Smoothies are great for breakfast, snacks, detoxing, and meal substitutes.
There are several components which must be united in order to make a smoothie, but once you have each component, you can practically put in anything…practically. I have had the experience of being asked by a college student doing a “liquid” fast as to whether or not I thought they could put steak in the blender.
So…
Not anything. But you could definitely use your creativity for this one.
1. Liquid
There has to be some sort of liquid otherwise your other ingredients would just stick to the bottom of the blender and not really blend up all the way.
Now if you have a vitamix blender, well then you can just put in fruit and whip away and it will work. But for most of us who own the ordinary blenders, you must use at least some liquid. 1/2 to 1 cup.
This could include:
any kind of juice, let’s expand the horizons here. How about carrot juice or a mixture of another veggie juice. Don’t just think merely fruit juices. But for the fruit juices, I like cranberry, orange, or pineapple, if I don’t have fresh- I will get to that.
or water, coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, yogurt
2. Protein
It is good to have some sort of protein, especially if you are going to use as a substitute for a meal.
Protein ideas include Pasteurized eggs, green powder, raw protein powder, Spirulina, Wheat or Barley grass,
seeds – like sesame, basil, chia, or flax – or nuts – almond and cashew are some of my favorites, tofu or peanut butter etc…
(Note about nuts and seeds. If you grind them first, the smoothie will be smooth. Otherwise you may have to call it a “Chunky”)
3. Fruit or Veggies frozen or fresh
I almost always put in a frozen banana or two. This eliminates the need for a sweetener.
pineapple frozen is great with coconut milk! frozen blueberries, strawberries
fresh pineapple, mango, apple, orange are just for starters. You will want to take out the seeds and peel the fruit first!
For veggies, I like fresh or frozen spinach, kale, pumpkin, butternut squash
4. Sweetener
frozen bananas, honey, or any other sweetener you like
5. Vanilla or other flavorings and spices
If I am doing a vanilla or egg nog sort of shake I will sometimes put in nutmeg
If doing pumpkin or butternut squash, I put in pumpkin pie spice
carob, cocoa
6. Ice
If you have at least one thing that is frozen, you won’t need ice, however, if you want it to be icy you can add 2-4 cubes of ice to the mixture.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Enjoy your smoothies with a friend or loved one. There is always enough to share.
Julie Hughes Recipes 