Mind-blowing fact: Your GI system is home to up to a trillion microbes! Keeping this “good” and “bad” bacteria in a healthy balance is key–and adding probiotics to your diet can really help.
In her new book Drink Your Way to Gut Health
, fellow dietitian Molly Morgan offers 140 recipes for smoothies and drinks made with probiotic-rich ingredients like yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, buttermilk, miso, and tempeh.
She also includes recipes for making your own homemade versions of yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and ginger beer.
When I asked Molly if I could feature one of her recipes here, she suggested Larry’s Mango Lassi. This homemade yogurt drink is named after her son, who declared it his favorite recipe in the book. I love that it’s a kid-friendly drink that’s just slightly sweet and made with a few simple ingredients. A lassi is a yogurt-based drink popular in India and Pakistan that’s usually savory, but this one is sweetened with a bit of sugar and frozen fruit. My first grader happily slurped it down!
Larry’s Mango Lassi
Lassi is a yogurt-based and kid-friendly drink that’s just slightly sweet and made with a few simple ingredients.
- 1 cup Vanilla Lassi (recipe at bottom of post or store-bought vanilla lassi)
- 1 cup frozen cubed mango
- Combine the lassi and mango in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Vanilla Lassi
- 1.5 cups store-bought low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt or homemade yogurt
- .5 cup low-fat or nonfat milk
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine the yogurt and milk in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Stir in the sugar, if desired, and vanilla extract.
- Use in Larry’s Mango Lassi (above). You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
