All right, all right. Who needs a recipe to make a smoothie? Nobody, that's who. By definition, a smoothie is just a bunch of stuff you throw in a blender. Nevertheless, a year or so ago, I was staying with my parents; my mom was starting to go through chemo for a non-Hodgkins lymphoma (she's okay); and smoothies were recommended as a way for her to effortlessly take in some extra calories. For my 80-something-year-old stepfather, for whom smoothies are not part of his daily experience, you would have thought the nurses had recommended he feed her on homemade Beef Wellington. I gave demos. My stepfather watched carefully, frowned. They bought an immersion blender. Still, it was rumored that , after I left, smoothies did not get made until my mom felt enough better to go back into the kitchen.
So maybe it IS rocket science, after all. I will say: I work at a restaurant that sells a variety of fresh blended juices, fruit-and-yogurt drinks, and milkshakes. Sometimes a customer comes in and asks for "a smoothie," and looks perturbed when asked to elaborate further. What might they be looking for in their smoothie? Do they just want fruit and ice and such? Do they want yogurt and milk? Do they want something with ice cream? The weird part is, some of them don't know. They are accustomed to ordering a "smoothie," and having not the faintest idea what they are putting into their mouths.
While smoothies can take an infinite variety of forms, the following basic formula is how I go about making a smoothie. I generally make about 32 oz. of smoothie at once, which is enough for two tall glasses, one for me and one for my husband. Also note that we treat these smoothies as a meal, not a beverage. Therefore they have enough calories for a light meal, and always contain some fat and protein. If you make a habit of drinking them as a beverage in addition to a meal, you will get fat.
Basic formula:
Here are some examples of smoothies that followed this basic formula, and ended up being exceptionally tasty:
Coconut-Lime smoothie:
1 3/4 cups coconut water
1/4 c. limeade (or use all coconut water and a little lime juice if you want to cut the sugar)
1 whole avocado
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 t. protein powder
1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1 small mango, or 1/2 a large mango
about 3 leaves kale, large ribs removed
Fruity Pear smoothie:
2 c. pear juice
2 t. hemp protein powder
1 avocado
1/4 c. blueberries
1 banana
half dozen or so strawberries
a few leaves of red leaf lettuce
Classic Strawberry-Banana smoothie:
1/4 c. coconut water
1 3/4 c. cashew milk
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
1 c. canned coconut milk
2 t. hemp protein powder
1 banana
half dozen strawberries
Peanut-butter-Banana smoothie
2 c. almond milk
2 t. hemp protein powder
3 T. peanut butter
1 banana
1 small mango (or 1/2 large mango)
1/4 c. blueberries
1/4 c. frozen peaches
a few small leaves of romaine lettuce, or 1-2 large leaves
Super-Vanilla Fruit smoothie:
1 3/4 c.vanilla soy milk
1/4 c. vanilla almond milk
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
2 T. peanut butter
1/2 large mango
1/2 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 c. blueberries
1/4. c. cantaloupe
So maybe it IS rocket science, after all. I will say: I work at a restaurant that sells a variety of fresh blended juices, fruit-and-yogurt drinks, and milkshakes. Sometimes a customer comes in and asks for "a smoothie," and looks perturbed when asked to elaborate further. What might they be looking for in their smoothie? Do they just want fruit and ice and such? Do they want yogurt and milk? Do they want something with ice cream? The weird part is, some of them don't know. They are accustomed to ordering a "smoothie," and having not the faintest idea what they are putting into their mouths.
While smoothies can take an infinite variety of forms, the following basic formula is how I go about making a smoothie. I generally make about 32 oz. of smoothie at once, which is enough for two tall glasses, one for me and one for my husband. Also note that we treat these smoothies as a meal, not a beverage. Therefore they have enough calories for a light meal, and always contain some fat and protein. If you make a habit of drinking them as a beverage in addition to a meal, you will get fat.
Basic formula:
- 2 c. liquid, such as nut milk, soy milk, coconut water. For a while I used juice, but my husband found that the sugar content was making him feel queasy. Cow milk does not agree with us too well, so I rarely use that.
- About 2 t. protein powder. I do not like the texture of protein powder, so I keep it minimal, but add a little for the nutritional boost.
- Fat. This is necessary to make the smoothie filling. An avocado, a couple tablespoons of nut butter, canned coconut milk, or sour cream are all good candidates.
- Enough fruit and vegetables to fill the blender to the 4 c. mark. The fruit can be anything you desire and/or want to use up: bananas, mangoes, berries, peaches, melon, kiwi, cherries, pineapple. It is nice to use a little bit of frozen fruit, as it chills the smoothie. A few leaves of leafy greens ( e.g., spinach, lettuce, kale) really give the smoothie depth of flavor as well as beneficial nutrients. Remember to remove tough stems and ribs from leaves such as kale.
- Optional: yogurt, anything else you are looking to use up.
Here are some examples of smoothies that followed this basic formula, and ended up being exceptionally tasty:
Coconut-Lime smoothie:
1 3/4 cups coconut water
1/4 c. limeade (or use all coconut water and a little lime juice if you want to cut the sugar)
1 whole avocado
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 t. protein powder
1/2 c. fresh blueberries
1 small mango, or 1/2 a large mango
about 3 leaves kale, large ribs removed
Fruity Pear smoothie:
2 c. pear juice
2 t. hemp protein powder
1 avocado
1/4 c. blueberries
1 banana
half dozen or so strawberries
a few leaves of red leaf lettuce
Classic Strawberry-Banana smoothie:
1/4 c. coconut water
1 3/4 c. cashew milk
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
1 c. canned coconut milk
2 t. hemp protein powder
1 banana
half dozen strawberries
Peanut-butter-Banana smoothie
2 c. almond milk
2 t. hemp protein powder
3 T. peanut butter
1 banana
1 small mango (or 1/2 large mango)
1/4 c. blueberries
1/4 c. frozen peaches
a few small leaves of romaine lettuce, or 1-2 large leaves
Super-Vanilla Fruit smoothie:
1 3/4 c.vanilla soy milk
1/4 c. vanilla almond milk
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
2 T. peanut butter
1/2 large mango
1/2 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 c. blueberries
1/4. c. cantaloupe
 |  |   |
 |  The internet loves taking pictures of smoothies, evidently. |  |