Smoothies For the Lazy (or just the under-motivated)
I love food. Well, I love to eat it. Sometimes I love to make it too, but only if I then get to eat it. Most of the time, however, I don’t have time/energy/inspiration or even the food in stock to make something that I know is healthy.
I don’t normally post about food, but seeing how it’s almost the New Year I thought I might share some recipes that may help you with your resolutions to lose weight.
This is a problem I’m hoping to resolve. For me breakfast is pretty simple: I can make eggs & bacon, omelettes, yogurt with fruit and nuts, flaxseed muffins in a cup, etc. So lots of options. And since I’m a self-employed piano and voice teacher, none of my busy time comes until noon or later. So lunch and dinner are often problematic for me.
Especially lunch. I mean, what do you have? I don’t want to make an entire meal, and if I reheat leftovers from dinner the previous night then the extra I made for dinner to be used as dinner some other night gets eaten up. And sometimes by noon, I’m already on the road or teaching.
Enter smoothies!
I had bought this great greensmix which has anything you could possibly need: fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, spices, and no filler. So for a few weeks I was happily mixing this with water or almond milk and going forth on my merry little way.
But then boredom set in.
It actually tastes really good and not at all like you’re eating a lawn, but having the same thing most days of the week gets really tiresome for me.
And this means I stopped drinking that and resorting to eating toast or nothing at all.
Definitely not the healthiest choices I've made.
That’s when I decided that I needed to come up with a different plan.
Below I have a few recipes and ideas to help you get started in making smoothies
Prep Work
I hate prepping the ingredients. I don’t actually hate the act of it, but it is very time consuming and I’ve learned over the years to be careful when doing things quickly with sharp objects. So it’s pretty slow work.
As a result, I’ve decided to make smoothie “kits” to be frozen ahead of time on the weekends, and then during the week I can simply take out a baggie from the freezer and dump that into a blender with some liquid and whatever other additives I want in there.
Another idea is that when you go to make a smoothie for yourself, you make one to drink right away, and assemble the same ingredients you already have out into a baggie to be frozen for later.
Either way, you’re preparing when you’ve decided you have the time, not when you’re in panic mode to get out the door!
Step 1: Gather Your Stuff in a Pile
Get everything you’re going to need handy so you’re not having to stop after each item to go get something else. Here are some things you’ll need:
- Fruits (fresh or frozen, preferably organic): strawberries, blueberries, bananas, pineapples, mangos, oranges, avocados, peaches, and whatever else looks good to you
- Veggies (fresh or frozen, preferably organic): Kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, and whatever else you like - I find leafy vegetables work best
- Equipment: blender (if mixing today), cutting board, knife, zester, freezer bags, sharpie
- Other Stuff: (Generally these items are added right before mixing): water or almond milk, yogurt, greens mix, cinnamon or other spices, chia seeds, flaxseeds.
Step 2: Make Your Big Pile into Smaller Piles
Now that you’ve made a big mess, start assembling your smoothie mixes. I recommend not putting avocado in the bags and just adding them when you’re ready to mix, but they can be frozen ahead of time - just squirt lemon or lime juice on them to prevent them from turning brown.
For quantities, I’d just eyeball it. I made enough to make 2 drinks per mix because if I don’t feed hubby @negativer, he resorts to eating cardboard and peanut butter. I use about ½ cup for each ingredient.
Note: The greensmix I use is naturally sweet, so I don’t have a need to make the smoothies any sweeter. If you want more sweetness, add honey or pineapple to your mixes.
Berry Smoothie
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
When ready to make into a smoothie, add yogurt (omit if you are avoiding dairy), almond milk or water, and greens mix
Kalenberry
- Kale
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
When ready to make into a smoothie, add avocado, almond milk or water, and greens mix
Peachy Keen
- Peaches
- Banana
- Strawberries
When ready to make into a smoothie, add almond milk or water, vanilla extract (optional), and greens mix
Green Monster
- Kale
- Celery (not too much or it will be a fibrous texture)
- Cucumber
- Spinach
When ready to make into a smoothie, add avocado, lemon or lime juice, almond milk or water, yogurt, greens mix, vanilla extract (optional), and cinnamon (optional).
Tropical Dreams
- Pineapple
- Banana
- Mangos
- Orange (if fresh, add some zest too)
When ready to make into a smoothie, add almond milk or water, vanilla extract (optional), and greens mix
Feel free to experiment with different spices (i.e., cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric), herbs (i.e., cilantro, dill, parsley, thyme), essential oils, seeds, nut butters (not peanut butter), and cocoa and protein powders.
Today, I made the Tropical Dreams recipe because I dream of someday being warm again (it’s been in negative temps since we got to the frozen tundra that is Wisconsin).
So my plan going forward is to do smoothie mix making binges on the weekend and see if that makes my life a bit healthier and still fairly easy to do.
Have any good smoothie recipes or ideas? Please share!
Here’s to a healthier life in 2018!
If you enjoyed this post, please follow, upvote, and resteem. I write posts on singing, playing piano, teaching music, and short stories about anything.
Thank you! I actually just got a Blender as a Christmas Gift so this is perfect timing. =)
Great! Let me know what you think of these recipes, or if you come up with some of your own.
Good contribution friend especially for this holiday season and spend it as a family with a good meal and low in calories
greetings ..
Thanks, and speaking of holidays...I wonder if a person could make an Egg Nog Smoothie? Not with real egg or rum, so not sure exactly it would be, but might be fun to experiment LOL
Great idea. My wife and I used to make smoothies. Really too lazy. Even to do this much. :)
Well so far this is an easier healthy option. There are plenty of unhealthy options, but I really can't continue doing that!
Looks a lot like my kitchen..lol. I too freeze a lot of veggies and fruits in smaller portions for my smoothies. Try adding spirlina and chorella and make it a "power drink."
Oo, great idea!
How far ahead do you freeze? I'm wondering if it would last a few weeks this way, because I have to anticipate times when I'm more lazy :)
I purchase fresh fruits by the box from local vendors. I freeze some in gallon bags for jams and smoothie portions in smaller bags. They will last a long time in the freezer as long as you get the air out of the bag, use thicker freezer bags and ensure the bag is sealed tight. This helps keep them from getting freezer burn.
Good to know. I've wanted to join one of those organic coops, but was afraid I wouldn't be able to use it all in time. This is a great way to make it last a bit longer!
Fortunately I get most of my fruits and veggies from local organic farmer's We also have some awesome health food stores in Kona and Hilo. I get much better prices from the locals at the Farmer's Market.
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Awesome, thanks @buckydurddle!
Yes, I hate it when smoothies or fruit/veggie drinks taste like a lawn. :) Thanks for the tasty tips.
I know! I'm also not a huge fan of salads for this same reason. I love cooking kale and spinach, but not so much eating them raw all the time. I 'm not a rabbit! :)
We had Tropical Dreams today. It was actually super tasty. Looking forward to drinking more of my meals in 2018! :)
Just another step toward a more healthy lifestyle. :)
Your food recipes post awesome & thanks to share this content.
Thanks, hope you enjoy the recipes :)
Very cool. I'm a big smoothie fan, and a musician. So I'll be following and staying tuned in and voting! Cheers and thank you
What instruments do you play? Thanks for following and upvoting!
Saxophone :)