The Formula for How to Make a Great Smoothie
Have you been putting off drinking smoothies because you either can't find one you like or you are overwhelmed by the millions of recipes and can't choose one to try?
In honor of National Smoothie Day, which happens to be TODAY, I am so excited to share my secret technique soon-to-be-famous formula for how to make a great smoothie. I've seen many infographics on how to build a smoothie and have been disappointed on how general and vague they are with guidance. This article takes smoothie making one step further and gives you a foolproof formula for building your very own great tasting healthy smoothie.
Now, let's get excited about smoothies... (watch this short video)...
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Doesn't that smoothie look super energizing and vibrant? (That's the way you feel after drinking it as well!)
First, you must declare your 'smoothie mood'
I like to think of most smoothies falling into 4 main flavor categories.
Green & Clean: These smoothies tend to be more "green" in flavor, sometimes a slightly bitter, sometimes tangy, sometimes a little tart but usually not too sweet. I prefer my green & clean smoothies to be more of a cleansing type of smoothie and one that I definitely get plenty of veggie servings with!
Chocoholic: Where my chocolate lovers at?? If you are in the mood for chocolate, choose this category. Nuff said.
Sumpin' Sweet: Choose this category if you have notions of being healthy but aren't quite feeling full on detox mode. You just want something to satisfy your sweet craving while still getting some healthy greens in your body.
Nutty & Creamy: I think the category flavor speaks for itself, but just to be clear, choose this category if you like things like "banana-nut muffins" or "cinnamon nut bread" or "vanilla almond butter cookies". Now you can have your nutty and creamy flavor without all the guilt! Stealth health can be fun sometimes...
Second, choose your ingredients
Oh, but first, I think this is when I must declare my super critical thresholds that every smoothie must meet in order to be considered great. I've seen thousands of smoothie recipes out there and I have to gasp at some. You might as well order a milkshake rather than drink some of these nutrient-devoid, sugar-laden blended concoctions I see being touted as "healthy smoothies".
I expect every smoothie I make (or recommend) to:
Taste great! Who is going to suck down horrible tasting slop? Blegh. No thanks, there is too much good food in this world to waste my time sucking down something only because "it's good for you".
Contain low amounts of sugar. This is why I am pretty strict about giving my recommendations on limits of fruit, fruit juice, and sweeteners. We all know why sugar is bad for us now, the hard part is limiting it, especially when you are blending up a bunch of fruit. The sugar, even though it is natural, can add up pretty fast! (see infographic below)
Nourish the body. I can't think of an easier, more delicious way to pack high amounts of nutrition into your body in one sitting. I require that all of my smoothies have at least 1 cup of leafy greens (that isn't that much). You can still have great tasting smoothies with veggies. I also recommend a lot of "Power Ups" that you can add to your smoothies for extra nutrition and health benefits. (yes, I got that term from Mario Brothers... #momofboys )
Leave you feeling better than before! The whole point of a smoothie is to make you feel more energetic, vibrant, clear-headed, satisfied, and well....kind of like you sparkle. Just kidding. You get the point. Some people feel this way immediately, others, it takes a few days of daily smoothies.
Now you understand a little bit more about why I've included certain ingredients and serving sizes in my list of recommendations.
So what did you end up choosing for your "smoothie mood"? Are you aiming for Green & Clean or are you desperate for something Chocoholic? Perhaps you just want Sumpin' Sweet or you have a craving for Nutty & Creamy? Guess what...they are all winners! You can't go wrong.
Now look at the graphic below and follow the color of your chosen "mood". Choose ingredients that appeal to you in the quantities recommended.
For example...
Let's say that I was in the Chocoholic mood. I would choose the following:
1 cup chocolate almond milk + 1 cup banana + 1 cup spinach + 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder + 2 Tbsp almond butter + dash of sea salt + 1 scoop collagen
But tomorrow I'm in quite a different mood and I feel the need to cleanse a bit so I choose the Green & Clean smoothie mood. I might choose the following combination of ingredients:
1 cup coconut water + 1 cup apple + 1 cup kale + 1/2 cup cucumber + 1 lemon + 1-inch piece of ginger + 1/2 tsp spirulina + 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
Does that all make sense? It might be a little confusing at first but give it a try. Once you start making smoothies more and more you will be a smoothie pro and won't need this little cheat sheet anymore. (But let's keep our lunch dates!)
Power-Ups
The "Power-Ups" at the bottom of the chart go well with any of the 4 "smoothie moods". You can use one of them, none of them, or all of them! They don't change the flavor all that much, and some you can't taste at all. But they all offer great health benefits, so consider adding them from time to time (or every time!)
My favorite Power Up that I add to every smoothie is Vital Proteins collagen peptides* (or buy on Amazon) which helps my skin stay young and glowing!! *Vital Proteins offers a better price when you subscribe!
Third, the trick to assembly
Now that you have chosen and prepared all of the ingredients for your perfect smoothie you will need a great blender. I won't beat around the bush here. The cheap blenders won't cut it. Literally, pun intended. You will have chunks in your smoothie. No one likes chunks.
Invest in a blender
You're going to want to invest in a super-high quality blender at some point if you haven't already. It seriously changes smoothies forever...in a good way. This is the one we use. (Or buy on Amazon). (These are affiliate links - thanks for your support!)
My husband and I gifted ourselves a Vitamix (this exact model) for our anniversary about 6 years ago and it was the best thing ever! We use it every day and our health has never been better.
Order of importance when blending
There is a way to blend better. The trick is to put in your liquids first. Then add your veggies and fruit (putting the leafy greens in last). At this point, I like to give the contents of my blender a quick whirl for about 30-60 seconds. I find this makes the final blend so much easier.
Next, you add all of your ingredients to "Flavor It" and any Power-Ups. At this point, you can blend it all together on high speed for about 2-3 minutes.
Thin vs Thick
We don't all drink our coffee the same way, why would we all like the same type of smoothie? We don't. Some people like super thick consistencies and others like it thin, almost like a juice. But how do you achieve your preferred consistency?
After you have followed the recommendations I listed previously for quantities and ingredients you will have a much better idea of what you like and what you want to change...
For thicker smoothies: consider substituting ½ cup of the liquid for either ½ cup of Greek yogurt or 1 cup of ice cubes. You can also try adding half of an avocado to make your smoothie feel thicker and creamier.
For thinner smoothies: simply add more of your chosen liquid, or water, to get the desired texture. Just add a little bit at a time. This isn't something you can really "undo".
Sweeten things up a bit
Are you trying to wean yourself off of sugar and sweet things? That is awesome! But you don't have to go cold turkey. The goal here is to enjoy your smoothie, not feel like you are choking it down.
There are healthier ways to sweeten a smoothie. Let's start there. You can add less and less of the sweeteners as your taste buds adjust to less sugar and sweetness in your diet.
Optional Add-ins to sweeten things up:
1-3 tsp maple syrup
1-3 tsp raw honey
1-3 medjool dates
1/2 banana
1-2 figs
Cold vs very cold
This might be one of the most important aspects of tweaking your smoothie, in my opinion. I just can't drink super cold smoothies with lots of frozen stuff and/or ice. Some people love smoothies like that! You've got to figure that one out for yourself.
To make a smoothie very cold: add ice cubes and use more frozen fruits and veggies. You may need to add more liquid when using a lot of frozen stuff.
To make a smoothie less cold: use mostly fresh ingredients, don't add any ice, and add a little bit of hot water instead of using all cold water. For me, this was the best discovery. I use ½ cup cold water and ½ cup hot water! If I need to use a lot of frozen produce, I just add all hot water.
Find the temperature smoothie that fits your style best. This also might change seasonally. You may prefer colder smoothies in the summer and less cold smoothies in the winter.
Final Tips for making a great smoothie:
Remember, the order of addition of ingredients to the blender does matter.
Cut your large fruits and veggies into inch size pieces to make blending easier.
Varying textures of ingredients works well. Mix up your ingredients to include both leafy greens and firm produce.
If you find that greens make your smoothies too bitter, try using baby greens instead. Mature greens tend to have a more bitter flavor.
Freeze extra fruit and produce in your fridge that will go bad before you can use! This works really well for so many fruits and veggies.
Bananas: peel and cut into inch-size pieces before freezing in Ziploc bags.
Avocados can be frozen too! Half them, peel them, pit them, rub them with a little lemon juice and shrink wrap them with clingy plastic wrap. Put these in a Ziploc and try to get all the air out. Freeze and enjoy in smoothies for months and months!
We buy organic berries in bulk when they are on sale and freeze them. (saves a little money)
If you are using frozen leafy greens (spinach, kale, collards) instead of fresh, reduce the amount to about half to three quarters of a cup instead of a full cup.
When using nut milk, buy the unsweetened nut milks to reduce your sugar intake.
A little bit of inspiration to get you started
You now have all the tools and advice you need to formulate and blend a great smoothie that will kick up your energy and leave you feeling like Superwoman.
But if you are still pondering what to choose and combine out of all these amazing ingredients, let me give you a few examples to try out. Just sign up here to get a free printout of 8 healthy smoothie recipes using the techniques outlined in this article. (You can also be the first to hear about exclusive offers and also get word when new blog posts are published.)
Sign-up for 8 Free Healthy Smoothie Recipes to get you started!
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(if you are already a subscriber you can get free access to this resource in the FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY)
A final word...
Smoothies can be one of the easiest ways to include lots of nutrients into your day in an easy and delicious way. There are so many variations that you really have no excuse not to find something that you like. I have given you the ultimate smoothie how-to toolkit for you to either get started or amp up your smoothie game.
If you don't have a lot of time during the day to make a smoothie then bath make your smoothies. Make double one day and split it into two days worth of smoothies to save you time at least every other day. You can also prep the smoothie the night before if mornings are crazy.
Smoothies are great for you and for the whole family. They can be taken on-the-go or sipped at home. They can be made in batches to save time and can even be frozen into popsicles (kids love this!)
Smoothies have changed people's lives. I'm not kidding. There are thousands, if not millions, of testimonials out there claiming how a daily smoothie habit has changed people's health status in amazing ways. I attribute this to smoothies increasing people's nutritional intake, helping them stay better hydrated, and also cutting down on the crap food they are eating. (When you are sipping a smoothie it's really hard to also down a massive hamburger and milkshake.)
Bottom line is why not give it a try? Summer is the perfect time to dive into a daily or weekly smoothie habit! Please comment below with your favorite smoothie recipe!!
Cheers,
For more great smoothie recipes on the blog read:
