Smoothies: Why I love them & How I make them
Smoothies are such a fantastic way to provide your body with lots of nutrients, and they require very little time to assemble. I make smoothies all year round but especially during the summer months as a way to cool down from the heat. Also, I prefer smoothies over pressed juices for a simple reason: fiber. Juices lack the flesh of fruits and vegetables, and therefore, have less fiber than smoothies. Foods that contain fiber will keep you fuller longer and support gut health.
A friend recently asked me to share my smoothie recipes after seeing one I made on Instagram. I will admit I actually don’t follow a recipe most of the time, but there is a general formula I use. A basic smoothie recipe for me will look a little like this:
1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 cup plain Fage 2% Greek Yogurt
Frozen fruit of some variety
A small handful of walnuts
1-2 large handfuls of greens (I usually use spinach)
A dash of honey for sweetness (optional)
Now that fall is around the corner, I have been making a pumpkin version using the formula above as a base. In addition to the ingredients listed above, I’ll add 2-3 tablespoons of pureed pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, vanilla, and top it off with hemp heart seeds and pumpkin seeds.
You might have noticed that I did not include protein powder in my list of ingredients for my base smoothie recipe. I personally have not found the addition of a protein powder to be necessary for my current diet, and I prefer to consume protein from food sources if possible. Fage Greek yogurt contains 17g of protein per 3/4 cup serving, and the addition of pumpkin seeds and hemp heart seeds provide additional protein in my smoothies as well. Again, this is my personal preference, but I prefer to keep the ingredients as simple as possible.
If you’d like more smoothie recipes with more exact measurements, Angie Asche of Eleat Sports Nutrition recently posted 25 Smoothie Recipes for the Busy Athlete. Check out her post for more recipe ideas!
