Never use milk, ice cream or sugar in your smoothies; this will ruin the healthy benefits of the fruit.

Right before your bananas start to go bad, peel them and put them in a sandwich bag in the freezer. They'll make your smoothie cold (like frozen strawberries will), so you don't have to use ice.

You can add a cup or two of cranberry juice, apple juice, grape juice, orange juice or any kind of 100% juice you can think of or fresh squeezed juices -- or -- add water to the blender to make your smoothie more of a drinkable consistency and keep your fruit from sticking to the bottom of the blender.  Yes, I use water in my smoothie.  It does taste good with water.  Try it!!!  You may be pleasantly surprised.  One good thing about smoothies is you can make just about any combination you think you may like.

One last thing, let your kids or grands help with making the smoothies and fresh juices. They will enjoy helping and it teaches them about making healthy drinks.