Smoothies
As Crohnies, some basic equipment in the kitchen will really help in preparation of various foods into a form that is more digestible.... I really recommend having at least a standard jar-type blender, mostly to make smoothies and pureeing small batches of soups and vegetables. An immersion (stick) blender is a great help, too, for larger batches of soups and sauces. A good quality food-processor is also valuable.
On to the good stuff!
Here are some of my favorite Smoothie ideas... don't worry about a 'recipe'... add ingredients according to taste and try new combinations!
Note : For best results, freeze fruit prior to blending... this will thicken up your beverage nicely, without using ice cubes (blenders can have a tough time breaking up cubes of ice and you are left with ice chunks... plus it just waters down your smoothie!) I also tend to use soy milk over dairy to avoid possible tummy upset, but you could easily replace the soy milk with regular milk or yogurt if you tolerate it. I kind of prefer the nuttiness of the soy milk in my smoothies. If you want a smoothie that is less thick - more on the juicy side... use fresh fruits rather than frozen, and don't add any ice... add extra juice and milk to thin it out.
Melon Smoothie - add cubes of honeydew and cantaloupe to blender. squeeze juice of half a lime over top. add vanilla soy milk. My current favorite... melon seems to soothe my angry belly.
Peach Smoothie - add frozen or canned peaches to blender. top with a bit of peach or mango juice. add vanilla soy milk.
Orange Strawberry Banana - add one banana, 3-4 frozen strawberries, and 1C orange juice. add a splash of vanilla soy milk.
Banana "shake" - two ripe bananas, 1/4 C sugar, vanilla soy milk, a few ice cubes, 2T pasteurized egg white (makes it nice and frothy).. add chocolate sauce for a special treat!
Berry smoothie - use frozen strawberries or blueberries or a combo (i don't recommend raspberries because of seeds)... add 1C cranberry juice, and a splash of vanilla soy milk. Add banana for a banana-berry smoothie.
Tropical Smoothie - a handful of fresh or canned pineapple pieces, 1 C orange juice, a few chunks of mango, a banana, soy milk (or coconut milk if you like, but I'm allergic)
