Are you a smoothie lover but prefer to go order one over making them at home? This can get expensive and is truthfully a waste of money if you’re buying them all the time! Plus, they often will add lots of sugar-laden ingredients making those seemingly healthy drinks actually quite bad for you!
But don’t worry, I’m here to share some secret tips about homemade smoothie making that will have you whipping up your own healthy and delicious creations in no time! By simply learning some brief information about the ingredients you plan on using, as well as the amount that will give you that perfect texture, your homemade smoothies will not only taste just as good if not better than shop-bought ones, they will also be a whole lot better for you!
Here are some do’s and don’t of smoothie making to give you the best of both worlds:
The Do’s
Add Vegetables to Your Smoothie
Many people think that smoothies must only consist of fruits. However, adding in vegetables not only adds taste but also increases the nutritional value of your smoothies.
You can add cucumber, carrots, or even some green leafy green vegetables like spinach and basil leaves. You can also use either fresh or frozen. When making smoothies frozen veggies taste the same as fresh ones do, and often will hold more nutritional value as they are frozen at their peak. They also help to give your smoothies a great texture, as well as save you money since you won’t be buying non-seasonal vegetables.
Use High-Quality Ingredients
Making something at home provides us with the opportunity to get the best quality product both in terms of nutrition and cleanliness. Using fresh, or freshly frozen, good quality ingredients are the best way to give your smoothies that delicious and nutritious edge.
You can also use smoothie blends that can save your time and effort in the process. A lot of good brands like blendtopia.com provide high-quality and nutritious smoothie blends. You can use them fearlessly since these are made from fresh fruits and vegetables, and come with the ingredients already measured out for you perfectly. There are also various types of blends available to use according to your wants and needs (ie, detoxification smoothie blend), so you really can’t go wrong.
Add Fresh Herbs
The best part about homemade smoothies is that you can make them to your exact preferences using your favorite ingredients. There are no fixed rules. For instance, you can only use certain leafy green vegetables, while also adding in some fresh herbs, if you like their taste.
In fact, there are a lot of options for adding fresh herbs to your smoothie. You can use basil leaves, rosemary, mint, parsley, thyme, or a mixture of several, according to what you’re in the mood for that day.
The Don’ts
Don’t Use Ice
Avoid the use of ice in your smoothie unless you have a highly efficient and powerful blender for the purpose. If you are using an ordinary blender, the ice will not crush properly and will leave you with unpleasant chunks. Ice can also “water down” your smoothie and ruin the texture.
As an alternative, use frozen fruits and vegetables. This is my “secret” to making that creamy, ice cream-like texture since it gives you the thickness you’re craving without affecting the real taste.
Don’t Use Store-bought Fruit Juices
Not only are store-bought fruit juices not as tasty as freshly made juices, but they are also filled with sugar and preservatives and just plain and simply are not good for you. One of the reasons for this is that canned juices are devoid of the essential living enzymes. Stored juices are just full of sugar with no nutritional value. This is because when such beverages are stored for a long time, they will be converted into fructose sugar that is the sweetest of all the sugars.
If you prefer fruit juice, then make your own – or do a 50/50 fruit and veggie blend. Personally, though, I prefer to use plant-based milk in my smoothies. It gives you the best texture and also reduces the sugar-load by a lot!
Don’t Blend Every Ingredient Together
When making smoothies, most people just want to blend all of their favorite ingredients together in the blender at once. This is generally done to save time and the effort of thinking out a recipe, but it usually doesn’t end well. Instead, you need to think about the different food combinations and what flavors you are looking to achieve and go from there.
Making the perfect homemade smoothie is not as difficult as it may seem. You just have to use the right combination of high-quality ingredients and then go from there. In just a few easy steps you too can get your ideal smoothie taste!
Need some recipe ideas to get you started! I’ve got LOTS! Just send me a message and I’d love to share some of my favorites with you!
