Peach Smoothie

 

 For many years, I had this misconception that smoothie has to do something with fruit and yogurt while a milkshake involves fruit and milk. That was until I read about the history of smoothie somewhere. According to wiki, a smoothie is a fruit based, blended and (sometimes) sweetened beverage. Sometimes chocolate or peanut butter may be added as well. Besides fruit, it may include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or syrup. They may also contain dairy products like milk, yogurt or ice-cream. And coming to ice-cream, there are divided opinions about whether it can be used in a smoothie or not. Some believe that ice-cream is added to milkshakes and not smoothies. As long as I know it tastes yummy, I don't care whether the ice-cream goes into a milkshake / smoothie. :)

It turns out that pureed fruits and fruit slushes have been a part of many cultures across the world for many centuries. The word "Smoothie" supposedly first appeared in 1940 in connection with the then newly commercialized electric blender. In short, the invention of electric blender paved the way for smoothies in America. The waring corporation (who financially backed the inventor of the blender, Fred Osius) had published a booklet that contained a dozen early recipes of "Milk Smoothees". Mabel Stegner, a Home Economics Consultant developed these recipes for the blender company and she coined the word "smoothie" for the first time in her article "Let the blender do it for you" in the year 1940. Her instructions to smoothie preparation were to add a banana / strawberries / pitted cherries / diced vegetables to a few ounces of a liquid base of one's choice. The liquid base can be milk / fruit juice / tomato juice or any other desired liquid. And the recipe mentions that in under one minute comes out a banana milk smoothie, a fruit nectar or a raw vegetable cocktail.

Smoothies were made initially in households that owned blenders. The first smoothie flavors were limited to the seasonal fruits available until refrigerators started appearing in homes. Banana, strawberries and pineapple used to be the most commonly available and popular flavors. The invention of blender and refrigerator during the early 1900's have revolutionized the smoothie making business. Other berries and exotic fruits came into the smoothie world once refrigerators became popular among households. The fruits could be now frozen and stored for using during the off-season. The smoothies gained popularity once the  ice-cream vendors and health food stores started selling them during 1960's. 
(Source:wiki) 
I kept it simple for today's smoothie. I just blended a cup of peach slices, a cup of yogurt, some ice cubes and a small quantity of sweetener. The resulting beverage was thick, creamy and real yummy.

This is going to be a part of "Smoothies" week, at BM #43

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Strawberry Smoothie

Thanks to my husband, one of my refrigerator bins is always filled with a variety of colorful fruits. However I tend to reach out for humble bananas or juicy strawberries whenever I think of preparing shakes/smoothies. Somehow they are my favorite choices and no surprises there considering that how popular are those smoothies over the blog world as well. Here is my version of one of our favorite smoothies made with plump, sweet strawberries. A refreshing and filling drink for a muggy day like the one we had today or for a quick breakfast option.

Just blend the following ingredients for a yummy drink.
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup chilled yogurt
1/2 cup chilled milk
6 ice cubes
Sugar to taste

This goes to BM #43, for the "smoothies" theme.

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