Smoothies

[Meaghan]

I need to revisit my smothie obsession. Any tips on where to start, new, strange concoctions welcome.

<I'm all ears>

[Principia]

I need to revisit my smothie obsession. Any tips on where to start, new, strange concoctions welcome.

<I'm all ears>

One place to start, particularly if you're trying to replicate commercial smoothies without the ridiculous upcharging, is Top Secret Recipes - Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits and Shakes, by Todd Wilbur. He's got a fair amount of free recipes available on his site (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com), if you wanted to check them out first.

[tripewriter]

Vanilla ice cream + Odwalla orange juice + immersion blender = yummy.

Or is this technically a milkshake?

Either way, it rocks.

[Pat]

My preferred protein shake/smoothie is approximately the following, mixed in a blender:

1 banana

3-4 strawberries, hulled

handful blueberries

TBSP wheat germ

TBSP honey

6-8 oz. container plain yogurt

scoop protein powder (I like Nutiva hemp powder from Whole Foods)

enough almond milk to make it the right consistency

It looks like a chocolate milkshake and is quite tasty, if I do say so myself.

[Ilaine]

I need to revisit my smothie obsession. Any tips on where to start, new, strange concoctions welcome.

50-50 frozen whole strawberries, and Stonybrook Farm whole milk vanilla yogurt.

I am obsessed with this. Not low cal. For low cal, use low fat but it won't be as good.

The vanilla has plenty of sugar and makes it taste like wonderful strawberry ice cream and I don't even like strawberry ice cream. But I love this. Lurve.

[Meaghan]

Cool! Thanks, guys.

Been craving some crazy green tea frothy kinda thing, not made with artificial stuff. May not exist, though it does in a sugary chai latte version.

I confess: I have a soft spot for the all-industrial Jamba Juice Banana Berry smoothie. It suits me well, and if you want to put your faith in me, try the Strawberry Slim & Trim at Smoothie King. I love those.

[hillvalley]

Now I want a green tea smoothy thing. How can we do it without chemicals? I am thinking the green tea mix at teasim is a start. But then what? Ice cream?

[Meaghan]

Now I want a green tea smoothy thing.  How can we do it without chemicals?  I am thinking the green tea mix at teasim is a start. But then what?  Ice cream?

Mmmm. Ice Cream. (green tea I scream?)Maybe cut with ripe peach or banan and ice? The books say soy milk, but I don't really need to live that long....

[zoramargolis]

The books say soy milk, but I don't really need to live that long....

I used to feel that way, too. But now I must limit carbs by order of my doctor, and one of the ways I do it is by replacing 1/2 of the skim milk in my cappucini (is that the plural of cappucino?) with unsweetened soy milk--The Trader Joe's Organic, in the sterile package is the best tasting/best QPR I have found. It really is not bad at all. My teen-age daughter has taken such a liking to TJ's soy milk, that she uses it on cereal and drinks a glass of it in situations where she previously would have had regular milk. I tried freshly made soy milk from an Asian market, and it was awful--very vegetal tasting. Most soy milks (like Silk) have sugar in them and there is no carb-saving advantage there. They are designed for people who are lactose intolerant or for those who are down on animal-based foods, for whatever reason.

Vanilla rice milk, while we are on the subject of milk alternatives, makes a very credible horchata, if you add some cinnamon to it.

Another thought about smoothies. If you are really serious about making them at home--consider investing in a Vita-Mix blender. It has a motor powerful enough to make smooth puree out of raw carrots, and you can also put ice cubes and frozen fruit in it and make sorbet. Ice makes a refreshing thickener for smoothies if you can grind it fine enough, and the Vita-Mix does that. It's what they use to make Frappucinos at Starbuck's. You have to buy them directly from the manufacturer. They are expensive but I use mine all the time!

[Meaghan]

Who am I kidding anyway, I like soy milk really cold in a tall glass. Shaken, not stirred. You can feel the phytonutrient doing it's cancer-fighing when you drink it like that... It's like drugs.

[Ilaine]

Cool! Thanks, guys.

Been craving some crazy green tea frothy kinda thing, not made with artificial stuff. May not exist, though it does in a sugary chai latte version.

How about using green tea ice cream? I've seen it as Super H Mart.

They also have adzuki bean ice cream.

And mango mochi ice cream balls. Oh, yum.

[Sthitch]

My usual breakfast/post workout protein shake is Dymatize ISO 100 protein shake and EAS Betagen. The ISO 100 comes in all sorts of flavors that are surprisingly inoffensive*, my favorites being the Gourmet Vanilla and Gourmet Chocolate. The Betagen comes in two flavors orange and cherry; on its own the orange tastes like sugar-free Tang.

I have found all 4 possible mixtures to be quite good, my current favorite being vanilla and orange; it tastes like a guilt-free Creamsicle.

* I despise the taste of artificial sweeteners, so inoffensive is as good as it is going to get.

[thistle]

I can see where 'surprisingly inoffensive' is good in a protein shake, & I don't even share your aversion to artificial sweeteners (although I don't need much)- my smoothie is Designer whey (vanilla), leftover brewed coffee, coconut milk kefir (one of the few things I could think to use this in), ice, cinnamon, & sometimes, flaxseeds. It's not a peanut butter bagel, but I'm slowly adapting to eating differently....