Summer Barbecues With Healthy Smoothies

When it's that time of year, and you are ready to take the cover off the barbecue, picnic food comes to mind. The perfect hamburger or hot dog, potato chips, and just in case there's just too much stodge on the table, plates of assorted delicious salads.

I love creating colorful plates of vegetables and cheese as well as adding some home made dressings, usually made from crumbled goats cheese, fresh herbs and a touch of olive oil and wine vinegar. In the past, we've stopped there, but this year we've taken our picnic menu one stage further and incorporated drinks. Not corn syrup fueled, canned concoctions, but wholesome fruits and vegetables but together in a smoothie.

Frozen bananas make a great base, providing a creamy texture that's unbeatable. Then it's simply a case of collecting and combining what's available in the shops at a reasonable price.Strawberries make fabulous smoothies, combine them with the frozen banana, a little apple juice and some yogurt for a creamy drink, or perhaps a little ice cream. Best of all you can really brighten any picnic by having a strawberry theme. Add strawberries to your green salads, or join the celebrities by enjoying them Wimbledon style, served with real whipped cream, after all if you have a blender it can probably whip cream too, and the real thing is so much nicer than the aerosol can!

Best of all are strawberries with cream cheese, or strawberries with champagne. Eat a strawberry, take a sip, or use your blender to create a fabulous strawberry champagne sorbet to finish off your summer barbecue in style.Another wonderful thing about strawberries is that they are easy to grow. Even if all you have is a balcony or small patio you can grow strawberries in towers, and be certain that what you are eating has not been contaminated in any way. If there is anyone in your family who suffers from a strawberry allergy, grow the white variety as the allergic reaction is linked to the red pigment.

Bananas make an excellent base for smoothies, especially when frozen, but some people really hate the texture. What's more it can take searching to find good organic juices without extra sugar or flavorings to add to your blended creations. One way to solve that problem is to buy a juicer. A lot of people get confused about juicers thinking they are just the same as blenders, but no. Blenders work by chopping things up into really fine pieces. Juicers actually separate the juice from the pulp, so if you are looking for the best option, use a juicer to extract the juice from your apples, pears etc (or green vegetables) and mix that juice in your blender to build a smoothie you can be confident has no additives at all.

So many people think only of canned drinks when planning a picnic. They seem so convenient, but there is very little effort in preparing a pitcher of cold, delicious smoothie, the ideal healthy drink for spending time in the sun.