Sometimes you wake up in the morning, and you don’t feel like filling your stomach with a carb-packed breakfast. Or, if you are looking for a light and nutritious breakfast on the go, an ice-free smoothie could be the answer you’ve been searching for.

When people hear the word “fruit smoothie,” many consider it a healthy choice. However, often times fruit smoothies contain ice cream, sherbet, fruit juice and corn syrup. Those ingredients can easily escalate to a full-blown fast food meal without your knowledge.

Ice cream and sherbets are used in smoothies to create texture and thickness. A nice, healthy alternative to those sugary treats could be a healthy dollop of yogurt. Fruit juice and corn syrup are used to help all of the ingredients blend easily. By adding too much fruit juice you are taking away the nutritional value of the smoothie and adding in more sugar.

Try to minimize your serving of juice. However, doing so may make blending a little difficult but it will still be manageable. Also, instead of using a juice cocktail, opt for a beverage containing 100 percent juice. Juice cocktails are laced with high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. On the flip side, 100 percent juice beverages are also sweetened with other 100 percent juices, which contain natural sugars found in fruits. Beware, though—100 percent juice beverages tend to be a bit tart.

In order to optimize your fruit intake and minimize watering your smoothie down, make this fruit smoothie with no ice. Instead, buy fresh fruit and place in a sealed freezer bag and store in the freezer until frozen solid (about 1 day). The frozen fruit will act as your ice in the smoothie without watering your beverage down.

Once your selected fruit is frozen, you are ready to begin on your journey to chilled berry bliss. The setup is easy and only requires a blender, spoon and cup. First, pour a half cup of 100 percent cranberry juice into the blender. Then add in 1 cup of a frozen berry medley and 1 frozen banana. To top it off, place a nice dollop of plain yogurt on top of your fruit.

The blending mode is up to you and your machine’s blending options. Personally, I like to switch it up between

the blend mode and the chop mode.

When the smoothie becomes thick, it may be difficult to blend and you may need to mix up your ingredients. Lastly pour your smoothie into a glass and top it off with a piece of fruit just for the heck of it.