I have joined the smoothie craze this summer. I got a personal blender on my birthday in May and I have been drinking these down like there is no tomorrow. In fact, on very hot summer evenings a well-balanced smoothie is my dinner. There are many blogs out there with smoothie tutorials this summer. Well here is mine with a few twists that I have learned.
I have included 8 smoothie recipes below that cover a wide variety of tastes, exotic included. Try them and then go wild and change them up to suit your tastes. It’s all about experimenting. My favorite is the one I drink now every Saturday and Sunday morning, my Ultimate Coffee Smoothie. But first, let’s look at my tried and true smoothie advice list.
I have learned that how you layer your ingredients in the personal blender can be quite important. This is for the kind of blender where the cover has the blades (on top): ice first, then greens, followed by fruits, and finally powders or optional ingredients (see below). Top with milk or liquid of choice. You want the smoothest ingredients near the blade and the hardest the furthest away, this is the best way to avoid the machine jamming up on you.
Close the lid of the blender tight, flip over and shake a bit to get the liquid down. Blend until perfect consistency is achieved. Depending on your combination you may find you need to add liquid while blending it if the consistency is too thick.
Play with various liquids: water, milk, yogurt, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, soy milk, tea and coffee.
A note on sweetness: 1 tablespoon of honey or 2 dates is a great way to avoid processed sugar. I always go for the dates first.
Don’t forget to add any of these optional ingredients to give any recipe for an extra health boost:
- a handful of spinach, kale, or cucumber
- a scoop of protein powder
- 1-2 tablespoons oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons nut butter (peanut, almond, etc)
- 1 teaspoon flax, chia or hemp, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon spirulina
Want more ideas? Check out my growing smoothie pinterest board for more inspirations.
My Ultimate Coffee Smoothie
7 coffee ice cubes
3/4 cup of milk
1 banana
1/2 teaspoon cocoa nibs, optional
I have tried many coffee smoothie recipes and was left disinterested. Coffee and milk watered the whole thing down. Now I make a small pot of strong coffee ahead of time and freeze coffee ice cubes. I found I get the most coffee flavor this way.
Banana Strawberry
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup strawberry
1 banana
Chocolate Mint
1 cup milk
1 banana
handful of baby spinach
leaves from a sprig of mint
2 dates
1 teaspoon cocoa nibs
Turmeric Smoothie Recipe from Zen Gardner
1 cup hemp or coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen pineapple or mango chunks
1 fresh banana
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon chia seeds
I know you are going WHAT on this last one but it is so good, it has a spicy Indian Mango Lassi flavor. And turmeric is so good for your health.
Strawberry Green Tea
3/4 cup strong brewed green tea, cooled (or 3/4 cup water + 1 teaspoon matcha)
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup strawberries, cut and frozen
Creamy Banana Avocado
1 cup milk
1 avocado, ripe
1 banana
2 dates
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Nutty Banana Blueberry
1 cup almond milk
handful of kale
1 cup blueberry
1 banana
2 dates
1 tablespoon almond butter
Apple Spinach
1 apple
handful of spinach or kale
1/2 inch ginger root
1 cup water or juice
1/2 teaspoon spirulina
Looking for more fun and unusual coffees?
must try
I have to make this coffee smoothies! Great idea, and perfect for morning smoothies. I should get started on brewing coffee now so that I will have coffee ice cubes by tomorrow morning. 😀 Gotta be so good!
Freezing the coffee ahead of time is a great idea!
I love freezing coffee cubes too..great tips!!
Love the coffee smoothie, perfect start to the morning!
I love smoothies and this summer I made quite many! Beautiful combination of flavors!
What fabulous flavour combos! I use turmeric a lot in my cooking but never thought of adding it to a smoothie…a must try for me! But the coffee smoothie first, it looks so good!
I loveeeee coffee!Would love to try that one, Evelyne!
ooh love making smoothies in the morning for breakfast, definitely have to try this recipe. looks delicious.
I love many combinations of flavours here, but that turmeric smoothie is my favourite.
I actually use turmeric as an antinflammatory, so can vouch for how wonderful it is! Taking it in smoothie form would be a yummy alternative!
Damn slurrping delicious smoothies!!!
totally irresistable….
Very clever. I have not though of adding anything to my teas or coffees. Thanks for all the great tips and twists.
If I still drank coffee I’d consider making this for myself.
Bobby and I have been drinking lots of smoothies this summer, more than usual so I’m thrilled to have more ideas! The ultimate coffee smoothie is my favorite and sounds like a good one for tomorrow morning (since I have all of the ingredients :)). So many choices!
These look like the perfect balance of flavour and nutrition! 😀