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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What is your favorite smoothie flavor?

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Freeze fruits when they are in season to make frozen fruit smoothies later.

Some people will take the final weeks of a season, to take advantage of the still low-prices, and freeze their own fruits. Make sure you wash and cut up your fruit into small pieces (easier to break apart and add to a smoothie). I like to freeze fruits in small freezer bags – so one serving is in each bag. It makes it easy to just add the fruit, rather than trying to break apart fruit chunks if they get frozen to each other.

If your frozen fruit smoothies taste a little bit tart – you may consider adding a bit of honey, or agave, or other natural sweetener. Adding a bit of flavored protein powder also may help keep those frozen fruit smoothies a little on the sweeter side.

You can make any of our fruit smoothie recipes using frozen fruits. Just substitute the fresh ingredients with frozen.

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Green leafy vegetables contain tons of nutrients and antioxidants for better health, but most people either do not like vegetables, or do not get enough of them in our normal diets. Blending up greens into a smoothie not only can taste delicious but also provide those essential nutrients easily into our systems.

Enjoy green smoothies for more energy and better health.

The chlorophyll contained in greens will provide oxygen to your cells and place your body into a more alkaline state, where optimal health can be achieved. Good nutrition can lead to feeling better, having more energy, gaining a better outlook of life and simply having better health.

After several weeks drinking green smoothies, you may notice a change in your skin – including fewer blemishes, a more radiant glow and healthier tone. The reason is that the skin responds to what we eat and if we have good health our skin looks better – not having to dump toxins out through the skin as we take in unhealthy food choices.

Major benefits of green smoothies include more energy and weight loss!

Green smoothies can also taste delicious. Use a base of fruit (pears, apples, or bananas work well), and then simply add in your leafy greens. Note: Adding blackberries or blueberries help to mask the green color and kids love it – without even knowing they are eating their vegetables.

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Adding a bit of sugar (or ice cream) to a strawberry smoothie will give it that extra sweetness.

Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

6-7 large strawberries
8 oz. vanilla yogurt (low-fat)
1/2 cup of low-fat milk
1 cup ice cream (vanilla or strawberry)

Blend the strawberries and milk together until well blended, then add the ice cream and yogurt. (Ice c

Directions:
First Blend strawberries and milk together until straberries are well blended, than add ice cream and yogurt and whip for just a little bit so smoothie remians thick.

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Honeydew Smoothie Recipe

Honeydew Smoothie Recipe

2 cups honeydew cubed
1 cup orange juice
1 cup ice cubes
8 oz plain or vanilla yogurt (optional)

Blend ingredients until smooth. Enjoy.

Honeydew Blackberry Smoothie Recipe

If you want a variation of a plain honeydew smoothie recipe, here is another option.

2 cups honeydew cubed
1/2 cup blackberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup ice cubes
8 oz plain or vanilla yogurt (optional)
dash of cinnamon or nutmeg

Garnish with blackberries, cool whip topping, or honeydew slices.

Honeydew Smoothie with Blackberries

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For those of you getting started with green smoothies I have a few suggestions:

1. Start slowly. Use your favorite fruit smoothie recipe and simply add a few greens – spinach is a good addition to a green smoothie as the flavor does not overpower the taste of the fruit. Another benefit to starting slowly is that your smoothie can still look appetizing as well. (See the “green smoothie” recipe and photo below.)

2. Only add greens that you like as you get started making a green smoothie. If you hate the flavor of kale, you won’t love it in a smoothie either. Once in a while you can sneak a green into your smoothie (such as spinach) that you don’t love – if it has a mild flavor you can get the nutrients and antioxidants without spoiling the taste of your smoothie.

3. Try using a rich flavored protein powder to mask the stronger flavors of your greens. You might be surprised that even chocolate protein powders can taste good with greens. Strawberry and vanilla go extremely well in a green smoothie.

4. Build up from there. I still can’t stomache full blown green smoothies (with mostly greens and maybe a pear for sweetness). But I certainly can add greens to my favorite recipes. And .. the best part… kids love these smoothies too. So not only do you get great taste, you also get the benefits of extra nutrition. Not a bad combination.

Here is an example of a green smoothie I made today. Don’t be fooled by the purple color – it still IS considered a “green smoothie“.

A green smoothie can still look appetizing if you use berries for a rich purple or red color.

Green Smoothie

1 cup berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
2 cups ice
1 ripe banana
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup skim milk (optional – you may exchange for water)
1/2 cup water
1/2 fresh alfalfa sprouts (I sprout my own, but they can be purchased at most grocery stores. Make sure you rinse them well before adding).
2 cups fresh spinach (I prefer using organic baby spinach)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

(You can leave out the protein powder if you prefer – I like to add it as it keeps you feeling satisfied longer and only adds about 90-120 calories to your green smoothie depending on the brand you use. This recipe could also be considered a protein shake.)

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This delicious strawberry blueberry smoothie is high in both antioxidants and taste.

I made a delicious strawberry blueberry smoothie and turned it into a protein shake. Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie

1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
2 cups ice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
1 ripe banana
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 scoop strawberry protein powder (optional)

Blend and enjoy.

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There is a huge variety of options in fruit smoothie recipes

Here are some favorite fruit smoothie recipes to try:

Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie
2 Kiwi, 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana, 8 oz pineapple juice, ice cubes, and 1-2 cups water.

Pineapple Smoothie
2 cups crushed or sliced pineapple (fresh or canned), 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, 2 cups milk, 1 cup apple juice, 3 tsp honey, ice cubes

Blackberry Smoothie
2 cups frozen or fresh blackberries, 2 cups plain yogurt, 1 banana, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 cups water or milk, ice cubes

Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, 1 banana, 2 peaches (fresh or frozen), 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate, 12 oz vanilla yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 cups water, ice cubes

Raspberry Banana Smoothie
1 cup fresh raspberries, 1 banana, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, 2 cups water, ice cubes

Peach Orange Smoothie
2 peaches (sliced, with skin removed), 1 banana (extra ripe for more sweet flavor), 2 cups orange juice, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, 1 cup water, ice cubes

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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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