avocado pear vanilla

This is a great smoothie for starting the day.  It fills me up and keeps me full longer. I've also brought this one with me when I'm out and it gets me going again if I'm on the go.  

Some good things about avocados:

• About 75% of an avocado's calories come from fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat.  Yes good fat!
• On a 100 g basis, avocados have 35% more potassium than bananas (even more if you blend up the pit!).  They are rich in B Vitamins as well as Vitamin E and K.
• Avocados have a high fiber content.  

Avocado Pear Vanilla Smoothie

-  1 Ripe Avocado

-  1 Pear 

-  1/2 t Vanilla 

-  1 C Ice

Blend and pour. 

Some variations include chopping up the pear and freezing it and replacing the ice cubes with frozen pear chunks.  Also, to sweeten up this smoothie you can add a little honey, agave or apple juice.  I've tried it with pear juice and it is a REAL treat!

If you are wondering about the kind of vanilla that we use in the Juice Caboose, I would like to introduce you to one delicacy that the Juice Caboose will not live without!  We purchase pure ground vanilla that is made from top quality Ugandan vanilla beans.  It is 100% pure ground vanilla that is both unheated and Certified Organic.  We use a minimal amount in our smoothies but it makes all the difference in flavor.  We purchase from Real Raw Foods in Naramata BC, a great BC company that we are proud to support.  They buy the best products for the best prices and all of their products are well researched and approved to meet high raw food standards.

::  photo source  ::

When I'm at home and don't always have some vanilla bean powder to dip into to, it is decadent and not cheap, I use Frontier Vanilla Flavour.  It is an alcohol-free vanilla extract and although it is not raw it suits me fine in my smoothies when I want to add some vanilla.  I would never use my vanilla powder in my baking.  That's just me being cost efficient.  It is way too precious for me to put into anything cooked and lose it's raw goodness and vitality.  

In old medical literature, vanilla is described as an aphrodisiac and a remedy for fevers.  A little something to keep in mind for Valentines Day coming up!  

Juicy Suzy