Whether you’re a corporation director, miner, up-and-coming capsuleer or someone in-between, busy lives tend to cut into healthy eating. But eating well doesn’t have to be hard work. Try these healthy fruit smoothie recipes for your next last-minute breakfast, afternoon snack or even dessert.

Banana and Peach Smoothie

Made with fresh fruit and low-fat yogurt, this smoothie is a great blend of vitamins and minerals—an excellent boost of energy at the beginning of your day or just before the gym.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large bananas, thickly sliced
• 1 can (398 ml) peach halves in natural juice
• 200 g plain low-fat acidophilus yogurt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon clear honey
• 1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• sprigs of fresh mint to garnish (optional)

METHOD

1. Place the bananas, peaches and juice, yogurt, mint and honey in a food processor or blender and blend to a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the container once or twice. Add the orange juice and blend briefly until mixed.
2. Pour the smoothie into tall glasses and garnish with sprigs of mint, if desired.

VARIATIONS

• For a strawberry and banana smoothie, instead of peaches use 220 g strawberries. Reserve 4 strawberries and blend the remainder with the bananas and yogurt (there is no need to add honey or mint). Mix in apple juice in place of the orange juice. Stir in the grated rind and juice of 1 lime. Pour into glasses and decorate each one with a reserved strawberry skewered on a cocktail stick, if desired.

Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

Refresh yourself in just five minutes with this low-fat pick-me-up.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups ripe strawberries
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste

Garnish (optional):

• 4 small strawberries with leaves
• 4 thin round slices of unpeeled orange

METHOD

1. Rinse and drain the strawberries and place them in a food processor or blender.
2. Add the yogurt, orange juice and sugar.
3. Process on the highest speed until a well-blended purée forms, about 15 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container once or twice.
4. Taste the mixture and sweeten with a little more sugar, if you wish.
5. For a very smooth beverage, strain the mixture, using a wooden spoon to push the drink through.
6. Discard the strawberry seeds.

Pour into 4 tall glasses and serve immediately. If you wish to decorate the drinks, slit the strawberries and the orange slices halfway through the centres. Attach one berry and one orange slice to the rim of each glass.

VARIATIONS

• Banana-berry smoothie: Add 1 small banana, cut into quarters (Step 1). Because bananas tend to thicken drinks, increase the orange juice to 3/4 cup (175 mL). Taste the smoothie before adding the sugar (you may not need it).
• Apricot-berry smoothie: For the fruits, use 2 cups (500 mL) peeled apricot slices and only 2 cups (500 mL) ripe strawberries.

Banana and Mango Shake

With calcium, fibre, protein and vitamins B and C all swirled into this tempting smoothie, the Banana Mango Shake is an all-round great recipe for any time of the day.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 ripe mango
• 1 small ripe banana, sliced
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
• 120 ml (4 fl oz) orange juice
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 2 heaped tbsp vanilla frozen yogurt
• sprigs of fresh lemon balm to decorate (optional)

METHOD

1. Peel the skin from the mango and cut the flesh away from the stone. Chop the flesh roughly. Put into a blender with the banana.
2. Add the milk, orange juice, lime juice, sugar and frozen yogurt and blend on maximum speed for about 30 seconds or until mixed and frothy.
3. Pour banana and mango shake into glasses and serve immediately, decorated with sprigs of lemon balm, if you like.

VARIATIONS

• Use skimmed milk instead of semi-skimmed. Skimmed milk contains only 0.1% fat, as compared with 3.9% for full-cream milk and 1.6% for semi-skimmed milk, but still has similar levels of vitamins and minerals.
• Those who do not eat dairy products or who have a lactose (milk sugar) intolerance can substitute 300 ml (10 fl oz) soya milk for the cow’s milk, and omit the frozen yogurt; or use 240 ml (8 fl oz) soya milk with 2 heaped tbsp soya ice cream.
• Use a ripe peach instead of the mango half.
• For a shake rich in fibre, use 115 g (4 oz) stoned ready-to-eat prunes instead of the mango, with lemon juice instead of lime juice.

PLUS POINTS

• Milk is an excellent source of several important nutrients – protein, calcium and phosphorus (important for strong bones and teeth) and many of the B vitamins, particularly B1, B2, B6 and B12.
• Bananas are a useful source of the mineral potassium, a good intake of which may help to prevent high blood pressure.
• Mangoes are rich in vitamin C and carotenoid compounds, both antioxidants that protect the body against damage by free radicals.

Cherry-Melon Breakfast Drink

Whip up this healthy fruit smoothie recipe for a quick breakfast or refreshing dessert.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) cubed cantaloupe or watermelon
• 1 cup (250 mL) (about 24) pitted fresh or frozen dry-pack cherries, thawed
• 1 cup (250 mL) plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) light brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves

METHOD

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the melon, cherries, yogurt, sugar, honey, and cloves. Whirl for about 1 minute or until smooth.
2. Pour into glasses, garnish with a sprig of mint, and serve immediately. If cherries or melons aren’t available, substitute your favourite fruit. Be creative!
3. In a food processor or blender, combine the melon, cherries, yogurt, sugar, honey, and cloves. Whirl for about 1 minute or until smooth.
4. Pour into glasses, garnish with a sprig of mint, and serve immediately. If cherries or melons aren’t available, substitute your favourite fruit. Be creative!

Mango, Peach and Apricot Fizz

Pamper yourself or impress your guests with this delicious and dynamic drink. With fresh fruit and fizz, this refreshing concoction is only 55 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe mango
• 1 ripe peach
• 2 large ripe apricots
• 500 ml (17 fl oz) ginger ale, sparkling water or your favourite fizzy mixer
• fresh mint or lemon balm leaves to decorate (optional)

METHOD

1. Peel the mango and cut the flesh away from the central stone. Roughly chop the flesh and put it into a blender or food processor. Alternatively, if you are using a hand blender, put the mango in a large tall jug.
2. Cover the peach and apricots with boiling water and leave for about 30 seconds, then drain and cool under cold running water. Slip off the skins. Roughly chop the flesh, discarding the stones, and add to the mango in the blender or food processor.
3. Pour over enough of the ginger ale just to cover the fruit, then process until completely smooth. Pour in the remaining ginger ale and process again.
4. Quickly pour into tall glasses, preferably over crushed ice. Decorate with fresh mint or lemon balm leaves, if you like. Serve immediately with wide straws or swizzle sticks.

VARIATIONS

• Use low-calorie ginger ale to reduce the calorie content.
• So many different fruit and fizz combinations are possible. Using about 450 g (1 lb) fruit in total, try: raspberry, peach and melon with bitter lemon; strawberry, banana and orange segments with tonic water.
• When soft fruit are not in season, use fruit canned in juice as a substitute. A delicious combination is fresh melon, banana and canned apricots with sparkling mineral water.

PLUS POINTS

• These golden fruits provide a feast of vitamins. Peaches are full of vitamin C (100 g gives 77% of the RNI); apricots are a good source of the B vitamins (B1, B6 and niacin); and mangoes are an excellent source of vitamin A – just 100 g of mango provides half the RNI of this vitamin, which is important for vision and for the prevention of heart disease and cancer.

Smart Smoothie

This 270-calorie breakfast shake, packed with vitamin D, is part of our Summer-Slim Meal Plan.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup (175 mL) low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) skim milk
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh or frozen berries

METHOD

1. Whirl all smart smoothie ingredients together in blender.