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.
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, we’ll look at some fruit smoothie recipes that you can try. However, before we dive in, let’s look at the steps to make a basic smoothie.
What If I Dont Have The Right Ingredients To Make One Of These Smoothies
There is NO right or wrong way to make a smoothie! These recipes are just starter ideas for you to work off of But dont feel like you need to stick with them to make a delicious smoothie. I never measure for smoothies and often throw in what I have on hand. My main tip, however, is if youre using fresh fruit, be sure to throw in a little ice to add that frozen element.
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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!
More Info On Each Easy Smoothie Recipe:
Strawberry Banana Smoothie: This is a pretty, light pink, sweet, and creamy cold drink thats perfect all year long. Its forever one of my classic favorites, and I make sure to stock up on strawberries when theyre in season so I can freeze them for year-round enjoyment. My kids ask for this one all the time, so you can say its a household requirement around here!
Simple Tropical Smoothie: This has a sweet flavor and reminds you of summer, no matter what month it is. My sunshiny Henry loves this one its summer in a glass. The color is a lovely cream-orange, and its always a hit at our house. Costco sells frozen mango and pineapple cubed and ready to go for a great price.
Very Berry Simply Smoothie: This is made with mixed frozen berries that you can get in the freezer section, including blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. I mean, who doesnt love berries?! It almost tastes like ice cream, and it hits the spot any time of day. I make it on movie nights and call it a milkshake. Meanwhile, my kids have no idea it doesnt actually include ice cream!
Peanut Butter Simple Smoothie: This one is a whole big glass of peanut buttery goodness that tastes like dessert but is packed with protein. I cant get over it. Its probably one of my very favorites because I love, love, love peanut butter.
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Can You Make A Smoothie With Water Instead Of Milk
Yes! Water is a great way to add a little bit of liquid to your smoothies without the use of milk.
A great example of this is our Ginger Peach Detox Smoothie.
This smoothie uses just a cup of water in addition to high liquid fruits and vegetables including lemon, orange, apple, and cucumber.
Its important to note that you do not want to use a large amount of water in your smoothies or they can easily become too watery and lose flavor.
The best way that I have found is to combine high liquid fruits and vegetables with just enough water to blend.
This way you get a super thick and creamy smoothie without being watery.
It is also important to note here that you will need to use a high speed blender such as a vitamix or blendtec for best results and creamy smoothies.
What Blender Should I Use For A Smoothie
I truly believe a good blender is worth it. I got a Blendtec a few years ago, and Ill never go back to a normal blender again. A good blender will whip you up a thick and delicious smoothie with no chunks in about 45 seconds.
And, if youre adding leafy greens, a good blender will make sure theyre blended up nicely and have a great texture! Mine gives me a count for how many times Ive used it, and its well past the 800 mark. So, its definitely worth the investment, in my opinion, especially if you have a family full of smoothie lovers!
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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.
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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Smoothie Recipes To Try
Use these recipes or build from them to create your own.
Banana-kale wake-up smoothie
The sweetness of the bananas balances kales slight bitterness in this recipe. Use just a tiny pinch of cloves theyre potent!
Get the banana-kale wake-up smoothie recipe.
Ruby-red raspberry smoothie
Its nutty. Its sweet. And its good for you. Blast off your day with healthy fats, antioxidants and phytonutrients from this creamy creation.
Get the ruby-red raspberry smoothie recipe.
Creamy kiwi-lime smoothie
You would never guess this creamy, high-protein smoothie gets its texture from tofu and cashew butter. Hey, dont knock it till you try it!
Go green smoothie bowl
Ready to trade in the smoothie glass for a bowl and spoon? In this bowl, the leafy green goodness of spinach meets the sweetness of grapes, mango, apple and banana.
Get the go green smoothie bowl recipe.
Cool tropical smoothie
Youll feel like youre on the beach with this zesty blend of mango, coconut, lime and strawberries. This vegan smoothie is high in potassium and features beneficial phytonutrients.
Get the cool tropical smoothie recipe.
Creamy strawberry and greens smoothie
This satisfying smoothie is sweetened with strawberries, creamified with avocado and then exalted to green goddess status with arugula.
Get the creamy strawberry and greens smoothie recipe.
Peach-vanilla yogurt smoothie
Get the peach-vanilla yogurt smoothie recipe.
Berry vanilla banana smoothie
Get the berry vanilla banana smoothie recipe.
How To Build A Better Smoothie According To A Nutritionist
If youre turning to smoothies as part of your strategy to lose weight or take your healthy eating up a notch, your menu may need a little attention. Done right, smoothies can make nutritious sense, packing satisfying ingredients along with fiber, vitamins, minerals and other health-protecting substances. But even some of the most healthful smoothie ingredients can add up to a lot of calories and therefore, interfere with your weight loss goals or worse, lead to unintentional weight gain. Read on to find out if youre making some common smoothie mistakes, discover how to build the best smoothie and find nutritionist-approved recipes to get your smoothie-making up to speed.
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Best Blender For Smoothies
First things first, lets talk about the blender situation. I know there are hundreds of blenders on the market and it can be very daunting to find the right one for you. One thing I have learned with the handful of blenders that Ive owned is that quality matters. Usually, quality and price coincide and its totally true.
Ive found that the more expensive and higher quality blender I have, the more success I have with what I am makingespecially smoothies. The most recent and BEST blender I have ever had is a Vitamix.
We have the Vitamix 5200and it runs you about $430 on Amazon. I do not have a single bad thing to say about this beast. Its super powerful, easy to clean, and it makes making smoothies along with other things a breeze. I can tell you right now that this is the best blender I have ever owned and theres no turning back.
How To Start A Smoothie Business
Smoothie bars sell blended fruit drinks, health food bowls, and juices to patrons. Theyre typically found in busy shopping centers or fitness clubs as a way to introduce fresh options to a fast-food laden culture. Smoothie bars rely on premium ingredients and inventive combinations to appeal to people who don’t want to sacrifice taste for health.
Learn how to start your own Smoothie Business and whether it is the right fit for you.
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2020-08-11
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Smoothies Can Be Tailored To Meet Your Needs
You can drink smoothies as a snack or meal replacement, but its a good idea to know which types to choose especially if you have a specific fitness or body composition goal in mind.
Theres a common misconception that smoothies are inherently low calorie snacks, but some smoothies pack over 1,000 calories depending on their size and ingredients.
Generally, a 200300-calorie smoothie with 10 grams of protein is a great snack, whereas a 400800-calorie smoothie providing at least 20 grams of protein is better suited as a meal replacement. Its best to assess your goals and calorie needs to determine your specific needs.
The difference between the two may be as simple as adjusting the serving size.
Many smoothie chains provide the ingredient and nutrition information for each of their products, which usually come in 1632-ounce servings.
When making smoothies at home, be sure to control your portion size. Fats like nuts, seeds, nut butters, full fat yogurts, and avocado will provide more calories but increase nutrient density. Meanwhile, sugary add-ins like syrups will provide more calories without quality nutrients.
Summary
Smoothies may aid weight loss if they help you maintain a calorie deficit. However, they can be high in calories, so you should choose those that will fit into your daily calorie needs.
How To Blend The Best Smoothie
Though calorie needs vary depending on age, weight, hormones, activity levels, and more, as a rule of thumb, most of us do well with snacks that contain fewer than 200 calories a 300- to 450-calorie breakfast would cover most adults needs. Heres how to get the most nutrition without driving the calories sky high.
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Best Blenders For Smoothies
When making a smoothie recipe at home there are a few ways you can blend it together. Here are the pros and cons of each method:
- High-speed individual blender such as aNutribullet. This option makes for super easy clean-up, but is best for just 1-2 servings.
- Large high-speed blender such as aVitamix. Best for making a large batch, but calls for more cleanup.
- 6 cup+ food processor such as a Cuisinart Food Processor. A last resort since it does not blend up the smoothie as easily, but it will get the job done.
How To Make A Perfect Smoothie
From the go-to formula to the best equipment for the job, everything you need to know in order to start making next level smoothies at home is included in our comprehensive guide to the perfect smoothie.
You want to know how to make a smoothieand not just any smoothie. One that rivals those perfectly creamy ones that your favorite health food store or juice bar charges upwards of $10 a pop for. Well, look no further, because we have everything you need to know about how to make the tastiest smoothie youve ever had, and how to adjust the ingredients based on your favorite flavors, textures, nutrition goalsoh, and foods you already have in your kitchen. On top of that, we have the gear guide youll need to choose the best smoothie maker or blender to make all your wildest smoothie dreams come true. With a little know-how and the right tools, youll be surprised at how easy it is to make next-level smoothies in your own kitchen.
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How To Make A Smoothie Without A Blender
If you want to make a smoothie without a blender, there are a couple of other options. In a pinch, you can make a smoothie a food processor, but be ready for some more clean up. Your food processor might not be made to lock in liquids, so there could be some leaks. Plus, its got several pieces, including a removable blade, which will need individual cleaning.
For making an individual smoothie, you can use an immersion blendera handheld version of a blender, which can come at a lower price. Simply dip the immersion blender into an unbreakable cup or bowl containing your ingredients and turn it on to mix. A good quality one will break up your ice just as well as a standard blender will. Plus, immersion blenders dont take up much space and tend to be easy to clean.
Step : Register For Taxes
You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.
In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!
You can acquire your EIN for free through the IRS website, via fax, or by mail. If you would like to learn more about EINs and how they can benefit your LLC, read our article, What is an EIN?.
Learn how to get an EIN in our What is an EIN guide or find your existing EIN using our EIN lookup guide.
Small Business Taxes
Depending on which business structure you choose, you might have different options for how your business will be taxed. For example, some LLCs could benefit from being taxed as an S corporation .
You can learn more about small business taxes in these guides:
There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.
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How To Make Ahead + Store Smoothies
- No time in the morning to whip up a smoothie? NO PROBLEM. You can make most smoothies the night before and store them in the refrigerator.
- To Store. Store blended smoothies in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Place the smoothie in an airtight jar the less air touching the smoothie, the better. Stir before serving.
- To Make Ahead. Prepare the smoothie as directed, then pour into an airtight freezer-safe mason jar and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
They May Stop Snack Attacks
Scientists have recently found that strawberries may reduce blood sugar spikes. These high-low sugar spikes cause cravings and affect mood, so by adding more strawberries to your diet you can avoid these feelings, reducing the temptation to snack on naughty bits.
Its suspected that the high levels of antioxidant polyphenols are responsible, which also help out the body in other ways. However, these studies were done in a test tube so more research is needed to prove that the same effect would happen in people.
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What Are Some Great Smoothie Recipes
Alright, now that youre fully versed on how to make a great smoothie, let me share with you some of our absolute favorite combos! Click on any image to jump over to that specific smoothie recipe.
Classic Simple Smoothies
These smoothies are a great place to start. No weird ingredients that you have to special order, just fresh, real food that you can find at any typical supermarket.
Wild Blueberry Lemon No Banana Smoothie