Before Tom goes fishing each year, I make a ritual of cleaning out the freezer in anticipation of making room for a new batch of walleyes. So this year when I was cleaning the freezer, I discovered two bags of organic blueberries and you would have thought I had won the lottery. YeeHa! I had struck it rich! At least rich in delectable, beautiful blueberries. And today the temperature in Duluth was nearly 70 degrees, prompting me to make something refreshing. Time to whip up something new. What did I have to compliment the taste of the blueberries? Ah...the mint that is quickly growing in my herb garden would be perfect, along with some kefir. If you aren't familiar with kefir, it is a cultured milk drink, and a great source of probiotics. Probiotics are helpful for digestion, as well as for the immune system. My favorite brand of kefir is Nancy's Organic Low-fat Plain kefir. This particular brand contains 13 live culture strains. I don't tolerate normal milk products, but cultured milk products are entirely different. Like yogurt, the live cultures in kefir are helpful for digestion and I need all the help I can get.
But as I sat on the deck in the warm sunshine sipping this delightful smoothie, I wasn't thinking about it's nutritional and digestive merits. I was simply savoring the moment.
Ingredients:
1 cup plain low-fat kefir (or less if you like a thicker consistency)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
About 6 -8 fresh mint leaves
Preparation:
Process it all together in a blender, making sure the blueberry skins and mint leaves are completely pulverized.
Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Calories: 180
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Sodium: 151 mg
Total Carbs: 26 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 11