Smoothie Addiction

The hubs and I recently decided to purchase a new blender. This makes blender number 4 or 5, I believe, since we've been together. We don't have good luck with them. I blame the hubs and his manhandling. So we opted to try again... with a new rule. I'm the only one allowed to use it. 
With summer on the way, and pinterest filled with delicious blended drink recipes, this became a very important purchase. 
So once we selected the machine, we decided to grab a few ingredients for one of our favorite treats. Smoothies. After grabbing some fresh fruit, vanilla yogurt, etc, we headed home to try out our new toy. 
Now, my hubs likes his smoothies to have a lot of icy crunch. (Think Slush Puppy texture.) Me, I prefer to stay true to the smooth in smoothie. But that's the beauty of smoothies... there is no wrong way to make them. So I proceeded to cut up some fruit and whip some up. They were delicious. And healthy! Over the next few days, I did a little research into popular recipes and discovered TONS of new ingredients and mixes. I have a grocery list a mile long of things I want to try. Peanut butter, kale, spinach, oats, various fruit combinations... the list is endless. Now I know the green smoothies are all the rage right now, and that's great and all, but I prefer my smoothie to be sweet and dessert-like. And not green. So I will try adding small amounts of various healthier things to the fruits (and maybe veggies) I love, but I'll have to be extra sneaky if I want the hubs to drink it. 

I really like the idea of breakfast smoothies. Especially when I'm pressed for time. I rarely eat breakfast, and I know how bad that is, so smoothies are a great solution. I can even make them the night before and keep them in the fridge. And so far, I've found they stick with me much longer than my other fast grab options, like donuts, Pop-Tarts, or a Snickers. 
If you haven't realized it by now, I have a rather enlarged sweet tooth. And the hubs makes mine look dainty. We like our sugary treats. But the older we get, and the slower our metabolism gets, we know we need to start making better, healthier choices. So we're trying to replace ice cream with a fruit smoothie. I may even buy some frozen yogurt or sherbet and try some sweeter recipes. Or add a little alcohol for a tasty adult drink. The possibilities are endless. And I want to try them all. Having been blender-less for the last several years, I feel obligated to make up for lost time. And luckily for me, there is an entire world of smoothie addicts out there, ready to share their tried and true custom blends. So I will happily join them, and share my newest (and favorite so far) concoction. This is what I am currently sipping away at while I type, and the smoothie pictured above. Try it and let me know what you think.

My Berry Best Smoothie Yet
1/2 cup Five Alive juice (orange juice will work, also)
Generous handful of fresh raspberries
Generous handful of fresh blueberries
Generous handful of fresh strawberries
1 chunked banana
A large scoop of low fat vanilla yogurt
A large scoop of unsweetened apple sauce
Blend until smooth and enjoy! 
*I wanted to add some honey, but was sadly all out.