SHAPE UP WITH SMOOTHIES AT ANY AGE

Have you ever tried a vegetable smoothie, or for that matter, any kind of smoothie?  I used to think of them as a beverage that appealed more to younger people…you know, the kind you see out jogging through the park on a cold Sunday morning,

wearing nothing but a pair of jeggings  and a T shirt,  while  you’re bundled up in a ski  jacket, scarf, and gloves.   A smoothie didn’t seem like a suitable meal for an octogenarian .

But then, I saw  my daughter buy eight boxes of strawberries on sale, which she proceeded to stem, wash, and freeze separately on cookie sheets before bagging.   What in the world was she going to do with all those strawberries?  Put them in her family’s morning smoothies, of course.

After that day,  I decided to concoct my own smoothies using low fat  Greek yogurt for protein and probiotics, and fruits or vegetables for added flavor and nutrients—all swirled together in the blender for a couple of minutes.  At first. I  combined at least three fruits with  the yogurt--- oranges,  pineapple,  grapes, bananas, blueberries—just about any thing  I could find in the refrigerator or freezer.  Then, I got creative and decided to try vegetable smoothies for a change.    The same amount of yogurt, but this time, with a combination of three vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, kale, asparagus or  tomatoes.  Some people make vegetable/fruit combos, with 60 % fruit, 40% vegetable.  There are hundreds of recipes on the net,but you really don’t need one.   Every smoothie tastes different, depending upon what you’ve thrown in the blender.  A smoothie with a couple of crackers makes a  healthy, low calorie meal.  So, the next time your grandchildren stop by, fix them a #smoothie!