Smoothies 101
November 6, 2024 11:35 PM Subscribe
I'm planning to replace my terrible breakfasts (some mornings I only have time for a toaster waffle) with smoothies. I'm eyeing a Nutribullet (unless something else is easier... going for small footprint and easy as possible, suggestions welcome). But what I'd really like help with is a recipe. Read on for the snowflakes.
I love fruit, so frozen banana, raspberry and especially strawberry are exciting and I'll load up on those. I would love to get in some greens; is frozen spinach a good option, and how do you portion it out? Is there a such thing as frozen kale? I also have borderline high cholesterol so I'd like fiber... what's the best option? And of course some protein for staying power. My colleagues recommend peanut butter protein powder.... if any of these powders taste good and have benefits, I'm all ears. I'm excited to level up my self care!
I love fruit, so frozen banana, raspberry and especially strawberry are exciting and I'll load up on those. I would love to get in some greens; is frozen spinach a good option, and how do you portion it out? Is there a such thing as frozen kale? I also have borderline high cholesterol so I'd like fiber... what's the best option? And of course some protein for staying power. My colleagues recommend peanut butter protein powder.... if any of these powders taste good and have benefits, I'm all ears. I'm excited to level up my self care!
Best answer: You can absolutely freeze raw spinach and kale, no need to blanch anything. But if you plan on dumping a lot of frozen fruit and veg into a blender, make sure the blender is powerful enough to cope with that and get you a smooth and fine enough smoothie. I used to have a Nutribullet some years ago and it did not do well with chunks of frozen stuff. They may have evolved of course.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:56 PM on November 6
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:56 PM on November 6
Best answer: Yes there is frozen kale. There is also frozen greens blends specifically intended for smoothies, frozen chopped collards, and you can freeze your own combination of fresh greens if you ever have an abundance since their texture is not super relevant for smoothies. You will probably develop preferences as you experiment.
For me, for example, I form kidney stones so I need to avoid chard and beets because they can contribute to my kidney stone growth. So a lot of the green mixes for smoothies are not for me. I also don’t care for the flavor of spinach in a smoothie so I usually avoid that. But I do enjoy wheatgrass, seaweed, and lots of different greens like pea vines, different lettuces, kales, mustard greens, carrot tops, celery leaves, sweet potato vines, and more. A lot of these and most fruits have a good amount of fiber in them, though the blending can mitigate some of the benefit. But you are getting fiber from things in your smoothies other than fiber supplements so if they make a smoothie unpleasant for you don’t ditch the whole idea.
For protein many vegetables have a nice amount in them. Sprouts blend up well and have a ton of protein, and of course edamame and green peas are nicely sweet and classic protein sources. There’s protein in most cruciferous veggies and in lots of greens, and there’s even protein in many fruits like avocado, apricots, guava… You can add nuts and nut butters to your smoothies too. But the biggest protein source is probably going to be from a milk, be it animal or plant based. For me, I should avoid cow milk because of family health history stuff, but I just really kind of hate the flavor of almost all the plant based milks out there, especially when combined with the different things I like in a smoothie, and the ones I do like are much lower in protein than cow milk. So I usually end up opting for cow milk, but just enough splashes for it to blend up. Oat milk is pretty good with most nutty smoothie flavors though, so if I’m making something low on greens fruits and more like a chocolate peanut banana thing I’ll try to remember to use oat milk for that. It all depends on your personal taste, health, budget, and pantry.
I find the noise of blenders to be a huge barrier to actually making a smoothie. One thing that has helped is keeping ear defenders in the kitchen. It seems silly but so be it.
posted by Mizu at 12:26 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
For me, for example, I form kidney stones so I need to avoid chard and beets because they can contribute to my kidney stone growth. So a lot of the green mixes for smoothies are not for me. I also don’t care for the flavor of spinach in a smoothie so I usually avoid that. But I do enjoy wheatgrass, seaweed, and lots of different greens like pea vines, different lettuces, kales, mustard greens, carrot tops, celery leaves, sweet potato vines, and more. A lot of these and most fruits have a good amount of fiber in them, though the blending can mitigate some of the benefit. But you are getting fiber from things in your smoothies other than fiber supplements so if they make a smoothie unpleasant for you don’t ditch the whole idea.
For protein many vegetables have a nice amount in them. Sprouts blend up well and have a ton of protein, and of course edamame and green peas are nicely sweet and classic protein sources. There’s protein in most cruciferous veggies and in lots of greens, and there’s even protein in many fruits like avocado, apricots, guava… You can add nuts and nut butters to your smoothies too. But the biggest protein source is probably going to be from a milk, be it animal or plant based. For me, I should avoid cow milk because of family health history stuff, but I just really kind of hate the flavor of almost all the plant based milks out there, especially when combined with the different things I like in a smoothie, and the ones I do like are much lower in protein than cow milk. So I usually end up opting for cow milk, but just enough splashes for it to blend up. Oat milk is pretty good with most nutty smoothie flavors though, so if I’m making something low on greens fruits and more like a chocolate peanut banana thing I’ll try to remember to use oat milk for that. It all depends on your personal taste, health, budget, and pantry.
I find the noise of blenders to be a huge barrier to actually making a smoothie. One thing that has helped is keeping ear defenders in the kitchen. It seems silly but so be it.
posted by Mizu at 12:26 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
I like adding pea protein powder, and nut butters (peanut, macadamia, etc). My smoothies don't have frozen ingredients just because they're expensive here - and I prefer non-cold smoothies :)
posted by Zumbador at 1:26 AM on November 7
posted by Zumbador at 1:26 AM on November 7
Protein is a great way to start the day and will keep you feeling fuller longer.
A few tips to increase protein in your smoothies:
- Use dairy milk or soy milk. Oat and almond don’t have nearly as much protein, and I can’t tell the difference in a smoothie.
- Add a scoop or two of high-protein yogurt
- Find a protein powder you like. This will be region-dependent, so I don’t have a recommendation, but start small (half a serving) and ramp your way up, rather than starting with the full dose.
posted by third word on a random page at 1:35 AM on November 7
A few tips to increase protein in your smoothies:
- Use dairy milk or soy milk. Oat and almond don’t have nearly as much protein, and I can’t tell the difference in a smoothie.
- Add a scoop or two of high-protein yogurt
- Find a protein powder you like. This will be region-dependent, so I don’t have a recommendation, but start small (half a serving) and ramp your way up, rather than starting with the full dose.
posted by third word on a random page at 1:35 AM on November 7
I have tried adding frozen cranberries, cooked squash, raw zucchini, canned pumpkin and/or cottage cheese to my fruit smoothies. I always use a stick blender, it's old and cheap but has no problem with the frozen fruit and is easy to clean.
Smooth on!
posted by i_mean_come_on_now at 2:39 AM on November 7
Smooth on!
posted by i_mean_come_on_now at 2:39 AM on November 7
Best answer: We have the ninja nutri auto iq blender (like a nutribullet but stronger) and it’s held up well.
I freeze fresh kale in a ziplock bag, and buy frozen fruit or a frozen fruit and greens mix. My basic recipe is:
Fill the container about 2/3 with frozen fruit, add a couple generous large spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt, a handful of quick oats for fibre and staying power, pour in milk of choice until it’s just over the fruit line, crumble kale at the top, screw on the lid, and hit the 45 second blend setting. The ninja setting does a bit of stop and start automatically.
Variations include wheat grass or adding protein powder or peanut butter powder.
As a bonus, we use the ninja to make a sort of dessert that is frozen fruit (cherries are a fav) + a smaller amount of oat milk, it makes a sort of soft ice cream texture and is bonus healthy berries. You can add in chocolate syrup too.
posted by warriorqueen at 2:56 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
I freeze fresh kale in a ziplock bag, and buy frozen fruit or a frozen fruit and greens mix. My basic recipe is:
Fill the container about 2/3 with frozen fruit, add a couple generous large spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt, a handful of quick oats for fibre and staying power, pour in milk of choice until it’s just over the fruit line, crumble kale at the top, screw on the lid, and hit the 45 second blend setting. The ninja setting does a bit of stop and start automatically.
Variations include wheat grass or adding protein powder or peanut butter powder.
As a bonus, we use the ninja to make a sort of dessert that is frozen fruit (cherries are a fav) + a smaller amount of oat milk, it makes a sort of soft ice cream texture and is bonus healthy berries. You can add in chocolate syrup too.
posted by warriorqueen at 2:56 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
It may take some experimenting to find the best ratio of frozen to unfrozen ingredients, but too much frozen will not result in a drinkable liquid.
posted by rikschell at 4:33 AM on November 7
posted by rikschell at 4:33 AM on November 7
If you can buy sealed bags of spinach and other greens, just toss the whole bag in the freezer. As mentioned above, best to rotate greens.
Protein powders are most efficient for adding protein. I like collagen and some whey. Yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese all work as bases as well.
Fiber includes psyllium powder (one without lead), chia seeds. Raspberries are one of the highest fiber fruits.
Nutri bullet has a couple motor strengths. I just bought one with 900 watts that came with 3 total containers for $80 on Amazon.
As an example, my daily smoothie lately is 1/2 greenish banana peeled, 1/2 an orange peeled, 1 T psyllium husk, 1T chia seed, 3T collagen protein powder, 2 T of brewers yeast or nutritional yeast (bitter) with enough milk and ice to blend to an easily pourable liquid. This is reminiscent to me of childhood tigers milk smoothies. This needs a strong blender to grind the chia seeds.
posted by RoadScholar at 5:01 AM on November 7
Protein powders are most efficient for adding protein. I like collagen and some whey. Yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese all work as bases as well.
Fiber includes psyllium powder (one without lead), chia seeds. Raspberries are one of the highest fiber fruits.
Nutri bullet has a couple motor strengths. I just bought one with 900 watts that came with 3 total containers for $80 on Amazon.
As an example, my daily smoothie lately is 1/2 greenish banana peeled, 1/2 an orange peeled, 1 T psyllium husk, 1T chia seed, 3T collagen protein powder, 2 T of brewers yeast or nutritional yeast (bitter) with enough milk and ice to blend to an easily pourable liquid. This is reminiscent to me of childhood tigers milk smoothies. This needs a strong blender to grind the chia seeds.
posted by RoadScholar at 5:01 AM on November 7
This is what I worked out with my dietician-
1 part fruit: I often use bananas that I freeze myself. I eat bananas normally and toss in any that later get too brown into a bag (peeled).
1 part liquid: they rec unsweetened almond milk which has been fine.
Fiber: I use ground flaxseed meal I got at Trader Joe’s. It lends a nice nutty flavor with the banana that I enjoy.
Protein: I use powdered collagen because it’s relatively tasteless. It dissolves better in hot liquid but I haven’t noticed it too much in the smoothie.
You could swap and adjust. I’ve done one with frozen pineapple and yogurt that was tasty too.
posted by inevitability at 5:46 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
1 part fruit: I often use bananas that I freeze myself. I eat bananas normally and toss in any that later get too brown into a bag (peeled).
1 part liquid: they rec unsweetened almond milk which has been fine.
Fiber: I use ground flaxseed meal I got at Trader Joe’s. It lends a nice nutty flavor with the banana that I enjoy.
Protein: I use powdered collagen because it’s relatively tasteless. It dissolves better in hot liquid but I haven’t noticed it too much in the smoothie.
You could swap and adjust. I’ve done one with frozen pineapple and yogurt that was tasty too.
posted by inevitability at 5:46 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
I like Vega chocolate all-in-one protein shake powder (with or without greens are both good). Costco sells it in big bags if you like it. It’s vegan pea protein - I am not vegan, but I actually find this tastes better than most other brands I’ve tried! I mix a scoop into a glass of cold water or cold coffee. One great thing is that it dissolves easily with just a spoon to stir it, so you don’t need to wash the blender, and it tastes great and is very creamy. Also good in the blender with water and a banana and some frozen strawberries, but personally I actually prefer it by itself with just water or coffee. Be warned that the vanilla flavour is waaay less tasty. Haven’t tried their other flavours. Stick to chocolate!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:02 AM on November 7
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:02 AM on November 7
For added fiber, you can incorporate ground flax and/or chia seeds.
posted by Kriesa at 6:12 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
posted by Kriesa at 6:12 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
For fiber I use a combo of chia seeds and flax. However, this does tend to make smoothies that are more like bowls--fairly thick and not especially sippable. For protein, either peanut butter or greek yogurt depending upon the flavor profile. I'll use the yogurt if I have a lot of mango, for example, because somehow mango and peanut butter sounds vile to me. Peanut butter if I'm adding cocoa powder.
I too have a hard time adding greens in a way that ends up tasty, which is a shame because I always have greens going wilty and bad and would love a simple way to just use them up. But frozen kale is probably the least gross one in my opinion.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:44 AM on November 7
I too have a hard time adding greens in a way that ends up tasty, which is a shame because I always have greens going wilty and bad and would love a simple way to just use them up. But frozen kale is probably the least gross one in my opinion.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 7:44 AM on November 7
I love frozen spinach nuggets - one nugget is a perfect amount for a smoothie (and makes it easy to add in cooked meals too). You can also buy loosely packed frozen spinach or kale. I also freeze fresh greens like baby kale, spinach or even lettuce when they're close to going bad. No need to blanch or do anything fancy, just rinse if needed and throw in a Ziploc. Spread them out a bit if it's a lot, but it should be easy to grab a few later for a smoothie.
If your blender sucks like mine does, put the spinach and frozen fruit in the cup with your liquid (I usually do about half a cup of milk or a bit more) to defrost for a bit before blending. This also makes it more smoothie-texture instead of a slushie.
Bananas are Much cheaper to buy fresh than frozen, unlike many other fruits. I buy a bunch and freeze the last few for smoothies (peeled and broken into pieces) when they get too ripe to eat fresh.
Most people don't need nearly as much protein as certain fitness influencers say, and protein powder is a waste of money and calories if you're already getting enough protein (which you very likely are if you're eating anything close to a typical meat-heavy Western diet). The fruits/veg you add will also have some protein. That said, I do like adding a spoon or two of Greek yogurt - with the milk, this adds enough protein that I'm not starving before lunch.
If you combine spinach with all the fruits you mentioned, it turns into an unappetizing brown colour, unfortunately. This may or may not bother you, but I prefer to do either green smoothies with yellow fruits like mango/banana or purple smoothies by adding black/blueberries, or leave out the spinach to do something like strawberry-banana.
posted by randomnity at 8:23 AM on November 7
If your blender sucks like mine does, put the spinach and frozen fruit in the cup with your liquid (I usually do about half a cup of milk or a bit more) to defrost for a bit before blending. This also makes it more smoothie-texture instead of a slushie.
Bananas are Much cheaper to buy fresh than frozen, unlike many other fruits. I buy a bunch and freeze the last few for smoothies (peeled and broken into pieces) when they get too ripe to eat fresh.
Most people don't need nearly as much protein as certain fitness influencers say, and protein powder is a waste of money and calories if you're already getting enough protein (which you very likely are if you're eating anything close to a typical meat-heavy Western diet). The fruits/veg you add will also have some protein. That said, I do like adding a spoon or two of Greek yogurt - with the milk, this adds enough protein that I'm not starving before lunch.
If you combine spinach with all the fruits you mentioned, it turns into an unappetizing brown colour, unfortunately. This may or may not bother you, but I prefer to do either green smoothies with yellow fruits like mango/banana or purple smoothies by adding black/blueberries, or leave out the spinach to do something like strawberry-banana.
posted by randomnity at 8:23 AM on November 7
I finally splurged on a Vitamix, which has a much higher capacity than a Nutribullet, but you can probably scale down my recipe or at least get some ideas from it:
2 C Kefir milk or yogurt
2 C water
2 Tbsp (heaping) spirulina powder
6 Tbsp mixed chia/flax/hemp seeds (basically, 2 Tbsp each)
1 handful walnut pieces
2 handfuls dried blueberries (fresh or frozen/thawed also work, as does any other fruit)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach (raw)
1 banana
1/2 to 1 C additional water if needed to get it blending smoothly
This is enough for about 4 16-oz smoothies. It's very green yet very tasty - sort of mildly fruity, not over-sweet, and completely lacking any spirulina taste. I pour off a glassful for that day, then keep the rest in the fridge so it's cool but not frozen for the next few days.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:09 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
2 C Kefir milk or yogurt
2 C water
2 Tbsp (heaping) spirulina powder
6 Tbsp mixed chia/flax/hemp seeds (basically, 2 Tbsp each)
1 handful walnut pieces
2 handfuls dried blueberries (fresh or frozen/thawed also work, as does any other fruit)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach (raw)
1 banana
1/2 to 1 C additional water if needed to get it blending smoothly
This is enough for about 4 16-oz smoothies. It's very green yet very tasty - sort of mildly fruity, not over-sweet, and completely lacking any spirulina taste. I pour off a glassful for that day, then keep the rest in the fridge so it's cool but not frozen for the next few days.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:09 AM on November 7 [1 favorite]
I am very, very unfancy with smoothies, and I'm too lazy to actually rotate ingredients much, but I ran my recipe, such as it is, by my nutritionist and she was good with it. I don't measure too much except to the extent I use a 1/3 cup measure to whack the stuff into the blender, although I do measure 200 ml of milk, for whatever reason (probably read somewhere that it was a good amount, who knows).
I do 200 milliliters cow milk; roughly a third of a cup frozen spinach, right of out the freezer, not thawed or blanched or anything; a heaping third of a cup of mixed berries or just blueberries, whatever is available at the grocery downstairs; a couple of heaping (very heaping) tablespoons of Greek yogurt; a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter; a handful of frozen banana slices, a tablepsoon or so of maple syrup; and a healthy pour of chia or flax seeds right out of the bag. I'll sometimes pour in some water just to thin it out enough to drink, I guess about a third or half a cup (just right from the Brita, so I don't know how much I'm adding).
I used to use protein powder but I hated the taste of most of the ones I tried. I gave up the one I found that didn't taste terrible to me because i read that most protein powders have heavy metals in them. No idea whether that's true or alarmism, but I figured it wasn't worth it because the one I liked was stupidly expensive anyway and I get a lot of protein from the yogurt, cow milk, and peanut butter.
Like mizu, the noise from the blender (900-watt Nutribullet) really bothers me so I keep earplugs in the drawer with the silverware and put them in while I'm preparing everything.
posted by holborne at 9:30 AM on November 7
I do 200 milliliters cow milk; roughly a third of a cup frozen spinach, right of out the freezer, not thawed or blanched or anything; a heaping third of a cup of mixed berries or just blueberries, whatever is available at the grocery downstairs; a couple of heaping (very heaping) tablespoons of Greek yogurt; a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter; a handful of frozen banana slices, a tablepsoon or so of maple syrup; and a healthy pour of chia or flax seeds right out of the bag. I'll sometimes pour in some water just to thin it out enough to drink, I guess about a third or half a cup (just right from the Brita, so I don't know how much I'm adding).
I used to use protein powder but I hated the taste of most of the ones I tried. I gave up the one I found that didn't taste terrible to me because i read that most protein powders have heavy metals in them. No idea whether that's true or alarmism, but I figured it wasn't worth it because the one I liked was stupidly expensive anyway and I get a lot of protein from the yogurt, cow milk, and peanut butter.
Like mizu, the noise from the blender (900-watt Nutribullet) really bothers me so I keep earplugs in the drawer with the silverware and put them in while I'm preparing everything.
posted by holborne at 9:30 AM on November 7
Oh - and re:fiber, it appears that whole oat and/or barley (hulled) groats are good choices. Shouldn't be hard to pre-cook a batch, keep it in the fridge, and add a couple spoonfuls to the mixer.
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:13 PM on November 7
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:13 PM on November 7
Best answer: Is dairy okay? The best way to get high protein dairy is Greek yogurt--I go for non-fat--and then add a scoop or two of whey powder. If I'm using more frozen things or want more liquid, I do low fat or non fat milk with the protein powder.
Frozen fruit and veggies are okay but, yeah, too much will be hard for the blender. You have a few options: buy frozen and let defrost for a bit (perhaps putting the amount you want in the fridge the night before?); or, use with a combo of regular fruit.
I tend to use a half or whole banana, not frozen, and then sometimes add frozen berries.
For fiber, I also add flax or chia.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:25 PM on November 7
Frozen fruit and veggies are okay but, yeah, too much will be hard for the blender. You have a few options: buy frozen and let defrost for a bit (perhaps putting the amount you want in the fridge the night before?); or, use with a combo of regular fruit.
I tend to use a half or whole banana, not frozen, and then sometimes add frozen berries.
For fiber, I also add flax or chia.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:25 PM on November 7
The proportions I use are 1 c frozen fruit, 1 1/2 c liquid, 2 to 4 Tbsp add-ins like flax, hemp hearts or protein powder / greens mix.
Hemp hearts are rich in protein, healthy fats, fiber, and vitamins (esp. potassium). The flavour is nutty but not overpowering. For a single serving, a tablespoon or two will do.
If I'm using avocado I find it needs sweeter fruits like mango to counter the flavour and fat content.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 5:50 AM on November 8
Hemp hearts are rich in protein, healthy fats, fiber, and vitamins (esp. potassium). The flavour is nutty but not overpowering. For a single serving, a tablespoon or two will do.
If I'm using avocado I find it needs sweeter fruits like mango to counter the flavour and fat content.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 5:50 AM on November 8
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If you don't have a lot of time, preloading your smoothie ingredients into freezer bags can help.
posted by freethefeet at 11:48 PM on November 6