Smoothies

[lovinmyboys]

One of my kids has decided he wants to make smoothies this summer. Does anyone have tips to make them healthier or less wxpsnsice? I know some people love smoothies and they are a regular part of their diet, but they are pretty new to us. 
 

So far he has basically just been using regular milk, frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, a banana, and spinach. Frozen fruit is expensive! Is there somewhere I should be buying it (aldi? Costco? Trader Joe’s?)

And anything else he should do to make them healthier? Any favorite recipes?

[medawyn]

Our smoothie "base" is spinach, 1/2 avocado, 1/2-1 frozen bananas, 1/2 c cauliflower + one or two egg yolks from my kids that eat hardboiled eggs but not the yolks.   I usually get the avocados and bananas when the are almost overripe and freeze them right away; sometimes I can get them half off.

Big bags of fruit at Costco.  Lots of leftover fruit that's on its last legs in my fridge.

And I usually use water.  If I think the kids need more fat or protein, I might add protein powder, hemp seeds, or some nut butter.

 

[Teaching3bears]

To make them healthier add vegetables like spinach, kale or cucumbers.  Buy fresh local fruit now when it is in season and wash it and freeze it.  You can also use fresh fruit instead of frozen fruit.  Adding plain yogurt will also make it healthier.  

[mominco]

DD add a bout 1/2-3/4 cup fruit-fresh greens 1 or 2 handfuls,If you want a protein powder or oats,flax and then ,liquid .She uses any available fruit-fresh -Mangoes,Peaches,Bananas,berries, frozen peaches/pineapple  in big bags from Costco or even kroger. You can add spinach,Kale,Oats -Water-nut milk-oat milk -yogurt,100% juice. DS loves pineapple with coconut-smoothie-he adds 1/2 to 1 banana every few weeks.

Tell him to play around with ingredients and find the best ones. DD also makes a few bags of smoothie fruit bags and throws them in freezer bags when she knows its a  busy week and she says it saves her a lot of time.  

[Slache]

Mine are half ice because it's cheap and that's just more water for you.

You can use spinach, cauliflower, ACV, etc. to make it healthy, but I never sacrifice flavor for health.

Check close dated produce on sale and freeze it.

Look for mixers (pina colada/strawberry daiquiri) for a twist.

Milk sounds icky to me. I use coconut water or almond milk.

[Pen]

I use water, not milk. Freezing your own produce whenever it isn’t high cost can help cut costs. Also if you buy already frozen sometimes there are less expensive per gram family size packs

.  I have an unusual afaik  favorite combo:

kale (a lot—best if you grow it yourself and use young not too bitter leaves) plus pineapple (to taste-  ideally frozen—if none is available a little lemon, but I strongly prefer the kale/pineapple combo) plus apple (a whole big one or a couple little ones—not the seeds and stem) plus a bit of ginger (optional) plus a bit of mint leaves (optional).  A frozen banana optional, water in ice form if blender can handle it, optional. 

It looks extremely green, sort of ugly, but if kale fruits ratio is right and especially with the bit of mint and ginger, it tastes amazingly good Imo. 

[IfIOnly]

We buy bananas from Costco, peel, cut in quarters, freeze on baking trays, and store in freezer in Ziploc bags. Frozen bananas as the base fruit is much cheaper. 

We also tend to add cheaper things that additional frozen fruit like milk, peanut butter, flax seed (so healthy, thickens, and nutty, subtle flavor), cocoa powder, vanilla extract or protein powder. 

Since my son has started making protein shakes everyday, most of his chronic back and leg pain has disappeared. So happy we (accidentally) found something that helped him.

Edited June 18, 2020 by IfIOnly

[IfIOnly]

Oh, and definitely Costco for frozen fruit. The strawberries and blueberries are staples here. We buy our protein powder there too.

[MEmama]

I make them with almond milk, canned pumpkin, avocado, almond or peanut butter, Spirutein, hemp, flax or chia seeds and a dash of nutmeg and ginger. OR instead of pumpkin and spices, fresh spinach. I have one every morning.
 

I don’t use fruit at all because it sets my blood sugars off and makes me feel more famished. If you want to use fruit, blueberries have fewer sugars than tropical fruits.

[Bambam]

I tend to purchase a lot of fresh fruit when it is season and cheap. Strawberries have been $1/lb on/off for the last three weeks or so. Go buy a bunch, clean, de-stem, and put on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, put them in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, then remove and put in a freezer baggie. So much cheaper than frozen fruit. Do the same with whatever fruit your kids like and would put in a smoothie. 

We also add flax seed, chia seeds, veggie powder (if we don't have any spinach to toss in), sometimes peanut butter powder, sometimes protein powder, always kefir (if we have any!), and a variety of juice. We may start using almond milk as some suggested - I've never thought to try that!

[KungFuPanda]

My regular smoothie is a banana-nut, so not too expensive. It has

yogurt

almond milk

oatmeal

banana

peanut butter or almond meal

kale or spinach

 

My vitamix is dying so I’m gonna have to skip the kale and almond meal until I get it fixed. I have a small drink blender and it won’t make those smooth. 😩

[Arcadia]

Organic Carrots 6lb bag (Costco)

Frozen Mangos (Costco is cheaper but my kids prefer Trader Joe’s, there is a taste difference even for my “unpicky” husband 

Yogurt (cheapest at Asian Indian grocery stores, second cheapest was at Costco)

Bananas (Trader Joe’s, Costco)

Strawberries (Sprouts, Costco)

[Arcadia]

11 hours ago, IfIOnly said:

Since my son has started making protein shakes everyday, most of his chronic back and leg pain has disappeared. So happy we (accidentally) found something that helped him.

My oncologist keeps reminding me that protein is good for repair/recovery.

[Slache]

Oh, yes protein! You can get fitness protein in flavors like vanilla, strawberries and cream, banana. Good stuff.

[IfIOnly]

6 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My oncologist keeps reminding me that protein is good for repair/recovery.

Thanks for sharing. Since mentioning how much this has helped my son here and there, I've heard some success stories with protein powder from others too, espeycialy adding one after a workout. It seems even if there's enough protein in the diet, the shakes help. I wonder if that's because the protein is broken down and easily assimilated? 

[Arcadia]

7 minutes ago, IfIOnly said:

. It seems even if there's enough protein in the diet, the shakes help. I wonder if that's because the protein is broken down and easily assimilated? 

During chemo, my oncologist recommended upping the protein in my diet to 2 to 3 times the recommended daily value. The recommended daily value is according to weight.

the link describes quite well.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096

[mmasc]

I’d love to try some protein powder in our smoothies, but I absolutely can’t find one that I like. I’d like one where I could just put a scoop in and not really taste it (maybe vanilla flavor or something) but no gritty or ‘off’ taste. Any recommendations???

[Slache]

11 minutes ago, mmasc said:

I’d love to try some protein powder in our smoothies, but I absolutely can’t find one that I like. I’d like one where I could just put a scoop in and not really taste it (maybe vanilla flavor or something) but no gritty or ‘off’ taste. Any recommendations???

GNC brand. I like Amplified Whebolic.

[Familia]

My daily smoothie varies little from this:

• plain kefir
• a whole orange or a little OJ
• frozen kale/spinach mix that I buy fresh from Costco & stick in freezer
• frozen blueberries, wild purchased frozen from Costco
• a small handful of pecans
• a tsp of flax seeds
• a tsp of almond extract 

(I may also add a banana, a jalapeño, frozen melon if I have some from Costco, some sunflower seeds, or whatever I decide to throw in there)

[KungFuPanda]

54 minutes ago, mmasc said:

I’d love to try some protein powder in our smoothies, but I absolutely can’t find one that I like. I’d like one where I could just put a scoop in and not really taste it (maybe vanilla flavor or something) but no gritty or ‘off’ taste. Any recommendations???

I don’t do protein powder, but my smoothie does have milk, yogurt, and peanut butter or almond meal. It seems to me that’s a nice dose of protein from real foods that I have on hand. 

[Soror]

I primarily shop at Aldi's, freezing in season fresh fruit in season is even cheaper but we go through more than I could ever have room for. 

There is something called the Fab Four smoothies by some health guru, it calls for some fiber, fat, protein, and greens. I use a combo of plain unsweet almond milk and water for a base. 

I'm not a devotee of hers but could be something to start with for ideas-https://kellyleveque.com/recent-posts/faqs-building-a-fab-four-smoothie

[J-rap]

One thing I'd recommend is to just use water for your liquid.  Many recipes make you think you have to use a liquid besides water -- like milk or juice or whatever.  But with all the other flavors, water truly is all you need unless you're trying to add calories or something.   Also, you need less fruit than you think.  We often use veggies we already happen to have just as you're noticing that they'll be too old in a day or two.  Spinach, broccoli, coleslaw weirdly do not add super strong flavor and can be used up.  Also, almost-old lettuce.  We probably use 2/3 veggies and 1/3 fruit.  One banana can make up for a lot of blah veggie taste!  When bananas are starting to look too ripe, I freeze them.  They're perfect for smoothies!  Another thing we keep on hand to add a little flavor to smoothies is unsweetened coconut flakes.  Also, if you're running low on fruit, cinnamon can take the edge off of a bitter veggie flavor.  If you want to make the smoothie a little colder, add a few ice cubes.  Leftover fresh herbs are good in smoothies too, like mint and basil.  I sometimes add a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt, or raw oats.