Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with smoothie

A Bananna Spinich Smoothie?

doorsfan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:07:53 -0800

Looking for more than just a fruity smoothie... So this week I jumped onto the breakfast smoothie bandwagon thanks to a healthy living blog where I found this recipe:

# The juice from 1 lemon
# 1/2 cup parsley
# 1 stalk of celery
# 2 big handfuls of Spinach or collard greens
# 1 inch of peeled ginger
# 1 medium cucumber
# 1 apple, peel on, no seeds or stems
# 1 banana (peel off of course)
# Add water as needed for a good consistency.
*I added 1 1/2 cups of ice and just a little bit of water

I got to tell you I was really apprehensive about the concoction but it's great and I'd love to find other healthy smoothies like it.

It's not hard to find smoothie recipe's online but I am having difficulty finding a similar fruit vegetable combination (apparently this is half a day's supply of each) that I don't have to go to a specialty grocery store to get the ingredients.

The other piece to this puzzle is that it would be nice to know the health benefits associated with the finished piece and or the individual ingredients.

Can anyone recommend fruit and vegetable healthy smoothie recipes or point me to a free online resource?

Any recommendations for a good blender?

SeizeTheDay — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:35:27 -0800

I'm looking for a blender. I've seen this post and this one. I know about VitaMix and Blendtec. I've used a Blendtec in a previous life, but I'm not convinced that I'll ever get my return on investment for a $400 blender. I'm trying to become more healthy, and have something for breakfast that I would actually enjoy and would likely drink on a regular basis.

Right now I wouldn't use a blender for anything else. I have a Cuisinart MiniPrep, which serves my limited purpose, so I don't need a food processor combo. I've seen the recommendations for the Braun PowerMax, but Amazon hates it. I'm guessing that it would need good ice-crushing ability, but nothing "commercial grade".

I don't really have a price range, per se, but since I'd only ever use the blender for one purpose right now (a healthy drink at most once a day and most likely only 5 times a week), I'd like to keep the costs reasonable (i.e. unless someone has an unbelievably compelling reason to buy a BlendTec, $400 is a bit much). Thanks in advance.

Am I getting rid of my fiber?

princeofpersiaxz — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:03:45 -0800

Am I getting rid of my fiber? I make home made Jamba Juice-type smoothies, and I love them. I usually throw in some soy milk, a banana, apple, carrot, strawberries, and some protein powder. Now my question is, when all these fruits are blended, am I blending away the fiber content? That would be a shame, as these juices are packed with nutrients.

POW! POWer POWders for my Smoothies!

prophetsearcher — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:52:00 -0800

What can I add to my smoothies to get some bonus health benefits? I recently got a Magic Bullet because I looove smoothies, but I haaate overpaying for them.

Meanwhile, I'm on a health kick, and desperately eager to lose some weight in the next month. This is mainly through better portion control, smarter food decisions, and increased exercise.

Bringing it together: What powders can I buy to add to my daily smoothie? I hear and read about protein powders, vitamin powders, etc. etc., but don't know where to look for what. I just figure I have the opportunity to healthify my drinks, so I may as well.

Some things about me:
I don't eat enough veggies or healthy foods. I am about 15 lbs. heavier than I'd like to be. I'm 24. I'm more generally sedentary than active. I'm male. I'm paunchy, but want to be muscley. I'm balding too early.

Some things about my smoothies:
I usually throw in some combination of -- fresca, OJ, grape juice, ice, frozen strawberries, frozen raspberries, lemon juice, lime juice, sorbet, ice, Crystal Ice lemonade, and more ice. (But not more than two or three of the above at a time, the list is just my arsenal).

I'm intrigued by the protein powder idea. Because it seems people who drink them are ripped. But I assume there's some other steps involved. Where should I begin?

Smoothie Tips.

EnormousTalkingOnion — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 18:07:50 -0800

How do I recreate a Jamba Juice in my kitchen? I'm a Jamba Juice addict, and get smoothies there constantly. I want to cut out the middleman and start making the same smoothies at home.

1) How can I get their recipes? They're posted in plain sight for the employees, so I'd think someone would have posted them online by now, but I haven't been able to find them. Failing that, what's another good resource for recipes?

2) Suggestions on what blender to use? My JJ uses Vita-Mix blenders, but I've also heard good things about BlendTec blenders.

3) Any tips on how/where to get good juice and frozen fruit cheaply? Time is not necessarily a factor, so I'm open to juicing al the fruit myself, but I assume that would be tough to do well (or maybe require expensive machinery).

Smoothies on the run

Amizu — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 08:54:12 -0800

Blending smoothies takes time and makes a mess. Is it possible to blend a big batch of smoothies, and keep it in a decent condition for days? I like to make smoothies of frozen banana, frozen berries, and a little apple juice. I'd be willing to add in some yogurt. Because it's a hassle to make smoothies, I would like to make a big batch, and throw it in the fridge/freezer (?) so that I can grab it when I want it, rather than having to blend up another batch and wash the blender equipment again.

Is this even doable, or do all smoothies collapse into liquid'y goo? Are there ingredients/techniques I can use to do this?