Mango, Pineapple and Papaya Smoothie

Boy do I hate summer.  I dislike heat over 80 degrees.  You can imagine what 106 and HORRIBLY humid does to me.  YEAH, Poor Tom.  I am not a nice person in the heat.  I get cranky and sad.  I am continuing my running, weights and exercise videos, but it's just gross in the heat.....YUK.  I will take 65, partly cloudy ANY DAY. 

And COOKING?  Well it's a just a chore when it's so hot and horribly uncomfortable.  AND, since it's my hobby and something I am truly happy doing, I hate feeling like that.  BUT the summer blahs are here.

I will get used to it and grind through the summer.  But the heat came on so hard and so fast that I literally feel fried.  So a fresh fruit smoothie sounded so good, so easy, so cool and so satisfying.  Thank goodness for blenders!!  It's like having summer in a cup!! (only healthier and without the darn heat!!)

I almost always have pineapple and Mexican papaya's (the pink fleshed ones) peeled and cubed in ziploc baggies  in the freezer.  I put them in serving sizes of 1 cup each.  This way, when I want the fruit in a recipe (think salsa, sauces, smoothies, or fruit cocktail) I can just pull them out when I need them and I don't have to mess with preparing the fruit each time.  Trust me...when you want a smoothie, you want it NOW.....so it's kind of cool to be as prepared as your local smoothie shop....just pour everything in and GO!

SUPER REFRESHING.  This is the stuff HAPPINESS is made of when it's hot outside.  You and your family will be refreshed AND nourished without digging into high calorie ice cream treats!

Pineapple, Mango and Papaya Smoothies
Makes 2 filling servings

1 cup mango

1 cup pineapple
1 cup Pink fleshed papaya
1 8 oz container of Greek yogurt ( Chobani or Fage) FAT FREE (I used plain because that's what I had, but vanilla, peach, etc..would be awesome)
1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup warm water if your fruit is NOT FROZEN, don't add the water.
1 packet (or more to taste) Artificial sweetener

Prepare your fruit into chunks and get out your yogurt.

In your blender, in this order, place yogurt, water (if using), sweetener, all three fruits, and the ice cubes. 

 ** I snapped the picture Prematurely - without the water and ice cubes.  Yep....it happens to the best of us....!  LOL

Blend until very smooth and creamy, and pour/scoop into your desired glass. 

** If your blender gets frozen, stop it and add more warm water and blend again until desired consistency is reached.

The result?  A VERY creamy, ice cream like smoothie that is perfect for Breakfast, or anytime you need to be refreshed.  It's definitely a cure for all of us heat exhausted peeps!!  Try adding different fruits, flavored yogurts and/or herbs (mint, a bit of basil ??)....Have fun with it!

From my home to yours, ENJOY!!