Please explain to me

[MrsMe]

the point of a smoothie. Maybe a dumb question.

 

Why not just put the fruit in the yogurt? Why add stuff? I don't get it.

[Carol in Cal.]

They are so much cooler and refreshing than yogurt with fruit. I like them as a drink more so than a meal or snack that you eat.

[Pretty in Pink]

I like 'em because I can drink 'em. I also like concealing the flavor of less-beloved ingredients, like spinach or other greens, by blending it with fruit. Lastly, not all smoothies contain yogurt (or at least mine don't...but perhaps that's a breach of smoothie etiquette). :tongue_smilie:

[Patches]

I like them because the texture is easier for me to handle!

[Joker]

My dds gulped down smoothies this morning for breakfast. It had bananas, strawberries, mangos, greek yogurt, milk and spinach. They would not have eaten these all mixed together if it had not been blended and they wouldn't have eaten it all seperately this morning either.

[Cheryl in NM]

the point of a smoothie. Maybe a dumb question.

 

Why not just put the fruit in the yogurt? Why add stuff? I don't get it.

 

Cause yogurt makes me :ack2:! I use milk, frozen fruit and protein powder in my smoothie. Then I get 2-3 servings of fruit, 1 serving of dairy and 1 serving of protein. It's portable and yummy, like a desert.

[gardening momma]

Lastly, not all smoothies contain yogurt

:iagree: I don't eat yogurt, in any form. :001_smile:

[UnsinkableKristen]

Because my kids think they are super fun and tasty, they get lots of spinach, no dairy, and plenty of fruit. And it fills them up for a long time.

 

And they are wonderfully refreshing in the summer!

[8circles]

Drinkable. I think the texture usually makes the flavors nicer too.

[2_girls_mommy]

Cause they are yummy!!!

[J-rap]

You can get a lot of healthy foods into one easy drink. :)

[raceNzanesmom]

They're cool, refreshing, and portable. I can hide fruits and veggies, wheat germ, flax seed and lots of other healthy stuff in them. I make my own yogurt so I like knowing it's all healthy ingredients. And, even tho dh doesn't eat yogurt he'll drink a smoothie with yogurt in it.

 

I think I'll go make some now. :D

[mommaduck]

It's like a milkshake, great for on-the-go, and you can add good stuff to it or hide the flavour of other stuff in it.

[MrsMe]

So you all hide stuff in it?

 

I'll say the one I made this morning was a refreshing drink...shake like, but I'd rather eat my fruit on a plate. :tongue_smilie: And it was basically ice, yogurt and a bunch of berries. But I suppose I can see it in winter using frozen fruit when fresh isn't abundant. But if fruit is fresh, I usually just sit and eat an entire container of whatever fruit I have.

 

So perhaps you could give me a "simple" healthy ... GOOD TASTING recipe. My neighbor does a vegetable thing and it's disgusting. She thinks her kids grin and bear it, but her DH said the kids dumped it in the toilet! LOL!

 

I don't what something I can just "get down". I want something that would be a great breakfast or mid afternoon yummy, refreshing shake-ish drink!

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My smoothies do not contain any dairy products at all. I drink them because they are both healthy and delicious.

[Pamela H in Texas]

alilac,

 

For a small one serving, try:

 

a cup of frozen blueberries (my preferred fruit)

a banana

a handful or two of spinach (maybe start small since you're a newbie)

and then about a cup water, some sort of milk, and/or juice (I tend to do soy milk and a little juice)

 

Usually, we fill the vitamix and put all sorts of stuff from quinoa to flax oil to...well, whatever really.

Usually, I use frozen fruit rather than ice.

[UnsinkableKristen]

We use:

 

8 oz orange juice

a few handfuls of spinach

1 banana

a few pieces of whatever fruit is in the fridge (apple, orange, pear, pineapple, etc)

1 -2 cups of frozen fruit (for taste, temperature, and texture)

 

If it's too thick, I thin it with a little bit of water. This makes enough for the kids and I to share and each have a snack sized smoothie. If we are wanting to drink them for breakfast, I make two batches.

 

Sometimes I add chia sees, wheat germ, or other little "extras" as I desire.

 

 

My 2yo will drink almost 8oz of this in under 10 minutes. She adores them and tries to steal everyone else's :) . My 5yo and 7yo do the same and ask for them daily. They know there is spinach in there and they know I add all sorts of stuff. Sometimes they even help! My DH enjoys them, but doesn't drink them often because he usually wants a "real" meal or snack :D

 

 

Anyway, for some it's a good way to get kids to eat things they wouldn't normally eat. For others, it just tastes good! And for the record, we still eat tons of fresh whole fruit, this is just yet another way to eat it. It's not like it's "less pure" because we blended it :lol:

[Slartibartfast]

So you all hide stuff in it?

 

I'll say the one I made this morning was a refreshing drink...shake like, but I'd rather eat my fruit on a plate. :tongue_smilie: And it was basically ice, yogurt and a bunch of berries. But I suppose I can see it in winter using frozen fruit when fresh isn't abundant. But if fruit is fresh, I usually just sit and eat an entire container of whatever fruit I have.

 

So perhaps you could give me a "simple" healthy ... GOOD TASTING recipe. My neighbor does a vegetable thing and it's disgusting. She thinks her kids grin and bear it, but her DH said the kids dumped it in the toilet! LOL!

 

I don't what something I can just "get down". I want something that would be a great breakfast or mid afternoon yummy, refreshing shake-ish drink!

 

I put all sorts of things in them...vitamins, flax seeds, frozen fruit, juice. I don't usually do fresh fruit since we just eat it but it is a great use for frozen fruit.

 

I usually add almond milk/coconut milk. I put veggies in sometimes like kale or spinach

[MrsMe]

Okay...I'll try it. Looks like it's easy enough.

 

 

I had a hard time breaking up the ice I put in mine this morning. Maybe my blender is too old. What do you use to blend your smoothies that would break up frozen ice and fruit?

[Slartibartfast]

I had a magic bullet blender thing.

 

It broke after about five years (and tons of use) I am between blenders atm D:

[PIE!]

My smoothie formula:

 

1 lb frozen fruit

1 cup liquid

 

For the liquid I usually use 1/2 cup milk or soy milk and 1/2 cup purple juice (grape, pomegranate, acai, etc.). But anything goes.

 

For the fruit - experimenting with different combinations is fun. to make it sweeter, add more bananas or peaches. If my bananas are going brown, and I don't feel like making banana bread, I'll peel, wrap, and freeze them for the next smoothie.

 

I HATE ice in a smoothie. The frozen fruit makes it plenty creamy, while not watering down the taste.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My all time favorite smoothie:

 

1/2 c. frozen blueberries

5-6 frozen strawberries

1/2 c. frozen pineapple

1/2 c. frozen mango

large handful of greens (chard, kale, spinach, turnip greens, beet greens, etc.)

1 scoop green superfood powder

water to cover

 

Blend it all up in the blender until icy smooth.

[twoxcell]

Because they are good and cold like a milk shake.

[Lady Florida.]

It's cold and refreshing and like a shake, only better for you. What's the point of anything that tastes good but isn't necessary for survival? It just tastes good. No point needed.

[UnsinkableKristen]

I use my regular blender.

 

I have gone through a hamilton beach blender AND a magic bullet blender from constant use, though.

 

This time I still wasn't quite ready to fork over the $$ for a vitamix or a blendtec, so I got a Black & Decker blender. It blends ice like a dream and looks like a power tool. Makes me happy :D