I find that more often than not, I enjoy a smoothie either as my breakfast or along with my breakfast. And, sometimes, I like them with my snack too. They’re a cool, refreshing, delicious way to get a powerhouse of nutrients and protein into my body throughout the day. Plus, they’re super easy to make.
Today’s article is an accumulation of ingredient ideas to help you build a delicious smoothie. Please note that these ingredients are all low glycemic (meaning they fit in the Trim Healthy Mama diet, among other things) so if you’re looking for a list that also includes other items that are healthy and real food, then check out the sister article on my other website here.
How to Make the Perfect Smoothie
There is more than one way to make a smoothie, but below is the how to on making a very basic smoothie.
- Pour 1 to 2 cups liquid base into the jar of a blender.
- Add any additional items you want like herbs, collagen, thickeners, etc.
- End by adding frozen foods like ice cubes or fruit.
Liquids
Without a liquid base, a smoothie would basically be a sorbet. So here are some liquid suggestions to make it smooth and drinkable.
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Fruits
The main ingredient in a fruit smoothie is, of course, fruit! If you enjoy a thick, refreshing smoothie like I do, freeze your fruit (you can use fresh fruit instead, but the smoothie may not be as thick). A few pointers:
- Be sure to peel the skins off of your fruit and remove any seeds, pits, or cores prior to freezing.
- Cut larger fruits (like big strawberries or bananas) into smaller pieces or separate citrus fruits (like oranges or grapefruit) into segments to make blending faster and less stressful on your blender.
- Before freezing fruits that oxidize (like apples or bananas), splash them with a bit of lemon or lime juice to prevent them from browning.
- If you feel it’s necessary, you could let the fruit thaw partially (for 15 to 20 minutes) before making the smoothie. This can lengthen the life of your blender as well as make it less noisy.
Below is a list of some fruit suggestions for your smoothie. Stick to just one or get adventurous and do a blend with two or more. Beside each fruit, I labeled it S, E, or FP so you be sure to use it in the appropriate setting if you’re doing Trim Healthy Mama.
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TIP:
For added nutrition, blend in the green part (hull) of the strawberries.
Veggies
One way to amp up the flavor and nutrition of a smoothie (you know, make it “green”) is by adding veggies in addition to the fruit. Here’s a list of ideas.
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TIP:
For a smoothie on-the-go, freeze all the items you need and put enough for a serving in a freezer baggie. For items like milk or yogurt, freeze them ahead of time in an ice cube tray. When you’re ready to make a smoothie, just empty a bag’s contents into your blender, blend, and go!
Thickeners
To make it less of a beverage and more of a smooth, refreshing glass of goodness, try adding some {optional} thickeners. When I am using frozen fruit, I don’t always add a thickener except maybe a bit of yogurt. But when I use fresh fruit, I add about double the thickener.
- Almond Milk (frozen into cubes, FP)
- Cashew Milk (frozen into cubes, FP)
- Coconut Milk (frozen into cubes, S)
- Coffee (frozen into ice cubes, FP)
- Cottage Cheese (1% or 2%, FP)
- Greek Yogurt, Plain (0%, FP)
- Ice Cubes (FP)
- Nut Butter (sugar free, S)
- Tea (frozen into ice cubes, FP)
Add-ins
Adding sweeteners and other things can make the smoothie even more yummy and nutritious, but these things are optional. In addition to the ones listed below, check out THM’s sweetener blends (Super Sweet and Gentle Sweet) and my own Sweet Stuff sweetener blends.
Sweeteners
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TIP:
If a smoothie is too sweet, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to tone it down.
Herbs and Spices
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Nutritional Stuff
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Other Extras
- Chocolate, Melted (85% or more dark, S)
- Chocolate Chips (Lily’s stevia sweetened, S)
- Cocoa Powder (FP)
- Coconut, Unsweetened (S)
- Essential Oils (Young Living’s Vitality line are all edible essential oils, FP)
- Extracts (like vanilla, almond, caramel, strawberry, etc., FP)
- Lemon or Lime Juice (FP)
- Zest (lemon, lime, orange, etc., FP)
Recommended Products
- Blendtec Designer Series Blender. A quality, high power blender like a Blendtec makes the smoothie creating process quick and easy.
- Covered Ice Cube Trays. Having ice cube trays that can be easily covered prevents spills in your freezer and protects the tray’s contents from freezer burn or contamination.
- Glass Straws. These straws have a wider opening, making it easy to slurp up thick smoothie mixtures.
- Ball Wide Mouth Pint and Half Jars. Ball’s wide mouth pint and a half jars are very handy for containing and enjoying a lot of smoothie goodness.
- RTIC Stainless Steel Tumbler. This has become my favorite thing for smoothies, bulletproof coffee, plain coffee, and so on. It does great at keeping the liquid hot or cold. I also got this lid to go with it that I’d recommend.
- Strawberry/Tomato Huller. Though not a hundred percent necessary, this little tool definitely makes it easier and faster to hull strawberries or tomatoes while minimizing waste.
- Cherry Pitter. This tool makes pitting cherries so much easier and less messy.
- Lemon Squeezer. This handy tool capably squeezes just about every drop of juice out of a lemon or lime half while keeping seeds corralled.
Free Printable
Here’s a free printable with a summary of the above ingredient ideas for you to hang up (perhaps on your refrigerator, inside a cabinet door, or in your Healthy Body binder).
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