Healthy Is As Healthy Does Smoothie Recipes

[Lynn18]

So this is the month (January) that all the ads show fitness wear/gear/foods. And organizing.

As a nod to the healthy foods..how do we feel about smoothies?

I'm on Winter Break right now and my eating (as you can tell from previous threads) hasn't been all that. Today I made a green smoothie and boy, it tastes great. I usually drink one for lunch every day at work, but I've been off them since before Christmas. Also? My Headship had hernia surgery on Monday and I figured a nice, green smoothie would help "move" things along...if you get my drift.

Today's smoothie?

1 1/2 bananas, 3 peeled oranges, 2 limes (just the juice), 1 cup frozen mango, and a Naked Green Smoothie drink. Blend all that up in the Ninja and it's quite refreshing.

[Grimalkin]

I just throw whatever I have in mine. right now its spinach, parsley, romain, apples and ginger. Not as sweet as my usual. I am out of my frozen fruits. My latest fave is a bagged mix of peaches, mango, pineapple, and strawberry.

[princessmahina]

I like smoothies, but I haven't really been able to get into the green ones. I don't know what's holding me back- at some point, though, I'm going to try one of "Oh She Glows" green monsters.

[Lynn18]

You really can't taste the spinach. My go-to is:

Frozen mango

Banana

Plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Almond or cashew milk

Spinach

It turns bright green (as do other things), but tastes like banana and mango!

[Ofglen]

Ooh!! I love green smoothies!! My go to recipe is super basic. 

Tart cherry juice 

frozen pineapples (my favorite fruit in smoothies!)

frozen peaches (second favorite for smoothies!)

frozen blueberries

frozen strawberries (if i have any)

a whole lotta frozen kale (or spinach, or whatever you want)

banana is an optional addition, and you can also switch out yogurt (greek or regular) for the tart cherry juice

Edit: in my experience, spinach can be tasted more than kale in green smoothies, so if you're looking to avoid tasting your greens, go with kale. Also, avoid the blueberries if you want it to actually be green. 

[iweartanktops]

I never avoid the blueberries! 

I like to have almond milk and Vega protein powder (chocolate) in my shakes! 

[OldFadedStar]

I totally add spinach to my smoothies. Heck sometimes I'll do just a protein shake, water, ice and spinach in order to get more greens into my system. Can't even taste the spinach.

[Aurora rising]

I used to drink a smoothie a day last year and I felt phantastic afterwards. The only thing: My stomach couldn´t take it anymore and I was horrible sick after the last smoothies (I spare you the details). If I eat all the stuff as raw food - no problem. Blending it togehter? Not so much...

[Geechee Girl]

I juice more than make smoothies. I'm big on kale, spinach, celery, cukes, apples, lemons & ginger. Sometimes I switch out the apples for pineapple.

My favorite smoothie is yogurt, frozen banana, walnuts or pecans, peanut butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract. It tastes like frozen banana nut bread.

[LadyCrow1313]

On ‎1‎/‎8‎/‎2016 at 9:27 PM, iweartanktops6 said:

I never avoid the blueberries! 

I like to have almond milk and Vega protein powder (chocolate) in my shakes! 

I've been looking to try the Vega powder, but I like to do research beforehand. Does it taste good only in smoothies, or mixed in almond milk too? Or is it nasty tasting on its own?

[iweartanktops]

Just now, LadyCrow1313 said:

I've been looking to try the Vega powder, but I like to do research beforehand. Does it taste good only in smoothies, or mixed in almond milk too? Or is it nasty tasting on its own?

It's so good! I drink the chocolate flavor. It's great with only almond milk, or in smoothies. I HIGHLY recommend it!  I'm pretty picky, so I'll be surprised if you don't like it. Most places that sell it also sell individual packets, so you can try it, too. Let me know what you think! 

[iweartanktops]

@LadyCrow1313

Also, I like how there are so many healthy nutrients with little sugar. And you can really bulk it up to gain weight if you need to, or use it for dieting or just as part of your regular diet. As you can probably tell, I am a total fan of Vega nutrition! I've been using it for years. I wish I enjoyed their bars more. 

[LadyCrow1313]

I've been trying to cut back on sugars (not 100% successful or perfect as of yet, but taking baby steps), so I've been drinking unsweetened almond milk for quite some time now. I like it much better than the regularly-sweetened kind.

It's amazing how much sugar is things, even when you least expect it. I've been learning how super important it is to check labels when shopping; not just for salt, but sugar & other crap too.

[19 cats and counting]

My go to smoothie

frozen spinach
kale
mint (from the garden)
mixed fruit blend (frozen blend that includes mango, strawberry, pineapple, and peach).

I don't like banana mixed with anything (and truthfully I only eat fresh bananas if the skin is still green, the flavor changes when ripe).  So I have experimented with various fruits to find something sweet enough without banana.  (Unfortunately this eliminated 90% of recipes for me). 

I also don't put any additives in my smoothies.  No powders, yogurt, nut milks (which I don't do), etc.  Just water and produce.

Another one I tried had the same greens (dried mint in the winter) but used orange, pear, and blueberries.  

[ShebrewDefrauder]

I am a huge fan of smoothies, to the point where I got a Vitamix blender so I could make really good ones (amongst the million other things you can make with one of those things) so I'll chip in here with a few of my favorite combos. Most fruits I use are frozen, but fresh will work fine if you use a little more ice. I usually just eye the amounts of everything. 

Island smoothie: Mango, pineapple, coconut milk, ice, big handful of greens (I usually use spinach or kale, but I'll throw any leafy green in if it's all that's around)

Island smoothie 2: passionfruit nectar or fresh passionfruit (I try to use fresh), orange, pineapple, 1/2 banana, ice, handful of greens

Strawberry kiwi: strawberries, 1 kiwi, a little bit of juice of your choice (pineapple, orange, apple work well), ice, handful of greens

PB+J smoothie: frozen berry mix, milk of choice (I use dairy free milks like almond or coconut), handful of greens, 2 tablespoons PB2, ice

Purple rain smoothie: frozen blueberry and blackberry mix, blackcurrant nectar, heaping spoonful or two of greek yogurt, handful of greens, 1/2 banana if you want to, ice

Hope you all like them if you end up trying any of these!

[anniebgood]

I'm a smoothie virgin. I had my first one last week in my office management class. The student did her powerpoint presentation on it. Lots of fruit, lemon juice, lemon rind, spinach,greek yogurt, apples, pineapple, mango, and coconut water with pulp. It really didn't taste much like anything, but it was kind of hard to get over the chewiness. My type of smoothies were the kind you got at Orange Julius. The dried egg whites made them zingy. 

Have to say I'm not a fan.