Why Is Blending Fruit Bad
But when we blend or juice fruit, were breaking down the plant cell walls and exposing the natural sugars within. This effectively turns the sugars into free sugars, the type we are advised to cut back on. Free sugars may lead to dental decay, provide excess calories and cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
Blender Notes And Recommendations
- I recently purchased a new high-powered blender and absolutely love it .
- You do not need a high-dollar blender to make this strawberry blueberry smoothie. If you use a high powered blender , your smoothie will have a finer, more even consistency, but you can certainly make this recipe in a regular blender too. If your smoothie is too thick to blend, add more almond milk .
- I owned this more economical option for a while. While it doesnt get things as smooth as quickly as a high-powered blender or come with the same bells and whistles, its a good option for the price.
- I sip my smoothies through these stainless steel straws. They make everything you drink through them from smoothies, to iced tea or iced coffee, to even water taste extra refreshing. I also keep a few in my purse for when Im out and about, so I dont need to ask for a plastic or paper straw.
Fresh Fruits And Vegetables
People are always telling you to eat your vegetables and fruits. Theres no more delicious way to do it than in a smoothie. You can use ingredients that are tasty and ingredients that are good for you. In most cases theyre the same ingredients!
Among favorite fruits are berries, papaya, melon, pineapple, bananas, mango, kiwi, mandarin oranges, cherries and peaches. To ensure a smooth consistency to the final product, its best to peel them. The blending will go better if theyre cut small. Even most strawberries should be cut no larger than in half.
One of the top vegetable choices is spinach. Kale is another option. If you can, cut out the fibrous veins. Theyll tend to create a layer of foam atop your final product. Well see ways to fix that when we get to the blending step.
It doesnt take a whole lot of greens to make the entire smoothie green. Some people like that look and some dont. There are certain mixes of greens and fruits that will yield a brownish color. It will still taste good, but you may want your smoothie to look pretty as well.
You can use smashed or pureed vegetables to make your smoothie creamier. Best choices are sweetish veggies such a pumpkin, sweet potato and butternut squash. Also, avocado is already creamy and just needs to be sliced up.
About half an avocado is right for the average smoothie. Save the other half for chips to eat along with your drink.
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Top 3 Tips For A Perfect Frozen Fruit Smoothie
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Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
Ice cream is easier to make than you think, and I promise you wont regret buying an ice cream maker once you taste this!
I enjoy some texture in my ice cream, so I mashed the berries a little when I made this but kept them pretty chunky for bigger pops of color and flavor.
Of course, you can always blend it if you want this to be silky smooth.
If you do decide to blend your berries, maybe try adding something else to the mix instead?
White chocolate or dark chocolate chips would be nice, or maybe even chopped Golden Oreos for another layer of flavor.
Ive been a margarita gal my whole life, but theres one other cocktail that adds a pep to my step, and its the classic daiquiri.
When you want something cold and sweet, this is the perfect drink.
The rum is noticeable but not the main event. Instead, the fruity flavors can really shine .
This recipe calls for simple syrup, just like making smoothies, and I dont suggest you skip it.
Its not a lot, but that little bit of sugar brings the strawberries to life like you wont believe.
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Tips To Thicken Your Smoothie
I love my smoothies nice and thick, as I think it makes them more satisfying. This recipe is already fairly thick, but if youd like to thicken your smoothie even more, here are a few tips:
- Blend in a few cubes of ice after you mix your main ingredients until you reach your desired consistency.
- For thickness and added flavor, try blending in an extra handful of frozen fruit.
- You can also try adding in 1 tablespoon of chia seeds. After a few minutes, these little nutrient-rich seeds will soak up some of the excess liquid and thicken the smoothie.
How To Make A Frozen Strawberry Smoothie
Youll notice that I use frozen strawberries in this recipe. I love frozen fruit in smoothies for a few reasons. Theyre often more affordable, especially when its not peak strawberry season. But more importantly, they add frosty thickness to this smoothie without needing to add ice!
Ice tends to make smoothies watery, and never seems to break down all the way in a blender. Using frozen strawberries fixes this problem and keeps the smoothie full of delicious fruity flavor!
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Only Have Fresh Fruit
If you only have fresh fruit, then you have a couple of options.
Ingredients For A Strawberry Smoothie
Entire family experimented with this frozen strawberry smoothie recipe with or without yogurt, with dairy milk, with almond milk, with and without banana, with jam, with ice cream, you name it! And here are the ingredients we all agreed upon for the best strawberry fruit smoothie:
- Almond milk: We use plain unsweetened almond milk but vanilla flavored and/or sweetened will work too, especially if your strawberries are less sweet.
- Frozen strawberries: Use quality strawberries, that are ripe, preferably organic if you can afford. However, it is a fact that less sweet and ripen berries go for freezing.
- Banana: Make sure your banana is ripe or even ugly brown over ripen. Previously frozen fruit works as well.
- Flaxseed or chia seeds: Use ground flaxseed or whole/ground chia seeds. Whole flaxseed might not blend completely.
Yes, we like our healthy strawberry smoothie without yogurt. Keep reading.
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Choose A Good Blender
Believe it or not, you can actually make a smoothie without a blender. However, it limits the ingredients you can use to only a few soft ones. And, to make it work well, you have to start with a store-bought smoothie mix.
For a really creative smoothie, a blender is a necessity. A good one, if you plan to use ice. If theres ice, even a top-notch food processor might work better than a so-so blender.
Best Frozen Strawberry Recipes
If you think the only frozen strawberry recipes I can come up with will be smoothies and milkshakes, youre in for a treat.
Sure, frozen strawberries are ideal for making smoothies, thanks to the fact they make the drink extra thick and creamy.
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But it doesnt stop there! Frozen strawberries are great for pies and cobblers, not to mention popsicles, daiquiris, and cheesecake.
Im willing to bet you have a bag tucked away in the freezer right now. So, pull it out and brush off the frost because its time to hit the kitchen.
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Old Fashioned Strawberry Cobbler
Fresh strawberries are great when you can get them, but their window is kind of small.
I had a huge strawberry harvest this year, but the plants were exhausted after just a couple of weeks.
The best thing to do with all those berries is to bag them and freeze them while theyre as fresh as possible.
That way, you can enjoy something like this heavenly strawberry cobbler, even in the dead of winter.
How To Make A Strawberry Smoothie Bowl:
Blend on low: Add your fruit to the blender. Let it sit in the blender for 2-3 minutes to soften slightly. Turn the blender on low and let it slowly chop up the fruit into small pieces.
Add liquid: Add in the milk and blend, starting on low and working the speed up slowly, until smooth. Use a tamper or scrape down the sides as needed.
Top and serve: Spoon the smoothie into a bowl and add on your desired toppings.
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S To Make A Perfect Fruit Smoothie
No matter what kind of fruit smoothie recipe you are making, you can follow these steps.
Now that you have a great idea of making any fruit smoothie let’s look at how to make some of the most popular fruit smoothies.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie Swaps And Substitutions
The great thing about smoothies is that you can add or switch out ingredients to make it your own. Here are some variations you can try:
- Make this smoothie dairy-free by using dairy-free yogurt and non-dairy milk such as almond or oat milk.
- You can leave out the yogurt all together.
- Use vanilla or strawberry yogurt for a sweeter smoothie. Alternatively, add up to 1 tablespoon of honey for added sweetness.
- Swap up to half of the milk for orange juice.
- Add up to 2 tablespoons of peanut or almond butter. Combined with the strawberries, it tastes like a PB& J smoothie.
- Add 2 teaspoons of chia seeds.
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Simple Strawberry Smoothie Recipe
I had to start with a smoothie recipe because, honestly, its what I use frozen strawberries for the most.
Using frozen fruits is a sure-fire way to add texture without adding ice, which will water it down in the end.
Of course, frozen strawberries are pretty big, so youll need a decent blender if you want to get these nice and smooth.
Easy Fruit Smoothie Recipe
I personally love smoothies and cant get enough of them. They are so delicious and I would eat them every day if I could.
This is my basic recipe to create what I call the perfect smoothie. It is such an easy smoothie recipe. You can do all water for your liquid, but I suggest you add some sweetener to it.
This recipe is so versatile and can be customized to what you like. It calls for a cup of frozen fruit and I typically use strawberries or blueberries. However, you could use banana, pineapple, mango or a combination!
This Spinach Pineapple Green Smoothie is another favorite smoothie I absolutely love! Once you start making smoothies, you will be hooked!
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My Strawberry Banana Smoothie Tips
- Dont use all frozen fruit. If you were to use both frozen strawberries and a frozen banana, youre likely to end up with a super thick texture more similar to my Strawberry Frozen Yogurt recipe. So instead, use fresh strawberries and a frozen banana. If you only have frozen strawberries, let them thaw before using.
- Dont add any sugar. Its crazy that some recipes call for a sweetener with a full fruit smoothie. Mother nature has given us plenty of sweetness in the strawberries and banana so theres no need to add extra sugar.
- Make it with dairy or dairy-free. You can make this strawberry banana smoothie with dairy or dairy-free/vegan. Ive got recipes for both homemade yogurt and a dairy-free coconut yogurt. You can also use regular milk or my cashew milk or any healthy store-bought dairy-free milk or yogurt options as well.
- Dont add ice. Using a frozen banana in the recipe keeps the drink cold, but it doesnt water it down. Adding ice to smoothies makes them watery pretty quickly.
What Milk To Use In Your Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Another question I have been asked is what type of milk I suggest.
Any milk you have will work.
You wont really notice a flavor difference, or much of one.
I used 2% milk as it is what I had on hand, but you can use whole milk, almond milk, soy milk, whatever basic milk you have on hand.
Dairy free or dairy it wont make much of a difference.
No need to run to the store, just use what you have!
I hope you love this recipe as much as our family did!
more smoothie recipes you will love
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Drink It Now Or Later
Most people can hardly wait for their smoothies to be done and want to drink them as soon as they come out of the blender. Pour and scrape it out, grab a spoon or a wide straw and enjoy.
If you let it sit, any froth on top will start to settle. But a thinner smoothie might separate as it sits. This is especially true of green smoothies.
A thick smoothie can last about a day in the refrigerator. After that the flavor and texture will fade. A sealed mason jar is the best way to store it. A plastic wrap over the top of your glass is an OK second choice.
Utilizing Contemporary Or Frozen Fruit
For those whore quick on time, seize a bag of frozen blended berries, or particular person varieties to make your individual mix. Sometimes frozen choices include strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
When you have ripe contemporary berries, use them! Nonetheless, to attain a thick and creamy texture, freeze them in a single layer inside a big resealable bag till solidified. I normally do that the day earlier than. If the strawberries are bigger than 2-inches in measurement, halve or quarter them to make it simpler to course of when frozen.
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Favorite Strawberry Banana Smoothie
If youre a smoothie lover like us, then our strawberry banana smoothie with yogurt is a must! Its naturally sweetened, packed with nutrients, and so delicious.
Real Food Ingredients all ingredients in this fruit smoothie are real. No sugary purees or additives.
Naturally Sweetened this recipe is naturally sweetened with real fruit. No added sugar of any kind!
Gluten-Free it is naturally gluten-free without even trying!
Kid-Friendly when your meal tastes like dessert, I say thats kid-friendly for sure.
How To Wash & Clean Strawberries
Once youve got your strawberries out and ready to freeze, the first step is the wash the strawberries to remove any dirt or debris. Also, its a good idea to quickly check for any moldy, spoiling, or squishy strawberries and remove them.
Place strawberries into a colander, sieve, or fine mesh strainer and rinse under running water in the sink. Shake the colander left and right to jostle the strawberries around.
Additionally, you can quickly soak strawberries in either a vinegar solution or a saltwater solution to help remove any bacteria or pesticide residue. The ratios for both of these solutions are listed below you can even combine these and make a vinegar & salt vegetable wash!
Simply make the vinegar or salt wash in a large mixing bowl, add the strawberries to the mix and stir/soak for about a minute. You can rinse the berries again after this, but I never find a quick soak leaves a salty or tangy aftertaste!
With Vinegar: 1 cup of vinegar to 3 cups of water. Vinegar has a low pH, its acidic which can help remove bacteria and pesticides.
With Salt: 1/4 cup of salt for every 4 cups of water, stir to dissolve the salt. Saltwater may help remove pesticides that are on the outer surface of fruits.
This second wash is optional. Theres more information about washing produce to remove pesticides/pests here.
Freeze Strawberries To Use In Baked Goods
Heres a great list of ways to use frozen strawberries:
FAQs About Freezing Strawberries:
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How To Freeze Fresh Fruit For Smoothies
For the coldest, creamiest smoothie possible, use quality frozen fruit. Store-bought frozen fruit is a convenient option and is especially handy when berry season is long gone. Keep bags tightly closed and consistently frozen to avoid icy, dull-tasting fruit.
Its also easy to freeze fresh ripe fruit, and its a great option when strawberries are dirt cheap at the supermarket or you bought a few too many bananas.
To freeze strawberries: Give them a good wash, drain, and let them completely dry. Cap the berries and slice them in half, placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Theyll keep for two months.
To freeze bananas: Simply peel and slice into chunks. Stick the baking sheet full of fruit in the freezer for at least an hour, or until the fruit is frozen solid. Scoop into a zip-top freezer bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Frozen bananas will keep for a month.