When the weather warms up, I start to crave foods that are more cooling. Smoothies are delicious, refreshing and easy to make. They are also extremely nutritious if you pick the right ingredients.
Start with a good powerful blender and the process will go more smoothly. My go to blender is the Vitamix, but there are lots of good choices.
I never add ice because I freeze whatever ingredients make sense, all the fruit that goes in and the leafy veggies. I have saved so much money on produce by throwing it in the freezer as they getting to the end of their viability. I always am freezing very ripe bananas, first I peel them then break them into smaller pieces throw them in a container. The smaller pieces work better especially if you have a blender that is not crazy powerful.
There are also so many great add ins to boost the nutrition. Almonds add a nice nutty density and some protein. I also love chia seeds they are a great nutritional boost. They are a concentrated form of protein and very rich in fiber which is beneficial for digestion along with a host of other benefits. Nut butters add protein fun new flavors too.
I use only non-dairy unsweetened Nut milks for the liquid. Coconut milk and oat milk being the richest tasting. Almond is a better choice if you are wanting lower calories.
My smoothies always have 1 frozen banana as a base fruit and a couple of handfuls of spinach. This is one of the best ways to get non veggie eating kids to drink their veggie and it also works on stubborn adults too.
So, get creative, try different add ins and enjoy!
Below is a more decadent smoothie especially good for when you might be craving chocolate.
Peanut Butter Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie
1 Frozen Banana
5 large frozen Strawberries
2 cups frozen baby spinach
½ cup wild organic blueberries
1 TBS natural Peanut butter (unsweetened)
1 TBS Raw Cacao powder
1 TBS chia seeds
Almond milk as needed
This makes approx. two large smoothies. Adjust ingredients to your own taste.
Thanks for reading along I hope you will have fun making delicious and nutritious smoothies this summer.
grizzyLu 