This blueberry smoothie was made with 1 Tablespoon raw Tahini, about 2 handfuls of fresh blueberries and another 2 handfuls of raw almonds, 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 bananas, and 2 cups water.
Even though the base ingredients have an initial expense, I can make several smoothies with ’em. So in the long run, they fit the budget, but most importantly, pack a LOT of nutritional benefits.
The granola was just an extra for us this morning, the smoothie is complete on its own.
The finished product! No leftovers in sight!
Green Smoothies
As for green smoothies, I often say I follow the, “I-have-five-children-nine-and-under-and-no-time-to-fuss” recipe.
A typical smoothie for us starts with 2 cups of filtered water, some vegetables (spinach, kale, romaine, sprouts, cucumbers, peppers, celery, whatever I can find), until I have about 4 cups worth of actual smoothie.
Secondly, I throw in the fruit (apples, pears, melons, bananas, again, whatever I can find), including some kind of frozen fruit (berries, pineapple, whatever is in the freezer) to keep it frosty.
Lastly, I include a scoop of protein powder. I’ve used the Protein Powder from Sun Warrior (Vanilla) for years, but have tried out others recently.
Sometimes I’ll add in some coconut oil, ground flax, etc.
The cool thing about not having a strict recipe is that we never have the same flavors twice.
Our smoothies are rarely even the same color twice.
BTW, I’m sure there’s a proper order to adding things into the blender, but as I’ve mentioned before, I’m pushed for time around here so just start throwing things in at random.
No wonder my blender died.
Update: I’ve since invested in a Blendtec blender. I found one refurbished but it’s held up even to my abuse. It wasn’t cheap, but well worth the investment, especially when making smoothies for lots of littles.
Do you have a favorite quick and simple smoothie recipe to share? Feel free to share in the comments below.
Sharing with The Modest Mom.
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I have a Blendtec too and I absolutely love it! I have the Mixer and Blender in one. I use it *at least* once a day.
Oh, I know, Ginger! They’re worth every penny. My only regret is that I didn’t buy the bigger jar, or at least an extra jar.
Mmmm, both sound tasty!
Yes, Ma’am, Jessica! It’s great when something that’s good for you tastes good too. 🙂
Your post makes me ask the question, “Why don’t I make more smoothies??” For the record, I like the fact that you don’t make it into a strict science because maybe I could actually do it, but I don’t have a good blender… only a food processor. Will that work just as well? I’m thinking it would not break up things like almonds…. I think my boys would appreciate these as an alternative to our usual (healthy) breakfast options. I’m going to look into it more. THANKS!
Thanks for visiting, Michelle! 🙂
Yes, I find my “recipe” easy and simple and it’s fun, too, as we never know what to expect. There have been a few times when we decided not to drink what came out, but that’s very rare.
If you can find a refurbished Blendtec, they’re much less and sometimes still have a warranty. Mine came with a 3 year, I think (never had to use it).
When I’m in a pinch, I’ve been known to use food processors! I’ve visited friends or relatives who didn’t own blenders, so I just used their food processors! It took some tweaking, but it worked.
Those look wonderful! We love smoothies and have them often around here! Thanks for the tips to kick it up a bit and do them a little differently {and with greater nutrition}!!
Thanks for visiting, Kasey. 🙂 If you come up with any simple and good ones, please send me the combination. 🙂 We’ve only made a couple that turned out weird.
Question: Why do you add water? I have never added water to smoothies, maybe a tablespoon or two with green smoothies as I use frozen tropical fruit and spinach so just something to help the blender get ‘going’. Does it taste ‘funny’ with water?
Katie, it’s just to help with consistency, especially when blending up the greens. 🙂
I found my way over here from MFW and am enjoying your blog. And I *love* finding someone who throws out words like “tahini” and “ground flax” and “green smoothies” like they are normal and not whacky. 🙂 I’m so interested in the Protein Powder you mentioned! I’ve used Jay Robb for years, but I need to get completely off dairy and eggs at least for awhile. This post is just confirmation to me that I can eat healthy and be healthy – and still be normal! Bless your heart! (And I use coconut milk instead of water.)
Cyndi, thanks for visiting!
We’ve used coconut milk before instead of water and it’s definitely yummy!!!