if you can close your eyes.

i've been a smoothie fan for a long time. in fact, when i was a teenager, i was a secret shopper for juice club (the company later renamed itself jamba juice) and i had a smoothie every day. when my dad wasn't eating much, i started making him smoothies to give him some nutrition. i wanted to avoid giving him ensure as much as possible (ever read the ingredients? the second one is sugar). dad never did take to them, often saying things like "this tastes - odd" or "what is that?" with a sneer. i think a lot of it had to do with color. dad's friend sent him some greens, which made every smoothie dark in color, not the orange, purple, pink or yellow prettiness that jamba juice has perfected.

since dad has issued an "ng" (no good) decree against the smoothies, i've been making them for myself now and i'm a little obsessed. it's super easy.

blend together:
one cup of orange or pineapple juice
one scoop of soy protein powder
1 tsp. lecithin (good for the brain)
1 tbsp. royal jelly (has the consistency of honey; tastes milder than honey though)
1 tsp. greens (if you dare!)
about 1/4 cup each frozen mangos and pineapple chunks (i also like to use frozen strawberries or berry medley)

you could also cheat by looking at jamba's menu and then recreating your favorite at home. voila! four dollars in your pocket!

just beware of that color. or close your eyes.