boosters," "Weight-Conscious Concoctions," "Stress Reducers." There are also sections devoted to women, men and kids. Too bad, I'm already past the point of needing a smoothie to combat infant teething pain.

I was thrilled to find that the previous owner had written "good" over various ones, even though I know my opinions might differ. A few sound like ones I will never try, either because they call for unusual ingredients or ingredients I wouldn't be willing to purchase just for a smoothie. One recipe called for beets, and even though I like beets, I'm unlikely to buy a raw beet and shred it to add to my smoothie. Now, having said that, though, if I were to make cooked beets for myself, since nobody else in this family enjoys them, I might be tempted to freeze the leftover portion and attempt that particular smoothie. Then again, it calls for carrot juice, frozen diced papaya, and grated fresh ginger.

I doubt I'll be needing the "Hangover Helper" smoothie, but it did sound delicious with watermelon and strawberries. I will definitely try the "Flu-buster" next time I find myself needing a souped up dose of vitamin C. Other ones I intend to try are "Heart-throb," "Guiltless Pleasure," "Peachy Lean," "Lite'n Luscious," and "Cold Flash." Plus there were some other delicious sounding mixes calling for chocolate milk, peanut butter and bananas.

I only paid 69 cents for my copy. You can find an inexpensive used copy (under a dollar) on Amazon.com. Someone (my sister-in-law??) told me once that a smoothie is like a healthy milkshake. I could go for a healthy milkshake every day of the week.