Blackberry Banana Swirl Smoothie Recipe

It’s Recipe Redux time again!  Last month the challenge was grilling.  This month we are sharing summer drink recipes.

To be honest, I had a hard time coming up with a summer drink idea.  That’s probably because I tend to drink water, water, and more water in the summer.  I don’t get very fancy with my water except to put a slice of cucumber in the glass every once in a while.

With the hot weather and abundance of fresh fruit from our co-op, I decided to try my hand at a two-toned smoothie.  The inspiration came from Andy Bellati’s guest post Smoothies 101 back in March.  He had many interesting ideas and tips, one of which was to create a two-layered smoothie for a tasty and visual effect.  Mine was definitely tasty, but when I started taking pictures of it, I realized that it looked more like a swirl instead of neat layers.  Either way, I enjoyed the smoothie, and I think you will too!

The ingredients: milk of choice, frozen bananas, frozen blackberries, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Put your blackberries to the side and start blending.
Throw in your frozen bananas, dash of cinnamon, sprinkle of vanilla, about a teaspoon of cocoa powder, and your milk.  Blend and pour about 2/3 of the mixture into your glass.
Add blackberries into the blender and a little more milk if needed.  Blend and pour into the top of your glass.  If you are talented, maybe you can achieve a nice layered look.  If you are like me, you will be lucky to get it all into the glass without spilling.
See the swirl?
Be sure to check out the rest of the Recipe Redux list below for more summer drink ideas!

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  • Danielle Omar July 21, 2011 at 11:54 am

    Love how you add the blueberries at the end! When we were on vacation, the bartender made us fresh smoothies every morning and she did the same thing…makes it a very decadent drink!

    PS — love the pics from the new camera!

  • Deanna -Teaspoon of Spice July 21, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    How BEAUTIFUL is this drink? Love the addition of cocoa powder too. Think this one is going to make my 4 yr (and her mama) happy!

  • Nour El-Zibdeh, RD July 21, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    Looks great! Love the cocoa addition.

  • Kristen @ Swanky Dietitian July 21, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    I love this idea! Especially the hint of cocoa..yum!
    This challenge also had me scratching my head since I drink mainly water in the summer. That and iced coffee.
    I am loving all these ideas and now I now I'll be heading to the kitchen whipping up some treats!

  • gretchen July 21, 2011 at 8:21 pm

    love the flavor combinations! and the swirl… 🙂 thanks for sharing!

  • Alex @ delicious-knowledge.com July 21, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    I agree with you about the water. Unless I indulge in the occasional adult drink, I really don't drink anything except water. I do like smoothies though and make them for my family often. The colors swirl is really pretty- yum!

  • chefpandita.com July 21, 2011 at 10:33 pm

    This is a great idea to make smoothies even more fun to drink! I'll try this next time I make a smoothie, layering the flavors instead of blending together. Thank you 🙂

  • EA-The Spicy RD July 22, 2011 at 3:11 am

    Very pretty, and I love the idea of a layered/swirled smoothie! I drink a lot of water too 🙂

  • Kara July 22, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    I'm sold on that beautiful layered look! And I love the flavor combo of cinnamon and cocoa. Perfect!

  • Such The Spot July 22, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    I've been treating my kids to smoothies before school in the morning – though I've never used a recipe, just thrown stuff together in the blender. I think I'll try this one for a treat. Thanks!

  • Ashley Rosales, RD July 22, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    This smoothie looks great and probably tastes even better! It makes the perfect "nutrient-rich" snack during the hot summer months and a great way to get a serving of milk and fruits.

  • Lauren July 22, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    So pretty, love that color. Love the "swirl" idea too.

  • GrainCrazy July 22, 2011 at 7:59 pm

    Yum! This looks great!

  • Emma Stirling July 23, 2011 at 3:08 am

    Love the (attempt at) layers – swirl works for me. My kids will love this.

  • Regan - The Professional Palate July 24, 2011 at 11:16 pm

    Love the swirl. Looks so yummy!

  • Amy July 24, 2011 at 11:38 pm

    yum looks so pretty!

  • amelia @ princessandthefrosting August 9, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    That smoothie looks delicious! And thank you so much for listing all those websites! I'm going to university to become a dietitian, and I am excited to check all those blogs out!

  • Katherina @ Zephyr Runs August 27, 2011 at 5:47 am

    Mmmmm! LOVE anything with blackberries in it.

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