Fruit Smoothie Ice Cubes

I love shortcuts! I'm always looking for the most efficient way to get things done and this brilliant idea is a current favorite.

Not long ago I went a little nutso at the farmer's market and bought way too much fruit. I ate fruit salad for days until I realized that I would never finish it all before it went bad. So I decided to try fruit ice cubes that I could use in making smoothies and protein shakes.

The method is easy. Just blend leftover fruit salad in a blender (I used my Ninja) until it's smooth. Then pour the pureed fruit into ice cube trays. Freeze until solid, turn out onto baking sheet, then store in freezer safe bag.

To make a smoothie, just add 3 or 4 ice cubes to your recipe instead of fresh or frozen fruit. Here are a few of my favorite fruit smoothie recipes:

• Strawberry Protein Ice Cream Shake
• Protein Fruit Smoothie
• Fuzzy Navel Protein Frozen Yogurt (would be great with leftover peaches!)

The smoothie pictured above is a version of Vanilla Fit Frappe (OMG!!) with some fruit smoothie ice cubes added. I used a sample of Fit Frappe that I received from my friend Nikki (via the Big Train folks). I'll share the recipe with you soon - but in the meantime, keep an eye on the Bariatric Foodie blog for a review of this amazing new product!

BTW - my fruit salad leftover consisted of pineapple, apples, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries. When I add it to a protein shake, everything turns purple!

~Pam