Ah, it's finally warm enough for smoothies again! I have a hard time drinking smoothies, healthy as they are, when it's cold outside- they just chill me to the bone! But on warm sunny days like today, they're a must, especially after you've worked out for 3 days IN A ROW, whaaat? ;)
Here's my favorite smoothie blend that I do every time with little variations to switch it up. I have a Vitamix so love to throw some veggies and seeds in there too, but with a regular blender you could use veggie juice and flax seed oil instead, for example!
My fave smoothie:
1 banana
1-2 carrots
2-4 leaves of kale or a handful of spinach
2-3 cups of berries/sweet fruit of your choice.
1/2 cup soy milk (or a scoop of soy vanilla ice cream)
1 spoonful flaxseeds
The sweetness from the fruit is the yummy part (obviously) All those berries will help make it so you don't even realize you're drinking kale! I like to mix fresh + frozen fruit so I don't have to use ice. My favorite combination is fresh blueberries + frozen mango! For this one I used fresh blackberries and frozen blueberries and peaches- delish! Frozen pomegranate seeds are also yummy and add more super antioxidant powa!
I drank it all before I realized I should have taken a picture of it in the glass! Ah well- as you can see(ish), it ends up dark purple and it tastes delicious, has a well balanced sweetness. Good if you don't like tart, which I don't really!
What's your favorite smoothie combo? Ever tried a "green" smoothie? And yes, the Vitamix is a beast and totally worth the moola, I love it. :)
This sounds so healthy! I'm trying to drink smoothies more but mine are naughty - banana and peanut butter! Not entirely bad for you of course (peanut butter even has nutrients) but not a patch on yours for health points!
Posted by: Cat | May 18, 2011 at 12:33 PM
Here's our favorite smoothie. We eat it year round, but don't have a real winter here in SF.
http://crookedlittlehouse.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/smoothie-from-the-90s/
Posted by: Amy | May 18, 2011 at 12:37 PM
fantastic! makes my strawberry/banana/yogurt concoction look a little lame. but i do make my own yogurt, since it's so easy. and cheap.
Posted by: chook | May 18, 2011 at 12:43 PM
I must try this!
My fave: http://honestfare.com/creamy-avocado-smoothie/ I was skeptical at first, but it's very good indeed!
Posted by: Victoria | May 18, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Ha! I'm with Cat -- I love a peanut butter and banana smoothie! I make mine with flax oil, So Delicious coconut milk (this is a milk substitute like soy or almond milk, not the canned coconut milk you use in Thai/Indian cooking) and coconut milk yogurt along with the banana and peanut butter (and a little bit of ice). Dairy-free and yummy! I also love any combo of tropical fruits with some chia seeds mixed in. I haven't tried green smoothies yet but my favorite smoothie shop has a raw smoothie with spinach, kale, apples and oranges that I'm dying to try!
Posted by: Kathy | May 18, 2011 at 01:01 PM
a banana, 5 strawberries, a 1/2 cup of soy milk and a handful of ice. i have acai smoothie packs to throw in every once in a while too. maybe i'll get a little crazy and start throwing in some green after reading your post!
Posted by: Mia | May 18, 2011 at 01:11 PM
banana and peanut butter! my mister would like that, he eats banana and pb sandwiches, with honey! :)
Posted by: Miss Modish | May 18, 2011 at 01:21 PM
make your own yogurt? that's awesome!
Posted by: Miss Modish | May 18, 2011 at 01:22 PM
oh, try it try it! & what are chia seeds?? I'm going to have to look those up!
Posted by: Miss Modish | May 18, 2011 at 01:24 PM
Oh that sounds yummy, I love just banana and strawberries too. Yeah, try some green! You really cant taste it with fruit in the mix, and its nice to know the extra nutrients are in there :)
Posted by: Miss Modish | May 18, 2011 at 01:26 PM
Soy milk, banana, frozen blueberries (my favorite, but any frozen fruit is good), spinach, peanut butter, flax seeds, oats, and sometimes a scoop of vegan protein powder. Delish. Even my son, who is among the pickiest of eaters, loves these.
Posted by: Lori | May 18, 2011 at 02:36 PM
Ever tried freezing your bananas? I find this gives the smoothie an ice-creamy texture w/o the ice cream. (And I love my Vitamix!)
Posted by: Melissa Crowe | May 18, 2011 at 03:10 PM
Try my smoothie, i have strawberry,yogurt,bluberry.
Posted by: Strumpor wahlman | May 19, 2011 at 12:36 AM
vitamixes are the best! my daily smoothie: banana, frozen blueberries, greek yogurt, spinach, broccoli, flax seeds and whatever other fruit is laying around. i'll have to try throwing a carrot in there. yay green smoothies!
Posted by: cori | May 19, 2011 at 07:26 AM
I like to use vanilla almond milk instead of soymilk, and throw a handful of whole almonds in the blender too, for some crunchy texture and extra protein, which is crucial to me if this is the only thing I end up eating before lunchtime!
Posted by: Lindsey @ Yarnia | May 19, 2011 at 02:55 PM
Oh that sounds so good! I got a Ninja (poor mans Vitamix) and I was looking for delicious things to make. Just added this to the list!! :)
Posted by: MODERN SOUTHERNER | May 19, 2011 at 04:00 PM
I love smoothies. Your recipe is close to the one that sweetie pie does for me, helping me to get more veggies in my life. You are so right, you don't even taste the veggies. It's just all sweetness.
Posted by: Shell | May 20, 2011 at 10:43 AM
yum! i love smoothies!
i wash, cut and freeze the fruit on a cookie sheet. then bag it once it's frozen.
my favorite is raspberries, a few straw berries, some lemon juice, a squeeze of honey, 1 serving/container of yogurt and some OJ.
i like my smoothies to be more like milk-shakes.
Posted by: D R E W | Jun 09, 2011 at 06:57 PM