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Out of the Ordinary

‘Warm’ smoothies

This is a PS to Meal in a Drink.

We tend to  think of smoothies as cold and dessert'ish.

 Many years ago I was inspired by the promotion for a blender with stainless steel container that offered Meals in a Drink using the option of hot water/broth as the liquid whirring in vegetables and a slice of whole wheat bread; for me this has evolved into a 'warm' smoothie.

 The variations of a healthy, satisfying 'meal in a drink'  are endless;  here is one sample.  In a glass or plastic blender container – milk, canned pineapple with some of the juice, scoop of raw oatmeal, scoop of raisins,  handful of cole slaw,  1/2 cup of frozen blueberries,  1/2 cup of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots/cauliflower/broccoli).

I use the frozen fruit and veggies because this is convenient and ages ago I began to feel that fresh/flash frozen fruit and veggies would have good nutrition, a fact that is now supported in recent studies and books (The End of Illness, for one).  I have used them in their frozen state in the smoothie and this results in a slurpie, more or less, and is refreshing.  I also discovered that cold foods can cause digestive upsets – so-  began to experiment with running hot water over the frozen blueberries and veggies before adding to the smoothie – which resulted in the 'warm' aspect.  You can also vary the density of the smoothie depending on how much you blend it from chop to liquefy and use a spoon, sipping, or a straw – which tends to change the eating experience.  It's worthwhile to 'play' with food!