Dense, Delicious Smoothies
Smoothies have been an absolute staple in my life for years.
Since I was a kid, my mom has been a marathon runner. Every morning since I can remember, she made a smoothie that she would split for before and after her run or workout. She never really had one specific recipe she stuck to and they varied from day to day but they were always sooooo delicious!
I happen to like ‘extra’ ingredients in my smoothies to give them extra nutrients and density. I love a creamy smoothie! I will share with you some of my favorite additives, but what I realized when using more than just fruit is that not all blenders are created equally.
I will never forget when our old 90s blender broke and she took me shopping for a new one. There was a Vitamix demo happening and we watched so many insane things being blended. A whole lemon with the peel and all? No problem! (By the way he was making a lemon sorbet and I wish so badly I knew the recipe because it was so delicious I still remember it to this day). He even joked about putting in the stickers and wrapping of some of the other ingredients and how you’d never know because the blender would take care of it. He didn’t, thank goodness, but of course we bought one because we had never tasted such creamy smoothies and treats in our lives.
Of course, any blender can work for your smoothie recipes! You don’t need any specific type to make something delicious and filling! But I still have that Vitmix (yes that exact one) and it has to be almost 20 years old. My mom has since upgraded hers to a new model, which has a couple more settings. Short answer, we’re hooked and they are so worth the investment if you’re a daily smoothie maker!
So lets talk additives to smoothies. I love a fruit filled smoothie just as much as anyone, but I find that when I only have fruit and water, I just don’t feel full for very long after drinking my smoothie. If I just need a shot of simple, healthier sugars before an exercise routine, this isn’t such a bad thing! But, when I want a smoothie as a whole snack or even a meal, it needs to be dense.
After many years of trial and error (and a lot of barely drank smoothies) I have found which vegetables and foods can go into smoothies relatively undetected to add a creamy, smooth, dense aspect without compromising a delicious flavor.
Zucchini - one of the all time best! Absolutely no flavor whatsoever! I’ll happily put up to half an entire zucchini (not even chopped most of the time, thank you VItmix) and can’t tell the difference at all!
Spinach - this one will likely turn your smoothie green, but if you have any flavor that is less mild than just mixed berries (think peanut butter, pineapple, mint, etc) then you won’t taste the spinach at all but you’ll get a ton of extra nutrients. I use spinach in every smoothie!
Carrots - this may sound crazy, but you really cannot taste them at all!
Beets - these will likely turn your smoothie bright pink! They are amazing for blood flow and circulation and packed with healthy nutrients. Especially great if you don’t really love eating them normally. Definitely wash them first or you might get a little dirt flavor in your smoothie!
White beans - canned beans are an amazing additive to a smoothie. Drained and rinsed, they have very little flavor and can add so much density to a smoothie and keep you full much longer than just berries!
Avocado - delicious healthy fats to bring up the nutrient content of a smoothie and keep you feeling full! They also make a smoothie so creamy it has the mouth feel of ice cream!
Yogurt - I tend to go with high protein content plain greek yogurt for my smoothies. I don’t feel the need to use any flavor because all my favors come from my whole fruits, vegetables, and nut butters. This keeps the added sugar content a little lower while giving me tons of extra protein!
There are so many options and this is just a drop in the bucket! Smoothies are amazingly versatile, can be easily meal prepped, and tastes so dang good.
Below is my smoothie recipe I have made all week!
1/2 Banana
1 C frozen whole strawberries
1/2 Raw zucchini
1/4 C Frozen raw beets
2 Handfuls frozen raw Spinach
1 Handful baby carrots
2 Tsp Nut Butter (I alternate between almond and peanut)
1/2 Scoop Peanut Butter Protein (I use Quest- find it here!)
8 oz Chocolate milk (I use either almond milk or a chocolate protein drink if I want the extra nutrient- try these!)
If you give this one a try, let me know what you think! What color did your smoothie turn out- Pink from the beets? Or green from the Spinach?
