New year, new smoothie

By Melissa Boylan

New Year’s diets taste a lot better with a fruit smoothie.

These five tasty and healthy breakfast drinks provide a great alternative to your usual triple shot of espresso.

Kiwi, Banana and Honey Mango Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

One fresh kiwi fruit

One sliced banana

One chopped honey mango

3 ounces fat-free Greek yogurt

2 ounces fruit juice (recommended: cran-raspberry)

Tip: To encourage breakfast eating, combine the dry ingredients in Tupperware containers the night before so it only takes a few minutes to make.

This recipe is great right now because winter months are when kiwis are in season. Fresh kiwis are ripe, sweet and delicious.

Healthy Banana Nutella Smoothie

Ingredients:

One sliced banana

4 tablespoons of Nutella

1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

10 large ice cubes

Fun Fact: Nutella is not the healthiest ingredient in spoonfuls or on top of a box of chocolate crackers, but it is great for you in moderation because of the energy and healthy fats included in hazelnut.

Cleansing Berry Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup raspberries

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Tip: One great way to make a smoothie is with an immersion blender. They are easy to use because you can blend the smoothie in one glass.

Green Colada Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup organic raw spinach

1/2 banana

1 cup chopped and frozen pineapple

1/2 cup organic coconut water

1/4 cup organic aloe water

Tip: There are many green smoothie recipes out there that are healthy for you; however, green veggies like kale and spinach have a bitterness that is unbearable for some people. This recipe is great because the banana, coconut and pineapple set off the bitterness of the spinach.

Energy Almond Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk, vanilla flavor

One large frozen, ripe banana

1 tablespoon almond butter

1/4 cup ice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Optional garnish: roasted almonds

Fun Fact: Save this shake for Friday because it tastes like a milkshake; however, the energy from the almonds make this an excellent start to your day.