We*Meat*Again

My sister recently requested a post with some smoothie recipe ideas, and once summer comes around, between the heat and a more regular workout routine, I put away a lot of blended fruit.

Let’s start with the basics.

Smoothies basically consist of the following components: liquid, fruit, blending agent and ice (though that last one’s optional — I’ll get to that!). There can also be a few extras, or a sweetener in some cases. Once you get that ratio figured out (and it’s easy to tweak this on the fly), it’s incredibly easy to experiment with different combinations of flavors.

Liquids: My favorites are either orange juice or non-dairy milk. I use OJ because I’m not a big fan of drinking it, and it’s a good way to squeeze in an extra serving of fruit a day. Non-dairy milks (my favorites are vanilla soy or almond milks) are a great way to add protein to a smoothie, and I don’t even like the taste of them on their own. Mixed into a smoothie, they are delicious. I’ve also used apple cider, sparkling pomegranate juice and regular milk.

Fruit: You can really make a smoothie with any kind of fruit (this week, I’m using watermelon and cantaloupe!), but I find berries to be my favorite. Other easy ingredients are bananas, mango and pineapple. The best part — if you prepare your fruit properly, and freeze it, you can skip adding ice to your smoothie (which always leads to some liquid separation issues).

Either buy bagged frozen fruit, or buy fresh and freeze it on your own (I often do this with pints of berries). Doesn’t take a lot of extra effort — just peel and chunk the fruit, then portion it into smoothie-sized servings.

Blending Agents: I use Greek yogurt almost exclusively here, though regular yogurt and ice cream serve the same purpose. Sometimes I will add rolled oats or ground flax seed, both of which give smoothies a nice creaminess, but neither will quite blend liquid and fruit on its own.

Extras: Here’s where the real fun comes in. Almost anything can go into a smoothie, and extras can really add some nutritional punch. Some surprisingly good additions I’ve tried include oats and flax seed, as mentioned above. Nuts like almonds and walnuts add protein and calories to make a smoothie more filling. Sweets and spices like honey, agave syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or cinnamon can add variety to even the same base recipe on a daily basis. My personal favorite indulgences include peanut butter and nutella!

And yes — you can even add spinach and other green veggies!

Here are some of my favorite smoothie recipes, which will give you an idea of how to use a variety of ingredients. Try them out, an then mix and match as you see fit!

My Berry Almond Power Smoothie

(never home)maker’s Chocolate Spinach Smoothie

Martha’s Strawberry-Flax Seed Smoothie

Watermelon Lime Summer Cooler

And this morning’s invention: Raspberry Nutella Smoothie

• 1 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 2 heaping tablespoons Nutella
• 1/2 cup honey-flavore Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon flax seed meal

Tags: breakfast, fruit, health, homemade, recipes, smoothie