- About 3/4 cup orange juice OR grape juice OR pomegranate juice (can substitute 1/4 cup frozen OJ concentrate).
- 2 - 3 cups frozen berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, marionberries, blackberries, etc. in any combination. Frozen berries are awesome 'cause they make the smoothie nice and frosty! I use both the organic mix usually available from Costco's frozen section or berries that I have frozen myself - usually strawberries and blueberries bought by the case when our Bountiful Basket co-op has them available.
- 1/2 - 1 cup fresh spinach leaves - often I use the ones that have gotten too limp to be salad-worthy. Trust me, you do NOT taste or see the spinach in the smoothie, but it adds great nutrition!
- 3/4 cup yogurt -we use Stoneyfield Farm organic, either low or non-fat plain OR French Vanilla (which we often have around to eat with Lazy Granola).
- 1 banana, broken up. Use two bananas if they are small.
- Acai powder - I love Garden Greens brand - I don't necessarily buy into all the acai berry hype, but it adds a nice "tang" of flavor to the smoothie.
- Protein powder - you can put in whatever protein powder supplement you use/like. I used to put in soy protein powder, but stopped to accommodate Nephew's soy allergy as well as my belief that there IS such a thing as TOO MUCH soy in one's diet.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
LOVE it! I'm gonna have to copy that idea for a post because smoothies make the world go round, I think!! I've never tried spinach, but I do keep a bag of frozen broccoli in my freezer to throw into my smoothies. The kids don't even know it's in there unless I forget to hide the bag.
ReplyDeleteOK, I gotta try broccoli... I have wondered about it, but was afraid. I do NOT like the texture of the top part of the broccoli tree, so it has to ALL disappear in the smoothie!
ReplyDeleteCan you make these WITHOUT the banana without sacrificing texture? I feel like bananas take over any thing they're in - for me, "strawberry banana" is really just "pink banana" and I'm not overly fond of that.
ReplyDeleteChili, I think you can skip the banana if you want. I do think it adds a bit of texture, and I personally don't notice the flavor at all - but then, I am not banana-opposed on general principle. :) I like the inclusion bananas for the fiber and potassium they contribute.
ReplyDeleteAnother great addition is some cut-up cantaloupe, which also provides fiber, potassium, niacin, folate, and some vitamins. Plus, it's yummy! I actually don't really like cantaloupe by itself, but love it in a smoothie.
See, now? I'm GLAD I asked, because it never would have occurred to me to dice up some cantaloupe!
ReplyDeleteI'm TOTALLY breaking out my blender!
Chili, go for it! And let me know how your concoctions turn out. When I am struggling for a fruit/veggie to serve the kids at a meal, I often turn to smoothies - they LOVE it!
ReplyDelete