Gluten-Free Fruit Smoothie Recipe--for the Kid Who Needs a Little Vitamin C

Your kid catch the crud this winter? Did you know strawberries are high in Vitamin C? That's right. And a strawberry smoothie goes down pretty easy, even when it's tough to swallow. Here's the recipe I use:

Image: iClipart

Gluten-Free Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. pre-mixed (already prepared) Hawaii's Own Guava Strawberry Juice
• 4-6 frozen strawberries (they can vary greatly in size, so I usually eyeball it)
• 6 oz. container of Yoplait strawberry yogurt (it says gluten-free right on the label now)

Directions:
1. Place 8 oz. of guava strawberry juice (again, it's already been mixed--no longer in its frozen concentrated state) in a blender with 4 frozen strawberries.
2. Mix on medium to high, depending on your blender's durability. When the strawberries have turned all mushy, shut the blender off and check the consistency of the fluid in the blender. Is it still very watery? Does it have a moist but less watery consistency? If it's really watery, add another strawberry or two until it's more like the consistency of a root beer float that's been all stirred up.
3. While the blender is off, dip your spoon in there and check to see if any strawberry chunks are settling to the bottom. If so, put the lid back on it and give it a bit longer to finish mixing. You don't want any strawberry icicles choking your child!
4. Shut off the blender again before adding the yogurt. Once you've mixed that in, it should really have the consistency of a milkshake.

This recipe makes enough smoothie for two small ones or one mega-smoothie. But be careful, drinking a mega-smoothie often leads to brain freeze!