Today, I am sharing something that I drink almost every day – fruit smoothies. Several years ago on a girls’ weekend a friend brought her Blendtec blender and we had green smoothies almost every morning or as a snack in the day. After that I knew I wanted my own Blendtec blender because I wanted more smoothies and knew how healthy they can be. (Link to Blendtec blender like I have on Amazon)
What I like about drinking smoothies is that I can drink 2-3 cups of fruit but there is no way I could sit down and eat all that. Weird, I know, but when you combine a banana, strawberries, pineapple, and honey with some yogurt and blend it all up, it is so tasty and is quite the treat. It goes down so much quicker as a drink. The health benefits are obvious.
Most days I replace either breakfast or lunch for a smoothie. It is filling plus I am getting almost half of my goal for fiber in one smoothie. Even more when I add flaxseed!
A few months back we were going to spend a night or two at my father-in-law’s. I had to plan my breakfasts before we left since I am gluten free. My husband is from Small Town, USA. You know, one red light, everybody-knows-everybody-else (and their business), three restaurants in town (one being a McDonald’s), two gas stations, etc. You get the idea.
Being gluten free, going out of town can be a challenge. My father-in-law has been a widow for several years and does not keep much in the way of food the family can eat, in particular what I can eat with my restrictive diet. Usually, Wade and the kids pick up a breakfast sandwich at McDonald’s while we are in town and then we’ll skip lunch and have dinner out at one of the other two restaurants. (Or if it’s a holiday, I’ll cook.)
It occurred to me a few days before that I could make some smoothies to bring along. So the night before we left I tripled my recipe, divided it into freezer bags, and placed the bags in the freezer.
When we arrived at his house, I put it in the freezer but took it out and put in the refrigerator the night before I would need it. (Do not forget straws if you are doing this while traveling! Thankfully, I remembered.) We worked cattle that morning so it was a cool and healthy breakfast to have.
Recently, a friend was telling me how she would like to make smoothies more for her boys to drink but did not like having to get all the ingredients out and make the mess. I shared with how easy it was to make big batches and freeze. She liked the idea and thought it was the answer to her drawback to making daily smoothies.
I like to use either pint size Mason jars or freezer bags when freezing my smoothies for planning ahead. Remember to leave space for the smoothie to expand especially if you are using a glass jar!
When I make smoothies I do not use “recipes.” If I can avoid washing measuring cups then I will eyeball ingredients when I'm in the kitchen. I did start using a general recipe at first though and started playing and experimenting from there.
Here is what I do…..
- 1 banana
- About ½ cup yogurt (I buy organic Greek yogurt.)
- 1 cup of another fruit
- ½-1 cup of some other fruit
- 1 teaspoon honey (Other great natural sweeteners are maple syrup and Stevia.)
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 scoop fruit and vegetable powder (This is what makes my smoothie “green” because of all the green, healthy goodness in this powder. If you do not have this then you can use kale or spinach. Contact me if interested in ordering the powder I use.)
Things you can add for flavor: Vanilla extract, flavored Stevia (like SweetLeaf brand)
Favorite fruit combinations (always with a banana, the first fruit would be 1 cup and the second fruit would be ½ cup, usually)
Strawberries and pineapple
Mango and blueberries (blueberries will overpower the mango so I usually use ½ cup blueberries)
Pineapple and mango
Peaches and strawberries
Pineapple with coconut milk and a dash of vanilla extract for a Piña Colada smoothie
Strawberries, pineapple, and blueberries (equal portions of each)
In place of yogurt you could use orange juice, apple juice, or coconut milk (or some other milk like almond milk).
You can use almost any fruit (or vegetable) in a smoothie. Use what is in season whether from your garden or at the grocery store. Play around and see what you like.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of raspberries or blackberries mainly because of the seeds – the crunching of them and how they get in my teeth. I have a time with blueberries as it is but I like the taste. If you like other fruits, then by all means, throw them in and try it out. I have also found most pears give my smoothies a grainy texture I do not like.
I recently read about the benefits of maca powder and ordered some from Vitacost. Amazon sells it as well. (Sign up to Vitacost with this link and save $10 on your first order. I will also receive a $10 credit if you place an order.) "Maca Powder is loaded with nutritious vitamins, minerals, amino acids and plant sterols, including vitamins B1, B2, B, C, D, E, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, selenium, phosphorous and calcium. It's a fiber-rich food and a good source of plant protein (about ten percent). Maca root is also a source of fatty acids, and it contains four unique alkaloids (Macaina 1, 2, 3 and 4)." link I bought the gelatinized maca powder because the starch is removed and it is easier to digest and absorb. It gives you a boost of energy like caffeine without the jitters and crashes. This is the brand I use and like on Amazon.
Other great things people add to their smoothies to supercharge them are nut butters (cashew, almond, peanut, etc), seeds (hemp, sunflower, sesame, etc), and herbs/spices (already mentioned Ceylon cinnamon and ginger but also nutmeg, mint, or frozen herbed tea cubes).
Before I go, I want to share my dessert smoothie that is good for you too! I found it in the Blendtec recipe book that came with my blender.
Peanut Butter & Cocoa Smoothie
(click here to print)
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 banana
1 cup ice cubes
Add ingredients to blender jar in order listed and blend until smooth.
Do you drink smoothies? What is your favorite recipe(s)?
