Sorbets and smoothies are easy to make at home and a great way to sneak in your vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables. In this particular recipe from Spent (see below), the banana and berries provide lots of fiber (up to 7 grams) and the berries are high in antioxidants. It is an excellent idea to save calories by using agave nectar as sweetener, rather than juice, since it is so sweet you only need one teaspoon.
Fruit smoothies are similar to sorbets since they both are mainly fruit, ice, and sugar. Often a fruit smoothie is a better choice since it tends to have more whole fruit and fiber and there is typically less sugar in smoothies than in sorbet. Unlike this homemade version, typical sorbets have 36 grams sugar and 160 calories per 1/2 cup.
It is also important to be careful if you are ordering a smoothie at a café since they add lots of fruit juice. Café smoothies can have as much as 73 grams of sugar and can range from 350-400 calories for 16 oz (2 cups). Even though fruit is healthy, be careful with how much you consume at one time and watch the added sugars in the choice you make. Try making your own smoothies or sorbet at home to keep it healthy.
Banana Berry Sorbet (from Spent)
1 banana, peeled, cut into chunks and frozen
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon agave syrup
(Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until well blended and smooth.)
Rebecca
