Earth to Belle: Summer in a Cup

Hey, it’s Belle! I hope everyone has been doing well. These past few weeks have been pretty stressful for me, but I’m glad summer’s quickly approaching. To me, summer is all about unwinding with friends, outdoor concerts, and fresh fruit. Every year, I look forward to the sweet peaches, blackberries, strawberries, mangoes, and plums that hit the market. I’m getting excited just thinking about it.

It’s kind of funny to think about how much I care for fruits and vegetables nowadays, compared to when I was a kid. Like most children, my parents had a hard time getting me to eat my fruits and veggies. But if I was at a friend’s house, I’d eat anything. Mealtimes were always my favorite parts of any sleepover or playdate because I got to try different foods. Coming from a Chinese family, and living with my grandparents at the time, it wasn’t everyday that I got to try french toast and waffles. I remember this one specific sleepover I went to in the 2nd grade, when my friend’s dad woke me up with the sound of the blender in the kitchen (though I didn’t know what it was at the time). Admittedly, I was pretty annoyed. My friend was still sound asleep, and you know what feeling when you don’t know what to do because you woke up before your friend? I didn’t have a smartphone in the 2nd grade, so I didn’t have anything to do but to creepily wait for her to wake up, and I couldn’t just fall back asleep because the blender was still going, so that wasn’t really an option.

So what did I do? I just laid there and wondered what that sound was coming from the kitchen. I wasn’t familiar with smoothies at that age because we never made them at home. We didn’t even own a blender, so it was all very new to me. But it wasn’t long until my friend’s dad knocked on the door to wake us up. I clearly remember getting out of my sleeping bag and pretending like I had just woken up, and like I wasn’t awkwardly waiting for her. We ran to the bathroom to brush our teeth, and then made our way to the kitchen, where a plate of pancakes was waiting for us next to a tall glass of pink smoothie for each of us. Color me impressed.

I had asked for a blender that Christmas, and since that day, I didn’t have as much of a problem getting my daily doses of fruits and veggies (amazing, I know). Honestly, it could have just been a kitchen tool that my parents were going to get anyway—they might have very well just told me it was for me even though we were all going to use it anyway. But regardless, I’m very thankful because my love for smoothies has only grown since then.

So with that in mind, I present you with one of my favorite smoothies—and if you like berries, citrus and sweet-creamy smoothies, this is the recipe for you. This simple treat is not only quick to make and healthy, but it also tastes like summer in a cup! Enjoy!

Summer Berry Smoothie
(Serving for 2)
Author: Minimalist Baker

1 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1 large ripe, sliced and frozen banana (~1 cup)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
3/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk (may substitute w/ non-dairy milk or fruit juice)

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Add more milk or fruit juice if too thick. Add more frozen banana if not sweet enough. Serve immediately.

Bonus: You can also freeze the smoothie into molds for a delicious popsicle!

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 of 2 smoothies Calories: 183 Fat: 1.6g Saturated fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 41g Sugar: 26g Sodium: 72mg Fiber: 7.3g Protein: 2.5g