Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

This summer we purchased a Ninja blender and we've been so impressed so far. Originally I thought I'd just get the typical Kitcheaid blender but thought I should do a little research since we make smoothies for the family...a lot. This one had great reviews and the price was very reasonable as far as blenders go. The blade in the blender is removable making it a cinch to clean.....just be careful because there is a spiral of blades and they are sharp. One of the other features I liked is its locking mechanism for safety. The lid must be securely fastened before you can actually start the blender. Several attachments were included for  making anything from cookie dough, grinding coffee to making salsa. If you are shopping around for a new blender I highly recommend it. I will warn you, it's a beast. Much larger than a regular blender.

Well as I mentioned our family drinks a lot of smoothies. I don't allow my kids many sweet treats often so this has been a great alternative for them. This way I don't seem like such a mean mommy. Our favorite to date is the Cherry Vanilla Smoothie. There are many variations out there I'm sure but this is the one we use.

• 1 Cup frozen cherries
• 1 large banana
• 1 cup of Vanilla Yogurt
• 1/2 cup to 1 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk (depending on whether you like your smoothies thick)
• 1/2 tbsp. of Flax Oil (I prefer to use a little more but it's up to you, some people don't like the taste but it's a part of our daily diet so I hardly notice it anymore)
• Optional: 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup of ice. I do this to tone down the thickness. Also, optional is a splash of orange juice (about a tbsp).

I usually double the ingredients for my kids and myself.