Author Topic: A healthy smoothie everyday!  (Read 21808 times)

limeandpepper

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A healthy smoothie everyday!
« on: February 11, 2014, 08:13:15 AM »
Since last year I've been pretty dedicated to making healthy smoothies. I aim to make one everyday (usually for breakfast, before I go to work). There have been times when I failed (I do love sleeping in) but I think for the most part I did well. And sometimes, I would make more than one a day, so maybe that makes up for the times I missed!

My smoothies usually involve some fruit, and something of the vegetable, herb, or spice variety (e.g. spinach, mint, ginger). I rarely add anything to sweeten it, the fruit is usually more than enough, but if I do it's just a slight drizzle of something like honey or maple syrup. Sometimes I also add things like unsweetened cocoa powder, and matcha - Japanese green tea powder. Or coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. I also use nuts (usually cashews) or pea protein powder especially if I'm making a smoothie that's an I'm-too-lazy-to-cook meal replacement. My smoothies are usually vegan, but sometimes I use yoghurt, too. As an example, today I had one made with banana, carrot, unsweetened raw cacao powder, coconut oil, water, ice. My repertoire changes from week to week depending on what's cheap and in season.

I love how I feel fresh and energized after having a delicious and healthy smoothie. It's a great way to increase my fruit and vegetable intake. Will you join me?

MissStache

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2014, 11:55:12 AM »
I went through a big smoothie phase a few years ago and I always loved adding a few scoops of dry oatmeal to my smoothies.  It gives them a lot of texture, adds some filler, and I loved the underlying flavor of oatmeal.  It also helped me feel full for a longer time.  Just a tip :)

the fixer

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2014, 12:00:36 PM »
I'm making smoothies as part of my breakfast, but they get rotated in and out so it's not every day, more like every other day. My favorite ingredients:

Coconut milk, banana, frozen berries, some green leafy vegetable (spinach, kale or chard usually), carrots, avocado, and my latest addition: ground cloves! I make a bunch in the food processor, enough for 2-3 servings, and refrigerate it.

Usually it starts to turn brown after about 3 days. Last time, I added a squirt of lime juice and it held its color much longer.

ketchup

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2014, 12:15:36 PM »
I do this pretty often for quick breakfasts.  The base is usually milk, frozen strawberries, either banana or frozen pineapple, and frozen blueberries.  I'll sometimes throw in some greens or whatever fruits/veggies we have extra of lying around.  To make it filling enough, I have found I have to add plenty of extra fat, usually an avocado, cream, yogurt and/or coconut oil.  I'll usually throw in some beef gelatin too to add a little extra protein to the meal.

ohyonghao

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2014, 03:16:44 PM »
Mine seem to be similar to ketchup's.  My base is homemade yogurt, oatmeal, flax seeds, banana, and spinach.  Then I rotate through frozen strawberries, self picked blueberries, self picked raspberries, self cut pineapples (hard to pick them in the Pacific Northwest), oranges, and apples.  Usually these are used in varying combinations every day.  Once in a rare while I add some fruit juice, but we usually don't have any in our house because we prefer coffee and water, mostly water.  A couple times we added some dragon fruit honey which we brought back from Taiwan.

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2014, 04:29:22 PM »
I'm in.  As of right now I probably have a smoothie 2 times a week but I'm going to do it everyday from now on.  Normally we do water, spinach, cucumber, maybe parsley, maybe ginger, whey protein, and some frozen fruit.  Flax seed is another good one to add, but I sometimes forget about it. It's a good pre-workout drink in the morning and only takes a few minutes to prep.

the fixer

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2014, 04:32:53 PM »
I'm in.  As of right now I probably have a smoothie 2 times a week but I'm going to do it everyday from now on.  Normally we do water, spinach, cucumber, maybe parsley, maybe ginger, whey protein, and some frozen fruit.  Flax seed is another good one to add, but I sometimes forget about it. It's a good pre-workout drink in the morning and only takes a few minutes to prep.
Good call on the flax seed, I have a ton of it and have been mixing it into quinoa. I should also "smoothify" it.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2014, 05:23:18 AM »
Thanks for sharing your smoothie concoctions, everyone!

I'm in.  As of right now I probably have a smoothie 2 times a week but I'm going to do it everyday from now on.  Normally we do water, spinach, cucumber, maybe parsley, maybe ginger, whey protein, and some frozen fruit.  Flax seed is another good one to add, but I sometimes forget about it. It's a good pre-workout drink in the morning and only takes a few minutes to prep.

Yay for you coming on board! Very revitalizing ingredients you have in yours. :D  I use spinach regularly, but I should use cucumber, parsley and ginger more often, too, they're so good and refreshing.

nikki

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2014, 05:30:14 AM »
I'm buying a secondhand immersion blender Sunday, and I've seriously never made a smoothie in my life.

I'll keep my eye on this thread for ideas, if you guys are sharing recipes!

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2014, 05:40:45 AM »
I'm buying a secondhand immersion blender Sunday, and I've seriously never made a smoothie in my life.

I'll keep my eye on this thread for ideas, if you guys are sharing recipes!

I love my immersion blender. It's great for soups too.

What are the fruits and vegetables that you can commonly get for cheap in Korea? Happy to give you some ideas surrounding them.

One of my simple favourites is: 1 banana, juice from 1/2 lemon, small handful of baby spinach, some water and ice. Sometimes instead of water I use cold green tea or herbal tea and it's even better.

stripey

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2014, 06:28:37 AM »
I make one most days. Mine don't have mangoes, banannas or milk in them because I dislike the first two and I am lactose intolerant. As I've mostly avoided milk for the majority of my life (figured out dairy not good for me when I was about seven) so the idea of a creamy dairy based smoothie does not appeal, nor does using many of the milk substitutes like soy or rice milk.

I do occasionally make my own yoghurt though (and ferment it quite a bit, so it is firm and sour with minimal lactose- then I can just digest it okay) so I sometimes put a small amount of whey in. (By this I mean actual fresh liquid whey, with all the live bacteria in it still!)

Mine usually have one or two pieces of fruit (apples, pears, pineapple, cucumber, or zucchini), a grate of ginger or lemon/lime rind, and a good handful of leafy greens (when it's not the dead of summer, this usually includes a lot of wild greens). Occasionally a chilli goes in too. Ends up tasting fresh, complex and rich. Occasionally I've chucked half a cup of home-brewed ginger beer in too...

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2014, 06:41:00 AM »
Hey stripey, I usually don't put milk in mine, either, though I sometimes use yoghurt, too. Have you tried making a nut-based smoothie? Basically I whiz up some nuts and water to make a "nut milk", then I add the other ingredients (fruits, vegetables etc) and whiz again.

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2014, 10:01:14 AM »
We (myself, wife, 2 young kids) have been doing smoothies ~5 days/week for the past year+. After much experimenting, I'm set in the following basic recipe (we found that it was too expensive and/or wasteful to use largely varying ingredients):

3-4 Bananas
2-3 cups frozen fruit, partially thawed
unsweetened almond milk (1-2 cups?)
greens
protein

For greens, I'm lazy and don't want anything to go bad, so I use powdered moringa, wheatgrass, or spurilina. If we have spinach or kale I'll use that.
For protein, it's hemp powder or peanut butter. If we do peanut butter, I'll substitute 2-3 apples for the frozen fruit.
As far as fillers, you can easily substitute some cooked oatmeal or a cooked potato for one of the bananas.
The above recipe yields 32-40 ounces. (Sorry about all the english units!)

p.s. - This yields a pretty sweet smoothie, because I'm not a fan of them if it tastes too much like veggies ;-)

stripey

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2014, 03:56:52 PM »
Hey stripey, I usually don't put milk in mine, either, though I sometimes use yoghurt, too. Have you tried making a nut-based smoothie? Basically I whiz up some nuts and water to make a "nut milk", then I add the other ingredients (fruits, vegetables etc) and whiz again.

Hey thanks for the suggestion. I think my issue is I don't like drinks reminding me of milky/creamy which is why I don't use whole yoghurt (I only use whey) any why things like rice milks, soy milks, seed and nut milks do not appeal. I simply meant that I am learning to like things like smoothies for the first time, because they've conventionally used things I find unappealing

nikki

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2014, 04:33:38 PM »
I'm buying a secondhand immersion blender Sunday, and I've seriously never made a smoothie in my life.

I'll keep my eye on this thread for ideas, if you guys are sharing recipes!

I love my immersion blender. It's great for soups too.

What are the fruits and vegetables that you can commonly get for cheap in Korea? Happy to give you some ideas surrounding them.

One of my simple favourites is: 1 banana, juice from 1/2 lemon, small handful of baby spinach, some water and ice. Sometimes instead of water I use cold green tea or herbal tea and it's even better.

Cheap stuff... bananas and spinach do make that list, but I'm not so sure about lemons... I can't even recall seeing lemons O___O  Worth investigating.

Vegetables: Cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, lots of random leafy things I don't even know names of

Fruits: apples aren't cheap, but I buy them regularly :-S  Pineapples are decently priced if I cut them myself (and I can!). Persimmons, when in season. Mandarins, when in season. Grapes (seeded), when in season.

Fruits aren't cheap here. Even frozen fruits tend to be highly priced! It all depends on seasonal availability. Vegetables are much stabler in pricing.

letro

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2014, 06:07:00 PM »
Try a scoop of hemp protein in the smoothies.
Check out movie on Netflix streaming at "sick, fat and nearly dead".
This is about green juice diet and look at  reboot or Joe Cross on internet.

mamagoose

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #16 on: February 13, 2014, 06:35:43 AM »
My husband & I have been having a green smoothie every day Mon-Fri for about the past 4 years, once we found something that worked we kept it and we LOVE it. For a full blender (2 big smoothies), we call this the "mint chocolate chip milkshake" recipe:

-Half a blender of organic fresh spinach
-1/2 cup raw oats
-2 big spoonfuls vanilla rice protein powder
-2 big spoonfuls ground flaxseed
-2 frozen bananas (peeled and frozen previously)
-a splash of mint extract, a little goes a long way
-fill it up with soymilk or almond milk

Sometimes we'll put chocolate chips in it but it doesn't need it. We love this so much and every time we make it for someone else they love it too. It was a huge help when I was pregnant and couldn't stand eating vegetables for the nausea, drinking my spinach first thing in the morning was wonderful.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2014, 10:27:06 AM »
I'm glad you found something that works for you, mamagoose!

Cheap stuff... bananas and spinach do make that list, but I'm not so sure about lemons... I can't even recall seeing lemons O___O  Worth investigating.

Vegetables: Cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, lots of random leafy things I don't even know names of

Fruits: apples aren't cheap, but I buy them regularly :-S  Pineapples are decently priced if I cut them myself (and I can!). Persimmons, when in season. Mandarins, when in season. Grapes (seeded), when in season.

Fruits aren't cheap here. Even frozen fruits tend to be highly priced! It all depends on seasonal availability. Vegetables are much stabler in pricing.

You can do a lot with the things in your list. For a smooth texture, ripe bananas and persimmons will be good for that. Otherwise, plain unsweetened yogurt also gives a smooth texture, not sure if yogurt is cheap for you. For the other fruit and veg you mentioned - cucumber, carrot, pineapple, mandarin, grape - their texture isn't as smooth when blended, so I'd blend them up with one of the smooth-textured ingredients for a good balance. Definitely go with the seasons to keep things economical!

nikki

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #18 on: February 18, 2014, 05:09:02 AM »
I made my first ever smoothie just now. It wasn't amazing, but it was fine. Just spinach, yogurt, a banana, and a scoop of Nesquick I just inherited from a friend. I just put a sliced banana in the freezer to make a chilly one tomorrow. I'll put at least two scoops of Nesquick in tomorrow's ;-)

More flavor is definitely needed, but this is what I have on hand!

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #19 on: February 18, 2014, 05:39:33 AM »
That's a good start, nikki! If it's edible, it's a good enough start ;) and you'll find out what works for you with more tweaking.

I made a big one for dinner last night because I was too lazy to cook after a martial arts class - it had banana, frozen berries, spinach, cocoa powder, pea protein powder, coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil in it.

In other news, stone fruits are still in season here at the moment and they're so delicious in smoothies. I better enjoy more of them while I can!

stripey

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #20 on: February 18, 2014, 08:34:54 AM »
I made my first ever smoothie just now. It wasn't amazing, but it was fine. Just spinach, yogurt, a banana, and a scoop of Nesquick I just inherited from a friend. I just put a sliced banana in the freezer to make a chilly one tomorrow. I'll put at least two scoops of Nesquick in tomorrow's ;-)

More flavor is definitely needed, but this is what I have on hand!

What a lot of people find is that after a while they want more greens... I think the trick is not to push that too quickly, otherwise people won't keep up the habit! Fresh ginger would be available when you are, right? (it's often used in kimchi). A bit of grated ginger may be an alternative flavour to Nesquik.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #21 on: February 20, 2014, 06:07:11 AM »
I had a nice one today with an ingredient combination that I've never tried before: frozen papaya, baby spinach, cocoa powder, carob powder, black sesame powder. So much flavour! :D

NV Teacher

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #22 on: February 20, 2014, 09:18:53 AM »
I make a smoothie every morning and take it to work.  I use water, a low carb yogurt, handful of fresh spinach, frozen fruit, and always a wedge of lemon.  I use a VitaMix that chops everything thing until it is smooth.  Flax seed is a good idea.  I'm going to start adding that too. 

1967mama

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #23 on: February 20, 2014, 11:15:31 AM »
Flax seed blends better if it is ground up first. I received a coffee bean grinder as a gift once but I don't drink coffee, so instead it grinds nuts and seeds up for me beautifully!

ohyonghao

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #24 on: February 20, 2014, 04:52:33 PM »
If you are using a VitaMix, put the flax seeds in first and spin it for a minute to grind them up, then add your other ingredients, I also add oats at the same time as the flax seeds.  No need for a coffee grinder to do it.  Any other mixer, your mileage may vary.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #25 on: February 21, 2014, 04:28:21 AM »
Today's smoothies:

- Cantaloupe, cashews, lettuce, water, ice
- Banana, frozen berries, lime juice, lettuce, ginger, water, ice, extra virgin olive oil

Pell mell

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #26 on: February 23, 2014, 08:29:42 AM »
Wow, you guys are fearless about adding veggies to your smoothies.

Every day: bananas, fresh or frozen fruit, water, sometimes coconut milk.

Unadventurous I see! I don't know how I can exchange my nice, sweet drink for a healthy green thing though. I bought spirulina but it's in my cupboard because it grossed up my yum smoothie. Good idea about the ground flax seeds. I can manage that.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #27 on: February 23, 2014, 06:44:58 PM »
Wow, you guys are fearless about adding veggies to your smoothies.

Every day: bananas, fresh or frozen fruit, water, sometimes coconut milk.

Unadventurous I see! I don't know how I can exchange my nice, sweet drink for a healthy green thing though. I bought spirulina but it's in my cupboard because it grossed up my yum smoothie. Good idea about the ground flax seeds. I can manage that.

Spirulina has a much stronger taste, and it's not for everyone. Likewise, there are some vegetables I would add with caution, or avoid entirely in smoothies, because their flavour would be too intrusive.

However, a small handful of baby spinach or lettuce won't change the taste of your smoothie. Try a little bit first, even just one leaf, then you'll realize it's not that scary, and you can add more gradually to build up your courage. Go on! :D

Pell mell

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #28 on: February 24, 2014, 02:49:48 PM »
Thanks. I'll try some spinach.  I'm wondering if starting the day with a sweet taste may be setting up my taste buds to want more sweetness throughout the day.  And I'm trying to cut down on the sugar.  So gradually adding more veggies to the smoothie may be just the thing.

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #29 on: February 24, 2014, 06:54:09 PM »
This morning was blueberry, whey protein, half a banana, almond milk and a splash of kefir.  I don't have them every day, but smoothies are helping me with the eat all the food in your house challenge.

Starting out small with some spinach is a good way to get greens into your smoothies.  You might try drinking out of an opaque container too, if visuals bother you.  The colors can get pretty funky.

ashley

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #30 on: February 26, 2014, 10:08:01 PM »
It may sound weird, but my favorite smoothie ingredient is butternut squash. I will roast a squash whole, scoop out the flesh with an ice cream scoop, and freeze on a baking sheet. When the squash is frozen, toss the scoops into a freezer bag and use a smoothie base. It tastes like pumpkin pie if you add the appropriate spices and sweetener (I use stevia).

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #31 on: February 27, 2014, 01:29:40 AM »
That sounds good, ashley! I haven't tried using butternut squash, but I can imagine how it could totally taste like pumpkin pie.

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #32 on: February 27, 2014, 06:22:00 AM »
My personal favourite smoothie recipe:

2 - large avocados
2 - Scoops protein powder
2 - heaping tablespoons cocoa powder
   - milk

This will keep you full for quite a while and works great after a hard morning workout to get through to lunch.  When mixed properly it's about the consistency of pudding, but much more delicious.  I've modified the recipe by adding scoops of peanut butter or oatmeal, but it seems to be best as is.

EDIT - I'm a big guy and get a lot of exercise . . . if you're a sedentary waif I would recommend consuming only half a shake at a time.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2014, 06:24:13 AM by GuitarStv »

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #33 on: February 27, 2014, 07:54:08 AM »
Oh I like that one, too, GuitarStv! Except I don't add protein powder to mine, and I add honey or maple syrup etc. to sweeten it a little, as I use pure cocoa powder. Also I blend it with ice and sometimes, a little coffee for a mocha taste.

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #34 on: February 28, 2014, 06:25:23 AM »
Raw eggs. With all the other stuff you're blending, you won't notice the taste.

 . . . or the salmonella.

horsepoor

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #35 on: February 28, 2014, 09:12:53 AM »
I unearthed a bag of cherries that were hiding in the freezer, so this morning was banana, cherry, almond butter, protein powder and plain kefir. 

The chickens are inundating us with eggs again, so I may need to start adding them to smoothies.  They are easy to pasteurize if safety is a concern.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #36 on: March 06, 2014, 05:30:39 PM »
A friend has suggested using raw eggs in smoothies to me before, though I'm yet to try it. I do feel a bit uncomfortable with raw eggs, though I shouldn't be - I've had raw fish, raw shrimp, raw beef and raw lamb in assorted cuisines...

stripey

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #37 on: March 12, 2014, 06:30:04 AM »
I understand you're much less likely to get something like Salmonella from your own chicken's eggs than store bought (well, that's what I remember being told at the egg processing plant)

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #38 on: March 14, 2014, 09:08:10 PM »
So far I've been making smoothies everyday, since starting this thread. Today I made two, the first was a papaya smoothie similar to the one I have mentioned earlier in the thread, now I'm enjoying one that's made with frozen raspberries, unsweetened greek yoghurt, mixed salad greens, coconut oil, dash of honey. So tangy, so good.

happy

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #39 on: March 14, 2014, 09:51:05 PM »
Ok, I'm gonna give this a go. I made a couple in the last week: parsley/grapes/H2o. Challenging but not toooo bad. So I need to find some recipes. I used a thunderstick…will this be adequate? Liked the nut idea: will this work with unbalanced almonds?

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #40 on: March 14, 2014, 10:03:23 PM »
I've found hand blenders to be great for most smoothies, but when I use nuts I prefer to use a traditional blender, because I find that the nuts can really fly and splatter around - though, that may not be so much of an issue if you have a suitable blending cup of the right size and shape to prevent this, which I don't. It may also depend on how powerful your blender is. I've never tried almonds though, only cashews, which I think are softer and easier to blend.

happy

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #41 on: March 15, 2014, 05:25:06 AM »
Quote
will this work with unbalanced almonds?

Lol @ "unbalanced almonds"
Unblanched, you stupid auto correcter, thats what I typed. This thing is giving me grief ATM

Caoineag

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #42 on: March 15, 2014, 08:58:18 AM »
Not interested in doing it everyday, but M-F we have been fairly faithful. For us, its a little milk, a decent scoop of plain greek yogurt, spinach or kale or both, some frozen fruit and usually a banana. The frozen fruit is whatever we buy fresh and process ourselves. My favorite versions include mangoes and papaya.

ohyonghao

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #43 on: March 18, 2014, 03:29:41 PM »
Not interested in doing it everyday, but M-F we have been fairly faithful. For us, its a little milk, a decent scoop of plain greek yogurt, spinach or kale or both, some frozen fruit and usually a banana. The frozen fruit is whatever we buy fresh and process ourselves. My favorite versions include mangoes and papaya.
Yeah, when I say every day I mean M-F.  A lot of times on the weekends we skip breakfast mostly due to sleeping in.  Once in awhile we also miss a day because I slept in and had to rush off to work, but this month I'm working on sleep and it's been better.  Today I woke up and had so much time on my hands I didn't know what to do other than stay in bed and cuddle, which feels much better than forcing myself to get up and rush out the door because I stayed up late.

limeandpepper

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #44 on: March 19, 2014, 05:21:46 AM »
Just got home at 10pm after martial arts class, too lazy to cook, made a giant smoothie with: papaya, orange, unsweetened Greek yoghurt, unsweetened raw cacao powder, roasted carob powder, black sesame powder, protein powder, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil.

wealthviahealth

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #45 on: March 29, 2014, 03:07:33 PM »
When mixed with a banana and orange juice, I can never taste the added carrots or spinach in the shakes I make.

My favorite is; Banana, orange juice, frozen blueberries, vanilla protein powder ( vitacost brand link in signature) spinach and a few carrots.
This is a very filling and affordable shake and I find that I have very stable energy after it. Tastes great too!

bikebum

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #46 on: March 29, 2014, 03:19:44 PM »
Raw eggs. With all the other stuff you're blending, you won't notice the taste.

 . . . or the salmonella.

I put raw eggs in my smoothies all the time, even store bought ones. I'll come back and let you guys know if I ever get sick from it. The eggs give a nice consistency.

My favorite smoothie has plain yogurt, frozen bananas, almond butter, chocolate powder, raw eggs, flax meal, chile powder, and a little water so it will blend. I often have one for lunch; it's pretty filling.

LanceBurkhart

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #47 on: April 01, 2014, 04:37:36 PM »
I used to make smoothies every day, but my blood pressure and weight shot up from all the sugar. I was adding a half banana, handful of berries, and sometimes some maple syrup.

After some experimenting, I figured out I just can't handle that much simple sugar. I replaced the smoothie with a salad with egg, tuna, cheese and a healthy dollup of olive oil and vinegar dressing. I also replaced breakfast cereal with an egg and spinach scramble, and stopped eating bread. In a few weeks I lost 15 lbs and my BP went from high to low normal.  A year later, same weight, same BP.

YMMV.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2014, 04:39:52 PM by LanceBurkhart »

Norrie

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #48 on: April 01, 2014, 06:58:03 PM »
I had them daily for breakfast for years, but then I poor old blender took a bit of a nose dive and we got out of the habit of making them. After spending $8 for someone else to make me a smoothie a couple of times over the past few weeks, I'm going to start looking into a new blender.

My favorite (non-green) smoothie is:

1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2 cup frozen peaches or mango
1 banana
couple of tablespoons cashew butter
splash of orange juice


I'm not a fan of dairy or even non-dairy options, so no milks or yogurts for me. I'd sometimes add a rice-based protein powder, but it's fairly expensive, so we don't always keep it around.
I will say that now that I've found some green smoothies that I like, I really get the attraction. The first few I tried were really bad, and I couldn't imagine how people were choking them down. Now I get it.

happy

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Re: A healthy smoothie everyday!
« Reply #49 on: April 07, 2014, 03:04:58 AM »
Only some intermittent progress to report.

Tried grapes and parsley , um a bit too interesting.

We have home grown watermelon ATM, so a nice smoothie is watermelon, frozen blueberries and some greek yoghurt. Had a run of those. Will start again when we cut the next melon