Baker's Best of Health

If you feel like you’ve packed on a few extra pounds over the long, cold winter, now’s the time to start taking them off and shaping up. After all, swimsuit and shorts season is right around the corner! To help you get started, I dug around our recipe archives and found a terrific green tea smoothie recipe that’ll fill you up and energize you. Swirl it up in the afternoon to send your hunger pangs packing.

Heat a cup of water until it’s almost boiling. Add the tea bag and steep it for 3 to 5 minutes. Sweeten the tea with 1 teaspoon of honey, and then pour it into a blender. Add 2 cups of frozen blueberries, 1 banana, and 1 ½ cups of fat-free milk. Process until smooth, then pour it into two glasses for you and a friend to enjoy.

New research suggests that drinking green tea with every meal may boost your metabolism—so you’re getting that fat-burning boost, and a lot of other nutrients with every sip of this ingenious little whip-up. Enjoy!