3 Ways or More to Make Tasty Peanut Butter Smoothies

So this article may be entitled 3 ways to make it, but smoothies are nothing if not a playground for the blender drink junkie. You can take these recipes and twist them a thousand ways to suit your tastes. Here are (at least) three of my favorite thick and yummy peanut butter smoothies.
I use an industrial strength stainless steel Osterizer with two speeds, slow and fast, and I've liquified many an ice cube and banana in this one for years. I have another mulit-speed glass blender also. It's very comfortable next to the quick chop in the back of the cabinet.


A note on ingredients and mixing:

Preferred milk: I found that vanilla soy milk adds a silky texture to this smoothie, and it's easy on the stomach. I suggest you try it. Prior to this I used lowfat, nonfat, even whole milk. You choose, what's your favorite?
When adding ice to the liquid, it should be like a thick slush or crowded pool. Too little and it will make a thin smoothie, too much and it won't blend properly.

These recipes offer up 2-4 servings, for more servings add a little bit of each ingredient at the same time. Don't just add milk, or any other single ingredient as it ruins the taste.

The Classic:

-Preferred milk:
1-2 cups of milk choice.
-Crushed ice
-3-6 fat tablespoons of peanut butter
-2-3 ripe bananas (add sugar or extra honey for greener bananas.)
-Dash orange or apple juice (dash means splash here.)
-1 tspn. cinnamon if desired.
-1 tspn. vanilla extract if desired.

You can keep the classic like this, or for an extra layer of flavor, add some honey, about 2-3 tablespoons, or more if the bananas aren't ripe.
If the mixture is too thick, add liquid a little at a time while blending, too viscous, add another banana, more ice, or peanut butter, in that order.
Blend until very smooth.

The works:

Use The Classic recipe, and add:

-Vanilla yogurt: 1-2 cups.
-Skinned granny smith apples: about 1/2 of a small apple or 2-3 slices of a large one.
-Shot of good apple juice: Real juice here, about 2 ounces maximum.
-Honey: 2-3 tblspns
-Cinnamon and nutmeg: about 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tspn. nutmeg.

-The PB Banana Sundae:

The Classic +

-Chocolate or vanilla ice cream: 2-3 scoops. (add ice after blending. The ice cream may be all you need.)

Nestle quik: 2-3 large tblspns.
or
Hershey's canned chocolate syrup: ~2 ounces.

Whip cream: 1 cup in blender, & add a bit on top with a cherry or strawberry to garnish.

The possibilities with these peanut butter smoothies are endless. Add whey or another protein powder for extra protein or other 'superchargers' as desired. Blend it up as smooth as you can and keep it cold. Enjoy!