Smoothie Making 101

The weather is getting well…. HOT! Picking my kids up from school everyday in this heat seems to take forever. Seriously, they are about 2 blocks away and walking out in that heat is no fun. So for the kiddos I always bring little ice pops to make the walk home go a little smoother. That is of course until they finish it and we still have another block (uphill!) to go. eek!
That’s where my trusty ice cold smoothies come in. They are the perfect way to cool down after getting the kids from school, working out, or when you are just craving something cold and sweet.
Tomorrow, I will be posting one of my million smoothie recipes *exaggerating, but really I have a ton of different recipes.*

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maltman23/396284394/

For today I thought it would be good to give you the low down on making great smoothies.
Here are just some of the different ingredients you can put into your smoothie:

-Any frozen fruit-I buy already frozen blueberries and strawberries. I freeze my own peaches (I buy the ones in the cans when peaches aren’t in season and rinse them off, slice and freeze in bags). Frozen bananas. I prefer fresh bananas in my smoothies. Not sure why, but they have a different taste that I prefer. Pineapple, apples, pears, grapes, oranges, mango etc.

-Any liquid- Unsweetened almond, rice, oat, coconut or soy milk are great options. Water also works well. Skim or 1% milk. Fruit juice such as orange, grape, and my new favorite pomegranate. 

-Ice- If you are using mostly frozen fruit you may not need the ice, but if you like your smoothies thick then add more ice or less liquid.

-Veggies!- Yes, I know what you’re thinking- “Vegetables in a sweet smoothie, is she nuts!?” Well I may be nuts, but its not for this reason. You can sneak so many veggies into your smoothie and you won’t even taste a thing. That is, if you make the smoothie correctly. Lets just say my first attempt wasn’t a hit. You can add a handful or two of fresh spinach or my recent favorite, some frozen spinach. Avocado (technically a fruit, right?) makes smoothies very creamy and adds tons of nutrients. Believe me, you can’t knock it till you try it. I got my husband and my kids to drink up all their smoothie and they had no clue I put spinach in it. *insert evil laugh*

-Superfoods and other random healthy additions- Chia seeds, ground flaxseed, wheat germ, oat bran, old fashioned oats, hemp seeds, Spirulina, nuts, nut butters, and protein powder. 

-Sweeteners and other flavoring- Stevia, honey, agave, coconut nectar, medjool dates, date syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, mint, and coffee. 

This list could probably go on and on, but i’ll leave it at that.
Stay tuned for a delicious healthy smoothie recipe tomorrow!
What smoothie combination do you like or would want to try?