Smoothies

[sumi]

I found a smoothie maker, or "nutrient extractor" as the manufacturer insists on calling it, for a very good price at the supermarket two days ago and bought one. With me and my still horrible eating habits, it seems a great way to get meals and nutrients in, in a fuss free, on the go, don't really feel like eating way. I haven't used it. I'm still looking at recipes and ideas.

Who here makes smoothies and what are some of your favourite recipes and food pairings?

 

[Country homesteader]

Hey Y'All!!
I'm back to making smoothies so here's what I use:
5 Tbs plain yogurt
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 banana
1 Naval orange (or 2 mandarian oranges)
1/2 Apple
2 tsp ORGANIC Cinnamon
Put all in blender and blend until smooth than drink up. I call it "Morning Get up and Go Blast".

 

[Britesea]

I have a standard recipe for a smoothie that we really enjoy: 2 cups tightly packed leafy greens (spinach, kale, romaine, bok choy, swiss chard, collards, and/or dandelion) , 2 cups liquid (water, coconut water, coconut milk, almond milk), and 3 cups ripe fruit. If the fruit is frozen you don't need ice cubes. Blend the greens and liquid first, then add the fruit and blend again. This makes about 32 oz and serves 2.

For extra protein: 1 oz chia seeds, ¼ cup flax seed, ¼ cup almonds, 2 tbsp almond butter, 2-4 tbsp protein powder, tofu, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.

For more healthy fats: ¼ cup raw cashews, 2 tbsp flaxseed oil, 2 tbsp coconut oil, ½ avocado or 2 tbsp almond butter

 

[sumi]

DS harassed me for a smoothie this morning, so I tossed some strawberries, a banana and some yoghurt layered with a jammy, sweet, strawberry sauce that we got marked down at the supermarket, along with a splash of milk in there. The result was interesting and drinkable. I think I can definitely love this idea

I cut the rest of the strawberries and 2 of the bananas up and put them in the freezer for next time. I also got some kiwi fruit. Some combinations I found that I would like to try are:

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Don't the best smoothies start with ice cream and end with Kahlua? Sorry - couldn't help myself!

Just don't use really, really (like fresh outta the ground beets). They'll try to kill you....BTDH

 

[sumi]

I started making fruit smoothies for an afternoon blood sugar/energy lift. Orange juice as base with a handful of blueberries and 2 chopped up kiwi fruit. Sometimes I throw in a small handful of bran flakes for extra fibre as well. It's delicious and gives me a great boost.

Today I couldn't find kiwi fruit in the supermarket, so I tossed in this overachiever (my hands are not very small.. that was one big strawb!)

 

[Hinotori]

Make your own nut milk and use that. It's easy to make. Would work fine on smoothies. Wouldn't be sweetened like commercially made or have the calcium added.

Plant milks are very poor sources of calcium no matter what the commercial industry tries to pass off. They add calcium to the processed product. Eat dark leafy greens for that since it's more bioavailable than the chalk added to store nut milk. The calcium present in the plant isn't really water soluble.

Soak nuts overnight. Rinse. Put nuts and fresh water in blender and run a few minutes to get as fine as possible. Strain through cloth.

Unlike the online recipes which say to use cold water, one of my older books from the 80s says to use hot water to try and get more of the nut fat into the milk. It also says to rest the nut and water mixture for 10 minutes in the blender before blending again then proceeding.

Personally, I think if I was making diary free, I'd use fruit juice, whole fruit, fruit jam or syrup to sweeten, and a tablespoon or two of nut butter. Texture wise, cashew would probably be best.

Smoothies is one of the main ways I use the homemade jam.

You can use ice to thicken, but frozen fruit is my preferred. Bananas make a fairly thick smoothies even fresh.

I never measure. So I can't give exacts. Blend until looks good.

Think I'm going to start adding soaked chia seeds at the end. I like those in any drink.

 

[Country homesteader]

I just made a smoothie using just 6oz Orange Juice, 1 Naval Orange, 1 Pink Cara Cara Orange, 1 Granny Smith Apple, 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, 1 tsp 100% Pure Raw Honey, and 8-10 ice cubes. It's very delicious and not too thick but thick enough.

 

[Britesea]

for a bit of extra iodine, nori makes a lovely crunchy snack

 

[TexasLisa]

Me too! I've made a few but mostly with the same stuff everybody else uses...yogurt, milk, fruit... the usual. I just don't use beets, lol!

Beets? UGH....shudder