Watermelon strawberry yogurt smoothie

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This delicious yogurt smoothie is loaded with protein, probiotics, fiber, fresh fruit and even some secret veggies: healthy breakfast never tasted so good!

While I love fall and the cool weather it brings, I try not to rush it because it also means the end of summer -- which means the end of bountiful, healthy, delicious summer veggies and fruits.

Other food bloggers may have already gotten started on PumpkinFest 2015, but not me: I'm still buying as much ripe fruit as I can get my hands on!

Which means I knew exactly what ingredients to use when I was chosen to create a smoothie recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt for Smoothie Week, being celebrated at the Kroger Family of Stores this week. Even though it's September, it's still the perfect time to enjoy watermelon, which will be in season for a little while longer.

For this watermelon strawberry yogurt smoothie, I used fresh watermelon but, once the cooler months roll around, you can use frozen watermelon instead; it's a great way to get the feeling of summer back any time of the year. Because of its high water content, watermelon freezes beautifully. I cut it into chunks, spread them on baking sheets, freeze until just firm, then store all the chunks in zipper bags in the freezer. Freezing them individually means you can easily remove only as many pieces as you need.

This delicious watermelon strawberry yogurt smoothie is packed full of protein, vitamins and other nutrients, making perfect for breakfast on-the-go. I included Chobani vanilla Greek yogurt because it's a great source of protein (especially when coupled with the cooked quinoa in this smoothie), tastes amazing and contains three different types of probiotics. Plus, my healthy diet focuses on real food and I like that this yogurt doesn't contain artificial sweeteners or flavors nor any ingredients that are genetically modified.

And speaking of sweeteners, this smoothie contains zero additional sugars or sweeteners -- there's no need to because watermelon is so sweet this time of year.

But one thing this smoothie does contain is a little bit of stealthy nutrition. Regular readers know that Mr. Ninj is a bit of a picky eater; vegetables aren't really his thing. So for Mr. Ninj and any of your finicky little ones headed back to school, this smoothie contains, in addition to a huge boost of protein, some fiber-rich flax seed meal as well as a handful of baby spinach or, better yet, a tiny scoop of easy, DIY kale powder, which contains all the nutrition of a whole serving of kale in a form they won't be able to detect! It's a drinkable breakfast that tastes like a treat but packs a big nutritional wallop.

And, lest you get sick of drinking the same flavor smoothie every day, simply substitute any two other kinds of fruit for a totally different taste, with all the same nutritional benefits. Or you can try using Chobani Greek Yogurt in strawberry instead of vanilla. Chobani is easy to find -- I get mine at Kroger -- and the large 32-ounce tubs are super handy.

Plus, be sure to check out your local Kroger Family of Stores September 4-6th for delicious Chobani Greek Yogurt demos in-store.

How will you be celebrating Smoothie Week? And what kinds of secret nutritional add-ins do you include in your smoothies? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.

Watermelon Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

You can use either fresh or frozen fruit in this smoothie; if you use all frozen fruit, you'll likely need to add a bit more milk as you blend it. And if you want a sweeter smoothie, you can blend in 1 or 2 dried dates as well.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup seedless watermelon chunks
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
1/2 teaspoon flax seed meal
1/2 teaspoon kale powder (or substitute 1/3 cup baby spinach leaves)
3 tablespoons milk (I use almond milk)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

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