A smoothie is a soft drink with a thick consistency, made from blended fruits and/or vegetables, a liquid base and ice.
How to make a smoothie
Equipment: Three types of kitchen appliances may be used to make smoothies:
- A blender
- A food processor
- A smoothie maker
Ingredients:
Options for firm ingredients:
- Frozen fruits (make the smoothies thicker and the cold lasts longer)
- Fruits at room temperature blend with ice or frozen yogurt
- Dried fruits (raisins, currants, apricots, prunes, etc.)
- Flax seeds (to thicken the smoothies in a healthy way)
Peel the skin and remove the seeds, depending on the fruit/vegetable.
Tip for storing fruits in the freezer: Cut fruits into small pieces and spread them out on a plate. Put the fruit plate in the freezer until fruit chunks are completely frozen (usually one to two hours.) Once frozen, put fruit chunks all together in a container or freezer bag. Use up your frozen fruits within a week.
Options for liquid ingredients:
- Water (use filtered drinking water as liquid base to dilute the sweetness, if you use frozen fruits)
- Skimmed milk (cow's or goat's milk)
- Yogurt (one of the healthiest options; use unpasteurized and unflavored (plain), unsweetened yogurt. You may use unsweetened frozen yogurt with your room-temperature fruits)
- Whole soy or almond milk
- Fruit /vegetable juices (for example coconut juice helps dilute the sweetness of other fruits)
- Green tea (steep the leaves/sachets in boiled water for about 4 to 5 minutes, strain the leaves; let the tea cool completely before using it for the smoothie.)
Tip from the author of this article: Add some oats, flax seeds or ground almond to your smoothie to make it thicker and more filling. It may serve as a meal replacement. If you prefer your smoothies on the sweeter side, add some natural honey or stevia as desired.
Consume your smoothie within 15 minutes of making it to take full advantage of the nutrients. If you let your smoothie sit longer, the nutrients oxidize and turn your smoothie brown. Do not store your smoothie after the ingredients have gone through the blender, as the nutrients and live enzymes deteriorate rapidly.
The author's choice:
Yogurt Strawberry/Blueberry Smoothie
- 1 small container unsweetened plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 Tbsp flax seeds
- water to thin (as desired)
This smoothie is fruity and not very sweet. It can be a perfect addition to any diet meal.
Tropical Pina Colada Smoothie
- 1/2 cup chopped mango
- 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup coconut meat
- 1/2 cup unsweetened yogurt
- 1/4 cup skimmed milk
Angelika Cox - After graduating from university with a Master's degree in Humanities and a course in Journalism, Angelika took the opportunity to travel ...
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