Smoothies

When I first started on this site 2 weeks ago I was eating straight fruit for breakfast. Now that strawberries are in season I had them and a banana almost every morning. However, even though I had cut and weighed out the allowance for each day in advance I wasn't always eating them for breakfast and the mess of taking them to work (I work on a computer keyboard and can't snack on a sticky fruit between customers) seemed frustrating. So I decided to put them in a Smoothie.

I now place 200 grams of strawberries, 1 medium banana, 6 ice cubs and 1/2 cup milk in a 16 oz blender cup and wiz it away for 30 seconds then I'm off to work to drink my breakfast if needed even at my counter.

I am not interested in weird flax seed or kale/veggie smoothies but does anyone else have any other good smoothie recipes? I am trying a chocolate/coffee banana one for breakfast tomorrow but wondered what other recipes you might all have. I prefer using fresh organic fruits with no sugar (the banana seems to add natural sugar enough). I would love to get some ideas on protein additives without the classic protein powder or raw egg. Any other ideas?
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Replies

  • SteffieSunshine
    SteffieSunshine Posts: 61 Member
    I did that tonight! Banana, strawberries, skim milk and ice, but I added some blueberries. Delish!

    I know several people also make the smoothie with OJ instead of milk. I feel that would be too much sugar, and acid.
  • dogberry3
    dogberry3 Posts: 21
    I agree, I think OJ would have too much sugar/calories without the fiber as well. Maybe a whole orange though?

    And I don't use skim milk in mine I use 2% because I am a proper Wisconsin Dairy state girl and used to drink whole so I figure the downgrade to 2% is going to have to do for me!
  • Lilie555
    Lilie555 Posts: 49 Member
    I have one of those MagicBullet Blenders. Its like so amazing! Now when ever I want to eat something healthy, with lots of vitamins, I just make a smoothie.

    I usually put whatever fruits I can find... like bananas, apples, watermelon, blueberries, cherrys, pears, plums, kiwis, apricots, just all kind of fruits. and just mix them together.
    So mostly I do just all fruits, and some ice, but sometimes I add yogurt too.

    YUUUUMMMYYYYY!
  • fishermanmatt
    fishermanmatt Posts: 308 Member
    I add a third of a cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt and Grape Nuts cereal along with a couple teaspoons of chia seeds to my smoothies. The cereal adds a "cookies and cream" like texture and the chia adds a bit more of the grittiness that that I enjoy in a fresh fruit smoothie.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
    I like to use frozen blueberries or bananas or pineapple in place of ice then add fresh fruit and some spinach (can't taste it). For liquid I like unsweetened almond breeze and V8 diet berry Splash.
  • Prettygeekz
    Prettygeekz Posts: 10 Member
    I just started this one and its soooo good!!

    1 cup almond milk (original, unsweetened)
    1 tablespoon almond butter (creamy, organic, raw, unsalted)
    1 scoop of Vanilla protein powder (if you're into protein powder)
    1/2 banana
    1 teaspoon of agave Nectar (optional) but its a natural sweetener! for those who need it.
    AND of course ice


    If you're not into protein powder it still taste good without the vanilla protein!

    ENJOY im also looking for different ones i can try because iam not a breakfast person AT ALL
  • Prettygeekz
    Prettygeekz Posts: 10 Member
    I have one of those MagicBullet Blenders. Its like so amazing! Now when ever I want to eat something healthy, with lots of vitamins, I just make a smoothie.

    I usually put whatever fruits I can find... like bananas, apples, watermelon, blueberries, cherrys, pears, plums, kiwis, apricots, just all kind of fruits. and just mix them together.
    So mostly I do just all fruits, and some ice, but sometimes I add yogurt too.

    YUUUUMMMYYYYY!

    I have it too and i love it! its worth every dime.
  • brooke7ia
    brooke7ia Posts: 9 Member
    I only use no sugar added frozen fruits AND then I freeze any bananas that are getting overripe to add in to cut the sweet. Then for my "liquid," I use vitaminwater zero. It doesn't add on the calories/sugar like OJ, milk or yogurt does. :)
  • Vibette
    Vibette Posts: 9
    Chocolate + peanut butter (make it natural PB for good fats)

    pineapple juice + oj + protein = my favorite!! (you can throw in a banana if you want)

    I know you said nothing weird, but I put spinach in my smoothies. You CANNOT taste, but it does make it very green! Super healthy food for you. Try like 1/2 cup of it if it scares you.... you won't taste it!

    I've also "hidden" carrots in smoothies. As long as your blender will handle blending it completely and not leave chunks!
  • LittleNicci
    LittleNicci Posts: 284 Member
    i know you said you dont want flaxseed in yours but walgreens carries a flaxseed oil that you dont taste at all

    i use 1 cup frozen fruit (dole tropical fruit blend is only 70 calories per 1 cup), 1 banana, 1 cup greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil and the liquid is whatever i happen to have on hand (almond milk, lite apple juice, water. just enough to make it smooth) blend away!
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member
    I'm a huge fan of "if you can't taste it, ok"....

    I LOVE adding celery to apple/pineapple smoothies, simply because it takes down the acidity levels of those fruits and makes it easier on the belly in the morning.

    Also, I know it comes out funky colored, but strawberries, blueberries, spinach and orange juice are probably my favorite smoothie in the world. I get my spinach from our local farmers market and it is usually toooooo much to eat just as salads (borrrring) so I sneak a handful into almost any fruity drink and I never even taste it.

    Carrots are another good one (make sure your blender is glass tho-especially if it's taking on ice cubes)
    Carrots are naturally sweet and if you like texture, you can blend your smoothie a little less and get something that fruits usually don't always have the structure of. My favorite carrot combo would be carrots, raspberries, strawberries and black berries with a fresh sprig of Mint , fresh Basal OR lemon. (not all three)

    I always make my smoothies with OJ or apple J or Cran J. just because I'm not a big fan of ice chunks. It's awesome tho if you use your ice cube tray and make juice cubes in place of the ice cubes. SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF SMOOTHIES, possibilities are endless! Great topic!

    I'd like to possibly try a black bean smoothie, but it would have to be VERY highly recommended and very convincing for me to actually try it.


    Sometimes the best smoothies come from combinations of sweet things and not sweet things!
  • vibrantval
    vibrantval Posts: 46
    One of my fave smoothies will always be OJ, Spinach, and Ice! Yummy!
  • stupidloser
    stupidloser Posts: 300 Member
    I like a water and mud smoothie.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    If you put just a few greens in your smoothie you won't see or taste them. I put in blue berries, strawberries, a small banana, and a few leaves of kale or collard greens and I don't even taste them. You can also add a nutrition powder like supergreens or protein powder to increase the calorie/usefulness of your smoothie. I am vegan so I add vegan protein powder if I'm having it as a meal, but if not I leave it out to cut the calories.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    I haven't had a smoothie in a while, but I want to try:
    Unsweetened coconut milk, pineapple and frozen banana. Maybe berries, too.
    In the winter I enjoy: 1 apple with skin, 1 orange, 1/2 banana, spinach, parsley, lemon juice and 1 date (or stevia for sweetness.)
    Enjoy!
  • TanyaCurtis
    TanyaCurtis Posts: 630
    I use 3 cups cold water, 2 ice cubes, half package of pure trim milk chocolate Mediterranean wellness shake, 200 g frozen bananas, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 handful frozen spinach, and lately 2 tbsp Chocolate PB2 powder! Amazing!! I also use their Rich N creamy vanilla shake, 1/2 package, with all the same stuff, minus the PB2 powder, and then I add vanilla extract to it too (:

    Edit* u can also add vanilla almond milk to them too, SO GOOD!
  • gigiangelique
    gigiangelique Posts: 233 Member
    I always add flax and protien powder. I do dig bannana with chocolate protien powder with a spoon of peanut butter
  • Shelgirl001
    Shelgirl001 Posts: 477 Member
    I will use berries(Blueberries, strawberries,raspberries, black berries), yogurt, oj or water, and ice. I also added some Carnation Instant drink mix powder to give it more creamy consistency last time I made a smoothie.
  • I would suggest cottage cheese or Greek yogurt (plain) for protein, if you don't want a powder form of protein. I use both cottage cheese and Fage Greek yogurt in my smoothies/shakes.


    FYI - I have read about Xanthan gum but it is expensive, so I haven't bought any yet. I wish you could buy a small amount, but I haven't found it in a small package yet.

    Xanthan gum- imparts no flavor to smoothies, but make the shakes thicker and creamier. It is not necessary to use the gum in smoothies, but it does improve the consistency and volume.
  • dogberry3
    dogberry3 Posts: 21

    I know you said nothing weird, but I put spinach in my smoothies. You CANNOT taste, but it does make it very green! Super healthy food for you. Try like 1/2 cup of it if it scares you.... you won't taste it!

    The think is I like spinach as spinach. So I don't really want it in a smoothie cause I can eat it raw in a salad or cooked for dinner and really enjoy the flavour of it. For me I can ALWAYS taste veggies in smoothies and I just don't like them in a smoothie. I'm also the kind that never liked veggie juices but then I can eat veggies whole and cooked so I just get my nutrients there instead.
  • dogberry3
    dogberry3 Posts: 21
    I use 3 cups cold water, 2 ice cubes, half package of pure trim milk chocolate Mediterranean wellness shake, 200 g frozen bananas, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 handful frozen spinach, and lately 2 tbsp Chocolate PB2 powder! Amazing!! I also use their Rich N creamy vanilla shake, 1/2 package, with all the same stuff, minus the PB2 powder, and then I add vanilla extract to it too (:

    The big problem I have with things like Protein powders and the like is that I'm trying to live naturally. All those diet "shakes" and powders don't occur in nature and I'm not sure how good they are for us in the long run. I want to eat real food in proper quantities for long term weight loss and health. I am grossly overweight but my goal is only 3 lbs a week because I want to stick with this for a long time. If I stick to this then in a year I will have lost 150 lbs and be at a much more manageable weight. Once I'm down to a "normal" weight I plan to just allow more calories for maintenance but still eat the same foods and the same way I do now.
  • dogberry3
    dogberry3 Posts: 21

    Carrots are another good one (make sure your blender is glass tho-especially if it's taking on ice cubes)
    Carrots are naturally sweet and if you like texture, you can blend your smoothie a little less and get something that fruits usually don't always have the structure of. My favorite carrot combo would be carrots, raspberries, strawberries and black berries with a fresh sprig of Mint , fresh Basal OR lemon. (not all three)

    I have a cuisinart that is plastic that you can blend ice in but it tells you the max amount of ice in a blender cup so I think I'm ok. I couldn't eat carrots in a smoothie if I tried they are probably my least favorite vegetable due to the fact that in the 80's my mum was in to juicing and she made us drink carrot juice almost every day for about a year. BLECH! now I only like cooked carrots with a roast and I can taste them no matter what other stuff is put around them!
  • dogberry3
    dogberry3 Posts: 21
    i know you said you dont want flaxseed in yours but walgreens carries a flaxseed oil that you dont taste at all

    Explain why I would want to put flaxseed or flaxseed oil in a smoothie? wouldn't an oil have quite a few calories per tsp/Tbsp? My reasoning for not putting it in is because it isn't really a common food and I eat lots of veggies (I have a salad every day that is an entire head of red or green leaf lettuce and tomatoes, plus my veggies at dinner and fruits at breakfast and snack) What is the obsession with flaxseed?
  • Christina_3192
    Christina_3192 Posts: 133 Member
    1 cup of milk
    1 cup of fruit, any would work, i used the mixed bag of fruit from walmart lol
    1/2 cup of plain yogurt
    2 tablespoons of peanut butter

    391 calories of deliciousness.

    Also sometimes i give a little squirt of the mio energy stuff if I need a caffeine buzz.
  • jaded_rose
    jaded_rose Posts: 298 Member
    I have smoothies every morning for breakfast before work. I freeze the fruit so I don't have to use ice. i use 1/4 cup oats or flax meal for fiber so it will stay with me longer. I also use 1/2 scoop of whey protian. I usually use 1/2 a banana and switch out between strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc. I also use a cup of almond milk, 1/2 tsp ground ginger & 1 tsp of cinnamon for taste.
  • dogberry3
    dogberry3 Posts: 21
    Well one reason I use ice is because for me this is about cutting calories and if I made a 16 oz shake with just fruit the calories would be around 400 and I try to keep my smoothies to around 250. This morning I made another one and I'm loving it.

    Ice, 1/2 cup 2% milk, a medium banana, a Tbsp of instant coffee (I thinki'm going to use about 1/2 a Tbsp next time the coffee flavour is stronger than I wanted) and 4 Tbsp of Wal-marts Fat free chocolate flavoured syrup. Even with the stronger coffee flavour I'm still LOVING it. (P.S. the instant coffee is imported from England where they know how to make instant coffee taste delicious)
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
    I put coconut oil in mine. You need healthy fats in your diet.
    I use berries. I buy them and freeze them myself if I can't use them all up before they go bad.
    I also put spinach in them. You can't taste it. But it does change the colour of the smoothie.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    If you insist on being some sort of naturalist or whatever that is as you process foods down into an easily consumable liquid form:

    Hemp protein powder (or if this is too unnatural)
    Hemp hearts

    One is just the ground up form of the other; rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, fiber, vitamin a, and a bunch of other nutrients. Goji berries (usually dried) are a good fruit to add to smoothies as they have a high protein content for fruit (a complete one at that), rich in zinc, vitamin a, c etc.

    The reason why people are on the d*ck of flax seed so much is that it is a decent additive to most baked goods, smoothies etc as a form of protein, fiber, and good fats without adding a ton of calories. Flax seed oil isn't the ideal form but is pretty good, your aversion to it seems odd as most healthy foods require some sort of fat along with it for you to actually absorb all of their nutrients.

    Now back to prime protein sources; greek yogurt is another and of course; whey protein powder. Sure it cannot be found in nature but neither can 2% milk, instant coffee or fat free chocolate flavored syrup (which you should replace with raw cacao powder anyway). Whey is nothing more than part of what is left over from making many cheeses (I bet you've eaten ricotta), and really is not very processed at all; it doesn't need to be. It is like adding powdered, unsweetened skim milk to something. You will get a concentrated amount of quality protein without a bunch of other crap. I recommend the six pound bag of vanilla Crytosport whey costco sells.

    Hey it worked for Little Miss Muppet.


    PS Spinach in smoothies is awesome, especially with strawberries (and yes it will be green as all hell and you won't be able to taste it generally, Kale on the other hand tastes like you are drinking liquid plant no matter what)
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member

    Carrots are another good one (make sure your blender is glass tho-especially if it's taking on ice cubes)
    Carrots are naturally sweet and if you like texture, you can blend your smoothie a little less and get something that fruits usually don't always have the structure of. My favorite carrot combo would be carrots, raspberries, strawberries and black berries with a fresh sprig of Mint , fresh Basal OR lemon. (not all three)

    I have a cuisinart that is plastic that you can blend ice in but it tells you the max amount of ice in a blender cup so I think I'm ok. I couldn't eat carrots in a smoothie if I tried they are probably my least favorite vegetable due to the fact that in the 80's my mum was in to juicing and she made us drink carrot juice almost every day for about a year. BLECH! now I only like cooked carrots with a roast and I can taste them no matter what other stuff is put around them!

    I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND haha, my friends try to get me to drink asparagus infused drinks and they make me gag... I'm sure other people love them, but not this girl :)
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member
    I know you said you like spinach as spinach. I LOVE it too, it's great... but really, how many salads are you going to consume before you can't pick up the fork anymore? That's where I found myself when I just couldn't eat another leaf.... and I fell in love with secret spinach smoothies! It's just an option for when you get bored :)

    Don't be scared about colors, be in love with the FLAVORS :)
    I really like this Topic, so many people have so many new recipes to try! <3