Berry Good Smoothie 

• 1 banana
• 1/3 cup blackberries or blueberries
• ½ cup Zola Acai
• ½ cup Apple juice
• ¼ cup of ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

What’s in your blender today? Email me:drinkzola@gmail.com and follow me on Twitter @drinkzola.

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Happiness really is contagious -just check out my daughter after enjoying a Zola Acai smoothie.   Isn’t she adorable?

Have a great acai milk mustache that you’d like to share?  Email me: drinkzola@gmail.com; Twitter: @drinkzola.

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First of all, both will work just fine – if you just went to the Farmer’s Market and have a fridge full of fresh fruit goodies, I say blend them up!  If you’re a little low on fresh produce, I’d be wiling to bet you have some frozen fruit hiding in your freezer.

Here are a few best practices for adding the fruit to your smoothies – whether frozen or fresh:

• If you use frozen fruit, you do NOT need ice – the frozen fruit will give it a good consistency and of course, make it cold
• If you use fresh fruit, you will need to lower the juice by 1-2oz and add approx 2-4oz ice to taste.  Ice will dilute the flavor a bit, but will add some coldness and thickness
• For frozen fruit smoothies, its best to add the juice first, then the banana, then the frozen fruit.  Will help it blend
• For fresh fruit smoothies, its best to add the juice, then the banana and fresh fruit and then the ice.  Again, this will help it blend.

Hope this helps!

Email me with any questions or ideas for smoothies at drinkzola@gmail.com; Twitter @drinkzola.

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If I’m making a breakfast smoothie, I might opt for a juice or milk base. If I’m recovering from a bike ride, I might stick with juice. And if I’m making a treat for the kids on a summer weekend, I might go for sorbet or even a little ice cream. 

To give you a better idea of how to determine your base, here are a few tips for flavor, nutrition and texture:

Juice: Juice tends to add good sweetness and balance and can be used for almost any type of smoothie – whether to drink before or after a workout, for breakfast or even as a treat! Some of the most common juice bases are apple, orange and pineapple:

• Apple – good base to let fruit flavors come through more. Mixes really well with berries, banana, and most other fruits with the exception of tropical fruits (think papaya, mango, pineapple)

• Orange –a tart base that tends to dominate the flavor. Orange goes well with almost all mainstream fruits

• Pineapple – if you like tropical drinks, start with pineapple

Milk or Soymilk (for non-dairy alternative): Milks tend to dull the flavor. It is usually best to add a natural sweetener (like honey) or even a nut butter to give it a little something extra.

Yogurt: Yogurts (fresh or frozen) are great bases because they add thickness and provide probiotic benefits –great support for your immune and digestive systems. When choosing yogurts, I generally stick to vanilla for berry and tropical smoothies.

Sherbets, Sorbets, or even Ice Cream:  I don’t recommend using sherbets, sorbets and/or ice cream for daily smoothies. While they add a lot of flavor and a yummy icy texture, they can also load your smoothie with calories and sugar. These bases are best when making smoothie treats for fun summertime snacks or even as desserts.

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