Sunrise Smoothie

It snowed last night. Again.  And now a lovely sleety ice rain is falling. Bleech! I would love to be on a tropical island again like Vieques, P.R. or back in Costa Rica but since I'm here in Rhode Island enduring what is hopefully winter's last hurrah, I'm making tropical smoothies.

I was at the market this weekend waffling over which fruits to splurge on and then I smelled the strawberries. I'll just give them a sniff I thought as commercial berries can be lacking in flavor, but ohhhh,oohh yes, sold!  Wafting up to my nose was the perfume of perfectly ripe strawberries.  Craving Spring and strawberry season, I had to have them.  

Blood oranges are also in season right now and I just love their deep rich flavor- to me they are the wine of the orange citrus world.  Don't get me wrong I love satsumas and clementines but their flavor is a delicate, ethereal grace note compared to blood oranges .

Sunrise Smoothie:

1 blood orange, peeled and cut into sections
handful of strawberries, washed and green tops removed
1 banana
So Delicious brand coconut milk
or Almond, Rice or Soy milk

Put ingredients into Nutribullet or blender of choice, blend and serve.Coconut milk (and by this I mean the milk you drink and find in the aisle with the almond rice and soy milks, not the one one that comes in a can and is used for making curries) contains some saturated fat but it's form is in MCT (medium chain triglycerides) which are thought to have myriad health benefits.  The Engine 2 Diet says not to use this if you are trying to lose weight. And there are some articles that recommend not using coconut milk if you are diabetic. Definitely work with a nutritionist , consult your doctor and do research so you can make an informed decision as to what's best for you if you have any health concerns. Almond soy or rice milk will work just as well in this smoothie. I

    For extra nutrition you could add flax meal or chia seeds to this . This will make 2 servings if the banana is really large and 1 serving if using a small banana.