Anyone make their own smoothies? Now that my kitchen is unpacked I have been making smoothies and they have really been helping my sweet tooth.

Im interested in finding new recipes for smoothies that have been tried. I normally put some fat free yogurt and some type of fruit. Today I did 1c FF yogurt, 1/2 banana (I read that you can use a banana as a substitute the yogurt), 1/2 nectarine, 1/2 c crushed pineapple and juice squeezed from 1 orange and ice.

Last time I did the 1/2 nectarine, crushed pineapple and yogurt with ice.

I normally make about 12 ounces and drink 4oz at breakfast and sip on the other 8 throughout the day at work.

I LOVE to make smoothies. I use water as my base and fruit to sweeten it. I also put in 1 to 2 cups of frozen or fresh spinach so I get some vegetables in at breakfast. I use a heavy duty blender so everything get chopped up and there is only a smooth texture. Here are some of my favorites:

Chocolate Banana
2 frozen bananas
1 to 2 cups of water
2 cups of spinach
1TBS cocoa

Strawberry Banana
1 Cup water
1 frozen banana
1 to 2 cups strawberries
1 cup spinach

Grape Surprise
2 cups grapes
1 to 2 cups water
1 cup spinach
1/2 inch piece of ginger
nutmeg to taste

Apple Pie In a Glass
2 apples peeled
1 cup water
1/2 frozen banana or 1 peeled pear and ice
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Post some of your recipes. I am always on the lookout for new ideas.

I think I would WAY overdo it on the smoothies. Do you know calorie counts for any of those?

I have a smoothie every morning for breakfast...I can't live without it...and it only weighs in at around 315 calories!

1/2 cup of skim milk
5 ice cubes
approx. 1 cup frozen strawberries
1 over ripe medium banana
1 scoop protein powder

It really helps to fuel my morning workout.

SPINACH in a smoothie? I bet it makes it bright green! Do you taste it?

Other smoothie ingredients to consider: wheat germ, ground flaxseed, silken tofu, peanut butter

Here's a recipe for Chai Tea Smoothies:

2 cups milk
1/4 cup unsweetened instant tea
1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Ice cubes
Fresh mint leaves, optional

In a blender, combine all ingredients but the ice and mint. Process until blended. Gradually add enough ice to make a thick consistency. Pour mixture into tall glasses and serve. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

I have to admit...spinach in a smoothie sounds rather unappealing? I wanna know too...do you taste it?

I was wondering the same thing about the spinach-do you taste it??

calories in a smoothie all depends on what type of base you use. If you use milk go with the Fat Free and depending on the brand theres about 100 calories per 8 oz. I use stoneyfield organic FF yogurt which has 110 calories. The calories in fruit are relatively low. I would estimate my smoothie has 150 calories in it, but I drink it all day long. It also helps me with my snacking b/c I stick it in the freezer at work until I finish my coffee, then its almost like eating ice cream.

I was wondering how to add protein in the shake with out adding alot of fat like in PB. I'll have to check into protein powder. I know I dont want a whole lot of calories. I normally work out at lunchtime so that would make a good smoothie for me to sip on until I go work out.

I really like Pure Protein Whey Protein Powder in the Vanilla Creme flavor. It has a great taste which is sometimes hard to find in a protein powder. Per Serving (1 scoop) there is 23g protein, 110 cal, 1.5 g fat. Adding that to my smoothie really helps to keep me feeling full. I have it at 7:00 am and am not really hungry again until noontime.
I also find it very convenient because they stock it at Publix so I never have to make a special trip for it.

On a side note...if I'm eating a bowl of cereal for a meal...I always add a scoop of powder to it to get some protein in.

[QUOTE=phantastica;1881017]SPINACH in a smoothie? I bet it makes it bright green! Do you taste it?
QUOTE]

No, I do not taste the spinach. As long as there is a ratio of 60% fruit to 40% greens you usually can not taste the greens. I am trying to branch out and use different greens. If it is your first one with greens start with a small amount and continue to incrrease as you get use to them. Yes, the green color can turn you off. I put my in an opaque glass so I do not notice it as much.

I drink smoothies often as they are a quick and easy meal on busy days. I always use some type of fruit, but the ingredients vary depending on my mood or what I have on hand. Some of my favorite ingredients are silken tofu and Westsoy Unsweetened Vanilla soymilk. These two ingredients are great sources of extra protein.

I made one today with pineapple, motts kiwi applesauce, water and 1/2 banana. It didnt taste to hot so I added some yogurt but I got the wrong kind at the store and this is FF plain which tastes terrible!

Smoothie junky here! I switched it up recently:

Orange juice
blueberries
peaches
psyllium
ice

Mmmmm... smoothies...

I'm more of an "eater" than a "drinker" heheh I like to chew my calories

ok let's be honest -- i'm a fruit junkie so i have to limit myself to the fruits I don't binge on, so i stick to pears mostly LOL If i started having strawberries and pineapple and watermelon.......glug glug glug i'd drink 10 a day!

whats psyllium?