Fresh Fruit Smoothie Recipes packing a one-two punch for quick recovery!

Athletes can enhance recovery with proper rehydration and refueling. Restoring the body's fluid balance and replenishing glycogen stores within 90 mins to two hours after exercise shortens recovery time. The sooner carbs and protein are ingested after exercise the better.

Below are recipes for smoothies, drinks that my husband and I rely on to fuel us after exercise. Smoothies are indigenous to Southern California surf communities, and are almost a staple here. Some people down here add ice cream and make a smoothie into a pseudo-milkshake. Others add booze and pretend they're healthifying your liquor. But we do neither. We make them as written below, more or less (depending on available materiel). They are enjoyed most during the heat of a hot day, but you'll see some recipes below that would work quite nicely on a winter's day as well.

You can make a smoothie out of just about any fruit and fruit juice. Some of these recipes are the favorites of those I discovered on my own. Others I freely admit I plagiarized, and hope that the original inventors don't mind my sharing them with you. But this is just a starting point, you should experiment on your own.

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Tropical Five Fruit Blast (serves 2): Kiwi, mango, papaya and orange juice add up to almost three days' worth of vitamin C. Add the banana for fiber.

• 1 large banana, peeled and cut into pieces
• 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced mango
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced papaya
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients into the blender and whip until smooth per serving: 195 calories, 3g protein, 1g fat, 48g carbohydrates, 5g fiber.

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Triple Apricot Antioxidant Shake (serves 2): Three different forms of beta-carotene-rich apricots make this smoothie a significant source of Vitamin A. Use the organic, unsulphured apricots and apricot nectar without high fructose corn syrup. Available at natural food stores. Strawberries provide the vitamin C.

• 3 pitted dried whole apricots
• 3 fresh apricots, halved and pitted
• 4 large strawberries, stemmed
• 1 1/2 cups apricot nectar
• 2 ice cubes

Place dried apricots in small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let rest for 15 minutes or until plump. Drain Combine plumped apricots with remaining ingredients in blender and whip until smooth. per serving: 170 calories, 2g protein, 0g fat, 41g carbs 4g protein for added protein you can add soy protein or whey protein or add a scoop of Metabolol II or a packet of Met-RX. For a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids add 1tsp or two of freshed pressed flaxseed oil.

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Very Berry Fibre Shake (serves 2):

• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 cup stemmed and halved strawberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla soymilk (a good source of isoflavones, found to decrease the risk of breast cancer)
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender and whip until smooth. Per serving: 140 calories, 5g protein, 3g fat, 27g carbohydrates, 9g fiber.

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Mega-A Citrus Rush (serves 2)

• 1 1/2 cups diced pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups diced cantaloupe
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup carrot juice (high in vitamin A)
• pinch nutmeg
• 3 ice cubes

Combine in blender, whip until smooth. Per serving: 152 calories, 3g protein, 1g fat, 37g carbs, 3g fiber.

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Sunny Vitamin C Sipper (serves 1)

• 1 medium banana, peeled and cut into pieces
• 1 ripe peach, peeled, halved, pitted and diced
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3 ice cubes

Combine in blender and whip until smooth. Per serving: 185 calories, 3g protein, 1g fat, 45g carbs, 7g fiber.

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Banana Molasses Fiber FRAPPE (serves 2)

This is a serious fibre smoothie with both prunes and molasses. The molasses will also give you iron, while the soymilk is a great source for calcium.

• 5 pitted prunes
• 1 medium banana, peeled and cut into pieces
• 2 cups low-fat soy milk (vanilla)
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional for spicy taste)
• 3 ice cubes

Place prunes in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for 15 minutes or until plump. Drain prunes and combine ingredients in the blender. Then you know what to do: Whip until smooth. Per serving: 206 calories, 8g protein, 5g fat, 37g carbs, 6g fiber.

All of these smoothies are great for a recovery drink, a snack, or even a complete breakfast or post-workout lunch when you are on the run. If you wish to add a packet of Met-rx powder or a scoop of Metabolol II, or soy protein or whey protein to the blend for additional recovery power, then do so before you blend into a smooth texture. Fresh pressed Flaxseed oil can be added to the mixture for a whopping source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Further information about JulieAnne's coaching services, contact julieanne@semicolon.org. or visit, Semicolon.org.