Healthy Smoothie Recipes

10 of the best recipes for making nutrious & delicious smoothies using your home blender.

Why are Smoothies so good for you?

For busy, hungry athletes juggling the daily demands of work, kids, training and good nutrition, smoothies are the perfect solution. Smoothies can be a nutritious meal replacement; pre-workout carbohydrate snack; post workout recovery drink; a palatable way to boost your consumption of raw green vegetables; and an easy way to improve your hydration levels if you choose the right ingredients.

But the smoothies we eat today are vastly different to those you might recall from the 80's and 90's. Today's healthy smoothies should contain a few key ingredients - and mostly comprise vegetables and fruit. Learning how to make smoothies should be a fun and ongoing process of experimentation. Add it to your morning or daily routine and find combinations to find your own holy grail recipe that brings health, nutrition, hydration, and pleasure to you every day. j

In this article, we list 10 fabulous recipes for healthy smoothies that are equally as ideal for athletes as they are for kids so make smoothies a part of your family routine and enjoy drinking your way to good health.

How to make a Smoothie

Smoothies are made in a blender. You should get yourself a good quality, high powered one that either has a smoothie setting or is rated for crushing ice. Now, all you do is chuck a few things in and hit go. Sounds easy enough, and it is, but if you're not really sure what to put in the blender then this 6 point list will help you understand the concept of how they're created. After trying out the 10 recipes later down in this article, you'll then have had a taste of what you like and be able to start experimenting to find your own favourite blend.

Modern high powered blenders have a capacity of about 1500ml but you can't fill them to capacity without overflowing. Most recipes for smoothies will make enough for 2 -4 people depending how much you like to drink. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days but they are best consumed when freshly made.

A final word of caution to those who are managing their weight, don't combine a smoothie with other foods as they are a complete meal/snack on their own.

Step 1

Liquid. Liquid ingredients should always go in first so that the blade can spin freely. Use cows milk or alternatives such as almond milk, oat milk or rice milk (available in UHT long-life containers); water; fruit juice (any type but freshly squeezed citrus is best - lemon, lime, or orange); a probiotic (yoghurt or even better, a homemade kefir); or coconut water (not coconut juice which has added sugar).

Step 2

Fruits & Vegetables. Try the green smoothie craze using baby spinach leaves, kale (stalks removed), celery, cucumber, avocado etc. Any fruit will do but if you peel, chop and freeze pieces you’ll get a nice thick creamy texture and won’t need to add ice. Bananas, strawberries, raspberries, and rockmelon works best. Fresh fruits will contribute plenty of liquid, whereas frozen fruit adds an instant chill and a thicker texture. You can even use some dried fruits such as fresh medjool dates (which add sweetness and carbohydrate), so just experiment to find the balance you like best.

Step 3

Flavours, Protein & Other Extras. Protein Powder can turn your smoothie into a meal replacement or workout recovery drink. Buy in bulk and save, but get vanilla (rather than chocolate or strawberry) so you aren’t stuck with the same flavour for every day. Just add natural flavours via fruit or try powdered spices such as cinnamon, vanilla bean, cardamom, ginger, or cacao powder. Chlorella & Spirulina powders are a convenient yet natural way of getting extra protein into your smoothie (and will make it green).

Step 4

Ice. If you haven’t added any frozen fruit, you might like to add a few icecubes. Just be sure you use a high-powdered blender if you do and don’t put the ice in the bottom as it can clog the blades when it first starts which can burn the motor.

Step 5

Juices. If you have a juicer and enjoy using it, make a few vegie juices ahead of time so that you have nutritious liquids on hand for making quick smoothies. The best ones to use are the ones that don’t taste as nice with the pulp or skins intact or are very hard but make lovely juices eg. beetroot, carrot.

Step 6

No sugar. Healthy smoothies don’t contain sugar, honey, icecream, or cream so leave them out.
So now, here's the recipes...

Green Zing

  • 2 kiwi fruit (skin on)
  • Handful baby spinach
  • 1 cup homemade kefir (substitute with yoghurt)
  • Juice of 1 large lemon

Green Hydrator

  • 250ml coconut water
  • 1 green apple
  • 1 kiwi fruit
  • Half avocado
  • A few fresh sprigs of parsley & coriander
  • Small handful of baby spinach
  • 1 kale leaf (stalk removed)

Kale Smoothie

  • Half a green apple
  • 2 cups kale leaves (stalks removed)
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 cup kefir (substitute with yoghurt)
  • 1 tbspn ground flax seeds (flax seeks are often labelled “Linseed” in Australia)
  • 1 cup ice cubes

Strawberry Recovery

  • Handful frozen strawberries (or raspberries)
  • Half a frozen banana
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 cup homemade kefir (or yoghurt)
  • Dash of extra milk if necessary (adjust to suit desired consistency)

Chocolate & Avocado Heaven

  • 1 avocado
  • 2 tbspns cacoa powder
  • 1 cup homemade kefir (or plain natural yoghurt)
  • Extra milk (optional)

Red Delish

  • 3 cups diced watermelon
  • 1 tomato
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 4 Ice cubes

Red Velvet

  • 2 cups frozen red berries
  • Half a cup silken tofu (substitute with yoghurt or kefir)
  • 1 frozen banana
  • Half a cup orange juice
  • Quarter of a cup coconut (freshly chopped, desiccated or shredded)

Sweet Summer

  • 1 cup fresh pineapple pieces
  • 2 kiwi (skin on)
  • 250ml/1 cup coconut water
  • 4 icecubes

Pineapple Lime

  • 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • 2 tbspns lime juice
  • 1 tbspon fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup coconut water

Vanilla & Pear

  • 3 pears (cored)
  • 1 cup rice milk (substitute with yoghurt or kefir)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 icecubes

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Created: November 2013
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Tags

Smoothies, Blender, Green Smoothie, Kefir, Kale, Spinach, Coconut Water, Kiwi, Green Apple, Almond Milk, Oat Milk, Rice Milk, Frozen Fruit