Last week, the food blogging scene was abuzz with the success of the first annual food blogging camp at Club Med Ixtapa. Attendees benefitted from small workshops with food writers, food stylists, photographers, and chefs, including Michael Ruhlman, Matt Armendariz, and David Lebovitz. While I did not go (err...as you can see by the quality of the lead photo to this post - I need to do a better job rinsing that glass!), I wished that I had, envying their chance to slowly sip tropical drinks adorned with little umbrellas while listening to the soft lapping of ocean waves on the beach. Sigh.
Alas, lately I have been spending my days in a window-less room reviewing documents to be shared in a class action lawsuit, so I have to get my kicks where I can. I cannot bring the beach to me, but I can put a fruity drink in my hand. I swapped the little umbrella for an awesome curly straw (courtesy of my friends Tim and Ben, who decided that when it came time for me to celebrate passing the bar exam, regular drinks and regular straws just would not do. Thanks, guys.) and left out the hard stuff (to keep this drink weekday morning-friendly), although you could certainly add whatever you like.
Taking a page out of Eugenia Bone's book, I have portioned this smoothie recipe into single servings so this fruity concoction can be enjoyed on a moment's notice (especially early in the day when I might be less inclined to mix and measure, as easy as it may be). It should be noted that this recipe, as much as any smoothie is a recipe, comes courtesy of Alton Brown, although I have adapted slightly.
Into freezer-safe containers, combine 2 ounces (by weight) each of frozen strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. Mango might be a nice substitute, but for the sake of convenience, I might shy away from the seedier fruits, such as raspberries and blackberries. Next, add 2 ounces (by weight) of banana (roughly half of a banana) broken into bite-sized pieces (your blender will thank you). Then add 2 ounces (by weight) of any purple fruit juice. Try acai juice, which comes from the fruit of a species of palm tree (every time it's mentioned, all I can hear is Will Ferrell from Zoolander saying "It's so hot right now."), trendy pomegranate juice, or the old-reliable grape juice (which is what I used because it's waaaay cheaper than the other two).
Seal and save in the freezer until you're in need of a 10 minute tropical getaway. I let a bag partially defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then blend it (slowly at first to help grind up the big chunks of fruit, then at a higher speed for 30-60 seconds), adding milk (or soy milk for protein, but milk is cheaper, and I'm all about cheap right now) until the smoothie reaches my desired consistency.
Speaking of cheap...this smoothie is cheap!
CHEAP EATS: Making your own freezer-ready smoothie mix will save you money right off the bat - it's cheaper than the frozen bags of smoothie mixes you can buy at the store, and certainly much less expensive (and arguably better for you) than anything you could buy at a national smoothie chain. I recommend buying pre-frozen fruit (with the exception of bananas) over buying fresh fruit and freezing it yourself. Frozen fruit is already picked at its peak and frozen immediately, so sometimes the quality can be even better than berries you might find in your produce section, say, in the dead of winter.
But get this! The first time I made this, I went to my local Publix to pick up bags of frozen fruit at $3.99 a pop. But while I was strolling up and down the isles of Whole Foods (isn't that just so relaxing?), I discovered that their frozen fruit was - wait for it - nearly $2.00 cheaper per bag! Who saw that coming? I did not. All in all, this drink is about $1.60 per serving! So get yourself some fruit and pull out your blender! You need a $1.60 vacation!
