Strawberry-Banana Smoothie (Non-Dairy)

So it seems as though summer is finally here in the UK, at least for a little while. Today will supposedly be one of the hottest days this year, a searing 30 C. With a lack of space in the freezer, I've been relying on fizzy drinks from the vending machine to statisfy my thirst for cold beverages, but lately, it seems as though all shops are selling strawberries at half price. Add to the fact that I've recently discovered these really nifty self-sealing ice cubs bags, it all points to a cold smoothie. So here we go. =)


What you need:
1 banana, cut into 4
10-12 strawberries
10-12 ice cubes, depending on how thick you want your smoothie to be

What you do:
Add all ingredients into a smoothie maker or a blender (I use one of those hand-held blenders) and blend until smoothie. Easy peasy.

Yeah, I know. It's a cheat of a recipe, haha. So easy yet so delicious. At first, I wasn't too keen on having banana in there, but the banana does make it thicker. Plus, I quite like the flavour. My brother usually uses his hand blender to make apple juice, but I think that this makes a lovely alternative. So delicious and healthy too! No need to add sugar.

The best thing is, you can put in whatever you want into a smoothie, really. You don't need ice. Some smoothies use a bit of fruit juice or sometimes yoghurt. You can have basically any fruit you want in there. Here are some smoothie recipes sites:
Smoothie-Recipes.net
Smoothies Recipe
Smoothie Web

Back in Bristol, I think Hadi had a bit of a smoothie phase as well. Not quite sure why he gave up... I think maybe he found it too expensive, or something. Which is true. I like to have berries in my smoothie and these tend to be expensive. But if you used seasonal fruits (in the UK, of course) I think it would be much cheaper. Hence why I wanted to make this, with strawberries at half price. =) In Brunei, you could probably try to make smoothies out of the local fruits. Not quite sure how that would go, but I'm sure it would be equally yummy. Mangoes, for sure, would be fantastic. Watermelons too. The brave and daring can go ahead and make durian smoothies, haha. ;)

Now I just have to figure out how to bring this during my weekday lunches. Definitely in a thermos flask, to keep it cold. I read somewhere that to keep smoothies as cold and thick as possible, you can try freezing the fruit beforehand. And even freezing the smoothie after you make it. Which is a good idea, I think. I will try that soon. But I do need more bananas now...

Quote of the day: Acting in 'Star Wars' I felt like a raisin in a giant fruit salad, and I didn't even know who the cantaloupes were.