By Anna Marden, News Staff

This is a recipe for an refreshing summer treat – a beverage that makes a healthy breakfast or afternoon snack. I invented it myself by trial and error, borrowing ideas from several different places. It’s basically a combination of the ingredients from my two favorite smoothies served at a cafe back home in western Massachusetts, plus a special secret ingredient – avocado. I got this unusual idea from a former boss at a Greek restaurant who used to make banana –avocado smoothies at a during down time at the You can’t taste the avocado; it just adds a really lovely texture to the drink, making it smooth and creamy. This smoothie has plenty of health benefits, such as vitamin A and B and of course, potassium.

1 cup frozen raspberries

½ cup frozen strawberries

½ cup frozen or fresh mango chunks

1 small banana

½ an avacado, pitted

½ cup vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt

1 cup mango juice

¾ cup apple juice or apple cider

Start off by putting the liquid ingredients, including the yogurt, into your blender. This will make it much easier to blend. Then add your fruits. The exact measurements of ingredients aren’t really important. You may need to adjust the amount of juice once you add your fruits. The level of liquid should be at about the same level as the other ingredients. Start off using the pulse setting and pulse it several times. Then turn the blender on the highest setting until it looks well mixed and there are no signs of fruit pieces or bits of avocado. Make it fun by using decorative cups and straws.