Guest post by Katie Mae of Nourishing Simplicity
Quick, simple and delicious! There is nothing quite like a cold smoothie on a hot day. While parts of the world are still having cool springs, my area of Baja California has seemed to skip spring and jump right into summer. That leaves me craving a smoothie every day!
I love smoothies; the combination possibilities are endless. While I like these drinks I have to be honest and say that I am not a huge green smoothie fan. I tried to convince myself for years that I was but really I’m not; it doesn’t really worry me since most green smoothies contain thyroid suppressing greens, like kale and spinach. Instead I am a fan of slightly sweet yet nutrient and vitamin packed smoothies like my Blood Orange Vitamin-C Smoothie and my Chocolate Strawberry Delight that uses dairy kefir.
If April showers bring May flowers that must mean that May flowers bring cherries! There are very few things that can beat a cherry picked fresh off the tree. If you haven’t experienced that pleasure before I am sincerely sorry. Don’t despair, though, because cherries happen to be one of those marvelous fruits that taste amazing frozen as well. When it comes to making smoothies I actually prefer the frozen variety.
I was definitely one of those teens that would hang out at the local smoothie shop with my friends. It was the cool thing to do back in the day. I used to snub my nose at my mom and little sister when they ordered their smoothies without the sherbet. Now I would never even consider using or buying a smoothie made with an unhealthy sherbet! Instead I prefer to use sweet fruits.
Cherries have been my favorite fruit to add to smoothies the past few months. They have a sweet yet slightly tangy flavor and make every drink beautiful! I’ve gotten in the habit of adding unflavored water kefir to my smoothies. It provides the needed liquid, adds a touch of sweetness and gives your body an extra boost of probiotics without dairy–which is great for those who are dairy-free.
Cherry Mango Smoothie
Yield 1-2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen mango, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups plain water kefir
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned
Instructions
- Add all your ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Pour into two glasses and enjoy!
Craving more smoothie recipes? Check out these!
Be sure to follow Erin’s Smoothies board on Pinterest, and subscribe for email updates to get a FREE smoothie eBook!
What is your favorite smoothie?
Katie Mae Stanley is a lover of Jesus and a missionary dorm “mama” to a gaggle of deaf girls in Mexico. She is a small space homesteader and nourishing cook who is almost always barefoot. She thinks that fair-trade tea, coffee and chocolate make every day better. Katie Mae is the author behind the blog Nourishing Simplicity and the cookbook Steeped: Simple Nourishing Teas and Treats. She is living simply by God’s grace.
Rebecca
For one thing, this sounds FABULOUS!! I live in Panama so the mangos and pineapples are everywhere, super cheap and super fresh. I LOVE water kefir…. I haven’t seen cherries out here though 🙁 Maybe in the city but I rarely travel to Panama City….
I would probably try this with substituting the cherries for another fruit, maybe papaya? Cherries are some of my favorite fruits!! All types — I love the sour tart cherries and the sweet bing cherries. Now I am craving them.
Katie Mae@ Nourishing Simplicity
Rebecca,
If it was me I wouldn’t use papaya but then I am not fan of it. If you can find them I bet strawberries would be great! I love that you have mango and pineapple growing fresh! Yum!
Bridget Brisk
What’s the difference between regular kefir and “water kefir” – I’ve never heard of the latter.
Katie Mae@ Nourishing Simplicity
Water kefir is made from sugar water or juice witha culture (water kefir grains) added to it while it ferments. Regular kefir (milk kefir/dairy kefir) has a slightly different culture (milk kefir grains) adddd to it while it ferments.
How to make water kefir:
http://nourishingsimplicity.org/2011/08/how-about-some-water-kefir.html
How to make dairy kefir:
http://nourishingsimplicity.org/2011/09/milk-kefir.html
Katie Mae@ Nourishing Simplicity
Hi Bridget, reglaur kefir or milk kefir is make with cow, goat or sometimes coconut milk. Water kefir is made with water and sugar or sometimes juice. They both have slightly different type of culture to ferment them. There are links to both in the post explain more in depth what they are and how to make them. I hope that helps!
Billy
I love mango water kefir but have yet to add cherry in as well, I think the next time I end up making it I’m definitely going to have to give this recipe a try! Thank you so much for sharing!