Foolproof Smoothies

I secretly worked at a smoothie place my first year of undergrad, and have been making smoothies at home ever since. The key ingredient is banana - without it the smoothie will be, well, not as smooth. I recently got a new blender, which is why smoothies are on the brain. They're great for hangovers too :)

The standard:

1/2 c. orange juice or other juice
1 banana
1 scoop protein powder (I prefer Spirutein but haven't found it in Chicago so I've been using Whole Foods' vanilla flavored protein powder with spirulina)
1/4 c. frozen or fresh fruit - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, and/or mango all work well
4 ice cubes

The always-failproof combo is OJ, strawberries, and banana.

Optional add-ons: vitamin C tablet, dash of vanilla, freshly grated ginger, and/or honey, even booze

Toss in blender and blend till smooth. Voila!