A couple weeks ago a local grocery store chain had a special where avocados and mangoes were 79 cents each. Limit 2. Yes, there was a limit. This isn't the store I normally shop at, but I was drawn in by the amazing deal, however when I got there I realized that the items in question were a little more ripe than "ideal". This presented no problems for the avocado, which was promptly made into Guacamole. However, the mango was a little more challenging.
Of course, I suppose I could have just eaten it - but if my fruit is going to taste like mush - why not make a smoothie.
Side note: I also had some cherries lying around that were probably "ready to go" too.
Not having a cherry seed popper
device in my collection yet... it took me some time to master the art of seeding a cherry with a paring knife. Here is one of my more successful attempts: 
Whirr!
To make your smoothie smoother: add milk.
Voila!
- 1 Mango (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Cherries (seeded and chopped)
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- A couple ounces of milk (soymilk in this case)
1. Prepare fruit ingredients
2. Put all ingredients in a blender, in this case I used the magic bullet
.
3. Blend to desired consistency.. Serving Analysis (1 Smoothie):
1 Mango - $0.79 - 135 kcal
Cherries - $0.50 - 40 kcal
1/2 cup yogurt - $0.19 - 71 kcal
1/4 cup SoyMilk - $0.07 - 25 kcal
Total - $1.55 - 270 kcal
Making your own smoothie is clearly cheaper than running out to Jamba Juice or similar, but still more expensive then a glass of juice (though is sort of depends). I think the value here comes from the rich nutrient content and making use of foods that might have been wasted otherwise.
I should add here that smoothie making is hardly an exact science, and that if it weren't for this blog the idea of making a "smoothie recipe" would be completely lost on me. The mango/cherry combination worked great but there are hundreds of others out there, just waiting for someone to experience. I'd love to know if you found a really killer combination.
