Papaya Smoothie Recipe (Sinh To Du Du)

Sinh tố đu đủ literally translates in Vietnamese to papaya (đu đủ) vitamin (sinh tố). I've made sinh tố bơ in the past with creamy avocado, but I got my hands on a beautiful papaya, so I made this version instead. You can also make many variations of the Vietnamese drink such as jackfruit, durian or mango depending on what you have on hand. The usual sweetener is sweetened condensed milk. You can blend the fruit with either yogurt, soy milk, regular cow's milk, coconut milk or coconut water.

I love wandering through ethnic markets. They're a great place to find interesting ingredients to develop new recipes. This weekend, my husband Lulu and I went to Mi Pueblo supermarket in East Palo Alto after a trip to the nearby Home Depot. Along with the beautifully ripe papaya, which reminded us of our last trip to Cancun, I found nopales (cactus), exotic banana varieties and the best horchata I’ve had in a long time. On top of that, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I’m definitely going back for more great Mexican ingredients.

Pumpkin Protein Drink Recipe

I think if he could, my husband would drink pumpkin pie. He already inhales it every Thanksgiving! So this pumpkin protein drink is about as close as it gets to making his dreams come true. It's an ultra easy breakfast to make when you're on the go, and it’ll get you in the mood for the soon-to-be holiday season.

The drink is packed with vitamins, protein (I added soy protein) and calcium, making it markedly healthier than the real deal, and perfect for vegetarians like my husband Lulu.

Blueberry Yogurt

We've been trying to eat healthier, so I've started serving blueberry yogurt to Lulu as a late night snack instead of one of my decadent desserts. Blueberries are delicious and packed with antioxidants. Many studies have concluded that a diet high in antioxidant foods prevents heart disease, cancer and reduces blood pressure. I typically serve the yogurt with unsweetened green tea (another antioxidant) mixed with vanilla soy milk.

Avocado Shake (Sinh To Bo)

Sinh tố bơ is a Vietnamese-style avocado milk shake. In Vietnamese, avocado is called trái bơ, which literally translates to "butter fruit". The name is quite appropriate for this drink, which is sinfully rich. I take heart, no pun intended, in the fact that avocados are so nutritious and are loaded with the healthy kind of fat.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Smoothie

Recently I made a pumpkin spice latte and it got me thinking about other drinks that I could make using this Fall flavor. The girls love smoothies, so it seemed like an obvious choice.

I combined some pumpkin purée with traditional pumpkin pie spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon to form the base of the smoothie. Maple syrup and brown sugar provide the sweetness, and oatmeal helps to thicken the drink and provide texture. No bananas here.

If you're looking for a healthy alternative to gorging on slices of pumpkin pie, this smoothie fits the bill.  It has the same flavor but with fewer calories and more nutrition. If that's not your goal, you could always throw in a scoop of ice cream and make a milkshake...