Friday, March 29, 2013

Smoothie 365 #1

Hello again everybody,

So like I said in my last post, I am trying to get fit and healthy. One great way of doing that is eating healthy. I am definitely not a veggie person but I do love fruits so I thought what better way to get fruits AND veggies into my diet than, you guessed it, smoothies. I have always loved smoothies ever since I can remember and I have recently discovered that smoothies taste just as good when you add a little veggie in there as well.

I have read in the past that people would add spinach to their smoothies and they always said you could not taste the difference, and I did not believe them. Well finally the other day my family and I tried a smoothie with some spinach and they were right, I could not taste the difference and neither could my 9 year old nephew (we did not tell him there was spinach in it and he had 2 helpings)! The best part about this recipe is that it does not look green so kids will not see the difference. Here is the smoothie we tried: Day 1 (there are 5 smoothies on there and we tried the first one). Now in my family we always tend to look at recipes more like guidelines so here was our variation:
2 cups blueberries
2 cups strawberries
1 banana
2 hand fulls of spinach
2 cups apple juice

Here is a tip: If you are new to smoothie making one of the best ways to get your smoothies ice cold is to freeze your fruit beforehand, that way you do not need ice and your fruit will last longer in the freezer. Sometimes we even put together a mixture of fruit in Ziploc bags and put them in the freezer so the mixture is already ready when you want to make your smoothie. Before putting the fruit into Ziploc bags spread them out on something flat like a cookie sheet and freeze them that way they are not all stuck together then once frozen put them in the bag. Another thing is that all smoothies need some sort of liquid in them otherwise they will not blend so if your smoothie is not blending well try adding more of your juice or whatever your liquid is.

The other day my mom made another smoothie, this time we did not have any spinach but we did have cucumber. We decided to try it and I think cucumber in a smoothie is my new favorite. I do not know the exact amounts but this is what was in it.
apple juice
strawberries
pineapple
cucumber (about 1/3 of one, peeled)

The cucumber made it very refreshing and this blend almost made the smoothie taste like a strawberry candy. Also this smoothie was pink so there was no indication of the green color of the cucumber at all. In this case we could taste the cucumber but it was not overpowering and if I did not know it was there I do not think I would know what the flavor was.

I suggest that if you are scared about tasting the spinach or other veggies then just add a little bit at first and/or try veggies that are not as powerful in taste.

Your Smoothie "Expert",
Sarah