Rise 'n Shine

For many people, breakfast is little more than a cup of coffee as you run out the door. But, if you are going to drink your breakfast, there's a much healthier way to do it. Pull out your blender and make a smoothie! Packed with fruit and yogurt, smoothies are a great way to start your day. And making some additional ingredient choices can make sure that they are the best fuel to start your day:

• Opt for lowfat or nonfat dairy in your smoothies. That means skim milk and lowfat or nonfat yogurt. You can save even more calories by avoiding sweetened yogurts.
• I like to blend frozen fruit into my smoothies to make them a little creamier. A wide variety of berries, sliced peaches and pineapple, chunks of banana and melon are a good start and easy to have on hand all year round.
• Adding just a small amount of toasted wheat germ to a smoothie adds a lot of fiber to the drink and a pleasant, nutty flavor.
• Small amounts of honey, extracts or fruit juices can add a lot of flavor without many calories to a smoothie. I love to blend yogurt, skim milk, frozen bananas and vanilla extract together to make a banana smoothie that's great. Switch the vanilla extract for coconut extract for a special tropical treat.

To start you out on an adventure, I'm offering a nice smoothie recipe that I turn to when I'm in the mood for a fruity treat. Enjoy!

As always, I encourage you to share your recipe ideas and comments. You can always post comments in the discussion board using the forms provided in the articles or email me directly at .