Smoothing Out Your Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to include the day’s nutrients, fruit servings, and any other food group serving you need to.  They can also be a bit tricky to make, so I’m here to share what I’ve learned about this tasty, nutritious food.

I just purchased my first blender recently, and boy, were my first efforts terrible. I made some really dumb mistakes, resulting in completely inedible smoothies. I’ve never had a drink with worse taste, consistency, or overall lack of appeal. I’m not joking; we threw them out the window and the grass died.

Well, it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but they weren’t exactly Jamba Juice or Smoothie King quality. And, of course, out of the kindness of my heart, I’m going to save you from the same fate.

1. Don’t forget the ice! This is such a biggie, but such an easy and common mistake to make. I forgot the ice for the first three smoothies I made, so the consistency was terrible. It was like drinking mud. Awful.
2. Don’t over-blend. You only need to blend most combinations for a minute or less. After that, you start to get your ice chips to a point of insignificance. You put ice in because it makes the smoothie better! Blending ice cubes into oblivion will not accomplish anything, and is quite pointless.
3. Find smoothies you already like. If you visit drink shops or cafes regularly, there may be a few favorites that you already have. Look for copycat recipes online, or experiment until you get as close to your favorite combinations as possible.
4. Look for recipes online. When you make your first couple of smoothies, you’ll have no idea what you’re doing. So to make sure you avoid bad ingredient mixtures, look up recipes online and use what you already have at home – or head out to get what you don’t have.
5. Buy ingredients with your blender! When I got my blender, I went grocery shopping at the same time and picked up fruits that are commonly found in smoothies. I also grabbed some kale and broccoli. Since I had these at home, I could look up simple recipes and not have to wait to use my shiny new blender!
6. Add in protein powder. If you need an extra boost, grab some protein powder and add it in! Many brands come unflavored, but you can also find chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

I hope these smoothie tips help you out in all of your drink-making endeavors!