I eat food mostly for fuel. Of course I prefer things that taste good. I like foods that are easy to prepare and eat. Smoothies are great. Wash, maybe peel, blend and drink. Salads are great too, but you can’t really chug 64 ounces of salad in a minute or two. And I almost always hit the 64 ounce max line on my Vitamix carafe.
I don’t use recipes. I use what I have on hand at the time. My regular smoothies are not desserts. I want to get a bunch of vegetables and some fruits to my stomach quickly. It’s a big carafe of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, fiber and water.
There are generally three parts to my smoothies: vegetables, fruit and water. I think of vegetables in two groups: greens and other. Fruit is for calories and flavor. Water is for hydration, texture and ease of blending.
Vegetables
I put greens in just about every smoothie I make. I use at least half a bunch, which comes out to 5-8 ounces by weight. I’ll use more if there’s room. I also add wild greens occasionally.
My favorite greens for smoothies:
*Collards
*Chard
*Kale – all types
*Beet Greens
*Bok Choy
*Nettles
*Spinach
*Cabbage
*Brussels Sprouts
*Plantain (the weed not the fruit)
*Sheep Sorrel
*Wood Sorrel
*Dandelion
I started adding other vegetables as well earlier this year. I think it was after seeing a video of Rich Roll adding broccoli to his smoothie. I love broccoli, so I gave it a try. I’m going to go by the culinary definition of vegetables, rather than botanical.
Some other vegetables I add to smoothies:
*Beets – I love beets. I add them to almost all my smoothies.
*Broccoli – florets and stems
*Cucumber
*Zucchini
*Carrots
*Cauliflower
*Radishes
*Celery – use sparingly, it gives a salty taste
*Kohlrabi
Fruit
I like fruit, but I don’t normally add much more than 16 ounces of fruit to a 64 ounce smoothie. I often use less, just enough fruit for flavor. However, if I’m looking for more calories, I’ll add more fruit. My choice of fruit often goes by what’s in season, and hence cheap.
Some favorite fruits for smoothies:
*Bananas – At least 1 in nearly every smoothie. Good soluble fiber. Can reduce nasty froth on top.
*Strawberries – I don’t cut off the leaves. They’re greens, and I make green smoothies.
*Blueberries
*Mangos
*Watermelon
*Peaches
*Blackberries
*Huckleberries
*Papaya
*Oranges
*Lemon – with or without peel.
*Pineapple
Water
I add enough water so everything blends well and get the texture I want. I know some people use juice or coconut water instead of water. I prefer straight water. I rarely drink juice and prefer to consume my food whole. Fiber is important.
Other
I used to add other things more often. Now, occasionally, I may add some rosehips powder for vitamin C, vegan protein powder, reishi or chaga mushrooms.
Blenders
A good blender makes a huge difference, but I got by with a $5 thrift shop model for a couple years. I love my Vitamix, though.
Make the Smoothie
1. Wash ALL produce. Unless you picked it from your own garden, you don’t know how it’s been handled. In the last few years, there have been E-coli outbreaks from spinach and cantaloupe, probably others too.
2. Peel, core, removed seeds and de-stem. Sometimes I don’t peel lemons, but always remove the seeds. I never skin beets. I know some people eat mangos with the peel, but I always peel them. I’ve occasionally added watermelon rind. I always peel kohlrabi.
3. Cut up produce. I cut things up into chunks small enough so they don’t get stuck in the carafe, wedged against the sides. Sometimes I cut greens. Other times I add them whole at the end.
4. Add produce to blender. Depending on your blender, you may need to add things in a certain order. When I had a cheap blender, greens took the most time to break down to my desired consistency, so I added them first. With a powerful blender, it may not matter.
5. Add water. I start with a couple cups of water, less if I’m using something like watermelon with a lot of retained water.
6. Blend. Start on low. Increase speed slowly to get everything moving. If needed, use a plunger to dislodge any stuck produce. Increase speed to high and blend until it’s as smooth as you’d like.
Optional: Add more water. If it’s not circulating well or too thick, slowly add more water until it reaches your desired consistency.
7. Enjoy!
It’ll take some experimenting to get the greens, vegetables and fruits ratios you like, and to make the right volume for you. Cleanup is a lot easier the sooner you get to it. I drink a whole 64 ounce smoothie, 32 ounces at a time, in one sitting. If you’re going to save some for later, it’s best to pour the remainder into another container and store in the fridge.
Finally, definitely experiment with other greens, vegetables and fruits. The only precautions I’d urge are to make sure the produce is ok to eat raw, whether they need to be peeled, have the seeds removed, or something else.