semitropical smoothie

semitropical smoothie

semitropical smoothie
Flecks of color are from the grapes

Today felt like a tropical smoothie day, so I peeled my pineapple and seeded my papaya.  I chopped them in readiness and I even chopped the banana.  I went to get the mangos. There were no mangos in the fruit bowl and no mangos in the freezer.  I live twelve miles to town so I didn't want to go to the store.

I was out of mangos for my tropical smoothie.  I thought about just leaving them out but everything else was ready and it wouldn't be the same. Then, I saw the purple grapes in the refrigerator.  They were fresh and tasty, so I substituted grapes and my tropical smoothie became a semitropical smoothie.  It is just as good.

Remember to taste your fruit before you toss it in.  I tasted the papaya and found it so good I had to stop myself from eating it so there would be some left for the smoothie.  The pineapple wasn't as sweet as usual, but not tart. The fruit you use affects the final outcome. 

I would love to know how to find a ripe pineapple.  I read that you could pull the top leaves and if they come out easily, the pineapple is ripe.  That doesn't work for me.  I have only once found a pineapple with a loose leaf or two. Hmmm, maybe they are all green in the stores.  I am not sure about that, but sometimes the leaves won't pull out and the pineapple is still lovely and sweet.  I think I need some more input on that problem.

It is also true that since I live in a very small town, the stores probably have less turnover of products and buy them greener.  If one is ripe, it is a fluke.  When I bought my pineapple this morning, it was the last one they had.

semitropical smoothie

I love the way a smoothie looks in the container when all the fruit is added and ready to blend.  Colorful and fresh.

semitropical smoothie

3/4    c papaya
1        banana
1        c pineapple
3/4     c grapes
1        T chia seeds
1        c of water, more or less for consistency you prefer
2-3     ice cubes

This makes one smoothie in a nutribullet.  Blend until it is the consistency you like.  You can garnish with mixed nuts, macadamia nuts, a sprig of mint or leave it plain.  It is sweet enough for me, but some people might want to add a teaspoon of maple syrup to sweeten it a bit.