FoodDay Friday: Strawberry Basil Smoothies

Happy Friday!!!!  I'm exceptionally happy because Hubby is back from GA for GOOD!!  The children remained amazing throughout the entire thing, I'm seriously impressed by their strength.  I had my moments, but I held up better than I expected I would.

We got back from visiting my family yesterday (which was great!), and we went straight to FitGirl's 5-year well check.  She did amazingly, of course.  She's taller than average and quite the skinny thing, but I could've told them that.  And she's healthy as an ox, which I could've also told them.  We celebrated by going to a frozen yogurt shop (so much healthier than ice cream, and the kids can add their own fruit!), coming home to Hubby, me going for a horribly hot but wonderful neighborhood 5k while they swim, and then joining them the pool.  We came home and went straight to the back yard for Korean barbecue.  Heavenly!

Today, we veg.  It hasn't happened in a while, and it's been glorious!  It caused me to get a late start for my first FoodDay Friday, but I'm sure you'll all forgive me...right?  Anyway, my first little recipe for you is a smoothie recipe!  It's a favorite around the HipFit house for sure, and the kids beg for them on a regular basis.  It's pretty darned healthy, and I'll tell you how you can make it even a bit healthier if you wish.  This is what you'll need to start:

All measurements approximate, I usually just throw crap in!

2 cups frozen strawberries (we buy them on sale, cut stems, and freeze them ourselves)
1 cup natural applejuice (don't buy the crap with added sugar, it's sweet enough!)
1 cup organic vanilla yogurt
Child's handful of fresh basil 

We always have a ton of extra basil because the stuff grows like a weed, so I just started putting it into things.  Turns out, it pairs amazingly with strawberries!  I put the frozen berries in the blender first with the applejuice and basil and let it sit unblended for a few minutes to slightly defrost the berries.  Then I toss in the yogurt, blend on low, and voila!  The easiest and yummiest smoothie you can make!  To make it slightly healthier, you can use plain yogurt and add some local honey to sweeten.  You can also toss in some protein powder, whey, probiotics, or whatever else you fancy to make it as vitamin-packed as possible.  It will look like this:

You should have enough for two small kid-sized servings and one adult serving.  Or if you're in my house, two kid servings and two kid refills with a quick taste for the adult.  If you're feeling extra fun, you can put it in popsicle molds and make smoothie pops.  They're sooooooo good on a hot day!

I hope you guys enjoy your smoothies as much as we do, and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!  I have to get my 10k in for Running, Loving, Living today along with a long run on Sunday morning.  Other than that, I foresee lots of family time at the pool!

Stay tuned this coming Monday for my first HipFit giveaway!  I'm super stoked because I MADE most of the items involved!!  Here's a sneak peak:

I couldn't pry the smoothie from her hands long enough for a photo

Happy weekending, do something awesome!