Smoothie cookbook makes indulgent at-home recipes a breeze

Goodbye, gritty green sludge.

The new “Betty Crocker Smoothies” cookbook offers more than 100 easy-to-follow recipes for wholesome, healthful – and sometimes entirely indulgent – smoothies, pops and juices.

Recipes in the 224-page, five-chapter softcover book feature Greek yogurt, berries, bananas, coconut water, cucumber, spinach, honey and much more. Icons let home cooks know quickly whether a recipe is dairy free or low calorie. There are even a couple for adults only, such as the Light Mai Tai Tiki Pops and Watermelon-Mojito Cocktail Pops.

Here are a few selections.

Tropical Papaya Smoothies

From “Betty Crocker Smoothies”

1/2 medium papaya, peeled, seeded and chopped ( 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened whole strawberries

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1 tablespoon honey

3 large ice cubes

Sliced papaya or sliced fresh strawberries, if desired

Fresh mint leaves or sprigs, if desired

In blender, place chopped papaya, frozen strawberries, milk, yogurt and honey. Cover; blend on high speed until smooth. With blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time, blending until ice is crushed and mixture is smooth.

Pour into two tall glasses. Garnish with sliced papaya or fresh strawberries and mint. Serve immediately.

Per serving: calories 150, total fat 0 grams, cholesterol 0mg, sodium 80mg, total carbohydrate 30 grams (dietary fiber 2 grams), protein 6 grams.

Yield: 2 servings (1 ½ cups each)

Berry Smoothies

From “Betty Crocker Smoothies”

1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries or raspberries

1 1/2 cups vanilla soymilk

1 container (6 ounces) French vanilla low-fat yogurt

Honey, if desired

In blender or food processor, place blueberries, soy milk and yogurt. Cover; blend on high speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Sweeten to taste with honey.

Pour into 2 glasses. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 210 calories, 3.5 grams total fat, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 150 milligrams sodium, 37 grams total carbohydrate (3 grams dietary fiber), 6 grams protein.

Yield: 2 servings

Watermelon-Mojito Cocktail Pops

From “Betty Crocker Smoothies”

2 cups chopped, seedless watermelon

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons light rum

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons water

4 small fresh mint leaves

5 paper cups (5 ounces each)

5 craft sticks (flat wooden sticks with round ends)

Lime slices, if desired

In blender, place watermelon, sugar, rum, lime juice, water and mint leaves. Cover; blend until smooth.

Divide mixture evenly among paper cups. Cover cups with foil; insert craft stick into center of each pop.

Freeze about 8 hours or until frozen.

To serve, remove foil; peel off paper cups. Garnish pops with lime slices.

Per serving: 70 calories, no fat, no cholesterol , no sodium, 13 grams total carbohydrate (no dietary fiber), no protein.

Yield: 5 pops