The first day of summer, June 21st, is National Smoothie Day (also National Peaches & Cream Day)!

Up to 184 million Americans enjoy smoothies each year. Let’s start with some…
 
SMOOTHIE HISTORY

Smoothies first emerged in the U.S. during the hippie movement of the 1960s, when vegetarianism and natural eating rose in popularity. The trend is believed to have originated in California, where a group of locals began making fruit smoothies after trying them in Brazil.

The original smoothies consisted simply of fruit, extra fruit juice and ice. By the late 1960s, some frozen vendors vendors jumped on the bandwagon and added their product.

Smoothie King opened its doors in 1973. By the late 1970s, health food stores nationwide had caught on to the trend and began adding milk to the mix, calling the drink a fruit shake.

The milk was traded for yogurt, which provided more protein; and in the 1980s, smoothies became part of fitness and health food trends. Supplements, from oats to ginseng to bee pollen, were added to the mix. This led to the birth of specialty smoothie bars, which remain popular today.

And then…ready-to-drink smoothies began to pop up in food stores. Far beyond the original refreshing icy fruit drink, today’s smoothies are healthy snack alternatives and even meal replacements.

With the rise of veganism, lactose intolerance and other dairy-free diets, plant-based milk alternatives and sustainability have grown in popularity, and the trend shows no signs of slowing.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY AVOCADO SMOOTHIE

This delicious and summery Strawberry Avocado Smoothie recipe (photo #3) was created by The Foodie Physician for Bolthouse Farms.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND together the avocado, 1/2 of the frozen banana, and 1/3 cup Plant Protein Milk. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract to the blender, blend again and pour the mixture into a glass.

2. CLEAN out the blender.

3. BLEND together the strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup Plant Protein Milk. Pour the strawberry layer over the avocado layer and serve.

[2] Smoothie Shooters from Fancy Girl Table.

[3] Strawberry-avocado smoothie from Bolthouse (recipe below).

Made with pea protein, the newest high-quality non-dairy protein, this plant protein milk:

 
Pea protein is a “complete protein” and, unlike some plant-based protein powders, pea protein is easily digested.

It also helps you feel satiated, and is a boost for recovering from workouts.

So give peas a chance! Find Bolthouse in the refrigerated dairy section of your local supermarket.

ANOTHER WAY TO ADD PROTEIN TO SMOOTHIES

Try these recipes that add egg whites for extra protein.

[1] First grill the peaches.

[2] Slice the peaches before assembling the shortcake (both photos courtesy Completely Delicious).

[3] One of summer’s delights (photo courtesy Frog Hollow Farm).

We’re always happy to have peach ice cream, peaches and whipped cream on waffles, or the centuries-old classic, sliced peaches with fresh cream: a pour-over or lightly whipped by hand.

Today, we add something new to the list: peaches and cream shortcake.

This recipe was developed by Annalise or Completely Delicious for Go Bold With Butter.

If you prefer, substitute hand-beaten (by which we mean, electric mixer-beaten) whipped cream for the vanilla ice cream.

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 25 minutes.

 
RECIPE: GRILLED PEACH & ICE CREAM SHORTCAKES

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
For The Biscuits

 
For The Shortcakes

5. PREHEAT the grill to medium low heat. Halve the peaches and remove the pits. Brush with melted butter and place them cut side-down on the grill. Grill 3-4 minutes until the peaches have grill marks and have softened somewhat.

6. TRANSFER the peaches to a plate and slice each half into thirds. Drizzle with maple syrup.

7. SERVE: Slice the shortcake biscuits in half. Top with ice cream and grilled peaches.

If you want grilled peaches only, here’s the recipe from Bobby Flay | Food Network.
 
 
MORE PEACHY RECIPES

In its second entry into the premium yogurt business (the first was Oui By Yoplait, last year), Yoplait has just launched YQ by Yoplait.

It’s the “Smarter, Not Sweeter” Yogurt.

The flavored yogurt has just 9 grams of sugar per 5.3-ounce cup. Compare that to the up to 32 grams of sugar per 6 ounces in other flavored yogurts!

The sweetener is cane sugar: no HFCS. There are no artificial ingredients. The line is also gluten-free and 99% lactose free.

The plain yogurt has 1 gram of sugar, compared to regular (non-Greek) yogurt with 15-16 grams of natural milk sugar (lactose*) per 8 ounces.

The flavored yogurts are available in Blueberry, Coconut, Lime, Mango, Peach, Strawberry and Vanilla.

Of course, this is not magic. The yogurts are, understandably, not anywhere as sweet.

This will be welcome to those who want a less-sweet flavored yogurt.

If you find yourself wanting more sweetness, there’s an easy work-around: Add a non-caloric sweetener.

You can also try a teaspoon of agave, honey or maple syrup†.
 
 
15 GRAMS OF PROTEIN

Yoplait has created a protein-packed yogurt with a thick, extra-creamy texture, unique in our experience: almost as thick as Greek yogurt, but much creamier (and without the tang).

YQ By Yoplait has 7 flavors plus plain (photos courtesy Yoplait).

The result is 17 grams of protein per serving for the plain variety; 15 grams of protein for the flavors.

Low in sugar, packed with protein: the recipe for a great snack.

The ultra-filtered milk is then combined with active cultures and goes through a proprietary churning technique.

YQ will be in stores nationwide by the end of the month. The suggested retail price for all 5.3 oz. cups is $1.49, while the 26 oz. tubs are $4.99.

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*Lactose is a naturally occurring sugar that adds virtually no sweetness. If you’ve ever wondered why the milk carton shows 12g of sugar per 8-ounce glass of milk, that’s why.

†Agave nectar has a glycemic index (GI) of 32, half that of sugar. Honey has a GI of 58, due to its higher ratio of glucose to fructose; agave is about 90% fructose (note that some honeys are lower glycemic than others). Table sugar has a GI value of 60-65. Pure maple syrup has a GI of 54. A teaspoon of agave is 20 calories, a teaspoon of table sugar is 16 calories (honey has 22 calories). But since agave is 1.4 to 1.5 times sweeter than sugar, you don’t need as much.