Pear banana yogurt smoothie

I am a terrible breakfast person. I never do the right thing. Most of the time, I skip the meal completely, only to find myself starved and reaching for whatever is quick and easy (and often loaded with carbs) sometime before lunch.

And so when my mother introduced me to the idea of a breakfast smoothie (yes, I can be slow to think of some of the more obvious solutions on my own), I jumped at the idea. When I was in California for the summer, we kept the fridge loaded with frozen berries and bananas, yogurt and that really expensive pomegranate juice. But back home in NY, and once the weather began to turn, the idea of an icy cold breakfast loaded with berries was a bit hard to take. I needed to figure out a seasonal solution.

I got the idea to substitute frozen pear for the berries and pear nectar or apple juice for the pomegranate juice. Yes, it's still an icy cold breakfast in the middle of winter, but it's delicious and loaded with cinnamon and nutmeg and honey and a generous serving of fruit (something I often forget to eat later in the day). Best of all, the kids will love it, too (call it a milkshake!). And it's absolutely portable—so whether I'm rushing off to help build sets for the class play or to do a little last minute Christmas shopping, I can sip and go!

Here's what you need for one generous serving:

1 chopped and frozen pear (I do this task myself ahead of time)

1 banana (can also be frozen, but not necessary)

1 cup of pear nectar or apple juice (white grape would also work well here)

1 container of yogurt (I like to use Activia vanilla)

1 teaspoon of honey

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cinnamon

Put everything in the blender: first the liquid, then the frozen fruit, then layer in the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass, garnish with a bit more cinnamon, insert straw, and you're good to go.