"smoothies" news and stories

There are few corporations as polarizing as Starbucks. Even on this blog, it is the rare Slashbucks post that doesn't incite a ruthless comments war. Yet there is no denying that Starbucks is a fast food force and their products deserve coverage like everybody else, so simmer.

Today Starbucks is introducing yet another beverage to their liquid arsenal. Though frozen and blended, the new Vivanno isn't another tired variation on the -ccino theme. Nope, this is Starbucks' answer to Jamba Juice: A protein-packed smoothie.

Here's the scoop:

• One whole - real! - banana (seriously! it will be peeled and pulsed before your very eyes!)
• Whey protein (16 grams) and fiber powder (5 grams)
• Choice of milk (default is 2%)
• Ice
• Secret Starbucks-Proprietary Orange-Mango Naked Juice
• Portion controlled (default is Grande, and always has less than 270 calories)

Although I believe it is rather naive of the financially-woed coffee conglomerate to try and break into the oversaturated smoothie market with a mere four options, I decided to give 'em a go.

Are you an avid tea drinker looking for a different way to enjoy your tea this summer? A lot of tea drinkers go iced in the warm summer months, some even adding lemonade to their iced tea, but there is an even colder way to enjoy your tea in the summer months if you enjoy green tea: smoothies!

Below you will find the recipe for my personal summer tea concoction, which will require matcha (powdered green tea). Matcha is high in caffeine content compared to regular steeped tea, so you may not want to indulge in one of these smoothies too late in the day.

INGREDIENTS
1 tsp matcha (powdered green tea)
4 oz. cup of fruit-flavored yogurt (Light 'n Fit works well, low in sugar)
frozen strawberries (or other desired fruit)
frozen peach slices (or other desired fruit)
apple juice

I have this on-again, off-again relationship with...smoothies. It's not really a commitment issue; rather, one of convenience. When it's convenient to heave my giant blender onto the counter, fill it with frozen berries, fat-free plain yogurt and a splash of pomegranate juice, send it into a spin with a buzz so loud it wakes my neighbors, dump it into a to-go cup, then leave the blender on the counter, just to dry into a crusty mess that requires harsh scrubbing by the time I get home, I am all in favor of the "convenience" of drinking my breakfast on the way to work.

When I'm stressed and harried to supernatural levels, even a smoothie is no longer easy. I forgo breakfast altogether.

The Shake n Take just might put an end to any issues I've had before and make smoothies my long-time breakfast relationship. As one, single serving blender, you just blend your ingredients, pop that portable cup off, and take it with you! No need to haul out some big blender, no need to pour from the blender into another cup, no need to clean more than one cup.

Remember when I asked all you, my favorite Slashfoodies, for some suggestions for what to do with a glut of cherries back in July? There were some great suggestions in the comments, with quite a few cheers for clafouti (because I bemoaned having to pit them), cherries jubilee, and among a bunch of other ideas.

Well, I took some of your ideas over the last month and made some stuff, which I'll be sharing with you this week. First up, it's a cherry smoothie, which I realize is pretty boring, but it had to be done because 1) life for the last month required speed eating which often translates into liquid lunch, and 2) with that many cherries, I had to put at least half of them in the freezer. Of course, I pitted the entire basket first (using a knife - very painstaking), spread them onto a tray, then placed them into the freezer. The next morning, I was so excited about having frozen cherries, I blended them into a smoothie so I could enjoy them right away.

There's no real recipe here, but I'll let you know what I put into mine because I felt like a million bucks after drinking it. Blend together: ½ c. nonfat yogurt, 1 c. frozen cherries (pitted, duh), and enough pomegranate juice to make it the consistency you want (I used about ½ cup). I don't add any sugar, though a friend suggested a drizzle of honey. Pour into a tall glass, drink up, and you'll feel like a superhero.

Stay tuned for slightly more exciting things I did with the cherries!

There seems to be a lot of changes in the works at McDonald's lately - switching to trans-fat-free oil, introducing Eco-friendly coffee in the U.K., and even the possibility of selling prepackaged convenience beverages to consumers who would otherwise have to make a pit stop elsewhere to pick up their favorite bottled or canned drink.

Now, in an effort to attract visitors throughout the day rather than just at regular meal times, McDonald's is planning the introduction of "destination beverages" such as smoothies, lattes, iced coffee and other specialty drinks. And that's not all -- if you are the sort of person who likes something sweet to go along with your latte, they'll soon be offering a "cinnamon melt" -- described by the company as "a warm, pull-apart sweet roll with cinnamon glaze."

Does this all sound strangely familiar? I can't help but visualize Starbucks when I read the above. What is next? Big comfy chairs and couches in your local McDonald's restaurant? Dimmed lights and jazz music in the background? No word yet on when the specialty drinks will be available, but they do plan to have the cinnamon melt in select stores by the summer.

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