Smoothie recipes and advice?

Fitdoge

So my next semester of college is starting in August, and I want to find an alternative to high-in-sugar-and-carbs energy drinks to start my days with. I absolutely love them but they are so bad for me. I also cannot stand the taste of sugar free energy drinks, so that option is out. I was thinking delicious fruit smoothies might be a better start but I'm not well versed in smoothie making. I don't know if there's a method or you just toss your measured ingredients in the blender and blend it. I've found a few recipes I'm going to try out but I would love to build a small smoothie recipe list for myself.

I also tend to get hungry at college, since I am a full time student and next semester I actually have a day of the week where I'm there 9 am until 10pm (all other days are 9am-6pm, roughly.) I don't want to binge the day away inbetween classes or have some horrible thousand calorie microwave disaster in the middle of the day that makes me feel sick for the rest of the week. I also don't have a lot of room in my bag for a bagged lunch, or a lot of money to make them. Does anyone have some magical solution for on-campus food that generally fit in smaller containers (like yummy sandwiches that can sit for a few hours without becoming a sweaty, soggy mess?)

manda3158

I have a green smoothie every morning and I'm loving it! Not gonna lie, First sip or two you can taste the greens but you get used to it and now I crave it. I have a magic bullet so I just blend it in the cup, put a lid and straw and out the door! Here's my method:

1/2-3/4 C frozen fruit (I like peaches and mango)
1/2 banana
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup leafy greens (spinach, kale, etc. I like organic spinach and Kale mixture)
1 tsp almond butter (optional)
1 tsp honey (optional)
1-2 Tablespoons ground flax seed (optional)
Ice

I made mine w/o almond butter or honey this morning and MFP said 150 cal. Which is a little bit low for me, I usually do add the almond butter and flax. I will have a morning snack before lunch as well.

You can pretty much tailor this recipe with an fruit combos that you like. I also use apples, blueberries, or strawberries. Sometimes I also add vanilla protein powder. I have pre-portioned baggies of fruit in my freezer for the week, I just grab one, add my greens, extract, ice and almond milk, blend and GO! (I have a little smoothie station next to my bullet with all my add-ins for faster prep). Good luck!

pmm3437

There is nothing special about smoothies/juices, as far as preparation is concerned. Just a matter of having enough liquid ingredients to support proper blending/suspension of particles.

As a breakfast, you definitely want to opt into ingredients that will give you some protein and fiber, to help with satiety for the rest of the morning. Because of that, I would stay away from juicers, which remove pulp/fiber.

As far as affordable portable food options for lunch, some tips:
1) Pack liquid ingredients/condiments separately, and combine just before eating ( ex: salad dressing or mayo on the side )
2) Items that are shelf stable at room temperature, like PB&J, nuts, crackers, etc.
3) Things like cold cuts and cheese are generally OK kept in an insulated bag/container, when placed inside chilled, for several hours. Invest in a reusable freezer pack for longer duration.
4) Try alternatives to bread for your sandwiches, like a toasted English muffin or bagel, tortillas/wraps, hard rolls.
5) Individual serving size packed products like foil tuna packs, canned chicken.

For me back in the day, packing lunch was a soup spoon, can opener, and whichever soup/ravioli/stew I grabbed from the cupboard. Got to be so I preferred to eat that stuff at room temperature, and it never tasted right when heated.