My Top 5 Smoothie & Juice Recipes

Smoothies and Fresh Juices are a wonderful way to incorporate fruits and vegetables into our diet.  They are easy to make, quick (at least quicker to make than a pan of eggs or bowl of oatmeal!), portable, and nutritious.  

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They are my go-to-breakfast every morning and I never get bored with them because there is such a variety of ways to concoct them.


HOW TO MAKE A SMOOTHIE

The basic recipe for Smoothies is to start with some liquid (almond milk, coconut milk, coconut water, water, etc), add some fruit and/or vegetables, and some flavoring (extracts, protein powders, nuts, seeds, yogurt, etc. - the sky is the limit!).  The final step is to add some ice and blend.  

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All of the smoothies that I make contain some vegetables but I have worked my way up to what I call “The Big Girl Smoothie!”  If that seems too strong to you (and I can definitely appreciate that), by all means start with just fruits and some other goodies like protein powders, nut butters, seeds, yogurt etc..  My family does not like the vegetable smoothies (even to the point of begging me to cover my Green Smoothies!) but they love the others.


DO I HAVE TO BUY A VITA-MIX

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People often ask if you must have a high powered blender like a Vita-mix, and the answer is No.  For years I made smoothies with a $50 Magic Bullet and loved it.  I have many friends who use other regular blenders.  A Vita-mix is a long term investment (*see note below) that will pay off for its high power if you plan on making smoothies and soups daily for a long period of time.  I have definitely benefited from my investment, but they are expensive.


DO I NEED TO BUY A JUICER

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A juicer is a wonderful addition to a healthy kitchen, but to me personally it is an “add-on” item rather than the first purchase I would make.  There is a wide price range of juicers and different types (maybe a full post at a later date) and they are great for adding fruits and vegetables as well.  The juicer I use, after much research, is the Omega 400 Masticating Juicer.  Again, this was a long term investment. 


Now for the recipes!

1.  Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie 

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 Though it may not look like it, I feel like I am drinking a Chik-fil-a peppermint milk shake when I drink this smoothie!  The peppermint makes it so yummy!

1 cup almond milk - 1 frozen banana - 2/3cup spinach - 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract - 1 tbsp. raw cacao nibs or scoop of cacao powder - ice cubes  


2.  Apple Pie Smoothie

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This recipe is from one of my favorite websites, myvega.com.  

I am a big fan of Brendan Brazier who was a professional ironman triathlete, while living as a vegan.  He wrote the book "Thrive" which is filled with information on nutrition, and delicious vegan recipes.  His protein powders are the ones that I use and he has a lot of delicious smoothie recipes on his site.  

1 cup almond milk - 3 Tbsp of Gluten-Free Oatmeal (Red Mill) -  2 Tbsp of almond butter - 1 apple, chopped - ¼ tsp of nutmeg - 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon  - ½ scoop of Vega Sport Performance Protein Vanilla  (**I might also add some sweet potato, spinach or romaine.)


3.  Red Pepper Orange Tropical Smoothie

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This recipe also comes from myvega.com and it includes the Vega Tropical Protein Powder which is actually a bit too flavorful for me.  I use the Vega Vanilla Protein Powder instead.  You can use either almond or coconut milk.  It is a unique combination to use the red pepper and orange but it is really tasty and a great way to get in the red and orange colors in your diet!

½ chopped red pepper - 1 orange, peeled and Segmented - 1 serving Vega Protein Smoothie Tropical - 1 1/2 cups coconut milk - ice


4.  Pineapple Fennel Smoothie

I love the combination of pineapple and fennel.  Fennel is a great source to build immune strength, it is high in anti-oxidant activity, high in vitamin c and in fiber.  

1 cup of coconut water - 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple - 1/2 cup of fennel - 1/2 avocado - ice - you could also add 1 tbsp. flax  seeds or protein powder


5.   Almond Butter, Chocolate, Banana Smoothie 

The basic go to smoothie that can be adapted in numerous ways to suit various taste buds!

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1 cup almond milk - 1 frozen banana - 2 tbsp. almond butter - ice


Add any extras you like.  My favorites are:  cacao powder, sea salt, cinnamon and spinach (of course that will change the color!).

 

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FAVORITE JUICE COMBOS:

1.  Carrot, Apple, Fennel

2.  Tomato, Cucumber, Celery, Green Pepper, Lime - the original V-8!

3.  Pineapple, Celery

4.  Apple, Carrot, Celery

5.  One Fruit:  Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, etc. (but be cautious of high sugar content)

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I hope you enjoy these recipes and let me know if you have any other questions.


**Also, I received an email just yesterday that Vita-Mix has some pre-holiday deals on their website, so you might want to start thinking about your Christmas List for yourself.  They also have reconditioned blenders that you can purchase at lower prices.  I have a couple of friends who have purchased a reconditioned Vita-mix and they work perfect!


© margaret young