So what’s the status on your Springtime weather and have you guys been enjoying Spring break? If you just said you’ve got sunny skies and budding flowers I’m super envious. No, I’m really genuinely happy for you I promise, I’m just not sure I can promise that the little voice in the back of my mind isn’t thinking “NO FAIR!”, because, not gonna lie, our Spring is still being very stubborn and trying to impersonate Winter.

Oh my goodness, the other day I was driving home from the gym and a little grocery shopping (story of my life), and out of nowhere it starts snowing these huge fat flake that looked like a blizzard. I think I remember telling you guys about the unusually warm stretch we had back in early February. Well, my family and I kept joking back and forth that Winter was over and a few of them were pretty sad to think it might be true, but I have to say you guys, I totally called it. I kept saying we’d be getting freak snow storms for Easter and early April and it’s looking like I might be right. Although, I’d have liked to be wrong on this one.

Honestly, I enjoy most types of weather and I would normally take a gray day for what it’s worth, but I’m also a food photographer that prefers to shoot in natural light and that means the erratic weather we’ve been having is ruing my life. Okay, that’s a bit mellow-dramatic but seriously, I was trying to shoot some recipes a day or two ago and it was like the sky was having its own fashion show and trying on everything in its weather closet. One minute we were getting hail, then sleet, then heavy rain, then spots of blue sunny sky, and then it was more fat snowflakes. Frustrating to work with doesn’t even cover it.

But regardless of the weather, I’m determined to carry on with life as if the Spring sunshine already did arrive by making the freshest, fruitiest, most refreshing things I can think of, starting with these smoothies. So when someone in your house comes home with gallons of carrot juice because it was such a good price, what do you do? Well, you make very VERY orange smoothies! I picked up some fresh mangoes on that shopping trip I was talking about and then there were some overly ripe bananas in our pantry, so a tropical mood smoothie seemed just perfect.

So we do lots and lots of smoothies around here. My brothers like having them daily and recently my youngest brother has been obsessed with the ones I’ve added vanilla protein powder to. I’ve tried a handful of different protein powders through the years but I’m still trying to find one that I like and feel good about. It’s just that so many of the brands add way too many artificial ingredients and the flavors sometimes taste like perfume or something.

We got a huge bag of some vanilla flavored whey protein that’s not too bad, but I wouldn’t buy it again to tell you the truth. I’ve sort of just been trying to get through and not be wasteful, but I’m thinking I’d like to play around with the unflavored and unsweetened stuff when I do. Do you have a favorite brand of protein? I will say that the flavor in a smoothie like this is very subtle so most basic brands should work, but I’ll be sure to let you know when I find a brand I love.

This smoothie is so fast and easy my friends. The only work is in cutting up your fruit and then you’re just a quick button press away from a glass full of vibrantly colored tropical bliss. The tropical these was a little spur of the moment, but maybe I’m subconsciously dreaming of a beach getaway this season. Yep, that sounds like a great idea right about now. Does anyone have any favorite spots in the tropics?

Tropical Breeze Carrot Juice Smoothie

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup fresh pineapple, peeled and sliced
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 mango, peeled and sliced
1 orange, peeled
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup coconut milk
4 cups carrot juice
1 tablespoon honey (or other preferred sweetener)
2 scoops vanilla protein powder

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the smoothie in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Serve cold

For more great food ideas, please do not forget to look at my other recent food posts

1. Toasted Peeps S’mores Skillet Brownie
2. Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Orange Greek Yogurt Bowl
3. Coconut Macaroon Nest Shortbread Cookie Tarts
4. Coconut Vanilla Fluffy Bunny Ears Cupcakes
5. 30-Minute Thai Basil Asian Steak Stir-Fry
6. Nutella Tiramisu
7. Hummus & Veggies Mediterranean Mezze Board
8. Spring Bunny Tracks Confetti Blondies
9. Mint Chocolate Chip Avocado Mousse Cups
10. Raspberry Pomegranate Oats in a Jar

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

And, by the way, to all the minnows out there, my intro post did a huge $0.21. The key to success on Steemit is to be consistent and persistent. Click on the link below for some great tutorials on how you can also succeed on the steem blockchain:

Master Toolkit: Steemit Resource Guide Illustrated by @sndbox

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

Do you want to learn more about me? Click here to see a recent @wadepaterson interview with me - 20 questions with @gringalicious

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