If you're looking for a filling, healthy and delicious breakfast or snack, a smoothie cannot be beat. The key to a good smoothie is usually yogurt — that's what gives the drink its thickness and substance. Some of the smoothie recipes below contain interesting alternatives to yogurt (oatmeal or ground raw cashews anyone?).

Selecting the right combination of fruit (you can use fresh or frozen) is also part of concocting a good smoothie. Start with a favorite flavor base.  You can then experiment with fruit pairings or try some of the following:

1. Berry Banana: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries when making a smoothie.  Bananas and yogurt make this recipe really rich and creamy.

2. Blueberry Acia: Wow!  What a great way to start your day with this great smoothie recipe which contains both vanilla soy milk and acia juice.

   

3. Raspberry and Peach: Raw cashews (soaked and ground) gives this recipe a creamy taste and texture and a jolt of protein.
4. Pomegranate: There is no need to peel your own pomegranate  as this recipe calls for pomegranate juice.  Pomegranate juice is really high in anti-oxidants and an incredibly healthy drink. 
5. Tropical Papaya and Kiwi: It will seem like summer all year round with this tropical treat.
6. Oranges and Mango: This smoothie tastes like an "Orange Julius" and will fulfill your vitamin C quota for the day.
7. Pumpkin Pie: Weight Watchers smoothie packets taste like dessert when you add some pumpkin puree and skim milk to the mix.
8. Raspberry, Lime and Mint: This is a refreshing smoothie made extra special with fat free frozen yogurt.
9. Oatmeal: It may sound unusual, but oatmeal is a no-brainer in a smoothie. It's a great thickener and leaves you feeling like you've had a nice, hearty breakfast. It also doesn't hurt that it is heart healthy, too.
10. Coffee Smoothie: Now you can get your morning coffee fix in smoothie form!  To make this smoothie you will need "strongly brewed coffee, milk, a dash of sugar, a few tablespoons of instant vanilla pudding (to sweeten and slightly thicken), ice… and a big fat blender".
    
    Lastly, here's a more unusual idea that ups the ante on being healthy:
11. Green smoothies: are by no means freaky, and if you blend them with a bit of fruit, you won't even notice you're getting your daily allowance of veggies.

Tips: If you're being adventurous and concocting your own smoothie recipe, try to keep things simple and choose no more than 2 or 3 fruits at one time. And, if you think what you've created is too overpowering in flavor, yogurt is definitely going to cut that heaviness out—so just add a bit more of it in to thin out the flavor.

Twenty Smoothie Tips - How to blend like a pro has even more tips on how to make the perfect smoothie.

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