The Blenderless Smoothie

If you're anything like me, you hate to do dishes by hand. I dislike it so much so that I look for the most dish-efficient way to do just about everything in the kitchen: From the order in which I chop things on the cutting board (meat is always last, even if I need it first) to mixing small amounts of wet ingredients in the mixing cup itself when baking. It's become somewhat of a personal competition. It's like when a man wants to shave a few minutes off of his drive time on a road trip. I, on the other side of the domestic coin, like to use one less dish or utensil every time I make a recipe. What can I say? Dorky? Absolutely. Do I care? Not one bit. I'm a dork that likes a challenge. (FYI, I'm actually guilty of the driving thing, too.)

The obvious question inevitably arises (mainly from my husband who is well-aware of my neurosis): Why not just load everything into the dishwasher? Well, you see, that's cheating. And it's the epitome of inefficiency. Why load a huge pot into the dishwasher that takes up as much space as 5 plates and 3 bowls? No, no, my friends. That just won't fly. At least not all the time. I'll bite the bullet and "splurge" on the luxury of a big-item load from time to time but I don't make it a regular event.

Being the dish-Nazi that I am, I was tickled pink to "develop" a no-blender smoothie. It's not exactly rocket science but, at the same time, the idea had never occurred to me before. If it hadn't occurred to me, it stands to reason, then maybe it hasn't occurred to others. Bottom line: I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Here's how it works: Simply smash one very ripe banana with a fork in your smoothie cup/glass. Add one strawberry banana yogurt (or any flavor of your choosing), top off with milk, and mix with the fork. Freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Remove from freezer and break up the frozen bits with your fork and stir again. Enjoy!