How to Make Smoothies

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Tags: how to make a smoothie, how to make smoothies

For those who are just getting started, here are some tips on how to make smoothies at home.

You don’t need an expensive blender – I have tested 12-15 different types of smoothie blenders, including a Blendtec, and although some of the less expensive smoothie blenders and smoothie mixers do not work very well, my
Oster 12-Speed Osterizer Blender with Glass Jar does the trick very nicely. This blender sells between $50-60. It actually beats my $400 Blendtec for smoothies. I prefer the glass jars as they seem to be more sturdy, easy to clean, and the blenders seem to work better.

Smoothie Blenders don't have to be expensiveSmoothie Blenders don't have to be expensive, but you do need to get a good quality smoothie mixer or smoothie blender in order to avoid ice or fruit chunks.

Begin with fruits and / or vegetables that you enjoy. Favorite smoothies are made with strawberries, raspberries, bananas, pears, apples, blueberries, mangoes, and other fruits. You don’t need to make it fancy or include all of the fruits, just the ones you like and mix and match them.

Many people will add protein powder or low-fat yogurt to their smoothies, or even ice cream (but that adds a lot of calories as well as sugar to your smoothie.) Smoothies can help you lose weight, have more energy and are a great meal replacement.

Wash your fruit well, peal bananas, and remove hard skins. You may wish to leave the skin on peaches or pears – there is no problem with doing this, just make sure you wash them well – and remove the seed/pits inside.

Most blenders do better if you cut the fruit up a bit before blending, and if you are using any frozen fruits, make sure to add enough liquid for your smoothie blender to liquify everything well.

Place all of your ingredients in the smoothie blender, add ice and liquid (water, milk, orange juice, apple juice or other liquid) and blend. It’s really not hard learning how to make smoothies at home, and can be quite fun. Just experiment a little. Fruit combinations can be really enjoyable and you can even add a bit of honey, sugar, or other sweetener if your fruit is too tart. Using fresh fruits in season do create better flavored smoothies, but frozen fruits work as well.

Learn how to make smoothies at home and save money.

Here is a strawberry vanilla smoothie I made today (I took a photo with my iPhone to share with you – and added just a little embellishing to make it look great!):

Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie

1 cup fresh strawberries
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup raspberries, blueberries
1 cup orange juice
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 tsp pure vanilla flavoring
2 cups ice
1 cup water

I put everything in my blender, and let it run. Delicious, refreshing, and very low in calories. I calculated that each serving is between 180-200 calories (depending on the protein powder.) This recipe makes 2-3 servings.

Take some time to learn how to make smoothies at home, and lose weight, feel better, save money and know you are adding nutrients to your diet.

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Hi all — this is an unusual post for me — as I typically focus my blog posts on the topic at hand – Smoothies and Smoothie Recipes. But once in a while I feel that it’s appropriate for me to reach out and see if I can recruit some help for someone in need. That is the purpose of this post.

I have an amazing niece. She’s beautiful and talented – and yet she doesn’t seem aware of all of that – she is much more focused on serving others, including people and making people feel accepted. She is going to go to Thailand this summer to teach English and volunteer to help where needed. But she’s a poor college student and is trying to raise money to cover her travel expenses. I’ve helped all I can at this point, so I’m asking if you might be willing to help too.

Money is tight for all of us – but I’m hoping people would be willing to donate $1 to her cause – and then we can all feel as though we are helping but it’s not a huge sacrifice or struggle for anyone. Anyway, if you feel so inclined, I would really appreciate it – and I know Becca would too. She really is an amazing person and I know will be a great mentor to the kids in Thailand.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give! And then let’s get back to sharing more great smoothie recipes for my next post. (insert sweet grin here).

If you want to LIKE her Facebook page – it’s http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Support-Becca-Volunteering-in-Thailand and spread the word that way – that also would be really appreciated.

Thank you so much! Every dollar will help

As the new year is upon us, many wish to learn how to make detox smoothies in order to begin the year feeling better and to start their diet and health goals off right.

Detox smoothies are easy to create and can taste great.

Detox smoothies come in many varieties. If you select the right ingredients you can make many different types. Basically you should begin with high fiber fruits such as apples or pears (with the peel left on but washed well). You could also include berries or bananas. Citrus fruits are also good for detox smoothies as they help clean out the digestive tract. (Make certain to leave the white part of the peel of the fruit as that part contains the most nutrients.)

You also should add some extra fiber such as flaxseed, raw granola, oatmeal, or wheat germ. The added fiber will help your digestive system to be cleansed and gently detox. You may wish to add a small pinch of sea salt to help flush out the organs and aid in eliminations – just make sure to add it to your smoothie AFTER it has been blended – or your smoothie will end up tasting very salty.

Other detox recipes may include avocado, carrots, fresh greens, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, papaya, watermelon, or beets. Many people will add flax seed oil, yogurt, soy milk, green tea, or acidophilus, chlorella powder, bee pollen, liquid chlorophyll, lecithin, Vitamin C or other supplements to their smoothies for added nutrients and health benefits.

Detox smoothies can be a beneficial part of a healthy lifestyle. If you can gently cleanse the body by eating nutritious foods, it is much easier on your body than pursuing strong cleanses which may make you sick while you cleanse.

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Tags: detox smoothies, diet smoothies, how to make smoothies

This is a delicious green smoothie I threw together this morning. In less than 5 minutes I had a full meal replacement that not only was yummy, but easy to make and healthy too.

Orange Banana Green Smoothie

Orange Banana Green Smoothie

1 ripe banana
1 scoop strawberry flavored protein powder
1 cup orange juice
3 cups spinach (I like organic baby spinach)
1-2 cups ice
1 cup water (best to use filtered water)

Put everything in your smoothie blender and blend until smooth.

Drinking green smoothies is a great way to lose weight and feel better, have more energy and provide your body with essential nutrients.

Play around with making green smoothies. Once you learn about the flavors you like, you can make unlimited variations.

Technorati Tags: banana smoothie recipe, green smoothie, green smoothies, healthy fruit smoothies, protein shake, smoothie recipes, smoothies, smoothies recipe

Tags: banana smoothie recipe, green smoothie, green smoothies, healthy fruit smoothies, protein shake, smoothie recipes, smoothies, smoothies recipe