Blending Smoothies
Fruit smoothies can fill you up, satisfy your sweet cravings and when made the right way, provide you with loads of vitamins and antioxidants. They’re great in the morning to start your day or as a quick pick-me-up halfway through. Many “smoothie shops,” however, can pack in unhealthy sweeteners and extra calories to make their concoctions irresistible. To reap the nutritional benefits and spare your waistline, follow our steps to perfect your perfect smoothie combinations.
Components of a Basic Smoothie:
1) Liquid
Liquid is necessary to blend your smoothie and add consistency. Start with 1/4 cup. If your smoothie doesn’t mix when the blender is turned on, add more liquid.
Options:
– Filtered Water: a great choice when you don’t want the liquid to affect the flavor profile of your drink.
– Milk: we suggest almond, skim, soy, rice, or coconut. Milk is always a good choice when you’re looking to add calcium.
– Coconut Water: use if you’re hoping for a “tropical” flavor.
– Fruit Juice: avoid sugar heavy fruit juices and pick either a “no sugar added” juice or use your own, fresh squeezed juice. Oranges and grapefruit, work well.
– Green Tea
2) Fruit
Use chopped fresh or frozen or a combination of both. We love frozen fruit because the fruit has been picked at its freshest point and the frozen texture adds great consistency. Fruit provides plenty of options and the combinations are endless: strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, blackberry, raspberry, mango, peach, pear, orange, banana and so on.
3) Thickener
Ice is an obvious step but if you want a thicker smoothie, add in extra banana or use extra frozen fruit. You can also use low-fat yogurt, greek yogurt, low-fat frozen yogurt, peanut butter or soft tofu.
4) Extra Flavor
Depending on the freshness of your fruit, you may want some additional sweetness. If you’re used to store-bought smoothies, you’ll definitely want to add an extra touch as the fruit will probably not be sweet enough. And if your smoothie is made using only frozen fruit, you will probably need an extra dash of sweetness.
Avoid table sugar or artificial sweeteners. Instead choose natural options such as honey, agave nectar, a few dates, Stevia or vanilla extract. If you’re looking for even more, add a pinch of spice like cinnamon or nutmeg.
5) Power Play (optional)
If you’re looking for an additional nutritional punch, add in protein, wheat germ, flax, soy, greens (spinach, kale, wheat grass, etc) or a vitamin powder. Keep in mind this will affect the flavor and texture of your smoothie so modify the rest accordingly.
Smoothie Ratio:
1 part fluid
1 part ripe fruit
2 parts ice/frozen fruit/ thickener
flavor enhancers (to taste)
nutritional booster
These measurements are not set in stone, experiment to find exactly what you like. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there’s no “perfect” smoothie recipe. Lots of things factor into smoothies because of the nature of mother nature! The sweetness and consistency of your fruit will vary so make adjustments as needed. So have fun experimenting and cheers to a healthier tomorrow!
