How To Make The Perfect Smoothie
Add the liquid to the blender first followed by the veggie. Blend this first so that the veggie easily gets pureed and is nice and smooth. Then add the fruit and other ingredients to the smoothie and blend again! This will help you to not end up with an unexpected chunk of veggie in a sip of smoothie.
Use Frozen Fruit & Greens
This green smoothie recipe calls for 1 cup of frozen fruit in addition to one frozen banana. Using frozen fruit and greens is key to the thickest, creamiest green smoothies. You’ll notice I do not use ice in any of my smoothie recipes, because it waters down the flavor and gives smoothies an icy texture – which I am not a fan of.
I recommend stocking up on frozen fruit in the winter when produce isn’t readily available. During the summer, purchase seasonal produce on sale and flash freeze it in the same way as the bananas!
Liquid: Milk Coconut Water Juice Or Water
Almost all smoothies include some type of liquid, but for creamy smoothies, I prefer milk. I like to make my smoothies non-dairy, so I always use unsweetened almond milk.
Pay close attention to the type of milk you use.
If you are using non-dairy milk, always use the unsweetened varieties. This will keep the amount of sugar lower in your smoothies. You dont need sweetened milk in smoothies because it is sweet enough already from the fruit.
If you dont like almond milk, you can use coconut milk or even oat milk. Just make sure its the unsweetened variety, and youre good to go.
When I am making a smoothie thats more icy than creamy, I almost always use coconut water. This makes it hydrating and the coconut flavor is subtle and doesnt overwhelm the other flavors in the smoothie. You can also use fruit juice, like orange juice or apple juice, or even water.
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Fruit To Use In A Green Smoothie
Here are some suggestions for fruits to use in this green smoothie recipe. In this post I used half mango and half pineapple, which is my favorite combination! Be aware, that if you use darker fruits like blueberries, blackberries, cherries, etc. the color will change and you will likely make a brown smoothie that is delicious but not green in color!
- mango
- celery
Best Green Smoothie Recipe
How to make the best green smoothie recipe! A simple green smoothie for beginners that is healthy, tastes amazing, and it’s made with 4 ingredients in less than 5 minutes! Plus my tips on meal prepping smoothies!
This post is sponsored by my friends at Vitamix. As always, all opinions, photos, videos and the recipe are completely my own!
I drink a green smoothie every day, and have for almost a decade! So this post, explaining “how to make a green smoothie” with all my tips and tricks has been something I’ve wanted to write since I started this blog! This is a long and comprehensive post and video, so settle in while we get started!
I’ll start by sharing how to meal prep smoothies! I’m always prepared to make a delicious green smoothie in a moment’s notice. Because every minute in the morning before the kids wake up is precious! I don’t want to waste any time measuring protein powder, chopping fruit, etc.
Next, I’ll share my favorite green smoothie recipe! It’s a simple green smoothie for beginners that is naturally sweetened with fruit and loaded with greens and protein!
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Enjoy Fruit And Vegetable Snacks
Snacks are a great way to add extra servings of fruits and vegetables to your diet. They can be eaten at any time during the day when you feel hungry. Keep a stash of fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge for when you get a craving. This is a great way to make sure you always have something healthy to eat on hand. Keep some healthy fruit and vegetable snacks available, such as bananas or oranges, carrots, or celery sticks. Prepare a fruit bowl in the fridge as a healthy snack to munch on instead of chips when watching TV or eating snacks after a workout. In addition, use fruit and vegetable juices as healthy snacks to replace unhealthy processed drinks like soda or sports drinks.
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You Might Still Feel Hungry After
Speaking of the sweet stuff, did you know that it causes spikes and drops in your blood sugar that can actually make you feel hungry? Not only that but since youre liquifying the fruits and vegetables, youre missing out on some of the fiber, which is what makes food satiating.
Smoothies are bypassing an important part of the digestive process which is mastication or chewing, says Ayesta. Foods are therefore absorbed more rapidlyso you may be hungrier a lot faster depending on what ingredients you are using.
Ayesta advises incorporating a protein and/or fiber source if you drink a smoothie every day so your stomach wont be rumbling an hour after you finish it. Since fiber fills you up, too, he suggests chia seeds or ground flaxseeds, which can add some texture to your smoothie while also making it more filling.
Always remember that a smoothie is not meant to replace every single meal in your day, but rather be used as a complement to your diet, says Ayesta. If you are going to use it as a meal replacer, ensure that it packs all the components of a healthy meal .
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How To Use The Blender For Smoothies
How to Make Smoothie with a Countertop Blender
A typical countertop blender like a Vitamix has the blade on the bottom and you add ingredients from the top. You should reference the specific instructions for your blender but below are the common steps to follow.
The best way to make a well-blended smoothie with a countertop blender is :
Step 1 : Add the liquid and soft ingredients like greens or soft fruits like bananas or oranges.
Step 2: Then add hard vegetables and frozen fruits on top.
Step 3: Have hard ingredients like nuts or ice on top. Some people will add their superfood or protein powders once the other ingredients are purified.
You want to have the softest ingredients towards blade. You should start the blender slow and move slowly to high speed to purify the ingredients.
You want to see the liquid create a vortex and the time to blend will depend on your blender strength and ingredients.
With a high powered blender like a Vitamix it usually takes 30-45seconds to purify the ingredients.
Example of how to make a green smoothie with a Vitamix
Add 1 cup of liquid: Choose 1 liquid Add 1 Green : 2 cups spinach / 1 cup kale / ½ head romaine lettuceAdd Fruit/Hard Vegetable :1 apple1 cup peeled mango
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The Secret To A Perfect Superfood Smoothie Is:
- A serving of veggies
- A serving of some type of fruit
- 1-2 servings of extra add-ins
- liquid
Tips & suggestions:
- Keep bananas, berries, and some veggies in your freezer to have on hand for smoothies all the time!
- If using fresh fruit, you may want to reduce the liquid content or add ice for a thicker texture
- Add-in any of your favorite superfoods to any of these smoothies!
- If you love these 3 veggie-packed smoothies for beginners youll also love my favorite green smoothie recipe!
If you tried these 3 Veggie-Packed Smoothies for Beginners or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on , and for even more deliciousness!
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Ditch The Ice And Freeze Some Fruits
Want your green smoothie to be extra chilly? Freeze your favorite fruits like ripe bananas , grapes, pineapple or berries. This is also a great way to not waste ripe fruits . You can also freeze your leafy greens in a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure to add your frozen greens straight to the blender .
Using Fresh Ingredients In Smoothies
It can be hard to find and afford fresh smoothie ingredients. I often encourage smoothie lovers to buy in bulk, in season, and local to get the best bang for their buck. When I started drinking green smoothies, I was on WIC to help get smoothie ingredients. Because we didn’t have health insurance or steady income, and I used smoothies as my kids’ pharmacy . I discovered we could eat fresh produce on a budget, and that doing so helped us stay healthy.
For this fruit and vegetable smoothie, I encourage you to use fresh lemons and fresh ginger. Costco recently started selling fresh ginger for a GREAT price, so I started grabbing a box each month. They also have giant bags of lemons. Jarred lemon juice often has preservatives and other chemicals, which is why I use fresh lemon juice.
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Need Some Great Recipes
- A Red Beet Smoothie
Use strawberries or cherries as your fruits and beets as your vegetable in this smoothie. Omit the dairy and substitute coconut water to get a bright red color! Keep the milk and yogurt of choice and youll have a pretty pink drink perfect for a princess.
- Orange Smoothie with Carrot and Sweet Potato
With this recipe, youre free to stick to just one fruit since the vegetables are naturally sweet. To keep the orange color, try mango or even papaya!
- Yellow Pina Colada Smoothie with Cauliflower
Try combining pineapple and banana with cauliflower. Youll have a sweet, light yellow drink everyone will love.
My youngest is obsessed with all things dinosaur. Anytime I make him a green veggie smoothie he gobbles up, dinosaur juice. Leafy greens, peas, banana, and pineapple make a great, perfectly sweet drink. We even made a Grinch version for a Christmas Smoothie!
- Purple Smoothie with vegetables
For the perfect purple smoothie, try blueberries, greens, and purple sweet potato. If you need extra sweetness, add some pineapple or apple to the mix.
What Is A Fruit Smoothie
A fruit smoothie is a drink made from blended fruits with a liquid base of fruit juice, yogurt, milk, ice cream, or other dairy product. Once you blend all your fruity ingredients into a smooth mixture, you have your perfect smoothie.
You can use various fruits to make a fruit smoothie, including bananas, oranges, apples, kiwis, peaches, and more. First, well look at some fruit smoothie recipes that you can try. However, before we dive in, lets look at the steps to make a basic smoothie.
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Smoothie Recipes To Try Out
Now that you know how much vegetables you need to consume in a day, its time to get started with any of these delicious smoothie recipes that hide the fact youre getting your daily vegetable intake.
This perfect breakfast beverage is guaranteed to give you a morning jolt thanks to the antioxidants found in the kale, spinach and coconut water.
Mix cucumber, spinach, mint, cilantro, and jalapeno in a blender for a drink that can make you as strong as Popeye, without the rough sailor attitude.
Create a Hulk-colored beverage by mixing celery, spinach, cucumber, carrots and avocadoes.
While its named after fruits, this beverage features kale and sprouts, tossed alongside bananas, mangoes, hemp seeds, and almond milk.
This nutrient-rich beverage is made from spinach, pomegranate, strawberries and coconut water.
This orange-hued drink is a perfect marriage between carrots and kabocha squash.
Get all of your daily nutrient needs by combining kale, cucumber, and spinach with a few apple pieces for a perfectly balanced smoothie.
This sweet and savory smoothie can be done easily by blending beets, berries, hemp seeds and chia seeds.
If you want a smoothie that can double as a dessert, make sure to mix cauliflower with your favorite cocoa powder.
Get hold of your sweet tooth with this healthy smoothie made from avocadoes, spinach, banana, cinnamon, and almond milk.
How To Hide Vegetables In Smoothies
Hiding veggies is fairly simple thanks to the flavorful fruit options available. you want a mild tasting veggie paired with fresh and vibrant fruit. For example, a cucumber is a light and refreshing veggie with a very little flavor of its own, added with apple and you still have the fresh taste but with a sweetness. Spinach can be hidden well with berries like blueberries or strawberries because theyre very vibrant in flavor but the color is harder to hide because its green so you may want to use less spinach to a higher berry ratio.
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How To Make A Healthy Smoothie
1.Start with liquid. Water, juice, non-dairy milk, milk, and even green tea or coconut water are all good low-calorie, low-sugar options.
2. Add protein and fat for staying-power. Nut butter, garbanzo beans, yogurt, silken tofu, and avocado are all great choices for flavor and texture.
3.Pack in vegetables. Add kale or spinach, parsley and beet greens, and maybe cucumber and celery for some fresh flavor. Love veggies? Check out these veggie smoothies and green smoothies.
4. Add fresh or frozen fruit. Almost any cut fresh or frozen fruit is delicious. When a smoothie recipe uses fresh fruit, add ice cubes to the blender along with the fresh fruit to give it better texture.
- To freeze bananas, peel and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place the slices on a baking sheet to freeze and then transfer the frozen pieces to a resealable freezer bag to store.
- To freeze fresh berries, spread on a baking sheet, freeze, and store in resealable freezer bags. Check out more tips on How to Freeze Fruits.
5. Don’t forget a flavor booster! Herbs, spices, and other flavorings such as mint, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla extract or cocoa powder can help create a custom flavor. For an extra hit of nutrition, add ground flax seeds, chia seeds, or wheat germ.
6. Blend until smooth and enjoy. To make clean-up easier, rinse out the blender right after you use it and re-blend a few cups of water with a few drops of dish soap to clean it out.
The Best Tips For Making Fruit And Veggie Smoothies
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Fruit And Veggie Smoothies For Kids
I love serving my kids veggie smoothies for breakasts. Smoothies are Ryan and Owens favorite food and I love that its a healthier alternative to some of their favorite breakfasts for kids items.
But the real reason I love serving the boys my secret weapon is that I can get veggies in there. I can add nutrition to their diets without a complaint.
Every time I tell people my kids gobble up smoothies packed with vegetables, I immediately get questions
While its not rocket science, I have discovered a few tips to make the best veggie smoothies that are vital to my success.
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Tips To Make Green Smoothies
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