Smoothie 101

As the weather heats up, my love of smoothies returns. Smoothies can make a great meal or snack, but they can also rack up as many calories as a milkshake if you aren't careful.

I like the use a standard recipe to keep my smoothies in check. I change up the ingredients for variety in flavors, but try to maintain the same ratios of the different types of ingredients.

Basic Smoothie Formula

- 1 cup of milk of choice

- 1 cup of fruit

- 1 serving of protein (could be protein powder, 1-2Tbsp of nut butter or whole nuts, 2Tb hemp seeds)

- 1 serving of fat (1Tbsp nut butter or coconut oil, 2Tbsp shredded coconut, 1/4 avocado)

- Handful of greens/vegetables

These ingredients can all be blended together, or you can choose to leave some out and use them as toppings on a smoothie bowl. I usually like to sprinkle a few tablespoons of cereal or granola on top for a little extra crunch, too.

A few of my favorites:

Funky Monkey: 1 cup almond or coconut milk + 1 frozen banana + 2Tb peanut butter + handful of spinach and sometimes 1Tb cocoa powder

Pumpkin Pie: 1 cup almond milk + 1/2 frozen banana + 1/3 cup canned pumpkin + 2 Tb almond butter + sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Blueberry Avocado: 1 cup almond milk + 1/2 frozen banana + 1/2 cup frozen blueberries + 1/2 avocado + handful of spinach/kale + 2Tb hemp seeds

Other tips:

* Using frozen fruit, especially frozen banana, make a thicker shake

* Fresh or frozen avocado adds a nice creamy, thick texture

* Blend up your greens with your liquid first to make sure they mix in evenly with no chunks. I've even blended up kale with a little water and frozen in ice cube trays for an easy addition

*Frozen cauliflower is a new popular ingredient that adds creaminess with minimal flavor and lots of nutrients

*For protein powder I like to use powdered egg whites. They are a great clean, flavorless source of protein