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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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.

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Here is one of my favorite recipes for protein shakes:

Chocolate Banana Protein Shake

1 ripe banana (peeled)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I prefer the EAS brand as it has good flavor and no bad aftertaste as some protein powders do)
1/4 cup raspberries (optional)
2 cups ice cubes
1-2 cups skim milk (can be low-fat or for fewer calories you may use water but the consistency will be less creamy)

Blend until smooth. This chocolate banana protein shake is a great meal replacement for weight loss and extra energy.
(Adding a few raspberries or strawberries gives the shake a bit more flavor and changes the color from a chocolate brown to a lighter pink color as pictured below.)

Adding a few raspberries to your chocolate banana protein shake gives it a nice pink color and extra flavor.

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Most protein shakes use fruit smoothie recipes or green smoothies as their base, and then simply add a scoop or two of protein powder into the mix. Protein shakes are highly recommended not only as a good source of protein for the day, but most protein powders have fewer calories than what you would consume to get the same grams of protein for your day.

Protein shakes also have the additional benefit of keeping you full longer so you are not hungry as soon as you might be after having a green smoothie or other fruit smoothie.

How do you make a smoothie that is considered a protein shake? First if you select the protein you wish to use – that will help you determine what other ingredients or what fruit smoothie recipe would best complement your protein shake.

If you select a chocolate flavored protein powder – some great ingredients would be bananas or peanut butter in the shake, along with vanilla or plain yogurt, or milk. Even strawberries complement a chocolate protein powder. or simply use a strawberry protein powder.

Add protein powder to smoothies to make a protein shake

You can substitute a vanilla or plain protein powder for vanilla yogurt in any recipe, or simply add the protein powder to any fruit smoothie.

A protein shake may have a little more aftertaste than a regular fruit smoothie, and you may also experience some grainy texture. The protein powder you choose has a lot to do with the texture and flavor. You may end up experimenting with different brands to find the kind you like the best. One recommendation is to dissolve your protein powder in milk – similar to making a chocolate milk drink – before adding it to your smoothie – as this will help create a creamier texture in a protein shake.

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