reciPeas & musings

Nothing like blogging on the last day of the year, eh? I know winter isn’t typically smoothie time for most people, but really… smoothies are always a great idea. My friend posted on my facebook wall this morning about searching my blog for smoothie recipes and in searching my own blog, I realized that was probably a difficult task. I decided it would be helpful to make one solid post about smoothies that I enjoy, that will also hopefully give others new smoothie ideas. It’s easy to get stuck in a smoothie rut. Plus, I really wanted a smoothie…

These are some tried and true methods for building smoothies that I (as well as my boyfriend) adore. Many of my smoothie-building tricks came originally from sweettaterblog.com, so I though I’d just go ahead and give that awesome cat lady (caaats!) a shout out.

First: your blending device. I like my Magic Bullet, but I don’t think I’ll buy another. I hope to get a decent blender when this one bites the dust that can make more than one smoothie at a time (or just make one monster smoothie for myself). That said, this little thing has truly been a trooper.

Ingredients:

1. Fruit. You’ll need fruit, right? I’m assuming you’ll use fruit. I always keep peeled, cut, and frozen bananas at the ready. These serve as my main fruit in every smoothie I make. I’m not exaggerating, either; bananas provide a great base and a creamy texture perfect for just about any smoothie flavor  you desire. Every smoothie. Always. Yum. I also play around with what other fruit I like to use. I usually have a frozen fruit blend and a bag of frozen strawberries that I pick from, but sometimes I’ll just use banana. Other times I’ll use frozen berries or grapes or other fun fruits, but only when I’m feeling special.
2. Liquid. I’m not a fan of fruit juice in smoothies but it’s not something I’m opposed to. So go get you some orange juice if that’s what excites you. Typically I use original Almond milk. I don’t really like soy milk in smoothies (and I don’t really buy it anymore, anyway), and I’ve tried and just don’t love the taste of cow’s milk in smoothies. It’s not bad, but it just doesn’t add anything to the smoothie for me.
3. Fat. If you’re looking for a quick refreshing drink, fruit and liquid is all you really need. However, if you’re going for something with substance that will keep you full for a few hours (or really just past 30 minutes), you’ll need fat. Just a fact of life (I know, I’m so full of it today). Fat for me typically involves peanut butter of any sort. However, if you’re not feeling a peanut butter – flavored smoothie, try Greek full-fat yogurt (or 2%). Yes, I’m still tooting that full-fat Greek yogurt horn like it’s my job. That stuff is delicious. And don’t tell me you can’t eat fat because you’re on a diet or that you only like nonfat yogurt—those are lies. You don’t like that yogurt. Yoplait? Dannon? Come on. Look at those ingredients and then try to keep pretending that stuff is at all a health food. It’s dessert (I hope my Jedi mind tricks are working…). Another of my favorite fats to use in smoothies is coconut. I love blending in coconut butter, or later drizzling on coconut oil when I eat the smoothie out of a bowl. These latter two items tend to get pretty pricey (I currently don’t have either in the house), but if you have a decent blender you could blend in shredded unsweetened coconut (very inexpensive) or just make your own in a food processor. Way cheaper.
4. Substance. Usually when I’m making a smoothie to serve as a meal I add a couple tablespoons of uncooked oatmeal, wheat germ, or ground flax. Aside from thickening up smoothies and giving you more sustenance, ground flax also has the added benefit of those elusive omega 3’s. However, it sticks to the inside of my Magic Bullet so sometimes when I’m feeling resentful of that side effect, I skip it.
5. Flavor. I tend to add a little bit of vanilla extract in my smoothies as a rule. Sometimes I’ll also use almond extract or mint extract when I’m feeling creative. When I use peanut butter I’ll typically put in a big ole’ tablespoon full of cocoa powder, and thanks to Sweet Tater, I also now love adding a sprinkle or 5 of cinnamon. Really it’s fun to just play around and see what you like.
6. Greens. For the love of Popeye, try some spinach in that smoothie. Frozen is now the way to go for me, because fresh spinach typically finds its way into the compost bin a little quicker than I’d like to admit, and because it also makes my smoothies a little bit sludgy. I’ve also found that using frozen spinach pretty much eliminates any need for ice, which is lovely because 1. my Magic Bullet can’t ever fit any ice after all those other ingredients I’ve added and 2. because Magic Bullet sounds like a dying hyena when it tries to grind ice and it scares the cats (and the boyfriend) and 3. because I don’t like very very cold drinks or foods, anyway. Besides ice cream, that is. I will repeat for the millionth time on this blog and other green smoothie-loving blogs that spinach, especially frozen, in no way impacts the taste of the smoothie. It makes it a weird color, sure, but neon orange yogurt isn’t natural. Just a thought.
7. Sweetener. I no longer add sweetener because I’ve begun to just enjoy the sweetness of banana (another banana-benefit) and the original almond milk that I buy. When I did use sweetener I would use honey or agave nectar (I get this for cheap at TJ Maxx), but whatever you use is up to you. I won’t even start with chemical sweeteners like Sucralose or Aspartame. Just… meh. Skip ‘em.
8. Toppings! Granola, uncooked oats, chocolate chips, fruit (fresh or dried), cereal, nuts or seeds, coconut, and so on.

I think that about does it. Here are some recipe ideas for 1 person:

• Honey Banana Oatmeal: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP old fashioned oats, some frozen spinach, splash of vanilla extract, drizzle of honey, tablespoon or two of Greek yogurt.
• Chocolate PB: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP ground flax or oatmeal, some frozen spinach, splash of vanilla extract, 1 TBSP peanut butter, 1 TBSP cocoa powder. (topped with chocolate chips for dessert)

• PB & J: 1/2 frozen banana, a few frozen strawberries, 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP oatmeal, some frozen spinach, splash of vanilla extract, 1 TBSP peanut butter.
• Tropical: 1/2 frozen banana, some frozen pineapple and mango chunks, 1 cup almond milk, 1 TBSP ground flax, some frozen spinach, 1 TBSP Greek yogurt. (topped with blueberries, peach, granola, coconut oil)

• PB & Cinnamon: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP oatmeal, some frozen spinach, splash of almond extract, TBSP of Greek yogurt, generous sprinkle of cinnamon.
• Berry Pie: 1/2 frozen banana, handful of frozen berries (I love blueberries in smoothies), 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP oatmeal, some frozen spinach, splash of vanilla and almond extract, TBSP of Greek yogurt. (Could use other fruit, like peach or cherry, for this “pie” type as well).

• Pumpkin Pie: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP oatmeal, 2 TBSP canned pumpkin, vanilla and almond extract, generous sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, TBSP of Greek yogurt.

• Chocolate Cherry: 1/2 frozen banana, some frozen or fresh cherries, 1 cup almond milk, 2 TBSP flax/oatmeal, some frozen spinach, vanilla and almond extract, TBSP of cocoa powder, TBSP of Greek yogurt.

That’s probably enough to get the smoothie juices flowing. Of course you could sub in other fats like coconut; coconut oil drizzled on top of a smoothie in a bowl is good on ALL of these, really. There are also fun cake batter smoothie and minty green smoothie recipes out there, just play around with the flavors or do some good old fashioned Googling. Never fails.

Happy New Year, everyone! Chris and I are just staying in tonight, I think… wine and beer are on the menu (this Highlands Thunderstruck Coffee Porter is very very good…). Hope everyone is safe and having a wonderful New Year’s Eve! See you all in 2012!

(If anyone has any other smoothie ideas, please leave them below!)