Tip : Use Frozen Ingredients
In our early smoothie making days we spent more than 30 dollars per week on fruit and vegetables spread out over two trips now we spend under 18 dollars per week and go to the store only twice a month. The cheapest and most nutritious way to make a smoothie BY FAR is to use frozen ingredients whenever possible. For the skinny on why frozen fruit is both cheaper and better see our Fresh vs Frozen shakedown.
What Are The Steps For Making Homemade Smoothies
Homemade smoothies are one of the easiest things to make in the kitchen. In fact, there are only 5 simple steps.
Out of all of those steps, the last one is the most important. When using fresh fruits and vegetables their flavor may not always be uniform. Todays strawberry smoothie may be sweeter than yesterdays. The best time to fix it is before its in your glass and youve cleaned up the mess.
Tip For Blending A Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Add your milk to the blender first.
This will help make sure the blender works the best that it can, and has easy access to the liquid of the recipe.
If you do not have a high speed blender, you may need to add more milk to make it not as thick so that the blender can handle mixing the smoothie up.
If you dont care about thickness, you can make this more easily by splashing in some extra milk to help the blender out.
Its really whatever works for you!
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Making A Basic Fruit Smoothie Bowl
Best Blenders For Smoothies
OK, youve got all of your smoothie ingredients prepped and ready to go, now how are you going to blend them up?
The key here is powerful.
You want to use a blender capable of completely mixing up all of the ingredients until they are smooth and creamy.
Here is a list of the best blenders for making fruit smoothies:
- Nutribullet A wonderful personal-sized blender option. Make sure you use the larger cup in order to fit all of the ingredients without going over the max fill line.
- Ninja Blender is also another great option!
Also Check: How To Do A Banana Smoothie
What Is The Growth Potential For A Smoothie Business
Growth potential typically depends on where you open, how you market, and what menu items you offer. But smoothie businesses do have major potential, even if there are certain locations that are saturated. Notoriously green states like California and Colorado, for instance, have many options for people to choose from. To succeed, owners may want to look at different markets throughout the United States to capitalize on new demographics who haven’t been introduced to the taste sensations of gourmet smoothies.
Incorporating Other Smoothie Ingredients
As you get more skilled at making smoothies, youll likely want to make ingredient changes or additions based on the items you have on hand, your dietary restrictions and/or your personal preferences. Theres no wrong answer here. But here a few tips and guidelines that will help you as you experiment:
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Choosing Fresh Or Frozen Fruits And Vegetables
When it comes to what goes in your smoothie, only you can decide. There are no wrong answers here!
Pros of Fresh Fruit & Vegetables: Its a great way to use up fruit that is no longer visually appealing, but still tastes good. Think browning bananas, soft strawberries, blackberries so ripe they are falling apart. All still have good flavor, but arent what youd pick first out of the fruit basket on the counter.
Cons of Fresh Fruit & Vegetables: You have to make your smoothies on your fruits schedule, not your own. If those fresh fruits no longer taste good, they wont make your smoothie taste good. If the fruit is underripe, it will be harder to blend and may not make for the smoothest smoothie.
Pros of Frozen Fruit& Vegetables: Frozen fruit makes a thicker texture that stays colder longer without watering down the flavor. Most frozen fruit is picked at peak ripeness. You can have summer blackberries in January or tree ripe peaches in March. Also, unless you are shopping an in-season market stand, frozen fruit is usually cheaper than fresh.
Cons of Frozen Fruit& Vegetables: If you arent using a high power blender, frozen solid fruit may be more than it can handle. While my Vitamix does just fine with it, my stick blender would leave frozen fruit in chunks. Let the frozen fruit thaw on the counter for 10 minutes or so before making your smoothie.
Milk And Honey Smoothie
Make use of the celery in your produce drawer with this blended juice, which combines it with almond milk, cucumber, and grapes for a sip-worthy snack.
In a blender, combine 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, 1 medium Kirby cucumber , 1 cup seedless green grapes, 2 medium stalks celery , and 1 Tbsp honey. Blend until the mixture is smooth, serves 2.
Nutrition : 124 calories, 2 g fat , 2 g protein, 26 g carbs , 21 g sugars
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Are Homemade Smoothies Good For You
Whether or not a smoothie is good for you depends on your overall diet, what you add to your smoothie, and how often you are drinking them. Smoothies that are filled with fruits and vegetables, within your recommended calorie limit, and without a lot of added sugar, can very much be a healthy part of your diet.
How To Make A Smoothie In A Blender
Smoothie aficionados will tell you a blender is the way to go for smoothie making. A good quality blender is going to break up your ice, pulverize your fruit, and yield a not-too-thick, not-too-thin smoothie consistency. Plus, a blender is an incredibly useful multipurpose kitchen tool to own for way more than just smoothies.
A great blender is the one thing I think every healthy kitchen needs, says Alder. You can make amazing soups, desserts, smoothies, sauces, and more in it. And clean-up is effortless.
Also Check: How To Make A Tasty Smoothie
How To Make A Smoothie
A smoothie is so much more than blended fruit. It’s an art with all of its different elements blending perfectly together. Just in case these 29 smoothies aren’t enough, here is our guide to making the perfect smoothie.
Pick your fruit.
We chose strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and bananas to be our base, but any combo of fruit is great. Make a tropical smoothie of pineapple, mango, and banana or add blueberry and peach to switch it up a bit for a summer twist. Aim for about 3 cups of fruit.
Fresh or frozen fruit?
For smoothies, frozen fruit is best. It blends up thicker than fresh fruit and gives you a really cold smoothie to enjoy after blending. If you don’t have frozen fruit, freeze your fresh fruit for 30 minutes before blending or add about 1 cup of ice and blend until smooth!
Add a thickener.
We use unsweetened Greek yogurt in our smoothie, but peanut butter, almond butter, or vanilla yogurt are all great options. Traditionally about 1/2 cup is ideal. If you prefer thinner smoothies, you can either lessen the amount of thickener or skip it all together.
Choose a liquid.
Almond milk is great for the added nutty flavor, but coconut milk pairs well with a tropical smoothie and gives a richer, creamier flavor. Whole milk or fruit juice also work well. 1 1/4 cup of liquid makes the perfect consistency for our preference. If you skipped the thickener, use less liquid as well.
Throw some add-ins in.
How To Freeze Fruit For Smoothies
To make smoothies even easier, freeze fresh fruit into portions. You can even prepare smoothie packs and freeze them for a grab-and-blend smoothie option.
To freeze fruit for smoothies, rinse and chop fresh fruit into small pieces. Pat them dry then arrange, in one layer, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Slide the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until hard .
When the fruit is hard, divide it between freezer-safe bags and keep it in the freezer for your next smoothie.
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How To Make A Smoothie Bowl
Smoothie bowls are a big food trend on Instagramand for good reason. Theyre as beautiful as they are delicious. Who could resist an edible artists canvas?
Heres how to make a smoothie bowl that will earn oodles of likes:
- Blend the easy smoothie recipe as directed above, following the thicker smoothie instructions. Pour into a bowl instead of a glass.
Now that youre well-versed on how to make a smoothie at home, you can BYOB for a new healthy snack or meal replacement any day of the week.
Four: Add Ice And Blend
The amount of ice you use depends on how thick you want your smoothie recipe to be. Start with about 1 cup crushed ice for a fairly thick smoothie that is still drinkable with a straw. Omit the ice if using frozen fruit or if you want the smoothie to be thinner and less cold. Cover and blend until nearly smooth. Pour into a cup or thermal to-go drink container and slurp up every last drop.
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How To Make An Acai Bowl
Smoothie bowls make a delicious and nutritious breakfast, lunch or snack. Theyre essentially a thicker-consistency smoothie, served in a bowl and topped with vibrantly colored ingredients such as nuts, grains, and fruits. To turn your go-to smoothie into a bowl, sub out all fresh fruits and veggies for frozen ones.
Acai bowls, one of the most popular versions of a smoothie bowl, can sometimes seem inaccessible at home, but the truth is that they start simply with frozen acai purée, which you can find in most supermarkets. Break up two 4-ounce packets of unsweetened frozen acai purée with a meat mallet or by slapping the packets on the counter. Then add the purée to the blender along with 1/4 cup blueberries, half a banana and 1 tablespoon honey. Blend it up, and youre ready to serve! Add the mixture to a cereal bowl and top with slices of the other half of the banana and more blueberries. Finish it off with your favorite textured toppings, like granola, pomegranate seeds and unsweetened coconut flakes. Get our Acai Bowl recipe and more smoothie bowl ideas below.
CC ACAI BREAKFAST BOWL Cooking Channel Unsweetened Frozen Acai Puree, Banana, Blueberries, Honey, Granola, Pomegranate Seeds, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
The perfect breakfast treat, right at home! Give the original recipe a try, and then get creative with your favorite nuts and toppings.
The Ultimate Smoothie Bowl Recipes
If you havent hopped on the smoothie bowl bandwagon nows the time. These bowls of goodness turn your average smoothie into a refreshing, vibrant, and colorful meal with room for topping creativity! Choose a base from your favorite smoothie blends, then top it off with nuts, seeds, superfoods, and extra fruit.
- Acai Bowl: This quintessential smoothie bowl is packed with antioxidants and tastes amazing with an array of berries and crunchy toppings.
- Dark Cherry Smoothie Bowl: Come cherry season, this bowl is a must. Its a blend of cherries, banana, coconut water, and topped with cacao nibs and coconut flakes for an indulgent treat.
- Mango Smoothie Bowl: Tropical flavors and sunny vibes are front and center in this recipe. Top it with extra fruit and a sprinkle of granola for added crunch.
- Clean Green Smoothie Bowl: For a veggie-packed meal with a bunch of sneaky greens, look no further than this recipethe ultimate green smoothie bowl.
- Pitaya Smoothie Bowl: Want to feel like youre on vacation in Bali? Pitaya makes for a vibrant smoothie bowl, especially when topped with additional fruits.
If you make any of these delicious smoothie recipes, let me know how it turned out! Id love to hear what you think in the comments below.
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How To Measure Smoothie Ingredients
I too am guilty of looking at a smoothie recipe and then throwing a bit of everything into the pitcher. I could end up with a 12 ounce breakfast or a 24 ounce drink-me-all-day. Sometimes though, its nice to know exactly how much smoothie Im going to end up making.
Maybe you are counting calories. Perhaps you dont want to end up with leftovers. Maybe you never make enough for your kids to share. No matter your reason, sometimes its just makes life easier to know.
How do I do this without dirtying a pile of measuring cups and spoons? A kitchen scale!
Simply place the pitcher on your scale and hit the tare button to zero it out. Add the ingredients, pressing tare between each one, to measure exactly how much goes into the pitcher. Best of all you do it without dirtying a single measuring utensil.
Detox Green Smoothie With Chia Seeds
If you havent tried chia seeds yet, heres a great opportunity. These tiny but mighty seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids that are great for your heart. They also help you stay fuller longer, thanks to its plant protein power. Combined with spinach, unsweetened almond milk, frozen pineapple, and naturally sweet banana, this tasty mixture is the ultimate breakfast treat.
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Peaches And Cream Oatmeal Smoothie
No time for a leisurely meal? Try this grab-and-go, probiotic-rich take on morning oatmeal. Whole-grain oats contain prebiotic fiber that promotes gut health.
This recipe from Preventions Smoothies & Juicesmakes two smoothies: Blend 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1 cup frozen peaches, 1/2 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup ice until smooth.
Nutrition : 217 calories, 5.5 g fat , 11 g protein, 33 g carbs , 15 g sugars
Are Drinking Smoothies Healthy
The smoothies that I make use whole ingredients and foods that my family considered healthy!
Most of my smoothies do not contain added sugar or sweeteners of any kind .
The combination of whole, real ingredients and no added sweeteners equal a healthy smoothie in my opinion that is perfectly healthy to drink every single day!
If you are purchasing smoothies made at a restaurant or chain, you need to look carefully at the ingredients in order to determine for yourself if the ingredients are healthy or not.
Also Check: Tropical Smoothie Franchise Profit Margin
Fresh Fruit & Veggies
Of course, you can skip the frozen produce and make a smoothie with that amazing fresh fruit you just picked up at the farmers market. Youll just need to add plenty of ice if you like it chilly, and stick with soft, ripe fruits.
For best results, dont use tougher skinned fruit, like pears and apples unless youre using a powerful blender, suggests Adler.
Some of her favorite fresh ingredients for smoothie are include fresh spinach and ripe avocado. Spinach is detoxifying and vitamin packed, but with an actually sweet taste and no bitternessthis is ideal for those that are nervous about anything green in their smoothies.
And ¼ to ½ of an avocado can turn any smoothie into a decadent meal you can eat with a spoon. The healthy fats found in an avocado will help you stay full for hours.
Lean Mean Green Machine
If youre looking for a post-workout recovery drink, this smoothie is it. Protein powder helps replenish the energy you burned, sweet banana and kiwi provide potassium and vitamin C, while coconut water helps you rehydrate.
In a blender, add 1 medium banana , 1 kiwi , 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup spinach, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1/2 cup coconut water. Pulse until creamy and smooth.
Nutrition : 304 calories, 5 g fat, 22 g protein, 47 g carb
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