Likes and dislikes
First, you need to differentiate between what you like and don’t like. You can’t have a favourite smoothie with ingredients you hate! Having said that there are certain vegetables like spinach that you may hate, but is packed full of vitamin K and vitamin A. When mixed with various other fruits, you won’t even know it’s there.
Choose your favourite fruit that work well together and see what you think.
Texture
What kind of texture do you like your smoothies to be? With a little help from your Blender Friend, you can experiment with different consistencies. A typical smoothie is quite thick, but this may not be everyone’s thing, so play around with it. If it’s too thin, add some banana or ice cream. If it’s too thick, add something like apple or orange juice. (It doesn’t matter what flavour, choose whatever floats your boat!)
Colour
We eat with our eyes, so making something that turns out brown won’t be very appealing!
Reds, pinks and purples always make a yummy looking smoothie, so you will need fruits like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. You can also add a little food colouring to mix things up. Why not challenge yourself and make a rainbow smoothie! It’s not as hard as you think. All you have to do is find the right fruit and veg that gives you the colours you need, then blend each ingredients separately and layer them in a glass, et voilà!
Taste
No one wants to drink a smoothie that tastes bad. Mix and match, go out and buy a variety of fruits – even things you never try because they look too ‘exotic.’ They might add a flavour you never knew existed! It’s fun to try new things, especially when it’s good for you! And don’t worry if you make too much, you can freeze your smoothie and defrost it the next time you want it, or even eat it frozen! Who doesn’t like sorbet?.
Purpose
Not only are smoothies delicious, but they are also an excellent way to keep healthy and getting your five a day. They also go down a treat with the children, so instead of telling them they can’t have a snack – give them a smoothie! The colour is the first thing they see so the brighter, the better!
If you are making smoothies purely for a healthier lifestyle, think about adding vegetables. Although fruit is fab and contains the natural sugars we need – it’s still sugar, and we shouldn’t consume too much of it. By adding veg, you will use a little less fruit, and more greens to gain all those other good vitamins your body craves.
Classic smoothie recipe
One of the most common recipes is the Strawberry & Banana Smoothie
*Blend 1 banana
*A generous handful of strawberries
*Half a cup of natural yogurt or milk
*2 teaspoons of honey
*And some ice
For a new take on this classic smoothie, add a peach and some raspberries!