Sweet Basil Smoothie

The past few years, I have developed a love for smoothies.  They are easy to make, they’re good for you and they taste great.  Plus, the possibilities are endless.  Most fruits and vegetables can be thrown into the blender with yogurt and ice and voila….grab a straw and get ready to drink to your health.  Lately, my two favorite variations are mango, pineapple and banana or kale and blueberry.  I always add two tablespoons of ground flax seed because flax is excellent for you (psst…flax contains fiber, omega-3 essential fatty acids and lignans which means it’s an antioxidant, a food superpower that  helps to prevent cancer and heart disease).   Although I enjoy the aforementioned combinations, I try to mix things up for the kids because I like to keep things interesting and I want them to be open minded to trying new foods.  Enter Giada’s sweet basil smoothie.   I decided to give it a try the other day when I found myself with all the required ingredients and considering Saint Patrick’s day is around the corner, I thought I’d give something green a test run.  I was slightly dubious as to how well basil would translate into a smoothie but the lemon used in the simple syrup brings out all the right flavors…the mintiness and the freshness of this fragrant herb.  Two out of my four kids gave it a thumbs up (it’s pretty sweet) while the other two promptly requested their regular.  Next time, I plan to serve it to adults over an elegant brunch adorned with sprigs of basil and accompanied by this ricotta and herb frittata.  Light, refreshing, tasty and healthy….cheers to that.