This is a simple fruit shake that anyone can make for chilling out, for family lunch outs or for parties. Have fun trying these fruit shake variations because it would be more delicious if it’s prepared with happiness in it.

This recipe serves an adult or 2 kids. Feel free to add more if you would like others to have a taste of this fruit juice mix.
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup liquid
- additional fruit or flavoring
- optional sweetener- grapes, dates, honey or sugar

To make, break frozen banana into pieces and put in blender. Cover with liquid up to 1-cup line on blender. Add any additional fruits, flavorings, or sweeteners. Blend until consistency of milk shake (usually 30 seconds). Serve immediately because banana will start to brown if you don’t. Enjoy!

NOTE: Clean out blender and cups immediately after drinking, since the fruit particles tend to get stuck to the dishes.

About the ingredients:

This recipe is extremely versatile. You can vary them to comply with your diet or special needs. These shakes are great alternatives for those with diabetes, food allergies and intolerances, and vegetarians. Experiment and have fun! And please email me with your fun variations!

Here are descriptions and ideas for each ingredient:

Frozen bananas- I buy them when they are dirt cheap, peel and deep-freeze in ziploc-type bags. In a deep-freezer, they will keep up to a year without darkening, but in a regular refrigerator freezer, they start turning at 3 months. Frozen bananas give these shakes their creamy consistency, and you generally can’t taste them. . If you don’t like bananas and don’t want them in your drink, substitute crushed ice instead.

Liquid-You can use milk, water, soymilk, rice milk or juice. All work just fine. Milk will give you a creamier shake. If you use water, add a little at a time until you get to the consistency you like. Juice is a great way to sweeten these drinks, and it adds some fun.

Additional Fruit and Flavorings: any fruit of your choice, extracts, drink mixes, syrups, jams, or spices. You’ll see lots of examples below. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Sweeteners- if your shake turns out on the tart side, you can sweeten it naturally with honey, pitted or chopped dates, raisins, grapes or juice. You could also use the traditional method- add sugar. If serving for breakfast, try to keep it as healthy as possible.

Other Variations:

Vanilla
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup milk/soymilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend together. Yummy!

Chocolate
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup milk/soymilk
- a few squirts of chocolate syrup

Blend together. Yummy!

Strawberry Cream
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup milk/soymilk
- 1 handful of strawberries, washed and sliced 1-2 pitted dates to sweeten (optional)

Blend together. Yummy!

Blueberry Fool
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup milk/soymilk
- a handful of blueberries (use as much as you want!)

Blend together. Yummy!

Purple Cow
- 1 frozen banana (or 1/4 cup crushed ice) 1/2 cup grape juice
- 1/2 cup milk

Blend together. Yummy!

Peanut Butter Dream
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup milk/soymilk
- 2 tsp of peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

Blend together. Yummy!

Pina Colada
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup milk/soymilk
- 1-2 tsp. shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped or crushed pineapple (fresh is best, but canned is pretty good too)

Blend together. Yummy!

Apple Banana Shake
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 peeled, chopped apple
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg

Blend. Great substitute for applesauce! Control the consistency by adding more or less chopped apple.

Key Lime Banana Shake
- 1 frozen banana
- juice of 1 lime, diluted with water or milk to make one cup of liquid

Blend. Use milk if you want it to be creamy, this one is really good!

PBO-Pineapple Orange Banana
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh or canned pineapple

Blend together. Yummy!

Melon Coolers
- 1-2 cups chunks of frozen, seeded watermelon
- 1/2-1 cup of water (enough to thin consistency to milk shake)

Blend together. Yummy!