Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free "Jamba Juice" or Fruit Smoothie Recipe Kids Will Love

Image: iClipart

Yesterday I wanted to take my kids to Jamba Juice, and you'll never guess what they said. "No thanks. We like your smoothies better." Can you believe that? Crazy, huh?

So here's what I put in my fruit smoothies:

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fruit juice
3/4 cup frozen fruit of your choice
3/4 cup gluten-free, dairy-free yogurt
1 tbsp. granola

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put the fruit juice in the bottom of your blender. It's important to put this in first, as it helps crush the fruit if you go with juice at the bottom.
2. Plop the frozen fruit in next. If you're adding a banana, this is the time to include it.
3. Mix the juice and fruit together on medium-to-high speed in a blender, until they're no longer lumpy. If you need to add more juice, do so. You want it to be about the consistency of creamy potato soup or thin gravy before adding the yogurt.
4. Stop the blender to check for lumps. You can check for lumps by dipping a long spoon into the blender. If you find lumps, put the lid back on your blender and mix some more. I usually mix for about 50-60 seconds, but some blenders take longer, some take less time.
5. Once you've got a creamy mixture of juice and fruit, add the yogurt, put the lid back on it, and mix again. As before, if it's too thick, add a little more juice. You don't want your blender to short out because it's trying to mix something that's just too thick. But the final product needs to be about as thick as a milkshake (maybe not quite that thick).
6. Garnish with the granola on top.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Fruit Juices

• Lemonade is my favorite fruit juice to use in smoothies, because it adds a tangy flavor.
• My kids love strawberry-guava juice in their smoothies, because it's sweet.
• My husband prefers apple juice in his smoothie, because it is sort of neutral and allows you to absorb the flavor of the fruit.

Frozen Fruits

• Strawberries taste good in smoothies, but they don't crush easily.
• It's easy to find a "smoothie blend" of frozen fruits, which usually includes mango and pineapple.
• Mango by itself is one of my favorite smoothie flavors, because it crushes easily and tastes delicious in a smoothie.
• Add banana to any flavor of smoothie. It thickens the fluid, though, so reduce the other solid ingredients by a little bit, if you're planning to add banana.
• Too many blackberries in a smoothie can make it have a gritty, seedy texture. So it's best to mix blackberries with other kinds of berries, like blueberries and strawberries.

Gluten-free, Dairy-free Yogurts

• My favorite gluten-free, dairy-free yogurt is Whole Soy & Company plain. I don't use the unsweetened, because my kids don't like it as much; but if I were making smoothies for myself, I'd go with the unsweetened because it's healthier. And really, there's plenty of sugar in the fruit.
• If you can't have soy, there are other brands of dairy-free yogurts made from coconut or almond.
• It's also possible to use flavored yogurts, not just plain yogurt. Strawberry yogurt goes great in both a strawberry smoothie and many other flavors of smoothie. For a tangy smoothie, use lemon or lime-flavored yogurts.

Granola

• EnjoyLife is my new favorite brand of granola. Their strawberry mix goes great on top of smoothies! YUM!
• Other celiacs have told me they don't trust Quaker's granola or oats. It's got cross-contamination issues at the factory.
• It's possible to make your own granola, or just top your smoothie with Bob's Redmill's certified GF oats.
• Another of my favorite brands of GF granola is made by Bakery on Main, but some of their granolas have nuts in them and I'm allergic to some nuts.