1) Yoplait Smoothies - These are found in your grocers freezer. Of the three I tried, these are my least favorite but that isn't to say they aren't good. The directions call for just adding 1 cup of milk - I usually add at least a cup and half or it doesn't even come out of the blender and I still have to eat it with a spoon. I've tried the chocolate banana, Strawberry banana and Blueberry Pomegranate. The reason these fall third is their "texture". I find them really creamy and not as cold as I would like. It's like I need to add ice to make them colder. I want something that I "crave" and I don't crave these at all.
2) Dole Shakers - These are also found in your grocers freezer. I love these. First of all, you don't need a blender - you add the liquid to the canister and shake! The directions call for adding juice but I also added Coconut Water. The juice makes it taste the best, in my opinion, but the Coconut water was good, just not as sweet. These I crave. Not only do I end up having one in the morning, sometimes I make one in the afternoon for a snack. So far I've just used regular Orange Juice but I think I will try these with "Trop 50" which will make them more "Weight Watchers" friendly . .. granted I don't really care to drink Trop 50 "straight-up" it reminds me of Tang!!
3) A Homemade Recipe -The recipe that I use is for a Tropical Green Smoothie from Skinny Taste.Com and I really love it. It's cold and not too creamy, which is good. I do cut the recipe in half and it still makes a full cup and a half of smoothie which is alot :-) Click on the link above to find the recipe :-). This is without a doubt the healthiest of the three options with the greek yogurt and spinach involved. :-) I've used both fresh and canned pineapple and they both work perfectly. I also still throw a whole banana into the blender since the half wouldn't keep well :-)
To be truthful, the one I still crave the most is . . .. the Dole Shakers! I think I will keep those around for a treat in the summer. The one I would eat for a healthier breakfast would be the Homemade Recipe. (Can you guess which one I won't buy again??? - I still have one in my freezer that I really don't even want to use . . . )
I think I now need to venture out and try some more homemade smoothies and see if I can find a few others that I like.
*I have no association with any company related to these smoothies - I'm just stating my opinion :-)
