Smoothies are pretty much an every day thing in our house.
And not to be braggy, but…we kind of consider ourselves experts on the subject.
I had a few smoothie recipes up on my blog back when it was still thegrommom.com, but since my re-launch last summer, I haven’t gotten around to posting more. I think the reason why is because there are about a gazillion smoothie recipes available on line (hello Pinterest,) and I figured who really needs more smoothie recipes?
But then I thought: Maybe some people really do want more smoothie recipes! And who am I to withhold the very best smoothie recipes that we have spent years perfecting from the few people who might be interested.
So, here you are! The three recipes most commonly blended in this house. Needless to say, these are just the base recipes…We often add in all sorts of things, depending on the day and our mood: Some flax seed, extra fruit we might have on hand, or a little vanilla Juice Plus complete to make it more creamy and protein-rich.
I must say, these three do represent our family quite well: My personal favorite is The Tropical Green because it is packed with leafy greens but tastes more like a Pina Colada. 😉 Dave and Josiah love berries, cold and icy. And the younger boys…Well, it’s hard to resist an Orange Julius, right?
So here is a printable recipe for each of our favorites! Hope you can have some fun playing with these to make them your own!
#1… The Tropical Green Smoothie.
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 banana (frozen is best)
- 1 small-medium papaya (can go without if you don't have good papaya.)
- 1 cup fresh pineapple (use canned if you must :))
- 1-2 cups fresh spinach or kale
- 1 cup ice
- Combine all ingredients in the blender or vita-mixer.
- Blend well.
- Makes at least two large glasses of tropical green smoothie!
- ENJOY!
#2. The Berry-Delicious Smoothie
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries (fresh is great too!)
- 1 banana (we prefer frozen)
- 1 cup milk (almond, cow, soy...your choice)
- ¼ cup agave nectar (or to taste)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- (optional: Add in flax seeds, and/or protein powder. We often throw a packet of frozen Acai berry mix in as well. This one is also good with beets!)
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or vita mixer. Blend well, and add honey to taste.
- Enjoy!
- Makes two large servings of smoothie!
#3. (healthy version,) Orange Julius
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup milk (of choice, I used almond)
- 1 cup ice
- ¼ cup honey (or to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Option (add in a vanilla protein powder, or frozen banana.)
- Put all ingredients in a blender and combine until very smooth.
- (I find the longer I blend, the smoother the texture.)
- ENJOY!
- Makes two large servings of Orange Julius
Hope you found something new to try here!
And as always–I love it when you PIN and share my recipes, so clickity click away!
Also, if you love juicing, or ginger, or both, you don’t want to miss this post…
🙂
XO
monica
PS Wanna share your favorite smoothie? We’re always happy to try something new, so share in comments!
PPS Photo credit goes to Josiah Swanson. Who, I might add, acts as both in-house photographer, and ever-willing smoothie taste-tester. 😉
I really appreciate the simplicity and ease of your smoothie recipes. My five-year-old and two-year-old just consumed a cup of spinach each, thanks to your Green Smoothie recipe. It was delicious! Thank you!
So glad to hear that11 thank you Mia! 🙂 Much aloha–
I love smoothies. We live by them as well. They are one of the best ways to get fruits and veggies into picky eaters. Our favorite smoothie is similar to yours. We’ve settled on some definite brands and ingredients. Plus, I started using yogurt in almost all of them to really pump up the probiotics my son was getting, as he really needs them. https://roheryndesign.wordpress.com/2014/07/01/abundant-life-smoothie-dec-2013/
In the colder months, we find ourselves wanting something more creamy, so another favorite is to use the same protein and supplements listed in the Abundant Life Smoothie with the other ingredients being yogurt (amazing tang added that you really need to round out the flavors), peanut butter, ice, strawberries, and stevia to taste. The protein simply changes from vanilla to chocolate, and everyone swears they just got dessert for breakfast. 🙂
Mmm! Can’t wait to try these combinations! My morning smoothie has morphed so much over time into something kinda quirky. I use about 2 cups Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almond/Coconut milk blend (the one that says 60 calories), a dash of flax seed, a couple teaspoons of raw cacao powder, 1 scoop of cookies and cream flavored Spiru-Tein , a shot of espresso (!) , and whatever frozen fruit I have–strawberries, pineapple, etc…maybe 1 cup of frozen fruit. Blend for 1 minute–and voila you’ve got your morning coffee, protein, energy and vitamins! And a taste that is…well…sweet, mocha, fruity….all t once!
Holy Cow Wendy–that is quite a mix! 🙂 haha…I would never judge it till I try it, but I do have to give you credit for getting it all in one big drink! Love your style!
Aye carumba, that green goodness is calling to me. If only we had fresh papaya here…maybe I’ll just pop over to the island for breakfast. 😛
Indeed, you should! You’d fit in quite well around here my friend! aloha 🙂
What is your favorite protein powder?
The only protein-type powder I ever use is the Juice Plus Complete. And that is more of a whole-food based shake mix with 13 grams water-washed soy protein which I’ve read is the very best…:) Since we aren’t looking for like “bulk-up” protein, this is a great balanced mix for us and it also has fruit and veggie powders in it (that you can’t taste) so I feel good sneaking that in to my boys drinks as well. 🙂 XO Aloha!
I actually appreciate these recipes! They all sound delicious! I love a good tried and true smoothie and I like that yours don’t have a long list of ingredients.