Believe it or not, smoothies were not something I did a lot growing up. Even in college I saw them as a fun snack I’d grab from the local smoothie store somewhere but the idea of cleaning a blender in my apartment was just not my cup of tea. Today, however, things feel different. First of all, the fact that a smoothie can easily cost more than a cup of coffee at Starbucks just hurts my wallet. Second, I have children that are picky about the “squishiness” of their fruit so smoothies are a great way to use up the fruit that may be a day or two away from the trashcan. Lastly, and this probably doesn’t need to be said, they’re a great way to get in a fruit serving!
What’s a good smoothie recipe?
This is a question that I get a lot in sessions whenever talk of smoothies come up. My answer: don’t google it. Just kidding. But really, trying to search for a smoothie recipe led me down a rabbit hole of ingredients I’d never heard of or things that needed to sit in the fridge overnight. My takeaway- there seems to be a basic idea to a smoothie and the rest is an experiment in figuring out what you like in your smoothie. Here’s what I came up with:
| Basic Smoothie Components | Example Ingredients |
| Liquid | Ice/water, Milk (cow’s, almond, soy, lactose-free, oat, etc), yogurt |
| Fruit/Vegetables | Pretty much anything you can blend but some common ones are: bananas, berries, pineapple, peach, cherries, spinach, kale |
| Yummy extras, flavor adders, protein/fat boosters | Nut butters (PB, almond), seeds (hemp, chia, flax), protein powders, vanilla, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon |
Smoothie making is an experiment.
The biggest acknowledgement I can make right now is that it may take a few times of making your smoothie to get it just the way you like. For example, my daughter likes only ½ cup milk added to her thicker smoothies where I prefer ¾ cup for a thinner smoothie. This only took me about a month to figure out! Keep a mental note of a recipe each time you make one (or jot it down) and tweak the recipe until you get it just the way you like it. Here are two recipes that I’ve narrowed down to be family favorites in our home.
“Purple Berry Smoothie”
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- Large spoonful of plain Greek yogurt (just because I like a little tang to my smoothie)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- 1 Tbs flax seed
“Banana & Peanut Butter”
- 1 Banana
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 Tbs peanut butter
- 1/2 cup ice cubes (to make it colder)
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs flax seed