Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

Hey there,

As much as I LOVE bananas, they are but one of thousands of fruity, healthy options for smoothie makin’ deliciousness. Many smoothies use them because they’re fast, easy, blend well, are fab for quick energy, provide texture and often mask the taste of other items (like spinach, seeds, powders etc). But there are plenty of ways to make banana-less smoothies.

My Smoothie Making Cheat Sheet

Smoothies need few things: a base, a few fruits/veggies, a blending agent/facilitator, a healthy bonus or two and ice. Thats all!

Bases

Think yogurts, juices, milks (almond, rice, soy, dairy) or any other basic blend-able liquid or mixture. The thicker it is, the tougher it may be to blend, but usually adding water, juice or another ‘softener’ will help it along (see facilitators).

Fruits/Veggies

Water based fruits & veggies work REALLY well, and most can be seeded/pitted before being added to your smoothie. If the fruit/veggie is more fibrous, it might not blend so well. Pineapple, ALL berries, ALL melons, sweet potatoes (cooked) mango, kiwis, avocado, spinach and more blend into just about anything. Apples, carrots & oranges: not so much. The fiber in them makes them weird to blend, often resulting in chunks. As a standard rule of thumb, if it mashes easily in your mouth and is more juicy than not, it’ll blend. (Note: if you can puree it ahead of time, fibrous foods will blend easier. Cooking them also helps: think about the difference in mashing a raw potato versus a cooked one).

Blending Facilitators

These are very similar to the bases, but if your base is thick, you may need to add a little ‘lube’, so to speak. Water, juice, milk etc. The only difference between a base and a facilitator is the amount: the base is usually the foundation for your smoothie, whereas the facilitator simply helps the texture. Just adding a little goes a LONG way. This isn’t necessary if your base is already quite liquidy, but you can add it last minute if your texture is too tough.

Healthy bonuses

Protein powder. Chia seeds. Flax. Bee pollen. Wheat grass. Nuts. Pretty much anything goes here, and usually you only need a little (1-2 tbsp). The smaller or more powdery your bonus is, the easier it’ll blend. When blending nuts, sometimes it’s better to chop them/smash them up before tossing them in. Note: these ‘extras’ you may dry out your smoothie, so use a facilitator to get to the right texture if you need to.

Ice

Well, ice. If you prefer your smoothie ‘quencher’ style, you can leave it watery and add ice cubes in like a normal drink. Otherwise, crushed ice can be added as you blend. If I’m using ice, I like to put it in first, then add the base and fruit (otherwise the ice gets stuck on top and doesn’t blend). Most of the time however, I freeze my fruit ahead of time so I often don’t need to add additional ice (turns the water in the fruit to ice and produces a similar texture effect). 

There are MILLIONS of options when it comes to smoothies, and playing around is a LOT of fun. Explore and start with your favorite fruits! Add more as you go.

For a basic smoothie:

• 1/2 cup of yogurt - Greek will give you a protein bump.
• 1/2 cup berries, melon or any type of fruit.
• 1/2 cup any other fruit or veggie (mango, pineapple, spinach)
• 1/4 cup juice/water/milk
• Tsp of the sweetener of your choice (agave or honey are my favs)
• 1/2 cup of crushed ice. 

You can play around with the flavors and take note of your favorites! The riper the fruit, the more naturally sweet it is: sometimes you don’t have to add sweetener.:)

Hope this helps! Think outside the box and PLAY!

xo