(Courtesy of Kyle Dreier)

With the weather getting warmer outside, you are probably craving lighter recipes.

One of the most popular eats during the hot summer months are smoothies.

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, smoothies are fast, refreshing and great to take on- the-go.

The best part is that they are filling but do not give you that over-stuffed feeling that can be miserable when it is scorching outside.

However, not all smoothies are as light as you might think.

One smoothie from Jamba Juice or Smoothie King can be as much as 600 calories and packed with added sugars due to the amount of fruit juice used to make it.

If you make them the right way, your healthiest bet is to make one at home.

Not only will your pocketbook and waistline thank you, you may find that you enjoy your own smoothies better.

Consuming raw fruits and vegetables in a smoothie every day will save you money and time. Ingredients for a homemade smoothie can run cheap and only take 10 to 15 minutes to make.

Drinking smoothies also provide you with more vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants than multivitamins can.

Starting your day with a smoothie will keep you more hydrated than coffee or tea and will help you lose weight quicker as well.

If you want to experiment with healthier smoothies, green smoothies as well as detox smoothies will help with weight loss.

The great thing is that you can still get all the nutrients you want and lose weight quickly the healthy way.

The best part is, you control can add whatever you want and are able to control exactly what goes into it.

You will need:

A blender, an assortment of frozen fruit, a source of protein and a liquid.

There is not an exact recipe that you have to follow to get a delicious smoothie.

You can pretty much blend up anything you want and you will probably come out with something delicious.

Grab your blender and get to work. Cheers to healthy, light and filling summer smoothies!

Add in frozen fruit.

There is no limit to how much fruit you can use, it just depends on your personal preference.

For an extra creamy smoothie, try a frozen banana.

You can use fresh fruit if you wish, but frozen fruit is what really gives your smoothie the right texture.

To sneak in your extra veggies add in a handful of spinach. It blends right in and you can not taste it so you will have no idea you are even drinking it.

Protein is key to making your smoothie hold you over for a longer amount of time.

Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, a scoop of protein powder or a nut butter are great sources of protein.

Pick your liquid:

Depending on what your preference is, you can basically use whatever you want.

To keep your smoothie as healthy as possible, do not use anything loaded in sugar.

The amount of liquid you add depends on how thick you want your smoothies and how much it takes to get your blender going.

Popular liquids are orange juice, milk, almond milk, light cranberry juice and water.

Once everything is in your blender, mix, blend and hopefully you will come out with a winning combination.

Ingredients:

2 large bananas

2 cups slightly frozen strawberries

2 cups slightly frozen peaches

2 cups strawberry banana ‘fro-yo’

2 cups fat-free milk

Directions:

Step 1: Allow fruit to thaw just slightly

Step 2: Slice bananas into bite-size pieces

Step 3: In half batches, blend the fruit, frozen yogurt and milk in the blender until smooth.

Step 4: Add extra fruit and milk for consistency.